Introduction

Over the past two centuries, human population has increased 7 times over to 7 billion. We have achieved rapid industrialization, mechanization, efficiencies and better standards of living for many people. However, what is now obvious is that this singular growth oriented approach as a measure of human progress has come about adverse impacts on large sections of society and its delicate relationship with nature. The delicate yet dynamic equilibrium and resilience of nature has been subjected to severe stress by anthropogenic or human interventions. Natures feedback loops and systems respond over a spectrum of spatial (micro scale to planetary) and temporal d (micro to long term) dimensions.These resource and nutrient cycles include carbon, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen and many others. Are we significantly impacting natures regenerative ability? Across regions in the world, there are widespread socio-economic disparities income, access to water, food, healthcare and education. The widely used yardsticks of growth GDP and GNP do not integrate all measures of a societies well being and completely leave out the natural world and the services it provides.

History
The environmental movement, beginning in the 60s and 70s in the west, brought into the spotlight the many ills of industrial and chemical pollution, the rights of the dispossessed and the safeguarding of common property resources like water bodies, forests and air. Think tanks like The Club of Rome, economists in the league of E.F.Schumacher and Daly, naturalists in groups like the sierra club, national political leaders like Gandhi and regional movements in many countries like the Chipko and Silent Valley movements in India have recognized the limits and wide impacts of human surfeit. The 1987 Bruntland commission report Our Common Future came out of the first UN commissioned study where the values and principles of sustainable develop3

ment were recognised. The Montreal commission took cognizance of the scientific basis of the substances that cause ozone layer depletion and its impact. Treaties like the Kyoto protocol provide a framework to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the developed countries however its success has been patchy and negotiations have been uneasy. The scale and complicated nature of problems require a different kind of thinking and sustained action, at multiple levels, from the grassroots to the global scale. History can provide a rich template.a mirror for us to understand ourselves and our rightful place in nature. You can read The History of Sustainability - a short booklet that attempts to chronicle some of the key milestones. *http://www.wipro.com/Documents/history_of_sustainability.pdf
Guide book for college participation

earthian 2013 - Science & Solutions

The core physical, engineering, financial and management sciences are largely based on centuries old Newtonian and Cartesian* views to create things and solve problems: So, what we have created over the past few centuries is expertise and specialization in streams of knowledge like handling materials in a certain way ( metallurgy and chemical engineering), harvesting resources and creating built environments in a certain way (civil and mechanical engineering sciences), understanding energy systems in a certain way (electrical engineering sciences) and so on.. Most of the design is based on the concept of a linear economy using up of largely non-renewable resources, putting them into a linear system to produce and consume and generating enormous amounts of waste.. And what has aided this process is the enabling system: financial and social structures, which incentivize behaviors of a certain way. For example, we have invented a financial system which very few understand a system where money can be created out of nothing, held in more and more debt and which has no relation to the value of resources and stuff that we consume. The financial system and markets run on insufficient knowledge of the whole and are propped by unreal prices, subsidies, taxes and regulations. List of countries by public debt This is a comfortable place to be as long as we look at the short term and are able to sustain a virtual feel of things being in control. Through earthian, we invite you to question and explore the nature of these problems. There are a few broad themes and suggested areas of exploration. However these are only provided as a guide and you are encouraged to extend, look at interrelated areas or go beyond these. Underlying all these suggested topics is the common thread of resource intensive and complicated design leading to pollution and socio-economic inequity. The contribution of cultures and the notion and meaning of human progress to the problems cannot be ignored. Whatever be your branch of study or discipline (basic sciences, law, social sciences and arts, engineering, management, medical sciences among others), one way of starting the journey of exploration is by examining and questioning the history/ development of the sciences itself While writing about any of the themes and sub-themes, please note the following.
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You could use one of the following approaches: A) If you are choosing a broad theme like Climate Change or Sustainable Cities then your write-up should cover most of the sub-themes listed under the theme (like mul-tiple pathways, international governance, energy systems and solutions in the case of Climate Change). Please do not write only a general essay on a theme (climate change for example) that doesnt address the sub-themes. B) You could pick up a sub-theme and write about just that in elaborate detail like on Water as a Public Good within the theme of Water.
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Newtonian: A mechanical view of the world and that all things can be explained through cause and effect. Cartesian (Descartes): The material world can be described objectively.

