Why BLISS?

Advocacy. Activism. Education.

Addressing Development Needs

As a small landlocked country between two of the most populous nations on our planet, Bhutan faces many economic, social and environmental challenges. As of 2016, an estimated...

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Addressing Urban Challenges

Urban centers such as Thimphu, Paro and Phuentsholing are considered as some of the fastest growth urban areas in Asia. However, the lack of planning and coordination is apparent in the haphazard manner...

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Spreading Awareness

While many innovative and transformative efforts including policy initiatives are implemented to address the many challenges that Bhutan faces, the average Bhutanese citizen is not aware of such efforts...

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Pan-Himalayan Focus

We envision the talks assuming a larger role by tackling issues relevant to the Himalayas and beyond in the longer run.BLISS should be the platform where ideas, solutions and possibilities are offered not only to conserve...

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Speakers

Our speakers for the first BLISS talk

 

Jigme Drukpa

Mountains, Songs, Longing & Change

Thorsten Chlupp

Building Sustainable in Bhutan

Dr. Yadunath Bajgai

Investments and Innovations in Agriculture

Upcoming Talks

There are no upcoming events at this time.
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Our Promoters

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Jigme Drukpa

Jigme Drukpa is Bhutan’s first ethnomusicologist. Jigme started playing music at the age of nine, when he taught himself to play the bamboo flute in his loneliness as a cow herder. He also learned to sing and play the harmonica while still in school at Wamrong. However, his fame as a folk performer spread across Bhutan starting 1988 , when Bhutan Broadcasting Service made several recordings of his songs. In 1989, while on tour in India with his classmates, All India Radio Shillong made recordings of three of Jigme’s songs. Motivated to pursue music professionally, he joined Rauland Academy in Norway to take up music studies.

Besides collaborating with several musicians from other cultures and giving live performances in over 200 cities, Jigme’s music can be heard in a number of documentaries and films, including Travellers And Magicians, The Red Door, Taking The Middle Path To Happiness, and most recently, Hema Hema- Sing Me A Song While I Wait. As a songwriter and folk performer, Jigme has seven solo albums to his credit.

Thorsten Chlupp

Thorsten Chlupp, founder of Arctic Sun LLC in Fairbanks, Alaska is a building science consultant, educator, designer, and builder with an expertise in super-efficient and zero energy design for cold climates. He is the developer of cutting edge methods of superinsulation, thermal storage, and integrated renewable energy systems which have enabled his projects to achieve unprecedented levels of performance. From zero net energy and zero fossil-fuel residences and passive house commercial projects in Alaska’s interior (an area with among the highest temperature swings in the developed world: from -40 to 90 Degrees F) to Living Building Challenge homes among the Aleutian Islands, his work re-defines what sustainable building can be in even the most challenging climates. Thorsten works closely with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks and is a founding member of the Passive House Institute US Technical Committee. He lectures regularly on Passive House, Zero Energy Design, and Sustainable Building approaches throughout the United States and overseas. He is currently consulting as the technical advisor for Karuna Foundation on the Royal Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law construction project in Bhutan.

Dr. Yadunath Bajgai

Dr. Yadunath Bajgai specializes in agriculture research and development, soil nutrient management, soil carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. He has a BSc from the United Kingdom and a PhD from Australia. He has worked in agricultural research and development across Bhutan. His current interests are in developing high-yielding, late blight resistant, and nutrient-dense potato varieties and in replacing degenerated varieties with new ones to enhance productivity and profitability for farmers. He is the author of over 30 research articles, book chapters, and conference papers.