The document summarizes Don Bosco Organization's plans to increase their use of solar power across their schools in Mumbai to reduce their reliance on coal-generated electricity. They plan to add more solar panels to increase their existing solar power network capacity from 160KW to 260KW. This will help reduce their electricity costs and carbon emissions. They aim to achieve "zero energy" status within two years by generating enough solar power to meet 65% of their electricity needs. The initiative demonstrates a cost-effective way to increase renewable energy use and reduce environmental impact.

1. E-Newsletter-7/20
Green Earth Movement
An E-Newsletter for the cause of Environment, Peace, Harmony and Justice
Remember - “you and I can decide the future”
Green dream: Stronger solar power network for
Mumbai’s Don Bosco schools
Badri Chatterjee, HT
Don Bosco Organisation, which runs five schools and one college in Mumbai, plans to move towards a
zero energy setup -- reducing the use of coal for electricityand increasing the consumption of solar energy
by 60%. Mumbai receives 300 days of sunlight a year, making it easily possible to move away from the
usual carbon-emitting process of burning coal and gas for electricity. At 3,000 megawatt (MW) a year, the
city consumes a major part of the energy generated in Maharashtra. A two bedroom-kitchen household in
Mumbai daily uses 8 (kilowatt) KW power daily.
As part of the plan, the institution and its environmental organisation Green Line will add more solar
panels to increase the capacity of their existing solar power network from 160 KW to 260KW. The project
is likely to be completed by the end of March. On an average, a 1KW unit costs Rs1 lakh. “Moving to
solar energy is a lucrative and longstanding solution to the environmental problems,” said Father Savio
Silveira, director, Green Line. “The initiative is aimed at making educational institutes adopt
environment-friendly systems and reduce the use of power from the grid. Electricity generation is our way
of reducing global warming. We hope to achieve a ‘zero energy’ status in the next two years.”
The project was started at Don Bosco High School, Matunga, and Don Bosco Provincial Building
(headquarters for the solar panel project) by setting up a 10KW unit in 2015. The group now plans to add
another 50KW to the unit. Similarly, Don Bosco High School and Junior College, Naigaon, and Don
Bosco Senior Secondary School, Nerul and Navi Mumbai will add more solar panels, boosting the
capacity of the network to 40KW, from the existing 20kW. The group’s St Dominic Savio High School in
Andheri and St Joseph’s High School in Wadala have a 10KW unit, while their Don Bosco Institute of
Technology, Kurla gets power from an 110-KW solar panel.
According to experts, a 20KW unit helps bring down the electricitybill for a month by 30%, while a
60KW unit reduces it by 70%. The 110-KW unit at Kurla, which is spread across a large area, has high
power consumption and will bring down electricitycosts by 25% a month. Three more new installations --

2. at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Walwanda, Jawhar, Thane district (40 kW), Don Bosco High School,
Lonavala (40 kW) and Don Bosco Private Industrial Training Institute, Chinchwad, Pune with a 50 kW
setup -- will be completed by March 31.
“The electricitysystem of cities like Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune can be changed if buildings start
producing their own electricityand move towards the concept of zero energy homes and schools,” said
Ranjan Banerjee, head of the department, department of energy science and engineering, IIT-Bombay.
“Don Bosco’s efforts are commendable as they are not only using a cost-effective renewable energy
system, but are reducing a large carbon footprint.” The group has installed a net-metering system, which
allows the surplus power generated by the solar units to be exported back to the grid and imports power in
case of a deficiency. At the end of a financial year, the power supplier charges the societyfor ‘net usage’.
“As there is a tax rebate for sending surplus energy back to the grid, we planned to send back to the grid
the solar power that is generated over the weekend,” said Father Elson Barretto, provincial economer,
western region, Don Bosco Organisation. “The new setup will take care of 65% of our electricityneed.”
STATE GOVERNMENT APPLAUDS THE INITIATIVE
“When educational institutes, which nurture future opinion-makers, take up green ideas, it automatically
leads to a very bright future, both in terms of renewable energy and through talent. It is an extremely
laudable initiative as these students, some of whom will be future policy-makers, are sensitised about the
need for a cleaner environment,” said Satish Gavai, principal secretary, state environment department.
Use green modes of energy: Why you should care
Unlike generation of electricityfrom coal, gas and oil that produce carbon emissions, production of solar
and wind energy does not cause pollution.
Wind and solar energy are free sources of renewable energy and can be used even in remote areas, where
electricityfrom the grid cannot be accessed.
Street lights, calculators and other low power-consuming devices can also be powered using the energy
While building the equipment to convert solar or wind energy into electricityor hot water is expensive,
the cost can be recovered over time as there is no expenditure on the source.
10 simple energy-saving measures at home:
Switch off lights and fans when not in use
Ensure that the washing machine is used only to wash a full load of clothes
Make sure your AC is set at 24 degrees C and not lower
Do not keep the door of your fridge open for long periods
Keep your computer or laptop on sleep mode when not in use
Use energy-efficient star-rated appliances.
Always turn off all electrical appliances from the main switch and not from the remote control
Set the temperature of your fridge to medium for optimum cooling
Use LED bulbs to reduce energy consumption by upto 80%, compared to conventional lights
Use the leftover heat of your microwave to keep food warm for up to 30 minutes
✝MY LENTEN RESOLUTIONS!
Traditionally, Christians used to make Lenten resolutions like stopping alcohol, no smoking for
40 days, more prayers and attending more masses etc.

