This 17 years old environmentalist also known as “Green Machine” is “leaving her mark (not footprints)” on this earth by her splendid actions.

“We reap, what we sow” is an old proverb and the credit goes to the parents of a daughter, who is making India proud while staying abroad by leaving her marks (not footprints) on this earth through her passionate green actions.

This is an inspiring story of a 17 years old girl, Arushi Madan who has became a saviour of the environment at such a young age and is making a huge difference from her actions for more than 6 years.

She has made India proud by winning many laurels at national and international levels. Due to her passion for the environment she had been given the title of “Green Machine.” Many leading newspapers and magazines in UAE have featured her story calling her as ‘Green Machine’, ‘Inspirational Teen’, ‘Green Star of UAE’, ‘Green Champ’ etc. 

Arushi in media

Arushi in action

She inspire others by organizing:

• positive environmental campaigns,
• awareness sessions,
• workshops,
• organizing environmental activities and sharing environmental values and achievements through print and social media.

“I am on a mission to inspire and empower more eco-warriors to get into action and lead us into greener future,” says Arushi. She campaigns at malls, supermarkets, labor camp, factories, Toastmasters club meetings etc.

She convey her message with a significant positive impact through the use of:
• Multimedia presentation (video, a short movie, advertisement).
• Awareness campaigns.
• Social media (Facebook, twitter, and Instagram).
• Volunteer work.

She plant trees, make tables from recycled tires, visit schools for Green Talk(sessions), persuade factories to recycle packing material, give motivational presentations to educate women, laborers and children. By organizing many environment events and campaigns, she mobilize youth to work towards environmental protection. By involving them, she had taught them environmental values which they will never forget. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” is what she believes in.

Resident of UAE since more than a decade, and currently undergoing Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University of Birmingham, UK, Arushi aspires to become an Electrical & Electronics Engineer to acquire skills, knowledge and expertise which she can utilize to work on energy projects & contribute to future CLEAN ENERGY WORLD.

Arushi told Discover Indians, “I aspire to play an important role in the future development of a sustainable world.” She further added “I want to study and explore various energy saving technologies and help build a better, smarter, greener and a high tech world.”

She told many instances to us,

Arushi told us that she involved so many people in the campaign “A Dose of Help” through which she collected more than 1000 medicines from 120 different types. These medicines were unused, not expired and would have been thrown to landfill spoiling the environment. She collected them and gave to Emirates Red Crescent (UAE) for the poor patients.

Believing in the saying “Man with words and no deeds is like a garden full of weeds”, she practice and preach.  She work at the grassroots level to set an example for others to follow alike by her self -initiated projects “Waste segregation system “and “Energy Saving system” in her community.

She further told, “My “waste segregation system” set up in my building community is being widely used by all 66 families in my building community. It has contributed to proper segregation and management (recycling) of waste which has resulted in reduction of carbon emission and protection of environment. It also very well demonstrated to all the 66 families (in my building) that we need to make simple changes in our daily life style to be able to reduce & recycle waste and help protect environment.”

Through her Earth Hour campaign in India “Save Energy, Save Earth”, she had a positive impact where students learnt the true meaning of Earth hour, they learnt energy saving tips like “candle light dinner”, “LED lamps” etc. which they started practicing at home.

As President and mentor of the youth community group “Students for the Earth” and founder of “Ecoholics” and a supporter of “Save The Mother Earth”  community, she involve members and their families in activities like Tree Plantation, Recycling, making best out of waste-which directly benefit the environment.

She visit schools and educate students about environment values like the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) with the help of videos, quizzing, Environmental Games and Green Talk sessions.  She demonstrate the concept of recycling by her self-made coffee tables from discarded tyres. She also visits various factories and summer camps to educate people.  She had linked up many companies having non-working inventory – to recycling agencies.

