The post Exclusive | Pradip Burman, Mobius Foundation: Education and Circular Economy are the way forward for green growth appeared first on Pradip Burman.

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were adopted by all the United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to dissolve the issues of poverty, preserve & protect the planet, and to ensure humans enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030. The 17 SDG’s acknowledge the fact that action in one area will affect the outcome in other, and that the balance between social, economic and environmental sustainability must be maintained in the course of development.

In the light of this global sustainability mission, some active philanthropists and social workers are fully committed to achieving these goals. One such individual is Mr. Pradip Burman, who has envisioned a completely green school by 2021, perhaps Asia’s first. The great news is that the school is already in the making in the scenic green city of Coorg, Karnataka, India.

At The Economic Times SDGs Summit 2019, Mr. Pradip Burman stated “What are we doing for the future? I think the question here is on education, on which my trust is setting up the school which is called World Environment School. Now from a young age, if all the aspects of sustainability is run into the school curriculum, then that will be a big help for children to turn out to be the leaders of hitting the SDG goals and that’s one of the things my trust is doing. I think the education we are looking at is how to make green schools by water, renewable energy, etc. These are some of the things we are doing in green schools, but to get to a different curriculum altogether, we are also developing a curriculum for the schools which makes it relevant in today’s world to train leaders for the future”.

World Environment School (WESc) can be defined as an institution that provides the mandatory classroom education but increases the overall proposition to a holistic education & development of the student. Students will learn and live in a campus which is eco-friendly, energy saving and is also a live example of what we refer to as biodegradable. Students will learn about minor to major aspects of sustainable attitude & an eco-friendly lifestyle. This is exactly what our future generation should adapt to.

The campus is plastic free and the curriculum involves pastoral care. The icing on the cake is the location, WESc is being built in between the green city of Coorg. A city which is filled with lush green mountains and hence has clean fresh air. As Wesc is an open air campus, students will be able to fully enjoy a healthy clean atmosphere. The state of their health and development will not undergo any compromise. Similarly, in future these children would not compromise having anything less than a clean eco-friendly planet to live on.

The post A ‘Green Schooling’ Action Plan to Address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals appeared first on Pradip Burman.

In a state of constant struggle with the current hazardous climatic conditions and scarcity of basic survival resources, we are trapped in an absolute worst state of living conditions! Pollution released from vehicles, manufacturing units, air conditioners, and from activities like burning of harvests have made it impossible for us to breathe clean air. On top of it, we are very dependent on technologies such as air purifiers, products such as pollution masks and abstract services like an oxygen jar (our prior generations must be laughing). This is a result of our own unsustainable activities and taking for granted nature’s assets like fresh air, clean water and green lands.

Thankfully, we still have places like Coorg around us. Why?
It is a lush green hilly city with infinite amount of fresh, amazing fauna and flora and of course clean water. Yes, all that exists together in one place, while we struggle in our “developing” city life. Unimaginable right?

While you thought Coorg was only a nice coffee venue, it kept thriving to become a significant ‘Greenhouse’ for planet earth! It is in fact Asia’s largest producer of honey and is known as the unspoilt “country of million hills”. Apart from endless green spaces and towering green hills, it is home to a host of animals like elephants, tigers, giant flying squirrels, leopards, jackals etc. Coorg is also an ideal place for trekking and the best time to visit this scenic district of karnataka is between November and April.

Observing all these positive characteristics about Coorg, it is also an ideal place to open a sustainable school. The good news is that Mr. Pradip Burman and his initiative The Mobius Foundation is all set to open a sustainable, eco-friendly school in Coorg, called WES (World Environment School). The school will be built in the heart of Coorg and will open its doors to students in 2021. The project looks very promising as it aims to provide students with practical examples of sustainable living through its plastic free campus, energy saving facilities, plants and environment friendly setups and so on.

Children would learn while having the presence of nature all around them, and so would become sensitive to its needs. The open air campus will provide students with easy access to fresh clean air of Coorg, also enabling them to inhale lots of oxygen as well. WES aims to mould the minds of the young ones as responsible and sensitive towards the very environment we live in.

