GRIHA
NEWSLETTER

 
December, 2021
 
 
         
  Message from CEO
Mr. Sanjay Seth, CEO GRIHA Council
 
India’s commitments at COP26 can be summarised as a 5-point agenda that is to reduce emissions by 1 billion tonnes; to reduce emission intensity of the GDP by 45% by 2030; to increase non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts; to ensure renewables as half of its energy source and finally to cut its emissions to net zero by 2070. The commitments strive to bring a balance between meeting environmental and economic goals of our developing nation. Initiatives by India such as the One Sun; One World; One Sun Grid are examples of international collaboration to combat climate change and with it, we have set the pace for achieving sustainability and resilience in developing countries.

To aid the country in assessing and mitigating its carbon footprint, GRIHA Council is pleased to introduce SVAGRIHA v3, a simple; versatile and affordable rating variant, which now embodies the facets of design guidance and rating as well as impact analysis. It will enable project teams to quantify their reduction in carbon dioxide emissions made as a result of complying with the rating.

December is a significant month in the sector of sustainability in India with 14th December being marked as the National Energy Conservation Day. It also sees the hosting of “The GRIHA Summit”, the flagship event of GRIHA Council. However, given that the pandemic is still lurking around, a truncated version is being hosted called “The GRIHA Event 2021”, with the theme – “Restoring Green Economy”. The event will see the launch of SVA GRIHA v3 and 8th edition of the Shashwat magazine; it will also award the GRIHA 4 and 5 star ratings and recognize Exemplary Performers. The Event would be followed by our first in-person 3-day training on v.2019 from 15th-17th December, 2021 in New Delhi. We look forward to your active participation in this enriching programme.

As the year draws to a close, I thank my team at GRIHA Council for their concerted efforts to ensure that we address the ever-evolving scenarios of climate change and remain aligned to our goal of a sustainable world.

My wishes to you and your families for a safe; happy holiday season and the very best for 2022.
 
  The GRIHA Event 2021, 10th December 2021
 
 
  Empanelment of GRIHA Consulting Firms
 
GRIHA Council offers an opportunity to Green Building Consulting firms to associate through empanelment for being associated with GRIHA Council and promoting the GRIHA rating and its variants PAN India.

Empanelment of GRIHA consulting firm has been developed with an objective of creating a database of firms that are proficient of providing technical support to prospective projects that are registered under any variant of GRIHA.

Interested firms may submit their applications to GRIHA Council. The firms will be empanelled based on specific evaluation criteria. The empanelled consulting firm will be listed on the GRIHA website with their contact details and the link to their websites.

The latest consulting firms to get empanelled with us are Passive Design Concultants and Godrej & Boyce.
 
  GRIHA Certified Professional Examination on V. 2019 in the upcoming months
Month Date
December 17.12.2021
January 21.01.2022
February 18.02.2022
 
More details such eligibility, examination format; validity and calendar for the year 2021-22 can be referred on https://www.grihaindia.org/griha-community.

Register Now: http://events.teriin.org/terievent/registration/regstep1/147
 
  3-Day GRIHA Version 2019 Training Programme at New Delhi
 
A three-day intensive training programme on GRIHA version 2019 is being organized by GRIHA Council on 15th - 17th December, 2021 in New Delhi.

The aim of the training programme is to enable participants to understand the intent of the national green building rating system. Compliance and appraisals under various parameters such as sustainable site planning, water, energy efficiency, sustainable building materials and so on will be explained in detail. Each session will be carried out with the presentation of the respective criterion followed by either group exercise or individual exercises for better understanding of the rating system.
 
  SVAGRIHA Three Star Rating awarded to Office cum Storage Building of the Directorate of Census Operations (DCO), Assam
 
This project has demonstrated an envelope thermal efficiency of 354.34 sq.ft/TR, which is higher than the final benchmark of 325 sq.ft/TR. In comparison to the ECBC specified limit of 10. 80 W/m² for office buildings, a lower LPD of 4.39 W/m² has been achieved. Additionally, the project has planted 47 new native trees with 66.03% of the total living area is daylit. The landscape water demand exhibits a reduction of 73.92% than the SVAGRIH base case.
 
  GRIHA LD Five Star Rating (V 2015) awarded to Nalanda University Campus, Bihar
 
The master planning project in Rajgir, Bihar has proposed all roads as walking / cycling tracks along with battery operated buses on campus, to minimise dependence on conventional vehicles and promote walkability. 100 % of the organic waste has been proposed to be treated on site.