She organizes educational trips to green sites like “The Change Initiative”, “DEWA building”, “Agricultural Box” to educate people about sustainability. She also write articles on environmental issues/values like recycling, waste management, frugality, energy efficiency etc in various national newspapers to inspire people to be eco-conscious.

She is trying to impact all segments of society as everyone is a stakeholder in environment, she believes. Besides spreading environment awareness among youth, she had also done the same for laborers and women through environment awareness session exclusively for them.

She believes in the saying “If you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you educate a generation”, that’s why she regularly hold sessions and workshops exclusively for women from different segments (separately for working women & housewives). She had been able to educate the women especially who had no idea about what is happening globally on the environment front and with her session and workshop, those ladies are now inculcating environmental values at their homes, among their families.

Wherever she gets opportunity, she address people and promote environmental values like on the eve of Indian festival where Hindu married ladies gather for a ritual, she addressed 50 women and shared with them simple tips to save energy and reduce waste. She also linked them with recycling companies and the women, subsequently, started segregating waste and giving for recycling.

She believes that trees are the lungs and lifelines for our Mother Earth and hence supports /organises “Tree Plantation” on various occasions.  She has been planting trees on her birthdays, her parents’ anniversaries, significant days like Earth Day, Environment Day, International Youth Day etc. She visits primary schools, carry saplings with her and plant them with young kids to involve them in tree plantation and to lay their green foundation.

She is promoting the idea of ‘Birthday Plantation’. “While we have many days to celebrate like Environment day, Earth Day etc. besides these everyone has their own very special day, that is our birthdays,” she adds.

Trees are one of the most efficient ways to combat climate change and global warming. “It would be a big positive move towards environment protection if we all, as a responsible inhabitant of this planet, start planting birthday trees and help promote this idea till it becomes the most trending thing,” she emphasises. 

“World population is reaching 7 billion. Imagine, if each of us plant a tree on our birthday alone, this world will be much greener and purer with 7 billion more trees in a year. Imagine if parents plant a tree when their new child is born, take his picture with the tree every year on his birthday. This way watch the tree growing with your child and build a green future,” she adds.

“Change has to begin from us so whoever is reading it, make it a practice to plant a tree from your next birthday onwards and spread the word around till all 7 billion people of this world have at least one tree each,” says Arushi.

Her campaigns and efforts have been positively impacting the environment and influencing others in the youths and wider community.

She says that she had motivated her schoolmates to reduce their environmental footprint and even presented the same in her school awareness sessions, spreading awareness about reducing food waste & it’s harmful impacts on environment.

She had initiated drives in the school to collect “no longer to be used” books and stationary items from the students so that they don’t add to landfill but rather they are used for the poor and needy children.

She had made beautiful serving tables using discarded tyres and is using those tables at her home and also use them to demonstrate how recycling can turn waste items into beautiful, useful and economical stuff saving money as well as environment.

She has taught small factories in Industrial area to fold the cartons and collect them to be given for recycling and also visited food courts, cafes and malls and inspired them to keep collecting recyclables.

She had been able to link many students/their families with environment management companies and recycling agencies thus helping them in disposing their un-wanted inventory in an environmentally friendly manner.

By giving an environment awareness session at a big factory in India, She promoted environmental values to 450 employees and they carried the green message back to their families as well.

There are endless examples of her activities/projects that have not only directly impacted the environment in a positive manner but also transformed people’s attitude towards environment.

She is serving as:

• the Regional Environment Ambassador to the Middle East (appointed by Tunza Eco Generation-venture between UNEP and Samsung Engineering),
• the President and mentor of youth community group ‘Students for the Earth’ (registered under Earth Charter International Youth groups),
• Country incharge of ‘Green Dream Earth’ and Environment Ambassador by Bee’ah.

She was invited to represent the UAE at Global Youth Eco Leadership Summit at Seoul, South Korea. She was the youngest speaker in the first ‘International Women’s Peak Performance Summit’, the guest speaker in SEAA ceremony on World Environment Day 2015 and the special honorary speaker for Brainobrain.

