How an Architect Is Turning Air Pollution Into Gorgeous Tile

 This article is second in the Alchemist series on material researchers. Tejas Sidnal is one of the winners of the No Waste Challenge, What Design Can Do’s third Climate Action Challenge in partnership with the IKEA Foundation. Launched in January 2021, the design competition called for bold solutions to reduce waste and rethink our entire production and consumption cycle.

Tejas Sidnal created building tiles out of carbon black, a byproduct of burnt fossil fuel

The quest for three basic human needs—clean air, clean water, and clean food—fueled the research and innovation at Carbon Craft Design, a Goa-based design studio. Tejas Sidnal, the founder, had always been excited about mimicking the strategies of nature in his design solutions. Well versed in material science, biomimicry and computational design, his current work focuses on harnessing air pollution to create carbon tiles. 

Having worked as an architect for a few years, Sidnal was disappointed with his profession’s huge contributing to air pollution.

Today, 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions are attributed to buildings. Having worked as an architect for a few years, Sidnal was disappointed with his profession’s huge contributing to air pollution. He sought to bring his academic-based research into the real world where it could make a difference, building architecture that enabled clean air, water and food. Enter Carbon Craft Design, a creative start-up that upcycles carbon through the fusion of high-tech practices and low-tech craftsmanship. 

Buildings significantly add to the planet’s air pollution

“Take a look around yourself, can you see anything that’s black?” Sidnal asks. The black color of phone screens, tires, and rubbers is obtained from a byproduct of burnt fossil fuel, called carbon black. This waste material is produced in tons and is usually dumped or further burnt away, significantly contributing to air pollution. It is this waste material, carbon black, that Carbon Craft Design currently uses in their products, filling the gap in the industry for low carbon-intensive products.

Carbon tiles employ traditional skills and craftsmanship | Courtesy: Carbon Craft Design

Trying to find applications of the material, the team came up with prototypes of bricks, facade elements, and finally, tiles. While research and precedents proved the feasibility of bricks, the product was not something that would sell as it lacked aesthetic value. An alternative that they arrived at then was a facade element – it had the design factor, but wasn’t commercially scalable. Then came the inspiration to make tiles out of carbon. The tiles would narrate a story with its handcrafted art form and would be scalable as it has a variety of uses. The tile industry in India hasn’t evolved in decades, greasing the wheels for a novel product to enter the market. 

The artisans could intuitively sense that the material would not work as a tile, sending the R&D team back to the drawing board.

The experimental design practice carefully amalgamates a 200-year old traditional craft with cutting edge material science. Collaborating with artisans at Morbi, Gujarat—the 2nd largest tile production cluster in the world—Sidnal and his team pivoted on generational knowledge to create tiles that respect nature. 

Carbon Tiles are carbon negative tiles created from air pollution | Courtesy: Carbon Craft Design

Carbon Craft Design was excellent with their material innovation, and the artisans with their craft. Finding a balance between both was tricky, but led to better understanding and cooperation between both parties. The artisans could intuitively sense that the material would not work as a tile, sending the R&D team back to the drawing board. They also helped shape the design perspective, educating the start-up on what would and wouldn’t be possible. The partnership taught Sidnal how they could work with various mixes and base materials to create more feasibly designed products. 

Material is the core component of design and will be the defining element of what makes design sustainable.

Sidnal recognizes the huge opportunity in working with artisans and traditional crafts. The handicraft industry is the second-largest livelihood provider in India. “We have the people, the skill sets, and the infrastructure. All we need is the right fusion of technology and material to be superior leaders in the fight against climate change,” he states. Material is the core component of design and will be the defining element of what makes design sustainable. While handcrafted techniques and systems can remain the same, the material that artisans use needs critical analysis and change. 

Carbon Tiles at a restaurant | Courtesy: Carbon Craft Design

Carbon Craft Design aspires to employ 1000 happy artisans. They also envision transferring their knowledge to different states and countries. Sidnal shares, “We imagine the artisans as craft warriors; as climate warriors. It becomes a craft against climate change.”

Man who teaches computing without using any computers in Ghana becomes online sensation

 Richard Appiah Akoto is a Ghanaian teacher who faces a pretty discouraging dilemma.

His students need to pass a national exam that includes questions on information and communication technology (ICT) -- but the school hasn't had a computer since 2011.

