A bus evoking green thoughts

Eco concerns:Forest Minister Benoy Viswom flagging off the ‘Rahma Green Messenger’ bus from the mofussil bus stand in the city on Monday.

Kozhikode: With the monsoon just a few weeks away, it’s an eco-campaign with a difference. An ordinary bus has been transformed into a piece of forest with huge trees, wild rivulets and massive rocks sculpted on the outer body. Inside, the bus is turned into a home theatre ready to screen videos urging viewers to save the earth by planting trees and conserving rain water. It also has a plethora of similar messages displayed in different forms calling upon the spectators to do something for the earth with great urgency.

With an amused crowd watching the unusual ‘bus’ on the road all set to roll on, Forests Minister Benoy Viswom flagged off the ‘Rahma Green Messenger’ mobile exhibition bus on the premises of the Mofussil bus stand on Monday morning.

The exhibition, which is aimed at spreading the message of water conservation and environmental protection, is part of a six-month long eco-campaign organised by Rahma, a social service project recently launched by a collective of earth-lovers, philanthropists and community leaders.

The Green Messenger, which will travel across six districts of Malabar, will stop at several points in all these districts and let the public watch DVDs and slide-shows on water conservation and environmental awareness.

“Sending a message of water conservation to save our earth from an acute drinking water shortage is one of the main objectives of our campaign,” said a Rahma member.

Precious rain water

On an average, Kerala receives 3,000 mm rain annually, which is well above the national average. “But we are able to save only five per cent of it and the rest ends up in the sea in no time,” he said.

Studies have found that around 30 per cent of the rain water can be conserved if people take effective measures. “The Green Messenger is out to spread this valuable message to all,” he said.

According to the organisers, the Green Messenger will be given receptions by environmental activists and socio-cultural organisations in all the districts.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/11/stories/2010051156020300.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

What a service ‘panditji'!

Priest Srinivasa Charyulu takes up construction of makeshift bus shelters — Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Some relief:Passengers taking shelter in a makeshift bus shelter at Mettuguda.

HYDERABAD: Come summer and the compassionate side of Hyderabadis is on display. Many set up free cold water kiosks while some distribute gruel to give relief from the searing heat. But here is a priest who is constructing make-shift shelters for the convenience of bus passengers – all on his own.

“Everyday I pass across the Habsiguda main road and feel sorry for commuters who are forced to stand in the scorching sun for want of bus shelters. That got me thinking why not construct shelters using asbestos sheets, dry palm leaves and bamboo sticks,” says G. Srinivasa Charyulu, a priest at Sri Mahakali and Sri Rama temple at Habsiguda street no. 1.

10 shelters so far

He got this idea last week and since then has already constructed over 10 bus shelters, including the one near St. Anthony’s Church at Mettuguda, next to Sarathi School in Habsiguda, two each at Ramnagar and Adikmet besides other places. There are over 1150 bus stops in twin cities, of which nearly 700 have bus shelters and the rest lack proper roof.

Each shelter costs nearly Rs. 1000. Impressed with the priest’s work, other good Samaritans have decided to do their bit. A bamboo trader, Ballaiah, is offering discount and P. Ravi, an auto driver, providing free transportation of asbestos sheets to the bus stages.

Despite being busy with his work, he supervises the construction of shelters and ensures quality. “I finish off my work at the temple by 8 p.m and then go to the places where these shelters are being constructed,” says Charyulu.

Move over APSRTC. The priest has also placed banners with his mobile number at these bus stops asking people to inform him about requirement of such shelters in their respective localities.

“I have received many calls from Uppal, Boduppal, Ameerpet and other areas. Two more shelters are being constructed at Uppal. I am collecting donations and will try my best to construct as many shelters as possible,” he says.

Besides this novel service, he is also conducting free Vedapatshala for students to learn Vedas, Upanishads, recitation of Bhagwad Gita slokas etc near Adikmet police station. He can be contacted on phone number: 90300-44809.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/28/stories/2010042859040300.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Toothbrush tech helps buses go green

The bus moves on a road embedded with a power strip, which provides an inductive charge (Source: Choi Bu-Seok/Reuters)

South Korea is trialling a new way to turn public transport green by using a technology popular in electric toothbrushes and razors to power buses and cars.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technologyhas unveiled a new electric transport powered by recharging strips embedded in roads that transfer energy through magnetic connections. There are no direct connections with wires.

Vehicles with sensor-driven magnetic devices on their underside suck up energy as they travel over the strips embedded a few centimetres (inches) under the road.

“The technological concept behind the idea has been around for about 100 years. We have found a better way to transfer the electricity to make it practical,” said project member B K Park.

The university, about 140 kilometres south of Seoul, has four prototype buses using the technology on its campus and is in talks with Seoul and other cities to have buses running in the next three years using the system called “online electrical vehicle.”

Charging strips

The strips, which are attached to small electrical stations, are laid in bus lanes and roads running up to intersections so that vehicles can power up where traffic slows down.

The strips are in segments of several tens of metres in length and vehicles receive what is termed ‘microcharges’ each time they pass over one.

“These vehicles are not like mobile phones that need to be charged for hours. Microcharges are quite efficient,” says Park.

Unlike electric lines used for trams, vehicles do not need to be in constant contact with the strips and a person can touch the lines without receiving a shock.

The system allows electric cars and buses to cut down on battery size and extend ranges.

Inductive charging

The non-contact transfer of electricity, also called inductive charging, works by magnets and cables on the underside of the vehicle making a connection with the current in the recharging strip to receive power as they travel over it.

It is used in some brands of electric toothbrushes that are sealed and water resistant, which do not need to be plugged into anything but use a magnetic connection to receive energy while resting in a cradle.

The online electrical vehicle system so far has proven safe to humans and machinery.

The cost of installing the system is an estimated 400 million won (AU$386,777) per kilometre of road.

– Jon Herskovitz for Reuters

Reference Link : http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/03/10/2841709.htm

Courtesy : ScienceDailyNews, Reuters, ABC Science