Her eco habits like ‘Birthday Plantation’ and ‘alternate day candle light dinner’ is inspiring so many. “I urge global youth to shed away hesitations and don’t wait for others to initiate, have a “Let me” approach rather than “Why me,” she advocates.

Apart from academics, involve yourself in social and voluntary activities to improve the lives of others, to give back to society and to make this world a better place. Be the change you wish to see in the world. For e.g. if you find a place dirty, please don’t say “the place is dirty”. Rather, clean it and say “It was dirty” show others by examples and that’s what she is demonstrating.

Youth has immense potential to bring about a revolutionizing change, let’s use “Youth Power” and bring a positive change to the environment and to the world. Let’s leave our mark (not our footprint).”

Her efforts had won her many laurels, on national and international levels, listed here:

International Awards and Recognitions

• Won the “International Diana Award” –one of the most prestigious global award with the certificate signed by the then British Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron.
• Was invited and felicitated at Indian Embassy, Abu Dhabi as well as British Council.
• Won International Young Eco Hero Award from US based “Action For Nature” in 2015 and was the only winner from UAE among 10 global winners.
• Honoured as High Achiever Youth by “Commonwealth Youth Council” and featured in “Commonwealth Young Achievers Book” published in 2015.
• Featured as inspirational “Hero” on “Kidsareheroes.org.”
• Member of “National Society of High School Scholars”, USA.
• Featured as inspirational teen on US based website inspiremykids.com.
• Won cash prize for achieving distinction and being the MIDDLE EAST TOPPER in TERI Green Olympiad Contest ( an exam on energy, environment and sustainable development) – accredited by Indian Ministry of Environment & conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
• Won the “Best (Environment) Ambassador” & “The Most inspiring Ambassador”award from Tunza Eco Generation (an initiative by UNEP & Samsung Engineering ) among more than 60 global ambassadors.
• Was invited to represent UAE in Global Youth Eco Leadership Summit at Seoul, South Korea in Feb 2014.
• Selected by “Women for Wildlife” as one of the 35 Global Women Visionaries and heroines of today’s world who are passionately devoted to a cause.
• Was interviewed and featured as “Climate Change Activist” by African journalist and member of International Youth Council and featured at Sustainability X published on 5th Feb 2016.
• Recognised and appreciated as South Asian who is making a mark in UAE –by Viacom 18 (owners of leading Indian TV channels-Colors and Rishtey).
• Honoured and featured as “NRI Achiever” by NRI café.

National Awards and Recognitions

• Won the most prestigious & UNESCO recognised “Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum award for Distinguished Student” in 2013.
• Won “Sharjah Award for Educational Excellence” in 2015.
• TWICE Won Ist Prize- Outstanding student in Sharjah Environment Awareness Award (SEAA) in 2014 & 2016 on World Environment Day.
• Won 2^nd Best Scholar in World Scholar’s Cup 2014.
• Won Bosch Green energy efficient washing machine as award in Nov 2013 for winning “Green Star UAE” title for my environmental contributions & achievements.
• Won “Dunia Young Leaders Scholar” award as one of the only 20 winners. As an award, she got the scholarship worth 1 year school tution fees.
• Won Big Idea Amazing Star 2015.

Reading all her achievements, can you believe she is just 17?

Yes, she is proving again the saying “age has no bar” and with her efforts making India proud. We wish her more power for her enduring and passionate work. We are sure she will leave her marks (not footprints) on this planet and we wish her good luck in her journey.

 

 

Emergency Gas (LPG) Leakage 24×7 Helpline by Government of India launched under Digital India

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday inaugurated an all India round the clock helpline — 1906  for LPG leaks.

Each oil marketing company used to have a separate helpline for gas leaks. Consumers now have to just dial 1906, to receive prompt help, Mr. Pradhan said.

The number – ‘1906’ is a call-centre based service, available pan-India to all LPG customers of the three public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), a government statement said.

