People & Initiatives

Each bag is a unique project –a blend of ideas, forms and colours which make every item a work of art. Drawing on the traditions of original art by American Artists off the walls and bringing it into our everyday lives by screening it onto certified organic cotton handbags, using water based dyes is what Eco Art Productions is all about. Eco Art Handbags are a statement about our environment. The art represents our diversity as a country by showcasing artists from all walks of life, different regions of the country and different ethnic backgrounds. Started in the year 2008 …

Have you ever been fascinated by the colorful birds flying high in the sky, like an epitome of freedom and beauty at the same time? Don’t you sometimes wish that you were one of them? While it’s hard to fly like a bird, it’s possible to see them closely to understand more about them and know them with a deeper understanding. KV Eldhose organizes mesmerizing bird tours in Southern India and those who have been on his tours have seen 300 different species of birds during the expedition. Here, in conversation with Ek Titli, he tells us more on his …

  Environment awareness and preservation has become a bone of contention for each and every organisation today. Entrepreneurs have made headway with all kinds of ventures from pharmaceutical, social, entertainment and communications to the environmental. The Green Organization is one such independent non-political, non-activist, non-profit environmental group dedicated to recognizing, rewarding and promoting environmental best practices since 1994 in Northampton, UK. It focuses mainly on organizing The International Green Apple Environment Awards – one for best environmental practice and one for enhancing our already built environment and architectural heritage. The Green Apple Awards 2011 for Environmental Best Practice were presented …

How many times have we complained about the garbage on our roads and all around us? The ones among us who have had the opportunity to go to popular hill stations, tourist destinations and pilgrimage spots will bear testimony to the absolute recklessness with which garbage is strewn all around these areas, making them breeding grounds for disease-spreading germs and insects. But how many of us have actually done something about it? How many of us have picked up the trash and put it where it belongs? Meet one lady who has. UK-born Jodie Underhill, along with her group of volunteers, …

It gives me an ecstatic feeling as I write this. Recently, my husband and I woke up to 19 Brahmakamal flowers in our garden. These beautiful flowers bloomed just over a night on a single plant. You would wonder what is the fuss about Brahmakamals. Well, here’s the deal, the Brahmakamal is not a lotus at all, although its petals resemble a lotus. Lotuses grow in ponds, whereas the Brahmakamal grows on the slopes of the Himalayas (It is the state flower of Uttarakhand).  The original Brahmakamal looks quite different from the one that blooms here in the city. The …

Until now, there has been enough anecdotal evidence signifying that the pattern of employment is indeed changing – and that new jobs are beginning to emerge in favor of greener, cleaner and more sustainable occupations. And now at a global level it is evident that green jobs are being generated in some sectors and economies.   This is in large part as a result of climate change and the need to meet emission reduction targets under the UN climate convention. This has led to changing patterns of investment flows – flows into areas from renewable energy generation up to energy …

Over the past few months, Indian government has witnessed major commotion on grounds of environmental stability and economic growth. The government has been striving to come to a consensus between the dilemma of focusing on developmental goals and simultaneously maintaining ecological balance. There is an incessant tension between those who support development and those who fight for environment protection. The two groups do not look eye to eye and with every passing day, the gap seems to be widening. Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India very aptly puts it: “Choices need to be made about large projects …

The green economy embraces a vision that tries to steer economic development in the direction of sustainability. According to the current understanding of the green economy concept, one of the main elements which support the transition to a more sustainable pattern of production and consumption is Waste minimization and management. It considers different approaches from prevention, minimization, reduction, reuse, recycling, waste conversion and disposal in order to ensure that the use of materials and waste generation remains within the regenerative and absorptive capacities of the Planet. The world is being flounced over by a strong wave of urbanization. From an …

Ameliorating efficiency has become a mantra for reducing carbon emissions. The Indian government too, taking cue from developed countries, has enshrined it in the country’s climate policy. As the Planning Commission starts preparing itself to approach the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia identifies issues like energy and environment-friendly growth as key challenges. The logic is simple: better efficiency leads to energy savings which in turn reduce the country’s carbon footprint. The tech industry is very actively looking for solutions to be more efficient and use cleaner power. Their core business is innovation, and when applied to …

Energy security, climate change and economic development, is repeatedly stressed upon, among other things, that our government is facing harsh challenges in meeting dire energy requirements in an environmentally sustainable manner. There is a desperate need for surveying sources of energy that are not fossil fuel based since the fossil based sources cause climate change. It is because of this concern; we are falling back to generating clean energy such as biofuel, wind, nuclear, solar and hydro power. The haunting images of Japan’s nuclear power stations and the growing concern over mounting radiation levels has left us thinking about how …