Proper disposal of CDs, dry cell batteries, floppies and other e-wastes is important. It is a good idea to tape the contacts of dry cell batteries before dumping them for re-cycling. Today, several public E-waste bins are setup in key locations in the city. Some of them are:
G.K.Vale , Fitness One - Jayanagar
Fitness One, Landmark in Forum mall - Koramangala
Safina Plaza - near Commercial Street
More - Bannerghatta Road near HSBC
For information on closest collection centers refer to http://www.saahas.org/ewasteprogramme.pdf
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
US-India: 123 Nuclear Agreement
India and the United States signed a bilateral agreement that permits the export of U.S. civilian nuclear technology to India in exchange that India will allow International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) inspectors to access India's civilian nuclear facilities.
Though there are ongoing debates about this, this is favorable to India, in two dimensions. The first is very obvious; with our high economic growth it will help us meet our energy requirements with existing shortage of fossil fuels. The second reason is about climate change, which is really going to become important in the future. Our economy relies heavily on coal (approx. 50%) for power generation; coal emits high CO2, and hence has a very high impact on global warming. Further, the fourth generation nuclear power technology has a way to burn the nuclear waste that is today hazardous.
In today's context, only 3% of our power is derived from nuclear energy, and it operates with low grade uranium and somewhat inefficiently. The challenge for us so far has been the technology know-how and availability of nuclear fuel. Both these will addressed if things move forward as per the 123-agreement. With the targeted ~40 GW nuclear power in 2020, it is not that we can completely find a perfect solution for the ever depleting natural resources, but it is a ray of hope from a high-carbon to a low-carbon energy economy. In fact, one study conducted, reveals that even with an operational capacity of 20 GW nuclear power in India by 2020, the annual savings on greenhouse gas emissions could be as large as the entire commitment of the 25 EU nations to reducing emissions from Kyoto protocol :-).
Though there are ongoing debates about this, this is favorable to India, in two dimensions. The first is very obvious; with our high economic growth it will help us meet our energy requirements with existing shortage of fossil fuels. The second reason is about climate change, which is really going to become important in the future. Our economy relies heavily on coal (approx. 50%) for power generation; coal emits high CO2, and hence has a very high impact on global warming. Further, the fourth generation nuclear power technology has a way to burn the nuclear waste that is today hazardous.
In today's context, only 3% of our power is derived from nuclear energy, and it operates with low grade uranium and somewhat inefficiently. The challenge for us so far has been the technology know-how and availability of nuclear fuel. Both these will addressed if things move forward as per the 123-agreement. With the targeted ~40 GW nuclear power in 2020, it is not that we can completely find a perfect solution for the ever depleting natural resources, but it is a ray of hope from a high-carbon to a low-carbon energy economy. In fact, one study conducted, reveals that even with an operational capacity of 20 GW nuclear power in India by 2020, the annual savings on greenhouse gas emissions could be as large as the entire commitment of the 25 EU nations to reducing emissions from Kyoto protocol :-).
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Printer Cartridge Disposal
Like recycling of batteries, printer cartridges mandate proper recycling to avoid toxic chemicals from contaminating the soil or water. There are a few toxic-free printer ink cartridge like the ones produced by Xerox, but there are a few adopters of those. We surveyed a couple of retailers, small and medium business establishment and found that printer cartridges are never recycled. In a few cases, they were taken up for refilling. The cartridge’s real toxic part is the ink*. However, since we most often dispose when the printing becomes light, clearly the ink is left behind. Printer cartridge manufacturers like HP do have a planet partners program that currently caters to their large corporate clients. But we are still have no clear way to properly dispose these for the home users and several small / medium business establishement. Any comments?
*You can determine the toxic contents present and their side-effect by referring to “Material Safety Data Sheet” for a model.
Global Warming: What does salt in sea water have to do with it?
One of often discussed area of global warming is melting of the ice in the polar region. This melting can cause serious side-effects such as producing hurricanes, tsunamis and sub-merging the coastal area. This process of melting is further accelerated by the lowering of salt in the sea water. Elementary chemistry tells us that high concentration of salt in water reduces the rate of melting of ice*. However, with global warming, the salt concentration is reduced, thereby accelerating the melting process.
* Why salt in water reduces melting of ice?Consider a cube of ice dropped in plain water. Following are the types ofenergy transfer that happen:
Type 1: Energy that results in melting of ice: - Water (i.e. liquid form) consists of free molecules that are randomly moving around in alldirections. These molecules have kinetic energy due to which they cancollide with its surrounding molecules. When water molecules collide withice, they transfer the energy to ice which in turn displaces the icemolecule (i.e. causes ice to melt).
Type 2: Energy that results in formation of ice: - Now, in the process the water molecules lose energy, become cooler and some of these become cool enough to form ice. But the extent of formation of ice is based on the temperature that this water now acquires.
With the addition of salt to water, Type 1 energy transfer is impacted. This is because the kinetic energy of water molecules is distributed between salt and ice. Greater the salt molecules, greater is the kinetic energy expended toward it. This essentially means the bombardment of ice by water is reduced. The melting is lowered. Greater the proportion of salt, lower is the melting.
