My blogs on external sites

A couple of my blogs were published on external sites. Both were about the same topic though viewed from slightly different angles. Do take a peek and leave your comments..

http://waterintegrityblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/the-dark-side-of-the-construction-boom/
http://coastalcare.org/2012/10/sand-mining-the-high-volume-low-value-paradox/

More about my experiences in Rome and the STREAM Summer School

Back from Rome. Had a fabulous time! I must confess though that I was very apprehensive about how safe couch-surfing would be for a lone female traveler, I guess I was lucky to find two hosts who were exceptionally kind and generous! Imagine your host receiving you at the airport on a Sunday morning. Even if I had to do this for someone I already knew, it wouldn't be my favourite task at all! This person was kind enough to make me comfortable at his place and also take me on a guided tour to see some of the touristy places I had missed out on the last time I was there. I also indulged in authentic Roman food. The markets with tons and tons of sun-dried tomatoes and inviting tasters of Grappa and various kinds of exotic liqueurs, cheese and absolutely delicious gelato made it a very lovely weekend. The icing on the cake was the birthday/Salsa party I attended later in the evening. It was great to feel the pulse of the city and know it was alive and well. My second host was equally kind and had some fascinating stories to share.He hosted people almost everyday and it was lovely to meet the other guests too. So if you've never tried couch-surfing before, I'd definitely recommend it to get a feel for the place and its culture. Of course, it goes without saying that one must try to find out as much as one can about the host in order to avoid nasty shocks upon arrival. I also learned that Couch-surfing is now a for-profit entity. As you can imagine, this is not a popular thing at all. With good reason, because a few people make money from hundreds of others who actually host people for free. There are other non-profit alternatives such as BeWelcome and WarmShowers. I intend on trying them sometime in the future. Having said that, I must share that many hosts complain about rude and insensitive guests. That's a shame! It is remarkable how absolute strangers will let you into their world and it is important not to abuse that opportunity. The next time you think of travelling, do consider exploring the three options I've listed above. It is sure to be a rewarding experience and it is definitely worth taking a chance. There are far more benevolent people in the world than we usually believe and a lot of friendships waiting to be made. 

Coming to the reason I went to Rome in the first place, the STREAM Summer School proved very interesting indeed! It was a highly diverse mix of participants from policy makers, researchers, assistant professors, SMEs and even a start-up investment consultant!  There was representation from Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Netherlands, Moldova, Germany, Hungary and even places like Sheffield, Leeds, Milan, Paris, Brussels. Seeing the world from so many view-points added so much insight! Turns out that there is a specific term that encompasses all the competencies that I was talking about in my previous post about communicating across silos. Such a person/ organization is apparently called a 'knowledge-broker'. I had written a blog about the missing link sometime in 2010. Was happy to find answers relevant to Academia/Policy two years later. Though in my opinion it would be be best if each expert from a specific field learned to communicate to an audience beyond their own field. It would help them bridge the gap themselves  instead of relying on specialized 'knowledge brokers' so to speak. Like in many other fields, in the case of water too, research uptake by industry/Policy makers is not as robust as it could be.For eg- Politicians are driven by a short term focus on what will bring the best results  (and votes) now whereas researchers would often like to do research for research's sake. Water users on the other hand, often don't care to bother their heads with too many issues as long as they have access to clean,cheap water.  However, there are some innovative experiments being done to encourage people on different sides to understand the view points of the other people of the table. An innovative project that we discussed in the course was the WISE-RTD site which offers a free e-learning tutorial and even simulated exercises at varying levels to practice cross-border communication if you will. As the site says:

"The WISE-RTD Water Knowledge Portal can be used to locate considerable policy, research and industry resources that can help with water management. Intelligent keyword linking algorithms allow you to quickly and easily find policy, science and technology related information and to see the inter-relationships between them.

The WISE-RTD Water Knowledge Portal forwards to websites with focus on information relevant for the implementation of the European Water Policy.

