Februar y 23, 15

UPCOMING EVENTS

INDIAN AIR WATER EARTH towards Garner ing Renewable Energy Eff icient Nature

an e- Magazine on Sustainabi l i ty & Green Ini tiatives

REAL-TIME TRACKING OF GREEN BUILDING?S PERFORMANCE

Paharpur Business Centre (PBC), the fir st office building in India that is USGBC LEED Plat inum EB Cer t ified (2010) has also become the fir st r etrofit to install the ?LEED Dynamic Plaque.?

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK - Dipika Tuteja

The Smar t Ci ties Syndrome is catching up fast!

Are we really Smar t enough to sustain this kind of development? Question is not of implementation and design. I think we have more ski l ls and capabi l i ty than anywhere else in the wor ld, but i ts just that we are not focused on our r equir ements. Too many cooks spoi l the dish ! too many minds on defining Smar t Ci ties is leading us to a void. Ti l l the time we spread awareness and educate people on the micro issues as cleanliness, energy eff iciency, governance, technology, law, r ules and mobi l i ty, this is going to end in a maze.

If we al l gather ever y other day to discuss about way for ward to CSR for corporates that has a large database of educated people and sti l l go no fur ther than a few projects how do we expect people at the bottom of the pyramid to change?

Whether i ts the issue of governance at the local bodies or use of technology, an uphi l l task for al l ci tizens and stakeholders is to change the mind set and be more r eceptive of str ingent r ules and regulations.

Nine years ago, An Inconvenient Truth introduced mi l l ions of people to the r eal i ty of the cl imate cr isis and inspir ed mi l l ions more to make a di f ference in their communities. Par ticipants for the Leadership Training at the ongoing 3 days Program at Hotel Kempinsiki exper ienced the presentation that sparked a global movement from the man himself, Former U.S Vice President, Al Gore.

A lot of things have changed from the f i r st time Man stepped on Moon to the present times as show n by pictures of the ear th. Summer temperatures have shi f ted in the last 10 years, extr emely hot days are 100 times more common than they were a few years ago. 14 of the 15 hottest years have been since the turn of a new centur y, 2000.

Dir ty Energy creates Dir ty Weather ! I t is time to demand action from our Leaders. The Climate cr isis is l inked w ith the Extr eme Weather. Warm air can hold more vapour and this r esults in heavier dow npour. I t?s a science that we al l have studied, water evaporates due to heat being generated from industr ies, vehicle emissions and results in heat being dissipated in the atmosphere. The heat that evaporates water from the soi l is sucking up the moisture from the soi l as well , leading to droughts and cracking of the top layer. I t is a wor ldw ide phenomenon. Cali fornia in the U.S is under drought, and Maharashtra in India is another example.

Climate change has been brought about by human activi ties, and the r epercussions are far greater across the globe. I t is manifested in Flooding, Health issues l ike Dengue, Air Pollution that causes asthma, lung cancer etc. Sea level r ise has caused major destr uctions in countr ies across the continents. We have w itnessed two major havocs in India, Uttr akhand and Jammu & Kashmir.

In Miami, high tide on a normal day br ings water into the str eets. In New York, water invaded the ci ty, destroying bui ldings, underground rai ls etc. The ci ties were not bui l t to w ithstand these extr eme conditions. We need to act fast and make the coastal areas more r esi l ient. 180 ci ties in India have six times higher pol lution than any other ci ty in the Wor ld. 13 of the 20 most pol luted ci ties in the wor ld are in India.

THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT LEADERSHIP TRAINING INDIA 22-24 FEBRUARY,2015

Some excerpts of the inter view w ith Ken Ber lin, President and CEO, The Climate Reality Project , by Dipika Tuteja

What exactly The Climate Reality Project per tains to India?

We have a branch off ice in India. We have a ver y active group of people. After this event we w i l l have about 600 people tr ained Climate leaders. We w i l l be tr aining people to give speeches and spread information about cl imate change. We w i l l also get them involved in var ious Projects. One of our goals is for India to make strong commitments dur ing the International Climate Change Negotiations that what actions i t would be taking to r educe i ts Green House gas emissions.

We would also be educating and spreading awareness about r enewable energy, and how this can play a signi f icant role in India?s economy.

How in your opinion we can br ing issues such as Climate Change, Disaster Management and Resilience under a comprehensive umbrella?

