footprints - House of Hiranandani

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 | VO L U M E 6
green
footprints
H U ’ S I N T H E N E WS | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1
Editor’s note
Dear Readers,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 6th volume of our newsletter. In
this issue we bring to you discussions that are centred around sustainable
urban development. In the early 1980’s, when I came to Powai, the greatest
realisation for me was that to create a long term community, sustainability
was the key. We set up a horticulture department and invested heavily
in Research & Development, and have never looked back. We are proud
to say that we have introduced sewage recycling in the 1980’s in all our
communities, when it was not hip or trendy to speak of such things.
As a global community, we are more aware of our carbon footprint than
ever before. I believe that it is important for every person to contribute
in their own way. The misconception that urban communities are
environmentally unfriendly must change as we engage in proper urban
planning and sustainable development.
I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as we have enjoyed
putting it together.
Surendra Hiranandani
Managing Director,
Hiranandani Group of Companies
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Waste
management
GARDEN WASTE MANAGEMENT
Mature gardens can generate a lot of waste - garden
weeds, grass clippings, hedge trimmings, tree pruning,
leaves, small branches, woody stems, etc. By adopting
eco-friendly waste disposal techniques such waste can
be recycled and the biomass can be used productively to
increase soil fertility.
Practises adopted at the Hiranandani communities:
non-biodegradable waste)
• It is then shredded into finer pieces to facilitate quick
• Well decomposed material is dried and sieved to
obtain a fine end product called compost
• This compost is then used to improve soil structure
and replenish its nutrients
• Ensures that garden waste is safely disposed
• Reduces environmental pollution
• Waste is converted into compost which in turn is used
• Garden material is sorted (removing plastic and other
decomposition
A pilot compost project using above technique has
successfully been initiated at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai
where about 3700 families are residing. Our compost/
vermin-compost project offers several advantages:
to enrich the soil fertility
• Improves water holding capacity of soil
• Enables production of energy rich resources
• Helps maintaining the ecological balance and is cost
effective
Over the years, we have observed that about 300 CFT
garden waste per day roughly yields 20 CFT good quality
compost.
Addition of
compost in
gardens
Sieving of
well
decomposed
waste
Decomposition
of garden
waste
Collection
of Garden
waste
GARDEN WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Shredding of
collected waste
Laying of
shredded
waste in
beds
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Nirvana Park, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai
SEWAGE TREATMENT
Water that is used for household utilities & even by
industries if channelized and treated can easily be
reused. To ensure that such waste water is acceptable
for reuse, the concentration of contaminants and
common pollutants in it must be reduced to a nonharmful level and suspended waste in it removed.
• As a part of its sustainable eco-friendly practices, we
have consciously built Sewage Treated Water (STP)
plants at our communities
• Sewage water at our communities is treated daily
and nearly 80% of this treated water is used for
everyday maintenance including irrigation, garden
maintenance, flushing and curing of building
• An excellent example showcasing the success of
this sustainable practise is the Nirvana Park at our
community in Powai. The visitors enjoy boat ride with
multi-coloured fishes and a variety of aquatic plants
in the pond. The park is complete with amazing
fountains and beautiful cascading landscaping – all
of which is created using recycled water. So, if in case
you associate sewage treated recycled water with foul
odour or an avoidable cosmetic practice - think again
and do visit our Nirvana Park.
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Soil
erosion
PREVENTING SOIL EROSION
• One of the most common ways to prevent soil erosion is to plant more flowers, trees and crops. Plants act
as a protective shield to the soil and save it from
erosion caused by rainfall, wind and excessive watering. Using matting can also shield and prevent
soil erosion
• Applying a layer of mulch / fertilizer shields the soil
from the direct impact of the rainfall and assists it in
slowly soaking the water. Another practice often
adopted is retaining walls/edging around the garden
edge or walkways which prevents soil erosion and
also retains the excess water in the garden bed so
that the soil can slowly soak it in
• Besides the above mentioned soil prevention
techniques, we also adopt various innovative
techniques of growing lawn grass and irrigation
• We use grass pavers and drain cells which have
enriched our communities with lush green lawns
• By incorporating light weight interlocking drain cell
modules we have ensured efficient subsoil drainage
and water storage which is especially useful for
developing green podiums and roof top gardens
• We use grass web or grass tray and grass pavers and
this requires minimal labour
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Irrigation
IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY
Irriguns system
• Suitable for large garden / sports ground / public
The goal of irrigation is to supply water across the entire
field / garden areas uniformly, so that each plant has just
the right amount of water it requires, neither too much
nor too little. Some of the modern irrigation techniques
which are efficient and easily help us achieve this goal
are enlisted below.
