(R)Evolution is an organization started by a group of individuals working towards Climate Change Mitigation, Wildlife Conservation and Social Service through various platforms. We basically intend to provide opportunities for people who have so long awaited to work for a cause but couldn’t come across an opportunity. We believe in the saying, “Proper support and information are one of the most important factors to lead forward a change.” For an individual, there needs to be some means for him/her to acquire knowledge and to apply it. We are here to provide every individual with a platform to learn and execute his plans giving him an extra edge over his counterpart. We believe in providing the best and promoting the cause for the benefit of the society and mankind. In the past month we have been really involve in various projects and we would like to share it with you.

Green Festival

“(R)Evolution let’s change now!” has organized the AVANI-The Green Fest organiszed with the Center for Environment and Institute of Science and Technology on the March 13th and 14th 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad. Before explaining the festival we can strat with a short historic of the Institute os Science and Technology and the Center for Environment.

Institute of Science and Technology
In 1989 Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University established number of Centres for Excellence to form a strong academic nucleus. They started functioning from 1991 under the Institute of Science and Technology (IST). IST was located in the heart of the twin cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad. Now being located in the campus which is also the Headquarters of JNT University, IST enjoys certain facilities. As any Technological up gradation within J.N.T.U. starts with IST. The location of the campus provides an academic environment and promotes learning. Center for Biotechnology Center for Environment, Center for Nano Science and Technology, Center for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Spatial Information Technology, Center for Water Resources are the constituent units of the institution. The basic thrust of these centers is in the emerging areas of research and education in the fields of Engineering, Technology and Applied Sciences of interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary character.

Center for Environment

The Center for Environment has been established at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University: Hyderabad in 1991 with the main objective to take up research and development in the areas of Environmental pollution monitoring, Impact assessment and development of control technologies besides offering higher technological education in Environment. The Center is actively involved in a number of academic and research programmes supported by various national funding agencies like University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Department of Environment (DoEn), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Space (DOS), MOES – Ministry of Earth Sciences, BARC – Baba Academic Research Energy Sources, MNRE – Ministry of new & Renewable Energy Sources, DOD – Department of Ocean, DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service Development.

Objectives of AVANI-The Green Fest

AVANI-The Green Fest had specifics objectives that it wanted to acheive during that event. First of all, one of the main goal was to promote sensitivity throught create a plot which talks about need and protection of ecosystem and biodiversity as well as ensuring students from various portfolios/Groups to share their views on Bioremediation (Bioremediation is a waste management technique that involves the use of organisms to remove or neutralize pollutants from a contaminated site). Second of all, the festival was promoting the green buildings concepts in view of afforestation and need for greenery, sensitizing towards renewable energies and strategies to protect the same, and understanding need for wild life conservation and create sensitivity on prayer predator relationships. Finally, the festival was underlining 3 last objectives which were: to bring out various levels and Methods of Solid waste management and strategies to promote the concepts at various levels, to explore possible water conservation methods at various levels and to analyse various policies and acts to ensure the intellectual properties are protected. You can have a look on the AVANI website to be ready to participate in their next events. http://www.avanithegreenfest.in/innovative-ideas.html

Photographs Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.249442038513416.1073741830.112610888863199&type=3

Earth Hour 2014 in Hyderabad on March 29th 2014

“At Earth Hour 2014, We took a pledge for a Sustainable Future.”
“At Earth Hour 2014, We spread the word for Efficient Energy Usage.”
“At Earth Hour 2014, We pledged to lead a (R)Evolution !”

World Wildlife Federation (WWF) has many office all around the world also in India. Andhra Pradesh State Office organized Earth Hour 2014 at Hyderabad. (R)Evolution Let’s Change Now ! was proud to be an Official Partner for WWF’s Earth Hour Initiative. The activities started at 6am until 10pm, it was a really busy day. Following a summury of the Earth Day with (R)Evolution Let’s change now! and WWF.

At 6:00am in the morning, WWF in collaboration with the Hyderabad Bicycling Club organized a ‘Cyclothon’ from Gachibowli Cycle Stand as a pre-run up to the main event. With Hyderabad’s commitment to switch off all non-essential lights, the city’s most iconic landmarks poised to switch off at Earth Hour on the evening of 29th March, between 08:30 and 09:30 pm.

The main EARTH HOUR EVENT was held opposite the People’s Plaza from 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The event line up had musical powerhouses such as megaband AlterEgoz, Asia’s youngest DJ—DJ Prithvi, folk rock band Rootz, and fresh entry ContraBand, along with eminent sand artist Hari Krishna, prominent Tollywood celebrities and also influential personalities from the State Government and Corporate Sectors.
Photographs Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.251899351601018.1073741831.112610888863199&type=3

If you would like more informations or to communicate with (R)Evolution Let’s change now! You can find us on Wikispace: http://ecyg.wikispaces.com/%28R%29Evolution+Let%27s+Change+Now

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead.
Let us make our hands dirty for better tomorrow !

“SUJALAAM SUFALAM MALAYAJA SEETHALAM SASYA SAMALAM”

Sustainable transportation doesn’t rime necessarily with new technology. It has more to do with a reintegration of good sustainable habits. It could means using your bicycle or public transportation, an electric car or doing carpool and even walking. Every single of these transports can help the resilience of our planet. The Earth Charter has four main goals that could all be influenced in a positive way by small sustainable actions such has sharing a ride with friends.

