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Formation of Green Group |
Green group was formed within Praj to deliberate on innovative ideas related to Sustainable lifestyle & work out modalities for implementation. The deliberation among the group members lead to the initiation of following activities
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Energy Conservation |
Energy conservation was tackled on priority. Energy Audit was conducted at Praj House & at the manufacturing units. The Audit recommendations are being implemented to conserve energy. The employee awareness is being undertaken to supplement the energy conservation efforts. Simple practices such as switching off Monitors & lights when not in use are being adopted. Green tips on energy conservation are also being circulated to all the employees.
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Celebrating Festivals with Ecofriendly Colours |
Traditionally, Holi is a festival that celebrates the return of spring - a time when several trees are in colourful blossom. In olden times, the colours used to celebrate Holi came directly from nature, from flowers and leaves. Over the years, with the disappearance of some of these tree varieties, the natural colours gradually came to be replaced by cheaper toxic chemical dyes. These dyes are harmful to both personal health as well as the environment. These toxic chemical dyes can cause eye Allergy, Respiratory tract irritation, Kidney disorder and even Skin Cancer & Blindness.
Praj Foundation has therefore decided to highlight the original links of this festival with nature and offer colours made from natural substances to celebrate safe and Eco friendly HOLI.
This brilliant idea of an eco friendly Holi was first conceived by Kalpavriksh, an NGO from Pune. These natural colours are produced by group of Women farmers in Sirsi, Karnataka thereby providing them an opportunity to supplement their farming income, with a real eco sensitive livelihood option. The packaging of these colours is done by another socially dis-privileged group, the 'Women's cell' of the Yerawada Jail in Pune. This activity helps them to earn an income and also assists them in saving some money for the future. These colours were made available to the interested Praj employees at concessional rate. Holi was celebrated in office using Ecofriendly colours.
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Mobility |
The green group members strongly recommended starting bus services to the office thereby reducing number of vehicles on the road and conserving fuel. Since January 2008 the bus service is patronised by 170 employees. In addition to this carpooling has also been initiated. In order to conserve fuel and reduce traffic on the roads many employees are walking / cycling to office on every working Saturday.
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Reduce, Recycle & Reuse |
In order to save paper the habit of back to back printing & photo copying is practiced. A shredder is installed to recycle waste paper while scribble pads are made from papers used on one side.
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Tree Plantation |
We at Praj strongly believe in nurturing greenery around our manufacturing facility. Tree plantation was done at Sanaswadi, Markal and Kandla on 'World Environment Day 2008'. To promote habit of tree plantation, Indoor & outdoor potted plants are presented to felicitate Guests. |
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Green Family Competition |
A Green family competition was launched to widen the participation of employees and their families in Environment conservation activities addressing Global Warming. The competition seeks active involvement of the employees and their family members in specific measurable and quantifiable activities.
The competition is mainly divided into two major parts:
Core Activity: The activities included in this module have a far-reaching impact on the environment.
- - Energy Conservation through reducing electricity consumption.
- - Biodegradable Waste Management through Composting.
- - Celebrating festivals in Eco friendly way.
- - Improving health and wellness through sustainable lifestyle
- - Visiting a Wild Life Sanctuary in India with family
Optional Activity: The activities included in this module have more of a sensitizing/ awareness creating element towards one-self and the Environment.
- - Walking/ Bicycling
- - Creating Environment awareness.
- - Improving indoor air quality by planting Indoor plants.
- - Reducing the emission by regular maintenance of the vehicles
Each of the activity mentioned above carries 20 points. Participants can opt for any 3 core activities and 2 optional activities. The competition was launched on August 1,2008 and will conclude in 31 March 2009. The level of participation will be monitored over a period of 8 months and accordingly based on activity completion report scores will be given. The scores will be arranged in descending order to establish the merit list. The prizes will be awarded accordingly.
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Green Family Competition Results
The Green family competition which was launched by Praj Foundation on August 1, 2008 was concluded on 31 March 2009. All the Prajiites who participated were monitored over a period of 8 months and based on the activity completion reports, which they were asked to submit, the scores were given. The participants were adjudged on the basis of the specific measurable and quantifiable activities in which they were involved for the duration of 8 months.
The winners of the Green Family Competition for the year 2008-2009 were:
- Mr. Pawan Kumar Saini & his family
- Mr. Mohan Phadke & family
- Mr. Rajendra Kadam & family
The winning families were rewarded with cash prizes and certificates of appreciation in a gathering organized on the occasion of 'World Environment Day, 2009'. Mr. Abhay Vaidya, Deputy Resident Editor, DNA, Pune was the chief guest for the occasion who distributed the awards also shared the views on the need for environment conservation. This is perhaps a 'one-of-its-kind' initiative to promote environmental awareness and good practices amongst employees and their
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