So Akoto had an ingeniously simple idea: he drew computer features and software on his blackboard, using multicolored chalk.

"I wanted them to know or see how the window will appear if they were to be behind a computer," Akoto told . "Always wanted them to have interest in the subject so I always do my possible best for them."

Images of Akoto -- who on social media uses the nickname "Owura Kwadwo Hottish" -- drawing a diagram of Microsoft Word for his pupils at Betenase M/A Junior High School in the town of Sekyedomase went viral after he posted them on Facebook.

"Teaching of ICT in Ghana's school is very funny," he says on the caption accompanying the post.

Among the hundreds of people who shared the post and helped popularize it is Rebecca Enonchong, an entrepreneur who urged Microsoft Africa on Twitter to provide Akoto with some proper devices so he can leave the chalkboard behind.

"Surely you can get him some proper resources," she suggested.

Hey @MicrosoftAfrica, he's teaching MS Word on a blackboard. Surely you can get him some proper resources. https://t.co/u8N3eXguXS

— Rebecca Enonchong (@africatechie) February 25, 2018

On Tuesday, Microsoft Africa replied, promising Akoto a computer and access to educational material.

Supporting teachers to enable digital transformation in education is at the core of what we do. We will equip Owura Kwadwo with a device from one of our partners, and access to our MCE program & free professional development resources on https://t.co/dJ6loRUOdg

— Microsoft Africa (@MicrosoftAfrica) February 27, 2018

Akoto's 100-plus students were happy about the drawing because it made the explanation about launching Word simple for them, he said. And this is not the first time he has illustrated IT technology on the board.

"I have been doing this every time the lesson I'm teaching demands it," he said. "I've drawn monitors, system units, keyboards, mouse, formatting toolbar, drawing toolbar, save as dialog box and so on."

Quartz, which first reported on the teacher's story, says the written exam is a requisite for 14- and 15-year-olds in Ghana to progress to high school -- but only one of Akoto's students managed to get an A last year.

Central government to revisit criteria for determining Economically Weaker Sections: NEET-AIQ 25 Nov 2021

 The Central government told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the it is proposing to revisit the criteria for determining the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) [Neil Aurelio Nunes v. Union of India].

Watch complete hearing of court in this video

The submission was made before a three-Judge Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud in a plea challenging the 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and the 10 per cent reservation for the EWS in the all-India Quota (AIQ) seats for postgraduate medical courses.

Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre, told the top court that deferring a constitutional amendment should be the last resort but in view of medical admissions, the Centre will take four weeks to revisit the EWS criteria and till then the counselling process for PG medical courses would be deferred.

The Central government will constitute a committee for revisiting the criteria, Mehta said.

The Central government had issued a notice on July 29, 2021 providing 27 percent reservation for OBCs and 10 percent for EWS in 50 percent AIQ seats.

The petitioners before the court are NEET aspirants in postgraduate and undergraduate courses from the unreserved category.

The plea filed through Advocate Subodh S Patil said that the reservation was violative of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2018.

The plea stated that when there is no data to show that there is inadequate representation of OBCs and when there is no demand for the same, providing quota for OBC and EWS was "not justified."

The petitioners raised the questions as to whether there should be vertical or horizontal reservations for these seats, and the criteria for the percentage and its income limit.

The SG informed the Court on Thursday that it is taking a call on the income limits to avail the quota, even as the Bench expressed its reservations with the delay in admissions and how the EWS can could be implemented.

The Court eventually listed the matter for further hearing on January 6, 2022.

[Read live account of hearing below]

Things We Should Do In Winter Season to Stay Healthy

Winter is the time for warm blankets, bonfires and cosy warmth of home. The days are colder and shorter and everybody looks forward to the exciting weekend fests and afternoon gatherings.The air is cold, flowy and the aura is radiant and vibrant. In this season, however, there are certain things that must be taken care of. One of these primary things includes taking due care of your health and the health and well-being of your loved ones.

To take due care of your health in these winters, there are several steps that you must take.

Healthy Diet: In winter season, there are many types of fresh green vegetables, fruits available in the market. So maintain your health with fresh and clean diet. White meats make you healthy and make your body work in better condition, because meats have more calories that warm your body and protect your body in cold weather.