Suggested Themes
Climate Change
The earths temperature increased by around 0.75 degree Celsius (a) over the 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has come out with a range of scenarios predicting a rise of 1.5 to 6 degree centigrade rise in temperature by end of this century. We recently heard one of the key indicators of global warming and climate change, the atmospheric concentration of Carbon dioxide crossing 400 ppm the highest level found in millions of years. Climate change is a complex science and is impacted by industrial activities, land use change, water vapour, and use of chemicals like CFCs. What does this show but seemingly irreversible climate change mean for us citizens of the world, especially the disadvantaged? What are its impacts to other species? And impacts to resources the delicate balance of nature in its biodiversity, resource and nutrients cycle? This is a slow, global and complex phenomena it has taken the industrial and mechanical frenzy of the past two centuries to get us here. However our actions have so far have been complicated and marred by so called strategic national interests and boundaries. Nature knows no boundaries. Sources:

IPCC Fourth Assessment Report

The multiple risk pathways of a warming planet: Of the four major risk categories on account of climate change Damages to physical infrastructure, Adverse impacts on human health, Locational disruption and climate refugees AND Impacts on food productivity - which are the ones we should prioritize in terms of planning, investment and engagement? What innovative alternatives can we think of is engaging with these high priority risk? International governance: What should the ideal post-Kyoto regime on Climate Change look like? What will make it effective in a way that the Kyoto protocol wasnt? Energy Systems: Most of the energy infrastructure is centralized and distributed through a complex grid system. There are huge losses in the system. Transmission, distribution and other losses itself are in the range of 20 to 30% in country like India. Also the grids interconnectedness is also one of its primary problems it is not resilient enough as was evident in the blackout in North India in July 2012. Solutions: What innovative solution approaches do we need that address three major issues of climate change Mitigating carbon emissions, Adapting to certain inevitable climate change led disruptions and Ensuring effective progress on issues of equity? What are the economic costs of effecting these measures? And how do they compare with the real costs of inaction or insufficient action?
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Guide book for college participation

Water
What is the meaning of water? One might as well ask, What does it mean to be human?. The answer may restored we might see ourselves reflected whole. be found in our relation to water, the mother of life. When the waters again run clear and their life is

Water as a public good: What are the right community models both in cities and in villages for managing water effectively as a public good? How can government and citizenry work together on creating new innovative models of governance of water that serve all constituencies effectively? Agriculture-Water-Energy: Agricultural practices are impacted by availability of technological interventions like subsidized fertilizers, energy and water (irrigation or ground water). Choices of crops are dependent on prices and the incentive structures. What is the impact of these on the traditional practices and economics and is this sustainable in the long run? What is the impact on soil fertility? Do the interventions make the system less resilient to changes and shocks?

