THEF Chennai/ CITY Front_Pg User: 1044 01:22:36 Replate Reason:

Hanging out with the Sheroes Giving people’s Acid attack survivors fnd hope and a livelihood in this Agra cafe which draws people from around the world

Sidhartha Roy initiatives a voice AGRA The dimly lit café was stirring As countries around the girls’ orchestra to revive to life on a Monday morning world seek to accelerate the faded cultural roots; the as the traffic flow on the pace of development and moringa tree from Asia sleepy Fatehabad Road out- pull people out of poverty, helps women in Tunisia side gradually picked up they must find solutions to fight desertification, and pace. many challenges: raising solar power is tapped by Sheroes Hangout is tucked the capability of more and more people away between some nondes- communities to enable both in rich and poor cript dhabas (eateries), economies to grow, countries. Crowdsourcing across from a five star luxury handling environmental of funds comes to the aid hotel. In Agra, famous as the pollution, and ensuring of desperate farmers, city of the Taj Mahal, the cafe equitable access to while one engineer in the is a well-known address. The essential resources and Czech Republic has found decor of the restaurant is services, and so on. On the away to help the disabled tastefully done and the walls other hand, communities drive cars, without are enlivened by colourful and enterprising difficulty. The focussed graffiti. individuals often use their journalism here explores Sheroes is on the map for own ingenuity and labour themes such as health, aunique reason: it is run by to solve the problem, energy, pollution and women who have survived successfully finding some women’s empowerment, acid attacks. of the answers. Their giving people and their At the start of the day, ventures may be small, but efforts a voice. Bhupendra Singh, the cafe’s the results are invariably It is important to note operations manager, looks effective. that such pioneering slightly annoyed as he gets Many of these rely on the initiatives invariably find a the furniture set in place. But zeal and personal resonance beyond local the mood transforms when conviction of their and national boundaries lively Rupa (24) enters, proponents. It is such and ignite other bright swinging the glass door. inspiring stories, curated ideas elsewhere. Some of It is hard to believe that till by The Hindu, that find a them have already formed afew years ago, Rupa place in this special section partnerships and created avoided talking to people, marking Impact Journalism impact across different hiding her face behind a Day 2017. countries. They have used dupatta. She did that so she There are several the power of the internet would not have to expose her forward-looking examples and social media to carry face, which was mutilated by of innovation and hope on their message to millions corrosive acid thrown on her these pages, narrated by around the world. when she was just 15, al- journalists from a variety of The Hindu has a long legedly by her stepmother international publications, tradition of fostering and some men, while she Visitors pose with acid attack survivors who served them at the Sheroes Hangout. * V. SUDERSHAN and others. Acid attack discussion on was asleep. “It is those who survivors run a cafe in developmental and attacked me who should hide survivors of acid attacks, and her sister’s kin threw acid on attack punishable with a “The food is really good and of foreign tourists clamber Agra; an innovative environmental issues, and their faces. Why should I,” more and more of them her face, because she rejec- minimum of ten years in jail. the hospitality is even bet- down to have a meal. They enterprise traps providing a forum for she asks. joined us. Most survivors are ted a proposal for marriage. The Supreme Court had ter,” she says. are received by Madhu atmospheric soot to elegant and effective Spreading wings in the age group of 16 to 28 The Home Ministry said in also stepped in earlier, in The manager says most Kashyap (37), a survivor. She produce ink for art; old solutions that advance and are dependent on their Parliament on April 11, 2017 2015, and ordered curbs on patrons are foreign tourists. switches on a documentary clothes are turned into human endeavour. Sheroes, which first families.” that 147 women suffered acid over-the-counter sale of acid. Sheroes offers North Indian on the café’s television. It ethanol in Japan; a This IJD special opened in Agra in 2014, now Unlike Rupa, though, 30- attacks in 2015. This is widely The court asked the govern- and Continental food but the tells the guests the story of pioneering group teaches produced in partnership has branches in Lucknow year-old Rukkaiya continues seen as an underestimate. ment to ensure that buyers menu has no prices: guests Sheroes. As the video ends, women music in with Sparknews reflects (Uttar Pradesh) and Udaipur to cover her face when she is In 2016, a national law was are at least 18 years old, and can pay whatever they like. Suzanne, a Canadian visitor, Afghanistan and launches a that commitment. (Rajasthan). The café was not at home or working at passed under which an acid provide a government photo “We make a profit almost wipes tears away. “I can’t born out of the Stop Acid At- Sheroes. “I felt more confid- attack is recognised as a ID to make a purchase. Yet, throughout the year but even imagine the horrible ex- tacks campaign, which was ent after I joined Sheroes and cause of disability, and vic- clandestine sale of acid con- some months can be lean perience these women have launched in 2013. met other survivors. They tims have a right to financial tinues, Stop Acid Attack cam- and we try crowd funding gone through but it is em- Alok Dixit, founder of the are like my family and even support. Three years before paigners say. then to keep the café run- powering to see their campaign, explains its gen- the guests treat us like nor- that, specific legal provisions One of the regulars at ning,” he said. strength,” she says. esis. “We started an online mal people,” she said. were added to the Indian Sheroes is Tanya Sharma As lunch time approaches, https://www.facebook. campaign to bring together Rukkaiya was just 14 when Penal Code making an acid (21), a civil service aspirant. asmall bus arrives. A group com/SheroesHangout/ Stories that change Inking carbon out of foul air the world Astart-up has produced ink from soot emitted by vehicles, making it possible to cut pollution and promote art Today, for Impact first step toward change. Journalism Day, 50 These include the United Jacob Koshy pen on a very small scale. newspapers join forces to Nations as well as One New Delhi This campaign will allow us highlight stories that Young World, which Even air pollution can yield to scale up and make Air Ink change the world. annually gathers together something positive, such as more widely accessible,” the Beyond the constant 1,500 young leaders from the beauty of art. When soot company said. stream of negative news, social and corporate spewed by vehicular Having filed for patents, it there are many stories of sectors who are involved in tailpipes is captured, it can plans to expand beyond hope and concrete positive innovations. A be turned into art material. automobiles into collection solutions. Stories of large community of well- Which is what Graviky Labs, of soot from different sources changemakers tackling known personalities and aBengaluru-based start-up, of pollution such as chim- some of the world’s most ordinary citizens have also is doing with one of the prob- neys and generators. pressing issues with joined the chorus in signing lems of the modern age: Nikhil Kaushik, director at innovative ideas, in order amanifesto to show that vehicular pollution. Graviky Labs and a chartered to change the lives of everyone — governments, For some years now, the accountant by training, said millions for the better. the private sector, civil company has been working the company would continue Stories worth reading and society, NGOs and everyday on an innovative method to to be focused on ways to spreading, not only to people — can take action trap soot from vehicles and reach artists and convince rebalance our view of the for a better future. You, transform it into ink. them that they would be do- world, but to help these too, can be part of this The team of industrial and ing their bit for the environ- existing solutions be transformational automobile engineers, com- ment by using soot-based replicated worldwide. movement. puter scientists and design ink. The other major effort is The media can play a Discover those who have enthusiasts developed a pro- to tap large vehicles. “We are crucial role in telling the successfully brought prietary, retrofit device — in talks with several large individual stories behind answers to challenges such called Kaalink — that can be this global movement. as good health, access to attached to a vehicle’s tail <> Marker pens have That’s why for the last five water, quality education, pipe to filter out residual been made with up years Sparknews has decent employment and soot. This is then chemically- invited newspapers to take clean energy. Each serves processed and turned into a to 130 minutes of part in Impact Journalism as a concrete example of purified carbon pigment that soot from diesel Day, harnessing the power the power of individual or in turn becomes Air-Ink. car exhaust of collaborative journalism group initiatives to help The unit captures 95% of Graviky Ink produced from particulate matter. * GRAVIKY LABS to bring stories of change to reach the UN New particulate matter emanating cargo fleets to be able to tap the surface. Every year Sustainable Development from the engine without in- from pollution’ series will in- Indian cities it studied had ent Air Quality Standards of Since then, we have made a their engine soot,” he said. these newspapers explore Goals, to end poverty, ducing back-pressure in the clude oil-based paints, fabric pollution levels over pre- the Central Pollution Control significant effort to bring this In a February interview to and publish an array of protect the planet and vehicle. Kaalink is currently paints and outdoor paints. scribed standards. Data for Board. Anirudh Sharma, a concept to reality,” he told technology magazine Wired, groundbreaking solutions ensure prosperity and good undergoing certification and Soot is mostly made up of the year 2015 it analysed co-founder, has said that he The Hindu at the time. Mr. Sharma said the com- in special supplements on health for all. being tested in several pilot fine black particles and car- showed that 154 of 168 cities conceived Air Ink during a The funds chase pany has installed 75 kits and the same day, reaching 120 We hope you enjoy the demonstrations. The unit is bon produced by incomplete had an average Particulate stint at the Massachusetts In- captured about 100 kg of Par- million people worldwide read…and that you become designed to work on Indian combustion of fossil fuels. Matter level higher than the stitute of Technology- Media Currently the company is ticulate Matter, which can in print and digital media. part of the solution. Sign roads and fitted with heat The particles are extremely national standard. Lab. on a ‘Kickstarter’ campaign, help make 1,000 litres of ink. Many publications have the manifesto and water-proof electronics tiny: 2.5 micrometres or less None of the cities had air At first, the idea was to which is a crowd-sourced op- “Even if just 15% of the come to realise the impact (sharestoriesofchange.org) and materials. in diameter which is smaller quality matching the stand- build a hand-held printer eration that allows people to world’s black ink supply is re- of these articles, and now and share the stories that Graviky’s products turn than dust, and linked to pub- ard prescribed by the World that prints from candle soot, pledge a certain amount of placed with Air Ink, we could incorporate more solutions- impress you most on the darkness of pollution lic health: causing a variety Health Organization. and Mr. Sharma demon- money to support innovative end up sequestering a lot of driven stories into their Facebook and Twitter into bold strokes. Their of respiratory diseases, and Delhi was found to be the strated an early prototype at services or products. “People air pollution,” he said. day-to-day coverage of the (#ImpactJournalism, range currently includes even cancer. most polluted city, with the several conferences. from all over constantly ask The company claims that world. #StoryOfChange, marker pens with tips of vari- More to tap annual average for PM10 be- “We thought what if we us how they can get their it has so far captured 1.6 bil- For the fifth edition of @Sparknews, @the_hindu). ous thickness, which respect- ing 268 micrograms per cu- could use it as a pigment for hands on Air Ink and use it in lion micrograms of particu- Impact Journalism Day, the Christian de Boisredon, ively contain from 40 The problem of fine par- bic metre, which is more colouring? We tied up with their everyday lives. But at lates which equates to ‘clean- media are joined by founder of Sparknews and minutes up to 130 minutes of ticulates is growing. A Green- than four times the 60 micro- several designers, artists, this time our pollution cap- ing’ 1.6 trillion litres of organisations that believe Ashoka Fellow & The captured diesel car pollu- peace report released earlier grams/cubic metre limit pre- chemists, and automobile ex- ture process is very labour outdoor air. spreading these stories is a Sparknews Team. tion. In the future, the ‘art this year found that 90% of scribed in the National Ambi- perts to make this a reality. intensive and can only hap- http://www.graviky.com/

