The Tibetan Settlement Office (T.S.O.) (formerly "Tibetan Welfare Office") is acting within the Tibetan Ministry of the Interior and is part of the central Tibetan administration in Dharmshala, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The T.S.O. organizes projects in the social, cultural and economical sectors. Furthermore they focus on issues of environment and enduring development.

Waste Management

In 1994 the „Clean Upper Dharmshala“-project was launched by the T.S.O. The aim was to solve the waste management in Upper Dharmshala which needed strong efforts due to the increase of nonbiodegradable waste in that region.

In the beginning the project had installed three „Green Workers“, who collected recyclable material from companies and households in McLeod Ganj

McLeod Ganj

McLeod Ganj, McLeodGanj, or Mcleodganj, is a suburb of Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It has an average elevation of 2,082 metres ....

. A great positive impact on the environmental situation could also be achieved by installing five dustbins which were frequently emptied by a dust cart.

Furthermore public toilets were built, which are frequently being maintained. The drainage system in the area of McLeod Ganj and the Dal Lake

Dal Lake

Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of the northernmost Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The urban lake, which is the second largest in the state, is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is nicknamed the "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir" or "Srinagar's Jewel"...

 was displaced to prevent water pollution.

Recycling

Recyclable material is being collected door by door by the "Green Workers" or emitted by the households.

The following materials are being recycled:

• soft plastics (i.e. plastic bags)
• hard plastics (cassettes, ballpoint pens, packages,...)
• glass bottles, cullet
• carton
  Carton
  Carton is the name of certain types of containers typically made from paperboard which is also sometimes known as cardboard. Many types of cartons are used in packaging. Sometimes a carton is also called a box.-Folding cartons:...
  
  
• clothes and shoes
• tin
  Tin
  Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
  
   and other metals

The collected material is either sold in Dharmshala or transported to Pathankot

Pathankot

Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...

(distance: 80 kilometres). The transportation itself is not cost-effective.

Paper Factory

The T.S.O. opened a little paper factory in Upper Dharmshala where handmade products are made by recycling paper.

The Green Shop

In 1994 „The Green Shop“ was opened and is an environmentally oriented shop selling various products, used batteries and expired medicaments.

Furthermore the following products are sold:

• clean water
• paper products from the paper factory
• bags
• ecological shampoos and conditioners
• soaps and crèmes
• Tibetan tea

Social Commitment

The Tibetan Settlement Office is concerned about the needs of the society. It tries to find various solutions for example in questions of youth, education and old-age provision. The T.S.O. is also giving legal advices in cases of conflicts in the society. One of its main goals is to obtain a social, religious and political harmony within the society.

The T.S.O. also established the „Gaddi Women's Self-Help Society“.