As design of newsletters have become the new lifestyle of modern society, status symbols more and more people have begun to adapt computers and latest technology. The use of mobile phones, mp3 players, portable computers equipment, LCD TVs and computers home with advanced technologies have become common. With new updates daily technology, old computers are fast gradually due to the obsolesce. This obsolete computers, not working, unable to repair, but lasting, obviously find there way in the trash.
According to Taphani monument national, official regional pollution control board, this electronic waste is highly dangerous for the environment and must delete not with normal waste. Electrical and electronic equipment consist of a multitude of components, some containing toxic substances that may have detrimental consequences for human health and the environment if not properly handled. They should be segregated and deleted as standards, however, according to the disposition of all household waste is the responsibility of the municipal corporation or civic authorities. Therefore, have not been taking no action thereon. The Ministry of environment and forests (life) of the Government of the India has developed a special issues and problems created by eWaste Guide. However, the Working Group for this Division work currently only in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Says vendors in the business of used equipment, often come from work equipment parts not whose repair can cost more than a new one. Usually throw such parts as display cards, cards of network or mother boards of old computers into the nearest dustbin along with another garbage. According to dealers of home computers, used TV and electronics equipment are purchased by dealers as the share buyback. This second hand if work typically resell small villages near otherwise providers computers are sold to traders in the city waste. These distributors of scrap, in turn, use some of the useful material equipment and throw the rest of the time things in the trash. According to the showroom of mobile phone owners when they come from not repairable phones, keep parts of your phone work in their inventory and throw the stripped-down phone. There are many people who change hand phones in almost every 6-8 months, as you're using either gets stale or becomes not repairable due to extensive use. Normally sell old phones peanut second-hand vendors. Environmentalist Dr. Vinod Pandya said products and toxins released by these waste chemicals creates dangerously detrimental effects on the human body. According to him, the amount of e-Waste is increasing dramatically in our environment and if not controlled by specified methods, creates unpredictable damage to the environment. According to the Assistant engineer who works in the Department of civic authorities solid waste management, industrial waste and BIO-medical wastes in your spam not collected. The rest of the collected waste is sent to processing plant. In the plant to secrete received during the collection of solid waste processing, however, he is confident that they are not receiving any e Waste with garbage. He believes that there are many Tickers of RAG that collect this Annals waste material and therefore these residues do not reach the processing plant.
Some e-Waste generated due to common human activities are the following:
Breaking 1, recycling or elimination of release toxins into the soil, air and groundwater from cathode ray tube (CRT)
2 Recording cable induces formation of dioxin
3. Training alarmingly high burning PCB Boards induces dioxin
4 Destroying Circuit Breakers creates mercury leaching
5 Break or CRT glass lead leaching....
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Training Series, Highlights: Protecting the Environment from Oil Spills (1996)
Oil, today, is a lifeline for America. It is energy to operate businesses, to keep automobiles and transport in motion, and to provide the raw material to manufacture many of our chemicals, textiles, and other consumer products. "Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Training Series, Highlights: Protecting the Environment from Oil Spills," shows how oil can contaminate water supplies, shorelines, rivers, even the land itself and how water can be emulsified in oil complicating the process of extraction. When one pollutes the other, the cost is not only in dollars, but in damage to the environment. This proves preventing spills before they happen is a necessity.Price: $12.99
The Cosmic Joke: Two-part Documentary About Global Population Explosion and Some Possible Solutions [Program 1: The Other Side of Paradise / Program 2: A Matter of Choise] (2 VHS Videos)
![The Cosmic Joke: Two-part Documentary About Global Population Explosion and Some Possible Solutions [Program 1: The Other Side of Paradise / Program 2: A Matter of Choise] (2 VHS Videos)](/51l1alnUSzLSL500.jpg)
A personal investigation by Dr. June Goodfield takes her through four countries Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, and Ghana to study global population and bring to issue the importance of family planning. This two-part documentary about the global population explosion and some possible solutions includes the following titles: Program One: The Other Side of Paradise. This program explains how two countries, Indonesia and Mexico, have reduced their birth rate with the aid of innovative government programs. Program Two: Matter of Choice. Part two looks at women's status and education in relation to family size. It examines Morocco's successful implementation of birth control programs and the consequences of Ghana's continuing high birth rate.Price: $175.00
The World According to Monsanto
Sends chills down the spine. . . . After reading this, we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye. --Le Point
The result of a remarkable three-year-long investigation that took award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin across four continents (North and South America, Europe, and Asia), The World According to Monsanto tells the little-known yet shocking story of this agribusiness giant--the world's leading producer of GMOs (genetically modified organisms)--and how its new "green" face is no less malign than its PCB- and Agent Orange-soaked past.