Sprinkler irrigation system
• Available as automated and non-automated, this
system is suitable for small gardens and residential
complexes
• Saves water, labour and time for irrigation while
enabling uniform application of water
Pop-up system
• Suitable for small gardens, residential complexes, hotels, resort lawns and playgrounds
parks / golf course
• Highly economical system, energy efficient and covers
large area
Foggers & Micro System
• Suitable for nurseries and home gardens.
• Increases humidity & lowers temperature
At the Hiranandani communities, we have reduced the
water consumption in the maintenance of the gardens
by nearly 30% through the use of modern irrigation
systems.
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Rain water
harvesting
As we all know, rain water harvesting is the process
of collecting, filtering and storing water from roof tops
and open areas so that after treating and testing it can
be used for multiple purposes. While the technology
is relatively simple, the site conditions such as
incidental rainfall, subsurface strata and their storage
characteristics, etc. need to be assessed and infiltration
test conducted before designing an appropriate rain
harvesting system.
RAIN WATER HARVESTING IN
DEVENAHALLI
Like other Hiranandani Group projects, we have adopted
a scientifically proven rain water harvesting methodology
at this community too.
• Roof tops: Rainwater from the roof top will be
conveyed through a separate network of catch basins
and will be collected in the underground sump after
passing through a silt and grease trap/grit chamber.
After necessary treatment this water is ready for use.
• Utilising underground wells: We have number of dug
wells available at our project site and these wells are
a good source for recharging ground water through
rain water harvesting into the aquifer beneath the
surface. The ground water runoff from the catchment
areas of our project will be directed into these dug
wells.
• Open area: The rain water falling on the large spaces
will be routed through a suitable diameter of drain
and network of catch basins to the existing dug
wells (after due course of treatment required to
remove the physical impurities from the rain water).
This will improve the ground water level and its
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Organic
farming
Organic farming works in harmony with nature and
excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured
fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth regulators such
as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and
genetically modified organisms.
Organic farming entails keeping and building quality soil
structure and improving its fertility by:
• Recycling and composting crop wastes and animal
manures
• Adopting the right soil cultivation practice at the right
time
• Selectively rotating crops
• Growing green manures and legumes
• Mulching on the soil surface
• Encouraging useful predators that eat pests are
essential
At the Hiranandani communities, we use organic
fertilizers and organic sprays to avoid contamination
and pollution. Our communities use organic sprays
like nicotine, neem extract, organic bordeaux mixture,
organic fertilizers (FYM, Compost/vermi compost), etc.
We adopt eco-friendly organic farming methods along
with water conservation practices while developing the
green spaces.
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Urban
green
Hiranandani Upscale is at the forefront of setting new
benchmarks for eco-friendly horticulture practices which
directly benefit consumers. Projects are not only planned
to match international standards but great care is taken to
ensure environmental preservation which also accentuates
scenic beauty. Being staunch environmentalists, the Hiranandani Group does not tamper
with the layout of the land and the projects are developed keeping the slopes, contours
and meadows in its original state. While actual percentages reserved for green areas
may differ from individual projects, most of the Hiranandani projects reserve at least 40%
of the total project sites for focused green initiatives where horticulture is the key green
enabler.
BARREN LAND TO A GREEN PARADISE
The Hiranandani Group’s prestigious projects in Mumbai (Powai and Thane) reflect our commitment to
transform barren land into lush green belts. The Group has a fully equipped Horticultural Department that looks
after the nearly 14 lakh sq. ft of gardens and landscape at Powai and the additional 100 acres of forestation on
Powai Hills. We continue to plant around 10,000 plants here each year.
BEFORE
AFTER
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SCIENTIFIC SELECTION OF TREES
We are conscious that one tree provides enough oxygen
for 5 people. Trees absorb incidental radiation and prevent
building up of heat and can save energy and money for
heating and cooling up to 15%. Besides increasing the
neighbor-hood desirability, they provide the ecological
balance in urban spaces and are an integral part of our
community projects.
Our horticultural department very carefully selects trees
and plants and it is a very scientific process:
• Trees are selected keeping in mind their ability to
adapt to the environment
• Plants & Trees that consume minimum water
compared to the exotic species of plants are selected.
