1. What organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project? Saahas is the organization being profiled. They was registered as a non-profit in 2001 and focus on building capabilities of reducing waste and distributing it in alternative ways. This is of interest to this project because waste can contribute to air pollution especially if it is being incinerated. 2. What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health? Through public health project they have improved environmental public health by providing waste generators to various professional services. They have outline Zero Waste Solutions to the cities in India. Through schools they are able to receive household e-waste and recycle it properly through the WEE-Recycling Program (Establishing e-Waste Channels to Enhance Environmental Friendly Recycling). They have set up decentralized waste management facilities that process tons of waste every day. They manage roughly 7 tons of waste every day. This organization has also done case studies on Mysore City, Bangalore, and many other topics. 3. What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
4. Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches? This group claims to use this way of addressing environmental public health is buy finding ways to reuse, recycle and properly dispose of waste. This is seen as unique because they are approaching public health at a way that the residences can clearly see as an issue. They use this approach to create teachable moments to children and adults and have their educational information online. 5. What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created? Data they have collected to support their approach to environmental health are facts about waste and waste management in India. They have created various visualizations of this data in forms of different powerpoints that can be found on their websites. They also have in depth reports to waste collection in India, Nepal, and other important waste management information and visuals on their site. 6. What research has the organization produce or drawon on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade? This organization has only been around for 14 years but in the past decade or so they have produced research on waste management on the highly populated cities they work in as well as how to get it done in cities like that. They have set up places to decentralize the waste and even reuse it in unique ways. 7. What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care? The technology and infrastructure they rely on in the production of environmental health care include transportation. They have their own vehicles that collect waste from communities, individuals and businesses. It was not stated if these vehicles are environmentally friendly or use alternative fuel, however it is known that infrastructure like roads and communication is needed in order to collect trash from these groups and sort them in their facilities. They also rely on social media and their website for their production of environmental health care because they rely on the internet for others to find out about them and contact them. 8. What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma? Social ecology this organization works within is the city of Bangalore as well as another city and groups that work on the same issues. This organization works hand in hand with locals of the community seeking better ways to dispose of their waste. They have to work with the government and international government as well. This shaped their way of engaging asthma because locals are heavily effected by the pollution that causes asthma and other health issues due to their low air quality. 9. What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health? I believe their way of thinking has been motivated by the shear amount of waste their city produces daily. Many of the people who are staffed at the organization have worked there for years and are committed to seeing change in their community. 10. What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health? The funding that enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health is unknown at the moment, however on their site they do have products you can buy that will support their effort and cause. They is made from their Terra Pak recycled products. 11. What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health? In the history of this organization that likely shaped the way they engage in environmental health could have been personal experience of pollution. This city went from one of the greenest cities in India to the top ten pollution cities in the world. This must have shocked a lot of citizens of the city and sparked a movement to move away from waste and pollution and move into a mind of reusing. 12. What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health? This group seems to find waste concerning in dealing with environmental health. Properly disposing of all waste is important to this organization and they believe less waste being taken to landfills or burned will make for a better, cleaner, healthier city. 13. What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health? The kinds of governance called for in the way they think about environmental health is a social on that will ensure recycling is done properly. The government does not seem to start the tools necessary for recycling properly so people passionate about this subject have to take action and do what is right. Businesses and hotels have started to take matters in their own hands to make sure the right thing for waste management gets done. 14. How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization? The Asthma Files supplement this way of thinking about environmental health and the work of this organization because it gives the victims of air pollution a way to track how their city is doing and give them examples of how to intervene. It can create a resource in which organizations like these can get critiqued and known on the web as well as give other organizations an example of what people across the world are doing to improve their livelihood and health in their city.
Saahas is the organization being profiled. They was registered as a non-profit in 2001 and focus on building capabilities of reducing waste and distributing it in alternative ways. This is of interest to this project because waste can contribute to air pollution especially if it is being incinerated.
2. What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
Through public health project they have improved environmental public health by providing waste generators to various professional services. They have outline Zero Waste Solutions to the cities in India. Through schools they are able to receive household e-waste and recycle it properly through the WEE-Recycling Program (Establishing e-Waste Channels to Enhance Environmental Friendly Recycling). They have set up decentralized waste management facilities that process tons of waste every day. They manage roughly 7 tons of waste every day.
This organization has also done case studies on Mysore City, Bangalore, and many other topics.
3. What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
4. Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
This group claims to use this way of addressing environmental public health is buy finding ways to reuse, recycle and properly dispose of waste. This is seen as unique because they are approaching public health at a way that the residences can clearly see as an issue. They use this approach to create teachable moments to children and adults and have their educational information online.
5. What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created?
Data they have collected to support their approach to environmental health are facts about waste and waste management in India. They have created various visualizations of this data in forms of different powerpoints that can be found on their websites. They also have in depth reports to waste collection in India, Nepal, and other important waste management information and visuals on their site.
6. What research has the organization produce or drawon on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade?
This organization has only been around for 14 years but in the past decade or so they have produced research on waste management on the highly populated cities they work in as well as how to get it done in cities like that. They have set up places to decentralize the waste and even reuse it in unique ways.
7. What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
The technology and infrastructure they rely on in the production of environmental health care include transportation. They have their own vehicles that collect waste from communities, individuals and businesses. It was not stated if these vehicles are environmentally friendly or use alternative fuel, however it is known that infrastructure like roads and communication is needed in order to collect trash from these groups and sort them in their facilities.
They also rely on social media and their website for their production of environmental health care because they rely on the internet for others to find out about them and contact them.
8. What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
Social ecology this organization works within is the city of Bangalore as well as another city and groups that work on the same issues. This organization works hand in hand with locals of the community seeking better ways to dispose of their waste. They have to work with the government and international government as well. This shaped their way of engaging asthma because locals are heavily effected by the pollution that causes asthma and other health issues due to their low air quality.
9. What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
I believe their way of thinking has been motivated by the shear amount of waste their city produces daily. Many of the people who are staffed at the organization have worked there for years and are committed to seeing change in their community.
10. What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
The funding that enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health is unknown at the moment, however on their site they do have products you can buy that will support their effort and cause. They is made from their Terra Pak recycled products.
11. What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
In the history of this organization that likely shaped the way they engage in environmental health could have been personal experience of pollution. This city went from one of the greenest cities in India to the top ten pollution cities in the world. This must have shocked a lot of citizens of the city and sparked a movement to move away from waste and pollution and move into a mind of reusing.
12. What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
This group seems to find waste concerning in dealing with environmental health. Properly disposing of all waste is important to this organization and they believe less waste being taken to landfills or burned will make for a better, cleaner, healthier city.
13. What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health?
The kinds of governance called for in the way they think about environmental health is a social on that will ensure recycling is done properly. The government does not seem to start the tools necessary for recycling properly so people passionate about this subject have to take action and do what is right. Businesses and hotels have started to take matters in their own hands to make sure the right thing for waste management gets done.
14. How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
The Asthma Files supplement this way of thinking about environmental health and the work of this organization because it gives the victims of air pollution a way to track how their city is doing and give them examples of how to intervene. It can create a resource in which organizations like these can get critiqued and known on the web as well as give other organizations an example of what people across the world are doing to improve their livelihood and health in their city.