CM CH-X _ A YK THEF Chennai/CITY Inside_01 User: 105201:22:33 Replate Reason:

Food for thought: selling Playing the music of their dreams Zohra Orchestra, a unique all-female group in Afghanistan, symbolises hope books at the price of bread Hassan Karimi In one of the many practice rooms of the Afghanistan Na- ‘Low-cost’ publisher Vincent Safrat sells the tomes to poor families for 80 cents tional Institute of Music (ANIM), Zarifa Adeeb is play- Caroline de Malet, ing the violin with admirable Le Figaro dexterity and concentration It’s Sunday on a long spring amidst a group of students. weekend in Paris, and the While this young Afghan girl mini Parisians of the 18th ar- has long dreamt of becoming rondissement are all jostling apop singer, her passion for for a spot in the Jacqueline classical music emerged de Romilly library. more recently. The children make their When she was only one way towards the stacks of year old, Adeeb fled with her books piled up at the Lire family to Pakistan where she c’est partir stand, which has stayed until she was 15, be- been set up as part of the fore deciding to return to her Salon du Livre de Jeunesse own country. Solidaire (the Youth Solidar- “I came here at the end of ity Book Fair). The children’s 2014. When I was looking for shared sense of excitement amusic teacher, I found this makes it hard to move, never institute, where you can mind reach one of the learn music in a professional Musicians of the Zohra Orchestra train at a session. * HASHT E SUBH coveted works of fiction. way.” Currently in her final This hyperactivity has a year, Zarifa Adeeb has been western and eastern music. from a singing group into an Every year, between 300 sole reason: as if by magic, Vincent Safrat realised that a book’s price goes up due to high distribution costs. * VINCENT studying the violin for two These include lessons in the orchestra.” and 400 applicants take the these little ones — who have BOISOT POUR LE FIGARO years. She’s ambitious and violin, viola, guitar, piano, “The original idea for the Institute’s entrance exam never owned a book in their hopeful. And yet, only ten trumpet and flute, as well as Zohra Orchestra came from and only 50 are offered lives — are suddenly propri- an average of seven euros, came into reading a little print these works himself at years ago, these music les- more traditional instruments ayoung girl called Mina who places. Around 50% of the etors of a novel or two. Once Lire c’est partir is able to late. Through discovering low cost. In 1998, a friendly sons would have been com- like the robab, ghickak, tam- was a student here. The idea candidates are homeless or in their hands, the frantic defy all market competition Gustave Flaubert’s L’Educa- salesman explained to him pletely banned. bour drum, qashqarcha, the was taken up by Dr. Naser orphaned children and are reading of these tales begins. hands down. tion Sentimentale (Senti- that a paperback doesn’t ANIM was first opened in three-stringed sarod, and the Sarmast and, today, we’re proposed by NGOs working Without delay, Sophie What may look like a tour mental Education), he had a cost much more than a franc 2010 by Ahmad Naser Sar- delroba. witnessing the orchestra’s on children’s rights in Afgh- dives into Neige Blanche et de force from the outside is real revelation. “I believe to make — a fact that had an mast, the current director, First orchestra for girls success,” explains Mo- anistan. As well as the Zohra les 7 geants (Snow White and actually just an idea based that reading can replace immediate effect on Safrat. although its history goes hammad Murad Sharkhush, Orchestra, the institute has the Seven Giants), while Paul on a simple equation: “60% studying. Hence my notion That’s when — despite being back even further. The insti- Currently, ANIM has who teaches the eleven other music groups. joins the queue to get his of the price of a book is from of bringing reading to those on government income sup- tute is rekindling a musical around 250 students, includ- qashquarcha, an ancient Mr. Sharkhush continues: copy of L’Apprenti Mous- distribution costs.” There- who don’t read.” port (RMI) — he took the risk teaching tradition that was ing 75 girls. From these “when a change occurs in a When a change quetaire (The Apprentice fore, in discarding tradi- Ahunt for unsold books of ordering 400,000 copies severely weakened over the ranks, these young women <> country, it’s better not to Musketeer) signed by the il- tional transport channels that he then needed to sell in course of political up- have pooled together their occurs in a worry: you should be posit- lustrator Gregoire Vallan- and instead taking on the In 1992, following his first under four months. heavals. respective talents to form country, it’s better ive, and I am optimistic. cien, who is there alongside distribution himself, Safrat is experience of the publishing When Safrat realised that With the original creation the Zohra Orchestra: the first not to worry: you Afghanistan is a country several authors. able to drastically reduce his world, Vincent Safrat began many schools lack the of the music school in 1974, Afghan orchestra made up should be positive where art occupies a prom- At only 80 cents each, expenses. Even the printing visiting different publishing means to equip themselves, music became a part of the exclusively of girls. inent place in people’s lives.” Mohammad Murad Sharkhush these books are a bargain. In only costs 30 cents for a pa- houses on a daily basis to he had a second light-bulb national curriculum in Afgh- Started in 2014, this mu- Teacher At the Afghanistan Na- this quarter, not far from the perback with less than 160 pick up their unsold books, moment. This was when he anistan. The school held sical group held its first tional Institute of Music, Paris ring road and border- pages. As for the publisher’s which are usually destined decided to make educational classes until 1988 when it event at the Canadian Em- Afghan instrument. Mr. both rich students and ing Saint-Ouen — a low-in- profit margin (which is usu- for the scrap heap. He would institutions his company’s closed due to the war, and it bassy in Kabul: not exactly a Sharkhush explains that the orphans attend music classes come suburb — Vincent ally around 15% on average), then go door-to-door to dis- main focus. Through Lire then stayed shut throughout small-town crowd. Zarifa Ad- musicians in the orchestra under the same roof. They Safrat has brought a little with Lire c’est partir, it’s tribute them every weekend c’est partir, schools are free the rule of the Taliban, since eeb talks about those days: are aged between 12 and 21. express their emotions - happiness to more than one non-existent. for free around the Essonne to buy books for their music was made illegal. “When I first joined the Recently, the Zohra Or- whether that means pain, home. For the company’s region. students. The school reopened its school there were only five chestra has had the oppor- hope, joy or grief - through Safrat may not run in the founder, “any profit is a “It’s the gratitude that the “He has revolutionised classrooms when Hamid Kar- girls. We wanted to organise tunity to participate in inter- music, so that one day they prestigious Saint-Germain- scam.” parents express for their the market economy be- zai, the former president of agroup for women since, national programmes, like will be able to fulfil their des-Pres literary circles, but It’s not everyday you meet kids that strikes me..” cause he thinks differently,” Afghanistan, came to power. that same year at the insti- the Davos Forum in Switzer- childhood dreams. that didn’t stop him selling aliterary miracle worker like However, despite the sup- says the writer and co- In 2008, Ahmad Naser Sar- tute, the boys were allowed land. As Dr. Naser Sarmast says: around 2.5 million books in Safrat, who’s able to sell port of some of the biggest founder of Lire et Faire Lire, mast began a project called to create both rock and pop “One of our main suc- “The Afghanistan National 2016. books like they’re bread rolls names in the business like Alexandre Jardin. Lire c’est the ‘Reconstruction of groups. It was like a competi- cesses so far was being able Institute of Music is like an is- So what’s the secret be- –and at the same price as a Robert Laffont, many pub- partir has 12 employees and Aghan Music,’ funded by the tion. So we created a choir. to show to the world a posit- land of hope in the dark. hind this publishing dis- baguette. lishers have been hard to six vans distributing books, World Bank. Two years later, As time went on, other girls ive image of Afghanistan and This institute is the symbol ruptor? Having grown up in the convince. and even Vincent Safrat fi- the music school became came to join the group. its culture. This orchestra is of the Afghanistan of The key lies in the price: suburbs of Essonne, this self- Obviously, part of Safrat’s nally has a salary. ANIM and began teaching That’s when, only three also known as the Angels of tomorrow.” since a children’s book costs educated book enthusiast success is in being able to www.lirecestpartir.fr courses in both classical weeks later, we changed Music,” he adds. www.anim-music.org

CM CH-X _ A YK THEF Chennai/ CITY Inside_02 User: 1044 01:22:53 Replate Reason:

Women at the heart of a plastics ‘revolution’ 20-year-old co-op in Senegal tackles more than pollution

