Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts

Thursday, May 24, 2018

IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIC FARMING

Food is one of the basic needs of us but we are not bothered about the quality of it. We do not know what are the harmful chemicals or adulterants present in it. These all lead to biological magnification followed by many diseases. So this is the right time to turn towards nature.

Organic farming is a method of agriculture in which farmers avoid the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, hormones etc. Instead of these, they use crop residues, animal manures, leaves of plants, off-farm organic waste to the maximum extent. Scientific methods like mixed cropping, crop rotations and biological system of nutrient mobilisation and plant protection are applied for maximum yield.
Nowadays we are seeing a rise in organic farming, as it is the need of the hour. Consumers are becoming highly conscious about their health and the food they consume. More and more people are opting for organic food to avoid the consumption of food that is grown by using chemical ways.

Unfortunately, there are many farmers who aim the profit only. In order to yield early and abundant produce, many farmers in the rural areas have been using chemical fertilisers, pesticides and hormone applications. It is due to the lack of knowledge. But this is gradually changing as more farmers are choosing the organic route. There are some people who have decided to venture into this field, either by producing or supporting farmers to yield fresh and unadulterated produce that is healthy for consumption. Also, with more number of people preferring to consume organic food, and with the number of organic e-commerce stores popping up in various cities, it seems like people are moving towards the right direction.

It is very important to make all people aware of the dangerous impact of consumption of food items available in markets. Our government should do something to promote organic farming. Organic farming communities should conduct various workshops on cultivation methods, pest management and long-term benefit of going the organic way by showing the sustainability of these practices. Organic farmers should encourage other farmers to visit their farm and learn about their best way of cultivation. So let’s take some initiatives to promote best practices for all of us.

Byju P.Joseph, Educator and Vice Principal
The Fabindia School, Bali

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

The Fabindia School, Pali- GSP Changemaker school 2017-18


Green Schools Programme (GSP) is an environmental audit carried out by students and teachers in schools. The GSP Audit goes beyond awareness activities and focuses on action and impact while facilitating environment education in schools. To know more about the programme, please visit our website - http://www.greenschoolsprogramme.org/ The Fabindia School, Pali, Rajasthan was one of the changemaker schools of 2017-18.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

The Solar School Company

The “Solar School Company” is a network of educational institutions across India who –
1. Generate and utilize electricity through a solar PV system
2. Utilize the solar PV system as a teaching tool to increase awareness amongst the youth
3. Offset a large portion of thermal power consumption resulting in substantial annual savings in
their power bills
4. Spur the growth of a more environmentally aware and responsible younger generation
5. Equip teachers to foster environmental literacy

This idea has been developed by SM Renergy (P) Ltd (SMR) in light of increasing electricity tariffs for educational institutions in India and the plummeting costs of solar PV across the world. While most solar EPCs and developers are focused on pursuing commercial and industrial establishments to adopt solar PV, SMR is keen on creating an impact at educational institutions through awareness and substantial electricity bill savings.

Our aim is to equip every educational institution in India to provide meaningful learning experiences to students in the field of renewable energy. Therefore, the purpose of the Solar School Company is threefold –
1. To coordinate efforts to promote solar PV in educational institutions;
2. To aggregate and consolidate current and future solar resource development; and
3. To amplify the successes of solar PV in educational institutions and act as a unified voice for a
national solar movement.

Solar PV is synchronous to educational institutions
The hours of operation of a solar PV plant and the peak loads of an educational institution are synchronised (8am - 5pm). In fact, most educational institutions (if not residential) culminate at 4pm everyday. The surplus energy (during holidays) can be exported to the grid and will be reduced from the overall consumption of the educational institution.

The graph below shows the typical daily load of a school against the daily generation of energy from a solar PV plant –

Ways to incorporate solar PV at a educational institution

Option 1 – Installation for education purposes
Educational-only installations are systems that are installed strictly for educational purposes, and not intended to save the school money or lower energy usage.
These systems work great for schools/colleges that don't have an ideal roof available, or favourable prevailing electricity tariffs for solar.

Option 2 – Installation for energy offsetting purposes
Energy off-setting installations, are installations that are sized strategically to off-set an educational
institutions energy usage and energy bills.

These systems save the educational institution substantial amounts of money and have a positive
impact on the environment.

www.fabindiaschools.org
The Fabindia School in Rajasthan is 100% solar
Benefits to the educational institutions
1. Substantial monetary savings per annum through reduced power bills;
2. Workshops and seminars organized by SMR for students of the educational institution explaining the intricacies and functionality of renewable energy technologies;
3. Helps record available resources and trains students to collect information systematically and ease the analysis process;
4. Benchmarks an educational institutions performance as an environmental manager; and
5. Affiliation to the “Solar School Company” platform gaining access to energy
#SolarPower #GreenSchool #MyGoodSchool #Sun #Schools

- Please contact Samay Mangalgiri by email samay@smrenergy.in

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