3. However, Bishop Allwyn D'Silva, the Coordinator of Environment Office, Bombay Archdiocese
has proposed another idea for this Lent CARBON FAST.
♻Following are a few concrete and achievable eco-friendly resolutions which we all can make in
tune with the CARBON FAST FOR LENT, AND BEYOND in tune with the idea of CARBON
FAST proposed by Bishop Allwyn, in the form of resolutions.
1] I will use reusable cloth/jute bag for all marketing purpose and avoid plastic bags.
2] I will carry water bottle from home wherever I go, and avoid buying mineral water bottles.
3] I will stop drinking pesticide ridden cola drinks and drink healthy natural drinks, especially
water.
4] I will minimise, or totally avoid junk food and use wholesome homemade food.
5] I will stop using throw away glasses/plates etc during our SCC, parish or family celebrations
and start using reusable items.
6] I will avoid, or at least minimise the use of A/C, washing machines and other high energy
consuming domestic appliances.
7] I will switch off electrical appliances light, water heaters, fans, TV, computer etc when not in
use, and save electricity.
8] I will give a lift to others (car pool) whenever possible, like going for Sunday Mass, school,
work, meetings etc.
9] I will use my private vehicle only if it is a must. Instead, I will walk for short distances, or use
public transport.
10] I will keep two bins to segregate my kitchen waste, and propagate its importance to others.
11] I will donate unused things lying at my home which are not needed for me, but useful for
others.
12] I will use water consciously fully aware that, water is a rare and precious commodity for
millions.
13] I will use stationary including papers sparingly, and creatively like using both sides, or avoid
using paper altogether if online communication is suffice.
14] I will plant trees or at least some potted plants wherever I can, and cultivate the habit of
appreciating nature.
15] I will try to join the environmental protection movements or at least show concern when
environment is destroyed to fulfill human greed.
16) If I am a priest or religious, I will carry minimum luggage of bare necessities, when I move
from one parish to another when I am transferred.

4. These are simple and achievable resolutions which all of us can practice in keeping with Bishop
Allwyn's CARBON FAST - BEYOND LENT.
SCC ENVIRONMENT RALLY 2017
"We received this world as an inheritance from past generations, but also as a loan from future
generations, to whom we will have to return it!” Pope Francis.
The words of Pope Francis are to be taken seriously. If you are an environmentally conscious
citizen, you are well aware of the damage being done to the Mother Earth from various quarters.
If we do not arrest this trend of environmental destruction, our future generations, our own
children, and children’s children will suffer grievously due to our lack of responsibility. This is
what precisely Pope Francis says, that ‘Earth is not only an inheritance received from the past
generations, but also a loan from future generations, to whom we will have to return.
Therefore, being conscious of the words of Pope Francis, the parish of infant Jesus, Jogeshwari
has been trying to do its bit to work for environmental protection, especially to bring
environmental awareness amongst the residents of our parish. One such project is SCC KIDS
ECO CLUBS. These kids clubs are animated by the SCC animators in-charge. These groups meet
every month, and organise various environment awareness projects, an ANNUAL SCC
ENVIRONMENT RALLY being one such major project.
THE SCC ENVIRONMENT RALLY 2017 was held on Sunday, 5th March from 4 to 8 PM. This
rally consisted of 2 parts, first – A WALK FOR ENVIRONMENT in which all faith members from
different SCCs walked in procession to the church holding placards with slogans to bring
environmental awareness to the onlookers and passers by. This year 6 SCC groups joined in this
procession.
The second part of the rally was a stage programme for which His Lordship Bishop Percival
Fernandez was the chief guest. The unique feature of felicitation of guests was the inauguration
of cloth bag project. Instead of felicitating the guests with flower bouquets, the guests were
felicitated with a cloth bag.
During the stage programme, various ECO KIDS CLUBS put up stage items like street plays,
actions songs, musical, skits etc all on the theme of environment. During this year rally
specifically SAVE AAREY COLONY theme was taken up as this only green lung of Mumbai is
facing danger of extinction in the name of development. Besides, this specific theme, the stage
items brought out beautifully the message on saving water, saving electricity, saving petrol by
sharing vehicles, celebrating common Holi and lessen tree cuttings and so on.

5. The SCC ENVIRONMENT RALLY is also an occasion to appreciate kids and SCC animators for
their efforts to realise the dream of Mahatma Gandhi ““Be the change that you wish to see in the
world.” As an encouragement, the eco kids who won prizes in various contests were awarded
with certificates and prizes, especially the SCC animators who are passionately involved in this
unique project were felicitated for their dedicated service.
Fr Felix Rebello
For more photographs click gemfacebook link
https://www.facebook.com/gem.enewsletter
PLASTIC BAG MUKTH JOGESHWARI
As a concrete activity in keeping with the LENTEN CARBON FAST announced by Bishop Allwyn
D'Silva, the Infant Jesus Church/school Jogeshwari has taken up a project of PLASTIC BAG
BHAGAO, CLOTH BAG CHALAO campaign.
This campaign was inaugurated by Bishop Percival Fernandez during the last Sunday, 5th March
SCC Environment Rally (pictures below).
As the saying goes, "Charity begins at home", we want first of all, our own church/school staff
members to shun Plastic bag use and start Cloth Bag use.
As a gesture of appreciation for taking up various environmental activities by our church and
school staff, each of the 50 church/school employees were gifted with a cloth bag.
Members were happy to receive this eco-friendly gift, and have decided to make use of this novel
gift, and do their bit to make PLASTIC BAG MUKTH JOGESHWARI.
For an educational and awareness PPT - Plastic - A boon or bane? Click website
www.infantjesusjogeshwari.in
go to GEM PPT section and click PPT-4/PLASTIC-A BOON OR BANE.
This PPT can be used to bring awareness to various groups, why plastic is harmful to
environment.
FOR GEM PowerPoint Presentations on
various environmental issues go to website
www.infantjesusjogeshwari.in