Drinking Water: This season chilly, winds are blowing continuously and these winds are very dry which makes body lose its moisture. So, it is important to remain hydrated and experts suggest that you must consume at least 8 glass of water per day. It makes your body healthy.

Regular Exercise: Exercise is the most important for health. Regular exercise makes your body fit, supple and helps you stay always active and have a fresh mind. This has a wholesome impact on our overall health and also on bones and muscles. There are lots of benefits of regular exercise that help to protect our body from many types of diseases.

Perfect Amount of Sleep: Having adequate amount of sleep is very important. An average amount of sleep is 6-8 hours in 24hours. It is compulsory for body to take thorough rest to regain its composure and cell-repair. Having insufficient sleep disturbs the natural processes of the body.

Ensure personal hygiene: In this season cold and flu can easily affect your body. In the absence of a proper and hygienic environment, there is a high possibility of you becoming a victim of viral diseases. The winter season is comes with lot of happiness, excitement for planning of holidays with family and so many other things but also this season comes with cold and flu viral illnesses. So protect your body in this season carefully yourself with following these steps in your life.

 

Meet The Water King Of Kenya - The story of Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua

As soon as he answers the call, we hear birdsong in the background. “You know, we rarely hear that here, in the city. Looking out the window we mostly see cars and skyscrapers,” we confess, perhaps slightly envious that Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua is spending lockdown immersed in nature. “I love this place,” he tells us. In the pictures he sends us on WhatsApp, fluffy clouds dot the blue sky and the meadow is filled with white flowers. It feels like we can almost smell their delicate scent. There isn’t a building in sight. A little girl, barefoot in the sand, plays with some goats.

To many, Mwalua is a hero. When we point this out to him, he bursts out in sincere and melodious laughter. It seems like fame hasn’t changed him at all: he’s driven by his love for animals and for his land, a remote region of Kenya located about fifty kilometres from Tsavo National Park. It all started in November 2016, when Mwalua decided to rent a truck, get behind the wheel and drive for hours, multiple times a week, to bring water to the animals in the park, whose survival was being threatened by a terrible drought.  Ever since, he has made a name for himself as the “water man“. Buffalos and zebras know they can count on him. And now that his first project has taken off thanks to the contribution of those who believed in its potential, Mwalua wants to launch a new one. Something as simple as it is brilliant, that could contribute to safeguarding elephants, bees and communities: cultivating sunflowers.

To many, Mwalua is a hero. When we point this out to him, he bursts out in sincere and melodious laughter. It seems like fame hasn’t changed him at all: he’s driven by his love for animals and for his land, a remote region of Kenya located about fifty kilometres from Tsavo National Park. It all started in November 2016, when Mwalua decided to rent a truck, get behind the wheel and drive for hours, multiple times a week, to bring water to the animals in the park, whose survival was being threatened by a terrible drought.  Ever since, he has made a name for himself as the “water man“. Buffalos and zebras know they can count on him. And now that his first project has taken off thanks to the contribution of those who believed in its potential, Mwalua wants to launch a new one. Something as simple as it is brilliant, that could contribute to safeguarding elephants, bees and communities: cultivating sunflowers.

Two Cambodian Men are Trending on YouTube from Building Homes and Pools

 

The idea of having “survival skills” means different things to different people. For those living in teeming metropolises such as Hong Kong, this involves an ability to navigate jam-packed streets, keep your sanity and secure a seat on the train before someone else grabs it.

Then there are the “primitive living” survivalists. These people – usually men – leave the comforts and annoyances of civilisation for days or weeks on end to play at surviving in the wild on their wits alone.

Real purists take nothing from civilisation with them. Instead, they make their own tools and weapons for hunting from wood, bamboo and stone. They build their own dwellings from whatever materials are at hand. And they’ll eat anything they can stomach.

The most famous YouTube survivalist is Australian John Plant, who in his videos is a Robinson Crusoe-type character: he’s a loner, wears only a tatty pair of shorts, and never says a word. His Primitive Technology channel has more than 8.5 million followers and almost 54 million views on just one of his 39 current videos (about how to make a tiled roof hut in the bush).

In his other videos, Plant shows viewers how to build a round hut from wood and thatch, how to grow and cook yam, and how to make a pair of sandals from lawyer cane, a local climbing palm.

However, Plant had better watch out – the trend has caught on in Southeast Asia and he now has serious competition from several groups of survivalists who are also making waves on YouTube.

