In Pakistan, solar lamps turn women into entrepreneurs

A project is training Light Ladies, who operate and maintain solar charging stations in their homes that boost their incomes significantly while cutting carbon emissions.

By Aamir Saeed, Thomson Reuters Foundation August 6, 2015

 

 Courtesy of the Buksh Foundation

 

BAHAWALPUR, Pakistan — As the sun sets and darkness falls over a village outside Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Shama Bibi switches on her solar lantern and starts sewing clothes for an upcoming family wedding.
Not long ago, nightfall would have forced her to stop working. But now with access to solar-powered lamps, Bibi can sew as long as she needs to.
"The solar lantern has changed my life," said the 35-year-old widow and mother of three. "I can sew clothes even in the night and earn enough to make both ends meet."

Bibi has recently become a "Light Lady", one of the women that the Buksh Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Lahore, Pakistan, has trained to help spread the benefits of solar energy throughout rural Pakistan.

Under the foundation's project Lighting a Million Lives, in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute in India, women are taught how to operate and maintain solar charging stations in their homes.
The two "Light Ladies" in each of the focus villages also are given 50 solar lanterns to rent to others in their community.
The one-time cost of around $5,500 to set up a solar charging station and set of lanterns is funded by donors. Bibi says she charges a daily rent of 4 rupees ($0.04) per lantern and earns around 5,500 rupees ($54) each month.
"I've started sending my youngest son to school as I earn enough now to meet all the expenses," she said.
Villagers can also charge their mobile phones at the solar station, instead of having to travel to Bahawalpur and back.
The foundation has so far installed solar charging stations in 150 off-grid villages around the country and plans to reach 4,000 villages by 2017.
According to the World Bank, about 44 percent of households in Pakistan are not connected to the grid. More than 80 percent of those are in rural areas.
There, almost half of households use kerosene as a primary or secondary source of lighting, a 2012 World Bank survey found. Some use candles, due to the high cost of kerosene.
"Our target is to provide sustainable energy to far-flung rural off-grid areas of Pakistan, and we especially want to empower women in these areas through the project," said Fiza Farhan, CEO of the Buksh Foundation.
She said the solar lanterns not only are convenient and a source of income for some villagers but also help reduce climate-changing carbon emissions, as each lantern replaces around 500 to 600 liters of kerosene during its 10-year lifespan.
The foundation has a permanent help line at its central office in Lahore to keep in touch with the "Light Ladies" and provide them technical assistance round the clock, Farhan said.
She said dozens of people contact the foundation daily asking for more solar lanterns in their villages and requesting the installation of charging stations in nearby villages.
"More women want to become Light Ladies, but for the moment we have been training only two women in each village," she said, to ensure that each woman makes a decent income once the profits are split.
Qamar-uz-Zaman, a climate change adviser to the sustainable development organization LEAD-Pakistan, said Pakistan's energy shortages could be reduced substantially if the government would provide technical and financial assistance for sustainable development initiatives such as Lighting a Million Lives.
Pakistan faces a year-round electricity shortfall that hits around 7,000 megawatts in the summer. The country's rural areas often suffer blackouts of more than 14 hours a day while urban areas can experience up to 10 hours a day without power.
To tackle the crisis, the government needs to support off-grid solar projects and encourage people to use renewable energy sources to decrease the stress on the national grid, said Zaman.
"The government can subsidize the projects by claiming international climate financing and reaching out to international donors to fund them," he said.
Gul Muhammad, 62, a farmer in the village outside Bahawalpur, can attest to the benefits of solar energy. The lantern he hires from one of the "Light Ladies" has allowed him to cut the amount of kerosene he uses to light his farm, saving him 350 rupees ($3) each month.
The availability of cheap, portable light also means he can irrigate his farmland during dusk and dawn, times of day that previously were too dangerous due to the presence of snakes in the area.
"I can now work three to four hours extra on my farmland," he said. "And this is helping increase my income too."
• Reporting by Aamir Saeed; editing by Jumana Farouky and Laurie Goering. This article was originally published by the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking, and corruption. Visit www.trust.org/climate.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2015/0806/In-Pakistan-solar-lamps-turn-women-into-entrepreneurs?cmpid=addthis_twitter

This "Mad Genius" Organic Farmer's Ideas Are Working. He's Grossing $100K An Acre...

This article is adapted from “The Drought Fighter” by Todd Oppenheimer, originally published in Craftsmanship Magazine (www.craftsmanship.net). Photos by Christopher D. Cook.

We need GMOs to feed the world like a fish needs dry land. A controversial farmer in California is proving that a veritable bumper crop can be had using new farming methods that don’t require GMO pesticides, herbicides, or even weeding, and require 10 times less water than the average farm. The best part – he earned $100K per acre last season without even harvesting all of his land.

How does he do it?