The linked websites contain a wide range of information such as guidance documents, synthesis reports, reviews, experiences of projects on implementation, selections of ICT tools, methodologies and results of national and EC funded research projects.

Information is presented from all over Europe (and even beyond), at European, national and regional level as well as for river(sub-)basins.

Different user groups (policy makers or water managers, researchers or consultants) are guided by intelligent searches to customized selections of available information related to any EU water policy tasks."

Will end this post with a link to a cute movie on the WISE-RTD site that helps you understand why such a site might be needed. It lasts about three and a half mins. Do watch. http://www.wise-rtd.info/en/bleu-page/wise-rtd-movie

Back to the Eternal City! All my bags are packed.....

I can't sleep. Terribly excited about the Summer School and the fact that it is going to be held in Rome! Will be ready to fly out in a couple of hours. Reflecting on my life and its direction, I realize that I've always been interested in all things 'green' but the very first time I took some direct action on focussing my energies was when I read a newspaper article calling on people to save the lakes in Bangalore, India. It then directed the reader towards a symposium that one could attend free of cost. It was "The Symposium on Restoration of Lakes and Wetlands" called Lake 2000. I recall sitting in the auditorium soaking in every bit of information that was being given out. But I knew even back then that much of what the experts said would remain well within the 'expert circle' for various reasons. Don't think much has changed since then. Dense communication and use of jargon top my list of pet peeves when it comes to communication from 'experts'. My biggest grouse with academia is that very often fantastic research is done but not as much is done about communicating those results to a lay audience in a timely, consistent  and accessible manner. 

For instance,when I worked in the CSR space at Infosys a few years ago, sustainability seemed like a shiny, new concept. Little did I realize that reams had been written about it. There were thousands of journal articles on the topic and hundreds of them were older than a decade or two! Why then did those crucial questions not percolate down to the general public? To give you a specific example, in 1991 a prominent scholar Sharadchandra Lele had dissected the semantics of 'Sustainable Development', a term that is bandied about ever so often! In his article he asked very pertinent questions about the exact meaning of the term and the various connotations it could have (as depicted in the diagram). Yet, surprisingly, none of the conferences I attended spoke about such underlying ambiguity and certainly nobody in business! Today I look back and realize how practically every project worth its salt claims to be 'sustainable' and I'm thankful the masters course at King's has helped me question things and go beyond the obvious.

Source: (Lele, 1991)

Perhaps many researchers attempt to communicate their work but only a few truly take the trouble to decode their expertise and make it accessible to anyone who is interested. I recall a pithy quote on advertising that best sums up the situation. 'Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.' - Stuart Henderson. But then again, perhaps publishers create an artificial void so that people would have to pay to access information. (One of the main reasons I am all for open access journals.) I guess having one's research locked up in labyrinths of red tape must be equally frustrating for researchers who'd like to shout from the roof tops about their findings. The point here is not to find fault with a specific person but to point out how research and technology are not half as effective if they are not backed up with powerful communication. 

I'm grateful that life has given me the opportunity to follow my passion even after a decade. I'm excited at the chance to learn about cutting-edge technology and policy in the EU with regard to water at the STREAM summer school at Rome. I'm also looking forward to networking and building strong contacts in the industry.  That apart, I'm trying couch surfing for the very first time. Will share more about my experiences with the hosts in my next blog. I'm tickled pink that someone would go out of their way to make a stranger feel comfortable in their city. My first host has volunteered to not only pick me up at the airport on a Sunday morning but has also kindly offered me a chance to join his group when they go salsa dancing later in the evening. Can't wait!

a dopo...

The Fashion Industry and Rivers - Die or Dye?