David Orr in Reflections on Water and Oil Read the complete article at http://bit.ly/1dTxuah How has our relationship with water, the blood of all life, transformed over the past century? A commons resource, it is now inextricably linked to competing demands of energy, food and land. The linkages are complicated by grand designs and technical ingenuity. We may never be able to fathom and understand the impact of climate change, pollution and other man made impacts to the integrity of water cycle. Can we continue to mine, dam, use and discharge as fits our wants? Have we reduced water to the level of another commodity? What are the implications? Hydroelectric projects - Water or Power? Even though decentralized and small scale hydro projects are seen to be more sustainable and have lesser overall ecological impact, we continue to dam rivers and build large hydroelectric projects. The damming of rivers affects the natural flow of rivers which in turn affects nutrient and resource cycles. What drives the decisions? Agriculture or energy needs? Urban water: Why is urban water such a critical issue? How can a growing city cope up with its water needs sustainably? What could be the innovative, alternative approaches to water harvesting, recharging, distribution and waste water recycling in a city? How can residents get access to water equitably? Agriculture: How and why water is central to agriculture and farming? What have been the emerging changes in water management for growing food? How is water overuse related to the cost of electricity and its subsidies? How can both, water and energy be made available to those who need it the most? What are the tradeoffs in growing crops that have varying requirements of water e.g. between sugarcane and wheat? Water recycling: How can water pollution be avoided by treating it at source? What alternatives exist for decentralized, community-level recycling of water that are easy to implement and are cost-effective? India and Water: What are the likely scenarios on water in India over the next 2-3 decades? Are we likely to see climate change induced changes in the water cycle over the sub-continent in a visible way? What should we do proactively to minimize and mitigate such risks? What innovative approaches should we adopt so as to be able to provision water equitably to all parts of the country?
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Sustainable Cities
More than half the human population lives in cities today, a figure that will go up to 60% by 2030. Cities have existed for centuries and are commonly seen as crucibles of progress that foster innovation by allowing a dynamic diversity of people, thoughts and ideas to come together in ever changing configurations. But as Lewis Mumford in his classic The city in history points out, cities have always had schizophrenic personalities as well as an unequal and uneasy relationship with the surrounding hinterland. Our contemporary cities present a wide range of characteristics; but what are perhaps common to cities of the world today are these people spend too much time in getting from one place to another, they breathe air of dubious quality, they use up much more of resources like land, water and energy than is sustainable, many people are alienated and disconnected from nature and have little time for leisure and culture. Add to these the wide schisms that exist between people in a city based on status and class and the modern city seems much more like an uneasy bargain than a crowning totem of human civilization. How then can we make our cities more livable, social inclusive and ecologically sustainable? Transportation: One of the key requirements for a vibrant cultural character of cities is the ease of mobility. However in most discussions, this is short circuited by fossil fuel centric transport design which means discussions on road widening, flyovers, metro, parking spaces and signaling systems trump aspects of accessibility and mobility through walking, cycling, public transport and mixed mobility options. Why does this happen? Are transport designs easy to implement than mobility centric designs? Is this because users of the later do not have a voice in urban matters? How can we minimize the need for people and goods in our cities to move long distances? How can we retrofit the transportation systems of our cities to serve the greatest number at the least cost and with minimal environmental impact? Can we design rapid transit public transport systems that incorporate some of the advantages of personal transport e.g. flexibility, last mile availability, privacy and comfort? What are the tradeoffs involved in such systems?
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Built environments: How can we design new buildings and structures in cities so that they consume drastically less resources that they do today - say, 50% or less? Will decentralized renewable energy systems work in cities at large scales? What are the tradeoffs involved? Can we retrofit existing built structures to become significantly more efficient? What are the costs and benefits of retrofits? How should electricity and water be priced so as to serve all sections of the city equitably? Are building design and engineering practices based on local requirements? When choosing infrastructure for a building (materials or equipment) what should be the criteria cost, time, energy, water efficiency? Water: How can our cities be self-sufficient in water without having to depend on the hinterland or the surroundings? What steps are needed to make sure that the minimum water for domestic use is available to every citizen? What cost and incentive structures are needed to make the pricing of water completely fair and equitable between citizens and across sectors? What new and alternate approaches in governance and technology are needed for the entire citys waste water to be treated and reused in a manner that is robust, affordable and that covers all parts and sections of the city? Solid Waste: Can our cities avoid exporting waste outside their own limits by recycling and reusing all of its waste within its boundaries? What changes are needed in governance structures to make waste management more inclusive, decentralized and ground-up? What would be the potential economic benefits of such a change, especially for the more disadvantaged sections of a city? How can cities move from the paradigm of managing waste to one of minimizing the generation of waste? Urban biodiversity and green cover: How can cities conserve and expand its green spaces in a manner that they serve as accessible and aesthetic public places? For cities that do not have much open or green spaces to begin with, what creative approaches can change the situation? How can more biodiversity of flora and fauna benefit a city in terms of energy usage, water conservation, local climate and heat island effect, health infections etc? The citys aesthetic, social and cultural profile: How can our cities change into more inclusive places which foster a natural and vibrant interaction amongst all classes
Guide book for college participation

and sections of societies? Among other factors, what changes in design and governance of public spaces would be required to catalyze such a change? How can cities effectively manage the balance between the requirements for high density, homogenized living and work spaces and the vital need for these to be aesthetic places to live and work in? How can our cities transform into a cultural rubric that supports and engenders rich, diverse and pluralistic expressions of art and culture? The city of the future: How can we build future cities that are self sufficient on energy and water? How can future cities minimize the need to use transport? Can the city of future grow its own food and feed itself? How can one live in the city of the future without being alienated from nature?

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Biodiversity
Diversity in all systems inherently supports dynamism, innovation and resilience. It regulates and supports. It is an intrinsic part of natures complex but beautiful design. We may never be able to fully comprehend and document the biodiversity in life the millions of plant and animal species, the interaction among all of them and the kind of reciprocal exchanges that it provides for all species. In the natural world, the human species was never meant to be at the pinnacle of resource use. Do we have any moral right to tamper the ecosystems of other species?

We are hurtling towards irreversible environmental tipping points that, once passed, would reduce the ability of ecosystems to provide essential goods and services to humankind. At one time there were 20,000 varieties of apples now only a few are

available and a fewer come to consumers. Out of the 30,000 edible plant species only 30

crops account for 95% of human food energy, with the bulk coming from rice, wheat and enables organisms to with-stand and adapt to new conditions

maize. We need genetic diversity, because it is key for providing a large genetic pool that

- Chair of Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) a UN Body The human impact through industrial design (from manufacturing, agriculture to land use changes) and the resulting concoction of pollution and stresses to the biosphere is pushing the limits of natures resilience How can we ever understand and integrate the value of biodiversity in human design? Read about ecosystem services and its valuation is it a useful guide? Have you heard of Biomimicry? Can we learn from nature and design for nature? Forests and Biodiversity: What are the linkages between Biodiversity and Climate Change and Water ? What cause-effect pathways exist between biodiversity and human health ? There has been a strong movement in the recent past to do an economic valuation of biodiversity and forests what are the pros and cons of such an approach ? Will attaching an economic value to forests and biodiversity stand in the way of other economic drivers like Industry or Agriculture .or will its overall effect be one of enhancing economic well being of people ? How can one include forest communities in the process of holistic development ?