What kind of super-fertilizer allows Paul Kaiser to grow so much food on a mere 8 acres? Lot’s of rotten food scraps and rotten plants – otherwise known as compost. And he uses loads of it.
He uses farming practices both old, and cutting-edge-new so well that agricultural specialists from University of California at Davis who have tested his top soil can drive a four-foot steel pole all the way through his fields. This, as opposed to most parts of California, where it would hit infertile hard-pan in less than 12 inches.
Last year, Kaiser’s farm located in Sonoma Valley, CA grossed more than $100,000 an acre, too. This is ten times the average for most farmers of this area, even in lucrative wine-country.
His farm is no mega-farm, either. At just under 8 acres, he is beating even other large organic farms because the soil is still so damaged in other conventional and organic farms alike.
He is certainly out-performing Big Ag methods of farming as his unique farming practices have turned the soil into a goldmine.

The 3 Rules of Soil Health

Kaiser follows what he calls the 3 main rules of soil health: Keep roots in the ground as much as possible, keep the soil covered as much as possible, and disturb the soil as little as possible.
Kaiser also doesn’t plow his fields (which means a lot less work) and he uses around 10 times less water than his peers. His neighbors still run sprinklers, but he waters for about an hour a week, using almost exclusively drip irrigation. This means that while California is still recovering from a drought, most farmers are watering the air – since most of the water is lost to evaporation. Kaiser is watering – how novel an idea – just his plants.
Many California farmers recently spent millions tanking in water to try to save their crops, while Kaiser just made a healthy annual salary for even most high-paid lawyers. Water was being sold on the black market for ridiculous prices, but you can bet Kaiser wasn’t paying them.
Kaiser uses a thick, acrylic blanket to keep both soil and compost piles covered. Most farmers, if the cover soil at all, us immense plastic sheets, which end up each year in the landfill. “These blankets last me 10 years!”
Kaiser is a bit of a mad genius, and a dreamer, too. He rattles off statistics at local talks he gives about exactly how he grows so sustainably, often including surprising facts. For example, he leaves his roots in the ground after harvest to feed the worms. He sounds a bit like a Martin Luther King for growing green:

“Sustainable farming methods are just one corner,” he said. “Economic sustainability is another, and social sustainability is the third.”
During a recent Sunday farmers’ market, representatives of several different agricultural organizations approached Kaiser, each asking him for advice. Now, when billed for talks, he often packs the house.
Kaiser envisions small farms near every city around the globe, even in the most dry, arid climates, and with the proof of his own sweat, and soil, I believe his dream is possible.

 http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/14219-organic-farmer-grosses-100k-acre.html?c=JER

Beginning married life with a charitable act!

Most people throw away hundreds of flowers after their wedding. She puts them back to work.

Curator: Mary Rindlesbach

Why let good flowers go to waste? She made it her mission to recycle discarded wedding flowers, and the result is beautiful.

Shawn Chamberlain was tending the gardens at a hospice care facility one day when she noticed something unusual about one of the patients.

The woman, standing on a nearby patio, caught her off guard. Most of the patients Shawn had seen at the facility were older; hospice care is typically for those who are given six months or less to live, after all.
But this patient was young — a young mother.
A young mother herself, Shawn felt compelled to do something for the woman. Looking down and seeing the flowers in the garden, she quickly clipped a few and had a charge nurse deliver them to the patient.

Gathering up some love. Image via Rogue Heart Media.

According to a 2005 research study at Rutgers University, every single person who received flowers as part of an experiment had a positive response. Every. Single. Person.

Admit it: Flowers make you feel loved, special, adored, and remembered. Image via Shawn Chamberlain.

As a landscape designer, Shawn had seen the power of flowers to bring people delight. In that moment, she knew she wanted to bring flowery happiness to other people. But not just anyone: long-term care patients, people who could really use a few moments of unexpected joy.

There was only one problem — where on Earth could she obtain a massive amount of flowers without going completely broke in the process?

If you've ever had to buy flowers for any event, you know they're, uh, not cheap. Shawn was a young mom of five kids — not a millionaire by any stretch.
But then it came to her. Weddings.

Wedding flowers — gorgeous, expensive, and only used for one day. Image via Shawn Chamberlain.

Weddings are a treasure trove of floral arrangements, bouquets, and other lovely things ... that often go straight in the trash once the event is over.

Shawn started making calls around town to wedding planners, event spaces, florists, anyone who dealt in bulk flowers. Amazingly, there was no hesitation; people were on board. The Full Bloom was born.

Flowers. Flowers everywhere! Image via Shawn Chamberlain.

Brides and grooms really took to the idea, thrilled that they could use their time of joy and happiness to give back. (All without a lot of effort because, as we know, weddings are super stressful!)

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something recycled! Image via Shawn Chamberlain.

Maybe the coolest thing? The donations are anonymous, and patients never know who the flowers are from.

They just know someone was thinking of them. And that, for a moment, they're feeling a little better because, you know, science.

Volunteers of all ages get involved and deliver arrangements to long-term care facilities. Image via Shawn Chamberlain.