6. go to GEM PPT section
1. Twenty Simple Tips
2. Solar Energy
3. Junk Food
4. Plastic – a boon or bane?
5. Green Passion
6. Zero Garbage
7. Soft drink – A Health Hazard
8. Waste to energy
9. Rain Water Harvesting
10. Eco-friendly Religions
11. Happy Green Diwali
12. Climate Change
13. The future of Biodiversity
14. Genetically Modified Foods
15. Waste Water Treatment
16. Body, Organ, Tissue Donation
17. Organic Farming
18. Waste to cooking gas
19. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
20. Protect Mangroves
21. Say NO to Bottled water
22. Save Lakes and Ponds
23. Forests are green lungs
24. Coal Mining and Ecology
25. Sin of Food Waste
26. Climate change and Poverty
27. Stop Water Pollution
28. Carbon Footprints
29. Parks and Open Spaces
30. Rising Sea Levels
31. Laudato Si – Pope’s Encyclical
32.Air Pollution
33. Life Style Changes
34. Water Pollution
35. Sand Mining
36. Bees and Environment
37. Joy of Gardening
MEGA ECO QUIZ
To bring awareness on various environmental issues, it is a good idea
to conduct ECO QUIZ to various groups. For ECO QUIZ question sets
(with answers), go the above website and click MEGA ECO QUIZ-part
1 and part 2. In each set there are 50 questions taken from all the
above PPTs. To make it easy for you to conduct the quiz, answers are
also available for each set.
Lenten Resolutions
10 Resolutions for an Environmental Easter
Fr Suren D’Abreo, courtesy: Examiner weekly
Resolutions in Lent? Who makes resolutions in Lent?
Well, when you think of it, it is a perfect time to make a resolution! Lent is a chance at change, an
opportunity to be different, to become new life. And resolutions that give life, save life, promote
life and sustain life are ALL good. These are ten suggestions for resolutions that are Earth-
friendly. They are in addition to Carbon Fast suggestions, and are simple and easy to

7. follow once you take them. Which one you take is up to you; you could choose one, more than
one, or all. Just be happy taking it, so that it becomes you, and you become Earth-loving.
None of these is compulsory, and you can choose to ignore them altogether.
But you could also choose to look at them, and see how, in a small way, you can resolve to
restore Earth and its beauty and harmony by simple acts of respect and love.
LR1. #Adopt A Stray
If you are planning to keep a pet, do NOT buy an expensive breed. Mumbai’s streets (and those
of any Indian city) have the most adorable puppies and kittens, and they just WANT you to give
them a loving home. They are sweet, loyal, and can eat so simply, that your budget will be way
lower than for a pedigreed pooch. You could also choose to look after a few animals in your
locality with the help of friends.
LR2. #Dare To Wear Less
How many sets of clothes do we really need? Try doing with a minimum of two sets (two tops
and two bottoms; a full dress counts as one top and one bottom) and a maximum of ten
sets (which works out to more, if you mix and match). Of course, you will manage. Very easily,
believe me... Much of what we really have in our cupboards is unused! Live with less, and
experience the freedom.
LR3. #Hands Up For Earth
Take a stand. It is quite easy. When you are served a beverage in a disposable paper/plastic cup,
or are given snacks in a disposable plastic/paper plate, or are offered a paper tissue, raise your
hand – it’s a polite way of saying no. When asked why, give the reason politely: such products
diminish Nature’s beauty and pollute it for generations later. You can do without that beverage
or snack... and Earth can do without that waste.
LR4. #Trees And You
Have you ever hugged a tree? Really hugged one? Try it; it’s good for the soul. Since trees have
no voice, only pure beauty and life-giving love, they need you to speak for them, when nuts seek
to cut them for silly reasons. Get trees planted wherever possible; especially in boring, concreted
building compounds, where trees would make them so much more interesting. Be a tree warrior;
the trees will love you forever.

8. LR5. #Little Litter
I have a friend who barks – quite literally. She barks when someone drops a paper/packet
carelessly on the ground. She is very effective in getting the person to pick up the li� er. Are
you a litterer? A literal litterer? Waste less, and litter much less. Collect your
litter and dispose of it in a bin, rather than decorating your city’s roads. But reduce first: save
what you can, reuse whatever is possible, use less than before.
LR6. #Be Hot
Of course you are hot; no doubt about it! As one of my friends would say, “You’re hawt!” And in
our summer, you HAVE to be hot. But let’s think about it. That AC is tempting, right? But do
we really need it on? Maybe not. And if we do, can we keep it at 26oC or 24oC, rather than
lower? If you can avoid it, GREAT. If you feel you cannot, don’t make it too low. Electricity has a
HUGE carbon footprint, and your own would go up massively!
LR7. #No To Private Vehicles
This might be tough – but it’s for Earth’s brave-hearted. NEVER buy yourself a private vehicle:
car, motorcycle, scooter, whatever. Go ahead with a bicycle, of course... I have one, and it is
cool! Public transport is great, gets you anywhere, and is far better at reducing per capita
emissions, than millions of private vehicles on the roads!
LR8. #Stand For Indigenous
So many petitions on social media. So many. Keep an eye out for those protecting tribal rights.
Support them. Tribal people are great environmentalists and love nature; but they are
threatened by mining, urban sprawl, deforestation, and rapid industrialisation; most of these
things wreak havoc with nature irreversibly! Speak up; raise your voice; stand for justice. It’s so
easy now – just a click or two, and you are an activist!
LR9. #BuyLocal
Food miles! Heard of them? Refers to the distance food travels to reach your table; and the
longer the distance, the greater the carbon footprint, because of production, processing,
transport and storage. Buy local stuff , rather than exotic. Believe me, you do NOT need
those kiwi fruits, those bell peppers, that special cheese, those Oosa apples. You get lovely, tasty
stuff grown or produced close by that is cooler for the Earth.
LR10. #Walk For Earth
Need bread? Walk to the store! Take a rickshaw to the station? Try walking to the station.
Tummy expanding? Don’t waste money (and carbon footprint) on a gym! Take a morning walk.
Walk as often as possible, and then a little bit more. You will be fi � er, and you will help reduce
so much of air pollution, electricity or fuel consumption, and your personal carbon footprint.
So by now, you may have been inspired to take a resolution or two, or ten. Congratulations! You
are an Earth warrior, an Easter environmentalist. These are not 40-day resolutions; they
are lifelong resolutions. Human beings have a long way to go before we can stop the destruction
on Earth, much less repair it!
Living simple is, in a single word, simple. It really is. And the best thing is: it costs nothing, and
brings you vast benefits like peace, happiness and me for what really matters. Keep the
faith: Earth is the God-given home we all have to nurture with love, and that requires deep faith.