Meet the Man Who Sold His Fate to Investors at $1 a Share

 

On January 26, 2008, a 30-year-old part-time entrepreneur named Mike Merrill decided to sell himself on the open market. He divided himself into 100,000 shares and set an initial public offering price of $1 a share. Each share would earn a potential return on profits he made outside of his day job as a customer service rep at a small Portland, Oregon, software company. Over the next 10 days, 12 of his friends and acquaintances bought 929 shares, and Merrill ended up with a handful of extra cash. He kept the remaining 99.1 percent of himself but promised that his shares would be nonvoting: He’d let his new stockholders decide what he should do with his life. Every year, tech-industry entrepreneurs make a similar decision. Taking on investors is usually one of the first steps in Silicon Valley’s well-established path to outrageous fortune. Merrill wasn’t running a startup per se, but he had plenty of great ideas and ambitions—videogames he wanted to develop, a data backup service he wanted to launch, a whiskey-tasting society he hoped to form. He needed venture capital, but as an ordinary guy, he had limited access to capital markets. That didn’t hold him back. He simply relied on the support of the motley group of programmers, bloggers, and baristas he knew in Portland. It was Silicon Valley–style finance, writ small. But, like many entrepreneurs before him, Merrill soon learned the downside to taking on outside funding. In the ensuing months and years, 128 people bought shares of Merrill, and he fell victim to competing shareholder interests, stock price manipu­lation, and investors looking for short-term gains at the expense of his long-term well-being. He was overwhelmed by paperwork and blindsided by takeover interest. He found himself beholden to his shareholders in ways he had never imagined, ruining personal relationships along the way. Through it all, Merrill clung stubbornly to the belief that since an IPO had worked for Google and Amazon, it should work for an individual too. He isn’t alone in this theory. Upstart.com, a company founded last year by Google exec David Girouard, offers a bit of capital in exchange for a cut of a college graduate’s future earnings. Other startups, like Pave and Thrust Fund, solicit investments in entrepreneurs for a return on their future ventures. (And of course David Bowie, European soccer players, and a minor-league baseball player have all sold shares of their earnings.) But Merrill has taken it further. He felt that more people would invest in him if they knew they were going to have a say over which projects he pursued. To enable this oversight, he paid a developer 500 shares and $500 to build a website that allowed shareholders to vote on his priorities and projects. The developer also coded a trading platform so Merrill’s stock could be bought and sold after the IPO. Anybody could now get a piece of him; you just had to click a Buy button on KmikeyM.com (the site is an abbreviation of Merrill’s full name: Kenneth Michael Merrill). Initially, shareholders voted on a variety of small projects. On February 15, 2008, for example, Merrill asked whether he should make a short video to market shares in himself. His investors voted that idea down, but a month later they approved an investment of $79.63 in a Rwandan chicken farmer. “I figured they’d make good decisions for me, since they had money on the line and wanted to see their investment appreciate.” The corporate oversight got more complicated in August 2008, when Merrill moved in with shareholder number seven: his girlfriend, Willow McCormick. Though they’d been dating for two and a half years and generally got along great, it wasn’t an easy decision for Merrill. McCormick taught grade school, and her idea of fun was playing Boggle at night with her friends. Merrill couldn’t stand Boggle. He was more interested in things like planning the whiskey-drinking group with his buddies. “His ideal relationship was one in which we lived harmoniously independent lives, and I think mine was a little more traditional,” McCormick says. Steve Schroeder, one of Merrill’s oldest friends, was upset that he hadn’t been consulted about the move-in. He may not have put much money in—just $139 for 66 shares—but that still gave him 4.8 percent of the voting stock. McCormick had only 19 shares, so technically Schroeder’s opinion should have carried approximately three times as much weight. If Merrill was now going to spend more time at home with his girlfriend, he would have less time to pursue activities that were priorities to shareholders with larger stakes. Merrill hadn’t intended to give shareholders control over his private life, but he realized that Schroeder had a point. “I figured they’d make good decisions for me, since they had money on the line and wanted to see their investment appreciate,” Merrill says. McCormick didn’t see it that way. Merrill started spending more time with Schroeder and his other shareholder friends, who jointly controlled a large block of stock. To McCormick, it seemed like a corporate takeover of her boyfriend and gave new resonance to the famous book about corporate buyouts, Barbarians at the Gate. “There were a ­couple of friends I did have some issues with, and they had a big say in how Mike spent his time,” McCormick says. But when she tried to talk to Merrill about it, he would offer what he said was a ­simple solution: “Buy more shares.” McCormick seethed. “I didn’t want to play into it,” she says. “I felt like my status as a girlfriend earned me his ear, like the way a first lady has the president’s ear.” When they started dating, McCormick and Merrill had a series of conversations about whether Merrill should get a vasectomy. At first they agreed that it was a good idea; neither thought they wanted kids. But now that she was a ­little older, McCormick wasn’t so sure. “I started to have stirrings,” she says. “I was feeling less certain.” Then, on August 10, 2008, Merrill asked the shareholders to decide whether he should get a vasectomy. He didn’t tell McCormick that he was going to bring them in on it. As the CEO of himself, he simply wrote a note to his shareholders explaining his position on the subject. “Children are a financial drain,” Merrill wrote. “The time investment of raising a child is immense. The responsibility is epic. The impact on future projects would be drastic. In light of these factors, it makes sense to reduce the chances to nearly zero and have a vasectomy performed.” McCormick was furious and embarrassed. “He made our personal life public without consulting me,” she says. It got worse when the ballots came in. Schroeder voted yes. Josh Berezin, a grade-school friend and political consultant, voted yes. To McCormick, it wasn’t just a referendum on the vasectomy. It was also a referendum on whether Merrill’s friends thought he should have kids with her. It was, she says, “a judgment on me.” It wouldn’t be the first time that outside investors tore apart a close relationship among a company’s principals. For recent ­examples, look no further than Eduardo Saverin, Mark Zuckerberg’s onetime pal who was pushed out of the company he helped found. And like Saverin, McCormick decided to fight back.

