Pulp and Paper Industries: Moving Towards Water Sustainability

This study was conducted on secondary literature by Bharg Modi and Sonia Grover for the water conservation of pulp and paper industries. The article talks about the challenges and reflections from best practices that could be used as learning to improve water consumption of Pulp and Paper Industries in India.

Accelerating India’s Low-cost Net-zero Transition: The Role of Smart Climate and Innovation Policy

Saswata Chaudhury and Vidhu Kapur have been working as part of the Economics of Energy Innovation and System Transition (EEIST) consortium, which is dedicated to developing tools to support government decision making around low-carbon innovation and to accelerate technological change towards a net-zero energy system. In this op-ed, Saswata and Vidhu detail how fostering synergies between actors and timely policy interventions helped to grow the LED industry in India and dramatically improve energy efficiency.

Green Hydrogen: Is It a Solution for Net Zero Emission Need of Our Planet?

Green hydrogen is hydrogen generated from renewable sources of energy. In a far-sighted move, India has launched an ambitious Hydrogen Mission in August 2021 and further the Indian government announced the Green Hydrogen Policy in February 2022. In this article, Lata Vishwanath says that production of clean/green hydrogen gas is being seen as the answer to climate change mitigation in the decades to come. Because of its vital role in oil and gas industry, refineries, fertilizers, and a host of other applications as an energy carrier the world can be made less dependent on fossil fuels.

SABIC Envisioning a True Circular Economy for Plastic

Frank Kuijpers is General Manager, Corporate Sustainability, SABIC. Here we are in conversation with him for TerraGreen magazine.

How Pandas Survive Solely on Bamboo - Evolutionary History

An ancient fossil reveals the earliest panda to survive solely on bamboo and the evolutionary history of panda’s false thumbs.

Shopping Reinvented: Zero-Waste Stores

The concept of zero-waste stores with packaging materials alternative to plastics has emerged as an innovative mechanism to overcome the problems associated with single-use plastic (SUP) waste. These stores aim to minimize plastics and non-biodegradable packaging material, which may otherwise find its way into the environment impacting both human and environmental health, says Sukrit Joshi.

Unsafe Air- Taking More Than Two Years off Global Life Expectancy

New AQLI analysis shows that in no region of the world is the deadly impact of pollution more visible than in South Asia. Since 2013, about 44 per cent of the world’s increase in pollution has come from India, which currently stands as the world’s second most polluted country.

Empowering Women and Youth of Uttarakhand - Through Skills Training

In this article, Nitin Jugran Bahuguna highlights Jan Shikshan Sansthan’s (JSS) comprehensive skill development entrepreneurship programme in Uttarakhand that has empowered women and youth in the State.

What to Do When Your Dog Chews Your Furniture

“Without proper physical stimulation, your dog could resort to chewing on your wooden furniture to ease his boredom. In order to prevent your dog from chewing on furniture, give him/her chew toys or treats. Chew toys are designed to not only keep a dog entertained but to relieve the symptoms associated with teething in puppies as well.”

Heat Waves - Could Lead to Avian Population Decline

Researchers examined how heat impacts the behaviour and physiology of zebra finches. They discovered that heat altered the activity of hundreds of genes in the testis, but fewer in the brain, suggesting that the brain may be less responsive to extreme temperatures. The study also provided some hopeful insights for birds and their ability to handle the threat of climate change.

Adani and TotalEnergies to Create the World’s Largest Green Hydrogen Ecosystem

Adani, India’s fastest growing diversified business portfolio, and energy supermajor TotalEnergies of France, have entered into a new partnership to jointly create the world’s largest green hydrogen ecosystem.

Where Did Our Birds Go? - Birds of Kashmir Valley

In this article, Baseera Rafiqi says the rich diversity of the state of Jammu and Kashmir can be seen in terms of its variety of bird populations and a history of lending home to thousands of birds every year. Read on to know more…

Devastating Floods - That Unite Assam–Meghalaya with Northern Bangladesh

As the devastating flood embraces vast areas of Assam (in northeast India) and Bangladesh, the mighty Brahmaputra comes to the focus again as the lone male river after originating in Tibet that flows through both the countries before culminating in the Bay of Bengal. Incessant rains for many days in the third week of June 2022 had inflated all the tributaries of Brahmaputra and it ended up inundating over one million hectares of land affecting millions of people in both the South Asian developing countries. Nava Thakuria apprises us about some developments in this regard.

Initiatives Related to Women’s Health and Nutrition - With Local Technologies, Skilling, Rescue, and Relief

Vishwadeep Trust is registered with the NGO Darpan portal of NITI Aayog in the areas of nutrition, food and agriculture, and renewable energy for post-harvest management as it impacts the shelf life and nutritional aspects. The Trust is named after the founder’s (Neha Upadhyaya) grandmother Smt. Deepraji Upadhyaya and Mahapandit Vishwanath Upadhyaya. Vishwadeep Trust’s work is mostly focussed on rural India and victims of flash floods and migration-affected people. Their findings suggest that rural women have limited access to productive resources, service education and employment opportunities while experiencing excessive workload and limited decision-making power. Neha Upadhyaya throws light on her vivid journey in this article.

Environmental Governance in India - Issues, Concerns and Opportunities

In this article, Biba Jasmine highlights how India maintains a cordial balance between its rich traditional heritage and modernity without negatively impacting the environment. But, she also feels that technological advances alone or smart governance alone may not be able to solve the fundamental problem that environmental governance must address. While environmental governance is becoming more comprehensive, it is clear that the path and pace of development are constantly redefining the problems it faces.

