The film is meant for NGOs, architects, builders and people involved in exploring the possibility of mud as a viable building material. The balram mud block press, designed and marketed by Development Alternatives, is a simple manual device which makes easy the tedious job of mud block making. The film explains the procedure and applications of Balram.

Traditional methods of manufacturing bricks use one of the most polluting processes. The government in India has started its clamp down on traditional brick kilns. The search for a cleaner alternatives led Development Alternatives to the VSBK technology — a technology which enables improved fuel efficiency over existing kilns and conforms to all environmental norms. The technology, is now being disseminated in India along with multi-sectral partners.

This film covers the paucity of electrification in India and the resulting need for affordable and reliable sources of power. It projects small independent power production units as a solution to such problems and cites the example of DESI POWER, Orchha, a power station which runs on ipomea, a weed. It talks about the advantages of non-fossil fuel based electricity production. It also explains in brief the process of electricity production from renewable resources like bio-mass and the economics of setting up independent power producing units. q

	DA Publications on Sustainable Energy
I.   Books		III.  Articles published in "Development Alternatives Newsletter"
(1)	Gusain, P. P. S. (1990). Renewable Energy in India. New Delhi Development Alternatives. 125p.	(1)	Khosla, Ashok. Sustainable Energy (editorial). Development Alternatives Newsletter. 4(9), October 1994. Pp. 2.
(2)	Gusain, P. P. S. and Pandey Manoj (1991). Micro-Level Energy Planning : a case study of Orissa. New Delhi : Development Alternatives. 272p.	(2)	Khosla, Ashok. Real issue of Solar Energy in India. Development Alternatives Newsletter. 8(8), August 1998. Pp. 1, 3-4.
(3)	Sudhakar K. and Gusain P. P. S. (1991). Rural Energy Planning in Sikkim. New Delhi : Development Alternatives. 263p.	(3)	Guha, Alok B. Management of natural resources. Development Alternatives Newsletter. 9(4), April 1999. Pp. 7-8, 13.
(4)	Prakash, Sanjay. (1991). Solar Architecture & Earth Construction in the Northwest Himalaya. New Delhi : Development Alternatives. 132p.	(4)	Bajpai, Rajesh. Biomass : Regeneration to utilization. Development Alternatives Newsletter. 9(5), May 1999. Pp. 13.
(5)	Gusain, P. P. S. (1992). Cooking energy in India. New Delhi : Development Alternative. 127p.		If you are in need of above mentioned publications, please contact : Information System Unit, Development Alternatives B-32, Tara Crescent, Qutab Institutional Area New Delhi – 110 016, India Tele : 91(11) 696-7938. 656-5370. 685-1158. Fax : 91(11) 686-6031 Email : siddappa43@hotmail.com
II.  Articles published in periodicals
(1)	Khosla, Ashok (1995). The real issue of Solar Energy in India. Pp.11.
(2)	Kumar, Arun (2000). Sustainable energy technologies : A case study of Biomass gasification. Industry and Environment. July-Sept. 2000. Pp.3, 28-30.

Back to Contents