Did the farmers succeed in opposing the new agricultural laws?

 Farm laws news Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday announced that his government would repeal the three farm laws passed by Parliament a year ago, which has led to massive protests by farmers unions in several states. The procedure to roll back the laws would take place during the winter session of Parliament, which begins next week, the Prime Minister informed.

In an address to the nation on Guru Nanak Jayanti, PM Modi said, “We worked to provide farmers with seeds at reasonable rates and facilities like micro-irrigation, 22 crore soil health cards. Such factors have contributed to increased agricultural production. However, we failed to make them understand about the benefits of the new laws and as such, we have decided to roll them back.”

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November 2020 in protest against the three legislations, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020. The protests have continued for over a year as deliberations between the government and farmers unions failed.

Do you know why does no country in the world have purple on its flag

 

Plenty of countries have added creative elements to their flags, whether it's in the form of a dragon, a machete, or a two-headed eagle. But a design you likely won’t find no matter where you are on Earth is one that includes purple. It’s not because the color is considered universally unfashionable: Its absence from flags has more to do with practicality.

In this video, the educational YouTube page After Skool breaks down the history of the glamorous hue. The first purple dyes were almost entirely sourced from one species of sea snail harvested from a small part of the Mediterranean. It took 10,000 of these snails to produce just a single gram of dye. For this reason, purple was worth more than its weight in gold prior to the 19th century.

While purple garments did exist, they were mainly worn by the supremely wealthy and members of the royal family (hence the term “royal purple”). Though it would have made a bold statement, incorporating purple into flags just wasn’t worth the cost.

The color’s status was forever changed in 1856, when a British university student named William Henry Perkin discovered a way to make purple dye synthetically. It became much more accessible in the years that followed, which is why the handful of flags that do have a splash of purple were all designed after 1900.

The Amazing Donkey Library of Colombia

Travelling with his two loyal donkeys, Alfa and Beto, Luis Soriano has been spreading the joy of reading to children in rural Colombian communities for over 20 years.

Luis Soriano was a Spanish teacher in rural La Gloria Colombia. Concerned that his students had no access to books at home, he decided to do something about it.

By adapting the packsaddles of his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, from carrying water to carrying books, Luis created a makeshift mobile library and set off to take his books to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to reading materials. With that the ‘Biblioburro’ was born.  

“Kids wise up when they pick up a book. Their surprise and imagination meet together, you see them starting to laugh by themselves, just by seeing the book,” he says.

