Creating a "culture of reflection"

Seven years ago, when I found myself actively involved with the social sector, I was deeply touched by the sheer number of interesting and passionate people I started meeting, all with a common goal of doing good. The reaction to the projects I worked on, the feedback from those who it touched made the whole shift from the corporate sector so totally worth it!

As I understood the sector better, and the process of running high impact social projects better, I realised that in so many cases, that the impact could have been so much more had it been captured well, gaps analysed and addressed to make the processes more efficient. In many cases, there is a strong "culture of doing" but an active "culture of reflection" is missing.

In one of the projects we at niiti were working on, where large scale rural livelihood initiatives have been deployed, we were amazed at the sheer scale of operations, the dedication of the staff and the commitment of the organisation for grassroots level change. Its admirable because bringing large scale change at the grassroots isn't the easiest thing. It takes a lot of hard work, unflinching commitment and selfless people to make it work.

But sometimes, "doing" can overwhelm and consume one so much that one forgets to pause to reflect. Given that almost all social sector projects are run rather frugally, determining from time to time whether processes can improved to make them more efficient may actually be more helpful in achieving the final mission.

Monitoring and evaluating (M&E) projects on a regular basis help bring in a "culture of reflection", and help identify gaps and inefficiencies in running operations, so that they can be improved or changed to achieve better results. This of course, is easier said than done. Often, to implement a good M&E design in an organisation requires change management strategies as a precursor. For, passionate grassroots workers may feel uncomfortable with the M&E team scrutinising their work, and may resist or rubbish the whole process in its entirety. These are legitimate concerns and absolutely need to be addressed. I recently chanced upon a wonderful site (http://www.unodc.org) where some examples of the right approach to bringing in this reflective culture through implementation of a good M&E process are.

Often, monitoring and evaluation as a task is thought of as an end tool to "measure" social impact. Yes, it definitely could have uses to measure social impact, but creating organisations that are open, adaptable and focussed on achieving  their social mission through processes that are most effective in a dynamic environment is a far greater output of having monitoring and evaluation programmes as an integral part of operations. 

Nuru Energy: revolutionizing energy production

Nuru Energy has revolutionized efficient and economical means of energy production. Thus far Nuru Energy has attained the funds to invent two new pieces of technology. 

The first and more famous is the NuruPOWERCycle. The power cycle generates up to 20 minutes worth of light with the requirement of 60 rotations of human pedaling. It is more efficient than solar panels by more than 100 percent. Since the POWERCycle is not affected by the weather, it can be recharged and stored anytime, anywhere. 

The second invention by NuruEnergy is the ultra-portable and rechargeable LED task light. This creation rules out one very specific product: the kerosene lamp. The kerosene lamp is popular in rural India however is also popular for creating poor health and a bad atmosphere. Nuru energy has therefore created an alternative for a major segment of India’s population, as well as in an affordable manner.

In energy entrepreneur lingo there is such a thing called “energy poverty.” Energy poverty is the absence of energy, and it exists among 2 billion people in the world. Despite the global war against pollution and CO2, the developing world is lucky to have light at the flick of a switch. Especially when compared to more societies in the developing world that have even in the year 2013 lived in off-grid areas with no energy. Lack of light means lack of opportunity, prosperity and higher responsibilities like governance. Nuru Energy not only finds solutions to reduce India’s degree of poverty but also does so in a nature-appreciating fashion.

  

Since inception, Nuru Energy has seen kerosene usage reduce by 35-40% per month. India’s rural has seen village entrepreneurs increase their income by 60% due to their decision to operate on Nuru technology. Thus far in its lifespan, Nuru energy has manufactured 10000 Nuru lights and have positively impacted the lives of consumers in 30 villages. The company has more innovative products to come and is seeking to increase tie-ups with non-profits, and corporations to reach out to more consumers.

“We have 2 lights at home. My mother previously had to use a kerosene lamp to cook and the smoke had given her a bad cough. She now uses the Nuru Light and her cough has improved” – A Nuru Customer.