9. Green tribunal fines Mumbai builder Rs 40 lakh
for destroying Khandala hill
Badri Chatterjee, HT
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Pune, directed a Mumbai-based builder to pay the
Lonavala Municipal Council (LMC) Rs40 lakh to repair environmental damage caused by a
construction site in Khandala. The applicants, Nanik Rupani and Ashish Vaid, residents of Vikas
Valley CHS, Khandala, said the builder – Vikas Developers – had illegally cut into the hillside
and felled trees to construct an unauthorised road, without seeking permission from the
municipal council first.
In an order passed on Tuesday and made public on Friday, the division bench of Justice UD
Salvi and expert member Ranjan Chatterjee restrained the builder from felling any more trees
and from cutting into the hill. It directed the municipal council to restore the destroyed
recreation ground and hillside to their original status.
“The respondent, Vikas Developers, shall jointly pay the amount needed to restitute the space.
They shall initially deposit Rs40 lakh with the LMC within a month,” read the order. “The
developers shall pay the applicants, Nanik Rupani and Ashish Vaid, Rs1 lakh as litigation fees.”
The application — filed with the tribunal through advocate Aditya Pratap Singh in December
2014 — states that the developer illegally constructed a six-metre-wide and 105-m-long road.
“This road cuts through a recreation ground, which is a compulsory open space reserved for a
garden. He recklessly cut several trees, along with the hillside, without permission from the
LMC,” read the application.
During the hearing, the developer denied the allegations, saying the petition was time-barred
and the applicants had no right to appear in a court. The developer declined to respond to HT’s
queries. “We direct the LMC to restitute the area of garden as shown in the sanctioned layout —
particularly a six-metre-wide and 105-m-long strip — within six months. The LMC must recover
the costs from the builder,” said the tribunal.
The tribunal held that the site photographs, Google Earth images and an expert report submitted
by the applications were proof of the environmental damage caused by the developer.
“Unauthorised tree felling and hill cutting is an offence to the environment,” said the bench

10. Dombivli residents, NGO join hands to collect
plastic waste for recycling
DNA, NAVEETA SINGH | Mon, 27 Feb 2017
Plastic and pollution go hand in hand, and to control this menace, the residents of Dombivli
have joined hands with Urjaa Foundation, an NGO. In an initiative launched this weekend, the
residents plan to deposit their household plastic waste with Urjaa Foundation once a month. The
collected plastic will then be sent to Pune for recycling and producing industrial fuel. On Friday,
Dombivli's Tilaknagar Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal launched a unique initiative with the
NGO to collect plastic waste from the suburb's residents.
"Plastic is so damaging to the environment that we wanted to do something about it. We learnt
about Urjaa Foundation and approached them," says Sandeep Vaidya from the mandal.
In the last two days, i.e., Friday and Saturday, residents deposited over 50kg of plastic, including
bags and bottles. "The collected plastic will be sent by Urjaa to Rudra Foundation in Pune, where
it will be used to manufacture fuel," says Snehal Dixit, a representative from Urjaa, which was
founded in July 2015. Since December 2016, Urja has been working on the initiative of collecting
plastic from Thane once a month and sending it to Pune. "Now, it will be in Thane and Dombivli
once a month from our side," she says.
The cost of transportation is borne by Rudra Foundation. "Normally, people come and deposit
plastic at the venue and we collect it from there and ship it to Pune," she says.
Urjaa has also launched a joint initiative with the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation which
is called 'My plastic waste my responsibility'. Through this also the waste is collected from
residents once a month. From this month onward, KDMC has strictly asked the citizens to
segregate wet and dry waste, or else face action.
Plastic waste that turns into free fuel for villagers
DNA
Pune duos plants churning polyfuel from polythene bags and pet jars
find takers across Maharashtra, and even Visakhapatnam

11. What started as a dream for two Pune-based business-partners, has now become an
environmental campaign spread across Maharashtra. Every month, housing societies and
schools from Mumbai, Thane, Pune and a few other cities, collect plastic bags to convert it into
poly-fuel that is then supplied free of cost to villagers in Jejuri, Darawali and Ramwadi near
Pune to replace kerosene as the primary household fuel. This not only helps in recycling plastic
that is difficult to naturally decompose, it also helps reduce pollution caused by the use of fossil
fuels like kerosene. It also dissuades villagers from cutting trees for firewood.
“It started in 2010 when my business partner Shirish Phadtare, and I decided that we needed to
find a long term solution to India’s plastic problem. I had recently visited a national park where
a deer had died from eating plastic. It was very traumatizing for me and I realised just awareness
campaigns will not be enough,” recalls Dr Medha Tadpatrikar. The duo studied the science
behind plastics, and came across the process of Catalytic Pyrolysis that can be used to make
Polyfuel. “We designed our first machine with the help of some of our friends who had a
background in engineering. We kept on working on the machine to make it more efficient and
developed our second prototype in 2013. Finally in 2014 we perfected the design so that the
machine would not only produce liquid polyfuel, which is a mix of methane, butane and
propane, but also trap the gas released during production and use that as an energy source to
run the machine itself,” says Dr Tadpatrikar.
After this, Tadpatrikar and her devoted group of volunteers went around Pune collecting plastic
and encouraging people to recycle plastic and polythene bags. While earlier they would use their
own cars, with increasing volume of collections, the group purchased tempos for the purpose.
Gradually, the word spread to Mumbai, Thane and the suburb of Dombivali. Minal Dixit and her
‘train friends’ Snehal Dixit and Vidya Paranjape got together with a dedicated group of 45
women from Thane and Dombivli, who are all a part of Urjaa Foundation, to step up efforts in
their respective neighbourhoods. Members of Urjaa foundation conducted their first collection
drive in December last year and are following it up with monthly collection initiatives.
“While people have a culture of recycling, the raddi-wala only takes old newspapers, clothes and
glass bottles. Plastic almost always ends up in landfills where it is burnt and ends up releasing
toxic gases into the atmosphere. With our campaign we have successfully collected 250 kgs of
plastic in Thane just in January this year and hope to increase our collections at our next drive
on March 19,” says Dixit. The plastic is collected and sent to Dr Tadpatrikar in Pune.
Today, Dr Tadpatrikar gets plastic from some other far flung cities like Bhima Shankar, Raigarh
and even Visakhapatnam! “People collect the plastic and courier it to us here in Pune where we
recycle it in our plant,” she says. This goes on to show that a few determined people are all it
takes to bring about a change. “We hope our campaign will soon spread to other cities like
Bengaluru and Hyderabad and eventually become a national campaign,” says Dr Tadpatrikar.
HOW IT WORKS?
Total monthly plastic collected every month is about 10,000 kg. This includes polythene bags,
milk pouches, bubble wraps, plastic containers and pet jars. They have two plants in Pune, one
in Hadapsar with a capacity of 1 tonne, and the Jejuri one can manage about 100 kg. The
machines can convert 100 kg of plastic into approximately 55 litres of poly-fuel and 5 kg of gas.
The plants run 20-25 days a month and electricity consumption is limited to 8-10 hp for the
control panel. They have recently started selling smaller versions of their stainless steel machine
to corporate clients.