To find out more about The Full Bloom and recycling the love, check out this video from Rogue Heart Media.

http://www.upworthy.com/most-people-throw-away-hundreds-of-flowers-after-their-wedding-she-puts-them-back-to-work?c=ufb1

Forget Tokens: Commuters Can Now Pay Subway Fare By Recycling

Source: www.takepart.com | Original Post Date: August 29, 2014 –

Beijing has gotten plenty of bad press for its environmental crisis. The city was so polluted in January that officials created a fake sun billboard when the real one was obscured. But a successful recycling project in the city proves that residents are pretty gung ho about environmental issues, especially when they get free subway fare or mobile phone minutes in exchange for recycling.
Chinese recycling company Incom first set up 10 of the machines, which resemble a typical vending machine in a Beijing subway station, back in 2012, reports Recycling Today. The machines allow commuters to insert a plastic soda or water bottle in exchange for a transit pass or mobile phone credit. The machine has a sensor that is able to scan each bottle and determine how much it’s worth. Commuters can get 5 to 15 cents per bottle.
Thanks to the program’s success, over the past two years the company has expanded installation of the machines to 34 subway stations. Now it plans to expand the recycling program to operate in 100 stations.
These reverse vending machines make it a snap for the public to chuck whatever plastic bottle garbage they’re toting as they commute, and they seem to be growing in popularity. Sydney launched a similar program in July. City officials put their Envirobank machines in areas with plenty of foot traffic and rewarded recyclers with everything from bus passes to food truck vouchers.
As in the Sydney program, Beijing officials hope to put the new machines in the busiest stations, particularly those close to popular tourist destinations. More than 15,000 tons of plastic bottles are recycled every year in Beijing, according to officials. With the expansion of the Incom machines, that amount is expected to skyrocket.
Written by Liz Dwyer of www.takepart.com

http://collectivelyconscious.net/articles/forget-tokens-commuters-can-now-pay-subway-fare-by-recycling/

 

2 Friends Turned A Van Into A Laundromat So Homeless People Can Wash Their Clothes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/homeless-laundry-australia_n_6083412.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

Though it can be a struggle, homeless people can typically find organizations that serve food, offer medical care and provide shelter.

But when it comes to finding a way to wash their clothes and blankets, there are often few, if any, groups that offer free cleaning services. That’s what inspired Australian friends Lucas Patchett and Nicholas Marchesi to start the country’s first mobile Laundromat for people living on the streets, the pair told BuzzFeed.

In July, the two launched Orange Sky Laundry by revamping an old white van and buying a portable generator, so they can get power in public places. They then turned to supporters who donated two washers and dryers, which allows them to wash 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds) of laundry every hour, according to 7 News Brisbane.

During the trial period, Orange Sky will operate in Brisbane five days a week in various public spaces and will source water from local parks and businesses, according to the group’s website. An estimated 300 people live on the streets in Brisbane and the organization plans to partner with local food groups, so that homeless people can get something to eat while their clothes are being washed.

They hope to operate throughout Australia by the end of 2015.

Their ultimate goal is to raise hygiene health standards and help to restore homeless people’s integrity, something that already appears to be working.

"I feel fresh," a homeless woman told 7 Brisbane News after getting her clothes washed.

Find out more about Orange Sky Laundry and how you can get involved here.

''They say necessity is the mother of invention..So it seems to be the case in this situation. When you are faced with a problem you do something about it...''

Palestinian man designs DIY solar ovens to beat energy cuts in Gaza 

July 1st, 2015 by Allison Blackburn

 - See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/palestinian-man-designs-diy-solar-ovens-to-beat-energy-cuts-in-gaza/#sthash.FVEQGbWN.dpuf

For those living in the Gaza Strip, life comes with many challenges as they are faced with shortages of fuel and food and the electricity supply cannot be relied upon. Along with this there is warfare, with 2,310 Gazans dying in a month long conflict with Israel. One thing that the Strip does have is lots of sunlight and one man has made the most of this.

Khaled Bashir has designed and made a solar oven that is able to cook food relying only on the natural resources, which the Gaza Strip has in abundance, the sun. While the design of the oven may be crude it does the job of cooking food perfectly and it is affordable.

Bashir made good use of his background and qualifications that he received. He earned an M.Sc when studying at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Upon his graduation he then went to work for the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry and is working at the moment in construction materials. However while he remains very busy he still has time for helping out the community.

The solar ovens he designed may take time to cook but they are very effective and Bashir said that they are much better than a gas or electric oven. One of the main advantages of solar cooking is that it keeps in the flavor of the food. Another advantage is that the food doesn’t burn as the sun is always moving. The temperature inside the solar oven reaches up to 284 degrees Fahrenheit and it runs on just one tank of gas a year.

Bashir has made 20 units of the solar ovens so that his neighbors can use them. He also shows people how to make them for 700 shekels for the parts and labor and an oven takes about two days to construct.

            






 [Image Courtesy of Gaza Gateway]