The buildings in the project have been designed to be 62.89% more energy efficient than the GRIHA LD base case. 390 existing mature trees have been retained in the project with a proposition of planting 3000 new trees. The project has been designed to retain existing contours, existing natural water bodies and dense trees for more than 75% of the total site area. Additionally, the project has been designed to be 100 % self sufficient with 5% of the landscape area proposed for organic farming.
 
  New products have been enlisted in the GRIHA product catalogue
Company name: SUPERLITE AAC BLOCKS INDUSTRY
Product name: Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Blocks
Product typology: Fly-ash bricks/AAC Blocks
Company name: SUNSHINE
Product name: Full body vitrified tiles (group bia), Glaze vitrified tiles (group bia), Porcelain tiles (group bib), Ceramic floor tiles ( group biia)
Product typology: Flooring
  Editor's choice
 
Meet the farmer from Madhya Pradesh whose life mission is to plant saplings
The road leading to his village from the highway is flanked by neem and bargad (banyan) trees—a testimony to his almost fanatical pursuit of the cause. There are trees alongside canals in Basond, on government land, in police station compounds, dispensaries, schools and temple premises—all planted by Jairam as saplings. He has done plantation drives in the neighbouring states of Rajasthan and even the farther off Uttarakhand. Jairam’s work is also self-funded. A small farmer with 11 bighas of land and a family of four to support, he has to be careful about how much he spends on his passion. He has his own nursery where he prepares saplings from seeds and he engages local kids to help him in his cause. “During the season when neem trees bear fruit, I ask village kids to collect them and give them to me. In exchange, I give them biscuits,” he says with a smile.

He started his planting journey alone, carrying buckets of water on his bicycle and travelling great distances to tend to the plants, but now he has a community of people who volunteer to take care of the plants. About 20 years ago, the state forest department stepped in and gave him a bicycle along with seeds to prepare saplings with and also some saplings. “Neem is the ideal tree to plant in these areas, given the shortage of water and slightly rocky soil,” says Jairam. Though educated only up to class 4, Jairam is an authority on the tree species found in the area and how to take care of them.
Bangaluru Resident Saves Rs 50,000 / Month with Unique Rainwater Harvesting Plan
When the borewells near Metropolis Gurukrupa apartment complex of Begur, Bengaluru, went dry in 2018, all the residents made up their mind to purchase tank water, except Ganesh.

With the help of some similar-minded residents, Ganesh Shanbag, a software engineer, developed a rainwater-harvesting (RWH) system for their apartment complex, which saved about Rs 50,000 in water bills, every month.

Ganesh and other residents chipped in to procure necessary raw materials that cost Rs 20,000 from an e-commerce website, and the RWH system was installed by the plumber. “By investing in the RWH system, we not only save money but the natural resources for future generations too,” he says.

He visited several houses that already use this system in order to study about it. Later, he came up with the most effective and economical setup for the apartment.

The system proved successful after the rains in 2019 and still works effectively.

Emission Reductions From Pandemic Had Unexpected Effects on Atmosphere
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting limitations on travel and other economic sectors by countries around the globe drastically decreased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions within just a few weeks. That sudden change gave scientists an unprecedented view of results that would take regulations years to achieve.

A comprehensive new survey of the effects of the pandemic on the atmosphere, using satellite data from NASA and other international space agencies, reveals some unexpected findings. The study also offers insights into addressing the dual threats of climate warming and air pollution. “We’re past the point where we can think of these as two separate problems,” said Joshua Laughner, lead author of the new study and a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech in Pasadena, California. “To understand what is driving changes to the atmosphere, we must consider how air quality and climate influence each other.”

Published Nov. 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the paper grew from a workshop sponsored by Caltech’s W.M. Keck Institute for Space Studies, led by scientists at that institution and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which is managed by Caltech. Participants from about 20 U.S. and international universities, federal and state agencies, and laboratories pinpointed four atmospheric components for in-depth study: the two most important greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane; and two air pollutants, nitrogen oxides and microscopic nitrate particles.
Register for E-course
GRIHA v.2019
Register your products
Register your projects
 
Copyright © 2021 GRIHA Council
GRIHA Council, Core1B, 3rd Floor, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003
Tel: - (+91 11) 46444500/24339606-08
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter Click here
 
Griha Newsletter