Guide book for college participation

Alternative

What is the alternative for our society? How do we transition to sustainable models? World over there are interesting experiments happening experiments because they are not mainstream, yet. Experiments in thoughts, of pilots and through projects. Radical? Utopian? Or Pragmatic? They stand out against the traditional industrial way of thinking. How do we mainstream the alternative? Some of them we know of are below. An economy based on the small and the local: Is it desirable, practical and possible to reconstruct our socioeconomic structure to one that is based on the small and local? What would be the benefits and disadvantages of such a societal structure? Closed loop or Circular economy: How can we shift and transition our linear, open loop models of making stuff to one that is closed loop and minimal in its ecological footprint? What advances in materials sciences and manufacturing methods are needed to effect such a transition? What would serve a closed loop economy better the current globally dispersed supply chain model or more local clusters of complementary industries? Finance, Money, Green Accounting: All investment and financial decisions are made on the future value of money. This value is supposed to stand on the value of underlying goods and services. A discounting rate (rate of interest) is applied do this. This rate is the backbone of the money economy. Money is lent and people (either as individuals or corporations) mostly want to ensure that they are able to meet or exceed this calculated future value which means the primary aim is to mine the present resources to be able to meet or exceed the future value. Does this make sense in a resource constrained world? What about the external costs of actions? What could be the future financial models to help transition us out of this perpetual growing money model? What are the different alternate measures of wellbeing to the GDP? What are the practical challenges to moving to a Green Accounting system? What should India do to move to such a system in the next 10 years? Enabling legal frameworks: What is the place of law in changing behaviours? Can we legislate the behavior around complex problems? What is its role - as a communicator of values or helping transition faster? In the context of sustainability, laws
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are largely to combat pollution or to protect human rights. However, their implementation has never been easy because they inherit the problems of the cause-effect and one way or singular thinking. Many project EIAs (Environment Impact Assesments) are of that nature. Look at a few recent examples: the electronic waste management rules emphasis on producer responsibility through an unwieldy apply, grant and report process, largely ignoring the responsibility of the user, the value of the informal sector and solving one end of the problem ignoring the other end -product design. Water: Ground water legislation has largely been put in place ignoring
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the science, the use of other conjunct water sources and factors related to pricing, equitable access and governance at the local level. How can the law be an enabler? Resource Management approaches: Complex local problems dont lend themselves well to centralised top-down solutions whether provisioned by the state or business. Decentralised community participation for governance of the commons is an approach. However apart from the willingness of the state to empower such groups, communities also suffer issues of equitable access and the influence of different types of rent seekers. Is there a middle path? Take a socio-environmental issue in the proximate community and explore approaches. A new paradigm in product design and development: Conventional approaches to product design and development have more or less ignored environmental or social considerations. This has begun to change over the last few years, especially around energy efficiency of products. And yet several concerns remain, especially pertaining to toxic chemicals that need to be carefully handled at the end of life in order to prevent polluting landfills. New paradigms like the Cradle to Cradle have emerged that take a lifecycle approach and try to address the root cause of the problem at the design stage itself. These are still at a very nascent stage and several challenges need to be resolved in the journey ahead. What are the key challenges in making a concept like Cradle-to-Cradle a reality on a large scale ? Is the promise of green chemistry real or will it, at best, be a laboratory wonder ? Can such a paradigm work at levels higher than that of a product e.g. for a city as a whole ? Take any one of these products a car, a shirt, a cell-phone, an office chair, a book and describe in very specific detail on what a cradle-to-cradle design will look like.

Ambassador Program
You are passionate about the ecology and environmental issues. You are always thinking about how we can approach towards understanding and solving these complex issues or educate people. You want to be an agent of change. You can volunteer as earthians next ambassador for this happen. As an earthian ambassador you can work as a bridge between earthian and educational institutes around you. With the earthian Ambassador Program, with your help we want to reach out to others. We would like you to help us connect with the schools and colleges in your area, your alma mater, your fellow students and help them in participate and submit quality entries in earthian. You represent earthian in your city and help us engage with schools and colleges around you for sustainable tomorrow. For clarifications on earthian Ambassador Program please do reach us on facebook and earthian.contact@wipro.com

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Guide book for college participation

Important Links
www.earthian.in

To participate for earthian 2013 and more informtion, go to,

earthian c/o Wipro

1st Floor, A Wing, A Block, SJP-1, Wipro Ltd, Doddakanneli, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore 560 035

To register for earthian 2013, go to www.earthian.in/main/register

For queries mail us at earthian.contact@wipro.com Toll free: 1800 200 5824 (10 am to 5pm, on weekdays)

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