This also throws light on the fact that Coorg will expand a lot economically and socially because of this project. This district of Karnataka will have many of its local teachers employed and would have farmers find better earning opportunities. Labour and other working sectors will find plenty of employment opportunities. On this note hoping for a smooth and soon opening of the World Environment School, in the lovely city of Coorg.

The post Why do we need a greenhouse like Coorg? appeared first on Pradip Burman.

Mobius foundation conducted  ‘CLIMATE REALITY HOUR’ on 21st Nov 2019 at 3 – 4 pm at 4th floor Mobius foundation Board room. It will be an interactive session on climate change, where Mr. Pradip Burman sir addressed us all. The event was with Sanat Pvt Ltd and Mobius Foundation. 

The post Mobius Foundation conducted “CLIMATE REALITY HOUR” session appeared first on Pradip Burman.

Breathe easy – these words have taken a completely new meaning today. The environment today is less of a survivable zone and surely more of a danger zone! Hazardous climate conditions make our daily living conditions worse. It is difficult to build new eco-friendly opportunities while our fight to repair the previous damage has not ended yet. In some parts of the world – not even started.

Therefore, it becomes necessary to inculcate a sustainable attitude in the lifestyles of not only the current habitants of our planet but in that of future habitants as well. To see this become a reality, I consider it my obligation to act. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to envision and organize ‘International Conference for Sustainability Education 2019’ along with The Climate Reality Project India, Mobius Foundation and UNESCO.

ICSE 2019 was organized for creating a sustainable vision of our society and was aimed at impacting the education & schooling systems of India. My aim is to get sustainability education & attitude inculcated in the current learning system. The conference provided a platform to make essential efforts for creating future leaders to heal climate change. Interestingly, the planning for this conference on sustainability education had very much taken cultural and local relevance, which increased the awareness about the event.

I spoke at ICSE 2019 and was elated to thank the renowned panelist, management team, and students who participated in the conference and made it a success. Further I gave a priority to the severe climate change issues and talked about the hazardous environment conditions, especially in India. The emphasis was given on making the current education system into a sustainability oriented structure, such that it develops the future citizens of our planet as more environmentally responsible and sensitive.

I believe, the issues are endless from landfills, toxicated rivers, air pollution and mass deforestation – all to build a more urban society for the humans to live in. What is lacking is the basic understanding that humans cannot survive without natural resources and that with current climate conditions our future generation will be left with nothing to survive. Conferences such as these gets the relevant audience and organizations together to help increase mass awareness about alarming environment conditions. Along with that, such events give fuel to strategies that would protect, heal and transform our planet for good. I am absolutely thankful to The Climate Reality Project India, Mobius Foundation and UNESCO, for supporting me in making ICSE 2019 become a successful reality.

The post PRADIP BURMAN’S NOBLE VISION – ICSE 2019 appeared first on Pradip Burman.

Climate change is real and it’s happening right now! Sea levels are rising and oceans are getting warmer. Intense droughts threaten crops, wildlife, freshwater supplies and with the intense heat waves taking lives all around the globe, the situation has never been this serious!

Climate change poses a threat to every species on the earth and everything that a man has achieved over the centuries. But, It is not too late to avoid or “limit” some of the worst effects of global warming. To address the crisis, we need to take some major actions which require us to adopt an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. For eg- we should reduce the amount of greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere by using less or non polluting vehicles and opt for carpooling whenever we can. We should also take immediate measures to stop water pollution which can be done by simply avoiding wasting water in showers or use buckets to bathe instead. There should also be strict policies that curb the act of throwing/dumping plastic in water bodies. All in all, we should take considerable actions to heal the current status and prevent any adverse future consequences. This must be done with immediate effect and we should be prepared for what’s to follow.

Some solutions and helping hands which we have today to support us in this alarming state are various organizations, groups and environmentally conscious individuals who are constantly working hard for the cause. One such entity is The Climate Reality Project, India, which is a part of Al Gore’s Climate initiative focused on climate change education and countering climate change denial campaigns worldwide. To sensitize the citizens of the nation, experts in environment protection and climate change recently came together in New Delhi to have a discussion on “Climate Change: Its Science, Effects and Mitigation Strategies”.