1. Earth, Our Home

One of the main goals of the Earth Charter is to preserve the Earth. Our lifestyle is demanding a lot on the biodiversity, ecosystems and participates to the pollution of the soil, the air and the stream. We can take for example car use; it is really damageable for the environment but has also various externalities that touch the economy and the society. On one side, there is the pollution made by the car itself because of the gaz use. On the other side, the extraction of the oil is also bad for the environment but had also drove to several conflicts between states because on this ressource. In this perspective the more efficent transport would be the bicycle with less negative impacts on the planet. When you think about a country with a lot of bikes, the first to come in mind is The Netherlands. More than 90% of the population drives a bike for their transportation. On one hand the urban planning for the cycle track has proved for many years that bikes and cars can co-exist in a city. On the other hand the success of this transportation is so big that the new problem is now to deal with the lack of “bike parking space” in cities which is a municipalities matter. It might be fixed as soon as possible for the social quality of life of the country. Nevertheless, Netherlands is still the leader of bicycle use and it is mostly because of the good governmental policies on cycling. So we can say that Netherlands are doing their part for the Earth.

2. The global situation

The capitalism system since the Industrial Revolution has established a mode of production that relay on mass consummation. We have to find alternatives for this paradigm or to change the consummation paradigm in a way that the impacts will be less negative on our resources. This will help to support a climate of stability and equity between poor and rich people. This improvement will contribute to the security of the Earth. A majority of people in developed countries and developing countries owns a car and soon it will be the same in undeveloped countries. This is the situation that we know now because of the capitalism system. The same system that creates disparities between countries and inside a country and his population. How a more responsible transportation can improve the situation. It is as much an international responsibility than a local one. Mexico won the Sustainable Transport Award in 2013 for its Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, cycling and walking infrastructure, parking program, and revitalization of public space. The successes of their sustainable transportation relay on the variety of options that the city offers. As we can read on the website of Institute for Transportation and Development policy: “Mexico City has implemented many projects in 2012 that have improved livability, mobility, and quality of life for its citizens, making the Mexican Capital a best practice for Latin America. It also piloted a comprehensive on-street parking reform program (ecoParq), expanded its successful public bike system (Ecobici) and revitalized public spaces such as Alameda Central and Plaza Tlaxcoaque”. The key for a better global sustainable transportation situation is to use more sufficient and multi-model transportation.

3. The Challenges Ahead

The Oxford English Dictionary defines sustainable as ‘capable of being upheld; maintainable” and to sustain as ‘to keep a person, community etc. from failing or giving way; to keep in being, to maintain at the proper level, to support life, nature etc. with needs. The etymology of the terms originates in the French verb soutenir ‘to hold up or support” . The Earth Charter is a definition of sustainability in itself. The Charter endorse sustainable development by promoting respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, social and economic justice and democracy, nonviolence and peace. Sustainability in our societies needs a change of mind and heart. It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility. We must imaginatively develop and apply the vision of a sustainable way of life locally, nationally, regionally and globally. Copenhagen is a city that understood the challenges with which we will have to struggle eventually with. One of their initiatives is focusing on reducing as much as possible car traffic. In the most crowded area in Copenhagen it is 13 cars by 100 habitants which is the lowest rate of the city. This achievement has been possible by using five principles of sustainable urban planning: 1. an urban planning favoring proximity, 2. easy, attractive and safe alternative transportations, 3. Public transport attractive and fast, 4. Space for pedestrians, 5. Political will to favor sustainable development. To fight against these future challenges we have to work all together, this is why cities should share their expertise on sustainable transportation.

4. Universal Responsibility

The Earth future is a universal responsibility, it means that wherever you are from or your age, you have to participate to improve the world in changing your lifestyle. Youth has to get more and more involved in this process. It is really easy for us to change our habits and to inform ourselves on the new challenges that we have to deal with. The governments have their part of responsibilities but political changes can take a long time, so if we are using the bottom-up approach we could obtain better results faster. We can find good motivation on the  youth side; “2013 leading the way youth summit” took place in Calgary, Canada. It was a Youth Summit on sustainable transportation that welcomed young people from all around the world. They developed several path of solution such as: Greater partnerships (national, international, private, public); Increased attendance of international delegates; More attention to the development of youth action plans; Stronger partnerships at the local level through “Mentors for Sustainable Transportation”; Increased media coverage (local, national, international). The Jakarta government showed us couple of years ago his implication for more sustainable transportation with the  TransJakar which is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system designed to provide the citizens of Jakarta with a fast public transportation system to help reduce rush hour traffic. Launched in February of 2004 by the city administration of Jakarta, TransJakarta represents a breakthrough for Asia as the region’s first full BRT system with physically separated bus only lanes, at level boarding platforms and prepaid ticketing. In 2011, the TransJakarta Bus way was used by some 360,000 people per day, a 32 percent increase from the previous year. This resulted in a saving of more than 54,000 tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of taking 10,000 cars off the road. The estimated fuel savings by bus way users amounts to 117 billion Indonesian rupiahs (about $120 million USD). Jakarta is a great example of the power of political implication.   It is in working all together locally, regionally or internationally on day to day issues that we will transformed our way of life.

General transportation could be a really boring subject, but when you take it in a sustainable perspective it could change and improve a lot your quality of life on the Earth. So be part of this worldwide movement now!

By Stephanie Daigneault

Sources

ITDP,Mexico City Wins 2013 Sustainable Transport Award, 2013, https://go.itdp.org/display/live/Mexico+City+Wins+2013+Sustainable+Transport+Award
New York City Global partners, Best Practice:Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)System, 2012,http://www.nyc.gov/html/ia/gprb/downloads/pdf/Jakarta_BusTransit.pdf

The Earth Charter Initiative, The Earth Charter, 2012, http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/Read-the-Charter.html