E-WASTE MANAGEMENT AND YOU

How many of us actually know what the term ‘e-waste’ means?

E-waste (expanded Electronic waste) is any material that is or was a part of any electronic component,that is to be discarded. Old computer parts, old cellular phones, electronic gadget batteries, etc. are all e-wastes. E-waste is different from normal waste in the sense that it is full of hazardous chemicals and harmful compounds. For that reason, it is necessary to treat E-waste differently, in the sense that, it needs special disposal and recycling methods. E-wastes can be extremely harmful if not handled properly.

E-wastes mainly contain highly toxic substances like chlorinated and brominated compounds  ,toxic gases like benzene, toxic metals like Lead and Cadmium, biologically active materials, acids, plastics and plastic additives. Each of these has a distinct harmful effect on humans.

Lead, Cadmium and Chlorinated compounds like methyl chloroform and tetrachloroethane can cause anemia,skin problems and CNS depression problems like dizziness, incoordination, and even death when exposed regularly to large amounts. Gases like Arsine and HCl can cause eye irritation, nausea, skin cancer, miscarriages and heart and kidney damage. Benzene is fire hazardous, in addition to having similar health hazards.

India generates about 146,180 tons of e-waste every year. And most of these wastes end up in landfills, without any processing or treatment. This poses a major threat to future inhabitants of this land.

The main causes for poor e-waste managements are lack of awareness, lack of management facilities for collection and segregation at source and scarcity of land.

The solution is simple. The same old environmental conservation technique applies here too. REDUCE,REUSE,RECYCLE.

REDUCE

Product designs must be refined such that lesser chemicals are used in manufacturing.Forexample, many new products contain a flatter, lighter and a more integrated design. Also, the new trend is replacement of existing chemicals by bio-based and plant-based chemicals, as they are less harmless and easy to dispose.

On a smaller level, we must ensure that we don’t unnecessarily buy electronic gadgets.

REUSE

Design should be such that products can be used to an extent, upgraded and used further with latest features .Also, repair must be easier.Companies like Dell lease out their products so that they can take them back and upgrade them, just to lease out again.

RECYCLE

Recycling of e-wastes must take place in the proper manner. The company that produces the products must take them back, disassemble them and recyle the components appropriately.

For E-waste management to be implemented properly, public awareness is the key. The following steps must be followed by the public to ensure an e-chemical free environment.

1.Electronic components that are no longer in use must be taken to the nearest e-waste disposal centre.

2.Old mobile phones, old batteries, etc, shouldn’t be disposed off in the trash like normal waste, they should be deposited to the mobile phone shops that collect old mobile phones.

3.Computer parts should also be disposed off in the above way.

With all the above measures in place, E-waste will cease to be an environmental threat to our future generations.

[Courtesy : T.S Rasikapriyaa, I BioT]

Awareness talk

22 February 2013.. A first in the lives of 3 members of The Green Visionaries. Abhishek, Harish and Alex made their way to Sri Matha Matriculation School in Kumbakonam to give a talk to some students of the school.

After meeting the Principal of the school, who gave the three an introduction about the school, they made their way to the library. The 30 odd people from 9^th grade who were in the room were as excited about the event as the 3 Visionaries were.

 The talk was a general interactive session with Abhishek and Harish talking about the importance of reducing food wastage and the ways it can be done. The main intention of their talk was to inspire the students to make moves like donating excess food to NGOs. The discussion also included a talk about water conservation and modern methods, like waterless flushes, which aid in water conservation. 

And as in every talk about environmental issues, the matter of electricity was also discussed. Considering that power cuts are a major problem in the state, simple steps to reduce electricity consumption, like turning off unnecessary electrical devices, was talked about.

The 25 minute talk ended with a general talk about their studies, like solving simple mathematics and physics problems. Some of the students received goodies from Mozilla, courtesy of the Mozilla Club. The main intention behind this little segment of the talk was to tell the students that studies don’t give the whole picture of life. Everything that we do should aid our planet in some way, because “if we don’t save our planet, who will ?”

The excitement and interest that the students showed inspired the Visionaries in a great way. The experience was something unique to the three, and as they put it, “it’s something I’d definitely look forward to doing again”..

 

Hypermiling - What is it ?

Ever wondered how to cope with rising fuel prices, without it burning a hole in your pocket? Hypermilers show the way! Hypermiling or fuel efficient driving mainly capitalizes on modern technological innovations and historically invented driving techniques. To all those who may think this involves technical jargon or dangerous stunts, it may come as a surprise that even small actions will make you tread the Hypermiling way.

Methods that improve fuel economy in automobiles together are known as Hypermiling.  Techniques involved in Hypermiling are both simple and complex. Here are some simple techniques that can one can use to implement hypermiling. 

Automobile maintenance is one of the most important steps in implementing hypermiling, because it is a key factor in improving fuel efficiency. Maintaining air pressure of tyres at the maximum recommended one reduces requirement of excess energy to overcome friction.  Under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance by approximately 1.4 percent for every 0.1 bar drop in pressure of all four tyres. Scheduled maintenance of car parts such as the spark plug and sensors is important so that probabilities of their malfunction are reduced. Riding or parking in the shade also economizes fuel by reducing evaporation losses.

Improving aerodynamic efficacy also aids in hypermiling. Reduction of cargo or people in the automobile decreases load on the engine. Travelling without unnecessary car accessories also improves fuel economy. Not only people and cargo, fuel in the tank also contributes to unnecessary load. Travelling with a half full tank and refilling frequently helps in the long run. The same goes for spare tyres. Driving with the windows rolled up reduces air drag and load on the engine.