Mr. Pradip Burman, Chairman of Mobius Foundation and Trustee of the Climate Reality Project India, who was present at the gathering, emphasized on how the climate issue is adversely affecting the health of people and endangering our future generations. Mr. Krishan Kalra, an engineer by training, formerly Additional Secretary-General- FICCI and Trustee of the Climate Reality Project India further added, “We’re already witnessing detrimental consequences due to escalating heat levels, which is greatly affecting the mankind, plants, animals and ecosystems. This, coupled with increasing population, is tremendously catering to global warming and other threatening issues, ultimately resulting in the death of huge masses in India. However, we’re hoping that the effective initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, Clean Ganga Mission to name a few, taken by the government will massively help in plummeting these ongoing problems. That’s how we can fight these hazardous impediments to make India a better place to live.”

More than 900 teachers since then have taken part in various training workshops on ‘climate change and sustainable development goals (with special focus on environmental goals)’ for a safer planet that have been organised in Maharashtra (covering the districts Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur) and Mumbai.

We need non-profit organisations like The Climate Reality Project India that enlighten people and make them care about our one and only home: the Earth by conducting such important environment events. Only by spreading awareness and educating the inhabitants can there be a planet which has healthy air, pure water and other quality resources for consumption.

The post The Climate Reality Project: Spreading Awareness on Climate Change appeared first on Pradip Burman.

LUCKNOW, India, June 26, 2019

Pradip Burman, Chairman Mobius Foundation, a non-profit organization, today announced the launch of Project ‘AAKAR’ Phase 2, in line with the Government of India’s commitment to promote population stabilization. On the occasion, Mr. Pradip Burman (Founder, Mobius Foundation) addressed the gathering and Mr. Sidharth Nath Singh, Medical & Health Minister of U.P, flagged off the promotional mobile van.

Post the successful completion of Phase 1 of the Project Aakar in the month of December 2018, covering 200 villages of the two highly populated districts of Uttar Pradesh, Baharaich and Barabanki. Phase 1 was focused on building awareness and influencing attitude related to Family Planning and various contraceptive measures. With Phase 1, the Mobius Foundation intended to support the efforts by Govt. of India towards FP2020 goals, population stabilization and extended its support to the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign.

Taking it forward, Project ‘AAKAR’ Phase 2 will focus on the health counselling of married couples and school students falling in the marriageable group of 17 – 20 years. In addition, this project intends to spread awareness about the health impact of early marriage and early child with the help of Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC).

Continue reading the article by clicking here.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

News/Articles Coverage

The post Mobius Foundation, founded by Pradip Burman Launched Project ‘AAKAR’ Phase 2 to Promote Population Stabilization appeared first on Pradip Burman.

A changing climate and thus an aggravating agrarian crisis is putting India at grave risk. Droughts and crop failure continue to plague the agro-rich zones of India, signaling an impending food crisis for the ever-growing Indian population. At such a juncture, the condition of the cattle and other farm animals is more pathetic. Pastures are drying up from the excessive heat and degrading soil nutrition. Even dried hay is becoming a scarcity in many places, let alone fresh, green fodder, especially during the scorching summer months. At such a juncture, a few regions in drought-infested Rajasthan seemed to have found an innovative solution, which can actually be the future of agriculture in India in the face of worsening climate and persistent water crisis. Using the method of hydroponics, non-profit veterinary organisation Ayurvet Research Foundation is growing fresh, green, chemical-free cattle feed in only seven days, using just two to three liters of water per kilogram of produce, whereas traditional farming consumes 80-90 liters for the same produce.

Hydroponics in India – Ayurvet’s Contribution

In India, hydroponics still remains an alien concept for most, except a handful of urban gardeners or organic farmers who practice it in constricted urban spaces. However, away from the limelight, Mr. Pradip Burman’s Ayurvet Ltd. is deploying the technique for the last 15 years, to aid the farmers in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, Udaipur and Jaipur. “Chemical-free fodder is key to safe milk production. With the constraint of declining agricultural land and water scarcity, Hydroponics Technology is really fulfilling the need of the hour,” says Mr Pradip Burman, Chairman of Ayurvet Group and a sustainability crusader supporting the technology. As explained by Mr. M.J Saxena, the Hydroponic innovator at Ayurvet Ltd., the green feed can be grown within a week in a controlled environment, from surplus seeds of maize and sorghum.