Fir st of al l we have to educate people about the Climate Change and how we can stop this. Then we w i l l develop programmes to tackle each issue. We alr eady have few programmes running and shall get these tr ained leaders involved in Climate r elated projects. Also this awareness w i l l help people to deal better dur ing the cr isis, such as f looding etc.

What skills do you require for people to get trained?

We want people from al l levels and ski l ls. Basical ly we are looking at spreading this message across to al l communities.

In a separate Conversation with Mr. Aditya Pundir

Mr. Aditya Pundir, Branch Manager, The Climate Reality Project, India also talked about what dr ives people across countr ies to gather under one roof to become tr ained Climate Leaders. In his opinion, Al Gore has a brand image and people know about his work and commitments, therefore have a lot of tr ust and fai th. They want to know how cl imate change can affect them and their profession. They are r esponsible at a young age and have the urge to learn and par ticipate. He stated, "As par t of our role we are working towards adaptation, making people aware e.g. have a Teachers Training Programme, harping on sustainabi l i ty. Half the battle is won i f people are educated, especial ly in coastal areas, to be prepared and cope for any disaster ".

THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT LEADERSHIP TRAINING INDIA 22-24 FEBRUARY,2015

Ken Berlin, President and CEO

New Delhi, February 5: Heads of State, Nobel Laureates and thought leaders converged at the landmark 15th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2015 (DSDS) to f ind solutions for some of the key issues that will shape our global planet. This f lagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) provided a unique platform to further the developmental discourse on ?Sustainable Development Goals and Dealing with Climate Change?, the theme this year. The DSDS 2015 assumes signif icance as the post-2015 development agenda is being f inalized -- the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is expected to adopt the new set of goals in September 2015 and the climate negotiations (Conference of Parties ? CoP21) will be held Paris later this year.

Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General,

TERI, said: ?The IPCC reports have proved beyond doubt that if we don?t take immediate measures, the future will be catastrophic. But climate change also offers an opportunity of co-benefits ? investing in clean and affordable energy sources like solar and wind power can curb greenhouse gas emissions, and clean transportation systems such as trains and cycling can reduce air pollution woes and

improve public health. DSDS is a reaff irmation of the support

that TERI receives from across the globe.?

Said Mr Prakash Javadekar, Hon?ble Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, India:

?Growth has brought in a scenario where inequities

are growing. This has to be taken up in the development

discourse. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that we are suffering due to the pressures created by climate change. We have the responsibil ity to improve the lives of the future generations. We have already taken the clean energy path

If you accept climate disruption, then there will be development disruption

DELHI SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

HAPPENINGSLPhoto Caption:Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, TERI, HE Mr Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France, & Former Prime Minister, France, & President, COP 21, Mr Suresh Prabhu, Hon?ble Minister for Railways, India, Mr Prakash Javadekar, Hon?ble Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, India, Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger, Founding Chair, R20 ? Regions of Climate Change, & Former Governor, California, and Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, Director, Sustainable Development Outreach Division, TERI, on the opening day of the Delhi Sustainable Development

Summit 2015, in New Delhi

?All countries have been affected by air pollution. Clean air must be a birthright for all. We need to work towards clean air, water and energy for all,? Mr Javadekar added.

Said Mr Suresh Prabhu, Hon?ble Minister for Railways, India: ?Climate change is a scientif ic reality. If we delay action, the repercussions will be disastrous. We need to f ind a unif ied solution to tackle climate change innovatively. We need to move towards a low carbon economy and this has the potential to create new employment opportunities.?

Delivering the special address, Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger, Founding Chair, R20 ? Regions of Climate Change, & Former Governor, California, said: ?Climate change is no science f iction. We need both a bottom up and a top down approaches. India will be a major player in the climate negotiations. We need action, not hesitation.?

?We need to f ind innovative solutions to problems such as indoor air pollution. TERI?s Lighting a Bill ion Lives campaign has il lustrated new solutions, providing solar lanterns as a clean alternative to the polluting kerosene lamps,? added Mr Schwarzenegger.

Delivering the inaugural address, HE Mr Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France, & Former Prime Minister, France, & President, COP 21, said: ?2015 will be a decisive milestone for climate change and sustainable development. The scientif ic community has done its job. Now governments and the corporate sector must play its part. If you accept climate disruption, then there will be a development disruption.?

