WA S T E TO W E A LT H

The Force for Rural Empowerment and Economic Development - GSBI™ Class of 2010

Headquarters: Kolkata, West Problem Statement:

Bengal, India
There are approximately 60 million hectares of wasteland in India
Established: 2007 and more than 421 million Indians below the poverty line in 8
states. The poor people do not have access to sustainable liveli-
Impact Areas: India hoods and suffer from a social environment that worsens over
Type: Non-Profit/NGO time. The Indian government has mandated the use of 20% diesel
mix with biofuel by 2013. To fulfill the mandate, wastelands are
Sectors: Clean Tech & Energy, Eco- being made available for production of biofuel.
nomic Development
Staff Size: 7 and 2 Volunteers
Annual Budget: $150,000
Major Funders: Private donations,
Indian government
Awards: Somnath Pyne was se-
lected for the International Visitors
Leadership Program of the Depart-
ment of State, US Government

Theory of Change:
Turn Waste to Wealth by turning the
wastelands in India into jatropha
plantations to improve the environ-
ment and produce biofuel. Local
marginalized women are employed
to cultivate the land which increases
their income potential and raises the
standard of living.
Solution:
FREED conceives, designs, and implements projects transform-
ing wastelands into jatropha plantations that produce biofuel
that replaces imported fossil fuels and qualifies for carbon cred-
its. We do this by forming Self Help Groups that undertake cul-
tivation and fuel extraction, providing marginal poor with income
opportunities. Government agencies and corporations provide
wasteland for cultivation and purchase the biofuel thus creating
economic development, reducing their cost of oil consumption
meeting mandates to use renewable energy.

“Through our 300 hectare unit project, FREED will provide employment for 2500 marginal-
ized women, additional income of $486,680 and produce 306 kilolitres of biofuel in 5 years.”
- Somnath Pyne, Co-Founder and CEO

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 WA S T E TO W E A LT H

Milestones Achieved: Impact to Date:

2008: Pilot project started with
partner
2010: First project approved for
implementation by the national coal
company
2010: Contract with the municipality
for access to land
2010: Indian railways approve project
viability
• Pilot plantation operational with partner agency
• Created awareness in public and private corporations of the
opportunity to convert wasteland into a resource
• First 300 hectare project approved for launch by major coal
agency
Annual Budget vs. Ha. Under Cultivation:

Growth Plan:
2011: Expand to three states
2013: First bio-diesel will be produced
(306 kiloliters)
2014: Expansion to 4 states, 5,000
Ha, and 612 kiloliter production Social Impact:

526
“The work of FREED to provide
additional income and produce
biofuel utilizing wasteland is
changing the lives of local mar-
ginalized population.” – Ujjal
Chatterjee, Chairman, Kulti Mu-
nicipality, West Bengal, India Investment Required:
$500,000 USD of seed capital is required to develop each 300
Ha. unit project. Grants are needed to fund a unit project for
which land has been allocated. Grant amounts for subsequent
unit projects will be lower because earned income will be used
to fund new unit projects.

This profile was developed during the 2010 Global Social Benefit Incubator™, the signature program of
Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society.
Updated 8/26/2010. www.scu.edu/sts/gsbi

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