Biogas: Replacing oil with renewable reliable clean energy

It is now a well-accepted truth that the energy produced by human activity is costly for people and the environment. Trying to correct its impact by finding renewable resources and clean energies is the backbone of current efforts for sustainable development. Yet, until now, renewable energies have often been perceived as expensive alternatives to fossil fuels such as oil or coal, which have proved to be efficient and comparatively low-cost.

This week we would like to share with you a project that Michelin India has set up to provide affordable and efficient renewable energies solutions to Indian villages. The company has started a Biogas Initiative in several villages in Tamil Nadu. The goal is to provide close to a hundred families with a reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly source of energy. The key to the venture’s success is its reliance on Biogas. The term Biogas encompasses any mixture of flammable gases (i.e. methane, carbon dioxide) derived from the degradation of organic matter, which can be used to produce light or heat. Simply put, bacteria digests organic matter (such as animal or human waste), producing gaseous fuel that can be used for a range of applications.

The technology has a long list of advantages – not the least of which is reliability, making it a terrific solution in places with erratic oil supplies – but the beauty of the project is that it uses small ‘bioreactors’ to deliver Biogas energy to families. Fuelled with enough cow and human waste, the reactors (ranging from two to three cubic meters in size) can provide heating and light for the whole family. The first biogas reactor has already been installed in the village of Peria Vannan Kuppam and ninety more will be built for as many families in other nearby villages.

Let’s Pool Our Efforts for Sustainable Mobility

Cities are often said to be shaped by their mass transit system. For anyone commuting in Chennai and experiencing increased traffic congestion this is a relevant issue. Years of urban planning experience have shown that a collaborative approach is the only way that can actually embed sustainable mobility into the bustling city.

Aside from the emergence of new technologies in transportation, fuel and urban design, the shaping of new business models and collaborative partnerships is also fuelling urban planning. A platform such as City Connect (a partnership between the Confederation of Indian Industry CII, Tamil Nadu and Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy (JCCD) created in 2007, which brings together industry, government and civil society stakeholders around urban India, has proven to be a crucial step towards an overarching approach to transport issues.

An example of this effort to pool various points of view and skills: Chennai City Connect, backed by Michelin India, has recently hired consulting firm Civitas to study the autorickshaw sector in Chennai. The report is now out and gives constructive insight into how to enhance sustainable mobility in Chennai.

Please share your thoughts on how to prevent lively Chennai from becoming a dead-end and turn it back into the crossroads it once was!

Carbon Footprint Study Draft Report: Renewable Energies a Top Priority for Tamil Nadu

Did you know that 75% of Tamil Nadu’s emissions stem from energy and power-related sources? This fact was revealed in the draft report of the Carbon Footprint Study by the Confederation of Indian Industry. The study, sponsored by Michelin India, is the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu. Its purpose is to help the State gain a greater insight into its carbon situation. Both total and per capita emissions have been calculated from data provided by 15 State departments.

Clearly, the outcome of the study points to an urgent need to adopt a renewable energy strategy to lower the overall carbon footprint of Tamil Nadu and bring it in line with the national commitment of reducing emissions intensity by 20 to 25% of 2005 levels by 2020.

The report lays down several recommendations including: adoption of voluntary renewable power obligation targets; creation of green funds; charge of a fuel tax on diesel and petrol to fund bio-fuel research, support technology absorption and public transportation system; adoption of green buildings in residential and commercial space.

Astonishingly, we also learn that a single tree can sequester 30 kg of carbon per year while the per capita carbon footprint stands at 1.59 tons. Afforestation would be the most obvious step, not to mention that it would entail so many other benefits…

Eureka for super educational programs: Better learning through better teaching

India produces 3.7 million graduates annually. However, the country has yet to leverage the amazing possibilities of its intellectual treasure trove. One of the reasons stems from the fact that, although India’s economy is growing, its infrastructure still faces big challenges, particularly in education, thus creating an ever-widening gap between urban and rural areas, depriving poorer children of opportunities to learn and climb the social ladder.

But apprenticeship is no easy matter to solve. Thankfully, the NGO Association for India’s Development (AID), founded by Dr. Balaji Sampath, came up with a great idea. The NGO, in partnership with Eureka Child Foundation, established a fully scalable program called Eureka SuperKidz based on three core concepts: 1) Acting directly with children; 2) Active partnering with schools, institutions and civil society stakeholders; 3) Large-scale advocacy with communities, NGOs and Governments.

In Tamil Nadu, the NGO has had the opportunity to implement its program in over 1028 villages, reaching out to 10 additional villages, among which is Thervoy, in Thiruvallur District, with help from Michelin India. Through a very segmented set of lessons with clearly defined goals and methods, the program reached its 100% skills achievement goal for the enrolled children, ensuring that they had learnt and mastered essential core skills (reading, writing and arithmetic), which are essential to the pursuit of their studies. Thanks to AID and the Eureka Superkidz program, a whole new world of opportunities is now opening up to the children of Tamil Nadu.

Eye camps: our partnership with Sankara Nethralaya

National Highway 5 (NH5) takes a turn at Janapanchatram to converge into State Highway 51 (SH 51). Travel for 30 minutes and you enter into Sengarai. Tucked away from Chennai, this tiny village (1158 inhabitants) has little interesting information for a tourist or student of any subject or even an onlooker. But for us, this place is very special and shall remain so for a long time, for our learning curve in rural health interventions starts right here. It is not destiny that takes us here, but the findings of the conscientious “Household socio-economic survey” conducted by the Foundation For Rural Recovery And Development (Download Socio Economic survey) across 31 villages around Michelin India’s upcoming plant in SIPCOT’s Thervoy Kandigai Industrial Park, Tamil Nadu. The company initiates eye camps as a first step in the direction of addressing the healthcare requirements of the local communities and developing a long-term assistance plan.


Coming back to Sengarai, on 18 September, 2010, we conducted the first eye camp in association with SankaraNethrayalaya (Sankara Nethralaya link), a member of “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight India”(vision2020 website).The surprising turn out for the camp (over 200 people) was overwhelming, and it reiterated the figures in the ‘socio-economic survey’.

Since then, we have organized nine more eye camps. One each in Mukarambakkam, Palavakkam, KannanKottai, Latchivakkam, Sengarai, Thandalam and Kollanoor and 2 camps in Karadiputhur. Of the total 2291 people visiting these camps, 103 undergone cataract operations. An additional 700 people received spectacles and 51 have been identified for cataract operation.

It is truly inspiring to see people working together for the sake of a common project: the village people, volunteers from the neighborhood, Michelin colleagues and the Hospital team. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the highly esteemed doctors and medical staff who have been taking part in these initiatives. Their feedback is extremely important for us. Just to quote one of them, Mr. V. Sivakumar, Administrator, Jaslok Community Ophthalmic Centre, SankaraNethralaya (Sankara Nethralaya Homepage)said, “Efforts such as these from corporate bodies will go a long way in ensuring that health care services reach out to all sections of society”.