The Sustainability Series: Aravind Muthiah

Aravind is a talent pool himself. When he is not working on his PhD on high voltage lithium battery technology and his clean technology start-up, he likes to spend his time being shy when asked do accents (although he's awfully good at it), correcting others' grammar, meditating or playing the flute. Dynamic, intelligent and sarcastic, he's every grandma's dreamboy.

How do you think you have contributed or are contributing to sustainability, professionally or personally?

First I must define my perspective of sustainability in order to judge how I have contributed to it. Sustainability to me is consistent material development of the human race while ensuring such development is in harmony with the environment sustaining us. I must consider myself blessed in that the opportunities presented to me with regards to my professional life have been in line with my personal ethos. Therefore there has been a seamless integration of contribution between the two. My vegetarian upbringing was, I guess, my first unconscious contribution to sustainability. My first conscious contribution however came quite late in life when I was finishing up my Bachelor’s degree. Having to decide which path I wanted to take in my life, I had a strong urge to contribute to society through my background in chemical engineering. So through a Master’s program at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a clean-tech oasis in the deserts of the Middle East, I contributed a part of the research towards dye sensitized solar cells based on date fruit extract. Subsequently I moved to Singapore to research high voltage lithium battery technology in order to solve the energy storage bottleneck that plagues renewable energy technology. During my PhD I simultaneously co-founded a clean technology company called Blueren to upcycle plastic waste to carbon nanotubes. 

2)      Name one measure/innovation in sustainability that has impressed you in the past.

Did you know energy can be harvested from just the mixing of river and sea water? Osmotic power through pressure retarded osmosis technology is able to utilize the difference in concentrations of salt between sea and river water to generate electricity, at large scales. With the number of rivers reaching the seas across the world, the possibilities for realizing this clean power source are immense. However beyond a Pilot plant by Statkraft in Norway, this hasn’t progressed much, I think. 

3)      Mention 5 small steps every individual can adopt in their daily life to make our planet more sustainable. 

1. Go up to your rooftop at least once a week and watch the sunrise while taking in the sights and sounds to appreciate the beauty of our planet
2. Pay a visit to a local animal shelter to develop compassion for the nature surrounding you. 
3. Extra food after catering for an event? Invite or distribute the food to foreign workers to or prevent food waste.
4. Avoid Styrofoam cups at work place.
5. Turn off your mobile charger after charging your phone.

4)      What are your inspirations to work towards sustainability and aspirations to contribute more to sustainability?

The best fit and the most inspiring idea to me in this regard was renewable energy technology. Therefore, since the time I completed my bachelors, I have been journeying in the same path, researching and developing clean technology in the areas of renewable energy, energy storage and waste upcycling. 

 

5)      If you were a renewable energy, what would you be and why? (You do not need to be technical; you can choose the one that suits your personality most.)

I would be geothermal as i believe all the energy one requires lies within. 

6)      What is your idea of a utopian world and a dystopian world?

Utopian – one where every being treats another being, whether plant or animal, the way they themselves would like to be treated.

Dystopian – the opposite. 

7)      Would you rather (and why):

a)       Shower on alternate days or drink less water, if there was a water crisis? :P

Shower on alternate days. Less water intake can cause far worse nasal issues for colleagues. 

b)      Hug a tree for a day, for preventing it from being cut or impose on someone a prohibition of eating shark fin soup for life?

Prohibition of shark fin soup as the tree can be cut the next day. (Duh!)

c)       Be vegetarian or consume human flesh after they are dead (not from disease, let us say) to save on resources to burn/bury their body?

Vegetarian. Putrefied flesh is far less nutritious than fruits and vegetables.

d)      Dedicate your whole life fighting against pollution or spend it saving endangered species?

Fight against pollution by giving poachers jobs in the environmental agency as self-preservation assumes highest priority. 

e)      Be born in this era/generation, in the past, or in the future (speaking solely from the sustainability point of view)?

The present affords immeasurable opportunity to create meaning of life from the sustainability point of view. I would thus favor no other era.

f)        Take public transport for the rest of your life or travel by plane only for business to minimize your carbon footprint?