Said Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, Director, Sustainable Development Outreach Division, TERI: ?DSDS is the foremost forum to deliberate on crit ical environmental and developmental problems. Having been part of every edition of the DSDS, I can say the journey has been fascinating.?

At a special session ?Leaders? Speak?, Nobel Laureate Prof. Yuan Tseh Lee, President Emeritus and Distinguished Research Fellow, Academia Sinica, said:?Climate change is the biggest enemy of the planet. It cannot be solved by the scientif ic community, but by everybody. To be successful, we have to be organized and work together. Population explosion and consumption explosion has overloaded the Earth with many dangers. We need to wake up to this crisis.?

Said Nobel Laureate Mr Kailash Satyarthi, Founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan & Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour, India: ?A large number of girls have been abducted and taken hostage by the ISIS. Parents said that they sent their girls in uniform, but they returned in coff ins. We live in a world where children are sold as animals, sometimes even less than animals. The biggest crime is denying the child a chance to dream.?

Among the highlights of the day was the release of TERI publications ? Global Sustainability Report and an Energy Security Atlas.

enhanced our renewable energy commitments and launched smart cit ies.?

?All countries have been affected by air pollution. Clean air must be a birthright for all. We need to work towards clean air, water and energy for all,? Mr Javadekar added.

Said Mr Suresh Prabhu, Hon?ble Minister for Railways, India: ?Climate change is a scientif ic reality. If we delay action, the repercussions will be disastrous. We need to f ind a unif ied solution to tackle climate change innovatively. We need to move towards a low carbon economy and this has the potential to create new employment opportunities.?

Delivering the special address, Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger, Founding Chair, R20 ? Regions of Climate Change, & Former Governor, California, said: ?Climate change is no science f iction. We need both a bottom up and a top down approaches. India will be a major player in the climate negotiations. We need action, not hesitation.?

?We need to f ind innovative solutions to problems such as indoor air pollution. TERI?s Lighting a Bill ion Lives campaign has il lustrated new solutions, providing solar lanterns as a clean alternative to the polluting kerosene lamps,? added Mr

Schwarzenegger.

Delivering the inaugural address, HE Mr Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France, & Former Prime Minister, France, & President, COP 21, said: ?2015 will be a decisive milestone for climate change and sustainable development. The scientif ic community has done its job. Now governments and the corporate sector must play its part. If you accept climate disruption, then there will be a development disruption.?

Said Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, Director, Sustainable Development Outreach Division, TERI: ?DSDS is the foremost forum to deliberate on crit ical environmental and developmental problems. Having been part of every edition of the DSDS, I can say the journey has been fascinating.?

At a special session ?Leaders? Speak?, Nobel Laureate Prof. Yuan Tseh Lee, President Emeritus and Distinguished Research Fellow, Academia Sinica, said:?Climate change is the biggest enemy of the planet. It cannot be solved by the scientif ic community, but by everybody. To be successful, we have to be organized and work together. Population explosion and consumption explosion has overloaded the Earth with many dangers. We need to wake up to this crisis.?

HAPPENINGS

Smar t Cities are more for the poor, says Shr i M.Venkaiah Naidu

Urges industr y to seize oppor tuni ties in bui lding new urban India

Centre can do hand holding; States and urban local bodies need to r ise to the challenge, says Shr i Naidu

Minister of Urban Development Shr i M.Venkaiah Naidu has asser ted that ?Smar t Ci ties to be bui l t seek to ensure socio-economic inclusivi ty besides promoting employment generation

through increased economic oppor tuni ty by enhancing the ease of doing business and as such would benefi t the poor the most?. He elaborated on the objectives of, challenges and oppor tuni ties in bui lding smar t ci ties at a Conference on ?100 Smar t Ci ties : Need for Innovative and Integrated Approach? organized by the Indian Chambers of Commerce here today.

Shr i Venkaiah Naidu fur ther said that cur rently, the poor and the less endowed are depr ived of equal r ight and access to

public urban spaces whether i t is roads, tr anspor t systems, water, power etc., and this need to be changed radical ly. He also said that poor are the losers on account of weak urban planning and governance str uctures and smar t ci ties seek to address these deficiencies.

Stating that innovative approaches are imperative for bui lding smar t ci ties, Shr i Naidu urged the corporates and investor s to make a success of ?People-Public-Pr ivate Par tner ship? to meet the huge investment r equir ement.

