Making a difference

Rapid urbanization in India has led to various issues such as waste management, depleting greenery pollution etc. But there are some eco-friendly green warriors who with their entrepreneurial skills and creative ideas such as urban farming, terracotta cooling and better waste management, inspire others to make urban cities a better place.

NATURAL TERRACOTTA COOLING

Monish Siripurapu, founder and Principal Architect of Ant Studio, Delhi has developed a cooling system inspired by the structure of a beehive. The biomimicry-based earthen air cooler reduces the temperature and is an Ecofriendly alternative to contemporary cooling systems.

In simple terms, terracotta pots are stacked like a ‘beehive’, thereby increasing the surface area for evapotranspiration. Air passes through the pots soaked in water bringing down temperature. “Terracotta is porous, hydrophilic, and bio-receptive in nature. It can retain water and support the growth of living organisms like algae or moss on it. These properties help terracotta contribute to the local ecosystem by naturally regulating temperature and humidity in the environment and purifying pollutants. Terracotta is an excellent insulator that can slow heat transfer, giving it its natural cooling properties,” says Monish. He has a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and a postgraduate study in Robotic Fabrication from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Spain.

THE BEEHIVE BUZZ

The Beehive is a modular facade unit that cools the space through a combination of evaporative cooling and natural ventilation. “Using the Beehive as a second skin for facades can reduce energy consumption (30-70%) compared to mechanical refrigerant-based cooling systems like air conditioners. Reduction in ambient temperatures by 6-8 degrees C and it also reduces carbon footprint and hence, better for the environment,” says Monish.

The Ant Studio has won a start-up grant from the UN Environment Asia-Pacific Low-Carbon Life-styles Challenge and a grant of $10,000 from the UN Environment for a Cool Ant beehive cooler. Also, the 2023 National Energy Efficiency Innovation Award. It is the Permanent Exhibitor at the Science Museum London.

The Beehive systems perform best in spaces with large openings and greater surface areas that can facilitate good airflow. “Such spaces are difficult to find in flats/apartments, it might not always be suitable to use Coolant. So, we conduct diligence of the site and project requirements to decide whether these solutions will perform to their optimum efficiency,” he adds.

Beehive systems have been set up in Delhi NCR, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and even Mexico. Ant Studio is an organization of 25 members, whereas Coolant is its startup that explores climate-responsive sustainable products and solutions. “Considering natural ventilation lighting, efficient rainwater and waste management systems and incorporating natural/local materials into any project, can make a huge difference to the thermal comfort of the building and reduce the load on mechanical cooling/heating systems,” suggests Monish.

IKHETI URBAN FARMING

Priyanka Amar Shah, founder of iKheti, believes that urban farming

can make cities greener. Mumbaibased MBA graduate, Priyanka the

Ecopreneur, encourages Urban farming to help people lead sustainable lifestyles. Priyanka says, “Being environment-friendly is often considered an inconvenience but with situations such as pandemics, pollution, floods, extreme temperatures, etc. it seems to be the most obvious and logical answer. Urban Agriculture not only gives you access to fresh, organic pesticide-free food but also helps the environment because it reduces the carbon footprint of your food by decreasing the distance between the area of production and the area of consumption needs.”

During the economic crises, in the early 1990s for the survival of the city’s population, countries like Cuba came up with Urban farming as the solution. What worked for them years ago can be the solution for different countries. When iKheti was conceptualized in 2011 it was targeted at individual urban gardeners but over the years, the target audience has shifted to community gardeners (corporates, schools, societies) to have a greater impact on the environment. Her clients range from individuals, societies, and corporations, to educational institutes and restaurants. She conducts workshops, to create awareness and teach urban farming.

iKheti encourages people to learn and practice sustainable lifestyles and helps offset carbon emissions by reducing the distance between the crop and its consumer. “As a beginner for setting up an edible garden opt for herbs like Mint, Italian Basil, Ajwain, Curry leaves, and Lemon grass.”

Priyanka has been working on solutions to combat space constraints. She has ventured into vertical farming and air-purifying gardens, besides green gifts which help to foster a sustainable future.

BETTER WASTE MANAGEMENT

Effective waste management is the need of the hour in urban India.

Chennai-based Siddharth Hande with his start-up, Kabadiwalla Connect (KC) helps the city’s existing informal waste infrastructure in the collection, segregation and processing, with his innovative, technologybased solutions to ensure that recyclable waste does not end up in landfills and is recycled or upcycled.

Kabadiwalla Connect is a social enterprise that aims to integrate informal waste pickers, scrap shops, and other informal warehouses into the formal waste management system. By incorporating technology into the traditional kabadiwalla system, Hande is trying to improve the livelihoods of waste collectors and informal scrap-shop businesses and nurture a sustainable and circular economy in India. The mobile-based app (Recykleconnects) connects kabadiwallas to citizens who need to dispose of scrap.

“KC uses technology into the equation, piloting AI-powered solutions to connect waste collectors with recycling facilities and empowering the informal sector to decentralize waste management,” states Hande, who got interested in waste management during beach clean-ups as a college student at Loyola College, Chennai. He also has a degree from Monash University, Melbourne, in Environment and Sustainability. A grant from the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers initiative in 2014, led Hande and his team to commence mapping out Chennai’s waste aggregators and stakeholders.

KC has also given smart bins to 1,500 households in Chennai. The Internet of Things (IoT) system helps track the quality and volume of segregation at each apartment, helping waste pickers plan their collections.

“Waste management is a huge problem, Urban India generates around 70 million tons of waste each year and the formal, municipal waste system sends over 90 percent of that to poorly managed landfills. The first step in segregating waste is to separate wet and dry garbage. Almost 70% of garbage can be prevented from going into dump sites if segregated,” says Hande.

KC, recently got the support of energy multinational Shell to further prove the viability of the solution. Its inclusive, cost-efficient, and industry-compliant solutions harness the untapped resources of the informal sector in the supply chain, reduce the health risks faced by waste pickers, and pay dividends while dealing with plastic waste.

The Shell Gamechanger team helps KC to enhance the research, development, and commercialization of their technology. “With the aid of ICT and IoT-based technology, we integrate informal players into the formal waste management system; to deliver cost-effective and lowcarbon waste management solutions that cities in the Global South need to support their growing economies and populations,” says Hande.