When you shop for clothes, do you aim to buy clothes that are exactly the same shade as everyone else's? Chances are the answer is a 'no'. You probably look for something that is as distinct as you. Something that reflects your own personality. In fact, much of the luxury segment exists simply because of this desire for uniqueness and individuality. Yet, you'd be surprised at how decisions are made behind the scene that result in massive waste of water and energy. In my previous blog post, we saw how the notion of 'ONLY black is beautiful' was causing 20 ebony trees to be cut down in order to find that one perfectly black specimen, leaving behind incalculable destruction in its wake. In this post, I'd like to highlight something similar that happens with water in the textile and apparel industry. Did you know that  every two years the clothing industry uses water equivalent to that of the Mediterranean Sea to dye clothing? 

Image Source:  http://www.adidas.com/com/goallin/news/2012/08/adidas-drydye/

Dyeing clothing has always been a water intensive process but when the fabric is meant for the US and EU markets, nearly 4-6 times more water and energy is consumed compared to fabrics aimed at other markets because 'US and EU buyers demand exact color-matching, requiring more frequent re-dyeing'. Who decided that all shirts should be the exact same shade? Doesn't common sense about consumer psychology point otherwise? Most industrial processing takes place in developing countries where environmental safeguards are low. The next time you shop at a Zara or a Primark or wherever, take the time to look at the labels and you'd find that they've been manufactured in China, India, Bangladesh, Morocco etc. The reality in many of those places is that they can indeed tell the colour of fashion for the next season by looking at the colour of their rivers, that is if the rivers survive. 

Source:  http://www.tehelka.com/story_main53.asp?filename=Ne010912KILLING.asp 

Fortunately, when brands become big, they also have to worry about their image in the consumer mind and many leading brands are also taking the initiative not just to clean up their act but to actually fuel innovation. Take for instance, Nike which has adopted waterless textile dying process designed by Dye Coo.or Adidas which has also done the same with DryDye technology that does not use a single drop of water and also uses   50% less energy and 50% less chemicals. Levi Strauss & Co. best known for its Levi’s jeans goes so far as to recommend that you don't wash your jeans. I have now discovered new-found respect for someone who once told me he washed his jeans only once a year. Turns out he is a true-blue denim aficionado. But I must confess I still don't have the stomach to wash my denims only once or twice a year! Many companies have also joined the coalition to promote zero discharge of hazardous chemicals. WRAP in the UK provides manufacturers with a good practice guide to manage water and chemical use in the textile dyeing and finishing industry.

While we know there are miles to go, it helps to know every little bit that is being done to protect this precious blue planet. I'll leave you with this very interesting short video about how the apparel industry and fashion brands are cutting back on their “water weight”. If you have the time/inclination, I'd also recommend this entertaining super short video also by Summer Rayne Oakes. Until the next time...

PS - I've been chosen to participate in the Summer School at Rome between the 24th - 28th of September. The STREAM summer school  aims to promote exchange of knowledge and the awareness on EU water research and state of the art technology among researchers from universities, research institutes and SMEs. So excited about the opportunity to network with water professionals and also looking forward to return to the Eternal City. Those cents I dropped in the Trevi fountain many years ago finally did work their charm after all!  Stay with me and I'll share my experience of the experience...:)

The tale of Taylor Guitars and the quest for sustainability

Early last month, I read a report on how Gibson, the famous guitar makers were forced to face the music. They were ordered to pay $300,000 in penalties because they were found guilty of aiding illegal trafficking of tropical hardwoods; more specifically, rosewood and ebony shipments from India and ebony from Madagascar with an estimated value of more than $419,000. Not very pleasant news for a company and it's reputation. When I shared this news with a friend who also happens to be a musician, he shared this video in turn. It lasts little over 13 minutes and I urge you to watch it to the end.