Robin reports that, following its long history of manufacturing hazardous chemicals and lethal herbicides, Monsanto is now marketing itself as a "life sciences" company, seemingly convinced about the virtues of sustainable development. However, Monsanto now controls the majority of the yield of the world's genetically modified corn and soy--ingredients found in more than 95 percent of American households--and its alarming legal and political tactics to maintain this monopoly are the subject of worldwide concern.
Released to great acclaim and controversy in France, throughout Europe, and in Latin America alongside the documentary film of the same name, The World According to Monsanto is sure to change the way we think about food safety and the corporate control of our food supply.
Price: $26.95
Science in Action: Pollution (Air, Water and Noise)
Science in Action series features a youthful on camera host illustrating and explaining basic scientific concepts and principles in an easy to understand, relaxed manner. This is accomplished through both live action video and graphics. Each volume of the series has three breaks allowing both student and teacher to discuss and review material covered. Provocative questions illustrated at the breakpoints challenge the student to think independently and respond to what has been taught. This program is segmented into three parts: Air Pollution, Water Pollution and Noise Pollution. Details the three primary types of pollution; how they are created, environmental effects and methods employed to reduce, control and recycle waste.Price: $45.00
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Polluters: The Making of Our Chemically Altered Environment
The chemical pollution that irrevocably damages today's environment is, although many would like us to believe otherwise, the legacy of conscious choices made long ago. During the years before and just after World War II, discoveries like leaded gasoline and DDT came to market, creating new hazards even as the expansion and mechanization of industry exacerbated old ones. Dangers still felt today--smog, pesticides, lead, chromium, chlorinated solvents, asbestos, even global warming--were already recognized by chemists, engineers, doctors, and business managers of that era. A few courageous individuals spoke out without compromise, but still more ignored scientific truth in pursuit of money and prestige.The Polluters reveals at last the crucial decisions that allowed environmental issues to be trumped by political agendas. It spotlights the leaders of the chemical industry and describes how they applied their economic and political power to prevent the creation of an effective system of environmental regulation. Research was slanted, unwelcome discoveries were suppressed, and friendly experts were placed in positions of influence, as science was subverted to serve the interests of business. The story of The Polluters is one that needs to be told, an unflinching depiction of the onslaught of chemical pollution and the chemical industry's unwillingness to face up to its devastating effects.
Price: $27.95
The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future (A Council on Foreign Relations Book)
China's spectacular economic growth over the past two decades has dramatically depleted the country's natural resources and produced skyrocketing rates of pollution. Environmental degradation in China has also contributed to significant public health problems, mass migration, economic loss, and social unrest. In The River Runs Black, Elizabeth C. Economy examines China's growing environmental crisis and its implications for the country's future development.Drawing on historical research, case studies, and interviews with officials, scholars, and activists in China, Economy traces the economic and political roots of China's environmental challenge and the evolution of the leadership's response. She argues that China's current approach to environmental protection mirrors the one embraced for economic development: devolving authority to local officials, opening the door to private actors, and inviting participation from the international community, while retaining only weak central control. The result has been a patchwork of environmental protection in which a few wealthy regions with strong leaders and international ties improve their local environments, while most of the country continues to deteriorate, sometimes suffering irrevocable damage. Economy compares China's response with the experience of other societies and sketches out several possible futures for the country.
Price: $19.95
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
What determines our behavior - genes or environment?
Life is like a card game. The hand that is -represents determinism; How to play it is free will. -India Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Much has been written and discussed about of what determines the behavior of a person, genes or environment? Are our genes responsible for what we do in our lives day to day ? Or environment plays a dominant role in our behavior? This innate "nature-" theory is a perennial topic of discussion.
The basic unit of inheritance in an organism is its gene. Genes are responsible for passing genetic traits to the next generation. The genes encoding script decides which makes the gene for the construction and maintenance of cells of an organism while non - coding sequence decides when the gene is active.
The theory of the nature
The theory of the nature scientists think that people behave as they do due to their genetic predisposition. Natural eye and hair colour of skin, body structure, disease and characteristics as interest, personality, temperament and sexual habits qualities are also encoded in genes. Human behaviour is less controlled environment of free will, but most genes carry. Whatever incidents occur and traits is being practised generation after generation get printed in genes and become the next generation to some extent.
The theory of Nurture
Some scientific conclusion that there are genetic tendencies, but ultimately it doesn't matter because environmental factors and their upbringing that determine the behavior of the people. A gene may increase the inclination towards a particular behavior, but does not have people do things unless it provides a favourable environment. If a resistance of its genetic tendencies environment provides people, are more likely to behave according to their upbringing.
