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CUNY India Study Abroad program installed weather station in rural Palgha, Maharashtra, India

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http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/neil-phillips-episode-two/

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CUNY India Study Abroad Program (July 30 - August 15, 2019)

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CUNY installed Govordhan Ecovillage Weather Station cranking out excellent data. Updated data from 8:01pm September 8, 2019.

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CUNY India Study Abroad Program (July 30 - August 15, 2019)

We thank the following for making this program possible:

City University of New York

Bronx Community College/CUNY 

Bronx Community College/CUNY President Thomas Isekenegbe

India Consul General Office (Hon. Sandeep Chakravorty and Hon. Shatru Sinha)

City University of New York Office of Research

The Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV)- Mr Yachneet Pushkarna, Mr Rakesh Panda, Mr Nimai Lika, Ms Manisha Panda and all the support staff.

Mr Greg Bruce, Principal Sustainability, City of Townsville, Australia

Mr Jordan Mellish, Sustainability Support Officer, City of Townsville, Australia

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Summary of Accomplishments

We installed a Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus solar powered/wireless weather station at the Govardhan Ecovillage in Wada, Maharashtra, India. The data is sent immediately to the WeatherLink (www.weatherlink.com) web site for all all to 👀/utilize. The region gets heavy monsoon rains and high temperatures in the winter periods with no prior means to quantify the various weather parameters. The weather station will increase weather coverage and weather prediction in the region. 

We used our NOAA-CREST/BCC/Townsville backpack weather stations to monitor temp, humidity, carbon dioxide and UV radiation on a micro-scale at GEV, Mumbai and New Delhi. The analysis of the data is continuing and will be will be published in various forums and could help in designing a more sustainable Mumbai, New Delhi and GEV.

Built low cost sensors  to measure temperature, humidity and potentially carbon dioxide and had the data sent automatically to the internet through wifi connectivity on the sensor - Mr Greg Bruce from Townsville, Australia ran this workshop.

We participated in a GEV led Sustainable Cities workshop led by Mr Nimai Lila of the Govardhan Ecovillage. Students walked away with a great appreciation for all required components in a sustainable city and the personal ways they could contribute to its sustainability and resilience.

We participated in Collective Social Learning (CSL) Workshops run by Mr Greg Bruce, principal Sustainability for Townsville, Australia on how to make 🗽 a more sustainable and resilient city. Students are now able to help run these workshops in 🗽 and elsewhere. Nirmela Govinda will be helping Mr Bruce to conduct one such CSL Workshop in the Fall at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY.

Presented on Sustainable, Resilient and Solar Cities to graduate and undergraduate engineering students and faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (Greg Bruce).

Presented on Sustainability Focused Study Abroad to graduate/undergraduate engineering students and faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (Neal Philip).

Students collected and analyzed 💧 sample from Lake Powai using equipment we brought from CUNY in the Environmental Science lab at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai campus. They worked collaboratively with doctoral students from IIT to accomplish this task. Samples were found to have low pH,  and to contain high level of ions (i,e,, high conductivity).

Participated in a sustainable farming workshop run by Diego of the Govardhan Ecovillage and each of our students planted a 🌴 on the Ecovillage compound.

Participated in an Insect Repellent manufacturing workshop led by Iris of the Govardhan Ecovillage. Students had a chance to make insect repellents in a completely eco friendly manner using natural products. Students were able to bottle the product and take it back to 🗽.

Students participated in a low Impact Lifestyle Workshop led by Diego of the Govardhan Ecovillage and each of them committed to live in a fashion that minimally impacts the environment. Several students and faculty were so inspired by Diego and left many of the their possession they brought on the trip for use by others or re purposing.

Established positive and meaningful connections with the children of the Gurukul Orphanage on the Govardhan Ecovillage compound.

Paid for and served the 68 students and the staff in the Gurukul Orphanage a special dinner meal on August 8.

Purchased umbrellas for all 68 students in the Gurukul Orphanage. An ☂️ was identified as one of the most pressing needs by staff of the orphanage since during the monsoon it rains incessantly. While we there, at times the rains fell at the rate of 4in/hr or higher and in one 24 hour period our weather station recorded 18 inches of rainfall.

Donated two 🚁 drones to the Gurukul Orphanage.

Received a Certificate of Appreciation for assisting Helpage India non-profit run a mobile clinic in downtown Mumbai for elderly former civil servants in who are in need of medical and other services.

Donated 25,000 India Rupees to Helpage India non-profit organization to help purchase medicine for elderly civil servants in Mumbai, India.

We had a meeting with Mr Vinod Tawde, the powerful Maharashtra Minister for Education, Culture and four other Portfolios to discuss on our activities in India including the weather station donation/installation and on ways CUNY could further collaborate with Maharashtra. Also discussed bringing a group of 20 Indian students to 🗽 for one week in April 2020 to learn on sustainability initiatives in CUNY and 🗽.

Visited an ISKCON run meal preparation facility to observe and assist in operations. The facility prepares mid-day meals for 27,000 per day.

Visited a local elementary school facility that is served by the ISKCON meal preparation facility and helped served meals to the students at lunchtime. We also donated pencils/eraser and pens to 4 class rooms of students in the school and had very positive interactions with them. The entire school took a group photo with us.

Visited and interacted with an award winning local farmer to understand how he diversified his crop from just 🍚 and how he also increased his crop yields.

Hiked up to the one of the summits in the Western Ghats plateau (1500 ft) and collected rock samples for use in 🌍 Science classes in CUNY. Professor Paramita Sen had provided the students with a short lecture on the Geological History of the Western Ghats before the ascent.

Visited the Dharavi neighborhood in Mumbai to connect with the youth. They were very bright and articulate and asked many probing questions about our backpack weather stations and collecting of micro-scale climate/pollution data. Several of them mentioned Carbon Dioxide gas.

Visited the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonder of the 🌍, in Agra, India. Students/faculty walked away with the sense that this was one of the most amazing experiences of their lives.

#CUNY #Bronxcc #Govardhan #Townsville #LaGuardia #York-CUNY

#Medgar-CUNY #studyabroad #NYC #GEV

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A gift from an Angel. Life’s encircling embrace ... - Prof. Paramita Sen, Bronx/CUNY

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Standing hand in hand in support of our future - Sparkle Sillim Laar, Bronx/CUNY Chemistry major and a 2019 Kaplan Educational Foundation Leadership Scholarship Award winner

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United we stand stronger in making this world a better place - Noshka Gonzalez-Sanchez, Biology major, Medgar Evers College/CUNY

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Every place is beautiful when you see it from the eyes of the heart- Maricelis Rodriguez, Bronx/CUNY Nursing major

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Affection is an universal language - Jostin Almonte, Electronics Technology major, Bronx/CUNY

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The more you care for the Earth, the more the Earth will care for you - Nirmela Govinda, Environmental Science major, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY

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If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere - Kamau Straughan, Biology major, Medgar Evers College/CUNY

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If even the hardest core scientists gets tired, let’s give nature a break. Let’s do our part and become more Sustainable and eco-friendly. It’s everybody’s job to forsee for the environment, our 🌏, our home - Grissel de Jesus, Bronx /CUNY Chemistry major

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The colors of life - Anida Palokaj, Nursing major at Bronx/CUNY