Sustainable mantras from Prof Chanakya
Professor Hoysala Chanakya from the Centre of Sustainable Technologies, attached to the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt when this writer meets him at the IISc campus. He is dressed in sustainable clothing: cotton is a natural fibre while denim doesn't require a wash after every use.
"We changed the name of our institute from ASTRA to the Centre of Sustainable Technologies twelve years ago, since it reflected our work more precisely, before the word 'sustainability' became the buzzword it is today," says the professor. Earlier, ASTRA stood for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Areas. Consumerism is a growing problem, the professor acknowledges. "A largely ignored part of Chanakya Niti, the teachings of Chanakya, concerns entitlement. The master thinker and strategist always said, 'only expect and receive that which you are truly entitled to'.
That means, in everyday life, eating and consuming in moderation, with due respect to the rights of others. The need of the hour is to have the wisdom to use only what is really needed, and staying away from the temptations of consumerism." The professor gives an example of how today, newer and better versions of everyday devices like laptops, tablets and smart phones keep flooding the market. "So many people upgrade to newer devices when their old ones can still do 95 per cent of what the so-called upgrade can do. And the old devices are not that old to begin with!" Avoiding ostentation and preventing waste during ceremonies is another way of conserving and sustaining. "So many people have a birthday party or some other ceremony on almost as grand a scale as a wedding. We can instead honour every occasion on a scale it deserves."
Opting for eco-friendly construction is really a matter of choice, adds the professor.
"Glass buildings are energy-guzzlers. Glass reflects heat and light into the office, so people inside make the air conditioning stronger to take care of this heat. This means consuming greater energy to keep the air conditioning working at higher performance.
Glass buildings in fact increase the temperature in the surrounding areas because of the heat dumped outside by the numerous air conditioners. It's a vicious cycle." The Centre itself has been constructed with a combination of soil mixtures and binders.
This combination does not conduct heat, keeping the rooms naturally cool. The technology was developed in the Centre itself and has been used to build eco-friendly constructions all over India.
Participatory technology
Talking about the other initiatives of the Centre, Professor Chanakya says, "We have always followed what is today called participatory technology. In the past, we approached villagers and discussed the common problems encountered by them. In response, the team here developed much more efficient wood burning cooking devices, which are now used by the villagers. We have also developed biomass gasification methods for alternative energy supply, among other things." The IISc campus has two biomass plants. The bigger one, a student informs me, takes care of the energy requirements of the entire campus canteen. The professor says that social awareness about sustainability measures is the only way to counter growing ecological dangers.
Government laws curtailing excessive and hazardous industrialisation can be circumvented by some of the unscrupulous businesses with a stay order from the Court. The way to prevent misuse is to take the movement to the people and increase awareness. The government and businesses will then be forced to comply, adds the professor. He concludes by saying that within the next decade, Bangalore and a lot of other major cities will face a huge water scarcity problem, among other environmental issues.
Bhakti Bapat
Professor Hoysala Chanakya from the Centre of Sustainable Technologies, attached to the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt when this writer meets him at the IISc campus. He is dressed in sustainable clothing: cotton is a natural fibre while denim doesn't require a wash after every use.
"We changed the name of our institute from ASTRA to the Centre of Sustainable Technologies twelve years ago, since it reflected our work more precisely, before the word 'sustainability' became the buzzword it is today," says the professor. Earlier, ASTRA stood for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Areas. Consumerism is a growing problem, the professor acknowledges. "A largely ignored part of Chanakya Niti, the teachings of Chanakya, concerns entitlement. The master thinker and strategist always said, 'only expect and receive that which you are truly entitled to'.
That means, in everyday life, eating and consuming in moderation, with due respect to the rights of others. The need of the hour is to have the wisdom to use only what is really needed, and staying away from the temptations of consumerism." The professor gives an example of how today, newer and better versions of everyday devices like laptops, tablets and smart phones keep flooding the market. "So many people upgrade to newer devices when their old ones can still do 95 per cent of what the so-called upgrade can do. And the old devices are not that old to begin with!" Avoiding ostentation and preventing waste during ceremonies is another way of conserving and sustaining. "So many people have a birthday party or some other ceremony on almost as grand a scale as a wedding. We can instead honour every occasion on a scale it deserves."
Opting for eco-friendly construction is really a matter of choice, adds the professor.
"Glass buildings are energy-guzzlers. Glass reflects heat and light into the office, so people inside make the air conditioning stronger to take care of this heat. This means consuming greater energy to keep the air conditioning working at higher performance.
Glass buildings in fact increase the temperature in the surrounding areas because of the heat dumped outside by the numerous air conditioners. It's a vicious cycle." The Centre itself has been constructed with a combination of soil mixtures and binders.
This combination does not conduct heat, keeping the rooms naturally cool. The technology was developed in the Centre itself and has been used to build eco-friendly constructions all over India.
Participatory technology
Talking about the other initiatives of the Centre, Professor Chanakya says, "We have always followed what is today called participatory technology. In the past, we approached villagers and discussed the common problems encountered by them. In response, the team here developed much more efficient wood burning cooking devices, which are now used by the villagers. We have also developed biomass gasification methods for alternative energy supply, among other things." The IISc campus has two biomass plants. The bigger one, a student informs me, takes care of the energy requirements of the entire campus canteen. The professor says that social awareness about sustainability measures is the only way to counter growing ecological dangers.
Government laws curtailing excessive and hazardous industrialisation can be circumvented by some of the unscrupulous businesses with a stay order from the Court. The way to prevent misuse is to take the movement to the people and increase awareness. The government and businesses will then be forced to comply, adds the professor. He concludes by saying that within the next decade, Bangalore and a lot of other major cities will face a huge water scarcity problem, among other environmental issues.
Bhakti Bapat