I think planes are public transport too.

The Sustainability Series: Introduction

Until recently, when I heard the term "sustainability" I always associated it with "ecological sustainability" which is nothing but the ability for all organisms to thrive in a diverse environment and reproduce, thus maintaining their population on earth. But while interviewing one of my friends, I was made to realize that sustainability is not just "saving the environment" but made up of three pillars: social, environment and economic development and engulfs four interconnected domains, namely: ecology, economics, politics and culture. Simply put, it is something that improves quality of life for humans while also maintaining the surrounding eco-systems. Herman Daly, an economist says, "What use is a sawmill without a forest?" This quote excellently points out that perfect sustainability if not impossible, is difficult to achieve. Having a sawmill would mean more economy, but also downfall of trees hence jeopardizing ecological sustainability. Gain in one domain automatically leads to loss in the other domain. Thus, we humans, being the "most intelligent creatures on the planet" must do as much as we can to somewhat maintain a balance between all domains of sustainability.

I consider myself as someone with an identity crisis, a mix between sustainable and unsustainable. I am a victim (victim is hardly the right word) of consumerism, buying a lot of new stuff frequently, forgetting to carry my own grocery bag and ending up using several plastics, printing documents for convenience instead of going paperless, etc. etc.. But I also limit my red meat intake, refuse plastic for small items and to use the electric clothes dryer, chide at people for wasting food, etc etc.

Some of my friends though!! THEY are good examples to learn from - most of them have dedicated their lives (presently) to sustainability, meaning, their jobs make them follow the path of sustainable development. Outside their office too, they advocate the same principles and follow them. I asked five of them the same questions and you will find how each of them educate you about sustainability in the following posts.

Ten Terribly Tiny Tales (Oscars 2017 Special)

Arrival
Just like the Bollywood moms,
She could sense her son's arrival,
But she wasn't the only one,
The lamp at the next door neighbours' flickered,
Their daughter knew as well.

Fantastic beasts and where to find them
Pangolins, wild boars and giant lizards cohabited with humans,
"But, how? It's such a populated city", the foreigner exclaimed.
"Indeed it is", said the local guide,
As she showed around to people fantastic beasts and where to find them.

Fences
Train on the track, electrical fences,
A heartless poacher, his hunt commences,
So many elephant deaths, the situation tenses.

Hell or high water
Numbers were never his forte,
He was more interested in chemistry,
Come hell or high water,
He would win the maths teacher's heart.

Hidden Figures
Her back felt heavy,
And the weighing scale showed a tremendously high value,
The mirror told a different story,
Those hidden figures, only visible through reflection,
Perched on each shoulder, smiled back.

La La Land
In Sikkim, they used to say, "La La" when they meant "OK",
In Singapore they convince me about things saying,
"I wasn't late, my watch was slow la!" or
"You don't look fat, just eat la!"
It's fate to be dwelling in La La Lands for me.

Lion
The wife took 'pride' in the fact that
Her husband's 'mane' goal was to help people in danger,
He was just a regular guy, a life guard,
But, for her, he was a king, as brave as a lion.

Loving
They met at a food fair,
She in her mid 40s and he in his early 20s,
United by the same passion,
Loving knew no boundaries, neither of age nor cuisine!

Moonlight
"Conspiracy theories are for losers", said his friends,
When he told them what he thought he was.
On a lonely night, when he stepped out under the moonlight,
He felt his body change, and heard himself howl.

Passengers
One was late for his namaaz,
One held on to his cross, as the vehicle swerved,
One was lost in thoughts as to what she'll wear for the Puja,
A shared taxi cab, all of them were passengers.

How the relation between me and sports is a comedy of errors! (I don't care, I love it)

I've been a water baby since I was a child. Even won a pizza once for coming third out of five people in a school swimming competition! However, I've been a "beginner" since as long as I can remember. My swimming expert friend once gave me 1 out of 5 for swimming. The swimming instructor at the university told me, "How will you teach others if you yourself are swimming like you're trying to cross the ocean?" while tutoring a newbie friend. I can't maintain backstrokes and can hardly displace myself doing it froggy style. That said, I simply love swimming. In the rare occasions when I manage to overcome sloth, as soon as I enter the water I realize how much I have been missing and how often I should exercise this.

