Webinar – COVID-19 | SELCO Foundation

Webinar with Denis Hayes | 50 Years since the first Earth day: Envisioning a post COVID19 Earth

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 17:58:21 +0000

SELCO Foundation, on its 10 year anniversary, spoke to Dennis Hayes on the significance of the 50 years of Earth Day- its relevance today and what we can learn to develop a more inclusive and sustainable post COVID19 World.

This year marks the 50th Earth Day bringing people together globally to observe climate change and how to combat it. Started in the 1970s it stands for one of the biggest civil society movements which captured the imagination of the United States of America and rapidly spread to the rest of the world. Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes. The Earth Day Network works towards climate action, science and education, mobilizing people and communities, conservation and restoration, plastic and pollution across the world.

Denis Hayes: Hero of the Planet

In the 1970s, Denis Hayes, a young environmental activist along with Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson kick started the movement with teach-ins on college campuses to generate awareness on the evils of climate change. They chose 22nd April to observe Earth Day which immediately sparked media attention and through the support of students, civilians, civil rights groups, civil society and local politicians who participated in this historic rally. “We managed to have 1 in every 10 Americans participate. This was made possible by building channels and getting public media to participate,” says Hayes. He looks back and recalls how for many Americans it was the first Political Movement that they had participated in. “It (Earth Day) was recognised as a broad encompassing movement that dealt with social justice, peace, non-violent, human rights- tying all these issues with the environment.” The Earth Day saw humans as a function of a larger natural system and not separate from it, and according to Hayes that is what made the world unify behind it.

The movement however, grew bigger than Hayes could have anticipated 50 years back and went on to gather political support and influence policies where they were able to pass 20 critical pieces of bills like clean water act, clean air act, endangered species act, environment protection act etc. One of the most influential campaigns of the movement was the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

And that was not it. Hayes was determined to make changes through policy, and when policy makers were not convinced, he built demonstrable projects on the ground that showed how environmental sustainability could be achieved in a financially sustainable manner. Over the years, Hayes has led the Bullitt Foundation which has worked towards protecting ecologically valuable lands, restoring natural habitats, climate activism and much more. The landmark Bullitt Building has been deemed as the “greenest office building in the world” by World Architect magazine. Hayes explains, “40% of all energy in the United States goes into running buildings and machinery housed in them which led us to think of the foundation building as something dramatically more sustainable at no increased cost. The entire building is solar powered- it is a net energy positive building; we capture rainwater – about 50,000 gallons; and an in-built sewage treatment.” It was also connected to public transportation, reducing the need of a parking lot. All these measures and careful scrutinization of what is of critical importance to the building and its sustainability, makes the Bullitt Building perform better than any building with a Lead Rating, while also making it commercially viable. A model that should be replicated across the globe.

Denis Hayes at the Inauguration of its first Integrated Energy Centre in Dharmasthala, Karnataka implemented by SELCO Foundation. The Solar Energy Centre in Dharmasthala is a solar powered energy rental centre, run for shops in the temple town. Over the past 10 years, the solar energy centre has provided lights to over 100 shops, providing clean drinking water to thousands of pilgrims, and provides refrigeration services for the flower shops nearby. The model has been replicated across the country and beyond.

India: Innovation Centre for Economic and Environmental Sustainability

When asked what gave birth to this massive movement and thought process, Hayes says, “Post the 60s, there was a marked deterioration happening between the growth of the gross domestic product, the growth of the country and the overall well being of the country. There were water pollution problems, lakes dying, freeways cutting through vibrant landscapes. There were major air pollution problems back then. The air then in Pittsburgh or say Gary Indiana in Chicago was very similar to the air in New Delhi today.”

Speaking about the approach behind the Bullitt Building further, Hayes demonstrates how unsustainable practices also costs development of the human race- a lesson that India should take forward, a country which faces both developmental and environmental challenges today. Hayes especially thought that the learnings from Bullitt Building should be taken to housing for disadvantaged. Commenting on SELCO Foundation’s work through its Built Environment portfolio, Hayes spoke about how we need to create models for healthy housing for the disadvantaged. The housing solutions provided today, he went on, “has terrible lighting and poor cooling or heating systems, no insulation. It consumes more energy, results in less productive and increasingly unhealthy people; leaving them in a disadvantaged position for generations.” There is a need to innovate practically and build solutions which are affordable and long term.