The history of hydroponics

The idea has been around for the past few centuries since English philosopher Francis Bacon brought forth the idea of growing plants without soil in his book Sylva Sylvarum in the year 1627. Over the centuries, the experiments on the idea grew more popular, more scientific advances continued but it never gained the mainstream limelight. In the 1930s, hydroponics was used by residents of Wake Island in the Pacifics, where they grew vegetables in this technique to supply for the passengers of the Pan-American Airlines, whose aircrafts used to stop over at the islands for refueling. Much later, a variety of hydroponic techniques were exhibited publicly at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Centre.

Hydroponics did not come within the ambit of commercial cultivation until 2007, when a farm in Arizona, USA started marketing hydroponically grown organic tomatoes. Much later, Canada adopted the technique on a much larger scale in commercial greenhouses, where cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are farmed. Space research had made profuse use of hydroponics as NASA considers it the future of farming if space travel ever becomes a reality. In fact, they have time and again experimented with the procedure by simulating outer space environments in their research centers.

How hydroponics is Saving the Lives of Farm Animals

Process: At first, the seeds are moistened abundantly and soaked in water dissolved with biopesticides and natural growth-enhancers. In a compact space, temperature and humidity are maintained at a constant to promote the highest growth rates for saplings, which are grown in shelves stacked one above the other. The requirement for a soil base is negated since the freshly sprouted roots get entangled in a compact mesh giving solid base support to the fast-growing saplings. The watering happens in a very interesting manner, making use of the trickle effect, where the residual water from the upper layer sieves down to the lower layer. The final excess water is collected in a tank placed at the bottom which is then recycled.

Hydroponics system gives better and healthier, 100% organic crops for the entire year, irrespective of seasonal climatic variations, but it also minimises the use as well as misuse of water, land and other natural resources. By growing cattle feed with hydroponics, Ayurvet experts have inferred that it indeed offers more land for food crop or cash crop cultivation. Moreover, the fresh, green and chemical-free feed improves the health of the cattle, immunising them from diseases and increasing milk production.

Lastly, the use of hydroponics since the system works more or less on its own once the initial set up is completed providing huge savings in human labor costs. At present, the main hurdle for mass adoption of hydroponics simply happens to be lack of awareness. It is high time the concerned government authorities take note of this amazing technique and take steps to popularise and make it available to the farming community. This would benefit the farmers, improve animal health and address the threat of climate change. We are truly glad to have organization’s like Ayurvet ltd. that are introducing such technologies/systems and helping India to achieve a better state of living on a faster growth pace.

Mr. Pradip Burman along with Ayurvet Ltd. has established many other organizations to achieve sustainability in India and contribute his efforts here. His initiatives include Mobius Foundation, Sanat Products Ltd., Ayurvet, Sundesh and Ages. Under the Mobius foundation he has also initiated the establishment of World Environment School, Coorg. Mr. Pradip Burman and Mobius Foundation are also amongst the key organizers of the ‘International Conference for Sustainable Education (ICSE) 2019’ in New Delhi in the month of September. All of these initiatives add great value to the welfare and maintenance of our environment and society. The future generation would truly be thankful to humans like Mr. Pradip Burman for help in saving the planet.

The post Hydroponics Farming Technology and Contributions by Ayurvet Ltd. appeared first on Pradip Burman.

The Gyan Burman Liver unit(GBLU) was started in 2003 to perpetuate the memory of my brother late “Gyan Burman”. The unit was stared after consulting with  Dr. Samiran Nundy, so it serves as a corpus for training liver surgeons. The 3 months fellowship program was setup with the aims

1. To support research into hepatobiliary diseases especially those prevalent in India
2. To start an eponymous fellowship in hepatobiliary surgery for young surgeons from various parts of the world
3. To promote liver transplantation in India
4. To organise the annual Gyan Burman Oration, to be delivered by one of the world’s foremost liver surgeons.
5. To help poor patients who cannot afford medical treatment.

