:: Delhi Greens ::

The Second International Scientific and Business Congress under the theme  “Localisation Program on Environmental Business and Supply Base in India”  with The International Green Business Fair will take place from 3rd to 4th February 2009 in New Delhi, India. The Second Congress has already seen support from Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Chairman, IPCC who is now a Patron and the key speaker at the Congress.

The practical goal of the Second Congress is further development and transfer of clean technologies, as well as the creation of a localisation program in India with the emphasis on private business and education with subsequent strategy transfer to other developing countries.

The initiative and the aims of the Second Congress in India are strongly supported by Lord Browne of Madingley, Ministery for the Environment, UK; BEE – German Renewable Energy Federation, GTZ- the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (International Cooperation Enterprise for Sustainable Development), the U.S Embassy in India, etc.

The Congress agenda includes panels on Solar, Wind & Geothermal Energy; Automotive Industry, Transport Fuel Sector; Zero-Carbon Buildings; Aviation and Shipping; Education, the Health Risks of Global Warming. Panels highlights: Strategic Alliances; Partnership and Investments; Relationship OEM – Suppliers; Supply Quality Requirements; Indian Components Supply Base Status; Developing a Successful Long-Term Strategy in the Local Component Industry.

The Second Congress will be unique in that it will seek to establish a framework to combine the contributions of business, technology, science and government in seeking opportunities for effective policies and investments in the context of current Indian economic conditions.

The theme of the Second Congress with the International Green Business Fair is planned to become an annual event in India.

For further information and to participate, please contact:

Kathrin Hentschel (Ms)
Manager International Operations
EuroAkadem – Academy for European Management GmbH
Initiator and Official Organizer of the Congress
ABC-Str 44, D-20354 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 53026115
Fax:      +49 40 53026123
www.EuroAkadem.com/climate

Mercury pollution is a serious global environmental and human health problem which causes various adverse impacts throughout the world. The healthcare industry is one of the glaring examples of mishandling of mercury. Healthcare uses mercury in many ways like in thermometer, sphygmomanometer, dental amalgam, chemicals etc. The scattered source combined with lack of awareness regarding mercury among the healthcare workers is of grave concern in South Asian Region.

Viable alternative technologies are readily available and are increasingly being used by the health care sector in countries around the world. The World Health Organization’s policy is to promote a transition to these alternatives.

To address the issue it is important to engage with key stakeholders in health sector in South Asia also it is important take the current positive steps in India to larger region through sharing of processes and practices on mercury substitution across the world. To address this Toxics Link and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) with support from World Health Organisations is organizing a two day SOUTH ASIAN CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVES TO MERCURY IN THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR.

Date: 5th and 6th December, 2008
Time: 9 am to 6 pm
Venue: Conference Room, ICSSR, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110067

Click here to Register Online for the Event

For further information, contact:

Tel : + 91-24328006, 24320711
Fax : + 91-11-24321747
Email: prashant@toxicslink.org, info@toxicslink.org
Web : www.toxicslink.org

Parul Gupta is a student of Economics at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi

Ecology and Economics are closely related issues. Being a student of Economics, I’ve studied that inclusive development is not possible without adequate emphasis on environmental protection. Development and environment need to be seen as complementary, not antagonistic terms. After all, if there is no Earth left, where will development take place?!

Today, when the world is facing the harmful consequences of global warming and depletion of resources, environment conservation has become a topic of global significance, not just an issue with local importance. The matter is of paramount relevance in a developing economy like ours, as environment degradation drastically offsets improvements achieved by economic prosperity, apart from having serious implications for distributive justice.

In my view, although the issue has gained more importance in today’s grave scenario, environment conservation is still a neglected sector, with excessive emphasis on ‘growth’ in terms of numbers, without focusing on ‘development’ in terms of quality. Improper implementation of policies, coupled with indifferent attitudes of authorities has accentuated the ineffectiveness of environment strategy in India.

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DHANAK DIN: NEHRU BAL MELA
Children and Youth Festival
27th, 28th and 30th November 2008
9.30 AM to 5.30 PM
TEEN MURTI BHAWAN

Dhanak Din and the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) at the Teen Murti Bhawan invite all to the Nehru Bal Mela, celebrating a Children and Youth Festival much relevantly themed on ‘Living Together with Harmony’.

Woven around the themes of peace, nature and creativity, the mela seeks to be inclusive, earth nurturing, peaceful and celebrate diversity with a wide range of colourful learning oriented fun activities - planned for children of any age.

The visitors/ participants are allowed deeper involvement which makes them co-creators and owners of the event. It is not a stand alone event but a celebration punctuating the longer process of deep engagement. Workshops and interactions are planned with a few groups of children before and would continue after the event. Children would volunteer before and during the event. Other open events:

Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna : an Exhibition on Bhagat Singh, Letters that Bind: an Exhibition on Nehru, Children’s Art and writing, Pottery, science games and activities, Music, Dance, magic and Street plays, Paper craft, kabad se jugaad and visual art, Interactive games and dialogues, Book stalls, toys and food stalls.

All are Welcome. Schools and larger groups  are requested to register before hand.

For further information, Contact:

Chandana Dey | Jaya Iyer | Vagish K. Jha

Previously on Delhi Greens:

• Dhanak Din Nehru Bal Mela

Critical Mass is an event held in almost all major cities of the world, usually on the last Friday of every month, wherein a mass of cyclists ride through the streets of the city. The peak hour bicycle ride gives the subtle message to the motor-drivers, that cyclists exist too!

The event is open to all the cycling enthusiasts and people who are concerned about environment, climate change, road accidents, health & fitness etc.