Watch the video above to find out more about the inspirational story of Luis, Alfa and Beto.

Sultan Kösen: World Tallest Man Alive is of 38 years old now

In 2009, Sultan Kösen became the first man over 8 ft to be measured by Guinness World Records for more than 20 years.

In fact, Guinness World Records only knows of ten confirmed or reliable cases in history reaching 8 ft or more.

The part-time farmer from Turkey was found to be a towering 246.5 cm (8 ft 1 in) in height and he took the iconic title of Tallest living man.

Two years later, the 26-year-old was measured again in Ankara, Turkey, by which time he had grown to a staggering 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in).

For years, Sultan Kosen - the world's tallest man according to Guinness World Records - says he was unable to find love as women were put off by his stature.

But the Turkish man's bachelor days are now behind him as he tied the knot at the weekend with his Syrian fiancée in his hometown.

A 64 Year Old Cancer Patient Who Took Care Of 80+ Terminally Sick Children In 30 Years an Angel Father

 When Mohammed Bzeek from Los Angeles was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, the news did not unsettle him, for he was determined to fight and win the battle against malignancy. Not for himself, but for the eight-year-old blind and deaf girl with a deadly disease, who is his foster child at present.

Bzeek, better known as ‘Angel Dad’ of Los Angeles, has been serving as a foster parent to terminally ill children for the past three decades. He has been a doting parent to around 80 children with inborn fatal disorders. Without Bzeek, these children, orphaned or abandoned, would have had no choice left but to breathe their last in the confines of a hospice or hospital room.

He and his wife ran a foster home for terminally ill children

Mohammed Bzeek is the biological father of Adam, a collegegoer with brittle bone disease and dwarfism. Bzeek lost his beloved wife Dawn in 2013 to a lung disease, with whom he had started fostering these children. In a 2017 interview with Los Angeles Times, Bzeek opened up about what made him the ‘Angel Dad’. in Libya, Bzeek arrived in the USA in 1978 for pursuing higher studies and soon started working as an engineer. When he first met his wife Dawn in the 1980s, she was already a foster parent to many and had even turned her home into an emergency shelter for these helpless children. Bzeek joined her in this noble pursuit, and together the couple started fostering many children since 1989.

Soon, they started taking in only the children with ‘do-not-resuscitate’ orders, who were considered a lost cause and were thus abandoned by their own families. Through community colleges and conventions, the Bzeeks also spread awareness about the dos and don’ts of foster parenting. Together, they would take care of up to three terminally ill children at one time.

Born during their time as foster parents, Bzeek and his wife had also bid goodbye to ten foster children. Some of them lived less than a year, some survived a little longer, but all of them received utmost love and care during their short tryst with this harsh world. Bzeek recalls nursing his foster children with his own hands, and also having to bury them with teary eyes and a grieving heart.

The doting ‘Angel Dad’

After Dawn’s death, Bzeek has quit his day job to be a full-time foster parent. Now, apart from his own son, he takes care of the blind and deaf little girl with underdeveloped brain function, who recently turned eight. At her birth, the doctors predicted her to live no more than a few weeks or a few months at most. Bzeek’s unfailing love and caregiving have helped her sail through eight years with ease.

He has never regretted his own son’s physical limitations. Instead, the doting dad has engineered a wooden skateboard to help him move around the house, apart from a customised wheelchair. At present, Adam is pursuing a college degree in computer science, making Bzeek a proud father. He is also extremely fond of his present foster sister.

Bzeek gave names to all his children

All of Bzeek’s children have a heartbreaking story. Bzeek shares with Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, “In the hospital, they give birth, they leave them.” Most of these children are born with rare, untreatable disorders, and hence they are abandoned because even the biological parents cannot fathom the courage to deal with death later. Hospitals across Los Angeles sends these nameless children to Bzeek. He christens them with a new name and makes him or her an integral part of the Bzeek family. Speechless and weary of living, they find a warm welcome in the arms of their new father.

He fondly remembers one of his children who passed away a few years ago. The little boy was born with a short gut syndrome and spent most of his days at the hospital. Though he was unable to consume solid food, Bzeek still made sure to seat him at the dinner table every night, so that he never feels aloof from the family.