Idrissa SANE, Le Soleil

In 1997, a group of 14 women pooled together to open a plastic waste treatment facil- ity in Thiès, 70 km east of Dakar, under the supervi- sion of an Italian NGO. 12 years later, the project has continued to thrive in the form of a social enterprise called Proplast, in partner- ship with the French con- sultancy firm ESPERE. Today, more than one hun- A tank to extract ethanol from cotton clothes. At right, Michihiko Iwamoto, Chairman and Founder, Jeplan, Inc. * NORIKO AKIYAMA dred women work for the company and 1,500 tonnes Workers at one of the ProPlast Centers. * LE SOLEIL of waste are treated every year. Thiès. ted the emission of 273 An image of a dumpster Today, the sector has be- tonnes of CO2 in 2008. “In How textiles turn into fuel in Japan truck filled to the brim with come an employment gener- 2008, when we analyzed bundles of trash hangs on ator for indirect jobs in our carbon footprint, we the door of Proplast’s office, Senegal. The facility oper- realised we had avoided the Michihiko Iwamoto follows the philosophy of circulating everything to protect the environment in the Silmang district of ates until 9 p.m. Unlike in emission of 273 tonnes of Thiès. On the day of our the sorting area, the clatter- CO2. We submitted a case for NORIKO AKIYAMA, The Iwamoto, now the firm’s risky, so he began to think contribution even on a small been processed at the fact- visit, heaps of packaged ing of machines can be compensation and managed Asahi Shimbun chairman, was formerly a about founding a company scale, people will easily un- ory of a cooperative com- waste were cluttering the heard in the shredding unit. to sell those tonnes of When Michihiko Iwamoto sales promotion staff mem- on his own. derstand what they are do- pany for recycling. However, loading area. Between five Men protected by white avoided emissions to the worked for a trading house ber at a textile trading house. At that time, Iwamoto met ing and have an incentive to Jeplan is scheduled to com- and six tonnes of waste are masks empty bags into the French firm Espere,” reveals specializing in textiles, he He began to tackle recycling Masaki Takao, then a gradu- participate, he explains. plete its own factory in Kita- deposited there every day. tanks of one of the three Macoumba Diagne. became involved in produ- in earnest after Japan’s Con- ate student at the University One example Jeplan has Kyushu this year to recycle “We receive both bulk shredders. After much The facility supplies its re- cing work clothes with tainers and Packaging Recyc- of Tokyo, who was majoring taken is clothing. UNEP re- polyester. and sorted waste. Here we cracking and crunching, cycled plastic to processing threads made from PET ling Law took effect in 1995. in technology and manage- ports that “fashion feeds a It was not an easy road have High Density Polyethyl- smaller material is re- plants in Senegal and some- bottles. This got him think- The law stipulates the ment. In those days, bioeth- growing industry and ranks until retailers eventually ene (PE-HD), Low Density covered at the other end. times to foreign companies. ing, why not “circulate roles of consumers, busi- anol was starting to attract textile and clothing as the agreed to put collection Polyethylene (PE-BD) and After the shredding comes “The amount of recycled everything” by returning all nesses and municipalities in increasing attention. Takao world’s second-biggest eco- boxes in their outlets. It took Polypropylene (PP),” ex- the cleaning. Between the material sold depends on used items to their original decreasing the volume of was sure that it was techno- nomic activity for intensity nearly two years for Jeplan plained Staff Officer Papa processing units, the result- the demand. Every now and state and putting them into containers and packaging, logically feasible to produce of trade ($353 billion in to acquire the first agree- Samba Ba. ing white and blue pellets then we have customers ask- new products to sell? Ten which accounts for about 2001).” Of the world’s textile ment, which came from the In the waste sorting area, are laid out on canvases. ing for material that we can- years ago, Iwamoto co-foun- 60% of household garbage, <> Only a small products, 60% are made of retailer Ryohin Keikaku Co., women pick up pieces of Reduction of emissions not supply within a month, ded Japan Environment according to the Japanese percentage of used polyester and 30% come which trades under the bottles, containers and as we do not have the raw Planning (Jeplan Inc.), a ven- Ministry of Economy, Trade clothing currently from cotton. The environ- name Muji. buckets, identify them, and At the end of the chain is material,” says commercial ture company to promote and Industry. mental costs for the produc- Jeplan is not only pro- then throw them into basins the sifting unit. Women and director Maguette Samb. recycling. Consumers sort their re- gets recycled tion of these textiles are cessing products for recyc- according to their material men lean over sieves ex- “We are aware that we The key to Jeplan’s busi- fuse into bottles, cans, PET huge, yet only a very small ling but is also developing and colour. The thin-faced tracting the last impurities have contributed to the fight ness is maintaining Iwamo- bottles and other items. Mu- ethanol from cotton, one of percentage of used clothing new ones. Fatou Ba Faye has already from the plastic pellets. against plastic pollution in to’s philosophy to circulate nicipalities collect the the major raw materials in currently gets recycled. Inspired by “Back to the spent three years at the “This is the final stage of re- Senegal,” asserts Proplast’s everything, while keeping garbage, which businesses clothing. The idea behind Je- New life for cotton Future” — in which a car that waste processing centre. cycling. We obtain pellets technical director, who has enjoyment in mind. The then produce new products plan was born. runs on garbage transports “We earn a decent living which we sell in Senegal and supported the women since firm, based in Tokyo, has ex- from. Many years have passed Jeplan places collection passengers from 1985 to 2015 with this job,” she says. Over sometimes Europe,” ex- 1997. The company’s waste panded its business and is Circulate the resource since the concept of a “re- boxes in retail outlets, and —Iwamoto negotiated with ahundred women working plains Mamadou Faye, in collection streams are be- generating interest among source-circulating society” consumers drop off clothing Hollywood companies and both part-time and full-time charge of production. coming better structured. the public thanks to its eye- Iwamoto realized that the was developed. Yet concrete there for recycling. This succeeded in conducting a earn their living here. There has been a sharp On certain street corners in catching projects, such as participation of several com- progress towards this model used clothing is sent to the joint project with NBC Uni- “Currently, wages are far decline in the quantity of Dakar, plastic waste disposal creating a replica of the panies would be necessary is making too little headway, firm’s factories in Imabari, versal. He purchased a De- better than when we started plastics being incinerated in kiosks have been set up for garbage-powered time ma- to achieve his vision. according to Iwamoto. Ehime Prefecture. There, Lorean automobile to replic- in 1997,” says the current landfills, neighbourhoods the public. These kiosks will chine car that appeared in Yet major companies hes- If Jeplan is successful in cottons are reborn as eth- ate the vehicle in the movie. deputy director, Germaine and within companies offer money in exchange for the 1985 U.S. mega-hit film itated to become involved in circulating everything and, anol, used as an energy www.jeplan.co.jp/ Faye, one of the 14 pioneers thanks to the market created plastic waste. “Back to the Future.” projects they deemed too as a result, shows its overall source. Polyester has so far en/project of plastic waste recycling in by Proplast, which preven- www.proplast-sarl.com/

CM CH-X _ A YK THEF Chennai/ CITY Inside_03 User: 1044 01:23:19 Replate Reason:

Young Moroccans A roof over your change lives with head in 15 minutes crowdfunding Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times For six years, a married Stéphanie JACOB Yassin Kamel — had barely homeless couple were sep- The meteoric rise in crowd- started their campaign arated, forced to live apart funding projects, which al- when they were spotted and in Delhi. The husband was low an entrepreneur to raise offered support for their en- in one gender-segregated funds from private individu- deavours. communal shelter and the als, has taken many coun- Last year, they came wife in another. tries by storm. fourth in the “Solve For To- Last year, they were able Two young Moroccans, morrow” competition, or- to move into their own WeatherHYDE can currently towards the end of ganised by Samsung Elec- “home” — a tent, designed withstand extreme their Master’s degree in Fin- tronics Morocco and by Singapore-based, non- temperatures. * BILLIONBRICKS ance in Morocco, have set Enactus Morocco , an event profit organisation billion- up their own such project, aimed at encouraging ideas Bricks. The tent can be set pore — is weatherproof. In under the name Takafull. for the improvement of up by one person in 15 the winter, the tent’s triple- It is, in essence, a mobile people’s lives and the devel- minutes without any tools. layer reversible cover application that connects opment of solutions by It is also spacious, with the provides insulation, while contributors to young entre- young entrepreneurs using ability to fit a family of two reflective material on the preneurs who find it diffi- technology (Internet, cell- adults and three children. inside traps body heat. In cult to acquire the appropri- phone etc…). Today, they The couple even moved the summer, the tent cover ate funding. Users simply are working on their gradu- in a bed, says billionBricks can be reversed to reflect select one or more projects ation project, leaving the founder, Prasoon Kumar. solar heat helping people from a menu and read the TakaFull application on The Cropital team trains a farmer on how to improve productivity and reduce risks. * CROPITAL More than 20 homeless inside stay cool. detailed descriptions and standby for the time being. families pilot-tested the The tent does not re- funding history. Once the Target set tent in Delhi and Mumbai. quire anchoring to the choice has been made, the WeatherHYDE — de- ground with tent pegs. contributor funds the pro- “We have everything we signed by a studio in Singa- www.billionbricks.org/ ject via SMS converted into need to get started, supplier Filipinos throw a lifeline monetary value. This text contracts and mentors, but messaging service has a unit we are still looking for a de- value of 15 DH (about 1.5 veloper who would like to euros). get involved in this adven- to farmers in distress Secretly solar roof While half the amount ture.” Tolai remarks that the goes directly to the selected team’s objective is to fin- Elena Comelli, entrepreneur, 8.33% goes to ance 410 projects in three Cropital connects investors and farmers through its crowdfunding platform Corriere INNOVAZIONE TakaFull, and the re- years via the application, ac- mainder to the operators cording to their “most con- Helen M. Flores, “This is made possible by manages the fund for the of return for users, on the Invisible to the naked eye and service providers. servative estimate”. The Philippine Star the growing global network farmers, making sure they other hand, range from but designed to produce The two founders — Omar https://www.facebook. Doing good comes with of Cropital community who get the resources they need, three per cent to 30 per cent clean energy, Invisible Solar Tolai and Mohammed com/TakaFull2016/ great rewards. came from all walks of life and investors receive their in less than six months. is an innovative photovoltaic This is the philosophy and are willing to give their return on investment once Cropital was awarded (PV) module, produced by that keeps Cropital — a hard-earned money to sup- the produce has been sold. Philippine Social Enterprise Vicenza-based company Dy- crowdfunding platform put port our farmers,” she says. To date, Cropital has of the Year at the Philippine aqua, to meet the needs of up by a group of Filipino The enterprise enables raised $120,000 worth in in- Rice Bowl Startup Awards historical cities, towns and millennials to help local low-cost, sustainable agri- vestment, de Villa says. 2016. De Villa was included areas that are subject to aes- farmers — running. cultural investments to sup- The enterprise is globally in Forbes Magazine’s 30 Un- thetic constraints. Photovoltaic modules are Since it was launched in port farmers, thereby pro- recognised and supported der 30 entrepreneurs in the You can’t see the modules embedded in Dyaqua roof November 2015, Cropital has moting inclusive growth, by various organisations in Finance and Venture cat- because they are embedded tiles. * CORRIERE DELLA SERA provided financial support reducing poverty and ensur- the Philippines and abroad, egory last year. into a polymeric compound to around 560 farmers ing food security. including the U.S., Nether- De Villa says Filipino that is opaque to the human The PV shingles can be across the Philippines, says “Cropital also helps farm- lands, and Malaysia. farmers live in debt and are eye, but transparent to the used to build a rooftop that 24-year-old Rachel de Villa, ers reduce the risks in farm- Social impact taken advantage of by sun’s rays. They can be de- is identical to that of sur- the organisation’s co- ing and improve productiv- traders. “With Cropital, signed to look like any type rounding buildings, per- founder and chief techno- ity by processing crop “For the farm investors, farmers get paid for labour of construction material — fectly fitting in with the land- logy officer. “Cropital was insurance, providing a Cropital is a social impact in- and also get the majority of terracotta, stone, cement or scape of a historic town. born out of a need to sup- buyer, and giving training vestment wherein you help the profit.” “We believe that wood — in order to blend in Invisible Solar technology port smallholder farmers by and access to technology our farmers and at the same agriculture is our country’s with the building’s architec- has been tested by scientists providing them with ser- partners,” de Villa says. time, you earn for your fu- job creation engine. Only by ture. The first PV roof tile at the Italian National vices that empower them, At Cropital, people can ture,” de Villa says. giving our farmers the sup- production line is so suc- Agency for New Technolo- Omar Tolai (centre) and Mohammed Yassine Kamel (left) came improve their productivity, choose from a list of farms The amount of invest- port they need, will our cessful that inventor Gio- gies, Energy and Sustainable fourth in the ‘Solve For Tomorrow’ competition, organised by and ultimately increase their where they would like to in- ment is from P5,000 to as country be truly rich.” vanni Quagliato is struggling Economic Development. Samsung Electronics Morocco & Enactus Morocco. * SAID MRIGU income,” de Villa says. vest their money. Cropital high as P50,000. The rates https://www.cropital.com/ to keep up with orders. http://www.dyaqua.it/

CM CH-X _ A YK THEF Chennai/ CITY Inside_04 User: 1052 01:23:50 Replate Reason:

Zero-power cooling, with plastic Cats teach conservation An inventor uses physics and waste bottles to cut the temperature by 5° C inside houses Play this energy game and convince the feline protagonist

Nahela Nowshin, Patricia Peiro, The Daily Star El Pais Bangladesh is already feeling Agroup of researchers from the heat — literally — as the Polytechnic University of warming trends take over Catalonia believe cats have a globally. The rural popula- green lesson for people. tion, which is over 60%, is They are leading a project especially vulnerable. Unlike that teaches families how to the urban population, a large live in a more sustainable chunk of which lives in air- way, all thanks to a video conditioned homes, rural game called EnergyCat: The residents don’t have such House of Tomorrow. options. This same group But Grey Dhaka, the launched the EnerGAware Bangladesh unit of U.S.- project in February 2015. based multinational advert- The main objective is to ising and marketing agency teach families in social hous- Grey Group, may have found ing developments how to the answer. Last year, it in- save energy using a video troduced the Eco-Cooler, game, whose protagonist is Smart energy is a target for all individuals. * RICCARDO ANNANDALE billed as the world’s first ever apussycat. The interface is ‘zero-electricity’ air similar to The Sims, a well- have compiled and analysed pending on the time of the conditioner. known social simulation the initial results, we can year. For example, it chal- The way it works is just as video game, and it has a sys- conclude that in the first lenges players to reduce mesmerising as it sounds. tem by which the user only three months there was a re- consumption at Christmas What is most alluring about advances once he success- duction of 7% in consump- time by decorating their tree it is its simplicity. fully completes missions re- tion,” says Miquel Casals, re- with low energy bulbs. Repurposed plastic bottles As simple as it gets. The bottleneck principle helps cut temperature as air fows through. lated to energy efficiency. search coordinator. “When you do something are cut in half and mounted Close to 550 people in the The game rewards actions that wastes energy like leav- on a board or a grid to match conditioner. get unbearable with temper- in places such as Nilphamari, immense success. British city of Plymouth as simple as turning off ing a lamp on, it’s placed in the window size, with the The man behind the in- atures as high as 45°C. Daulatdia, Paturia, Modon- Paul said, “Bangladesh is filled out surveys about their lights and provides informa- red. Hover your cursor over bottlenecks facing the inside credible idea is inventor Grey teamed up with hati and Khaleya. one of the poorest countries, energy consumption. tion on more complex is- the lamp and you get in- of the house. The board is Ashis Paul. The way the idea Grameen Intel Social Busi- Like the Eco-Cooler many where 80% of population is Among them, 237 were in- sues, such as choosing an formation about how you then installed on the win- occurred to him is interest- ness Limited (a partnership innovative ventures have under the poverty line — terested in participating and energy-efficient oven. “Our can better save energy.” dow. The science behind it is ing. One day, he overheard between the non-governme- come out of Bangladesh, with no access to electricity, 100 were chosen to receive a idea was to make it fun. The Those playing the game can this: hot air enters the open his daughter’s physics tutor ntal organisation Grameen with a particular focus on and modern conveniences. tablet with the application protagonist is a cat and he also “compete” with fellow end of the bottle and is com- explaining to her that air and Intel) and distributed the disadvantaged sections. Eco-Cooler was designed to already installed. The other fixes things that the family neighbours and share scores pressed at the neck of the cools as gas expands. The in- Eco-Coolers free in different Being a developing coun- be free to make and distrib- half who aren’t participating could be doing better,” says on social media. bottle, turning the air cooler ventor in him began to play parts of the country. Grey try, Bangladesh faces econo- ute — using sustainable ma- will still have their consump- Casals. Participating families Participating households before it is released into the with this simple concept of sent teams to these villages, mic, social and environmen- terials that have low environ- tion monitored in the same gave their opinions on issues need not play each day and house. physics, and the idea sprang where people were taught tal challenges which require mental impact. It was way as the playing house- such as the appearance of there is no minimum daily Based on the direction of to his mind. how to make an Eco-Cooler. out-of-the-box solutions. For designed to bring a bit of re- holds to compare if there are the houses in the game: interaction requirement. the wind and pressure gener- More than 70% of Spread far and wide these solutions to have a lief to the poorest communit- any real savings. Research- “They chose Victorian Smart energy meter data ated by airflow, the Eco- Bangladesh’s population wide impact, they need to be ies around the country.” ers also analysed the energy homes because that is what sensors allow researchers to Cooler can reduce the tem- lives in corrugated tin houses Today, more than 25,000 simple, cheap and efficient. http://grey.com/apac/ costs from the previous year is most relevant for them.” monitor their progress. The perature by as much as 5° C, that amplify the sun’s heat. households have one in their The cooler checks all the work/key/eco-cooler/ when they weren’t playing The application also study will end later this year. the same as an electric air During summer, the heat can homes. It has been installed boxes, perhaps explaining its id/12475/ the game. “Now that we poses specific challenges de- http://energaware.eu/ Women in South Korea cook Waste is the secret of their energy their way to independence In Indonesia’s Central Java region, villagers make biogas from tofu refuse — and save on cash

