Go for Green Entrepreneurship

Defining green entrepreneurship is not an easy task. The concept itself is relatively new and has been receiving attention since the 1990s. According to 'Entrepreneurship at a Glance 2011 © OECD, "A green entrepreneur can be either making her business “green” or simply entering a “green business”. In other words, green entrepreneurship could be defined in terms of the technology used for production in any sector of the economy, or in terms of the sectors firms are active in, in which case our attention is restricted to parts of the economy producing specific types of output. The former is sometimes referred to as a process approach in defining green business, while the latter as an output approach." 

"Today what we need to learn to do is optimize the use of energy and water. There are enormous opportunities in tightening up processes to transform the built environment, in particular through how we deal with energy. It is a massive undertaking, and it is going to touch nearly every aspect of our lives, but it is also going to be an incredible source of opportunity for entrepreneurial activity," emphasize Aashish V. Karode, Principal, Planning and Design Services, Design Atelier, New Delhi.

Sustainability is a balancing process and its objective is to find a balance between our current requirements and those of future generations; between economic, social and environmental impacts; between the needs of various communities and populations.

The goal of green entrepreneurship is to consciously address an environmental/social problem/requirement through the realization of entrepreneurial ideas (some or higher level of risk) which has a net positive effect on the natural environment and at the same time is financially sustainable. Green entrepreneur, thus, is someone who starts and operates an enterprise that is designed to be green in its products and processes from the very moment it is set up.

Can architects provide green solutions to cool buildings?

Air conditioning is making the environment even more hot due to its contribution to global warming. The use of air conditioning is increasing pollution in the environment by releasing poisonous gases into the environment. These gases include the chlorofluorocarbons and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons. Apart from how the use of air conditioners are threatening environment, they also consume a lot of electric energy.

"The US expends more energy on air conditioning, for example, than the whole of Africa does on everything. Then again, it expends even more energy on hot water, which doesn’t get the same rap. The question then is not whether to condition climate, but how. As long ago as the 1940s the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy demonstrated, with his village of New Gourna near Luxor, how traditional techniques of orientation, ventilation, screening and shading could be revived." - The Guardian

Can Architects provide green solutions to cool buildings? Yes. In fact, an architect by harnessing the local climate, its vegetation, as well as intelligently manipulating a building's orientation, can naturally create a cooler indoor climate. 

The demand for buildings and higher density living, specially in Asian cities, continues to increase, it will be crucial to ensure this growth does not drive energy and water consumption higher. And, here architects can play their role. 

Much of the world’s architecture, prior to the 20th century, responded to the regional climate and could be considered bioclimatic. “If you look at older buildings, you see that people were very good at adapting to climate to get the maximum performance, but we kind-of got lazy once air conditioning and electric light came along at the turn of the last century,” says Patrick Leonard, the director of Paladino and Company, a green building consultant based in Seattle.

Architects around the world look to the past to introduce bioclimate strategies in designing greener buildings!

'Green' Refrigerators

All over the world, there are people who are trying to (and in fact have) create 'Green' Refrigerators'. Also, called as Ground Fridge, these devices uses earth to run and cool. The eco-friendly and sustainable efforts increases the chances of replacing conventional fridge for a device that does not use electricity to operate. One such 'Green' Refrigerator has been designed by he Dutch, Floris Schoonderbeek, who inspired the design of the basement making him develop a device that only needs the land to operate. This fridge uses ancient preservation method based on the natural insulation of the earth and the cooling effect of groundwater that keeps vegetables and drinks at 12 ° C throughout the year.

The “Groundfridge” (as named by the inventor) is made from environmentally friendly materials, trying to reduce the carbon footprint in its manufacturing process. It also has a capacity of 3,000 liters and the possibility to accommodate up to 50 kg in food; equivalent to 20 refrigerators. The refrigerator has a spherical shape and measures 2.30 meters in diameter. The interior contains wooden shelves which are ideal for storing vegetables, fruits, wine and cheese.

A more simpler form of 'Green Refrigerator' used in ancient times in India (and even now in villages or in sustainable homes) used to be a big clay pot (matka) which was placed underground with sand as exterior layer. 

Sustainable Heritage: Global Vision, Local Experiences

4th IACC was an architectural conservation world conference hosted by Dubai city in February 2016. As paradoxical as it may sound, the event titled “Sustainable Heritage: Global Vision, Local Experiences” brought out some very intriguing discussions ranging from cultural heritage in conflict zones to community engagement in conservation efforts along with reflections on whose heritage is it really and what constitutes a community in context of international migration & urbanization.

Delhi schools to try out solar power!

In order to utilize solar power, several public schools are considering setting up roof-top solar power plants in New Delhi. According to a report published in Times of India, the environment department of Delhi government has already installed roof-top solar power plants in four government schools - Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalayas in Mayur Vihar Phase I, Mangolpuri, Jwalapuri and RK Puram, Sector 12. These solar plants will produce 10 kilowatt each.

Vasant Valley School had set its plant up about a year-and-a-half ago and it takes care of about a third of our power requirement, informs Rekha Krishan, Principal of the school. Laxman Public School, too had tried to set up solar power plants for the hostel a couple of years ago, but it didn't work for them at that time. Usha Ram, principal,is considering to take it up again with the help of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). "We need it for our own requirement. We just need proper assistance," she says. 

According to a senior official in the environment department, the projects at government schools will be funded by a mix of government agencies—30% by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and 70% by Delhi government. The Delhi State Industrial And Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd will provide technical support. "The equipment has been installed but will be commissioned in a month or so," said the official.

Is there any link between 'Green' and 'Staff Productivity'?

The links between the environmental credentials of the workplace and staff productivity is generating interest these days. It is being talked about that corporates are shifting their focus away from space efficiencies and are asking questions with real estate consultants (when making strategic location decisions) about the environmental credentials of the space and how it will support the productivity of their staff.

According to a reserach, "green" office features, such as better ventilation, low toxicity materials and better daylighting are also good for the office worker's health, wellbeing and resulting productivity. Studies have linked improved ventilation and daylighting with up to 11 percent and 23 percent gains in productivity respectively. Jane Henley, CEO, World Green Building Council, in her article published in huffingtonpost.com writes, "there has been a recent explosion of interest in the impact of the office environment on staff health, productivity and overall wellbeing and happiness. The global real estate sector is now taking this issue really seriously. What's perhaps more surprising is that it is often the sustainability team within real estate services companies and developers who are leading this agenda as opposed to HR departments."