Hats off to Bob Talyor of Taylor guitars! One person's decision to make a positive difference can have so many ripple effects, especially if he/she happens to be in a position of power. In this case,Bob Taylor's decision to confront 'the truth of the forest' and respond accordingly has saved hundreds of trees from being felled unnecessarily, has eased the labour of those who chop down the trees, has increased the availability of legally harvested ebony worldwide, has set new benchmarks for the 'value' of ebony. I'm positive, employees of Taylor guitars must feel proud to work for such a company. I'd love to meet him in person someday and when I do, I'd be sure to congratulate him on several counts - making the effort to stay in Cameroon for a over a year despite his 'first world/modern' roots, demonstrating great people skills in truly listening to his employees/contractors, for demonstrating outstanding leadership in making the decision to pay the same rate for wood that was until then considered B-grade simply because it was coloured, knowing full well that customers were used to different standards and last but not the least for going all out to educate his customers on why he made the decision, for reaching out to millions of musicians who play guitars and violins. I'm positive that when customers really see what he sees, they too will soon realize the truth of his visionary statement, "The nature of what we thought was beautiful for a hundred years is simply going to change". The global trade in illegal timber is said to be worth over $30 billion a year. When you consider that over and above this cost, one must also take into account the cost of decimated habitats, irreparably damaged watersheds, destroyed livelihoods and extinction of species, the costs soon become immeasurable. But we live in exciting times. Not only thanks to courageous and visionary leaders like Bob Taylor but also thanks to development of new frontiers in science and law. DNA testing is now being used to trace timber back to its origins. Australian companies are now proactively responding to the proposed legislation to enforce criminal sanctions on companies that cannot prove they are importing from legal sources. Watch this video to see how 'CSI meets save the planet'.

So while one industry is slowly but surely moving towards taking responsibility, it makes me think of other industries that are doing/ potentially could do something similar -for instance,  the fashion and clothing industry. In my next post, I'd like to talk about how the textile and apparel industry wastes enormous quantities of water and what some companies are doing to tackle this wasteful way of doing things. Stay tuned.

Meghalaya's Living Bridges

Ever so often, humans are capable of working with Nature instead of against it. It is at such times that my faith in humanity is restored. Meghalaya is now on my must-see-before-I-die list of places. So inspiring!

5 World Bank Webinars for FREE

The World Bank and the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) are hosting a weekly webinar series on the water sector. The webinar series is open to anyone who has access to the internet via a smartphone, tablet or a computer. 11 webinars were scheduled and 6 have been conducted so far. The topics that have been covered are

1. Myths of the Rural Water Supply Sector
2. Rural Water Supply and  Sanitation Challenges in Latin America for the Next Decade: Lessons from the International Seminar “Cusco+10”
3. Actions to Attract Investment to African Rural Water Supply
4. Govt.of Finland CoWASH  Program in Ethiopia
5. WASH and Equity
6. PPPs in Madagascar’s Rural Towns

The session recordings and presentations are available at http://water.worldbank.org/node/84117

Several interesting topics have been lined up for the forthcoming talks as well. See table below:

Date	Topic	Speaker/s
5/15/2012	Life Cycle Costing Approach	Catarina Fonseca - Project Director, WASHCost, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre Analysis and use of the full costs of sustainable, equitable, and reliable water services
5/22/2012	Grundfos LifeLink Payment System and Solar Technology	Rasoul Dashtbani Mikkelsen - Funding and Partnership Manager, Grundfos LIFELINK A/S Spencer Ochieng - General Manager, Grundfos LIFELINK (Kenya) Ltd. An innovative business model for Africa, Asia, and Latin America based on a solar pumps, mobile phones, and mobile banking technologies
5/29/2012	Sustainable Groundwater Development for Rural Water Supplies	Sean Furey - Water & Sanitation Specialist based at Skat, in Switzerland, and part of the RWSN Secretariat. RWSN wants groundwater to be understood and used for the benefit of everyone, in perpetuity. The three sub-themes are ‘Handpump Technology’, ‘Cost Effective Boreholes’ and ‘Cost Effective Groundwater Management’.
6/5/2012	Human Right to Water and Sanitation	Catarina de Albuquerque - UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation
6/12/2012	Self Supply: Supported Household Investment in Rural Water Supply	Sally Sutton - Hydrogeologist, SWL Consultants André Olschewski - Water, Sanitation and Environmental Management Specialist, RWSN/Skat Foundation Increasing access through encouraging households to invest in their own supplies

