going places (participatory learning and creative education in sustainability): our trip to india,...
TRANSCRIPT
Going PLACES (Participatory Learning And Creative Education in Sustainability):
Our Trip to India, Summer 2004
Trip Participants: Students: Michael Whitaker, Mark Pitterle,
Faculty: Dr. Anu RamaswamiProfessional Engineer: Tim Olsen
Who are we?
• A group of CU Denver students, faculty, and professional engineers who will develop, innovate, and implement a sustainable energy system for a tribal village in the valley of the river Narmada in India.
• This work is being done in close partnership with the villagers, NGOs, Indian universities, students, and faculty.
Our Group Photo
Trip Goals• Establish working relationships with partners• Learn about tribal village culture and daily
lifestyle• Discover self-identified needs of the villagers• Engage in participatory planning• Establish availability of local materials• Lean about locally available appropriate
technologies• Establish local environmental constraints • Gather site assessment data
– Anemometer setup, indoor air quality data, and site mapping
Working with Indian Partners: A Privilege To Know Them
• Grass-roots NGOs, fully committed to living with and working for the people
• Dedicated to upholding Gandhian principles– Non-violence, simple living, compassion, moral rearmament for
self knowledge and peaceful activism, secularism– High degree of environmental consciousness and activism on
social justice and equity issues
• Practically innovative– R&D focuses on real identified needs with local materials
• Skilled in facilitating community participation and involvement
Participatory Planning Meeting
Swati (seated) and Ishwar (foreground)
Another Community Meeting
(L to R): Michael, Mark, Tim, Anu in foreground
Impressions of the Villagers
• Passionately democratic• Women and men participated in community
decision making• Incredibly knowledgeable about available
technologies• Addressed practicality in all decision-making• Achieved complete consensus• Every voice and point of view was heard
– “Barober” – OK I see your point of view as valid• Incredibly sharp• Savvy with money, but not used in internal
transactions
Living with the Forest
Tribal Home Construction
Tilling the Field
View of Farmlands and Watershed Management
Anu in distance walking on a bund
Grain Storage
Grain Grinding
Measuring indoor air quality near teak wood stoves
Want to Celebrate?!Liquor Anyone?!
Close up of the distillery
Would you leave this beautiful land?
To live here?
The power of the river in the monsoon: bridge washout
Trishul Crossing: The inaccessible village
Would you cross this?
Harnessing the power of the river sustainably: Bilgaon Micro-hydel
Micro-hydel Turbine
Hugh Piggott’s homemade windmill
Testing completed windmill
Mark training in windmill construction
Michael and Jayanti installing the anemometer
Ajay’s biogas plant
Solar collectors/cookers
PRINCE, 2004
TERI’s Research Center
Briquetting with waste materials
ARTI – Forming Partnerships
Dr. Karve, founder of ARTI, discusses the briquette cook stove
Overall impressions of renewable energy policy in India
• Government is actively analyzing renewable energy technologies for country-wide development– Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES)
• Government playing a crucial role in renewable energy development– Subsidies and infrastructure development common
• Government struggling with implementation due to corruption and sheer magnitude of the population
Overall impressions of India• Hands-on practical approaches to solve the nation’s
problems– A very close connection between industry, research, and the
university system• A very strong sense of brotherhood and unity• NGOs and activists working closely with communities• All this despite having great diversity in languages,
cultures, and religions between sub-regions– There are over 15 official languages and numerous dialects in
India• Poverty is not as predominant as one would think
– People are happy with their lives….always smiling– People predominantly have food, clothing, and sheltar
• What is lacking is infrastructure, particularly electricity grid, water/wastewater treatment, and waste/pollution management
• Amazing markets: a true free market experience
Animals rule the streets
City traffic crossing: A near death experience
The mighty, mighty Ganga
Gangotri trek to the Himalayas
Cultural exchange: frisbee in the villages…
Religious DiversityHindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves at Ellora
Eating food at the Dhaba (road side restaurant)
Thanks to Michael and Ajay!!!Our hosts and advisors on appropriate technology in India
MichaelAjay
Our Invaluable Partners: AID and PRINCE• AID - Association for India’s Development
Mission: – Learning humility, purity and simple living from those who don’t
take too much from the earth– Targeting the problems of hunger, disease and oppression that
sadden their lives– Inspiring in each other, trust, confidence and support for one and
another• PRINCE – Promoters & Researchers In Non Conventional
EnergyMission:– To focus on facilitating all sustainable technologies, specializing in
solar energy, biogas, vermicomposting, tree planting and energy conservation.
– To design, manufacture, and test sustainable technologies.– To make these technologies affordable and accessible to people of
all economic levels.– To provide free training, consultation, and education to all social
organizations for the use of non-conventional energy