This also attracts local fauna to the native flora
• We consciously use evergreen trees like Khaya
senegelensis
• We extensively use bamboos in our landscaping – it
absorbs CO2 and purifies the air
• Trees like Albizzia, Alstonia, Ficus, Butea, Dalbergia,
etc. help reduce air pollution and find their place of
pride in our communities
• Ficus specially helps reduce sound pollution
• Bougainvilleas which are visually appealing absorb air
pollutants like SO2, NO2, etc
• Dalbergia on rocky slopes helps remediate the wasted
land
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Urban farming
Urban farming refers to any form of agriculture
(excluding gardening) practiced within cities. As the
human population is increasing tremendously the need
to raise more food crops to feed the ever increasing
population has become the need of the hour. Grain
producers in India have reduced from 90% to 60% in the
last decade and in big countries like USA it has come
up to 7%. Being perishable, food stock requires proper
storage which involves huge funding. This has finally
resulted in reduction of food stock available.
In India, an individual farmer own small pieces of land
in a scattered manner. From ancient era, we have
developed technologies to produce more agricultural
produce from small lands but with the growth of
industrialization and increase in the population, the
available land under cultivation is reducing rapidly.
Hence new methods like vertical gardening and farming,
pot culture, terrace farming and roof top farming need to
be adopted. We can plant fruit trees like Citrus, papaya,
banana, strawberry etc. vegetables like lettuce, broccoli
etc. Spices like Thyme, rosemary etc. can be grown on
terraces and roof tops. With the available land under
agriculture, it is necessary to leave more urban land for
farming.
In India, most urban farming is carried out on private
land for private consumption. It may or may not be
organic, but most instances of urban farming can at
the least be classified as ‘sustainable’ and desirable
practice. Urban farming provides a fresh supply of
organic food, it reduces the environmental impact of
food transportation and it makes you that extra bit more
independent from your local market and food inflation.
It improves the quality of urban environment through
greening and thus helps in reducing pollution and
contributes towards making the city a healthier place to
live.
It also cools down your flat and increases oxygen
content -- a welcomed perk for those living in this
hot, polluted city.
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BENEFITS:
DIFFICULTIES:
• Wastewater and organic solid waste can be • Space is a main concern in cities which is accordingly transformed into resources for growing agriculture products: the former can be used for irrigation, the
latter as fertilizer
• Vacant urban areas can be used for agriculture
production
• Urban farming saves energy
• Local production of food also allows savings in
transportation costs, storage, and in product loss,
which results in food cost reduction and helps in
sustainable urban development
expensive and difficult to secure. Availability of cultivable area for urban farming is of prior
importance
• The use of waste water for irrigation without careful
treatment and cultivation on contaminated land can
result in health hazards for the consumers
• Lack of security of tenure can pose a threat to the
cultivated land as well as the produce
An overview of urban farming includes recreation and leisure, vitality and entrepreneurship, individual as well as community
health and well being, landscape beautification and environmental restoration and remediation.
(Courtesy: Mr Ranjan Karulkar & rest of the horticulture team at Hiranandani)
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Birds are
regular visitors
at our
communities
Asian Paradise
Flycatcher
Trees are selected carefully so that they attract
indigenous birds. Around 25 exotic species of
birds which one normally would be seen only in
forests are often spotted in our communities in
Mumbai.
(Photographs courtesy of
Ms. Asmina Venkatesh,
our resident at Greenwood,
Hiranandani Estate)
Oriental Magpie Robin
Crow Pheasant / Coucal
Blue Rock Thrush
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Infra
initiatives
CHENNAI
In a move to strengthen the state’s infrastructure several
large scale initiatives have been announced by the state
in the recent past. These include:
• The scenic East Coast Road (ECR) along the Bay
Bengal is planned to be extended up to Kanyakumari
at a cost of about Rs. 250 crore. At present the ECR
extends up to Tuticorin, covering nearly 700 km
• The 5.6 acres of vacant land in the South Asian
Federation (SAF) Games Village at Koyambedu
planned to be used for constructing a 4.66 lakh sq ft
commercial complex at a cost of Rs. 116 crore
• Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services
Ltd. is preparing project reports for improving
infrastructure at a cost of Rs.1,050 crore in nine
municipalities to be merged with the city
• On the green cover for the state – It is estimated that
the State would have to plant one crore saplings over
the next five years if it were to meet the national forest
policy of having 33 % tree cover
BENGULURU (BANNERGHATTA ROAD)
Bannerghatta Road is replete with Bengaluru’s finest
hospitals, educational institutions & leisure options.