Suyeon Kim, MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO, DONG-A ILBO Kompas “I have been making the White smoke billows from broth for 12 hours now. It is the kitchen of 52-year-old not easy to flavour it without Tumirah, a tofu maker in MSG.” Kalisari village, Banyumas, In the early days of sum- in Central Java. Burning mer with temperatures wood boils the soybean stew reaching 27°C, Vo Thi Ngoc in a large stove called a Nhon (37) was making broth kawah, or crater, by the in a small kitchen. For Ngoc locals. Nhon, who became a single In one day, Tumirah can mother after she emigrated process 80 kg of soybean to from Vietnam to South make yellow tofu, which also Korea to marry a Korean in produces 30 buckets — or 2006, the kitchen is the only 600 litres — of foamy, smelly place she can earn an in- waste water. The water was come. After seven years of Vo Thi Ngoc Nhon, right, and Pham Thi Thoan opened 'Asian earlier discarded, but it is doing a variety of different Bowl' after interning at Oyori Asia. * CHEOL MIN AHN now piped to a digester jobs while also looking after about 300 metres from Tu- her newborn baby, she expanding its activities as far more than 80 dishes of mirah’s house and processed opened a Vietnamese res- as Nepal. 7,000 won. However, this into biogas. The biogas is taurant near Jangsungbagi Alicence after 19 attempts half-year-old restaurant has then channelled through a One of the biogas processing units in Kalisari village, Banyumas, Central Java. * MENJAGA NUSANTARA/KOMPAS Station last year. amaximum of 50 customers smaller pipe to light the It has been 20 years since Ngoc Nhon became the per day. “I do not use MSG stove for cooking. solid, but not sour. used for cooking,” she said. treatment plants, built in tion of biogas is not optimal. the phenomenon of ‘interna- first entrepreneur produced [monosodium glutamate]. I Tumirah said her family In the village, which has a Naufalin said untreated phases between 2010 and “For example, in Biolita III tional marriage’ emerged in by Oyori. In 2006, she mi- will find a soup flavour that has been using biogas for population of 4,671 people, waste water has a pH of 4-5, 2014 with the help of a num- many pipes have been dam- Korea to overcome the prob- grated to Korea and gave even babies can eat,” Ngoc three years, as opposed to li- there are 250 tofu makers. which can kill fish and cause ber of institutions. “Now, 142 aged and broken. The village lem of rural men, who could birth to a child shortly after. Nhon said. She prefers to quid petroleum gas (LPG). On average, each tofu maker rice crop failure. The organic of the village’s 250 tofu has allocated Rp 8 million for not marry. Such interna- However, her marriage did make a homely taste using “The flame is good and I processes 50 kg of soybean a materials, if not managed makers pipe waste water to repairs,” he said. tional marriage, based on not last long. In 2010, she only natural ingredients. prefer using biogas rather day and can produce 1,500 properly, will decay and pro- the digester containers, Maintain it to benefit economic interests rather found herself alone with her Her dream is to settle in than an LPG canister for fear pieces of tofu. The liquid duce ammonia gas that which generate biogas for than love, led to a surge in son, without alimony. Two Korea while making food of explosions.” She also waste can reach seven litres emits a bad smell. 210 houses,” Masruri said. The same view was shared divorce rates. In the last five years later, she met Oyori’s from her homeland with claimed it helped her save for every kilo of soybean. Earlier, the tofu makers According to Naufalin, the by Taryo, 54, a tofu maker of years, 1,28,864 international founder. She got four years other women like her. She money, since she only needs Wealth and harm dumped the waste water sustainability of biogas pro- Biolita I. Taryo, who has pro- marriages were registered; of cooking training from the works with another single to drain waste water from into the river, causing pollu- duction must be maintained cessed 75 kg of soybean a however, the number of di- head chef of Oyori, and mother, Pham Thi Thoan, her tofu production and pay Rifda Naufalin, a lecturer tion and turning the water by training and improving day for the past two years, is vorces reached 50,853. gained a licence in Korean 26. Thi Thoan also married Rp 15,000 (the local cur- in food sciences and techno- smelly and foamy. “It used to the skills of residents to man- no longer able to use biogas Oyori Asia stepped in to cuisine after 19 attempts. at the age of 19, and got di- rency) per month to the bio- logy at the University of Gen- be a dirty river. In addition age waste water plants. Cur- because the stove and pipes help. Jihye Lee, who foun- Last year, she opened a vorced in 2011 shortly after gas installer for maintenance eral Soedirman’s Faculty of to being unsightly, the smell rently, the treatment plants are damaged. ded the company in 2008, Vietnamese restaurant, her baby was born. and biogas management. Agriculture, said tofu liquid was so strong,” Masruri said. are managed by five groups Wardoyo, 42, the manager said, “I wanted to help mar- called ‘Asian Bowl’ near The goal of the social en- According to the Kalisari waste contains vegetable In one day, about 70,000 from Biolita I to Biolita V. of the Biolita IV wastewater ginalized women through Jangsungbagi Station. It star- terprise OYORI ASIA is to village chief, Aziz Masruri, protein, vinegar and organic litres of liquid waste were Masruri acknowledges plant, admitted that prob- the restaurant business.” ted with a deposit of 20 mil- support women like Ngoc the village has been known acid. It is slightly acidic. “If dumped into the river. there is still weak coordina- lems often occurred due to The enterprise started in a lion won and a monthly rent Nhon to become self-reliant as a tofu producing centre the organic material is fer- The pollution problem tion and management the large amounts of dirt, small corner of Sangsu- of 80 million won. To make and live their lives. since the 1970s. The tofu mented, it can produce was resolved by the con- among group members so wood and leaves in the waste dong, Mapo-gu, and is now profits, she needed to sell http://www.oyori.asia/ from the village is chewy and methane gas that can be struction of five waste water the maintenance and utilisa- water container. Solar and kinetic: the future of sustainable power for cities? If the system proves to be efective, it will be extended to New York and Los Angeles. It may also be used to provide clean and free electricity to villages in Africa

C. Hallé, Mon Quotidien Engineers in Las Vegas, Nevada, are testing a new system to illuminate the city streets. As if by magic, these solar-powered streetlights can switch themselves on and off when people pass nearby. The aim of this in- vention? To reduce both pol- lution and electricity costs. Located in the middle of the desert, Las Vegas enjoys high levels of sunshine throughout the year making it an ideal place for solar en- ergy use. For this reason, the company EnGoPlanet re- cently installed four Eco- friendly streetlamps on a busy square in the city. The streetlights switch themselves on and of when people pass by. * MATTHEW HENRY & ENGOPLANET The system is quite simple. A battery is connec- battery is also connected to weight of their movement is the system proves to be ef- ing to raise money on the In- ted to solar panels above the kinetic tiles built into the harnessed. Thanks to small fective, it will be extended to diegogo website to provide streetlights that store the en- sidewalk. Whenever a pedes- generators, each step gener- other cities like New York or clean and free electricity to ergy needed to illuminate the trian walks on the slabs, the ates 4 to 8 watts, depending Los Angeles. villages in Africa. EnGoPlanet lamps are powered by solar energy. * ENGOPLANET square. But that's not all; the energy produced by the on the pressure exerted. If The company is also aim- www.engoplanet.com

CM CH-X _ A YK THEF Chennai/ CITY Inside_05 User: 1049 01:23:05 Replate Reason:

Swim to survive: Creating a safer environment

Jan Victor R. Mateo, The Philippine Star With over 7,000 islands, the Philippines has some of the best beaches anywhere. Ironically, the country also ranks high in terms drowning-related deaths — especially among children. A recent WHO study showed that an average of 2,496 people died in the Philip- pines due to drowning every year between 1980 and 2011. While the government is im- plementing various initiat- A winning idea. The I-Drop Water Team with their product, which produces no waste stream after fltration. * CHIVAS THE VENTURE ives to address the issue, Andrew McLean with the Zambales Team. * FLOAT PHILIPPINES there is a lot to be done. In 2015, a group of Aus- with strategies that will cut Primary School to create a tralian students from Griffith drowning mortality. The or- sustainable swimming pro- University, headed by An- ganization plans to imple- gram. We hope to extend the I-Drop Water makes a splash drew McLean, decided to ment “learn to swim” and current teachers’ expertise implement a drowning pre- “surf life-saving” pro- and reach more swimmers,” vention program across the grammes, particularly in notes McLean. “We think Ananocarbon system removes harmful micro-organisms at a fraction of the cost of bottled water Philippines. tourist resorts, such as Baler everyone should have the FLOAT Philippines pro- in the north west of the ability to learn to swim and Michelle Bao and Steere founded I-Drop Water ing it [the filtration system] cysts — anything that is car- months. But even then, store motes engagement between archipelago. enjoy an aquatic environ- Jacquelyn Guillen as an alternative solution to free for any grocery store to bon-based and could make owners can be trained to re- international and local or- “For the ‘learn to swim’ ment,” says McLean. For Petunia Mohale, safe make safe drinking water af- install in their shop and start someone sick — while retain- place the filters. Also, be- ganisations — including the project, we are hoping to https://www.gofundme. drinking water was not a fordable and accessible for selling.” ing minerals. cause it is designed to run on government — to come up partner with Baler Central com/float-philippines given. people like Mohale in South In the months after in- “The filter produces no solar power completely, it After discovering rust in- Africa and the African stalling the machine, Mohale waste water. It’s a simple can also run a pump and side the pipes at her home, continent. sold around five bottles of configuration of water that communications on solar Mohale was hesitant to drink Since its founding in 2015, filtered water a day, with comes in contaminated, power. tap water. I-Drop has partnered with more on the weekends. She comes out the other side Eco-friendly move Hello Tractor is Africa’s According to a 2015 report grocery store owners in four encourages customers to buy clean, and that’s essential be- from the World Health Or- African countries (South I-Drop water, despite their cause there’s a lot of water The project also reduces ganization (WHO), 1.8 billion Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana initial reluctance. At first cus- constraint,” Steere said. plastic consumption. Con- Uber for the farm people around the world use and Ghana) to install over 60 While the filter is efficient, sumers bring their own con- adrinking water source con- filtration systems and has <> Capital cost effective and requires min- tainer or purchase a reusable Lekan Otufodunrin taminated with faeces. Mo- already sold over half a mil- barriers disappear imal oversight, Global Sys- container. For small-scale farmers in Ni- hale was one of approxim- lion litres of safe drinking as the system is tem for Mobile communica- Ultimately, I-Drop aims to geria, especially in the north- ately 300 million people in water. tion (GSM) technology be an environmentally ern region, getting tractors Africa who do not have ac- I-Drop purification sys- free to install connects each machine to friendly, affordable alternat- to use on their farmlands to cess to safe drinking water. tems are installed in any gro- the I-Drop platform, allowing ive to the bottled water in- boost the yield has always So when a sales represent- cery store with access to a tomers thought it was just each machine to be mon- dustry and a practical solu- been difficult. ative for I-Drop Water ap- running tap, at no cost to the tap water and not safe like itored remotely. tion to deteriorating water Many of them can’t afford proached her about in- shop owner. Customers can bottled water, she said. “I’m the data nerd. I’m infrastructure. to buy one due to the high stalling a water purification then purchase safe drinking No loss of quality the one who manages the “The massive investment capital cost, while the coun- system at her tuck shop in water for just R1 per litre — whole platform and I’m the needed by the government try’s federal government Soweto, Mohale agreed. an approximate 80% dis- But the I-Drop filtration one that diagnoses prob- to make all the water that’s which is the major supplier “People don’t have a count on bottled water. At system is just as effective and lems,” Thiers Steere said. reaching people safe to drink of tractors is not able to choice between this really the end of each month, I- more cost-efficient than the While an I-Drop techni- is unrealistic,” Steere said. meet more than four per Farmers raised yields with the smart machine. * HELLO TRACTOR stark alternative of either Drop splits the profit from bottled water industry be- cian is available to repair the “Instead, why not treat cent of their requirements. risking your health by drink- water sales evenly with the cause of three major com- machine should it malfunc- drinking water as a food. If In 2014, the social enter- without internet,” says com- and mobile money, as a just- ing unsafe water or finding a shop owner. ponents: the filter itself, cel- tion, Thiers Steere is typic- you can bring the price prise Hello Tractor set out to pany founder Jehiel Oliver. in-time service. way to pay for incredibly ex- “It’s a price point low lular networks and ally able to address any tech- down to a point that every- address the issue. “The Oliver’s social enterprise Hello Tractor coordinates pensive bottled water which enough for just about every- environmental sustainability. nical problems remotely via one can afford it and you use smart tractor is a two- is improving food and in- low-cost financing for pur- is environmentally devastat- one to afford and it’s incred- The I-Drop system’s filter, the data she receives from it. existing channels [grocery wheeled vehicle with GPS come security by building a chase of a Smart Tractor. ing and just really ineffi- ibly efficient,” Steere said of which is manufactured in the As a result, the personal stores] to get it to them, antenna that allows us to network of “Smart Tractor” Since its launch in 2014, cient,” said James Steere, co- the business model. United States, uses a nano- oversight by I-Drop over you’ve addressed that spe- track its usage and telemat- owners, enabling small-scale farmers have seen yields rise founder of I-Drop Water. “We’ve removed these carbon configuration to re- each machine is limited to a cific issue,” he added. ics, and which collects and farmers to request and pay by 200%. Steere and Kate Thiers capital cost barriers by mak- move viruses, bacteria, and filter change every 6 or 8 www.idropwater.com transfers data in areas for tractor services via SMS www.hellotractor.com

