How NPOs Are Conserving Energy Through Sustainable Technology

As natural fossil fuel resources slowly run out, the world needs energy conservation now more than ever. Most of our energy supply comes from fossil fuels like petroleum and coal. These won’t last forever though; the world would come to a screeching halt without enough energy to power our machines and gadgets. To make sure this doesn’t happen, we need to let nature replenish its resources by shifting to alternative and sustainable energy sources. In India, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is a method through which organisations are encouraged to do their part in saving the Earth and its people. Vardaan, a consultancy firm, helps businesses achieve their CSR goals by putting them in touch with NPOs (Non-Profit Organisations) that have complementary visions and objectives. Some of these NPOs promote the importance of renewable energy, set up energy conservation projects, and research sustainable energy. Let’s take a look at how NPOs are helping the environment, one project at a time.

Renewable Energy Endeavours

Almost 72% of India’s electricity is still generated from coal. The major sources of renewable energy are the sun, the wind, and water. Although India does have quite a few hydroelectric projects, they’re not nearly enough to support the electricity demand of the country. While NPOs may not be able to set up renewable energy projects on their own, they do their part by driving social awareness about clean energy. For example, a Bangalore-based NPO recently came up with an initiative through which they assess the electricity needs of different Indian households, and what they can do to reduce power consumption. The program suggests ways to save electricity at home, and teaches people simple energy conservation methods that can slowly—but steadily—reduce electricity wastage.

Empowering Women Through Technology

A number of Indian NPOs encourage women from rural and semi-urban regions to become independent and earn their own livelihood. While some of these organisations give women vocational training and teach them life skills, others introduce them to sustainable technologies. An example of the latter would be an NPO that set up a Women’s Technology Park in the Tumkur district of Karnataka. The main goal of this institution is to train women on sustainable technologies and facilitate enterprises for them. Here, women are educated about greenhouse cultivation, energy efficient lighting, and rainwater harvesting. They’re also given microenterprise training, and are taught how to build smokeless stoves. On completion of this training, women can lease out facilities available at the institution to run their own enterprises. This way, they become financially independent and are endowed with the knowledge they need to run their businesses on sustainable energy.

Water Management Systems

In 2016, almost 10 major Indian states were badly affected by drought. This number shows that we need rainwater harvesting systems in as many places as possible. Keeping this in mind, a Karnataka-based NPO helped two villages, Nimbekaipura and Bendiganahalli, set up rainwater harvesting systems. Overexploitation of groundwater, badly placed wells, and poor water management led to water scarcity in these villages. The unavailability of adequate water affected farmers whose livelihoods are dependent on agriculture. The NPO set up rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in 12 prime locations in both villages. These buildings included the school, the anganwadi centre, community hall, and a few homes. Currently, these systems harvest more than 50,000 litres of water every year. The NPO also introduced farm ponds and recharge wells to improve the quality of groundwater. All these initiatives have helped the two villages meet their water demands, which includes using treated water for irrigation.

Encouraging Local Entrepreneurs

If you want to develop a green world, you have to encourage entrepreneurs to embrace sustainable technology. This is exactly what a Bangalore-based NPO did for the people of Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kozhikode in Kerala. These places are home to fishing communities which earn their livelihood selling dried fish and prawns harvested from the sea. Until recently, their business was affected by a dearth of cost-efficient dryers to dry fish. The NPO suggested the use of biomass-based dryers to dry fish and coconuts. The fishing community, entrepreneurs, and the environment all benefited from this solution. Indian NPOs have been promoting the use of sustainable technology and creating social awareness about energy conservation through a variety of programs. These initiatives not only help the environment but also help people earn their livelihood. If your organisation wants to promote energy conservation projects, getting in touch with these NPOs will help you meet your CSR goals and help save the planet while doing so. Image References: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Rainwater_harvesting_tank,_India.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Alternative_Energies.jpg

4 Ways To Make Your Business Environmentally Sustainable

The days when businesses were in the market solely for the profits are long gone. Right now, as CSR practices are being integrated into every establishment’s business plan, maintaining a degree of environmental sustainability is a necessity. Businesses are no longer just about raking in the moolah anymore, in fact, they have an added responsibility to serve the communities and the ecosystem they are a part of. Implementing sustainability measures isn’t just good for the environment either, doing so directly impacts the profit margins of a company. A study published on greenbiz.com suggests that global companies like Johnson & Johnson are now allocating over $40 million a year to reduce the green house gas emmisions. This move by the company has also been lauded by customers and competitors alike, which has increased their goodwill in the market. But, doing this hasn’t been easy for Johnson and Johnson; they have had to build a robust infrastructure to help achieve their CSR goals. This poses the question- how exactly did Johnson & Johnson interlink sustainability to their long-term business plans? And how can a normal business pull this off? Well, that’s what you are going to find out here. Here are a few enlightening lessons every company must learn about making their business environmentally sustainable.

1. Put Forth Mechanisms That Emphasise On Sustainability

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Along the same lines, environmental sustainability measures can’t be conjured up within a narrow timeline. In fact, to make your business more sustainable, you need to come up with operations that focus on sustainability. For starters, you can support those policies that limit things which deteriorate the environment like greenhouse gas emissions and the like. This could ultimately help you contribute to the daunting task of fighting climate change, and can even be considered when you’re making policy decisions.

2. Reduce Your Waste

One of the major hurdles for both business and the protection of the environment is the generation of waste as a result of regular business operations. Disposing off this waste is usually expensive, and hazardous. In a time when generating unnecessary waste is considered a measure of inefficiency, the introduction of an effective system to reduce waste is absolutely necessary. A number of businesses are already working on a zero-waste policy for their operations. Take the case of Shree Cement, one of the largest cement manufacturers in North India, who have been turning thermal waste into energy. Through its Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) project, the cement manufacturer has been using the thermal heat generated during its processes to fuel their operations while selling the excess to the local electricity boards.

3. Switch To Renewable Resources

There is enough evidence on the abundance of renewable resources in India like solar, wind, and thermal energy among others. This can also reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and in turn spur a dramatic reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. While solar and wind turbine technologies aren’t that popular in India yet, they are increasingly becoming more and more efficient these days. A good example would be Gujarat’s Solar Park which generates over 1,000 MW worth of power while reducing 8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Although, the initial costs could be on the higher side, it can certainly help with the sustainability mission and can balance out costs in the long run.

4. Buy Green And Go Green

One of the best ways to become environmentally sustainable would be to buy and encourage the purchase of green products. Make green procurement a priority by identifying green products and purchasing those products and services. The more green products you buy, the more you increase their demand in the market. The uplifting news is that a majority of these ideas have been implemented by a number of businesses all over the country. However, the numbers aren’t enough to impact the environment on a global scale. Perhaps the best thing to do is to start the trend and lead by example. References: http://www.unep.org/resourceefficiency/Portals/24147/scp/business/dialogue/2012/pdf/BCGE_Technical_Background_Paper.pdf http://environmentclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/form-1A/2014_5_27_May_2014_1049555101CementPlant-PFR.pdf http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/04/4-lessons-environmental-sustainability-every-corporation-should-learn Image References: https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2015/03/18/17/40/environmental-awareness-679668_960_720.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6191/6101415124_d8e25360fe.jpg