12. The solar powered cooker that stores the sun’s
energy for fuel-free grilling every night
theheartysoul.com
MIT professor David Wilson developed a new solar technology that will bring a solar cooker that
functions at night. This invention will significantly benefit developing nations who depend on
wood for cooking. Wilson’s technology concept harnesses the sun and stores the latent heat for
cooking for up to twenty-five hours at temperatures above 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The
technology uses a Fresnel lens to hold the sun’s energy to melt a container of Lithium Nitrate
which acts as a thermal-storing battery for 25 hours at a time. Afterwards, the heat is released
for our favorite way to cook outdoors.
“There are a lot of solar cookers out there,” Wilson says, “but surprisingly not many using latent-
heat storage as an attribute to cook the food.” There have been solar cookers, grills, and ovens
made before, but they all had to be used during the day to function. Wilson came up with the
idea after visiting Nigeria where their standard cooking method uses wood which results with
issues like, respiratory illnesses, deforestation, and women being vulnerable to rape while
searching for the firewood.
A group of MIT students are working to develop the technology for a prototype solar grill. Derek
Ham, Theodora Vardouli, and Eric Uva are conducting a study through the multi-disciplinary
course “iTeams,” which is short for “Innovation Teams”, to assess the concept and to then
potentially launch a business to manufacture and distribute the barbeque. The final goal is to
create a business model for selling solar cookers for developing nations, in addition to creating a
grill for the American market. The American version is potentially going to be a hybrid
propane/solar model that will allow for flame cooking as thoroughly as thermal convection.
Be prepared for the future item that is a perfect gift for Father’s Day, or any family member or
friend who loves barbeque.
If you love cooking outdoors, buy it for yourself and don’t feel guilty. Tell everyone else you are
saving the environment, and grill your favorite foods with the knowledge that Mother Nature will
thank you. If you’re interested in finding out more about solar cooking, why it’s a good option,
and what’s available to you now, check out this website.
Mumbai: 30,000 guests, drones and jets at BJP
leader's son's lavish wedding
Daijiworld.com

13. Mumbai, Mar 4: A marriage that was held at Aurangabad reminded the onlookers of the grand
weddings of the daughters of union minister Nitin Gadkari and mining baron Janardhana Reddy.
The marriage of Santosh, son of Maharashtra BJP state president, Raosaheb Danve, at
Jambinda Estate, Aurangabad, brought before the eyes of participants the grand, dreamy sets of
mythological films. Santosh is also a MLA representing Bhokardan assembly constituency.
Video wedding card, grand palace set reflecting the Medival period created by a team of art
directors, over 30,000 guests, and participation of Maharashtra chief minister and the entire team
of his ministry, tight police security, close surveillance on the proceedings through drones etc
were some of the samples of the grandeur on display at this wedding ceremony. The food items
offered at the wedding contained anything and everything from all the main cuisine types of India.
Sources said that the menu also had some Chinese dishes.
Santosh married Renu, daughter of well-known Marathi music director, Rajesh Sarkate. Before
his marriage, Santosh had sent marriage invitation containing video clipping showing him in
romantic act with his bride, dancing to the rune of popular "love me again' song.
Ten private jets had been booked for VVIPs attending this marriage. Some sources had guessed
that Gali Janardhana Reddy would have spent nearly Rs 500 crore for his daughter's wedding
performed some months back at Palace Grounds Bengaluru. Even the income tax department
had looked into this extravagance. So far, the money spent on the current marriage could not be
properly estimated.
However, some social workers have criticized the wasteful expenditure made for this marriage.
They point out that BJP government is backing a bill introduced in the Lok Sabha in which
maximum limit of five lac rupees has been proposed to be fixed for marriages. Social worker,
Anjali Damania, who accused BJP leaders of speaking of bringing down marriage expenses on
one hand and doing exactly the opposite on the other. She criticized BJP leaders for spending
crores of rupees for lavish weddings, and wanted to know the sources of funds. Many have come
down heavily on Santosh, who represents Marathwada region which has been reeling under
severe drought since the last two years, of marrying at such a grand and elaborate function.
4,000 farmers owe their livelihoods to her
January 27, 2017 09:25 IST
This is the story of a biotechnology engineer, who at age 22 founded Terra
Greens Organic -- a company that aims to engage at least 10,000 farmers in
organic farming in the next one year.
Likitha Bhanu shares her journey with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

