Graduates? Workshop on Green Economy was held on the date of 28^th July, 2013 in Summit hotel, Kupondole, Latitpur, Nepal. This Workshop on Green Economy was organized by Small Earth Nepal (SEN) in collaboration with the Consortium for Capacity Building (CCB) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA with support of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), and with technical assistance from the Central Department of Environmental Science (CDES),Tribhuwan University and the Agriculture and Forest University (AFU). The program was focused to bring together the young graduates, researchers, and the professionals who have been engaged in the green efforts in one way or the other. Fortunately, I also got a chance to be a part of this workshop where I learnt a lot about the green economy.

The workshop was a one day event which was divided into four sessions as

1. 1. Green Economy- Agriculture, Forestry and Biodiversity ( Chair: Prof. Dr. Nabaraj Devkota co-chair: Mr. Jeeban Panthi)

       The presentations were

• Human urine: A sustainable alternative source of fertilizer by Debendra Shrestha
• Prospective of Nepalese Youth on Future of Food by Dinesh Pandey
• Impact assessment of climate change on parasitic and vector borne diseases in livestock and humans in buffer zones area of Chitwan National Park of Nepal by Tara Nath Gaire

1. 2. Green Economy- Water, Climate Adaptation and Energy ( Chair: Prof. Dr. Kedar Rijal co-chair: Mr. Piyush Dahal)

The presentations were

• Annapurna Dhaulagiri Community Trek- Some Possibilities and learning by Saurav Dhakal
• Study on Energy Consumption pattern and GHGs Emission: A case study in Belwa VDC of Parsa, Nepal by Binay Sa Kanu
• Study on Changing Trends of Various Population Parameters in Relation to Climate Change and its impact on people?s livelihood in Dubiya VDC, Kapilvastu District by Rajib Khanal

      3. Poster Presentation

•  Integrated Farming Systems: Key to Agricultural Sustainability in Eastern Mid-Hills of Nepal by Diwakar Dahal
• Production of Biodiesel from Micro-algae by Sagar Kafle

    4. Panel Discussion- Green Economy: Challenges and Opportunities ( Moderator:  Dr. Sonia M. Pradhanang, City University of New York, USA and panelists: Christopher Butler, Saurav Dhakal, Sankar Adhikari, and Suchita Shrestha)

WHAT I LEARNT FROM THE WORKSHOP?

• What is Green Economy?

Green Economy simply means making green money. It can be defined as low carbon using, socially inclusive and resource efficient form of economy.

• Where should the focus of research be?

Research should always be focused towards the benefit of the stakeholders in case of green economy, everyone is the stakeholder as everyone shares the planet.

• How to start Green Economy?

Everything starts with you. Green Economy is just the summation of individual efforts to lower the carbon footprint, and to build a sustainable future.

• What is the main challenge in the adoption of the Eco- friendly ways like human urine as the alternative source of energy?

The main challenge is the perception of the people the people are not accepting the new ways, for example, human urine as an energy source.

• What are future opportunities for Green Economy in Nepal?

Future opportunities are development of community based tourism, use of modified stoves instead of firewood, developing agriculture and forestry, cash from waste, etc.

• How effective are Workshops like this?

I am glad this was also a topic raised during the workshop because I had always been keen on the impact of workshops like this. The discussions concluded that if we are really going to create an impact to the overall people then, further programs for the local people in simple languages should also be included plus, the knowledge people gain in the workshop has to be transferred and practiced.