They will pass away- today or tomorrow

“The key is, you have to love them like your own. I know they are sick. I know they are going to die. I do my best as a human being and leave the rest to God,” says Bzeek, who is a devout Muslim by faith. Even battling with stage-2 colon cancer himself, he thanks God every day for keeping his son and foster daughter alive.

Mohammed Bzeek knows all of his foster children would pass away – today or tomorrow. All he aims is to provide them with a family, full of love, care and belongingness before they take their leave from this mortal world. The ‘Angel Dad’ of Los Angeles has received financial contributions from all over the world to sustain the treatment costs of his children. Only he knows how to make them his own.

Turns cigarette ends into soft toys, cushions new Startup Idea

  There’s no doubt that smoking is injurious to health but there’s a startup that’s trying to put cigarette ends to good use. Noida-based Code Effort Pvt. Ltd processes everything that is left after a cigarette has been smoked to make a range of products from cushions and soft toys to organic compost.

It was after a party with a group of friends a few years ago that founders Naman Gupta and Vishal Kanet were struck by the amount of cigarette trash produced in a few hours.

“We looked at the two ashtrays we had filled in a few hours and wondered if one room of friends can generate so much trash, what is the scale of the waste worldwide?" said Gupta. They tried to imagine the afterlife of these leftovers. What happens to the stubs after they are thrown into the dustbin? Are they biodegradable? How much pollution do they cause? Can they be recycled? These were just some of the questions they had.

They started looking for answers and realised that cigarette filters are made of a polymer, cellulose acetate whose properties are similar to plastic. They learnt that the body of a cigarette is made of chemicals harmful to the environment.

Back then, Gupta was studying B.Com from Delhi University while Kanet, who had an engineering background, was working as a photographer. They experimented for a month and worked out a chemical process to clean and recycle the polymer.

In 2016, they launched Code Enterprises, a cigarette waste management firm, which recycles cigarette stubs into different products. Since they were familiar with the Delhi-NCR region they started operations here. The first step was to make people aware of the usefulness of the waste material.

“We distributed pamphlets and visited cigarette vendors explaining what we were trying to do," says Gupta. “We provided them with a cigarette waste collection bin called VBin, and we assured them ₹250 per kilo of cigarette waste. We also gave bins to commercial spaces for their smoking rooms."

Every fortnight, the friends would collect the cigarette trash. This was taken and treated in the collection plant they had set up.

At the treatment plant, the various parts of the cigarette stub, the paper coating, the burnt tobacco, the filter, are used to make a variety of products.

“The plastic-like filter is treated for about a fortnight, and is mixed with cotton to make a material that can be used to stuff beanbags and make soft toys and cushions," says Gupta. “ The paper coating around the filter is biodegradable and is used to make compost." The products are sold online.

In the first month, they only got 10 grams of cigarette waste. Over time, they found support from corporates and commercial spaces.

“People are educated in Delhi, Gurgaon," says Gupta. “Most companies have corporate social responsibility programmes. What we do is good for the environment and we were also providing a specific rate for the waste."

After a year, Kanet left the company and Gupta relaunched it as Code Effort. He has been self-funding it since.

The first challenge was to ensure a regular supply of cigarette waste. “First you have to build a stable network of raw material, before you start the merchandising and making the by products," says Gupta.

The startup issues specific contracts to suppliers across the country. It also has associates on a contract basis who have to supply at least 30kgs of cigarette waste in bulk every month. These associates also have a target of selling 500 finished products per district.

“We now have 20 to 25 contracts with suppliers all over the country and receive 2,500kgs of cigarette waste every month," says Gupta.

Tobacco manufacturers have also signed up. “Companies that manufacture cigarettes such as ITC and Marlboro supply their rejected products to us. We have specific contracts that we have signed for sourcing that industrial waste," he explains. Karnataka and Maharashtra are the two biggest suppliers of cigarette waste.

When asked about his plans to take on competition from other recyclers, Gupta says Code Effort is only such company in India, and so he has no competition. He plans to leverage that by launching more products and improving his marketing strategies.

“We will launch a range of products in this financial year, including mosquito repellent made from leftover paper and tobacco, more soft toys, and an air purification system for chimneys made from cellulose acetate fibre." The company plans to join hands with non-profits and government bodies for on-field support in marketing and cigarette waste procurement.

“Although we don’t have government support now, our company is in sync with the government policy of Swachh Bharat," says Gupta.