-Hayes recalls visiting India in 2011, where he visited an Integrated Energy Centre in Dharmasthala, Karnataka. Founded in October, 2010, this Solar Energy Centre was one of the first innovative initiatives taken by SELCO Foundation and it was an honour to have Hayes inaugurate it. The centre was run by a local entrepreneur housing a solar powered charging centre for services needed by people in a temple town. “It was a model that I had not seen in operation before. The creativity was in finding a solution in a low-resource setting. You didn’t need a solar energy system in every house or shop, but a combination of a solar system and batteries serving a wider community. Somebody had the capital to invest in a business, others had the need for it which could be served.” India is a microcosm of the world, with varied geographies, culture and socio-economic contexts. This places the country in a unique position to innovate for the world- innovate in a manner that we reach our developmental goals in a healthy manner.

In a Post Covid-19 World- Paving a Sustainable and Inclusive Future Ahead

The 2018 Multidimensional Poverty Index showed that in addition to the 1.3 billion classed as poor, an additional 879 million are at risk of falling into multidimensional poverty, which could happen quickly if they suffer setbacks from conflict, sickness, drought, unemployment and more. Particular to India, 8.5% of our population lies in poverty, whereas 19% are in an acute risk of falling into multidimensional poverty because of a small setback. In the past few weeks, COVID-19 is one such setback which will push millions decades back in development.

COVID-19 has demonstrated the fragility of our system and showcases how there is an urgent need to build strong safety nets for our disadvantaged groups. Harish Hande, the founder and CEO of SELCO Foundation notes, “COVID-19 is a disaster that has unified us and affected the rich and the poor. But for the poor, COVID-19 is an everyday reality.” Post the crisis and learning from the environmental movement which Hayes is a part of, we need to make sure that we rebuild with action towards climate, poverty and development. Climate change has undeniable links with development; it is a developmental issue which needs to be addressed along with all other metrics of development. “We have to be able to pull together as a planet, as a species. We need to start tackling climate change with a unified passion,” ends Hayes on a hopeful note.

Webinar | National Webinar for Health Practitioners on COVID19: Pathway to Recovery

admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 17:27:00 +0000

Responding To Covid19 By Strengthening The Health Infrastructure And Systems In Low Resource Settings

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought life to an absolute standstill for many of us and the world to its knees. The health sector, however, is fighting tooth and nail against this global pandemic, against all odds.

On Saturday 11th April, SELCO Foundation cohosted a 3-hour webinar with Public Health Foundation of India, Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Health Care Without Harm and Shakti Foundation on Responding to COVID-19 by Strengthening the Health Infrastructure and Systems in Low Resource Setting.

While the health sector is making the best use of the existing healthcare infrastructure in India, public health experts from government institutions as well as non-profit organisations convened to discuss the existing challenges pertaining in the health sector and the steps to tackle in making headway towards rebooting the entire health care infrastructure of India.

Joined by experts from the Government, non-Government, development and the health sector, the discussion shed light on the gaps and solutions in health infrastructure for the last mile to combat COVID-19 and the scenario post-COVID19.

Dr H Sudarshan, Founder, Karuna Trust spoke about making investments in low-cost innovations and protective equipment to improve the healthcare facilities in secondary and tertiary areas. India could soon be seen taking a brand new stand on the future of telehealth (telemedicine), which is currently playing a big role in supporting not just the patients but fellow healthcare workers operating in a low resource setting. Continuing on that discussion Dr Nandakumar Menon, ASHWINI, expressed that the need of the hour is to have inexpensive diagnostic facilities which can enable and empower the primary and secondary hospitals to take care of the patients efficiently.