For those who are interested, the webinars offer not only useful information about various issues within the water sector across the globe but also offer opportunities to network and build contacts within the industry. Personally, I have also found interesting insights from the question and answer sessions after the presentations and also the periodic micro-surveys that are conducted such as the one featured in the screenshot below:

If you’re interested in participating, register at http://water.worldbank.org/node/84117 and don’t forget to schedule it into your calendars. Do drop me a line if you happen to join after reading this blog. Will be delighted to make your acquaintance. See you there!

James Cameron reveals Miner Avatar

A recent article in TIME features a start-up venture Planetary Resources Inc. that is backed by stalwarts such as director James Cameron and co-founder, CEO of Google Larry Page among others. Planetary Resources Inc. was in the news because they

I think TIME is asking the wrong question. Of course they can! It is just a matter of 'time' before the right technology is developed that will make this a reality, especially when so many bright minds are devoted to the cause. We take so much for granted in our modern lives. Who would have thought humans could fly like the birds or effortlessly talk to people sitting millions of miles away or travel in trains that travel on magnetic levitation and go faster than Formula One cars? Or for that matter build national economies on stuff that does not grow/ is not found in the country. There are countless examples of this. For starters, think Espresso, Americano, Machiato, Cappuccino, Latte, Doppio, Fredo and the entire Italian coffee culture that people swear by. Rather surprising considering that coffee does not grow in Italy or for that matter many other places where it is such a normal part of life. So coming back to the article, 'Can they?', I believe yes they can. 

But I'd like to pose another question. Should they? One part of me feels 'why not?'. It would certainly make life much easier for us if they find more resources. We can continue sipping our coffees and postulating about 'the ills of population growth'. I must confess though, there is another part of me that feels uneasy about this whole thing. Not because of a hidden Luddite streak in me but because it feels like we're abandoning the mess on Earth so that we can find greener pastures. Far fetched though it may be, it seems to me an extension of our use-and-throw culture. Easier to buy a new thing than mend the old. Easier to find a new relationship in our lives than make the existing one work. In my view, the statement 'We're going to bring the solar system within our economic sphere of influence' smacks of hubris. It reminds me of Parker Selfridge, the character from Avatar who points at the little rock of unobtainium and says ' This is why we're here. Because this little grey rock sells for $20 million a kilo. That is the only reason. This is what pays for the whole party, and it's what pays for your science.'

The idealist part of me feels disappointed that someone like James Cameron would be part of a mining venture. I'm sure the indigenous tribes that looked to him for solace would share my sentiments. The pragmatic part of me would probably just shrug and quote Sherlock (in his new avatar).'Don't make people into heroes John: heroes don't exist, and if they did I wouldn't be one of them.' There is another comment  on the Planetary Resources Inc. Website that gets my attention though. That of Larry Page.'Planetary Resources is definitely a great example of 'Having a healthy disregard for the impossible.'' I like that attitude. Mr.Larry Page, might I also suggest you fund a project that aims at ending global hunger? or one that aims at mining the gazzilion plastic trash particles that are choking our oceans and baby birds and turn it into something useful? or one that stops horrors such as this?

Speaking for myself, I'd like to adopt that worldview and encourage you to do so too. Why should we accept so many ills of the world as a given? Why should striving for an ideal world be dismissed as Utopian? I think 'a healthy disregard for the impossible' is warranted even in such matters. I recall one of my classes with Prof. Daanish Mustafa where he challenged us with a quote that I will not forget easily. 'It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.' - Mark Fisher. True. Certainly is. So I'd like to imagine a world where sustainable consumption is the order. Where systems create products that respect Mother Nature. Where humans realize that we are not the world, merely one part of it, where we are humble enough to recognize and not take for granted the many things Nature gives us for free. I'd like  to leave you with one of my favourite videos. It is a bit dated but it couldn't be truer today. 