The helpline offers services in nine vernacular languages – Marathi; Gujarati; Bengali; Oriya; Assamese; Tamil; Telugu; Kannada; and Malayalam- apart from Hindi and English, to ensure that the callers are comfortable in registering their grievances.

The number was not toll-free at the moment, but Mr. Pradhan had asked the heads of the OMCs to make it toll-free soon.

These 100% bio-degradable products made out of plant fiber can replace the environment damaging plastics in future.

We all know about the harmful effects plastic has on us as well as the environment. That’s the reason too many corporates are concerned about and are trying to bring more and more biodegradable products into the market.

A year ago we told you about edible cutlery and now it’s Earthware. It’s the South India’s first only manufacturing unit of products made from plant fibre which are 100% bio-degradable.

Image Credit: Outlook

 

Earthware manufactures eco-friendly food containers, plates, bowls etc. that are also healthy to eat out of. Products made from fibre like sugar cane, wheat, bamboo, cellulose etc. are known as bagasse products. They are a result of natural plant fibre and compostable.

Image Credit: visfortec.com

 

The containers are made of bagasse which are water-resistant, shatterproof, microwave-safe and decomposes on their own within 90 days, which makes them a perfect substitute to plastic.

“We’ve been around for a long time and then suddenly the demand has doubled,” says Samanvi Bhograj, founder of Bengaluru-based Earthware. Samanvi recalls the start point for Earthware, saying, “We weren’t looking at it as a business: it was more of a social responsibility thing for us. The business has emerged now,” she told Indiahikes.

Plastic is toxic! It is full of harmful by-products and chemicals that are released during its breakdown process. Biodegradable products, however, are completely safe and free of toxins which end up harming us over the course of time.

Earthware makes cups,plates, bowls, cutlery and lunch boxes. The Bangalore-based company ships all over India as well as abroad. It’s time for us to shift our focus towards more environment friendly products like these in innovating, spreading and using such products keeping it’s impact on our health and the environment at large.

Miraculous Water Powered Bike which can go 500 kms. in a litre of H2o.

• T Power H20 motorcycle is a brainchild of Brazilian, Sao Paulo based civil officer Ricardo Azevedo 
• This water powered bike can go 500 kms. / 310 miles on a litre of water whether clean or polluted.

Soaring fuel prices and environment concerns had urged people to invent vehicles which can run on water since decades, but no such real invention had been made so far.

Recently, T Power H20 motorbike was developed in Sao Paulo, Brazil by a man named Ricardo Azevedo. His motorcycle can travel up to 500kms./310 miles on just a liter of water, and it does not require any specific type of water.

The design features a combination of water and a single external car battery, which is used to produce electricity and separate hydrogen from the water molecule.

“The advantage of this motorcycle, which works with the hydrogen that comes from the water, is that the result that comes out of the exhaust is water vapour. This is different from gasoline, which the result is carbon monoxide,” said Azevedo.

Have a view how the Ricardo’s motorcycle work:

Ricardo Azevedo has even demonstrated the brilliance of his invention after first drinking clean water from a bottle to prove that it is H2o and not any fuel and later how the motorcycle works using polluted water from a nearby river also.

The process, involving a pipe system, results in combustion and it is this that creates the energy necessary to power the bike.

Speaking about the motorcycle, Mr Azevedo also suggested that his creation has environmental benefits too.

He said: ‘The advantage of this motorcycle, which works with the hydrogen that comes from the water, is that the result that comes out of the exhaust is water vapour. This is different from gasoline, which the result is carbon monoxide.’

Azevedo is ready for the testing of his invention which could bring a revolution in the transportation industry. He has to be a bit careful from his rivals as inventors like him have been discredited and even killed in the past.

The best way to keep Azevedo and his invention safe is to spread the word about him and his invention and let the real credit go flowing to him.

This village is producing electricity in a mud pot with the Cow-dung and discarded battery cells. Here’s how?