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of ?People-Public-Pr ivate Par tner ship? to meet the huge investment r equir ement. The Minister said that central government seeks to promote adoption of best practices fol lowed elsewhere whi le evolving an India speci f ic model. He said that fur ther to the exper iences of implementation of JNNURM, the government is promoting a ?bottom-up? approach instead of ?top-dow n? approach by holding extensive stakeholders consultations w ith al l the states and others.

Shr i Naidu said that whi le the central government can mostly do hand holding besides providing some assistance and foreign w i l l ing countr ies can provide technical assistance, the states and urban local bodies have to r ise to the occasion of bui lding smar t ci ties through necessar y ini tiatives. Dr.Nandita Chatter jee, Secretar y (Housing & Urban Pover ty Alleviation) has said that Information and Communication Technologies would play a cr i tical role in promoting smar t practices, ci tizen

par ticipation and e- governance for better del iver y of ser vices. She however, cautioned that emphasis on technology should not r esult in technocratic and el i tist design. Asser ting that smar t ci ties should offer economic and employment oppor tuni ties to a w ider section of people, Dr.Chatter jee said that slum redevelopment, providing houses for al l urban poor, ski l l development of urban poor for increased employment would address equity dimension of smar t ci ties. !

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Located in one of the largest and busiest Business Distr icts of South Delhi ? Nehru Place, New Delhi , PBC is an mSME in the r eal estate and ser vice industr y that offer s instant, managed & ser viced Off ice Solutions on a ?plug & play? basis in mountain fr esh air ambience at f lexible terms.

Like conventional Business Center s and other commercial bui ldings, PBC could have chosen a way that threatens the Wor ld?s r esources, health dynamics and the environment. However, w i th a f i rm

belief that Sustainable Business is Sensible Business, i t opted for the Green and Healthy way of doing business. I t is bui l t to compulsor y Government Design. I t is also a BEE 5 star -r ated bui lding and is cur rently operating at < 20 Wh/hr /sqm.

PBC, the w inner of 15th CII- National Award for Excellence in Energy Management has kept i ts sustainabi l i ty goals focused and clear, and nothing else would suff ice i t better than the LEED Dynamic Plaque which has also become an integral par t of i ts bui lding.

The LEED Dynamic Plaque, the brain chi ld of U.S. Green Bui lding Counci l (USGBC) is a bui lding per formance monitor ing and scor ing platform. It measures the bui lding?s r esource use on a r eal-time basis. I t keeps a tab on al l the parameter s that consti tute a bui lding?s per formance. They are: Water, Energy Consumption, Waste Reduction, Transpor tation and Human Exper ience.

Recently, both the teams; USGBC and International Well Bui lding Insti tute (IWBI), visi ted PBC to instal l the LEED Dynamic Plaque. To name a few, Rick Fedr izzi , CEO and

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Kamyar Vaghar, Str ategic Advisor, IWBI were a par t of the panel.

?PBC is a tr ue leader in the sustainabi l i ty arena,? said Mahesh Ramanujam, COO, U.S. Green Bui lding Counci l . ?By being the f i r st bui lding in India to have the LEED Dynamic Plaque, they are paving the way of future bui lding per formance. Simi lar to the way LEED undeniably changed the face of the modern design and constr uction markets, so too w i l l the LEED Dynamic Plaque change the way we think about bui lding per formance from now on.? The Dynamic Plaque is said to be a platform of public declaration of a bui lding?s environmental/ sustainable effor ts and an Ultimate Mentor that helps the str uctures in maximizing their Green Potential on an ongoing / continual basis.

Mr. Fedr izzi and Mr. Ramanujam along w ith their other team members instal led the online inter face of Dynamic Plaque and handed i t over to the Mad Hatter of Nehru Place Greens, an environmental ist ? Mr. Kamal Meattle, CEO, PBC. This day w i l l surely be marked and remembered as one of the impor tant days in PBC?s histor y.

