:: Delhi Greens ::

Braving the Rain to Keep the Torch Burning

Rain and thundershowers rocked Dilli Haat minutes before the stage was set for the formal launch and the curtain raiser of the Earth Hour. The launch had invited everyone from Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director-General TERI and the Chairperson of the Intergovernmnental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to Mr. J.K. Dadoo, Environment Secretary, Govt. of NCT of Delhi in addition to the host CEO & Secretary General of WWF-India, Mr. Ravi Singh. A series of talks, dance performance etc. had also been organised.

But apparently the Earth had an understanding with the Atmosphere and had a different plan altogether. And as if to say that enough has been said and discussed and that it is time to either act or face the music, heavy downpour accompanied with lightening in the sky began moments before the talking session was to start. The rain forced people to abandon their seats, take cover and become (silent) spectators to the message that the Earth so beautifully got across.

Intense short-lived gusts of wind and heavy rains not only disrupted the programme and the proceedings, it also made people think and realize that Nature cannot be played with and that we will definitely have to show a greater respect to the Planet. Later in the event, even as the rain only got more intense, Dr. R.K. Pachauri and Ravi Singh addressed a small crowd of Earth Hour volunteers and enthusiastic citizens who braved the weather to come together for mitigating climate change. “Let this be a message to all of us that Nature is watching”, alerted Dr. Pachauri to the charged up crowed, before the Earth Hour countdown began, and the lights were switched off.

Candles were distributed to everyone and every effort was made by the most keen, to keep them burning and spreading the message. The rest of the show unfolded as was planned, even as the rain was a constant reminder of the actions we now need to take.

EVERY HOUR, WILL HAVE TO BE AN EARTH HOUR

Image Courtesy: Nipun

Imagine a city with so many vehicles on the road that what seems to be a nasty traffic jam is actually a regulation red light. Now imagine the same city adding well over 700 cars to its roads every day. Now imagine the situation when the Nano hits our streets.

Everybody now knows that we in Delhi own more cars than the other three metros put together. The city government understands this, of course, and works to make our lives easier. But even as Delhi widens its roads, constructs flyovers and invests heavily in ensuring that citizens don’t lose faith in their cars, cities across the world are focusing on enhancing and promoting public transport.

We live in a world today where everything, including development, is climate-constrained. In cities across the globe, the personal automobile is the single-largest polluter. There are significant local problems, including measurably adverse impacts on human health. The impact is most when one sits marooned in traffic, surrounded by cars with their engines idling. Imagine your commute, and how often that happens: now think just how much poison you’ve inhaled already.

But surely we aren’t completely oblivious to public transport? The city takes great pride in the Delhi Metro. It’s already been declared a technological and financial success, and each successive phase has been executed well in time. But, though the Metro has been successful in connecting several parts of Delhi, it has come at a huge environmental cost. Trees had to be uprooted and the underground stretches have impacted the groundwater status in the city. Further, any structure underground is a potential hazard, especially in the event of an earthquake, and Delhi falls in a seismically active zone. Read the rest of this entry »

Development Alternatives, a non-profit organisation established in 1983 creating large scale sustainable livelihoods is organising a Capacity Building Series (2008- 09) for Participatory Planning and Decision Making using – Geographical Information System (GIS)

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING 

• To make participants understand the basics of Geographic Information System (GIS) and how it can facilitate in planning and decision making
• To acquaint them with tools, techniques and information that would be required to undertake GIS application in various thematic areas (NRM, Disaster Management, watershed development etc)
• To share DA’s experiences in using GIS for various development projects

Dates:  21 to 23rd April 2009
Venue: Indian Council of Social Science Research, JNU Institutional Area, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi

COURSE ELIGIBILITY

Professionals working in Government & NGOs, or other agencies and functionaries who are interested in map learning using GIS for their respective organisations.

Fee: INR 7,500 per participant (The Training fee covers food during the training hours, course material and field visits)

YOUR TAKEAWAYS

• Knowledge and experience from the training
• Field Exposure and further learning
• Manuals and training material
• Networking opportunity for you

For more information and to register, contact:

Bhavana Gadre
Telephone: 011-26132718
tla@devalt.org

Online Nomination Form (Last Date: 15th April 2009)

Manager-Training
TARA Livelihood Academy
Development Alternatives,
111/9-Z, Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi-110070

Read the rest of this entry »

Earth Hour is an annual international event organised by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), and held on the last Saturday of March, that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming.