Nature or Nurture?
Issues such as criminal conduct, infidelity, sexual preferences have been attributed by the theorists of nature to genes.
"We are survival machines", writes Richard Dawkins in the selfish gene, "blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes robot vehicles". And "... genes propagate in the genetic patrimony to the jump from one body to body through sperm or eggs..."
If we believe that this, and people already not accountable for their actions, how is society possible? On the other hand we cannot justify criminal conduct by simply saying that increasingly more heat of summer or solar flare leads to increased levels of aggression and rape, as some psychologists claim?
It is believed that you as we are going higher orders in species as mammals that there is a lower instincts and better adaptability environment and behaviour in the ongoing process of survival role. Human beings have instincts less. Instead we have a great influence of our surroundings and environment substantially determines our behavior.
A study at the University of Minnesota Twins raised in different households claims that approximately 70% of the variation of IQ is due to genes behaviors. Others believe that twins isolation could never completed because they have some common factors social or cultural and communication in your environment in becoming fast this social and culturally uniform world.
There is increasing evidence of interactions between nature and education. Genes alone do not guarantee that a particular trait will prevail. Genes are said to be switched on or off by environmental interaction with our brain, reason why yoga and meditation say that the power of diseases and control or even reversed some physical processes in the body.
We cannot present evidence we have before us, conclusion one way or another in nature vs. innate debate. We must try to understand the interactions between the two. There are complex relationships between genes, proteins, hormones, food, and only further research in the future and our experiences reveal the truth.
In the context of the human search for development and success, we cannot rest our future in the thesis that genes play an important role to play, and our efforts will contribute little. Life coaches and business coaches that are more in favour of the theory of innate create events that the individual goes through its life-time to shape their perceptions, habits, personality and lifestyle. Their position is that if you exercise free will and strong determination, people are sure to control their genes and raise your personality to happiness, the self-confidence and success.
All the best,
Natalie Dee
The life of London and business coach coach
Natalie Dee is a specialist in life and training business with clients in the United Kingdom and throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.natalie-dee.com
Coaching promotes trust, compliance and success in the life of peoples. The training business and life coaching creates changes in the ability of communication and self-confidence.
In their business capacity, Natalie offers a range of training services including training professional workshops and one-to-one.
Natalie Dee is also the co-author of an ebook in self-confidence, for more details, visit their Web site (as above).
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
First Alert WT1 Drinking Water Test Kit
The First Alert Drinking Water Test Kit tests for elements in your drinking water system that can lead to serious health problems. It tests and provides immediate results for: - Bacteria--Strains of E. coli can cause serious illness or death.
- Lead--Causes developmental harm, neurological damage, and kidney damage.
- Pesticides--From agricultural uses, linked to increased cancer rates.
- Nitrates/nitrites--From fertilizers and animal waste, causes developmental problems.
- Chlorine--By-products can increase cancer risk and cause bad taste and odor.
- Hardness--Causes lime scale and higher detergent use.
- pH--Can cause heavy metal (such as lead) leaching and plumbing damage.
What's in the Box
One bacteria test vial, one lead/pesticide test packet, one nitrate/nitrite test packet, one pH/hardness/chlorine test packet, and user's manual
Price: $19.99
Alternative Fuels, Green Technology, Hot Niche, HHO Hybrid, Besthybrid
Most Complete Water Hybrid Diy Guide - Very High Demand, Help People Save Money and Environment! Low Refunds,High Conversions, Refund Protection Guarantee! Alternative fuels,green technology,hot niche
Check it out!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Urbanization Vs Real Estate sustainability in the India
Though India has a massive population, its rate of urbanisation has been relatively low. This is a matter of some concern, considering that India has three of the 20 biggest cities in the world, that is, Mumbai, Calcutta and Delhi. It also has 23 cities that house populations of above one million each.
Going by established and ongoing patterns, it can be safely said that true urbanisation has been limited to India's western and southern parts. However, the process of urbanisation in these parts is limited to certain cities. This is a situation of considerable gravity all by itself; however, the larger issue lies in the gross imbalance between rural and urban development.
It is becoming increasingly evident that agricultural growth is no longer the answer for our rural economy, since India's average yield per hectare is much lower than that of countries like China.
Not surprisingly, there has been a steady exodus from India's rural parts to its urban areas, putting a huge strain on the infrastructure of the latter. This is most apparent in a city like Mumbai. Other metros across India are also buckling under the pressure of steady inward migration from rural areas.