Team-PBC had organized a shor t session to let the people know about the sustainable measures that have been implemented. They were delighted to see the ini tiatives taken up by Team PBC to eff iciently manage energy, waste, water ; to enhance the green and health quotient and i ts var ious CSR ini tiatives. Barun Aggar wal, Dir ector, Breathe EasyTM (IAQ division of PBC), elaborated on the Indoor Air Quali ty (IAQ) system. IAQ is the USP of PBC. They were surpr ised to know that w ith the help of common houseplants, one can actually grow fr esh air inside a bui lding and enhance the human exper ience whi le decreasing energy consumption. IAQ is an effective weapon that can be used to f ight against air pol lution. 1/3

As compared w ith other bui ldings in the same locali ty, PBC has a far better air quali ty, in the wor ld?s most pol luted ci ty. The air quali ty inside PBC shows a r eduction of 55%, 77% and 82% for CO2, PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels, r espectively. VOCs in PBC are below detectable levels. Air Quali ty inside PBC is as fr esh and clean as one would f ind in the mountains. IAQ at PBC conforms to ASHRAE and WHO speci f ied guidelines.

The guests were also amazed to learn about the benefi ts of a technological innovation at PBC i .e. integration of HVAC w ith IAQ system. IAQ system plays a key role in maintaining Indoor Environment Quali ty in PBC?s bui lding. Therefore, PBC has created a Green House, which helps in detoxi fying and cooling the air that is taken from the outside, and i t is done before pumping i t into the bui lding. Green House is the Green Lungs of PBC.

PBC believes that Sustainable Business is Sensible Business. On being asked about the mantra that makes PBC a unique Exper ience Centre, Mr. Meattle r epl ied that the secret behind i t is their focus on People and their wellbeing.

The enti r e team of USGBC and IWBI appreciated the endeavours of PBC.

?This is a l iving Lab and a r ef lection of how to tr uly walk the talk of Green,? concluded Mr. Ramanujam

Mr. Gopalakr ishnan descr ibed PBC?s effor ts towards sustainabi l i ty as, ?Absolutely inspir ational for the future of India.? To know more about PBC, please visit the website: www.pbcnet.com; follow PBC on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook or contact Smruti Sweta Samantray, Dy. Manager, Corporate Communication, PBC E:smruti.sweta@pbcnet.comM: 9311016206

CRB and UNICEF organize Roundtable on ?Chi ldren and Business Supply Chain?

New Delhi ,Januar y 30, 2015: UNICEF and Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) organized a half day roundtable consultation to ini tiate conversations on the effect of business supply chains on chi ldren?s l ives and their r ights, and how CRBP and other Voluntar y Sustainabi l i ty Standards (VSS) can be used by businesses and associated stakeholders to address these issues. The consultation, organized in India Habitat Center, saw par ticipation from over 70 r epresentatives across businesses, standards and civi l societies over w ide-ranging discussions backed by exper iences on how businesses can work towards promoting chi ld r ights w ithin r egional and sectoral contexts.

The event was kicked off by Mr. Louis-Georges Arsenault- Countr y Representative, UNICEF India, who remarked on var ious chi ld r ights challenges faced by India, and how the path-breaking CSR Mandate as par t of Companies Act 2013 can play an impor tant role in creating fr ameworks for chi ld-r ights engagement for businesses. Dr. Bimal Arora-CEO, CRB, contextualized the discussion and highl ighted the need to increase business awareness about presence of chi ldren in supply chains and create a roadmap for

businesses to fol low to mitigate such issues. Mr. Michael Copping- Corporate Engagement Manager, UNICEF East Asia and Paci f ic Region Off ice, emphasized the CRBP fr amework and gave anecdotal evidence of i ts impact in Regional markets. The f i r st round was capped by Ms. Ruchir a Gujr al- CSR and Corporate Engagement Off icer, UNICEF India, where she emphasized the role of UNICEF in engaging w ith corporations and academia for formulating long-term solutions for chi ld r ights issues.

This was fol lowed by a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Vivek Law ?Business Journalist and ex-Editor, Bloomberg TV India, and compr ising of Ms. Diya Sharma (Programme Manager, ETP), Ms. Vandana Verma (Programme Director, IKEA Foundation) and Mr. Manoj Bhatt (Countr y Dir ector, GoodWeave India) touched upon the level of corporate sensi tization towards chi ld r ights and steps they are taking to incorporate them in their r espective value chains. Ms. Diya enumerated how this incorporation is good for businesses by giving anecdotal evidence of yield increment r esulting from favorable chi ld r ights pol icies in the tea val leys of Sr i Lanka. The f loor was then opened to the audience for discussions, where the need for str engthening public insti tutions, in par ticular educational ones, was enumerated by several par ticipants.