CM CH-X _ A YK THEF Chennai/ CITY Inside_06 User: 1049 01:22:55 Replate Reason:

Putting wheelchair users behind the wheel Afamily business in the Czech Republic has made a breakthrough in designing cars for the disabled

Jana KlImovA have restricted neck move- MagdalEna FajtovA ment. With face-forward Many men have boyhood parking, the driver can see dreams of building their own where he or she is going and car. The vast majority grow where to release the wheel- out of the idea, or settle for a chair ramp so as to ride out go-kart. But Ladislav Brazdil of the car safely, among ped- and his two sons made sure estrians on the sidewalk, and their dreams came true: El- not onto the roadway. Women at a conference to create awareness * RZECZPOSPOLITA bee Mobility, their family Homologation is the ap- business in the small town proval process of certifying Lostice in the Olomouc dis- vehicles as roadworthy, and trict of North Moravia, the this was essential for the El- A 2-minute test Czech Republic, is now man- bee. Official certification was ufacturing its own Elbee cars granted for the Czech Repub- and is even beginning to tap lic in 2010, for a vehicle with into the world market. atwo-stroke engine capable staves of The Elbee is a weird of a top speed of around 50 vehicle. It opens from the miles an hour. Three years front, and you don’t climb later, the car was approved cervical cancer in, but ride straight into it in for the entire EU, the first awheelchair. It’s an unri- model hitting the market in valled concept that saw the end-2014. Polish activist reaches out to women Brazdils and the Elbee voted The historic first customer among the top 100 bright was Frantisek Trunda from Joanna Stawicka waist downwards. At that ideas in Central and Eastern Brno, who lost both legs be- “People often think that time the big movement was European countries in 2015. low the hips years ago. cancer, and especially can- about women who had Elbee Mobility was a spin- So far, the business has cer that affects women, only mastectomies. My aim is to off from the business ZLKL (a produced many vehicles impacts the older genera- provide the same level of Czech abbreviation for which are now on the roads tion, while younger, active support for women who are Lostice Light Construction in France, Italy, Switzerland cancer patients are isolated struggling with cancers of Works), an outfit that origin- Elbee cars open at the front, giving wheelchair users open access * RESPEKT and the United Kingdom. exceptions,” says Ida Karp- the reproductive system,” ally had nothing to do with One limiting factor, spe- inska, head of the Kwiat explains Ida. cars. Sr. bought the farm with a had in mind, Brazdil Senior column to allow wheelchair don’t have enough strength cifically in the Czech market, Kobiecosci (Flower of Wo- This was how Kwiat star- Farm-turned-factory business partner when it col- went after his dream of cre- users to drive in. to stow it themselves, they is the price. The current manhood) society. That was ted in 2006. The organisa- lapsed after the Czech re- ating his own product: an Direct driver access need help. price is 600 thousand CZK also what she believed, be- tion aims to raise awareness Built by Ladislav Brazdil volution. His big break came urban micro-car designed Amajor advantage of (almost $25,000), and al- fore being diagnosed with of cervical cancer and to Senior on the ruins of farm in 2003 when he decided to specifically for disabled This direct driver access front-end opening is that though the effective pur- cervical cancer. “I was 30 support women with the buildings that used to be part buy out his co-owners. Then, drivers. was a fundamental principle wheelchair users can park chase price can be cut by years old and working as a condition. “Kwiat is one of a local collective, the fam- instead of reconditioning the The road to assembling of the whole project. Ordin- the car facing the pavement. two-thirds with subsidies, it graphic designer at a pub- positive outcome of my ill- ily business today has about old machinery, Brazdil Sr. in- the final product was a long ary vehicles adapted for If they have rear-end open- is cheaper for wheelchair lisher,” she remembers. ness,” Ida jokes. Kwiat’s 200 employees and an an- vested in modern and more one. The decision to make a wheelchair users simply do ing they can reverse up to users to modify a normal car, “But there were plenty of main office in Bielany, nual turnover in excess of reliable technologies. front-opening vehicle meant not resolve the problem of the curb, but for many and indeed many have other young people.” The Warsaw, has six staff mem- 350 million CZK (more than When a design engineer considering how to raise what to do with the wheel- wheelchair users, this is very already done that. youngest patient with cer- bers and two midwives. $14 million). Ladislav Brazdil asked him about an idea he both the hood and steering chair. If wheelchair users complex, especially if they www.elbeemobility.com vical cancer she knew was Over a hundred volunteers only 16 years old. also help out. Ida was able to fully re- The number of people in- cover because it was detec- volved in the organisation He drives away pests ted early enough. She regu- increased dramatically fol- Raising the confdence quotient larly went for cervical screening. Unfortunately, <> Early detection with aromatic plants the majority of women in ‘guarantees’ almost Rabota-i helps youth who leave orphanages fnd jobs — and a strong personality Poland skip these prophy- 100% successful lactic tests, and when Ida treatment Angelina Davydova, Organics lead to higher yields Kommersant realised this and reflected Ida Karpinska on her own situation, it im- Kwiat Kobiecosci chief “Rabota-i” is a social recruit- Benjamin Polle, pacted her greatly. ment agency, based in St. Jeune Afrique The statistics are clear: lowing a new publicity cam- Petersburg, Russia, which Despite the use of mineral even though the govern- paign. “The worst feeling is helps international and Rus- fertilizers soaring in Africa ment will pay for a prophy- when we hear that a patient sian companies recruit job (by 130% between 2008 lactic test once every three whom we’ve been helping applicants from disadvant- and 2015, according to the years, as many as 80% of has lost the battle. It really aged social backgrounds. International Fertilizer De- women don’t make use of gets us down and we regret It seeks to provide em- velopment Center), the this opportunity. As result, not having been able to ployment to youth who have market for natural organic the cervical cancer is dis- reach outbefore the cancer recently left state-run inputs (such as manure, covered too late, and half of started to develop,” says Ida. orphanages or NGOs, and leaves, and compost) re- every 10 women in whom it She adds that with early also to young disabled mains very small. is detected every day die, detection the guarantee of people with no prior work This has not deterred Bio Phyto Collines founder according to the Polish On- successful treatment is al- experience. Gildas Zodome from set- Gildas Zodome and his cology Association. most 100%. When the can- Tatyana, 19, a recent A working day in the life of Rabota-i. At right, its founder, Mikhail Krivonos * RABOTA-I ting up his own organic product * BENINTO.INFO The National Cancer Re- cer is caught at an early graduate from the SOS Chil- pesticides and fertilizer gistry states that Poland has stage and the surgery is not dren village Pushkin, outside and communicating with a ety. The majority of young The second target group is company, Bio Phyto forming pesticides and fer- one of the highest morbidity very invasive, these women St. Petersburg, now works as handful of other leavers”, graduates lives on social wel- young people with disabilit- Collines. tilizers are now being dis- rates (an incidence of about even have a chance of hav- acashier at an IKEA store. says Mikhail Krivonos, fare and socialises in closed ies, who have grown up in Following his ancestors tributed, and his 3,000 people per year) and ing a baby. “Before this I only worked founder of “Rabota-i”. groups. Some of them go care institutions or at home, company’s three key fatality rates in Europe. The Mobile testing units unofficially, and this is my Six years ago Mikhail left onto engage in criminal and find it extremely difficult It took Zodome two products are now finding number of women dying of first proper job — I really had his job at an international activities and suffer from al- to enter the job market. “I years to produce the first success outside Benin, in cervical cancer in Poland is Ida’s most important to fight hard against my consulting company and set cohol or drug abuse. have always felt ashamed of prototype — made from a Burkina-Faso — where the 70% above the European campaign for the past eight fears”, she says. For the first “Rabota-i” (“rabota” mean- Investing in training my disability, which preven- mixture of aromatic plants company has benefited Union average. Further- years is called “Beauty in nine months of her employ- ing “work” in Russian). The ted my communication with (eucalyptus, neem seeds, from the assistance of the more, experts from the health” in which she tries to ment, she was under the su- social enterprise was created “Rabota-i” invests in train- people and chances of find- orange, hyptis; commonly business incubator La Fab- World Health Organization convince women to make pervision of her IKEA col- following the model of sim- ing and coaching candidates. ing a job. However, when I known as bushmint) — rique – as well as in Niger, believe that almost 100% of time for a thorough gynae- leagues and the specialists of ilar large-scale Scandinavian It also assists companies with came for a job interview with finding his inspiration in Madagascar and soon, cases are due to the human cological screening once a “Rabota-i”. organisations– Samhall from adapting to new employees. Maersk Line I finally felt the pest control and fertil- Togo. papillomavirus (HPV), and year. Part of the campaign “If you grow up in an Sweden, Vates from Finland “We are working to fulfill the comfortable, as if they didn’t ization methods used by Bio Phyto Collines pro- this debunks the idea that involves mobile testing orphanage in Russia, you or Klapjob from Denmark. demand of businesses – the notice that I was disabled,” his ancestors. duces 400 tonnes of or- cervical cancer has a genetic units. The test itself takes end up having practically no Every year in Russia some financial support and control says one of the applicants, According to Zodome, ganic fertilizer annually origin. only two minutes. “The mo- skills by the time you leave. 10,000 to 15,000 young of “Rabota-i” also comes Alexander, 25. “On one hectare, we meas- and 15,000 litres of organic “People are now more in- bile units screened 308 wo- Public care systems are very people leave state-run social from a number of Russian Last year, “Rabota-i” ured an average produc- pesticides. formed about cervical can- men in Warsaw this year. strictly structured and so- care institutions (between and international companies trained around 700 youth in tion of 4 tonnes of rice The company has cer, but 11 years ago when I One in 10 had tumours,” she cially isolating, which means 300 and 400 in St. Peters- (including Melon Fashion St. Petersburg. Many became with our products com- reached a turnover of 100 got it, it was hardly men- says. that you also tend to have burg), with only 7% to 10% Group, IKEA, Gazprom Neft, junior shop assistants and pared to 3 tonnes using million CFA francs tioned. Nobody talked http://www.kwiat very low motivation. You end finding employment, and East Capital and Jochnick administrative assistants. chemical inputs.” (€150,000). about diseases from the kobiecosci.pl/ up living on social welfare actively contributing to soci- foundation)”, Mikhail says. http://rabota-i.org/ Only Zodome’s best-per- biophyto-benin.com