Name: RamanaBhatra
Location:Hathikhamba Village, Rayagada District, Odisha
Age: 13
Family: Mother, Father, 1 Brother and 1 Sister
Nuru customer since: September, 2011
Services used: Light charging
Closest entrepreneur:Ranjan Lima
Use (hours per night): 4
Previous spending on kerosene (per month): $2
Savings (per month): $0.80
Biggest impact: “I now have a light to study with!”

To know more visit http://nuruenergy.com/

Iliana Foutsitzis is a recent graduate of Northeastern University's Political Science curriculum. Before embarking on a law degree Iliana is spending a gap year in New Delhi, India interning with the Niiti Consulting team.

The Okhla case: underlining the need for dialogue and transparency in sustainable development.

Despite apparent adherence to established environmental regulations, the government of Delhi is now faced with an angry community and the threat of delays and looming costs involved in possible relocation of the waste-to-energy plant it had planned to open in July 2011 in Okhla, South Delhi.

The Municipal Cooperation of Delhi (MCD) has entered a public-private partnership with Jindal ITF Ecopolis to build the 200 crore Okhla project, which should convert 1950 tones of solid waste to 16MW of energy per day. Although it is claimed that all precautions to prevent environmental or health hazards have been taken, citizens are strongly objecting the creation of the plant due to expected “poisoning of their living environment”.

For the MCD, the project is a part of the solution to two of Delhi’s most pressing problems: power shortage and waste management.  A representative of the MCD has stated that the project will meet all “statutory obligations”. It will be the first commercial Waste-to-energy plant in New Delhi and the largest of its kind in Asia.

Residents’ opposition to the project, stems mostly from concerns about the air quality of their environment. In a letter to union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, they state that “While there is overwhelming evidence that plants of these types produce toxic gases, residues and respirable particles, the Okhla plant is being set up barely 150m from the nearest established residences”. This claim is rooted in the knowledge gathered that similar plants have not worked as planned due to the composition of waste. According to a resident, in order for the waste to generate enough heat, “elements like plastic will have to be added.” Also, concerns have risen over the amounts of waste that need to be transported to the plant and related noise pollution.

According to Allard M. Nooy, CEO of the company, the technology has been proven and "the plant will be operated after complying with all conditions of the DPR (detailed project report)”. The company has won the 'Frost & Sullivan Indian Environment Industry Excellence Award 2010' and sees itself as continuing to add economic and social value to the economy. In reaction to the residents objections Nooy holds the opinion that any interactions with them to remove their apprehensions should be organised by the authorities and not the company.

In reaction to the residents’ letter, Jairam Ramesh has requested chief minister Sheila Dikshit to reconsider the plant’s location. Now, a meeting will be called with the residents in order to address their concerns. Ramesh has expressed the possibility to consider an alternative location.

To draw a lesson here about the nature of sustainable development, the most important issue is not who is right and who is wrong. Rather, it is evident that sustainable development entails more than meeting all “statutory obligations”. Governments must realise that citizens need to be actively involved in projects that will affect them. This involvement must begin at an early stage of the project planning and must be backed by the company engaging in the public-private partnership by providing transparent information about the concrete possible effects of the project in surrounding areas. Then, if the project is indeed harmless, citizens will have access to this information and need not object. Or, if concerns of the citizens are grounded, the location can be reconsidered at an earlier stage, saving both the negative publicity and the costs of moving the operation at such a late stage in the planning process.  Sustainable development is a process in which dialogue and transparency are essential elements.

Further reading and references:  Officials say plant to be operative in July, Residents up in arms, Sheila to review waste-to-energy plant at Okhla. Facebook page for resident’s campaign: Okhla ka Ghosla

Role of sustainable development in carbon offsetting

The Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) aims to help industrialized countries with emissions reduction targets to meet their targets by generating credits from the developing world, and to help developing countries achieve sustainable development goals and to reduce climate change. Sustainable development forms a core concept in exercising the CDM. However, the term sustainable development is defined rather vaguely.