RAPID URBANISATION
Rapid urbanisation is fast compromising the urban real estate marketplace. There are real concerns now about what the scenario will be a few years down the line. Gradually it is being realised that urbanisation must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability measures.
To illustrate, in India, as in many other countries, the growth in municipal waste is proportionate to its economic growth rate. Further, by 2020, India's demand for commercial energy will very probably increase by a factor of 2.5. India is a chronically energy-deficient country, and already faces significant challenges with meeting its energy needs.
Rapid urbanisation is definitely not helping in this respect. We see the consequences everywhere in the form of power shortages and supply interruptions. This growing gap between energy demand and supply sends a clear SOS regarding the need to increase dependence on stable, more environment-friendly energy alternatives such as solar power.
A SECTOR DIVIDED
Currently, the Indian real-estate sector is divided into players who take the importance of sustainability seriously, and those who do not. The second group, which is in the majority, has issues with overall profitability, since rendering land and buildings sustainable costs money.
However, the overarching issue has more to do with 'change resistance'. The laws of change resistance underline the difficulty in persuading people, corporations and nations to adopt proper sustainability practices.
A sustainability focus in the process of urbanisation calls for a change in individual values at the personal, corporate and collective levels. The problem is not that of ignorance - most are aware about the need for environmental sustainability, and even agree with it. The problem lies in the adoption and implementation of these values.
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
At its very root, sustainability is a process or state that can be maintained at a given level for prolonged periods. In the real-estate context, it means developing land and buildings in such a manner that the environment can sustain future growth.
While talking of a sustained and sustainable real estate boom in India, one should remember that there is no market without a marketplace.
Therefore, for companies that deal in real estate in any capacity, environmental sustainability is not too distant from business sustainability. In other words, there is no difference between sustaining the environment and maintaining the marketplace for indefinite business activity.
Sustainable buildings are defined as buildings that are designed, built and operated with low environmental, social and economic impact while enhancing the health, welfare and quality of life of the people that live and work in them.
With international awareness of corporate responsibility having grown, sustainability has become a crucial factor in the assessment of the impact of real estate. Organisations, especially MNCs, are taking an increasing interest in the environmental credentials of the real estate that they occupy.
Although the demand for higher levels of compliance may initially appear like a threat to owners of large assets, sustainable buildings do not represent a loss in building utility or level of profit. Rather, modern sustainable technologies possess proven ability to raise environmental efficiencies while simultaneously bringing real economic gains. However, to reap these benefits, sustainable development requires a change in mindset.
IMPLEMENTATION
The process of making commercial buildings more sustainable is akin therefore to embarking on a journey. There are no quick fix solutions to be applied. Rather, owners and occupiers of buildings must work together to establish goals, undertake audits, and establish where savings and improvements can be made.
However, the foundation of achieving sustainable outcomes is the adoption of sound design and management principles. Performance enhancements can be achieved by focusing first on high-impact, low-cost solutions that can be implemented within a realistic time frame.
Once the appropriate solutions are identified and a business case is established for various improvements, the process of physical works, education and internal communication can begin.
The effectiveness of these measures then needs to be tracked, and the results of improvement fed back to the owners and occupiers of the building, and to any other parties involved, including contractors and design teams. From there, further improvement can be made with outcome goals being redefined as information and analysis of the improvement measures build up over time.
What is clear is that you not only need time to implement it, but also that it is not a process with a start and a finish. Rather, it is an ongoing process of improvement, feedback and further enhancement.
In developed nations, there has been a steady increase in the development of sustainable buildings. It is our belief that it is only a matter of time before this market preference towards sustainable buildings in developed markets begins to manifest itself more convincingly in India, as well.
MAJOR NATIONAL RATING SYSTEMS IN INDIA
LEED India by IGBC - Indian Green Building Council and USGBC (US green building council). There are currently 604 buildings registered under LEED India, while another 97 are LEED India certified.
GRIHA - Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, developed jointly with TERI (The Energy Research Institute) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. GRIHA has now got a national rating. Government buildings and PSUs would be the first to adopt this new ranking system.
Sanjay Dutt is CEO - Business, Jones Lang LaSalle India, the Indian operations of the real estate consultants, Jones Lang LaSalle.
With an extensive geographic footprint across ten cities, Jones Lang LaSalle provides investors, developers, local corporate and multinational companies with a comprehensive range of services including research, consultancy, transactions, project and development services, integrated facility management, property management, capital markets, residential, hotels and retail advisory.
Save the environment
Saving the environment seems such a mommoth task. It simply leaves people immobile. Where does one begin?