Sensi tizing consumers, prol i ferating worker?s r ights, formulating multi -stakeholder par tner ships, making supply chains tr ansparent and policy str engthening were some of the other points mooted to champion the cause of chi ld r ights by businesses.

Lastly, Dr. Bimal enumerated the way for ward and a need for al l present to par ticipate in fur ther ing the CRBP ambitions in India. Mr. Vir af Mehta ?Convener, Human Rights & Business Resources Group, spoke about the need for businesses to contextualize the overar ching UNGC Human Rights Frameworks for chi ld r ights activi ties. Ms. Chr istine Edier -Chief, Resource Mobi l ization and Par tner ships, UNICEF India, gave a vote of thanks to al l speakers and talked about her take-away from the multiple discussions and exper ience shar ing from al l present. She concluded by emphasizing the need for companies to take their role in safe-guarding the future of chi ldren ser iously, and commenting on the uti l ization of CSR Mandate towards that end in India.

CRB AND UNICEF ORGANIZE ROUNDTABLE ON ?CHILDREN AND BUSINESS SUPPLY CHAIN?

CALENDAR OF EVENTSMARCH 3INDIA CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY VISION SUMMIT,AT,HOTEL LE MERIDIEN , NEW DELHI

MARCH 12-14 ,2015THE GRIHA SUMMIT 2015 ,,AT IHC, NEW DELHI

MARCH 17-19, 2015CORENET GLOBAL, DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION, 2015 GLOBAL SUMMIT, AT HONGKONG

APRIL 11-12, 2015IMPART 2015, AT, NSIC EXHIBITION CENTRE, NEW DELHI

MAY 20-22, 2015SMART CITIES INDIA 2015, AT PRAGATI MAIDAN , NEW DELHI

MAY 22, 20151ST INTERNATIONAL GOTS CONFERENCE, AT THE LALIT, MUMBAI

MAY 22, 20151st INTERNATIONAL GOTS CONFERENCE, AT, THE LALIT, SAHAR, MUMBAI

AUGUST 21-22 ,2015GREEN BUILDTECH, CONFERENCE & EXPO, AT CHANDIGARH

AUGUST 21-23, 20156TH WORLD RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CONGRESS, AT MANEKSHAW CENTRE , DELHI

SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015ICORENET GLOBAL, DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION 2015 SUMMIT, AT LONDON

OCTOBER 18-20, 2015CORENET GLOBAL, DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION 2015 SUMMIT, AT LOS ANGELES

Sustainable Infrastructure development, based on low cost, eco-fr iendly cement and br icks technology, must to take for ward ?Make in India? initiative

Global Think Tank ? Development Alternatives (DA) is focusing on developing eco-fr iendly and low cost cement (LC­­3 ) and f ly ash br ick technology, to cater to the increasing demand of cement and br icks in the housing and infr astr ucture projects in the countr y

It w i l l r esult in low capital investment and signi f icant r eduction in CO2 emissions Januar y 29, 2015, New Delhi: As economy, par ticular ly the manufactur ing sector, is getting r eady for a major push under ?Make in India? ini tiative of the government, the need for sustainable infr astr ucture development is one of the key challenges. With the increasing demand of cement and br icks in the housing and infr astr ucture projects, there is going to be huge pressure on these industr ies. The cur rent scenar io necessi tates developing eco-fr iendly and low cost var iants of constr uction mater ial to ensure economic interests do not undermine environmental concerns. According to

eminent environmental ist and Chairman, Development Alternatives (DA), Dr Ashok Khosla, ?In the next three decades, we can expect even more new bui ldings and infr astr ucture to be bui l t globally than the enti r e stock that exists today. No sector of the economy consumes more mater ial than constr uction, and of al l the mater ials used in constr uction, cement and br icks accounts for the largest share of r esources that are extr acted from nature. Obviously, any saving of r esources achieved through innovation can yield a huge benefi t for the environment and thus to the economy. For people, eco-fr iendly constr uction mater ial r epresents a sustainable wellbeing; for business, i t r epresents more sustainable prof i ts; for our r esource base, i t r epresents a sustainable future. I t?s a w in-w in-w in for al l .?

