This month newsletter brings you an excerpt from our newly published book on renewable energy. It shows graphically the renewable energy scenario and also the way we can tackle the energy problem through innovative and creative solutions. Apart from the renewable energy statistics of the nation we also present in the excerpt decentralized energy solutions like Bio-methanation plant and also wind energy systems. In the 'Green Rameshwaram' project both are relevant. The book has been published as part of the 'Green Rameshwaram' project and sponsored by UNICEF's 'Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) initiative. In fact 11 books have been published by VK-nardep under the WaSH initiative of UNICEF under the Green Rameshwaram project and our newsletter will introduce them all one by one.
Meanwhile under the UNICEF initiative we have been conducting street plays to sensitize the public as well as the pilgrims about the need for 'Green Rameshwaram'. Read about the local youths conducting street plays to take the message of green and clean Rameshwaram to the public. They are not professionals but they are fired with zeal and determination and are doing a wonderful job of disseminating the messages of tree planting to cleaning the beaches of Rameshwaram.
In our 'happenings' section read about the Azolla training programme, workshop of NPK rich manure preparation, bio-methanation plant awareness camps and trainingprogrammes and also the installation of bio-methanation plants. Through 'Green Rameshwaram' project the island has started having quite a number of bio-methanation plants which convert the domestic organic waste into energy and nutrient rich slurry. We aim to create as much as possible energy self-sufficiency in the households of the island. This is will also ease out the pressure on fuelwood and make the island relatively free of Prosopis juliflora - which is a veritable environmental problem with economic entanglement and livelihood issues of low income groups in the island.
In our publication section we present eco-toons on green health systems. In the wisdom section we explore how the economic growth and ecological concerns can be harmonized. We present the vision of Lester Brown, J.C.Kumarappa the Gandhian ecologist and also biologist John Todd. We also remind you that 2015 has been chosen by UN as the International Year of the Soil. Soil is both a living organism in its own way and also it is as non-renewable as oil in another perspective. Do not miss to read about this in the newsletter.