Some of the other infra development activities underway
around Bannerghatta include:
• Vega Mall of 380,000 sq ft is slated to be completed by
2011. Adjoining it is a 210 keys ‘Taj Gateway Hotel’.
Vega Mall would boast of a-11 screen PVR Cinemas
and an 18 Lane ‘Blu-O’ Bowling Alley
• Extension of the Metro Rail East-West and North
South corridors and the new route between IIM-B
(Bannerghatta Road) and Nagavara is proposed. The
new metro station at IIM-B on Bannerghatta Road
would drastically boost the connectivity of
Bannerghatta Road to crucial business districts in the
city
• Bannerghatta Road will be widened from the existing
30 meters to 45 meters
• Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has
also proposed to construct grade separators at 5
crucial junctions. These 5 junctions are planned
from Jayadeva Flyover to Hulimavu Gate; with a bi
directional 4 lane flyover proposed at Hulimavu
Junction & Hulimavu gate. The objective is to make a
signal free corridor from Jayadeva flyover to Hulimavu
junction.
• Hulimavu – Begur Road would be widened from 12
meters to 24 meters
• Begur Hosur Road would be widened from 6.5 meters
to 18 meters
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Putting
the Chic in
Chicken Coop
It is a warm summer’s day and Sara Ward is busy
making a new batch of Camembert-style cheese
in her exposed-brick kitchen in west London. On
the stove sits a tray of freshly baked rolls. Eggs in
an array of colors—speckled brown, light blue and
snow white—are piled high on a steel rack, ready
to be turned into a lemon meringue pie later that
day. Outside, four immaculately kept beds nurture
enough fruit and vegetables to feed her family
of four for the entire summer, with everything
from garlic and chilies to tomatoes, radishes and
asparagus. A row of lavender bushes accommodate
honey bees from neighboring gardens, and pecking
away contentedly in a nearby run are eight
chickens, which provide the family with as many as
12 eggs a day.
Ms. Ward is part of a growing trend of city dwellers
seeking to live sustainably in an urban environment,
while remaining stylish. In response to this demand,
companies are producing a range of products from
beehives to bird houses that look good and are easy
to use in small gardens and even small apartments
Ms. Ward, who now teaches chicken-keeping
courses in her home (www.hencorner.com), became
interested in chickens eight years ago. Her epiphany
came when she started reading up on the dangers
of pesticides and questioning where her food came
from. “Once I knew it, I couldn’t un-know it and
not respond to it. So I started growing vegetables,”
she says. “Then I wanted chickens, as it meant we
were producing some protein. It is all good and well
growing potatoes and tomatoes, but I wanted a bit
of every food group.” Ms. Ward recently paid £340
for the Eglu chicken-coop starter kit from Omlet
(www.omlet.co.uk). The green and yellow, fox-proof
construction, one of three designs the eight-year-
By JEMIMA SISSONS
old company sells, will be used to hatch chicks.
She and her husband Andy, who co-runs design
agency ABA-design, have also just completed a
beekeeping course and later this year will receive
a bee colony from a beekeeping association. Her
aim? “To be able to make almonds in honey with my
almonds from my almond tree and honey from the
bees.”
Similar sentiments provoked Berliner Mark Kohfink
to start producing his own honey. “My grandpa
had bees,” he says. “When I was a child, I went in
winter to the beehive; it was warm and smelled
good because of the honey.” Mr. Kohfink bought his
own beehives, including one of Omlet’s Beehauses
(from £495), in January and now produces up
to five tons of honey a year from his rooftop in
central Berlin, selling what he doesn’t keep to local
restaurants.
Mr. Kohfink says it is part of a greater movement
toward sustainable living. “Beekeeping used to be
a hobby for older men. Now, it is a hobby for young
families,” he says. “People are conditioned to think
about the food they eat.... You can show children
how food is made by bees, and people want to do
something for the environment.”
However, for some, it is the actual design that
provides the biggest draw. Frederik Bruinewoud
and his partner Jack van Abeelen live in a Gerrit
Rietveld-designed glass-and-steel house built in
1938 in Blaricum, outside Amsterdam. They spotted
the “Breed Retreat,” a four-story wooden chicken
hut designed by Dutch architect Frederik Roijé,
and thought it would blend in perfectly with their
house. They now have four chickens, which produce
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14-20 eggs a week. “Most chicken houses are nice
if you have a farm, but this one looked fabulous
and fit our home, with its Cubist design and glass
front,” says Mr. Bruinewoud. “I am very fond of
animals. I adore my girls. They are so funny. I can
stare at them for one hour and just laugh. They are
free to run around, but they always go back there,
so it must be a nice place for them.”
