Indian projects short-listed for Green Oscars
London, May 25: Kerala company, which is involved in tackling the problem of dumped food waste, and a Karnataka firm that has provided thousands of rural families dung-based biogas plants are among 10 global projects shortlisted for the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, popularly known as the "Green Oscars".
Former U S Vice President Al Gore will present the awards and more than 200,000 pounds (Rs 17 lakhs approx) of prize money to the winners at the Royal Geographical Society here on June 21.
"The Ashden Awards are a powerful reminder that well designed and managed local sustainable energy initiatives can tackle climate change while meeting the needs of local communities. Tackling these issues simultaneously, in both rich and poor countries, is critical to addressing the twin planetary challenges of climate change and sustainable development," Al Gore said.
BIOTECH from Kerala and SKG Sangha from Karnataka will compete with contenders from Bangladesh, China, Ghana, Lao PDR, Nepal, Peru, Philippines and Tanzania for the five awards and the prize money earmarked to help project expansion and replication in other communities both locally and nation wide.
BIOTECH has been selected for tackling the problem of the dumping of food waste in the streets of Kerala through the installation of biogas plants that use the waste to produce gas for cooking and, in some cases, electricity for lighting.
To date BIOTECH has built and installed an impressive 12,000 domestic plants (160 of which also use human waste from latrines to avoid contamination of ground water), 220 institutional plants and 17 municipal plants that use waste from markets to power generations.
SKG Sangha has been selected for radically improving the lives of thousands of rural families in Karnataka by supplying them with both dung based biogas plants for cooking and a specially designed unit that turns the slurry from the biogas plant into high quality fertilizer.
The
units
supplied
by
SKG
Sangha
produce
fertilizer
simply
by
combing
the
slurry
with
straw
and
leaves
and
then
adding
worms
which
re-digest
the
mixture
to
produce
vermin-compost.
This
vermin-compost
improves
the
yields
of
family
crops
and
women
can
earn
as
much
from
selling
half
the
vermin-compost
they
produce
as
the
household
earns
from
selling
the
crops
they
grow.
Since
1993,
SKG
Sangha
has
installed
over
43,000
biogas
plants
in
Karnataka
alone.
Sarah
Butler-Sloss,
founder
and
chair
of
the
Ashden
Awards
said:
"All
the
finalists
were
selected
because
they
stand
out
as
inspiring
examples
of
how
providing
local
sustainable
energy
solutions
to
reduce
global
carbon
emissions
can
also
reap
tremendous
social
and
economic
rewards
for
local
communities
around
the
world.
They
deserve
to
be
highlighted
and
used
to
inspire
others".
The
other
finalists
are:
Shidhulal
Swanirvar
Sangstha
(Bangladesh)
for
building
up
a
fleet
of
88
boats
that
use
solar
energy
to
bring
education,
training
and
renewable
energy
supplies
to
over
400,000
people
living
in
the
remote
Chalanbeel
region
of
Bangladesh,
Beijing
Shenzhou
Daxu
Bio-Energy
Technology
Company
Ltd
(China)
for
developing
and
marketing
an
innovative
stove
design
that
replaces
coal
by
burning
widely
available
crop
waste
as
well
as
burning
wood
much
more
efficiently,
Deng
Ltd
(Ghana)
for
developing
a
viable
and
sustainable
business
for
the
provision
of
solar-home-systems
to
rural
areas
where
access
to
grid
supply
is
limited.
Sunlabob Renewable Energies Ltd (LAO PDR) for developing an innovation and commercially viable business model which provides high quality solar PV systems to the rural poor at a price they can afford.
Centre
for
Rural
Technology,
Nepal,
for
upgrading
over
2,400
traditional
water
mills
in
the
Himalayas
of
Nepal
and
thereby
improving
livelihoods
for
millers
and
mill
users
and
stemming
the
rise
in
diesel
mills.
Practical
Action
(Peru)
for
transforming
lives
of
over
30,000
people
living
in
remote
villages
in
the
Andes
by
providing
them
with
electricity
generated
by
micro-hydro
plants.
Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc (Philippines) for developing a ram pump design built to last at least twenty years and for bringing clean water to over 15,000 people through the installation of these ram pumps in 68 hillside villages in the Philippines and Zara Solar ltd (Tanzania) for providing high quality, reliable solar-home-systems at affordable prices to communities lacking access to a reliable source of energy.
OneIndia News