Green improvements

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By Rajkamal Rao 


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People don't necessarily associate the green movement with India.  Western media is famous for depicting the country as one that has little regard for the environment and a nation that has squandered its natural resources and one that can't even handle its garbage. 

These criticisms are all valid but what the media doesn't report on is the progress that is being made on several fronts.

1. Mobile boarding passes for bus and train travel.  State owned bus corporations around the country and the huge Indian Railways organization heavily promote mobile boarding passes on their sites.  You save on paper throughout the process.  No paper to use to fill out your reservation request (which is then used to key into the system by the clerk and later thrown away) and no paper ticket.  On the day of travel, you simply show the conductor the SMS confirmation message you got of the ticket details. 


2. Waste separation.  When we first moved in to a managed living setting in Bangalore, we were surprised that waste separation rules were so strict.  In the US we were used to piling all of our food trash in one bag and our recyclables in another and be done with it.  In Bangalore, you need to separate out organic food trash (the kind that is generated in the kitchen); medicinal trash; paper; plastic; cans and bottles all into separate containers.  This is also the rule in greater Bangalore city but educating the common man is a huge issue and implementation is weak.  But steps are certainly being taken in the right direction.


3. Food trash to biogas.  Two enterprising IIM-Bangalore graduates have introduced technology that can convert kitchen trash from large establishments (restaurants, wedding halls) into bio gas that can be fed right back to the kitchen for reuse.  Read more here.


4. Zero emission homes.  Zero energy homes that ensure zero reliance on the govt water supply; 100% water recycling;  and less than 30% dependence on grid power with local power generation.  Yes, such single family homes (and even apartment complexes) are now being built and sold in South India (Bangalore and Chennai).  When we spoke with a Mr. Guru Prasad promoting these homes, we learned that the cost was not dramatically different from traditional homes.   

These are but small starts in a highly complex nation where numerous forces are in play.  Enterprising returnees can find numerous venture capital and start up opportunities in practically anything related to the environment.