Yoga, originally from India, is being practiced all over the world now and is extremely popular among people who have been seeking to find balance in their life. Alas, that isn't the case for me. The instructor tells me, "Your brain is very restless, that is why you cannot balance your body.", when I struggle to keep one leg above the ground and both hands up in the air, or "Your breathing is very fast, your shoulders are very tight." You see, for the past few months I have had my first set of yoga experiences and sometimes it makes me more agitated than peaceful. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm bad at it. :P Despite all my flaws, I feel more flexible than ever (I can almost touch my toes now, at least!). Hopefully, the "beginner" phase for yoga will not last as long as for swimming.

The cycle I bought last year was a feeble attempt to resurrect my previously excellent and long lost slim body. But at a friend's insistence (Why blame the friend, it was me who wanted the cheapest one!), I bought the cheapest possible bicycle (and also learned how to pronounce "bicycle" right). The logic of getting an inexpensive one was that I was rarely going to use it. But the quality of it turned out to be so lousy that I almost NEVER used it. I can safely say that the amount of calories burnt fixing the troubles it gave me were significantly larger than the calories burnt riding it. I remember I had this AMBITIOUS plan to cycle to work once (not too much, 11 km, but with a lot of elevations and construction along the way). I realized as soon as I began that there's no air in my tire and couldn't go more than 2 km. I parked it at the nearest bus station and took a bus to work instead.

With kickboxing aerobics (that's what I've named it), I get confused if the instructor makes us do multiple moves consecutively and just stand and watch others. With badminton, I blame the wind and go for a walk or dinner instead. With basketball, I have a deflated one in my cabinet just sitting there. With kayaking, I lie down the kayak and meditate instead of rowing. I tried ice skating and I fell down several times, bled and was LITERALLY scarred, and that scar will never fade away. With climbing steps, mere 48 steps get me breathless. I tell everyone that I have "borderline asthma" if they suggest running. When I used to do Pilates, I used to take it VERY PERSONALLY when the instructor said in her singsong voice, "For people who can't do this, there's an easier option".

I hope whoever is reading this considers my anecdotes as an inspiration to try out everything and have fun doing so! Whether you're going to perfect it or not, you don't know yet! But if your motive is to stay fit, or even to just pass time, get going! Ending it on a Coldplay song lyric, "If you never try, you'll never know, just what you're worth." 

Ten Terribly Tiny Tales (Part 4)

Roof
Arthritis kicked in at 60,
Dementia at 70,
When he made it to the roof,
His rapture made him feel like the king of the world.

Fan
ACs are for the rich,
Equatorial country,
A 3-generation old induction motor,
The fan's going to stay, just like the perennial summer.

Bleed
He was a wild one,
His father warned, "Don't go into the woods!",
The thicker he went, the more leeches he attracted,
The more he saw himself bleed, the more alive he felt.

Thread
Small black beads strewn across the living room,
The thread which was holding them lying on the floor,
"This is over", she screams,
Despite his promise, the house smells of nicotine.

Hollow
Incessantly fighting, they never accepted their friendship,
"I'm moving to New York", she told her,
"How lovely it will be to never see your face again!"
Both smiled, already feeling a hollow in their hearts.

Moment
His swimming-schooling must've been on point,
All of 21, he beat the greatest swimmer in recent times,
Phelps needed a moment, LITERALLY, to catch up. 

Finger
Her finger felt heavy,
It was supposed to bring fortune,
Broken dreams, heart and family,
She let the ring flow with the river.

Bitter
They say it'll cause cavities in your teeth or give you diabetes,
They say it'll make you fatter,
They know nothing about chocolates,
The bitter it is, the better.
  
Stunt
An action film, a popular hero,
Yes he is called a "hero",
Not just in the story-line, but also in reality.
I'm just his stunt-man.

Wings
"Wings are made to fly", said the Little Mix lyrics.
Say that to a hen, or an ostrich, or a penguin,
Say that to a caged bird,
And say that to a woman who sacrificed her dance career for marriage.