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC How an Indian tree is fghting climate change in the Maghreb In the battle against creeping desertifcation in three countries, the ‘Acacias for All’ project is using the moringa tree as its green weapon

Mohamed Salem Kechiche, fronts the effects of climate and innovation, and when there are very similar to La Presse change and increasingly fre- she proposed her project, Tunisia’s. “Basically, the ground had quent droughts, the choice very few refused. They Alarge portion of the popula- deteriorated and there were of Tunisian crops being cul- quickly saw the acacia as an tion of this area is employed by no more shrubs. The soil tivated has not changed and important source of income. the agricultural sector (around had become impoverished they continue to consume Acacias for All supplies 40% in Morocco, 11% in Algeria due to conventional agricul- vast quantities of water. For the seeds, and when the tree and 16% in Tunisia) despite the tural methods,” explains Sarah, the situation is is big enough, the female vo- fact that arable land is becoming Hosn El Oujoud Tborski, serious. lunteers cut the branches, scarce. In these semi-arid zones, head of communications at It all began on her grand- dry the leaves and powder farmers are still growing olive Acacias for All. father’s land, which sits in them. Rich in vitamins and and almond trees, which are Although the acacia the agricultural Hencha re- minerals, this powder is two highly water-intensive spe- moringa is not an officially gion to the north of Sfax. transformed into food sup- cies, and the region is facing the registered Tunisian tree, this As is often seen in plements, honey and herbal same scarcity of water sources. enterprise is in the process Tunisia, water has been lack- teas for the European mar- Search for allies of changing the Maghreb’s ing in this area for several ket. Each woman pays a agricultural landscape using years. To get the ball rolling, small fee and is given the op- However, Sarah is aware that this magical plant. she started working in a 50- portunity to learn about replicating her winning cooper- With an almost negligible year-old olive grove planting business techniques and ative formula throughout the thirst for water and leaves natural acacia. how to market the produce. Maghreb is an ambitious step. In that can be made into Asub-continental gift Growing ambitions order to take her project to powder and sold at a high three different countries, she price on the European mar- Not many Tunisians know Moringa being cultivated by Acacias For All. (Right) Women pack supplements made from the dried leaves of moringa * LA PRESSE Since it first began, the needs to find local allies on ket, this tree is helping the this but the tree came to the project has expanded vigor- whom she can rely. local communities respond country from the Indian sub- protects the soil and even re- demonstration centre for “ambassadors set up as co- started working in rural ously: around 50,000 trees Without a doubt, the young to both water scarcity and continent and flourished in stores it through nitrogen her tree nursery that could operatives who carry out the areas, often with women. have now been planted. Tunisian hopes that her success- poverty in the region. an arid environment. Its fixing. be used for “sustainable ag- work.” The organisation For the most part, the wo- Sarah’s ambition is to ful career so far will inspire oth- The project was originally deep roots allow it to draw In 2012, the pilot project ricultural practices.” then takes part in repurchas- men had their own small plant one million trees by ers, and that other women, es- launched by Sarah Toumi, water from 60 metres un- against desertification was Fourteen regions took ing the produce, which com- plots of land and very little 2018 and spread the com- pecially, will feel equally the granddaughter of a derground, which also launched in the village of part in the reforestation prises things like herbal tea, access to scientific informa- pany’s activities throughout strongly about shaking the farmer who believes that provide the secondary bene- Bir-Salah, near El Hencha. campaign, mainly in the honey and powdered leaves. tion or to potential markets. the Maghreb. deeply anchored roots of tradi- Tunisia has fallen into a vi- fit of limiting irrigation and With the support of the southern regions of Gabes To give the farmers’ tradi- Sarah noted that these Since it covers the likes of tional agricultural practices and cious circle. creating a natural barrier young team at Ashoka Ven- and El Omrane. tional production methods a women were much more re- Algeria and Morocco, the ag- adopting her beneficial idea. While the country con- against erosion. The canopy ture, Sarah established a The company relies on necessary shake-up, Sarah ceptive to ideas of change ricultural problems present www.acaciasforall.org

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FoodCloud ends the culture of waste Project to re-distribute food from retail outlets close to sell-by date is a success in Ireland, and is catching on in Britain

