What is pointReturn  Where is it?   The name   Mission   Strategy   Origins   Be notified   Contact Contact

Archive for October, 2006

Vetiver - how to plant it

Once you are seduced by vetiver’s ability to restore sloping lands, there is little relief until you get hold of a stock and plant it. But there are several important aspects to consider along the way: where to find it, how to transport it, how to care for it and when and how to plant it. The experience narrated here could be of use to you. …read on

Divining for water

Discovery of a groundwater aquifer makes the process of developing wastelands faster than with stored rain water. And since the cost of a dug well is high, a small fortune rides on getting the aquifer location right. In rural India, the task of identifying an adequate source of ground water to feed a well has traditionally been left to water diviners. …read on

Two-pit composting latrines are best for tropics

The two pit latrine has been proven to be an ideal system for mass sanitation and is widely being promoted in India. But sitting in urban India, try getting some information on how to go about putting one togther and you will hit a wall. Where can you buy the special pans that are central to it? Not easy at all. Maybe my experience will be of some use to others considering building one. …read on

Status report: Oct. 2006

It is two months since the pointReturn land was bought and it is time to take stock of what is happening and what is not; what are the immediate plans and what are they dependent on. …read on

Nature as a capitalist

Whether or not one likes it, capitalism has prevailed. In the 230
years since Adam Smith, capitalism has created sturdy institutions,
converted many infidels, gone global and bound the world in a seemingly irreversible way. It’s a hard to beat the capitalist brotherhood. But the ‘capital’ in capitalism is money; it’s about investments, returns and growth of capital. Is there a way to extend its concepts to other aspects of our life? Well, I think there is and it must be tried. …read on