14. Likitha Bhanu, 27, a biotechnology engineer from the Vellore Institute of Technology, doesn't come from
a family of farmers or entrepreneurs. Her father and her grandfather were civil servants. Both happened to
her -- no pun intended -- quite organically. What began with a particularly good bounty of mangoes from
her mother's trees one summer has today grown into Terra Greens Organic, a company that supports 4,000
farmers from all over India.
Likitha shares what drove a then 22 year old to agriculture and how she turned a season's bounty into a
flourishing organic farming business that is engaging thousands of farmers and thousands of acres of land
spread across many states.
It began inthe tea gardens of Assam
As her father, a civil servant, was posted in Assam when Likhita was young, she grew up in the lush green
surroundings of the north-eastern state made fertile by the river Brahmaputra. Her childhood was spent
running around in the tea gardens and fishing on the banks of the river -- something no child experiences
in a metro city. But living in Assam had one disadvantage for the family from Andhra. The kind of
vegetables they were used to were not available in the north-eastern part of India. Likitha's mother
Padmaja, an early advocate of home grown vegetables, made up for the lack by channeling her love for
growing.
"As my mother was an advocate of organic farming," Likitha remembers, "you can say I grew up
watching my mother attending to all the plants she had planted. "She was very particular that we grew up
with a taste for our traditional Telugu food. It is not that as a child, I just ate the vegetables picked from
my mother's garden. We used to pluck vegetables, take care of them and my mother used to see that we
learnt about each one of them." "As a child, I used to be fascinated by how cabbages and cauliflowers
became what they are finally." When the family moved from Assam to Hyderabad, Padmaja decided to
plant a bigger farm. This one was spread across 2 acres.
She not only grew fruits, vegetables, and flowers, but also kept cows and hens. "It was so self-sufficient,"
Lithika says, "that even the flowers she used for puja came from her farm. We had organic milk, organic
vegetables, organic fruits and even organic eggs and chicken at home. She wanted a self-sufficient eco
system around her so that we didn't have to buy anything from the market." "The produce from the farm
was distributed among other family and friends," she says, pointing out that Padmaja never had any plan
of growing this into a business. "Organic farming was her passion and I grew up seeing her do all this
passionately." Soon the 2 acres grew to 40 acres -- the additional land came from Padmaja's father-in-law,
who was constructing villas on 125 acres of land.
The produce from the 40 acres Padmaja cultivated catered to the guests at the villas. And Padmaja
continued to gave away the vegetables and fruits for free.
Enter Likitha
In 2010, Likitha was back home after earning her biotechnology engineering degree. And it was she who
decided to convert her mother's passion into a business. "It was 2012 and I had taken a break and was at
home," Likitha recalls. "We had a bounty crop of 5 tons of mangoes then. Even after distributing to all our

15. family and friends, there was plenty remaining." "After a shopping visit at a branch of Nature's Basket, we
asked the store manager whether he would take some mangoes from us. We didn't want such good
mangoes to go waste. In those days, no stores here had organic mangoes."
Once they got the orders, they went to the wholesale market, bought pouches, a weighing machine, and
packed the mangoes. For the name, they drew inspiration from Likitha's grandfather's real estate firm,
Terrafirma. They borrowed his logo and Terra Greens Organic was born. "The truth was," Likitha says,
"we had no idea whether we would start a business at that time. The immediate plan was to supply the
mangoes with a label, and since my grandfather had the firm Terrafirma, we just made Terra Greens
Organic a part of it." The mangoes became such a huge hit that they were inundated with phone calls
demanding more such fruits.
They also made around Rs 350,000, motivating Likitha to wrote a business plan with her mother.
The business plan was to bring farmers on board, and also be focussed on the staples business and not in
the greens because of the logistical and shelf-life constraints for the latter. The experts they hired advised
them to start in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Likitha explains their process: "We chose Maharashtra because organic farming is quite advanced in the
state. Rajasthan is known for its organic wheat production. Paddy from Kurnool is famous all over the
country. More than that, the farmers (in those states) are also aware of organic farming."
"We made a list of 90 products that are often used in Indian kitchen. We wanted to procure our produce
from the areas where they are produced because we wanted out products to be of the highest quality."
This Man Refused to Spend Money on Rituals. After His
Wife’s Death, Built a Digital School Instead
The Taj Mahal is a symbol of love the Mughal emperor Shahajahan
had for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It immortalized her forever.
Avinash Nakat from Tandli Buzrug village, Akola, Maharashtra, gave the same honour to his wife Rupali
– but perhaps in an even better way than Shahjahan.
A 35-year old housewife, Rupali’s world was her family – her husband and daughters, 9-year-old
Samruddhi and 5-year-old Anandi. Avinash Nakat is a well-known face in Akola as he works for the
rights of farmers through his NGO Yuvarashtra. Rupali too took interest in Avinash’s social work. The

16. family looked absolutely perfect. But on February 3, 2016, Rupali’s nose started bleeding. She was taken
to the hospital in Akola where she was diagnosed with acute leukaemia. Next day, Avinash took her to
Nagpur to get her better treatment as there are no haematologist in Akola. But the cancer had damaged her
brain cells, resulting in a haemorrhage.
After the cremation, Avinash came back to the house and announced that he would start working again
from the next day itself. He also said he would not spend on the rituals but would digitalize the zilla
parishad school in his village with the money. On hearing this, the villagers threatened him of spiritual
consequences for not conducting the rites. They also tried to provoke Rupali’s parents against Avinash’s
decision. However, Rupali’s family supported him. But Avinash was firm in his decision. This was the
school where he had studied as a child. The school used to have 30-35 students in each class when he
studied there. Although Avinash had later moved to Akola to run a pest control business, he used to visit
his village often to look after his farm.
As active members of Yuvarashtra, Rupali and he would also visit different villages every Sunday to help
the farmers. Once, while visiting his own village, he noticed that the zilla parishad school where he had
studied now only had 5-10 students in each class. On enquiring, the authorities told him that these were
kids of farmers who could not afford better schools; other people did not send their kids here anymore as
it was in a very bad condition.
A projector was installed for Rs. 26,000, the amount that was to be used to get new clothes for the
relatives who attended the funeral. A computer for Rs. 18,000 – the amount earmarked for a priest to do
the rituals. A white board was brought for Rs. 5,000, a home theatre for Rs. 2,500, two fans for Rs. 3,000,
electronic fittings for Rs. 5,000, ventilated windows for Rs. 5,000, flooring was done for Rs. 10,000,
carpet fitting to the flooring for Rs. 10,000, and software for classes from 1 to 7 for Rs. 14,000.
These miscellaneous costs are incurred each year in the rituals that are followed on the death
anniversaries. The inauguration function of the school was so wonderful and the smiles on the children’s
faces even more so, that the villagers who were opposing Avinash on the first day stood right beside him
now.
A 96-year-old's long fight to protect the Tamil
Nadu river at the heart of row over Coke and
Pepsi
The beverage giants are just a small part of the problem, says Kulasekaran 'thatha'.

