Cerebral Zephyr

Recently we had a discussion in our institute that we must promote the usage of bicycles in our campus in order to cut down on the pollution that is being caused by the local rickshaws. So our senior batch has decided to purchase 4 bicycles for us to use. Now it remains to be seen how much of that shall be implemented.

However there is another underlying motive or reason behind using the ubiquitous bicycle (its widely used in Rural India, which comprises almost 70% of the nation), and the motive is to lessen our dependence on the automation that seems to be growing around us all the time. The senseless pursuit to save some ounces of time.

Our Institution being just on the edge of the town makes it more prudent for us to implement the bicycle solution because not only will it promote health but it shall also reduce to a certain minute extent our negative impact on the local environment.

The Handy Bicycle can be used as a tool for promoting sustainable development. For Statistics on Bicycle production and usage go to the link http://www.ibike.org/library/statistics.htm
The link gives all the details about the bicycle usage and other facts and figures. Also there is another site that talks about promoting the usage of bicycles as a part of its sustainable development. http://www.360ways.org/home/concept/sustainable_development/sdbike.htm

I will see you all next time, till then ………Yours cerebralplay.

Here's something I came across about E.F. Schumacher.

Ernst Friedrich ("Fritz&quot Schumacher was born in Germany in 1911, trained in economics and came to England as a Rhodes Scholar. Like many Germans living in Britain, he was interned for a time during World War II. Later, he was released to do farm work, an experience that strongly influenced his later work. While pursuing a career as a government economist (he was chief economic advisor for the National Coal Board for 20 years), he became involved in organic farming and in 1966 founded the Intermediate Technology Development Group, an organization that promotes small-scale technology tailored to the needs of developing countries. Schumacher died in 1977. More than any other single individual, he is responsible for popularizing the notion of "Appropriate Technology".

For more information visit the following links:
http://www.schumachersociety.org/

Schumacher!!

This isn't a tirade against the World famous Michael Schumacher. Nor is it one of his illustrious predecessors. This is a schumacher that needs particular mention. This is an entry dedicated to E.F Schumacher, who took the economist's point of view and tried to give it a turn around.

His most famous book, "Small is Beautiful" talks about the normal economist's point of view and then forces us to take a cerebral path and ruminate the hard facts that have all but disappeared from our thinking domain. He talks about the various issues and one of them is providing "Aid" to the so called developing nations.

Written in '71, the book handles a lot of issues that are relevant even today and truths that are bound to horrify us if taken in their full context. The idea is not be an extremist after reading but to make small changes that shall eventually change the world. read on and discover a whole new territory, waiting for your bold footsteps.

Recommended Chapters:
2 Million Villages
Buddhist Economics