Waste to Wealth

1. Waste to Wealth Presented by SomnathPyne Secretary, Freed

2. The F orce for R ural E mpowerment and E conomic D evelopment 128/18, Hazra Road, 1st Floor Kolkata, India +91.33.6450.6521 Mobile - +919830168269 FREED.org / W: www.thefreed.org pyneatfreed@gmail.com/thefreed.org@gmail.com

3. A Sustainable Business Plan Background Abundant waste lands • The waste land is a result of soil erosion, arid nature and also mining activity. • The waste land in addition to strip of roadsides railways tracks canal banks can be planted with Jatropha - a plant which bears a fruit which yields an oil which can be used with minerals with mineral diesel oil. • FREED creates livelihood for marginal population with income opportunities. • Thus creating economic development, reducing their cost of oil consumption, and meeting mandates to use renewable energy.

4. Resource • There is approximately 60 million hectares of wasteland in India and more than 421 million Indians below the poverty line in 8 states. The disadvantaged people do not have access to sustainable livelihoods and suffer from a social environment that worsens over time. • About 1,65,000 hectares is waste lands in the West Bengal. • Freed trains Self Help Groups that undertake cultivation and fuel extraction, providing marginal population with income opportunities.

5. Producing Livelihood and Energy • By turning the wastelands in India into jatropha plantations to improve the environment and produce bio-fuel. • Local marginalized women are employed to cultivate the land which increases their income potential and raises the standard of living. • Utilizing waste lands and unused manpower bio-energy is produced which is very valuable to meet the needs of a fast growing economy.

6. Investment Required • $500,000 USD of seed capital is required to develop each 300Ha. unit project. Grants are needed to fund a unit project for which land has been allocated. Grant amounts for subsequent unit projects will be lower because earned income will be used to fund new unit projects. • The Government supports it by funding through . MNREGA , CSR funding is available. • The environment protection and pollution control regulations also support this program.

7. Advantage • As per directive and recommendation of the Govt. of India all oil marketing companies are to use 20% biodiesel from 2016 – a goal to improve environment, save and stretch the reserve of fossil fuel. As such buyback arrangements with the oil companies/the coal producer. Indian Railways/ National Thermal Power Company etc. can be made as a back to back support.

8. Methodology • The local women is trained to undertake all the operations including planting, maintaining, guarding, harvesting. The cost of labour becomes economical helps the women to achieve a better living standard. • The various projects for eg. MNREGA and other similar schemes of the Govt. can be utilized for the innovative social entrepreneurship mode. • The role of the private sector will be immensely important in providing the seeding / the technology for improved production, as buyer of Jatropha oil, and provider of technical solution for oil extraction and esterification.

9. Validation & Associations • The Freed model waste to wealth has been accepted at GSBI program, Santa Clara University USA. • GSBI is associated with World Bank, Scholls Foundation and Ashoka among others. • Freed works with leading PSUs of India and the local and Central Government. • Universities and Academic Institution are also partners.

10. Conclusion • Thus by utilizing waste lands, we can produce energy, livelihood as well as wealth. • The environmental quality improves by the cultivation of Jatropha. • The people will get employment. • The cultivation is quite chip because no fertilizer is required. • It replaces imported fossil fuels and qualifies for carbon credits.

11. Thank you