Pune Botanist Bags World's Biggest "Green" Prize

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>"Ashwini Kumar"

>Pune Botanist Bags World's Biggest "Green" Prize >Tue, 19 Mar

2002 20:30:09 -0500 > > > >. Pune Botanist Bags World's Biggest "Green" Prize

>Source: http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X9192E/x9192e04.htm >LONDON, ENGLAND.,

March 14, 2002: An Indian botanist with a passion >for >converting the tough,

traditionally useless leaves of the sugar cane >plant >into fuel has won the

world's largest renewable energy and >conservation >prize and a cool US$50,000

to fund his work in rural Maharashtra. >Within >hours of winning the Ashden

Awards, Pune-based botanist Dr. A. D. >Karve told >The Times of India the prize

would help his pioneering work "because >Indians >only pay attention and give

respect to an idea once the West praises >it." >The West, apparently, is over

the moon about the sheer simplicity >and dogged >determination of Karve's idea,

which offers an Indian solution to a >uniquely >Indian problem, that of

providing a clean source of renewable energy >with >the waste materials to

hand. "He's doing absolutely wonderful >things," raved >Maya Vaughan of the

Ashden Awards, which offer crucial support to >developing >countries like India

for indigenous ways of generating and using >green fuel. >Karve's clean fuel

beat off tough competition from Tanzania, Zambia >and >Kenya, each of which

suggested new ways of using solar energy to >improve >their people's lives. The

method, described at "source" above, chars >sugar >cane trash in an oven without

igniting it. The resulting "char" is >made into >charcoal briquettes as good as

any. The method isn't especially >efficient, >but since the trash is free, it

is economically viable. > Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN

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