* Why salt in water reduces melting of ice?Consider a cube of ice dropped in plain water. Following are the types ofenergy transfer that happen:
Type 1: Energy that results in melting of ice: - Water (i.e. liquid form) consists of free molecules that are randomly moving around in alldirections. These molecules have kinetic energy due to which they cancollide with its surrounding molecules. When water molecules collide withice, they transfer the energy to ice which in turn displaces the icemolecule (i.e. causes ice to melt).
Type 2: Energy that results in formation of ice: - Now, in the process the water molecules lose energy, become cooler and some of these become cool enough to form ice. But the extent of formation of ice is based on the temperature that this water now acquires.
With the addition of salt to water, Type 1 energy transfer is impacted. This is because the kinetic energy of water molecules is distributed between salt and ice. Greater the salt molecules, greater is the kinetic energy expended toward it. This essentially means the bombardment of ice by water is reduced. The melting is lowered. Greater the proportion of salt, lower is the melting.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Publish E-Annual Reports
We have seen the companies registered in India coming up with a bulky annual report at the end of their financial year. This report is sent across to all eligible shareholders of the company irrespective of the holdings. The company in return spends a hefty sum in preparing, printing and individually sending this glossy document to the shareholders.Have any of us wondered as to how many of the shareholders read it page by page for the financial analysis? I suppose (though no statistical data is available) the probability might be just about 5% of those who receive it. For the rest 95% of the shareholders it goes out as a garbage and lands up with the 'Raddhi paper wala' as you call it.I feel pity when I see those annual reports lying in those stack of old newspapers. Does it not make sense for the companies or the regulators to amend the law or atleast have an option where the shareholder can opt to get his Annual Reports by way e-mail? If all the registered companies adhere to this probably we may reduce the consumption of paper. It does make sense for the companies to publish their reports as they are governed by the Regulators to comply with the law. For most of the companies, they already have it in their web-site, hence I strongly feel that the hard copy which is being sent to the shareholders can be fully avoided.
Friday, July 11, 2008
E-tickets: Can we stop printing?
Online air ticketing facility has made booking tickets very convenient for the passengers and helps reduce the operational costs for the airlines (IATA has quoted a paper ticket costs approximately $9 to process, while an e-ticket costs about $1). So this is definitely a win-win situations and going forward almost all travelers will leverage the e-ticketing system. Even while the e-ticket is 2-3 pages long, the only vital information is the PNR (passenger name record) number. With this every other information about the passengers, travel itenary etc. can be retrieved.
While all this is fine, the Airport Authorities of India rules require the passenger to carry hardcopy printouts of the e-tickets, along with identity proof. This e-ticket is used by two kinds of people – (a) Security of AAI, who stand at the entrance to allow entry to the airport. The fact is that other than giving a cursory look at the ticket and examining the face of the traveler, there is no means by which these security personnel can anyway validate if the ticket is genuine or not. (b) The airline check-in counters who examine the e-ticket, but in reality need nothing more PNR number and the identity proof.
A forecast by Lufthansa Consulting in 2005 had revealed that air passenger traffic in the Bangalore city is set to grow to 10.19 million by 2010 and 23.45 million by 2025 from 4.61 in 2005. (IANS). However, facts are that today itself we have logged more than 10 million passengers in the year. So, with more and more people move to e-tickets, our paper consumption will be approximately 2 crore sheets / year in Bangalore alone. Any comments on how to address this?
Friday, May 16, 2008
10 Indoor Plants to Check Indoor Pollution
NASA and the associated landscape contractors of America have conducted large scale experiments and found household items such as carpets, furniture, paints and air-conditioners often emit Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These can cause various illnesses. One of the effective ways to control and absorb these VOCs is to have indoor plants. Following is the list of few indoor plants that are suitable for tropical climates, have low maintenance and are capable of absorbing toxic gases like formaldehyde, benzene and carbon mono-oxide.
1. Golden Pothos (http://www.plant-care.com/pothos-number-one-houseplant.html ) - commonly known as Money Plant in India.
2. Chinese Evergreen (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=PlantGuide/_PLA552.html ) – needs low light and low maintenance.
3. English Ivy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_helix – can grow in very low lighted indoor areas.
4. Draceana Marginata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_marginata ) – Needs very little watering and any level of lighting is sufficient. In fact, soil has to be allowed to dry for it to grow properly.
5. Braided Ficus (http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/FiBenBrd.htm) - This plant needs good sunlight.
6. Mass cane/Corn Plant (http://www.metaefficient.com/indoor-plants/best-all-round-plants.html)
7. Mother-in-Law's Tongue (http://www.metaefficient.com/indoor-plants/best-all-round-plants.html)
8. Pot Mum (http://www.plantcare.com/encyclopedia/florists-mum-1877.aspx or http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/Potmum.htm)
9. Peace Lily (http://www.boloji.com/photoessays/flowers/fl001.htm)
10. Warneckii (http://plantcareguru.com/plant_care/warneckii.php )
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