Some things are easy. Don’t litter. Don’t damage. Don’t waste resources. But what exactly does this involve? What does the common person do to be saving the environment? Not everyone can research. Not everyone can make it the calling of their lives. Not everyone even knows what to do.
Yet, we have a huge number of people available, who would, if pointed out, definitely be happy to make small adjustments that together can result in massive change. The key is in identifying exact things, that are quick to do and watch out for, once people know.
If it doesn’t take too much time, doesn’t involve a great deal of effort, a large number of people will happily walk the path to feel a little more secure about the state of the world tomorrow.
I find that like any other dauntingly huge task, this one seems much more doable when we break it up into bits.
First, make a not of the words/issues that occur on the subject of saving the environment: plastic, paper, forest reserves, trees, water, energy, pollution, fuel, awareness……… We can keep adding to these as and when new words occur.
Let’s take each aspect and brainstorm on it (follow links, or subsequent articles). If you have ideas, please let me know, and I’ll add them in, so that we have a ready resource of stuff that is really easy to incorporate into our lives and has the potential to make a huge difference.
Plastic
Ouch. That’s a tough first one. Plastic is very useful to us and very harmful to the environment. What can be done to find a compromise my comfort and conscience can live with? Keep the necessity, use thoroughly, discard carefully and avoid as far as possible.
We’ll need to keep the plastic bags for packing stuff on treks and monsoon hikes, but use them carefully and reuse them as much as possible, rather than using fresh ones each time.
Using a biggish purse/whatever bags men use, avoiding accepting the minor carry bags is no issue. Adding a small cloth bag for emergencies would avoid asking for a fresh one while shopping. We can make sure to carry a shopping bag when going out for shopping for sure.
Loads of plastic can be recycled. Rather than throw it into the dustbin, we can sell it to the recycle shops – kabadiwallahs, bhangarwallas, raddiwallahs, etc. That money can be put to good use, or simply into a box to donate to organizations that work for the environment.
Spending some time a day at the end of picnics, hikes or on treks to make the places we visit cleaner. A quick 15 minutes effort by a group can make quick work of the plastic lying around in a natural environment and inspire the people watching them into similar acts.
Annual get-togethers for outdoor groups can be held in places that need efforts like this and a huge gang of members can make their love for the outdoors far more concrete through a spectacular and quick clean up of the place.
Remember, the plastic that gets through human efforts will lie around defacing the place for over 500 years!
Paper:
Using the paper you have, before buying excessive quantities. Old printouts, and other unwanted paper can be stapled together for a quick notepad to scribble notes on, rather than use good paper sheets.
Passing schoolbooks to other needy students helps support their educational expenses as well as decreases the number of new books brought into use. Old notebooks at the end of the year can be stripped of unused pages to be bound together to make cheap notebooks for rough work.
Use electronic media for mailing purposes, e-greetings, and storing information. It’s faster, more efficient and cheaper too. Unsubscribe from all publications you receive, but don’t bother to read. Try to subscribe to electronic versions where suitable for the ones you do read. Promote your email address more than your mailing address for contact.
Coloured newspaper makes for very interesting looking gift wrapping and some very interesting effects can be achieved through selecting the right page to use. A friend of mine marks news items and codes letters in the newsprint for special secret messages on the gift. Any old water colour works well for colouring the paper.
Printouts can be taken on both sides of a paper. This shrinks the size of the paper stack when stored or taken along, saves on ink costs, and uses the paper with maximum efficiency.
Washing hands keeps them cleaner than using tissue paper. Old fashioned reusable cloth diapers are far more light and comfortable for babies for use at home in warm climates. Plus they are cheaper.
Use recycled paper. It looks great for special purposes and creates a responsible image for you.
Remember, we are losing trees because of our very real need for paper.
Forest Reserves:
The next time you redesign your home, keep an eye out for the many very efficient and highly suitable alternatives for wood on the market and use them where suitable. Repair good furniture rather than discard.
Protest initiatives that cut forests for development unless they are a necessity. Insist that all cutting of forests also results in actions that plant trees in other areas.
Minimize use of wood products where possible, and use them carefully and sparingly where not.
Avoid campfires for fun when out in the outdoors, unless you need them for heat. The fun is in the company and what you do – not in a log of wood burning needlessly in a stiflingly hot place. Spare yourselves the smoke, spare the forests the hazard, and leave the dead wood for some needy villager to cook on. Never EVER cut a tree for your campfire. It’s not going to be dry enough to burn when you need it, and the tree will be dead by the time you realize that it will not burn. I’m telling you right now. Don’t do it. It will help neither the poor tree, nor your campfire.