Sand mining- the ‘high volume – low value’ paradox

My article on sand mining and its impacts on water resources and people posted on AQUAKNOW 
http://www.aquaknow.net/en/news/sand-mining-high-volume-low-value-paradox

Large Dams Through the Lens of Resilience: Perspectives on the Pakitzapango Dam Project in Peru

This blog entry is in continuation to the two immediately preceding ones where I asked Stavrianna and Adeniyi more about themselves and their award-wining dissertations. This post features Ana Osuna Orozco from Mexico City. Ana's topic was particularly challenging because at a broader level, she attempted to research a topic that has already been done to death in academia, but from a completely new angle. Her dissertation was entitled, 'Large Dams Through the Lens of Resilience: Perspectives on the Pakitzapango Dam Project in Peru'. Given below are her answers to the same questions I asked all three of them. 

“I don’t get this climate stuff!” - Climate change knowledge, perception and concern among corporate elites in Lagos

In my last post, I featured one of three of my classmates who had won awards for best dissertation (Environment and Development) 2010-11. Read here. This post, in continuation to the last one, features Mr.Adeniyi Asiyanbi, popularly addressed by friends as Niyi. His dissertation was entitled.- '“I don’t get this climate stuff!” -Climate change knowledge, perception and concern among corporate elites in Lagos'. Niyi hails from Nigeria. Given below are his answers to my questions. They tell a story that some of us may relate to. Current students working on their dissertation might particularly find it interesting to know how a successful student chose a topic and leveraged his background to overcome challenges.

The Learnean Hydra of Water Scarcity - A Case Study of Sifnos Island, Cyclades, Greece

 

I thought it'd be good idea to feature my classmates who won awards for best dissertation (Environment and Development) 2010-2011 at King's College, London. Unlike other years, 3 people won the award this year. Their dissertations will soon be made available on the King's website. But I'd like to present the people behind that excellent work because I believe we can take a cue from their personal stories. Each of them have been so inspiring to me in their humility, sincerity and hard work that their stories just had to be shared. The first person to be featured here is Stavrianna Kaisari. She's from a place that could be termed as one of the cradles of civilization - Greece. Her award-winning dissertation was titled, 'The Learnean Hydra of Water Scarcity. A Case Study of Sifnos Island, Cyclades, Greece'.

Heads in the sand?

Before you read a word of what I have to say, I'd encourage you to look at this photo-essay since the rest of my post is based on this story.

http://www.robinwyatt.org/photography/photo-essays/western-ghats-under-threat-part-1-sand-mining/

The Konkan coast along the Western Ghats of India is one of the world's most beautiful regions. Dense with tropical foliage and home to several thousands of creatures that you will find nowhere else on earth, the Western Ghats region has in fact been listed as a biodiversity hotspot. (apparently, to be classified as one, it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation). A study done in 2000 states that the area is one of the world’s ten ‘hottest biodiversity hotspots’, with at least 325 globally threatened species occuring there. Considering that we are now in 2012, I'm sure that number will be far far higher. It is a delicate yet critical region that is under tremendous stress due to human callousness. The threats are many, but the focus of this blog is particularly on sand mining and its impacts. But why should you care? Because destruction of this peripheral region has further implications, particularly if you are Indian. To illustrate better, I’d like to liken it to the margins of a garment. When the margins become unraveled, before long, the entire garment starts getting damaged. The Western Ghats are a very crucial watershed region for the country. Many rivers that give life to the peninsula originate in the western ghats. We ignore the health of these riverine ecosystems at our own peril.  So even if we don't live along the coast, it is critical to protect them. Demand for sand is fueled by a powerful construction lobby/mafia. Governments are often reluctant to take action for fear of impacting the construction industry, which acts as a bellwether of how the economy is faring. When faced with extreme public opinions/ litigation, many resort to importing sand from elsewhere, probably replicating the same disasters out there.