If one does attempt to define sustainable development as the coming together of social, economic and environmental objectives, most projects which claim to be sustainability-focused suddenly do not seem so sustainable after all. With the lack of a definition, countries have chosen to define sustainability as per their convenience especially considering the conflict of interest they face regarding attracting investment versus sustainable development choices. Many standards are available in the current market to assess sustainable development through indicators but there still continues to be a considerable backlash from academia stating that most CDM projects have not lived up to their commitment of sustainable development as promised.

However, carbon offsetting plays a small part in promoting sustainable development by setting it as a criterion. It advances efficient energy use and moving to better alternatives. Unfortunately, that makes for a very thin silver lining to the cloud and increased standardization is required for fulfill the condition of sustainable development in a more wholesome manner.

Other related reads: CDM Gold Standard, Can standards for voluntary carbon offsets ensure development benefits?

Can deployment of technology to reduce carbon in organisations make economic sense in the short term?

There have been a lot of discussions around how technology can intervene in offsetting carbon in industries in India. We chanced upon this wonderful report prepared by the Digital Energy Solutions Consortium India (DESC India) and CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, titled, ICT’s Contribution to India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change in Dec 2010. 

In June 2008, the Prime Minister had released the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), outlining the nation’s strategy to manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
India has since then, announced a goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by the year 2020 compared to 2005. The Planning Commission is also in the process of defining a low-carbon growth map for the country. The DESC Report explores potential GHG reduction opportunities via ICT (Information & Communication Technology) solutions in the focus sectors of the three mitigation-related missions of NAPCC – National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH) and National Solar Mission (NSM).

Just the electricity saved by ICT adoption in the power sector can help electrify more than 14,000 villages with an average population of 2,000-3,000. Implementation of ICT measures in the paper sector in 2030 can reduce emissions by an amount equivalent to that sequestered by 3 million trees. Savings achieved via video-conferencing and tele-commuting with moderate ICT penetration can offset GHG emissions more than 70 times the current GHG emissions due to the annual air traffic between Delhi and Mumbai.


Carbon offset while also saving money for travel seems to be a logical way for organizations to offset carbon. Atmosfair has helped companies like Elektrolux and DHL in Germany to reduce their carbon through simple ICT implementation and consulting in their travel systems. The impact of the same in organizations that are more people intensive in India can be huge.

Becoming carbon neutral for companies in India is not just an interesting brand positioning to have. It also makes immense economic sense. The total cost of ICT usage in NMEEE mission sectors – considering moderate penetration of ICT solutions in 2020 and 2030 – is estimated at INR 49,700 crore and INR156,100 crore. These investments correspond to cost savings of around INR 7,300 crore p.a. and INR 29,200 crore p.a. respectively. Similarly, ICT technologies in Transport, Buildings and Solid Waste Management sectors can lead to cost savings of INR 26,300 crore in 2020 under the moderate scenario. This is approximately 0.5% of India’s GDP in financial year 2009-10!!

It’s a wonder that its even a discussion anymore.

Owning a city

I have loved Mumbai from the moment I knew it. I loved it from Bambai to Bombay to Mumbai. I grew up all across the city and if you know Mumbai, you’d know that it is no mean feat.

The entire city belonged to me as I could navigate from north to south, mouth bus numbers and train timings. I knew it like the back of my hand. I knew its secrets. As the city expanded, my expertise decreased, secrets were not secrets anymore and I recognized the city in pockets. If you ask me how well I know my city now, I would perhaps cite in details only the area in which I live.

I grew up cycling on the roads of Mumbai. There was space for me as I used my pudgy legs to drive up the slopes of the suburbs. Now, there is none. I yearn to find myself a spot to stand where I would go untouched and unrushed. Cities and their characters change over time and the biggest and the mightiest of cities have such a tumultuous history. Globalization has done us many goods but in the process we have lost our localized selves to our globalized ones. How dedicated are we at working towards local problems. How effective are local management models in a generation where most of our leaders only understand virtual communities. Also, is the theory of local management applicable in a time where rural-urban migration is at the highest? How can one expect someone to feel instantly rooted and responsible in a city where he has arrived solely to survive?

May be it is time to reinvent the wheels. Educate a new generation of individuals with insight of the new problems of our day. Starting with the bigger question – who’s Mumbai is it anyway?