Trees
Its kind of a part of the forests, but the separate mention is because trees are also in cities, villages, everywhere. Avoid cutting a tree if you can. If you know of a tree being cut needlessly, take action. Plant trees in open areas where you can.
Enjoy the trees and the pleasures they bring, rather than thinking of them as lost real estate. That well-invested real estate is helping you breathe.
Water
Hear that dripping tap? Fix it. Now. About a fifth of the people in the world don’t have access to drinking water. I’m not asking you to feel guilty about them or supply them with water, simply use what you have wisely, so that it spreads further.
Don’t leave taps running when washing, brushing, showering, cooking, washing vehicles, etc. Turn it on, use it, turn it off when its time for soap. You can always turn it on for rinsing. Its not as much hard work as it sounds, and becomes a habit.
When you use a tap, you will notice that you can turn it a little, for a less powerful stream of water, and open it full, for gushing water. Most of the time, we don’t need that flood of water and sometimes we do. So keep the flow how you need it.
Avoid the fancy car showers. Your paint will thank you and serve you better, and it really doesn’t take that much water to get a car clean.
Begin rain water harvesting in your locality. Its amazing the amount of absolutely usable, clean water you will “produce”. It’s a sense of achievement that needs to be experienced to be believed.
In the outdoors, don’t pollute water resources. Cattle and wild animals use them for drinking water. Avoid using soap in streams and pools. Draw water from the stream for washing in a separate area at a distance rather than the stream or pool itself. Keep toilet areas away from water sources.
Run your washing machine on full load. Your electricity bill will be the same for both the loads, but you will save time and water.
Energy:
That’s a big luxury and need today. In Mumbai, a powercut is rare, but in many other parts of India, uninterrupted electric supply is rare. Again, it is a matter of using what we have wisely.
Switch off lights, fans, and anything that consumes electricity when not in use. Decrease your bills by exploring solar power. Switch to lower consumption versions of appliances. Switch off all things not needed when leaving home. These measures will help extend the utility of existing power resources as well as save money on electricity bills.
When cooking, use gas wisely. A flame that extends beyond the base of that utensil is gas going waste and only charring food on the sides of the utensil. Turn it lower and save yourself some cleaning effort while you’re at it.
Keep your ingredients ready or easily accessible while cooking, so that you don’t cook food unnecessarily longer, consuming more fuel and making the food less tasty. Use pressure cookers to speed up cooking and save fuel too.
Solar cookers are great, if you live in a place where you have sunlight, and an area where you can place your cooker safely. Food cooks slowly, retains maximum nutrients, utensils are extremely easy to clean, and no bills of any sort. Sunlight is free ? Solar cookers are extremely easy and inexpensive to make.
Pollution:
Keep an eye on what you are driving, and make sure you are keeping its pollution levels law. It is required by law, but its surprising how many people don’t really care.
Avoid using vehicles for going around the corner. The walk will do you good.
Use shared vehicles and public transport where possible. Use eco friendly fuels.
Keep an eye on what you are using. Many chemical products are harmful for the environment. Find out the effects of chemicals you use, and explore options that help you do your thing with minimum damage. Its probably healthier for you too.
Avoid cooking fires. Avoid campfires. Avoid all unnecessary smoke.
Don’t sit on the horn when traffic comes to a standstill. Your horn cannot physically move cars along. If it’s a jam, it’s a jam. If it looks like its going to take a while, switch off your engine, and have patience. Blaring horns only make a bad situation unbearable. Yeah call me fussy. I call it noise pollution.
This goes for other noise pollution stuff too. Bizarre loud celebrations in the middle of the night, loudspeakers, etc. near hospitals is a baaaaad thing to do.
Awareness:
Not only can we do things to save the environment, we can spread awareness about the environment and awareness of the choices open to people that they can easily make to create a large collective impact.
Creating awareness can be done in many ways. One of the best is actions. Do it, share it, encourage it.
Another way is sharing information and ideas. Like I’m doing out here, and in my interactions with people in relevant situations.
Vidyut Kale is a mountaineer turned outbound facilitator and does extensive work with children through experiential learning programmes as well. Her site provides a great deal of information and support for the outdoor adventure scenario in India.
Some things are easy. Don’t litter. Don’t damage. Don’t waste resources. But what exactly does this involve? What does the common person do to be saving the environment? Not everyone can research. Not everyone can make it the calling of their lives. Not everyone even knows what to do.
Yet, we have a huge number of people available, who would, if pointed out, definitely be happy to make small adjustments that together can result in massive change. The key is in identifying exact things, that are quick to do and watch out for, once people know.