The webinar also welcomed expert voices from the government to share their reflections on the status quo. Shri Sampath Kumar, Commissioner & Secretary to Health and Family Welfare Department Government of Meghalaya shared that the sector must look at these circumstances as an opportunity to plug in the gaps in India’s healthcare system and be better prepared for such outbreaks in the future. The focus lay on the training of our healthcare staff, thinking and preparing differently and in accordance with each outbreak. For instance, in the case of COVID-19, every patient need not be admitted to the hospital, we must look at a more organised way of ensuring home-based isolations.

An interesting note shared by Dr Rakhal Gaitonde emphasized on building capacity within our communities as well as making efficient use of the structures that have already been built over decades. For example, the Panchayats (local self-governing structures in rural India) in Kerala has taken the burden of reaching out to families and individuals kept in isolation. These insights would help the government in taking a granular approach in decelerating its spread and creating infrastructures based on the specific needs of that particular region.

Ms Shewta, Coordinator Healthcare without Harm concluded with an emphasis on the importance of acknowledging the interconnectedness of economy, nature and society. She also stressed on the need of having that awareness through which resilient systems can be established to fight emerging pandemic threats.

While the pandemic remains a challenge, the learning shared through this webinar affirms the need to build resilience in India’s health sector and gives us an opportunity to equip ourselves for the future.

You can view the recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/o3X-P6HOU90

Webinar | Strategies to Overcome Crisis for MSMEs during COVID-19

admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 11:31:00 +0000

Sustainable energy enterprises in India are facing unusual challenges since the lockdown was announced in the country at the end of March 2020.

Enterprises delivering energy solutions at the doorstep of under-served populations as well as technology developers who are designing and manufacturing energy-efficient appliances are in a difficult place trying to find ways to cope with this ever-changing scenario and building resilience. Being unprepared could lead to severe negative consequences on businesses, impacting their end-users, employees and other critical partners in the regions and communities they serve.

Since the lockdown was announced in the country (25th March 2020), SELCO Foundation reached out to over 30 sustainable energy enterprises, energy efficient technology manufacturers and vendors to try and understand their pressing issues. Based on these needs, a webinar was designed and organised to support the micro enterprises with practical approaches and knowledge of opportunities, to use available resources to cope with unprecedented business interruptions.

The objectives laid out for the webinar were as follows:

1. Provide guidance on a strength plan for your business during this time

2. Awareness on recently announced schemes/support for MSMEs, finance, end users and COVID-19 innovations

3. Guidance on how to get support for COVID-19 related contributions in terms of technology development, powering up COVID-19 related facilities and so on

Discussion on COVID19 Resilience Best Practices and Approaches for Energy Enterprises Sustainability

We were joined by Thomas Pullenkav, Director, SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd in the first session, who shared guidance on COVID19 resilience, best practices and approaches for energy enterprises sustainability.

Re-iterating that the COVID19 crisis
will have long term impact on the businesses, the entrepreneurs were
encouraged to take steps in order to build resilience in their businesses by:

Assessing and understanding the challenges critically and preparing for the
worst case scenarios
Understanding one’s own capacity to handle these challenges
Be conservative in planning for cashflows- any cash in hand is extremely
critical for the survival of the business

Partnerships with competitors is also critical while addressing challenges in a crisis like this.

Thomas Pullenkav, Director, SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd Tweet

The following session on support for COVID-19 related contributions in terms of technology development, powering up COVID-19 related facilities and so on was led by Sweta Trayambak, Program Manager, SELCO Foundation and K.S. Hegde, Senior Advisor, SELCO Foundation.

All banks are gearing up to face post-COVID 19 situation. We expect long lines immediately after the crisis. We are getting prepared with appropriate products and solutions to support the borrowers and customers.

Shri Sridhar Murthy, General Manager, MSME, Bank of Baroda (Head Office) Tweet

Shri Sridhar Murthy, General Manager, MSME, Bank of Baroda (Head Office) also joined us as a guest speaker. He discussed announced grants for COVID-19 innovations in detail and built awareness on the latest schemes and loans to support MSMEs.