The city of Delhi has grown in two ways. The planned part of the city has grown with the help of the DDA. It has supported the city by planning the physical infrastructure first and then the housing residential areas overlaid on it. That means the roads the sewage the electricity and the water supply pipelines were laid out first. The planning also included open spaces like parks and playgrounds. In addition there were plots of land earmarked for institutional areas such as hospitals and schools and colleges etc. Then plots of lands were allocated for housing to be constructed as either independent houses or flats in multi-storied buildings.

This is the standard way in which most cities in independent India have grown. This ensures there is someone, residents living in these colonies and co-operative societies, paying for the services for the infrastructure that is in place. This is an important part of operation and maintenance costs that are needed to keep the infrastructure functional.

Interspersed between this planned developments are villages that existed before the lands were taken over by the authorities. These have the modern infrastructure amenities superimposed on the settlement after the city has grown around it. These villages and their open and occupied lands do not come under the DDA. Like any settlement which needs open spaces for its settlers these villages also have open grounds, cremation spaces, village forest lands, grazing lands etc. These are also called the Lal Dora lands. But when the modern city grew around these settlements the price of these lands became very high to keep them vacant. Hence these were built up and rented out as commercial property.

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Last time we honestly looked at what this incredible speed of infrastructure development happening in Delhi over the recent past in lieu of the Commonwealth Games. We have new drinking water supply from Sonia-Viharprovided to Eastern part of city, we have new water sewage system put all over the city by the authorities. We have an entirely new network of roads and inter connecting flyovers connecting the city with Domestic and International Terminals. Gurgaon and Jaipur have come closer. We have entirely new Metro railway systems in place connecting and criss- crossing Delhi NCR region.

We have renewed focus on solid waste management by local authority though Bhagidari scheme. We have over last few years, airport beautification expansion both for domestic and international terminals. We have the existing Railways connecting Delhi to all corners of country through Rajdhani networks and all corridors entering National Capital Region especially green through tree Plantation. New sports complex and stadium renewed. Then there is department of environment advertisements of being a clean and green city, not using plastic bags voluntarily as declared by consumers. Posters of hygienic municipal hazardous waste disposal promotion for hospital waste. Most recently the city has seen, bed and breakfast possibility in residential area for guests coming into the city. Common Wealth village construction is progressing and its promise of availability of cheap housing for residents after the games still stands.

I had argued earlier that in the context of the conversation that constitutes the agreement about success of the Commonwealth Games. There is consensus by authority, on the success of the CW Games to take place in Delhi in one and a half years time. Each of us will be impacted by it no doubt.

The intention is to get present to the impact on the individual the group or the community or the society, of the hosting of these CW games that we may not have planned for. Have the courage to be insightfully truthful of the cost, the socio- economic cultural religious, the personal gender and body/ head count cost, of this success of CW Games and the benefits of hosting such a world event especially in the face of a Global/ world recession. Appreciate the context from which the resistance to the games is posed and by whom and what we should take it into account. This would allow us to choose or not to choose to take actions that are more environment friendly, people friendly, technology efficient. Be present that the middle class will stand to benefit the maximum out of the service contracts, the infrastructure constructed, the services delivered in food tourism transport, I/T, SWM or hospital waste treatment or Bhagidari scheme or bread and breakfast facilities, you name it.

Delhi Greens invites the citizens of Delhi and the world to the next Delhi Urban Eco-Bus Tour! 

The Urban Ecotourism Bus trip seeks to explore the natural heritage of Delhi and re-connect the citizens of Delhi to the green spaces in the city and highlighting lesser-known sites of ecological significance.

This North City Delhi urban eco-tour bus trip will also attempt to touch upon the political ecology of the city, and vividly illustrate the glory of one of the most magnificent cities of all times!

Date: Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
Time: 0930 am
Starts from: Vishwavidyalaya (Delhi University Metro Station

Route: DU Metro – Bhalswa Lake – Yamuna Biodiversity Park – Wazirabad Barrage – Majnu Ka Tilla – DU Metro at 1530 hour

Ticket: Rs. 1,000/- (Lunch included) Discounted price for groups, for students and for those who bring children along.