Catherine Cleary, Instead, each barrier be- The Irish Times came a problem to be Aoibheann O’Brien remem- worked out. They drew up bers that first box of food legal contracts so charities five years ago. She and co- agreed to be responsible for founder Iseult Ward picked it the safe delivery of the food. up at a farmers’ market and The not-for-profit ethos of dropped it off to a youth ser- sharing meant they could vices centre in Dublin. “We tap into other resources. thought, ‘We feel great about “The guy in Chicago was like Jessi Baker of Provenance * PROVENANCE this.’ It was artisan sausages ‘here use my app.’ Guys in and really nice sourdough London were giving us their bread and I think there was contacts.” raw milk as well.” In October 2013, they got A start-up to track The delivery was a their big break when super- dummy run for FoodCloud, market group Tesco Ireland acollege project they set up. came on board. “Until then, product origins It became a tech start-up it would have plodded along that connected businesses with a couple of cafes and that had surplus food with bakeries.” They quickly went Less than 1% of brands ethically certifed charities who needed food. from one to 13 stores. By the Five years on, 8,300 tonnes following summer, they had Eleanor Ross, than 200 brands. Among of food, more than 18 million anational roll out with Tesco Positive News these is Archie Rose Dis- meals, have been diverted and hired their first staff. It was when Jessi Baker was tilling, based in Sydney, Aus- from landfills. FoodCloud Now, 274 Irish food retailers studying for her PhD in tralia. The company was employs 30 people tackling connect with 303 charities computer science that she already keen to take its cus- food waste from almost through FoodCloud. realised her passion project tomers behind the scenes: its 2,000 businesses in Ireland There are still plenty of was becoming too import- distillery is custom designed and the U.K. challenges, not least keeping ant to ignore. She put her to show their production At their new Dublin the operation financially sus- PhD on hold and, armed process ‘from grain to glass’. headquarters, the visitor tainable and getting food out with zeal for digital disrup- “Authenticity is so import- book sits on a stand made Co-founders Iseult Ward, left, and Aoibheann O’Brien in Tallaght, Dublin. Working with partners in the food, retail and charity quickly so it doesn’t go to tion, focussed her attention ant, especially in our in- from a timber pallet; a nod sectors, their enterprise is redistributing 4,000 tonnes of food in Ireland in 2017. * NAOISE CULHANE waste in their warehouses. full time on Provenance. dustry,” notes Dave Withers, to the idea of usefulness over But feedback is good. “Food The software platform is master distiller at Archie waste. The bright offices serve the most disadvant- two pallets of Nutrigrain decided to volunteer with a these multiples [throwing waste and food poverty have ameans to help people find Rose. “Having a link to the were painted by prisoners aged people. bars, which would have small food waste project. out food] and then you’d to be part of that sustainable out where products are provenance of our produce on day of release from an Now, at their large ware- ended up in landfill or an an- The power of two walk down the street and food conversation but that’s sourced from, and how eth- is important, especially as open prison. A tech team is house, the scale of their new aerobic digester because there’d be a sign for raising where we see there’s huge ically and sustainably. It is consumers are starting to working on the ground floor operation, FoodCloud Hubs, their best before date is She went to pitch the idea money for [the charity] St. potential for Ireland to be a designed to improve the lose track of where raw ma- and a call centre team up- is visible. looming. In a cold store, of a surplus food cafe at a so- Vincent de Paul.” leader.” transparency of supply terials come from.” stairs is fielding calls from “There’s a lot wasted at re- whole ducks and turkeys cial enterprise event and They quickly learned of They would like to see all chains and, at the same The Provenance frame- U.K. supermarkets, where tail level but there are huge from Aldi’s Easter range are met Trinity College business the barriers in the modern food waste eliminated. In the time, promote brands that work does not only benefit more than 1,600 branches of volumes that go to waste be- stored, frozen down to ex- student Iseult Ward, who food system to that simple meantime, they try and en- commit to ethical sourcing, the customer. Brands that Tesco and three Waitrose fore they even get to a super- tend their life. It’s a long way loved the idea. “We spotted a idea of connecting surplus to sure surplus food gets to fair working conditions, can prove that their supply stores are posting donations market and they’re in big from that first box of bread, gap in the market for this su- scarcity. “There was a guy people who need it. “There’s quality and sustainability. chains stack up nicely could of food. bulk,” O’Brien explains. milk and sausages. permarket level surplus,” doing it in Chicago so we alot of energy and loads of At the heart of Proven- Stores to warehouses So this warehouse, and O’Brien first got excited O’Brien says. “That’s where spoke to him but when we people behind it. You can ance is blockchain techno- <> We are not a others in Cork and Galway, about food and sustainability we thought it was really in- talked to a more established start something but you logy, which is best known WikiLeaks-style Until late 2016, FoodCloud take pallets of food from Ir- when living in London on a teresting because in the hub model, he said, ‘oh re- need a lot of people throw- for powering the paperless, organisation, transactions involved small ish businesses, including su- graduate scheme with in- same communities there was tail is very difficult because ing their weight behind it. bankless and stateless cur- consignments of food collec- permarket distribution vestment bank JP Morgan. A surplus and scarcity. We it’s small volumes, end of People felt intuitively that rency Bitcoin. Blockchain is digging for the bad ted by individual charities centres and food producers, law and accounting gradu- thought: wouldn’t it be life. It’s more hassle than it’s this was a really good thing ameans of recording and Jessi Baker Provenance from the delivery bays of su- and deliver it to charities. ate, she returned to Dublin amazing if you could bring it worth in terms of the food.’” to do.” storing enormous amounts permarkets and shops to Among the vast haul are to do a masters degree and all together? You had all But they were undaunted. https://food.cloud/ of transactional data. The be able to charge more for data, which is unique and their product. Transparency cannot be tampered with, could become a competitive can include contracts, re- advantage. ceipts, and supplier spread- Amid a shift in people’s sheets. Provenance data can perception of value, authen- A twister turns sisters into disaster recovery experts be linked to any physical ticity is the real currency product, from coffee beans today, suggests Scott Ewings, to fish, through labelling, managing director of Lon- Massachusetts tornado prompts them to create a best practice website on handling crises with a global reach smart tags and embeds for don-based product develop- websites or apps. ment studio Big Radical. Doyle Rice, someone, anyone, had to,” before the world turns its Ethical business Could we soon see brands USA TODAY Morgan said. “On June 1, we sympathy (and donations) being ostracised for failing to Sisters Morgan and Caitria weren’t disaster experts, elsewhere, they say. “Provenance encourages adopt transparent supply O’Neill never expected a tor- but on June 3, we started “After a disaster, there’s a brands to volunteer data chains? “There is much evid- nado would hit their small faking it. In those frantic flood of goodwill,” Kuryak about their supply chain,” ence to suggest that the in- hometown in Massachusetts first few days, we built our said. “There are people who explains Baker. “We ask coming generation is one led —or that when it did, recov- recovery machine,” she want to donate and people them to prove that data, far more by ethics and ering from the disaster said. who want to volunteer.” track it, and they must brands with purpose. would change their lives. Shared experience Victims have seven days provide links back to proven ‘Fakery’ is easy to spot, and On June 1, 2011, a pair of to capture 50% of the web materials. That way, we can then destroy, via social me- twisters ripped across west- What began as a way to searches about a disaster, verify an ethical proven- dia,” says Ewings. ern portions of the State, help their community get according to Google Trends, ance. We are not a Provenance, which is shocking residents with back on its feet after a dis- said Caitria, now 28, and a WikiLeaks-style organisa- based in the U.K., now em- their suddenness and viol- aster six years ago evolved researcher at Facebook. tion, digging for the bad. We ploys 10 staff in four coun- ence, and causing the state’s into recovers.org, a free, India uses recovers site want to showcase the busi- tries and Baker is enthusi- first tornado-related deaths easy-to-use “recovery-in-a- nesses that are really trying astic about meeting the in 16 years. box” website to help other The organization now to be ethical.” challenges ahead. One of the tornadoes, cities and towns organize hosts over 200 recovers sites In 2016, Provenance com- She notes that less than 1% categorized as a huge EF3 disaster relief. around the world. Each pleted a six-month trial of all brands are ethically with winds estimated at 160 It can be rolled out in website has all the functions tracking tuna fish caught certified. “We have an op- mph, roared through the minutes, helping local relief needed in one place — from ethically in Indonesia. Fish- portunity to help change O’Neills’ hometown of Mon- organizers engage in organ- hot shower locations to hot ermen sent text messages that. We want to help prove son, Massachusetts, seri- ized action, said Chris Kur- The period immediately following a disaster is the most important to get attention. * RECOVERS meals, sign-ups to donate or detailing their catches that the great work that people ously damaging their house. yak, the project’s chief oper- volunteer, and ways to were added to the Proven- are doing.” Almost immediately, the ating officer. “It’s something grants and request aid But the site isn’t just for what’s needed most and privately request help. ance blockchain, effectively Above all, Baker and her devastation threw both Mor- that could be deployed after through official channels the locals: Often after a dis- how best to donate it. Recovers.org sites cover attaching a digital ‘token’ to colleagues want to nurture gan, then 24, and Caitria, every disaster by any local such as FEMA, the Salvation aster, people around the na- What is key, the O’Neill Malawi, India and the Philip- the fish as it passes through companies that are doing then 22, into the role of dis- organizer,” he said. Army or the Red Cross. It tion and the world, moved sisters say, is to capture pub- pines, where challenges in- the supply chain. things well rather than criti- aster recovery experts. The sisters designed the also links volunteers with by photos and news stories, lic attention just after the clude reliable Internet con- The Co-op supermarket cising those who are not. “We just started answer- website to help locals man- victims, allowing both to seek to help but don’t know disaster. nectivity and the language then carried out a trial of in- “We want to reinforce the ing questions and making age volunteers and dona- alert the other of what’s how. Recovers.org lets After a natural disaster, barrier. cluding products on the good and get the good to decisions, because tions, track data, apply for needed and help available. people everywhere know there’s only a tiny window https://recovers.org/ Provenance system, and the spread quickly.” team now works with more www.provenance.org/

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Cécile Denayrouse Bertrand Beauté from scratch. “We asked our electric motors used in in- future users in Africa to ex- dustrialised countries to What do a traffic accident, plain their needs to us, make the arms move have pneumonia and a leg frac- which we integrated into the been replaced by a mechan- ture all have in common? development process,” says ical system, while digital These afflictions all require Klaus Schonenberger, co- technology has taken the the use of a medical imaging founder and chairman of place of radiological films in device for a doctor to prop- Pristem’s board of directors. order to cut back on costs. In erly diagnose you. This can Joint effort the event of a power cut, a be quickly and easily done if specially designed generator you are living somewhere Under the direction of the will allow the radiology ma- like Switzerland, but it’s a EssentialTech programme of chine to operate for a few very different story for any- the Centre for Cooperation hours. one living on the African and Development at the “A patient at the Yaoundé continent. Swiss Federal Institute of hospital in Cameroon “Two-thirds of the global Technology in Lausanne doesn’t need the latest tech- population still doesn’t have (EPFL), a team of 35 re- nology. Before any of that, access to this technology, searchers and engineers — they just need equipment which is incredible consider- notably sourced from the that works,” states Klaiber. ing that the X-ray was first in- University of Applied Sci- In terms of hard numbers, vented more than a century ences of Western Switzerland Klaiber’s growing project ago,” says Bertrand Klaiber, (HES-SO), the Paul Scherrer plans to create nearly 400 the founder of Pristem. Institute and the Lausanne jobs in Africa alone. To address this global University Hospital (CHUV) — “The issue is not only eco- problem, this Lausanne- Pristem’s prototype is efcient and cheaper than those on the market.(Right) Bertrand Klaiber, founder of Pristem * ALAIN HERZOG, EPFL& PHILIPPE MAEDER developed a prototype. nomic, it’s also ideological. I based entrepreneur wants to The result of their hard left my job in marketing be- bring a robust and inexpens- African and Asian hospitals changes everything. tial rain, bombardments of machinery that’s designed place, these appliances work is the GlobalDiagnostiX cause I needed to regain ive X-ray machine to emer- today? The key lies in the “In most countries of the dust and wind, and the heat and manufactured in and for quickly become unusable,” X-ray machine, which is de- meaning. Today I have the ging markets. design, which has been global south, hospitals are fa- —they’re nothing like the the global north quickly Klaiber continues. signed to withstand temper- satisfaction of being able to But what’s so different tailored to the different con- cing a shortage of resources, aseptic and air-conditioned breaks down. And since In designing a machine atures of up to 45°C and 98% tell myself that my work is between his idea and the ditions and constraints found sudden and frequent power hospitals that we know and there are no spare parts or that can work in these condi- humidity levels, as well as serving a purpose.” models already being used in in these hospitals. And that cuts, flooding due to torren- use. In these conditions, the maintenance personnel in tions, Pristem was starting high quantities of dust. The http://pristem.com/

CM CH-X _ A YK