NEXT Delhi CRITICAL MASS: Friday, the 28th of November, 2008!
Starting from Vijay Chowk, 6.00 pm onwards

The idea is also to celebrate cycling!

Fore more information, visit:

http://delhicriticalmass.in/ 
or write to info@delhicriticalmass.in

It took a radical fast-unto-death decision by a Professor, playing the religion-political card and much activism, that the Government of India has now accepted the fact – otherwise as crystal clear as should have been the water of the Ganges – that the holiest of holy River Ganga is polluted, the Ganga Action Plan has failed and that constructing dams upstream of the river is only making matters worse.

Earlier this year, pained by the unrelenting destruction of the Ganga river, Dr G. D. Agrawal, India’s pre-eminent scientist and a legendary Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at IIT-Kanpur went on a fast-unto-death to oppose the river’s continuing desecration.

His campaign was taken up by leader of the opposition party who called for stopping all dam constructions upstream of the river and the Government of India (GoI) was quick to commit itself to ensuring perennial environmental flows throughout the river while also informing Dr. Agarwal the same. Now, the GoI has gone a step ahead and declared Ganga a National River.

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Tata Jagriti Yatra is an annual train journey that will take 350 of India’s highly motivated youth (with some participation of international students) between the ages of 18-25 on a eighteen day national odyssey, introducing them to unsung heroes of India. The aim is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship – both social and economic – within India’s youth by exposing them to individuals and institutions that are developing unique solutions to India’s challenges.

Dates for the Journey: 24th December, 2008 to 11th January, 2009.

The journey has a fees, though sponsorship can be arranged for deserving candidates. Individuals are encouraged to sponsor participants through multiples of Rs.34,000/- which the amount to fund each participant.

Excited Note from the oranisers:

Tata Jagriti Yatra ‘08 will have an immediate impact on the 350-odd participants in the Yatra. In addition we expect to have an applicant pool of over 5,000, and through formal and informal networks this will be extended to over 25,000 young Indians.

We propose to conduct 6 televised debates at key stops of the journey. With the help of a well known TV anchor, we expect to have 30 minutes program slots to discuss social and economic enterprise through a role model we have met at that stop. The teams for the debates will be selected from the 350 participants that will be judged by panel of experts with the anchor as a facilitator. We are in discussions with several National Channels for this telecast over the course of the journey.

Last Date for Applying: 30th November, 2008 | Register Now

48°C Public. Art. Ecology, a combined initiative of Goethe-Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan and GTZ, is an experiment set within the capital metropolitan city of Delhi. The ambition of this festival is to interrogate the teetering ecology of the city through the prism of contemporary art. Through a number of art interventions in various public spaces around Delhi, the festival attempts to draw a diverse public into the world of this critical imaginary.

For more information, please visit: http://48c.org

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Delhi Greens, the Outreach team for 48°C – the first of its kind Public, Art, Ecology Festival that will take place from 12th to 21st December, 2008 – calls for volunteers for the purpose of this festival. Throughout the festival, we would be putting up large art installations made by reputed artists, in different parts of the city, where each volunteers is supposed to manage the art installation alotted to her/him and take feedback.

Pamphlets, Visitors Book and stickers for distribution to the public etc. will be provided to aid you in spreading the message. These are the following eight project sites (all close to the Metro):

1.       Roshanara Bagh
2.       Kashmere Gate
3.       Chandni Chowk
4.       Ramlila Ground
5.       Mandi House
6.       Barakhamba Road
7.       Jantar Mantar
8.       CP-Central Park, Palika Bazaar

Delhi Greens will be holding an orientation sessions for the final list of volunteers followed by an interaction with the artists themselves in the week prior to the event.

On successful competition of this assignment, Volunteers would be rewarded with the following:

• A fixed daily stipend of Rs. 300/-
• A certificate of appreciation from 48°C-Delhi Greens, Goethe Institut-Max Mueller Bhawan and GTZ.
• A Letter of Appreciation (if requested for) depending solely on merit and performance of the volunteer.

 48C Volunteer Registration Form

Interested individuals should get in touch with Vasudha at the earliest,

The Outreach Team-Delhi Greens
48°C- Public, Art, Ecology Festival
E-mail: vasudha@delhigreens.org, 48c@delhigreens.org
Mobile:   +91-9958980909 ,  9811122440 
Landline   011-64653980 
 
48°C Address:
S-17, Khirkee Village Extension
Saket, Delhi
www.48c.org
www.delhigreens.org

Prime Minister of India inaugurating the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation

“Sanitation has a strong connection not only with personal hygiene but also with human dignity and well-being, public health, nutrition and even education. Mahatma Gandhi had once said “Sanitation is more important than independence”. He made cleanliness and sanitation an integral part of the Gandhian way of living. His dream was total sanitation for all.”

With these words, the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the third South Asia Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) in New Delhi. The Conference holds a special significance because the year 2008 has been declared as the International Year of Sanitation. Themed on Sanitation for Dignity and Health, the conference is being attended by participants from over eight South-Asian countries. Startling reports indicate the PM’s constituency to have the least number of toilets within India!

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KunZum.com invites all to the book launch of Ajay Jain’s new travel book, Peep Peep Don’t Sleep by noted photographer and author Amit Pasricha.  A collection of funny road signs and ads, Peep Peep Don’t Sleep was put together by Ajay Jain after driving over 10,000 km on Indian highways. Adding to the humour is some of his own commentary to go with each sign.

Date: November 21, 2008
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Venue: Oxford Bookstore, Statesman House, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110 001

Also see:

• Julley: Photographic Perspective From Ladakh and Other Himalayan Regions