Come, take the Urban Eco-Tour! See Delhi like you’ve never seen it before!

Click here to read the Tour Adivisory (and view tour map)

For further information, please contact:

Vidya Subramanian
vidya@delhigreens.org
Ph: +91-9899472335

Project Coordinator
Delhi Urban Ecotours
Delhi Greens

Center for Civil Society: Summer Research Internship 2009

The Research Internship Program Researching Reality provides a greatly valued and needed learning experience in real-life application of social and economic principles and in teaching college students the skills of research, analysis, writing, and above all critical thinking. 

Click here to read more and to apply!

Internship Period: 15 May to 15 July 2009
Application Deadline: 15 April 2009

In the summer of 2008, 18 interns were selected through a competitive process of written application and interview for the summer internship program. The interns were selected from among 183 applications received from India and abroad. Non Summer Internships also open!

Forest canopies are the least explored terrestrial habitats on earth and, according to estimates, at least forty percent of all known species on earth may exist in the canopy. Forest canopies also provide goods and services to support diverse human communities. Although, many other aspects of forest canopies are yet to be explored, the closed forest canopies are fragmenting and disappearing faster than any other habitat which is of great concern. 
 
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) has two unique projects in the forest canopies of Western Ghats in Kalakad_Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve supported by Dept. of Science and Technology (DST). While ATREE has senior researchers executing this project it also sees this as a unique opportunity to train young students through summer internships which  will enable them to get involved and assist in these projects.

Training will be offered on single rope access technique and sampling protocol.  Part of this work could be presented in The 5th International Canopy Conference that will be organized by the ATREE in Bangalore, from the 25th to 31st of October 2009. Visit www.canopy2009.org for more information on the conference.

Interested candidates can submit their Curriculum vitae along with a statement of purpose  of about 500 words immediately to the undersigned.
 
M. Soubadra Devy Ph.D
Fellow-ATREE
659 5th A Main Rd
Hebbal, Bengaluru 560024
INDIA

Phone: 91-80-23530069
Fax: 91-80-23530070

Development Alternatives, a non-profit organisation established in 1983 creating large scale sustainable livelihoods is organising a Capacity Building Series (2008- 09) for Experiential field based training on Building for Future: Sustainable Homes (Green Building)

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING

• To provide an overview of design and construction facets of green buildings
• To establish decision-making criteria for the design and construction of green buildings
• To provide exposure to various alternative building materials and technologies which can be used to construct green buildings

The training programme will enable the participants to appreciate the various issues in design and construction of green buildings and will equip them with a design methodology which can then be taken up in their respective contexts along with professional expertise.

Dates:  19, 20 and 21st of March 2009
Venue:TARA Nirman Kendra, M.G.Road, New Delhi

RESOURCE PERSON

Mr Pankaj Khanna: Has seven years of experience in building technology development, training systems development and building energy projects. Core team member for the assessment of Training systems of various institutions through an initiative of the HSMI/HUDCO supported by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Has been instrumental in developing a participatory methodology for assessing sustainability of building practices in habitat development projects. Has been responsible for developing training modules for a variety of construction techniques and has delivered construction trainings across the country.

• Bachelor of Engineering- Civil – School of Building Science and Technology, CEPT, Ahmedabad, 2000
• Master of Science, Renewable Energy and Architecture, University of Nottingham, 2006- research thesis on desiccant driven cooling systems for institutional buildings in Delhi’s climate.

COURSE ELIGIBILITY

This programme is designed for architects, building engineers; professionals form the construction industry- builders and developers, government housing department professionals. The programme is also suitable for final year architectural students.

Fee: INR 7,500 per participant (The Training fee covers food during the training hours, course material and field visits)

YOUR TAKEAWAYS

• Knowledge and experience from the training
• Field Exposure and further learning
• Manuals and training material
• Networking opportunity for you
• And an ….Enriched you

For more information and to register, contact:

Bhavana Gadre
Telephone: 011-26132718
tla@devalt.org  

Online Nomination Form

Manager-Training
TARA Livelihood Academy
Development Alternatives,
111/9-Z, Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi-110070

Read the rest of this entry »