If it doesn’t take too much time, doesn’t involve a great deal of effort, a large number of people will happily walk the path to feel a little more secure about the state of the world tomorrow.
I find that like any other dauntingly huge task, this one seems much more doable when we break it up into bits.
First, make a not of the words/issues that occur on the subject of saving the environment: plastic, paper, forest reserves, trees, water, energy, pollution, fuel, awareness……… We can keep adding to these as and when new words occur.
Let’s take each aspect and brainstorm on it (follow links, or subsequent articles). If you have ideas, please let me know, and I’ll add them in, so that we have a ready resource of stuff that is really easy to incorporate into our lives and has the potential to make a huge difference.
Plastic
Ouch. That’s a tough first one. Plastic is very useful to us and very harmful to the environment. What can be done to find a compromise my comfort and conscience can live with? Keep the necessity, use thoroughly, discard carefully and avoid as far as possible.
We’ll need to keep the plastic bags for packing stuff on treks and monsoon hikes, but use them carefully and reuse them as much as possible, rather than using fresh ones each time.
Using a biggish purse/whatever bags men use, avoiding accepting the minor carry bags is no issue. Adding a small cloth bag for emergencies would avoid asking for a fresh one while shopping. We can make sure to carry a shopping bag when going out for shopping for sure.
Loads of plastic can be recycled. Rather than throw it into the dustbin, we can sell it to the recycle shops – kabadiwallahs, bhangarwallas, raddiwallahs, etc. That money can be put to good use, or simply into a box to donate to organizations that work for the environment.
Spending some time a day at the end of picnics, hikes or on treks to make the places we visit cleaner. A quick 15 minutes effort by a group can make quick work of the plastic lying around in a natural environment and inspire the people watching them into similar acts.
Annual get-togethers for outdoor groups can be held in places that need efforts like this and a huge gang of members can make their love for the outdoors far more concrete through a spectacular and quick clean up of the place.
Remember, the plastic that gets through human efforts will lie around defacing the place for over 500 years!
Paper:
Using the paper you have, before buying excessive quantities. Old printouts, and other unwanted paper can be stapled together for a quick notepad to scribble notes on, rather than use good paper sheets.
Passing schoolbooks to other needy students helps support their educational expenses as well as decreases the number of new books brought into use. Old notebooks at the end of the year can be stripped of unused pages to be bound together to make cheap notebooks for rough work.
Use electronic media for mailing purposes, e-greetings, and storing information. It’s faster, more efficient and cheaper too. Unsubscribe from all publications you receive, but don’t bother to read. Try to subscribe to electronic versions where suitable for the ones you do read. Promote your email address more than your mailing address for contact.
Coloured newspaper makes for very interesting looking gift wrapping and some very interesting effects can be achieved through selecting the right page to use. A friend of mine marks news items and codes letters in the newsprint for special secret messages on the gift. Any old water colour works well for colouring the paper.
Printouts can be taken on both sides of a paper. This shrinks the size of the paper stack when stored or taken along, saves on ink costs, and uses the paper with maximum efficiency.
Washing hands keeps them cleaner than using tissue paper. Old fashioned reusable cloth diapers are far more light and comfortable for babies for use at home in warm climates. Plus they are cheaper.
Use recycled paper. It looks great for special purposes and creates a responsible image for you.
Remember, we are losing trees because of our very real need for paper.
Forest Reserves:
The next time you redesign your home, keep an eye out for the many very efficient and highly suitable alternatives for wood on the market and use them where suitable. Repair good furniture rather than discard.
Protest initiatives that cut forests for development unless they are a necessity. Insist that all cutting of forests also results in actions that plant trees in other areas.
Minimize use of wood products where possible, and use them carefully and sparingly where not.
Avoid campfires for fun when out in the outdoors, unless you need them for heat. The fun is in the company and what you do – not in a log of wood burning needlessly in a stiflingly hot place. Spare yourselves the smoke, spare the forests the hazard, and leave the dead wood for some needy villager to cook on. Never EVER cut a tree for your campfire. It’s not going to be dry enough to burn when you need it, and the tree will be dead by the time you realize that it will not burn. I’m telling you right now. Don’t do it. It will help neither the poor tree, nor your campfire.
Trees
Its kind of a part of the forests, but the separate mention is because trees are also in cities, villages, everywhere. Avoid cutting a tree if you can. If you know of a tree being cut needlessly, take action. Plant trees in open areas where you can.
Enjoy the trees and the pleasures they bring, rather than thinking of them as lost real estate. That well-invested real estate is helping you breathe.
