From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Tue Oct 03 2000 - 07:41:41 MDT
We often talk about using technology to benefit the third world
here. This is clearly appropriate.
---Brian
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Greenstar Newsletter
October 2000
Ecommerce, Energy, International Development
Now almost 5600 subscribers strong,
in 80 countries worldwide.
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Friends:
Charles Gay of Greenstar sent an email by
solar-powered satellite from a small village in
south-central India today. He said:
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"At 10:02 a.m. today in Parvatapur, Greenstar went
live on the internet, and simultaneously began
recording music for a digital culture program.
We used a high-speed portable satellite terminal
from Inmarsat, to connect to the Internet through
space, powered solely by a portable solar
power panel.
"Dedicating the village on Gandhi's birthday was
just the right touch.
"A large solar power array was used to power the
computers and recording equipment, and also ran
the public address system for the launch
ceremonies. All green electrons powered the
village today.
"Simultaneously, at a press conference in
Hyderabad, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, one
of India's leading lights in the technology
field, delivered a powerful speech about
Greenstar. He was joined by K.L.Chugh, a highly-
respected businessman, and Ms. Rajeswari of
Greenstar India.
"Mr. Naidu actually ordered his own Greenstar
India CD from the Greenstar website - projected
onto a large screen in front of 200 observers and
media. In addition, the CM committed to
providing whatever government resources are
necessary to implement 50 Greenstar villages in
Andhra Pradesh.
"The scene in the small, isolated village of
Parvatapur, 120 miles away, was incredible. About
300 people attended four hours of speeches, in
which the Greenstar vision was compared to
Gandhi's vision. The talks were interspersed with
music, dance and poetry -- all of which were part
of the solar-powered recording sessions,
conducted by local student technicians."
Charles F. Gay is a senior Greenstar executive,
and former head of the US Department of Energy's
National Renewable Energy Lab.
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You can order a copy of "The Sacred Voice of India",
the multimedia and audio CD produced in Parvatapur,
by clicking here:
http://www.e-greenstar.com/India/launch/buymain.htm
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Following is the text of today's press release,
which gives complete details on the ideas, people
and technology behind the Greenstar India launch.
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India's Villages
Start an Ecommerce Movement
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Greenstar India introduces solar power,
the Internet and "digital culture" to rural India
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to view a formatted version of this document, including
photographs, see:
http://www.e-greenstar.com/India/launch/Press-release.htm
New Delhi and Los Angeles, October 2, 2000: Greenstar
India announced today that it will build 50 solar-powered
community and ecommerce centres in remote villages
throughout India over the next three years. As part of the
celebration of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the first site
is being dedicated today in Parvatapur village, about 150
km from the Andhra Pradesh capital of Hyderabad in
southern India.
Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh,
will connect with events in Paravatapur today through the
Internet, where the first Indian "digital culture"
products will be produced, and offered to the world. The
Chief Minister will place an order for the music and art
being created by villagers hosting today's inaugural
ceremony; he will be visiting a Greenstar website at
http://www.e-greenstar.com/India/
To generate income through ecommerce, Greenstar villages
focus on India's vivid traditional culture -- authentic
art, music, legends, literature, history and sacred way of
life, long a source of fascination by people everywhere in
the world. Greenstar is employing a team of artists and
teachers to record elements of rural Indian culture,
working closely with the people of each village. This
original concept is already working in the Palestinian
Authority and Jamaica. The result will be a powerful,
unique collection of "digital culture" -- a gallery of
music, artwork, photographs, video, poetry and other arts,
which can be distributed in high-resolution digital form
throughout the world, instantly and efficiently.
The revenues from digital culture will be used to fund
basic needs of each village for its future, as decided by
the people themselves -- deploying tools that include
clean solar power, telemedicine and vaccination resources,
basic education, micro-credit, community organizing, and a
high-speed, two-way connection to the world through the
Internet.
The company behind these investments is Greenstar India, a
new consortium of companies from India and the United
States. Stakeholders include Capital Fortunes, a
Hyderabad-based financial and business advisory
consultancy, the Jindal Organization based in Delhi with
operations throughout India and America, and Greenstar
USA, which has pioneered the solar-powered ecommerce and
digital culture concept. The participating companies are
providing capital, technology and resources. Other key
players are Indian government agencies and private
participants including the Ekalavya Vidayalya Foundation,
Ikisan, Kinera Object Connect, and the Renewable Energy
Office at the Centre for Scientific Research of Auroville.
Major support for Greenstar India comes from The Sterling
Group, a company that has led the way in providing high-
speed Internet access in India. Through its subsidiary,
Dishnet/DSL (http://www.dishnetdsl.com/), Sterling will
provide all the internet connections for Greenstar
villages, including free Web hosting, and will sponsor a
village demonstration in the Chennai region in the near
future.
The first Greenstar India project is in Parvatapur in the
Mahabubnagar District of Andhra Pradesh. This community
has a deep tradition of music and art, and has been
pioneering natural agricultural practices. Digital culture
techniques are the only means feasible for preserving the
intricate colored chalk art practiced in the village, and
the spontaneous drumming and storytelling of the Telugu
people.
See backgrounder below for more in-depth
information on the people, ideas, policies and
technologies behind Greenstar India. A selection of
photographs of Parvatapur and Andhra Pradesh is also
available.
A digital version of this press release is available at
http://www.e-greenstar.com/India/launch/Press-release.htm
For further information, contact:
Dr. Charles F. Gay of Greenstar
in the United States at:
1-323-936-9602, toll-free in the US: 1-877-282-9900
by email: cgay@e-greenstar.com
Also see the Greenstar websites at
http://www.e-greenstar.com
and http://www.greenstar.org
Ms. Pingali Rao Rajeswari
Director - Greenstar India
in India at:
91-40-3310560; 3316083; 3397279
by email: rajeswari@e-greenstar.com
-30-
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For a detailed background on this project, see
http://www.e-greenstar.com/India/launch/backgrounder.htm
People, Ideas and Technologies
with a selection of photographs
available on the Internet
=================================================
You can order a copy of "The Sacred Voice of India",
the multimedia and audio CD produced in Parvatapur,
by clicking here:
http://www.e-greenstar.com/India/launch/buymain.htm
=================================================
To unsubscribe from the Greenstar Newsletter at any
time, send an email with "unsubscribe" as the subject
to unsubscribe@greenstar.org
Your comments and ideas are always welcome, addressed
to editor@greenstar.org.
An archive of all Greenstar newsletters to date may be
seen at:
http://www.greenstar.org/pressroom/newsletterindex.htm
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