17. Sandhya Ravishankar, https://scroll.in/.
“Have you read Nayinar Kulasekaran thatha’s [grandfather’s] book?”
This reporter invariably came across the question when meeting farmers or lawyers in the Tirunelveli and
Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu. “You must go meet him,” said advocate DA Prabhakar. It was
December and the Madras High Court had just issued an interim order to the state administration to stop
the supply of water from the Thamirabarani river to factories manufacturing Coca Cola and Pepsi in the
these districts. Prabhakaran had filed a petition before the court, contending that supply of water to these
factories was depriving residents of the river’s water. On March 2, however, the High Court stayed the
order and dismissed the petition, contending that beverage giants’ factories used up just a small part of the
water allotted to industries.
Visiting ‘thatha’
The Thamirabarani flows through Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, irrigating its crops and feedings its citizens.
If the river is the region’s lifeline, nonagenarian Kulasekaran, or thatha as he is called, is its foremost
protector. For decades, he has been leading agitations against the diversion of river water for industrial
use even as ponds and tanks run dry. No one had a phone number for thatha, but farmers in Srivaikundam
and Kurumbur in Tuticorin district said he lives “pakkam than.” The Nattathi village where he lives is
close by, they insisted. “Go to Nattathi,” said farmer Kandha Siva Subbu of Srivaikundam. “He will
definitely be at home. “Just go there and ask for Nayinar Kulasekaran. Everyone knows him in these
parts. But before that, read his book.”
Subbu grinned and handed over a dusty copy of Kulasekaran’s 2010 Tamil book titled Thamirabarani
Nadhiyum Vivasaayigalin Urimaiyum(Thamirabarani river and the rights of the farmer). “You will know
everything you need to know about the Thamirabarani,” he said. “It [the book] is the Bible for us
farmers.” As promised, everyone in Nattathi village knew thatha’s house. The 96-year-old was sitting
upright, although precariously, on his flimsy cot inside his tiny home. He smiled, almost as if he had been
expecting to be interviewed by a stranger from Chennai. “En peyar Nattathi S Nayinar Kulasekaran,”he
began. “Naan mudhalla sollidaren, apparam neenga kaelvi kelunga.”My name is Nattathi S Nayinar
Kulasekaran. I will say what I have to first and then you ask me questions, he said with a grin.
Kulasekaran is like an encyclopaedia on the Thamirabarani river, its tributaries, its origins in the Podhigai
Hills and its 120 kilometre route through Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts, where it irrigates 80,000
acres of paddy, banana and coconut. He explained the crop-growing seasons unique to the area –
the Mun (pre) Kar between April and June, the Kar crop between June and September and the Pisaanam
crop between October and March. “The Thamirabarani is the mother, the lifeline for us all,” he said,
wheezing heavily. “The problems began 30 years ago and it is not all about the state government or
companies.”
Kulasekaran said the problem first began when farmers switched from cultivating paddy to banana, a cash
crop that yields more money but also requires more water to grow. Moreover, in 1975, the state
government started supplying 20 million gallons of water per day to companies in industrial areas in
Tuticorin to encourage companies to set up factories here. These changes took a toll on the river’s water
supply and Kulasekaran said no cultivation happens during the summer cropping season. “The Kar crop is
gone,” he said. “Now the ‘Mun Kar’ too is slowly fading away. We are cultivating only one crop now.”
Kulasekaran claimed to know the exact number of lakes, tanks and ponds fed by the Thamirabarani – he
covered the length and breadth of these two districts on foot for more than 50 years, rallying farmers
together, leading agitations and demanding their rights over the water. They were organised under the
banner of the Thamirabarani River Water Front, an outfit he founded.