With high-end consumers like Mr. Bruinewoud taking
up urban farming, companies are rolling out new
products to appeal to the aesthete. Nogg’s chicken
coops comprise giant pods that are works of art
in themselves—with a price tag to match, around
£1,900. Livia Firth, who sells the coops at her store
Eco Age (www.eco-age.com) in London’s Chiswick
neighborhood, says design is now reaching areas
previously untapped. “It’s wonderful to see that
stylish and eco-friendly products can be extended
to garden design today,” says Ms. Firth, the wife of
actor Colin Firth.
Those products are also moving beyond the garden
into urban homes. The Windowfarms project (www.
windowfarms.org) allows users to grow vegetables
hydroponically through a plastic-bottle system.
Budding ornithologists in the city, meanwhile,
have a number of choices—from the Small Green
Company (thesmallgreen.com)’s “Mr. and Mrs.
Birdee” nesting bird box to the colorful steel
“Birdhaus Birdfeeder” by Rethinkthings (www.
rethinkthings.co.uk).
Items often seek not only to provide sustainable
options, but to address environmental issues. The
Bee Station (beestation.com), a small porcelain ball
with a hole in it, was designed to help stimulate
the U.K.’s declining bee population. “I got the idea
from an announcement by the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds on Radio 4,” says Leedsbased designer Jamie Hutchinson. “There are many
reasons why bees are struggling—mites, pesticides
and reduced nesting sites. The RSPB asked for
people to put out egg cups of sugary water, which
provides bees with an instant pick-me-up. I decided
to create an instant refueling system in the garden
that would look stylish as well.”
Sam Roddick, co-founder of London boutique Coco
de Mer and daughter of Body Shop founder Anita
Roddick, is also passionate about the preservation
of the honey bee. She is part of a new campaign
entitled “Bee Lovely,” run by natural-remedy
store Neal’s Yard, which aims to help address the
problems facing bees and educate those who want
to keep them. “I went to the Natural Beekeeping
Trust course a few years ago and, soon after, started
transforming my garden,” Ms. Roddick says. She has
planted what she calls a “bee buffet” in her London
garden, including lavender, rosemary, thyme and
hawthorne, and plans to start keeping bees there
soon.
Her 30-meter garden in Hampstead also provides
her with abundant fruit and vegetables, and she
is considering keeping chickens. “There is nothing
better than fresh vegetables out of the garden; it
makes you feel vital, alive. I eat so well. All my
garden is organic, the compost is unbelievable,”
says Ms. Roddick. “I believe that everybody is
becoming more proactive. You cannot shop your
way into happiness; growing your own like this is
sustenance for the soul and you cannot attach a
price to it.”
(Wall Street Journal, Asia edition)
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Utility at your
door step
We are happy to announce that our HAIKO BRAND OF RETAIL
STORES now arrives in Chennai. Specifically focused on
catering to the daily necessities of residents at our Chennai
OMR community, Haiko Express will sell a range of everyday
products including fresh vegetables & fruits, dairy products,
household groceries, frozen food, personal care and FMCG
products, etc.
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Awards &
accolades
At Hiranandani Group, from generations to generations
in a hereditary manner the love and desire towards
the field of horticulture has resulted in a massive
assortment of flora and fauna of modern world with
aesthetic and complimentary alliance for our diverse pan
India projects & the passion is reflected in the numerous
awards and accolades won year-after- year.
We are proud to share that our Devanahalli Project has
won the “OUTSTANDING GARDEN” Prize in the recently
held Garden Competitions by Lalbagh & the Govt. of
Karnataka on the eve of Independence Day Garden
competitions 2011. The Judges appreciated the beauty
of the garden and its maintenance and admired the
design and development also.
From winning awards and trophies spread across nearly
50-60 categories from best landscape display, flower
displays, avenue trees, best maintained gardens, etc.
like every year, even 2011 saw the Hiranandani Group
gather recognition for a variety of its unmatched green
initiatives.
The Bannerghatta Garden won the Best Ornamental
Garden Award. Consolidating the marks of both projects,
Hiranandani Upscale was awarded at a function held at
the Golden Jubilee Hall at Lalbagh on 12th August 2011.
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Progress
pictures
OMR, CHENNAI
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BANNERGHATTA, BENGALURU
E-CITY, BENGALURU
DEVANAHALLI, BENGALURU
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Day out for the
Bengaluru team
Our Bengaluru team while enjoying a relaxing day out also
participated in corporate training seminar which focused
on team building conducted in green environments
outdoors!
Corporate Office: Olympia, Central Avenue, Hiranandani Business Park, Powai, Mumbai - 400 076.
Visit us at: www.hiranandaniupscale.com
Wyatt Communications ([email protected])
For brickbats and bouquets please email us at [email protected]