DWMPL Promoting Sustainable Waste Management, Recycling, and Disposal Methods

Deshwal Waste Management Private Limited (DWMPL) is one of the leading single-point recyclers of e-waste, battery waste, oil waste and plastic in India. The company primarily focuses on the recycling of e-waste, used batteries, plastic, oil, and other waste products from households and industries in an efficient and environment-friendly manner. Here, we are in conversation with Mr Raj Kumar - CEO, DWMPL for TerraGreen.

Sunshine Story of a Woman’s Journey to Becoming a Chief Sustainability Officer

Ram Ramprasad presents an inspirational fictional story with factual information of a girl who devoted her life to the cause of promoting sustainability, renewable energy use, and safeguarding biodiversity. Read about her tryst with sustainability.

Cleaning Yamuna River Learning from International Examples

This insightful article by Sonia Grover and Charu Bhanot is an outcome of literature survey done for a project for two basins-Yamuna and Musi rivers. The article talks about the challenges and reflections from best practices at international scale that could be used as learning to improve water quality of the basins.

Enactus Kirori Mal Foster a Greener Future with JanBhoomi

Enactus Kirori Mal is a student chapter of the international non-profit organization ‘Enactus’, striving to formulate and implement social business modules for the economic upliftment of underprivileged communities. Guided by educators and supported by business leaders, Enactus Kirori Mal akes a kind of entrepreneurial approach that empowers people to be a part of their own success. With over 0 members, their team currently operates three projects: Project Dor, Project Syahi, and Project JanBhoomi.

Creating An Educational Ecosystem For A Circular Economy

Concepts and ideas in this article by Ram Ramprasad embellish the NEP 2020, and are not contradictory. Individuals, companies, and leaders at all levels must embrace that addressing climate change and building a circular economy is of paramount importance. Training and education of the youth is the quickest enabler. Creating the right ecosystem for education and training of our youth is the need of the hour.

Light Pollution Can Disorient Monarch Butterflies

Biologists say night-time light pollution can interfere with the remarkable navigational abilities of monarchs, which travel as far as Canada to Mexico and back during their multi-generational migration. Researchers found that butterflies roosting at night near artificial illumination such as a porch or streetlight can become disoriented the next day because the light interferes with their circadian rhythms. Artificial light can impede the molecular processes responsible for the butterfly's remarkable navigational ability and trigger the butterfly to take wing when it should be resting. Even a single light can throw off the butterfly's internal compass. Besides planting milkweed in the garden, people interested in helping monarch butterflies might want to turn off the porch light.

Microplastics In The Ganga River How Dangerous Is The Situation?

Microplastics are recognized as a main source of marine pollution. The plastic products and waste materials dumped in the Ganga River break down and are eventually broken down into micro particles and the river finally transports large quantities downstream into the ocean. Untreated sewage from many cities along the Ganga River’s course, industrial waste and religious offerings add pollutants into the river as it flows through numerous thickly inhabited cities. In this article, Dr Rina Mukherji talks about two recent studies that have revealed the high prevalence of microplastics in the Ganga River basin, and pointed to the risks involved to freshwater biodiversity in the region.

Car Sharing The Perfect Solution To A Guilt-Free Holiday

Car sharing is helping to protect the environment. This article takes you through the benefits of sharing your vehicle with other people in different destinations.

Mindful Travel With Rare For Better Planet And People

Call it green, eco-friendly, sustainable, responsible or regenerative tourism, here are the hotels in the Indian Subcontinent where the emphasis is given to taking a stand to better the planet and people. The following article has been authored by Shobhana Jain, Head of Sustainability, RARE India, which is a community of some of the finest conscious luxury boutique hotels, palace stays, wildlife lodges, homestays, and retreats in the Indian Subcontinent.

Tharu Tribe of Dudhwa A Remarkable Example of Human-Wildlife Coexistence

In this article, Mudit Gupta takes us through his vivid experiences during his service in Dudhwa where he got an opportunity to understand Tharu community and engaged with them on wildlife conservation aspects.

Saving Water and Reducing Waste

Evonik Opens its First Zero Liquid Discharge Plant in India

Purple Sunbird

Our Winged Guest

Pacific Northwest Wildfires

Altering Air Pollution Patterns across North America

An Insight into CSR Funds for Education By India's Top Companies

A four-decade-old school is run by an old couple in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh on personal savings and donations. During the lockdown, they had no option than discontinuing classes. Students did not have any laptops, tablets or smartphones. Teachers visited respective households, but the outcome was no match to the routine. Since then, they have been struggling to set up a computer centre. Government schemes come with their own set of challenges. They have heard of CSR funding but don’t know whom to approach. Which company will support them? How challenging will it be? Will they even consider a non-governmental school? Ritika Mahajan and Monica Sareen tried to explore some of these questions by analysing CSR reports of India’s top ten companies (based on market cap) from the last decade and interviewing experts. The article discusses their CSR budgets for education, significant projects, locations, governance, and associated challenges.

Automating the Process of Picking Cotton Project by Students of Lovely Professional University

D Dilip Kumar talks about his university project where the students tried to provide a solution to automate the process of picking cotton using the technology so that the manual intensive job could be automated and man hours could be saved—ultimately leading to the profits for the cotton growing farmer.