An Impressive Social Venture That Provides Employment in Addition to Reducing Emissions

According to a survey, six of the world’s most polluted cities is in UP and three in Bihar. The pollution is measured in terms of particulate matter which are so small that they lodge directly in the lungs when breathed in posing a grave health hazard. Naveen Krishna is a man on a mission who started SMV Green Solutions, a venture aimed at tackling social problems. He was very concerned about the plight of cycle rickshaw pullers who had to part with their hard-earned money in paying rent of the rickshaws. So he came up with this appreciable venture of introducing electric rickshaws that eased the work of cycle rickshaw pullers and brought down pollution considerably. SMV Green Solutions Naveen Krishna launched SMV Green Solutions in 2015 to end the drudgery faced by manual rickshaw pullers prevalent in northern India. The company tied up with multiple entities involved in procuring a ready-to-drive e-rickshaw. It acts as a bridge that connects the traditional rickshaw drivers to an e-rickshaw manufacturer, financial institution sanctioning loans to low-income groups to whom banks won’t normally give, battery providers, and authorities to complete the paperwork. The company also gives a thrust to the UP government’s objective of achieving 100% electrification of auto-rickshaws by 2030 in Varanasi and other cities. Benefits The SMV model enables the rickshaw pullers to become proud owners of the rickshaw after paying rent for around 24 months and has been instrumental in improving their health and well being. It is reported that 7.5% of total emissions in India are from the transport and automotive sector and greenhouse gases that form a major part of these emissions makes the earth warmer and triggers climate change. That is enough reason to leapfrog to e-rickshaws. The government has also implemented many measures to boost the transition to electric mobility. It includes reducing the purchase price of electric vehicles including e-rickshaws. The government has also reduced GST rates on electric vehicles from 12% to 5%. Krishna’s wish to see his homeland less polluted and ensure that his children don’t have to “roam around with oxygen tanks” has led to the inception of this social enterprise which recently won the 2019 Ashden Awards under the International Sustainable Mobility category. Image Source: Mongabay India

Irish Teenager Comes up With a Pathbreaking Idea to Remove Microplastics From Water

Fionn Ferriera, an eighteen-year-old from Ireland has won $50,000 at the Google Science Fair for his project involving the extraction of microplastics from water. The science fair was conducted by Google for students aged 13 to 18 who submitted their projects before a panel of judges.   Microplastics are very small fragments of plastic that pollute the environment. Due to their minute size (less than 5mm), they cannot be filtered or screened during wastewater treatment and thus make their way into waterways. Small fishes eat microplastics. They become prey to larger fishes which in turn are consumed by humans. Microplastics can be a health hazard for humans due to the different toxic and carcinogenic chemicals used to make it. Ferreira created a ferrofluid by combining oil and magnetite powder and poured it into the water containing microplastics. The microplastics combined with the ferrofluid which was then easy to extract with the help of a magnet, thus leaving behind only water. This method was subject to a 1000 tests and it succeeded in removing 87% microplastics of all sorts from water. The success of Ferreira’s project has encouraged him to scale the technology to be able to implement at wastewater treatment facilities. There is no doubt that his remarkable project will go a long way in curbing environmental pollution. Image Source: Mother Jones