A new home for Spinning the Green Wheel!

Recently, I have developed a new professional website that explores our changing environment through blogging, environmental consulting services and photography. 

At Spinning the Green Wheel I weave together stories about exploring and living green in India, and share my personal insights into the innovative work of NGOs and businesses – on topics ranging from waste management to renewable energy; conservation to sustainable transport; education to urban development; social enterprises to climate change.

NOTE: Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to this blog over the last 6 months. Unfortunately, when I move to the new site your subscription will no longer be valid, and you will need to subscribe to the Spinning the Green Wheel blog again. This existing wordpress site will automatically be forwarded to the new website.

What is new at Spinning the Green Wheel?

In addition to the blog, the new site features my photography, and the freelance environmental services I offer, including:

• Environmental research, analysis and information synthesis
• Environment, science and sustainability communication
• Environmental market research
• Business development
• Project management

Are you interested to find out more about what I offer?

Coming Soon!

Over the next few weeks we will be discussing collaborative consumption in India, exploring the beautiful gardens of Bangalore and featuring a “Connections over Chai” interview with an Australian social entrepreneur, photographer and community artist who has recently returned from working on climate adaptation issues in Bangladesh.

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Photo featured in urban biodiversity photography exhibition

In a recent post “Any space for nature in Indian slums?” I reported on some recent findings from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) about the benefits of nature in the urban environment.

Recently, ATREE, along with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Bengaluru, and Citizen Matters, ran a photography competition and exhibition on this very subject, called “Nature in the City”. And I was lucky enough to have a photo exhibited!

 

Living Green in India: “Trash Trail” Part II

Picking up where we left our waste tour in Living Green in India: “Trash Trail” Part I…

Stop 5: Jolly Mohalla Wholesale Market

After seeing local garbage collection in action, and visiting kabbadiwallas sorting their products, we visited the Jolly Mohalla Wholesale Market – the scale of which has to be seen to be believed. Families have been in business here for 50 years and competition is fierce.

 Scales – a key tool of the trade

Connections over Chai: Interview Series coming soon!

Connections over Chai is an interview series that I am starting soon at Spinning the Green Wheel. I will delve into the passions and careers of professionals working to solve the world’s environmental and social issues – be they environmental scientists, policy practitioners, NGO specialists or sustainability consultants.

The environmental sector is not without its stereotypes, and I hope to shatter some of those by featuring inspiring people from all over the world who have diverse backgrounds and experience. From teachers, architects and investment bankers; to community development workers, lawyers and professors.

We will find out all about…

• How they got into the environmental or social sector
• What is most fulfilling about their current role
• Which experiences have shaped their worldview today
• How living and working overseas has changed their approach to work
• Where they see themselves in the next 5 years
• What advice they would give to people wanting to work in the sector
• How they “do their bit” environmentally

Are you passionate about the environment or curious about working in the environmental sector? Or just interested to read some fascinating stories from people living boldly? Then  look out for the first Connections over Chai interview in coming weeks!

Also, please get in touch with me at jenny (at) spinningthegreenwheel.com if you know someone with unique experiences they would be willing to share. Thanks!

Living Green in India: “Trash Trail” Part I

Have you ever wondered what happens to your waste once you throw it out?

Waste is an issue that has fascinated me since I arrived in India about 6 months ago. Although waste is often very visible on the streets here, I had a very limited understanding of how the waste management process worked. Although it may sound a bit odd, I was really curious to find out where my garbage was going. I guess I felt like I couldn’t take  any effective action until I had seen it for myself and understood the complexities of the situation.

Waste provides a good hiding spot for local street dog

I started doing some of my own research into the issue and a friend introduced me to a business called Daily Dump, based in Bangalore. Daily Dump sells composting equipment, and also runs a “Trash Trail” tour across the city. So I signed up and arrived at the Daily Dump office early one Saturday morning with 7 other interested citizens. The staff gave us a quick powerpoint presentation to set the scene:

I was amazed to find out that only 10% of what we currently throw out should be heading to landfill!

Any space for nature in Indian slums?

It is not uncommon to hear Bangalore residents (often from the wealthier parts of the city) bemoaning the loss of trees and green space that has occurred as Bangalore rose to be the Silicon Valley of India. 

But what about the people who live in the 640 recorded slums¹ across the city? What access to nature and greenery do they have and how do they use it?

Density of green space in Bangalore

Given that slums often inhabit marginal and polluted land, and that they have a high population density, one would hazard a guess that trees are not particularly common. This assumption is supported by a recent study conducted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, in conjunction with the University of Greifswald, Germany. Researchers Divya Gopal, Harini Nagendra and Michael Manthey observed 44 slums across Bangalore and confirmed that the tree density in slums is in fact substantially lower than that in the wealthier residential areas of Bangalore.¹

What are the implications of this for urban development, poverty and human health?

Arsenic contaminates drinking water supplies in India

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for me to be shocked when I read the local newspaper each morning. This time, my interest was captured by the headline “When water turns poison in West Bengal…”

I wondered what could cause something as innocuous as water to turn into poison.

Arsenic

What surprised me most was that these reports of arsenic poisoning were not new. In fact, the first such cases of arsenic poisoning were reported in 1993 when Dr. K. C. Saha, a dermatologist from Calcutta, related the problem of skin lesions he observed to the high levels of arsenic in the drinking water.

Reinventing the toilet in India?

Sanitation has long been a critical, but somewhat unfashionable issue in health and rural development, so it is heartening to see the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation putting their substantial resources behind technological change and innovation in this field with their “Reinvent the Toilet” fair. 

A lack of hygienic sanitation and untreated effluent contribute significantly to the pollution of rivers and ecosystems and create an enormous public health issue. Recent measurements of the coliform bacteria levels in the Ganges in India recorded 5,500 mpn/100 ml, well above what is considered safe for farming (5,000 mpn/100 ml), let alone bathing (500 mpn/100 ml) or drinking (50 mpn/100 ml). Every year “food and water tainted with faecal matter cause up to 2.5 billion cases of diarrhea among children under five, resulting in 1.5 million child deaths.” 

The minimum requirements for the competition were that the toilets must operate without running water, electricity or a septic system, must not discharge pollutants and should capture energy or other resources. The winning design from the California Institute of Technology certainly fits that bill, as it is a solar-powered toilet that generates hydrogen and electricity.

600 million in dark over massive Indian power outages

Having a stable power supply is something that I have always taken for granted in Australia. But not so in India, where dealing with load shedding and power cuts is part of daily life. So much so that most hospitals, large apartment complexes and hotels have alternate power supply and backup generators to deal with the inconvenience.

But last week was somewhat different, as India experienced the world’s largest power cut, far surpassing any regular scheduled cuts. A grid failure of the north, eastern and north eastern grids took out the nation’s capital, New Delhi and affected over 600 million people. If you consider the fact that is almost twice the entire population of the USA, one gets a sense of the sheer scale of the impact. Trains were left stranded on the tracks, metros were closed and traffic chaos ensued. One Wall Street Journal reporter wrote this satirical take on the issue – 1.2 Billion Indians hit by leadership outage, highlighting the lack of national leadership at a time of crisis.

Power in rural Punjab

Potholes + a fake crashed car + curious citizens = urban India?

The other day I came across this installation in the middle of a busy Bangalore intersection that had people rather intrigued. Passing cars were slowing down in the middle of the road so that their passengers could take photos of the commotion.