Eco-fr iendly cement technology: DA and 3 I ITs conducting study

In a major breakthrough, r esearch insti tutes Development Alternatives (DA) along w ith 3 IITs (IIT-Delhi , I IT-Bombay and IIT-Madras) have put for ward Low Carbon Cement cal led Limestone Calcined Clay Por tland Cement or LC3cement. This project is suppor ted by the

Global Programme on Climate Change of the Sw iss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Government of Sw itzer land. ?The LC3 ini tiative provides a breakthrough in creating extr a and augmented capaci ty of cement w ith the same amount of cl inker production. The new cutting edge mater ials r esearch being car r ied out by the col laborating par tner s provides new recipes for formulation of cement w ith mainstr eam raw mater ials being used by the cement industr y in India; l imestone, calcined clay and gypsum. The uptake of LC3 in India augurs well for the cement industr y and the environment?, says Dr Arun Kumar, President, Development Alternatives.

Benefits:

Amount of money saved by cement industr y: approximately Rs. 60,000 crores less capital investment needed over 8 years to double cur rent annual capaci ty by 300 Mi l l ion Tonnes.

Extension of l imestone mine production by 50% to 60% , r aising l i fe of r eser ves from about 50 years, as estimated by industr y to 75 years.

Global Think Tank ? Development Alternatives

20% to 30% reduction in CO2 emissions from cur rent average emissions of 0.82 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of cement produced (as per industr y f igures).

A production of 300 Mi l l ion tonnes of LC3 w i l l r educe emissions by approximately 80 Mi l l ion tonnes of CO2 ever y year. This w i l l double ever y 8 to 12 years as cement production r ises.

Fly Ash Br ick Technology

Development Alternatives (DA) has been working in several states of the countr y on developing f ly-ash br ick industr y. These include Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Or issa, Delhi , Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Har yana. According to DA?s recent r epor t, ?The Fly Ash Br ick Industr y in Bihar ?, w i th around 6,000 ki lns, the state of Bihar produces approximately 18 bi l l ion br icks per year. Fixed Chimney Ki lns (FCKs), which are r esource and energy intensive, are the predominant technology in the state. ?Fir ed clay br icks consume around 2-4 mi l l ion tonnes of coal per year leading to emissions of 4-6 mi l l ion tonnes of carbon-dioxide (CO2) per year. They also emit sulphur dioxide (SO2), ni trogen oxides, and suspended par ticulate matter (SPM). Apar t from coal, approximately 30 mi l l ion cubic metres of soi l is consumed by the sector per

year. In Bihar, the usage of clay for br icks leaves bar ren almost 5,500 hectares of land annually,? says Dr. Arun Kumar, President, Development Alternatives.

In this scenar io, i t was extr emely necessar y to take ini tiatives for promoting cleaner br ick production technologies and waste management. DA joined hands w ith Bihar State Pollution Control Board to encourage the production and usage of f ly ash br icks in the state.

The establishment of f ly ash br ick making uni ts since 2006 has achieved the fol low ing in Bihar :

approximately 63,000 tonnes of CO2

The repor t states that the cur rent market share of f ly ash br icks as par t of the clay br ick market share is only 0.33percent. I f the optimal level of f ly ash br ick production is implemented, f ly ash br icks could have almost 60 percent of today?s clay br ick market share. These savings w i l l have a major impact on the environment and can be achieved by 2025 i f r igorous implementation of pro-f ly ash policies takes place.

The cur rent f ly-ash industr y in India is about 163 mi l l ion tones. This compr ises the 12,000 existing uni ts that are cater ing to the demand. Since the grow th of the industr y has been

exponential ti l l now, i t can lead to a phenomenal grow th of 50,000 uni ts in the next ten years.

Looking at the cur rent grow th, the market is expected to grow f ive times in the next decade. With these projections DA intends to make 20%-25% contr ibution to the market in the next decade. The areas of focus w i l l be Nor th, East and Central India.

ABOUT DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES

Headquar tered in New Delhi , Development Alternatives (DA) is a pioneer in sustainable development and is among the top 150 global Think Tanks. I t has bui l t up a global presence in economic development, social empowerment and environment management. DA fulf i l ls i ts mission to end pover ty and regenerate the r esource base by creating economic oppor tuni ties for communities and local enterpr ises to generate sustainable l ivel ihoods and basic needs products. I t achieves this by innovating and deliver ing technology-based, market or iented solutions through a group of not-for -prof i t organizations and for -prof i t companies. For more details contact:

Ms. Neha Agrawal, MensnTock Communications | E:neha@mensentock.com | M: 99 100 68094

Global Think Tank ? Development Alternatives