Surya Arka is a modular greenhouse made entirely of solar panels destined to landfill. Located at Varanashi Farms, in the Indian coast of Karnataka, it helps to protect cacao seedling from an increasingly harsher climate. 4 of the 24 up-cycled solar panels still generate 85% of their original efficiency, enough to power wider irrigation and lighting needs at the farm. By up-cycling rather than dismantling, Surya Arka transforms solar panel e-waste into resilient, regenerative infrastructure. It is a collaborative project by IISc Bengaluru and Imperial College London. Read more…
Prof. Monto Mani, and Prof. Rajan Rawal (CARBSE), CEPT University), talk about why sustainable buildings don’t have to cost more in the long run. They also highlight the new building codes by the Bureau of Indian Standards that focus on sustainability and are designed especially for India’s climate and diverse needs. These codes aim to help builders, designers, and city planners make smarter choices, from construction to maintenance and even dismantling. Furthermore, they discuss how India’s variety of climates and cultures can actually help create better building standards for everyone.
Development is a ubiquitous pursuit in all facets of modern society, involving societal, industrial and academic aspirations, with sustainability of the planet in the distant background. While it stands distinct, sustainability falls short of fulfilling development’s promises of a better world. Sustainable Development turns out to be a paradox! Yet, on a philosophical and evolutionary note, Sustainability is life’s fundamental motive and inherently deals with continuity as against permanence. In the context of human civilization, sustainability is at the centre of debate between prosperity and consumerism. The lecture discusses philosophical underpinnings of sustainability, along with practical insights drawn from design and architecture.
Can development and sustainability dwell on the same page?
Development fundamentally is about choices — choice for every individual to access and afford a better life, and as Amartya Sen puts it, a ‘capability to be and do what one wants’. Sustainability is about an environment that promotes and sustains personal and planetary health, with the latter being an ignored prerequisite for the former. In a societal context, peace and contentment are often seen as a precondition for health, and are frequently viewed as an eventual goal to work towards. While providing a precursor on sustainability, the current talk/discussion aims to open a debate on the role of development and sustainability with examples traced to traditional ‘artisan’ skills vs automation and convenience vs health (both physical and mental).
Prof. Monto Mani participated in the session “Building Climate Resilience in Urban India”, which was organised on Friday, September 20, 2024, at the India International Centre, New Delhi & on Zoom. The discussion aimed to explore the climate change impacts of the built environment in urban landscapes. The session addressed gaps and opportunities for building climate resilience and sustainability, emphasizing inclusiveness in climate response.
As the world moves towards renewable energy, solar panels are now a common sight. India too is investing a considerable amount of resources into solar enregy. But, did you know that the waste generated from discarded solar panels is extremely difficult to recycle? SuDesi Lab at Centre for Sustainable Technologies, IIsc Bangalore are addresses the issue: Use solar panels as building material!