18. However, Kulasekaran said that Coca Cola and Pepsi were a small part of the problem. The water their
units receive is a part of the daily allocation of 9.75 lakh litre to the State Industries Promotion
Corporation of Tamil Nadu or SIPCOT’s industrial zone in Tirunalveli. “Mann kudhiraiyai nambi aatril
iranguna maadhiri,” he said with a grin, citing a Tamil proverb, that roughly translates to – if you trust a
horse made of mud will help you cross the river, the mud horse will eventually dissolve. Kulasekaran said
that the government is ostensibly encouraging industrial growth to create jobs, but is, in the process,
ruining existing livelihoods.
Freedom fighter and river protector
Kulasekaran has led a bit of a bohemian life. “I am not a farmer and to date I do not have any land in my
name,” he said proudly. Born in Nattathi during British rule, Kulasekaran said he studied up to Class 8
and then plunged headlong into the freedom struggle. One of the times when Mahatma Gandhi was jailed
(he does not remember the year), a young Kulasekaran led a students’ march in Nattathi. He was also a
part of the Indian National Congress.
In 1945, he left the Congress to join Jayprakash Narayan’s Socialist movement. Two years went by and
then dissatisfied, he switched again to Communist Party of India (Marxist). Kulasekaran main income
came from delivering newspapers. “I would take my bicycle at 4 am and cycle all the way to the train
station [9 km away] and wait for the first train to come,” he said. “There would be 17 copies
of Dinamalar [a Tamil daily] and two copies of The Hindu. I would cycle back again and drop them off at
the subscribers’ homes.”
His hard work in expanding the distribution network of Dinamalar in the area ensured a close friendship
between Kulasekaran and the founder of the daily, TV Ramasubbaiyer. It is this friendship that sustains
Kulasekaran even today, more than three decades after Ramasubbaiyer’s death. A monthly pension of Rs
1,000 is kept aside in the Dinamalar office for Kulasekaran on the instructions of his late friend.
After 13 years in the CPI (M), it was time for Kulasekaran to come back into the Congress fold, this time
under the stewardship of K Kamaraj, who led the party from 1964-’67 and whom Kulasekaran claims he
was close to. In the 1977 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kulasekaran was the Congress candidate
from Srivaikuntam. But the MGR wave would engulf him. This was the year when film-star-turned
politician MG Ramachandran’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took the reins of the state,
with MGR as chief minister. Kulasekaran also lost the Srivaikuntam seat to an AIADMK candidate.
“There was so much ‘mogham’ [mesmerism] for MGR,” he laughed.
Kulasekaran looks fondly at the picture of his late wife Vellaiammal hanging on the wall over his bed.
“After she died, I said enough – no more politics,” he recalled. “She was a wonderful lady. Every time I
told her I am going for a protest or joining another party, whatever it was – she would simply smile and
say – ‘poyittu vaanga’[come back soon],” he reminisced. Now Kulasekaran cannot go out anywhere. “I
am an old man,” he laughed. “Now I am a bit forgetful too.”
But when it comes to his beloved Thamirabarani, the 96-year-old mind’s is as sharp as ever. Kulasekaran
feels that the industries using Thamirabarani water are only part of the problem. Canals, lakes and tanks
have not been desilted in decades, some even in a century. “This has reduced the water holding capacity
of these tanks and water bodies,” he explained.
Kulasekaran is not opposed to industry, but he does not want the factories to take water from the river and
said they should use seawater instead. “Let a desalination plant be set up and let them use the water from
that. Let them leave the river alone.”

19. Cardinal Bo warns of 'environmental holocaust'
Ecological crisis being caused by 'economic terrorists and ecological terrorists,' he
says
Courtesy:Internet
Religious women and men from across Asia who joined the Asia-Oceania Meeting of Religious
(AMOR) XVII as seen together in the St. Mary's Cathedral in Yangon on March 1. (Photo
courtesy of Aung Maria Goretti)
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon warned that greed is fueling the world's ecological crisis
while equating the destructive powers of climate change to that of nuclear weapons. "Today we
face an environmental holocaust. It is a scary moment," Cardinal Bo said in his keynote speech
at the Asia-Oceania Meeting of Religious (AMOR) forum in Yangon on Feb. 27. Just over 130
men and women religious attended the forum held at St. Mary's Cathedral compound Feb. 27-
March 3. "Climate change is an atom bomb waiting to explode," he said.
The 69-year-old cardinal told the forum that greed has unleashed ecological terrorism upon the
Earth while adding that the poor are the most affected. "Who is dying? The poor are dying," he
said.
During his speech, Cardinal Bo cited Pope Francis' environmental encyclical Laudato si' and
said that degradation to the environment was being caused by "economic terrorists and
ecological terrorists."
Overall, Cardinal Bo's speech stressed the forum's theme "Call for Global Ecological
Conversion."
Sustainability
At the forum, Sister Margaret Maung, president of the Catholic Religious Conference of
Myanmar, said action is required to put in place policies that promote sustainability and protect
the environment. Sister Maung told ucanews.com that it was significant that once-isolated
Myanmar held the international religious conference. "It is a special privilege for us to
exchanged the ideas about ecology and for each country will draw an action plan on preserving
our mother Earth," said Sister Maung.
One of the five objectives of the forum was to undergo in-depth biblico-theological reflection on
the challenges posed by Laudato si' and of the Papal Bull Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of
Mercy) by which Pope Francis convoked the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. AMRO was
founded in 1972 and was created to enable women religious leaders across Asia to meet every
three years to exchange ideas. It is AMRO's first meeting in Myanmar.
Impoverished Myanmar is considered the second most vulnerable nation to climate change.

20. WANTED HELPING HANDS- Courtesy: Daijiworld.com
For more appeals visit – www.daijiworld.com - charity
Victoria D' Souza(40 yrs), 2-187 Permannur, Kerebail, Mangaluru 575017
Victoria D' Souza(40 yrs), W/o James D'Souza,is suffering from end stage renal disease. She needs
hemodialysis thrice a week throughout her life. Her husband also in the walker suffering from bone
fracture permanently. Her mother in law is 85 years old.
They are living in a poor condition being unable to spend money for their treatment.
Kindly help them generously. Please remit your donations to the following bank account:
Bank Account No: 02392210020218
Name of the Account Holder: Victoria D' Souza
Bank: Syndicate Bank,
Kankanady, Mangaluru 575002
Bank IFSC Code: SYNB0000239
Telephone No.: +91 72594 72054
Fathima Zohara(33 yrs),Near KEB office, Nejar post,Udupi- 576105
Fathima Zohara(33 yrs),W/o Mohammed Sadik, is suffering from HTN, CKDV since seven years and
on haemodialysis since two and a half years. She has spent more than Rs 10 lacs so far and needs Rs
25,000 per month for continuation of MHD. She needs renal transplantation, the cost of which is around
Rs 10 to Rs 16 lacs and immunosuppression post transplantation is around Rs 20,000 per month initially
which will be less after six months.
As the family is poor, they have requested for monetary help from kind hearted individuals and
philanthropists.
Kindly send your remittances to the following bank account:

21. Bank Account No.: 1385101017094
Name of the Account Holder: Fathima Zohara
Bank: Canara Bank,
Kallianpura, Karnataka 576105
Bank IFSC Code: CNRB0001385
Telephone No.: +91 99006 55760
Published by Fr Felix Rebello
c/o Infant Jesus Church, Jogeshwari
Mob. 9819688630, Email:frfelixrebello@gmail.com, gemenewsletter@gmail.com
website: www.infantjesusjogeshwari.in
GEM E-Newsletter Facebook Link
http://www.facebook.com/gemenewsletter