Stories of Change – Vol 2 : Youth Making A Difference

Web of Life from Charles Tsai on Vimeo.

Forgive this personal post but on this global Blog Action Day, I’d like to share with you a story I did back when I worked for CNN.  It was the first in a series of videos about biodiversity, a subject I had just learned about at the time.

Biodiversity helped me see the world in a new way – not as a collection of species – but as a web of interdependent life, ecosystems within ecosystems.  Everything is interconnected.

In my reporting, the gopher tortoise, a threatened species found in Florida, presented itself as the best ambassador for biodiversity – a model for how we might conduct ourselves in the world.

You see, the gopher tortoise digs tunnels underground to protect itself from predators.  But in so doing, it also offers refuge to hundreds of other species.

Unlike the gopher tortoise, we seem to forget that millions of other species share our planet and our actions often determine whether they live or die.

As the world contemplates climate change on this historic day and how we should minimize its negative impact, let’s also seize upon a positive vision of who we can be.  Let’s think about how we can be a student – rather than the enemy – of Florida’s gopher tortoise.

Charles Tsai
Director of Virtual Program
Ashoka GenV

To address this problem, Hemant teamed up with classmates in 2009 to launch CALLMAT, a multipurpose pollutant removing mat.

The team has envisioned a technology that will use immobilized calixarenes to remove toxic metal ions and pollutants from water. Easily suspended in collection tanks of water requiring treatment, CALLMAT will prove a cost-effective way to increase the supply of clean water to households and farmers.

CALLMAT is more than a project for me. When I am back to my hometown, I see so many children and laborers affected by heavy metal poisoning. And that is what gives me a kick to do something about it.

I would like to work with farmers at the root level as a part of my goal to find greener solutions to today’s environmental problems. I am sure that the combination of my scientific approach and their vast practical knowledge will show synergism and bring out fruitful results.

Goals:

1. To provide clean water to the villagers so as to upraise the standard of living and the prevailing health conditions.
2. To provide clean water for irrigation to farmers so as to prevent accumulation of toxic pollutants at higher trophic levels.
3. To prevent the disposal of hazardous metal ions and other toxic compounds from small scale industries into water resources and later penetration into ground water.
4. To produce energy from waste pollutants removed from water by developing microbial fuel cells

Every project needs a clear vision and mission statement. Here’s an entertaining tutorial from GenV.net on how to come up with one.

One easy way to come up with a project idea is to find something that relates to your interests and hobbies. This video tutorial from GenV.net shows you how.

Interested youth can apply to be part of the IYCN’s Agents of Change program.

The IYCN Agents of Change program takes the IYCN movement from the grass roots to the international arena. We are proud to be partnering with a reputed organization such as the Centre for Environment Education on this project along with the UNEP’s South Asian Youth Environmental Network. This year, we plan to storm COP15, as an Asian Youth Sub-Continent Delegation with representatives from India, Srilanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan & Burma. We want youth from our neighbouring countries, from rural and urban India to be represented at this crucial global forum, where our climate future is decided.

The Agents of Change Program will include both young students and professionals, involved in massive lobbying , campaigning and direct action, at regional and national levels, to influence the political decisions and negotiations leading up to Copenhagen. Delegates will also be required to attend the Indian Youth Summit on Climate Change in July, 2009.

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Now, picture this: Trucks releasing cleaner emissions and making fuel as they drive. Our proposed solution involves the growth of algae, of which oil is extracted for biodiesel production. Each truck would have an “algae panel” attached to its top, comparable in size to a solar panel and filled with water and algae.

It would be connected to the trucks exhaust system, so the emissions would pass through the panel before entering the atmosphere.

The carbon dioxide emitted from the trucks helps the algae grow, while the algae filters out the nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons. As the panel fills up with algae, systems would be set up at gas stations to drain out portions of the algae, leaving room for new growth. The biodiesel produced from the algae would be used to fuel the trucks.

Goals:

• Research algae types, trucking requirements and emission levels to determine design of system
• Test strains of algae for rate of growth, ability to feed off of CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions and oil content. Determine best strain to use.
• Construct a working prototype and test system. Make modifications.
• Apply for patent.

Here is a sample of algae that we have worked to grow.

It’s a $5 cooker that uses two cardboard boxes – one inside another – and an acrylic cover to trap the sun’s power for boiling and cooking.  The design is simple enough that it can be produced in existing cardboard factories in Africa.  In fact, a Nairobi, Kenya factory has been set up to manufacture 2.5 million boxes a month.

Kyoto Box would allow villagers to cook without firewood and fossil fuel, which would lead to a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.  Another added benefit… reduced indoor smoke inhalation – a major health threat in much of the developing world.

In winning the challenge, Kyoto Energy, which makes the Kyoto Box, will receive $75,000.

Links:
Solar-powered cardboard cooker (Financial Times)

We plan to create methane from an anaerobic digester and then take the gas and convert it into methanol.  This methanol is an important part of the biodiesel production process and is currently obtained from processes using natural gas, which are inherently harmful to the environment.

Our project would take the manure from the farm and capture the methane released (which is a green house gas with more potency than carbon dioxide) and minimize the amount of natural gas required for the project.

This process would allow the biodiesel to be produced by more natural byproducts and without the need of more gas drilling.

This venture will demonstrate to the community that we can reduce our dependence on oil just by leveraging potential energy sources that are generally wasted and ignored. It will also produce higher grade fertilizer in the digestion process and remove the excess green house gas (methane) from the air while producing a necessary component of a clean fuel.

Success will be measured by the net amount of methanol created by the process. This not only represents the amount of green house gas that was stopped from going into the air, but also the amount of natural gas conserved by the process. We aim for the steady production of a gallon of methanol gas produced every week, but without further research it will be impossible to tell our lower and upper limits.

Goals:

• Design and construct an anaerobic digestion process
• Design and construct a methane-to-methanol conversion process
• Purify methanol to high qualities (90%)
• Use methanol in current biodiesel process

After talking to others in the village, Amandeep realized that most villagers used firewood and the ones who could afford it, used liquefied petroleum gas. Neither of these options was good – the former depleted forest resources and the latter caused pollution.

On doing some more research, Amandeep discovered that the reason bio-gas cooking is time consuming is because of the high carbon dioxide content. He also discovered that calcium oxide can neutralize the carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate in turn can be used to neutralize the effects of acid rain.

Having established the chemical process, Amandeep is now focused on developing capacity to implement his bio-gas purification process so that people like his aunt can have an affordable, efficient and clean way to cook.

Goals:

• Purify at least 10,000 liters of Bio-Bas
• Add CaCO3 to at least 10 hectare of agricultural land
• Set up one more Bio-Gas plant in my village
• Employ 20 farmers on a part time basis