You would have heard of Bio-gas plant, but here’s a totally different story.

This story is of village Poorejham Tiwari located on the Sultanpur road 5 kms. from Haidergarh town in Barabanki of Uttar Pradesh.

Brijesh Tripathi, a young farmer in village Poorejham, who is just intermediate passed out has invented this new way of producing electricity in a mud pot with cow-dung and discarded battery cells.

He takes cheap Chinese bulbs used in electric welts, and 3 discarded battery cells. He replaces the cover of those discarded cells and connects the positive and negative wires to it and then dip then in three mud pots filled with cow-dung paste and then he mixes a small quantity of salt and detergent powder to the paste and his process works well to generate electricity.

The village is deprived of electricity and only 2 liters of kerosene oil is distributed per family from the ration stores. In such conditions, the lives of the people of Poorejham village is miserable in the absence of any electricity. Few years ago only pillars for electricity have been installed in the village but no wires or electricity ever came to this village.

Brijesh says he read in the newspaper about the process and he thought of testing the same. When he experimented first the bulb lighted, then he checked it for radio and it worked and next he thought to charge the cellphone and the process worked.

Following Brijesh most of the villagers of Poorejham are producing electricity by his method and making their life easier. Now this formulae of Brijesh has became a hit in his village as well as in most of the nearby villages. Even the children in the village also know the formulae and are happy as they have electricity to carry on their studies.

Villagers are happy and surprised with the experiments that they get some electricity for their daily usage but they don’t know what chemical process goes behind to produce electricity in a mud pot filled with cow-dung and discarded battery cells. They hope when technical people will discover their experiment someday, they will create a better technology using their formulae.

We hope spreading their story can bring a change as well as electricity to their village.

 

 

How one idea can change the future of a child? Here’s a great example set by Biz Divas Foundation

Anusheela Saha (2016 I Inspire Young Trailblazer Awardee) came up with the idea of The #LightBag – A school bag  – with solar panels and LED lights! The bag can turn to a study lamp at night and can charge itself during the day in just 2 hours.

It’s just a simple idea and it’s already changing 1000s of lives.

Biz Divas Foundation supports Sahpathi in its quest to address learning deficiencies among underprivileged children of Silokhra, an urban village in Gurgaon.

Electricity is a major problem in most Indian villages and across the world due to which many children are forced to drop their dream for education. But this simple idea is proving a boom for these underprivileged children that they can continue their studies even after sunset in the absence of electricity.

We can spread the news and help more people and organizations to contribute for the bright future of these underprivileged children. Organizations can undertake it as a part of their CSR. 

You can also contribute to this bag’s fundraiser here:https://www.bitgiving.com/iinspire16

The cost involved in making one bag, from start to finish is Rs. 1500, including the cost of the solar panel and LED lights.

ISRO’s Rocket Science Can Now Pump Blood – Major Make In India Innovation For Heart Transplantation

Spin off of the space technology into an artificial heart (LVAD, a blood pumping device) by Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) can now save lives.

In an major Make In India Innovation for the artificial heart a team of ISRO’s Rocket Scientists at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) have been successful in building a small device that can pump blood while spinning off the material and technology used in rocket science.

A team of about two dozen experts like metallurgists, electronic engineers, flow mechanics and conduction specialists have worked for over six years to build the pump and they describe it as work in progress. The device is a mechanical pump that can be implanted in a person’s chest to assist a weak heart pump blood through the body.

This Made-in-India low cost Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) weighs 100 gm and will help people who need heart transplants, replicating the function of a part of the heart that pumps blood.

The device is made of biocompatible titanium alloy and can pump blood at the rate of 3 to 5 litres per minute. Similar imported heart pumps cost crores of rupees, but the ISRO version is expected to cost only Rs. 1.25 lakh.

See the full story here

It is being tested right now by a team of surgeons on animals and is expected to be ready for use on humans only after a few years of extensive testing. The device was recently tested on five pigs at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for a six-hour experiment which doctors said was successful.