In the 15 years of its existence it has supported the publication of 52 papers and 10 books related to liver disease, including ‘Liver Transplantation in India’, a ‘Residents’ Manual’ and a ‘Liver Transplant handbook for patients’. It has helped surgical trainees attend conferences in this country and abroad, including the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA.

The GBLU has trained, for 3 month periods, 115 Indian doctors from various all over India and International Fellows from Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, USA, Greece, Nigeria, the West Indies, Myanmar, Fiji, Singapore and Pakistan. There are enquiries about the fellowship every week, recently some from Somalia, Argentina, Chile and Armenia. The fellows stay in a rented furnished apartment near the hospital.

The Gyan Burman liver unit has played a major role in initiating the liver transplant program in India. It first convened a national meeting in 2003, where 50 surgeons from all over the country discussed why their results, at that time, were poor and how they should move forward. There are now 73 liver transplant centres in this country and, in 2017, 1600 transplants were done. The Ganga Ram Hospital was one of the pioneers in the field. More than 70% of the procedures were done by surgeons who have worked, or have been trained, in this unit.

The Gyan Burman Orations have been delivered by Henri Bismuth from Paris, S.T. Fan from Hong Kong, Abhinav Humar from Pittsburgh, Yuman Fong from New York, Sir Roy Calne from Cambridge, Pierre Clavien from Zurich and Dirk Gouma from Amsterdam

Many poor patients have been helped with their medical expenses.

The creation of this innovative program has been a fitting and lasting tribute to the late Gyan Burman and has influenced the lives and work of many surgeons and patients from all over the world.

News Coverages

The post The Gyan Burman Liver Unit appeared first on Pradip Burman.

Salutations…

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Ms. Priyanka Singh Rawat, Member of Parliament, Barabanki (BJP),Mr. Narendra Agarwal, Chief Medical Officer of Lucknow, Ms Savita Chauhan, DGM (EC), distinguished guests, friends and well-wishers for the launch of Mobius Foundation’s Aakar Project. It is milestone moment for Mobius Foundation and for me personally, that you have joined us to support this important national cause.

We are indeed proud to join hands with the Government of India and support its commitment to population stabilization. Aakar Project has been specifically designed to complement the government’s efforts to build awareness around reproductive health, catalyse improvements in reproductive behaviour, impacting family size resulting in effective community action.

But let me also speak about Mobius Foundation which I have the honour to have founded. We are a non-profit organisation committed to support sustainability, strengthening systems with empowering technology with a focus on education, environment and population stabilization. We collaborate with a diverse range of public and civil partners to advance these causes.

For Aakar Project, we have taken special care to align it with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Planning and policies of the state government. The project is focussed on building awareness and influencing attitudes towards contraceptive measures among couples in the reproductive age.  It is well known that the biggest challenge to overcome is limited access to reliable information in the target groups and the many social taboos and myths surrounding the issue.

We have selected Uttar Pradesh as our pilot territory. It has 57 districts (more than any other state in India). It has a population exceeding 204 million, and has a total fertility rate of over 2.1. At least 11 districts have a rate of 3.9, according to data released by the Ministry of Health.

The project is being piloted in two districts of Barabanki and Behraich covering a total of 207 villages and towns. We have adopted a 360-degree approach to roll out Aakar. This approach uses a communication mix of traditional connect and modern technology to initiate conversations with the target communities. The technology element is particularly vital as a means to build a long-term connect and share vital information related to public health and family planning services through mobile phones.

This can well be a powerful means of sharing information in privacy with couples at their preferred day and time. They too can dial the number to access information on right reproductive choices and contraceptives. We have partnered with a well-known NGO KartavyaShilaMahilaAevamBalVikasSansthav to implement the project. The NGO works in the domain of women and child development with a presence in more than 20 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Subsequently, we plan to extend Aakar to five more districts in the state with the highest birth rates. The objective will remain the same – to increase uptake of contraceptives and influence the choices for small family.

Through the Aakar Project, Mobius Foundation will engage with more than 20 million people across the state, and strengthen the government’s efforts to encourage couples and community to adopt healthy family planning measures.

I thank you for being with us at the launch of Aakar Project and seek your support for this important national cause.

The post Speech during the launch of project Aakar in lucknow appeared first on Pradip Burman.