Efficient driving techniques also play a major role in implementing hypermiling, as they are key to improving fuel efficiency of a vehicle. Every automobile is designed for maximum engine efficiency at a particular speed known as its optimum speed. Travelling either above or below that increases fuel consumption. Travelling at the optimum speed whenever possible is a great boost for efficient engine run as well as for fuel economy. Optimal efficiency can also be expected while cruising with no stops, at minimal throttle and with the transmission in the highest gear. When the above two is not possible, driving with a suitable gear for the particular speed is also good enough. Correct choice of gear nearly matches the torque that is actually necessary and the torque delivered by the engine, for the required power. Avoiding high-traffic areas at peak hours is another method, since road congestion affects speed and hence fuel consumption. Congestion pricing is based on this principle; it raises the price of road access at times of higher usage, to prevent cars from entering traffic and lowering speeds below efficient levels. Note, however, that maximizing throughput and fuel efficiency per vehicle mile traveled does not necessarily minimize total fuel consumption as alternate circutaneous routes may increase fuel consumed. A fuel-efficient strategy is to anticipate what is happening ahead, and drive in such a way so as to minimize acceleration and braking, and maximize coasting time. When not possible, accelerating smoothly without jerks also helps. Regenerative braking, used in hybrid/electric cars is a wonderful technology that saves heat energy lost in conventional braking systems as chemical (battery), mechanical (flywheel) or electrical energy (condenser) for future use. Anticipating other drivers’ moves as well as giving indications about the automobile’s manoeuvres also helps in free flow of traffic. Switching of the engine during standby, instead of running it on idle mode, is also a great tip to save fuel. The AC switched on during high speed driving also improves engine efficiency and hence minimizes fuel consumption. Driving with the correct fuel for the particular engine design (higher octane fuel for the same) improves engine efficiency.

Apart from these, there are several other advanced techniques that can be implemented for hypermiling.

1.      Burn and Coast or Pulse and Glide:

This method consists of giving acceleration to a particular speed aka a pulse and then gliding i.e. driving with zero acceleration. During the pulse (acceleration) phase of pulse and glide, the efficiency is near maximal due to the high torque and much of this energy is stored as kinetic energy of the moving vehicle. This efficiently-obtained kinetic energy is then used in the glide phase to overcome rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag.

2.      Coasting:

Driving with constant speed in neutral gear is another trick. This technique can be tried when traffic is far and less and as the engine is shut off, fuel consumption is reduced. 

3.      Drafting:

Drafting or tailgating involves skirting close to the rear end of a large vehicle so as to obtain cover from headwind hence reducing aerodynamic losses. This is highly risky and accounts for a majority of rear-end crash related accidents and hence is not advisable.

There is yet another method that saves fuel. It is both simple as well as complex, simple in approach, complex in action - going green! Fuel not consumed is fuel earned. Easiest ways would be to one of the following. Carpool or use public transportation systems as much as possible. Cover shorter distances by greener methods such as cycling or walking. Use shortcuts as much as possible.

This is just a small summary of the many things you can do to implement hypermiling. In this age of dwindling fuel reserves, it is really important to step up and take an initiative to do everything in our power to conserve our planet’s resources. Read more about hypermiling, watch videos on YouTube on how to implement it, and go out there and implement it. These steps that we take will go a long way in mankind’s collective endeavour to conserve the Earth’s reserve of resources. Because, if we don’t save our planet, who will ?

Green Day 2013

The Green Visionaries were created for a purpose – to promote awareness on the various issues surrounding the environment, so everybody can work together to create a better tomorrow. Another initiative was taken in that direction, when SASTRA University’s “GREEN DAY” was organized by the team, in collaboration with the Green Club of SASTRA, ‘GoGreen2020’, and the Mozilla Club of SASTRA.

The event was received very well, with a lot of support from the professors and very enthusiastic participation from the students. Around 200 students from the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd years took part in the seminar that was conducted as part of the Green Day. The central focus of the seminar, presented by GoGreen2020, was ‘Green Buildings’. It was a very enlightening lecture, which informed the participants of how everything can be related to conservation of natural resources. It concentrated on various architectural and general building methods that can help in a large way to reduce the use of resources like water. The lecture also contained an explanation of general efforts that can be taken to conserve water and efficiently manage waste. The participants also took part in a debate on various environment-related issues. Along with the seminar and debate, there was also a presentation by the Mozilla Club, as part of their promotional campaign.

Apart from these lectures, many other events were also conducted. The maximum participation was for the short creative writing event, organized by The Green Visionaries. For the first round of the event, the participants had to write on a very interesting topic – ‘Eco Fashion’. There were many good entries, and quite a few interesting ones. Some of the participants were selected for the second round of the event, which was conducted later that evening. The topic given to them was ‘A day without electricity’. Once again, there were many good entries, and it was a really enjoyable experience to go through all the entries. The winners of the event were presented with goodies, sponsored by the Mozilla Club.

Overall, “Green Day 2013” was a huge success, with the interesting presentations, enjoyable events and very enthusiastic participation. When asked about the event, a lot of the participants hoped that such an event would take place more often. This was a very positive response for this first-time endeavour, and it has inspired the organizing groups to take this initiative more often.

So, the countdown begins for the next “Green Day”!!

To know more about GoGreen2020, visit green2020.weebly.com

To support the Mozilla Club, like their page on Facebook  - “Mozilla Club”. Follow their events, and support their venture.