Saturday, June 22, 2013

Thoughtless development leads to disaster.



When earth   get over burdened it balances it self, I think this what happened few days back. Human being the most intelligent creation of God has over exploited nature which caused unbearable pressure on earth as a result of which natural cycle got disturbed and led to disaster.  Due to burgeoning population, living space is being reduced  and population density of India is increasing. Constructions are being done on areas that use to serve as catchment area during rains.  I could see roads breaking due to flow of water and if I am not wrong many places lacked grass and shrubs which act as strong soil binder, so plantation of not only big trees  but also shrubs and grasses should be  done in these areas , especially in hilly (inclined ) areas. By improving our developmental policies and giving nature priority we can reduce disaster. Proper education regarding disaster management should be given from school level. Disaster management is introduced  at school but is not taught seriously. Awareness regarding disaster management is a must and efforts should be made at  local level.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Why celebrate World Oceans Day -8th June

Pollution level is increasing every day and Carbon dioxide level has reached 400 ppm in spite of various efforts done in National and International level. Time has come to join hands and involve people at grass root level. Celebration of World Ocean Day is a step in this direction. Celebration of World Oceans Day, started unofficially from 8 June since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008 with a purpose of sensitizing people about Oceanic pollution.

People living on landlocked area might feel it not so important and can opine that we are not responsible for polluting ocean and we will not be effected by pollution of ocean. But It is a well known fact that water is a very good solvent and all the water directly or indirectly reaches Ocean. We can say that all shots of pollution end up in water pollution or oceanic pollution. Now the question arises what difference does it make on people living on land locked area and why should they bother about,for them it could be a method of getting rid of pollution what most of the people thought and are responsible for this level of pollution.But water air and other natural resources  are not bounded by physical or geographical boundaries. Human activity in any part of the world are effect it and are in turn effected by it. Even if we are not living in coastal area we are using them in food , as precious stone. It act as sea rout for international trade. So we should keep in mind that we should not pollute sea shore when we visit a beach should remember that pollution in any part of earth will pollute whole world.Remember the theme of World Ocean Day " Together we have the power to protect the ocean" and do the following-
·         Change attitudes — encourage individuals to think about what the oceans mean to each of us, and what oceans have to offer.
·         Learn — discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful creatures and habitats found in the oceans, and how our actions affect them.
·         Change our ways — encourage each of us to become caretakers of our oceans, and to conserve them for our future.
·         Celebrate — organize or participate in ocean events, whether we live inland or on the coast.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Save Earth by Food Management


Save Earth by Food Management

United Nation in the year 1972 institutd 5th June as Worlds Environment Day to stimulate world wide awareness of the environment and to encourage political attention and action. Its aim is to stimulate world wide awareness of the environment and to encourage political attention and action. Its aim isto involve people from all walks of life in sustainable and equitable development.
The theme for this year’s  World Environment Day is “think Eat And Save”. Its an anti -food waste and food loss campaign that encourages  reduction of one’s “foodprint” which means the impact our food has on environment I(i.e. packaging,distance travelled, amount of resources used to process etc.)
How can we reduce our food print? Its not very difficult if we stick to our traditional eating habbits. Our culture had considered these things way back and was followed in olden days. A traditional kitchen does noot allow wastage of food, it starts with all raw materials (no leftovers) ,cooked in clean kitchen offering food first to God and cow then to senior member and other members of the family, which is followed by serving food to people who work for us and at last to animals especially dogs. The whole process does not leave space for wastage of food.our traditional cooking use ingrediants and spices produced in local area which makes it more ecofriendly.With the passage of time lifestyle got changesd and today we are no more confined to tradition food but have developed taste for international cusine. Change is law of nature and this change is inculcating fealing of brotherhood mixing of people from culturally different people etc . so this change should be welcomed but with little conscious efforts.
These little efforts  can reduce our food print and feed people who are undernourished and sleep hungry at night. Data suggests  that around 27-28%  of children in developing countries are underweight and stunted, one billion children live in poverty  that means every second child, approximately 790 million people in developing world are chronically undernourished. According to Food And Agriculture Organisation more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die of hunger every day and one in every seven people in the world go tombed  hungry.All these data are self explanatory for the selected theme of ” World Environment Day” as”Think Eat Save”. This theme is against wastage of food or in other words one can say proper management of food. According to UNEP (United Nation Environment Programme) 25% of all habitable land in the world and 70% of fresh water  is used for growing food crops. 80% of deforestation and and 30% of GHGs are emitted in the process of food production from cultivation to consumption stage of food supply chain. Food is lost and wasted in this whole chain due to improper storage, spilling, and untimely use. This can be prevented up to certain extend by home makers if they  store cook and serve food in systematic and planned manner. “FIFO”  should be remembered as mantra for it which means First In First Out i.e. brought (cooked) first should be consumed first. They should prefer locally available vegetables and other groceries over the one which comes by travelling long distance because more fossil fuel is used in this process which increase carbon foot print and food print. Instead of going for tinned food items we should go fresh seasonal food which is not only healthy and nutritious but also ecologically and economically more sound. Don’t cook in large quantity with an intention to store for long time which is bad both for health and environment both. Don’t waste food , share it with needy people.  Dispose left overs properly, feed it to animals or make manure out of it.Whenever you visit a restaurant do not feel hesitant to ask for parcel of leftovers because food you leave in restaurants are generally thrown. Lots of food are wasted in parties where more than 60-70 dishes are served , it will be better if number of dishes can be reduced by selecting few good ones. Many NGOs  have taken initiative to use this food ,they collect them from the spot and distribute it to the needy people.These small efforts can reduce the food wastage, food print and Save Earth.