Water
Hear that dripping tap? Fix it. Now. About a fifth of the people in the world don’t have access to drinking water. I’m not asking you to feel guilty about them or supply them with water, simply use what you have wisely, so that it spreads further.
Don’t leave taps running when washing, brushing, showering, cooking, washing vehicles, etc. Turn it on, use it, turn it off when its time for soap. You can always turn it on for rinsing. Its not as much hard work as it sounds, and becomes a habit.
When you use a tap, you will notice that you can turn it a little, for a less powerful stream of water, and open it full, for gushing water. Most of the time, we don’t need that flood of water and sometimes we do. So keep the flow how you need it.
Avoid the fancy car showers. Your paint will thank you and serve you better, and it really doesn’t take that much water to get a car clean.
Begin rain water harvesting in your locality. Its amazing the amount of absolutely usable, clean water you will “produce”. It’s a sense of achievement that needs to be experienced to be believed.
In the outdoors, don’t pollute water resources. Cattle and wild animals use them for drinking water. Avoid using soap in streams and pools. Draw water from the stream for washing in a separate area at a distance rather than the stream or pool itself. Keep toilet areas away from water sources.
Run your washing machine on full load. Your electricity bill will be the same for both the loads, but you will save time and water.
Energy:
That’s a big luxury and need today. In Mumbai, a powercut is rare, but in many other parts of India, uninterrupted electric supply is rare. Again, it is a matter of using what we have wisely.
Switch off lights, fans, and anything that consumes electricity when not in use. Decrease your bills by exploring solar power. Switch to lower consumption versions of appliances. Switch off all things not needed when leaving home. These measures will help extend the utility of existing power resources as well as save money on electricity bills.
When cooking, use gas wisely. A flame that extends beyond the base of that utensil is gas going waste and only charring food on the sides of the utensil. Turn it lower and save yourself some cleaning effort while you’re at it.
Keep your ingredients ready or easily accessible while cooking, so that you don’t cook food unnecessarily longer, consuming more fuel and making the food less tasty. Use pressure cookers to speed up cooking and save fuel too.
Solar cookers are great, if you live in a place where you have sunlight, and an area where you can place your cooker safely. Food cooks slowly, retains maximum nutrients, utensils are extremely easy to clean, and no bills of any sort. Sunlight is free ? Solar cookers are extremely easy and inexpensive to make.
Pollution:
Keep an eye on what you are driving, and make sure you are keeping its pollution levels law. It is required by law, but its surprising how many people don’t really care.
Avoid using vehicles for going around the corner. The walk will do you good.
Use shared vehicles and public transport where possible. Use eco friendly fuels.
Keep an eye on what you are using. Many chemical products are harmful for the environment. Find out the effects of chemicals you use, and explore options that help you do your thing with minimum damage. Its probably healthier for you too.
Avoid cooking fires. Avoid campfires. Avoid all unnecessary smoke.
Don’t sit on the horn when traffic comes to a standstill. Your horn cannot physically move cars along. If it’s a jam, it’s a jam. If it looks like its going to take a while, switch off your engine, and have patience. Blaring horns only make a bad situation unbearable. Yeah call me fussy. I call it noise pollution.
This goes for other noise pollution stuff too. Bizarre loud celebrations in the middle of the night, loudspeakers, etc. near hospitals is a baaaaad thing to do.
Awareness:
Not only can we do things to save the environment, we can spread awareness about the environment and awareness of the choices open to people that they can easily make to create a large collective impact.
Creating awareness can be done in many ways. One of the best is actions. Do it, share it, encourage it.
Another way is sharing information and ideas. Like I’m doing out here, and in my interactions with people in relevant situations.
Vidyut Kale is a mountaineer turned outbound facilitator and does extensive work with children through experiential learning programmes as well. Her site provides a great deal of information and support for the outdoor adventure scenario in India.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Green House Gases on threshold of Tipping Point
"The amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the threshold that can potentially cause dangerous climate change. We are already at risk...It's not next year or next decade, it's now." (Tim Flannery, climate change expert) (1), (2).
Isn't it alarming? Look at another report!
The total "long-term" carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has already reached 455 parts per million. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report) This level is considered a tipping point.
Another very important note from one of the most dedicated movers and shakers of global environmental (350.org):
Unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. (350.org)
Isn't it alarming? Look at another report!
The total "long-term" carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has already reached 455 parts per million. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report) This level is considered a tipping point.
Another very important note from one of the most dedicated movers and shakers of global environmental (350.org):
Unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. (350.org)
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