“Material used in a rocket, the mechanism used in a rocket, electronics used in a rocket are combined to form the device… which is useful as a first step towards heart transplantation. This device was tested in a pig, and it was found that the pig was alive after fitting it. The other organs of the animal were intact. This shows that it is a very good alternative for an artificial heart,” says Dr K Sivan, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

In a paper submitted to an international journal in 2011, a scientist from VSSC said: “LVADs are mechanical circulatory devices placed between the left ventricle and aorta that take over the function of a failing heart either partially or completely.”

An advanced cardiac or heart failure may cause a drop in the output of the heart from its normal resting output of about five litres of blood per minute to around two litres a minute. As the output reaches this level, the kidneys, liver, and brain are damaged irreversibly, the paper reads. The LVAD is designed to pump blood at the rate of 3 to 5 litres per minute.

 “This is one of the examples of how work that is done for rocket technology or satellite technology can help human beings. This is an alternate system in case the human heart has difficulties in pumping blood. It provides a bypass pumping system that can definitely help human lives,” said Dr Kiran Kumar, ISRO chairman.

The titanium used is biocompatible and weighs only 100gm. Other studies show LVADs can be used as an alternative to transplant in case of terminally ill patients whose body condition render them unsuitable for transplants.

 

 

How one social campaign #UnfairandLovely is transforming the mis-conception of the world

Fairness is not the only certificate of beauty. Dark is also beautiful and the new social campaign #UnfairandLovely is proving it and changing the widely held belief across the world. 

Three friends from University of Texas, Austin have recently started the campaign #UnfairandLovely to prove this world that the dark is beautiful.  Pax Jones, a 21-year-old black student created a photo series featuring stunning images of her Sri Lankan classmates, sisters Mirusha and Yanusha Yogarajah.

Even in matrimonial sites in South Asian countries, women with “fair complexion” are in high demand than to the dark skinned women, which has resulted millions of men and women around the world have opted for bleaching their skin. This belief, shaped by societal attitudes and reinforced by media messages, is destroying the self-worth of countless people, young and old.

In this campaign they have appealed the Dark colored women to send selfies with the #UnfairandLovely who are undermined with the belief and disgust of being less beautiful than the fairer women.

Results of such misbelief is that skin whitening creams are becoming a big business across the world. Consumers are encouraged to believe that lightening their skin tone a shade or two will enable them to win ‘better’ jobs and spouses and generally improve the quality of their lives.

Over the years, various campaigners have tried to challenge this belief – they argue that beauty is more than skin deep and that dark is beautiful too. Bollywood actress Nandita Das is also associated with alike campaign named dark is beautiful.

Campaign “Unfair & Lovely”is becoming a hit on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) with #unfairandlovely – named after the highly popular Indian skin-lightening cream Fair and Lovely.

How it all started: Pax told when she was clicking images of Mirusha and Yanusha, they faced absurd comments. She clicked their pictures and they both commented colorism is a social evil underneath. While posting this image on social media many dark colored women started commenting and connecting. This resulted for us to start this campaign under #UnfairandLovely. Pax says it’s a platform for the dark women across the world, which aim to terminate the discrimination for dark colored people. People across the world are supporting the campaign and it’s becoming a hit on Instagram.

“In college, I was abused by a South Asian person who had lighter skin. And someone once threw a bleach balloon at me.” Such incidents are deeply humiliating says Mirusha Yogarajah to BBC.

“We wanted to start a conversation and I think we have succeeded in that” says Ms Jones.

 

 

Great idea worth spreading for diminishing the rate of road accidents

Two Girls- Saumya Pandya Thakkar and Shakuntala Pandya,from Gujarat have designed a very innovative idea of painting Zebra crossing in 3D.
It gives illusion and alerts Speeding car drivers to slow down as it appears like Road Blocks at first sight.
This idea is being used near different Gujarati Schools for the safety of children……Way to go  girls!!