Expressions November 2010 by icare-India

Subscriber Copy - Not For Sale

by Phil Davies

environmental economics DAVID CLARANCE

face to face with SUREN VIKASH

november 2010 expressions www.icarefordoon.org

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Yudhishter, all the dedication, burning the midnight oil, working toward making these changes is bought about by people like yourself and those who contribute to making this planet a better place, I am inspired beyond words at your professionalism, creativity and good heart.. I Will surely be making my contributions for sure. Good luck to all of us, its not always easy, but it is always worth it!!! Much light and energy to all...

iwali is a festival of enlightening-lights and not polluting-crackers, so I celebrate this beautiful festival in its true spirit by lighting lots and lots of diyas and candles in new innovative ways each year, decorating my house, making rangolis and eating mouth watering cuisines BUT not burning crackers...Match my steps in the universal battle for a GREENER EARTH..!!!

Susie Toldi via facebook

Nikita Jain Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi

CO NT A CT US

here is nothing forthright as regards crackers being the only medium with which the Festival of Lights can be celebrated with pomp & show. The only things that are directly correlated with crackers are its pollutions causing aspects, possibilities of accidents/mishaps, futile expending of money which could perhaps be used in fruitful avenues & lastly the dependence of the industry on child labour for production. Crackers are harmful and can easily ne dispensed with. There are no two ways about it. Please say NO to them!

Write to us at Expressions 51-A Subhash Road Adj. Needs Super Mart Dehradun – 248001 Uttarakhand

As we all are aware. Petroleum is a precious, non-renewable & exhastibe natural resource. My E - Resolution for Diwali this year is to use that Metro as often as I can. The DMRC has done a brilliant job to connect most parts of Delhi with this wondeful means of transport. Its time we pay some respect to their hardwork, planning & development that has gone into it. I’m doing my bit, are you?

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Arpit Panjwani Shri Ram College of Commerce

Email at

Impressive content as ever. I wish there were more people in this world who could do what you guys are doing. I am speechless. What you all at Expressions are doing is praiseworthy without any doubt and with your determination and professionalism you guys will go a long way in realizing your objective of making this world a better place to live. The content is so refreshing than the usual that one gets to read in various papers or magazines. If i was to pick up my best then green girl would be right up there along with the interview with Poonam Bir Kasturi and Chitra Vishwanath. So much to learn. Thank you all for giving me and others a chance to get insights of various aspect of conservation. I sincerely wish you and your entire team the very best.

Shonali Sharma via web Another masterpiece. You guys are really doing a great job. I run out of words. I am truly speechless. Kudos to the content team along with the designing team. I feel the content is the most difficult and your entire editorial team is doing wonders. I admire your professionalism and attitude. Designs are refreshing as ever. All the best.

Jack Smith

yudhishter@icarefordoon.org

via email

www.icarefordoon.org

ell guys this would be my third ‘cracker-free’ diwali....hat-trick you can say:) but the best thing about this one is that from this year I have my younger bro supporting me as well. I am happy that i have him on my side. Though it sounds small but even one support for ‘cracker-free’ diwali can make a huge difference. Lets be mature and lets be the change. Raj Shekhar Banerjee SRM University(NCR Campus)

Dear Sri Singh, I have the following observations to make about your latest issue. It is an excellent magazine for nature lovers.The pages have been done very tastefully. Some lovely images adorn the pages and enhance the overall appeal of the magazine. Text quality is also decent .This young man Y P Singh and his team deserve to be complimented.

Akhilesh K Sahay via email

expressions november 2010

november 2010

expressions

FROM THE

EDITOR’S DESK

Yesterday, I had a heated argument (if you’re a crazy “green”, you can charge

Cover Story

founder & editor

Yudhishter Puran Singh

18 Global Virus Phil Davis

copy & desk editor

Shubhodeep Pal

Features

features editor

6 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Surbhi Arora 11 Climate Change Mitigation Abhideb Bhattacharya & Ankit Srivastva 16 Aviation & Climate Change Sqn Ldr Sabitha Banu 17 Cracker Free Diwali Sanya Khan 21 Face to face with Suren Vikash 26 Environmental Economics David Clarance 28 Tiger Safari At Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve 30 Green Games Aditi Sharma

Karishma Gulati creative editor

Akshay Madan news editor

Subhinay Khosla

photo editor

Sandip Puran Singh subscription team

Harshal Mirchandani, Lavish Bhatia marketing

Lotus Leaf Business Exhibitions

advertising

Regulars

Tushar Goel (NCR Region) tushar_icare@live.com

8 Photo Story Tejas Soni

Gaurav Gupta (Rest of India)

18 Ways to photograph Doon Sandip Puran Singh 24 The Green Beat Simren Singh 31 In The News

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES For subscription queries, write to subscribe_icare@live.in or call +919760614317

PERMISSIONS For permissions to copy or reuse material from EXPRESSIONS, write to yudhishter@icarefordoon.org

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me for being guilty of adding to the earth’s temperature woes) with my roommate. Returning home after an almost unbearably long day from college, I found that the AC in my room was cooling the room to Antarctic levels of “coolness”. The problem: the room was empty! It was, to be fair, rather uncool of my roommate to have left the AC on for almost 10 hours. I usually make sure that the AC is always turned off when I leave the room; so, as I sat fuming (again, sue me), I recalled the instance where I had walked back from the elevator door to turn it off. Yes, I know it’s not a big deal, but for a lazy person such as me, it is. Trust me. Many of us feel that, for big changes to happen, we must do great things on an even greater scale. That is not true. Let’s do some simple arithmetic. Suppose each of us in India, who is lucky to have access to electricity, could save 1 minute of electricity a day by simply turning off the lights or fans when they’re not in use. In effect, 600 million minutes of electricity could be saved per day. Per year, 152 million days of electricity could be saved! Imagine that! I understand that the calculation is technically flawed, but the argument holds: Small, incremental changes add up over many people to achieve great change on the great scale we aim for. The electricity we save could provide for the 500 million people without electricity in India. When I was in junior school, I remember being extremely poor at remembering to switch off the lights, fans and even the television when they weren’t in use. Then, one super-hot day, my mother made me sit without the fan for precisely the number of minutes I’d left them on in an unoccupied room (god knows how she counted the minutes!). The lesson is clear. We must begin in small, possibly unassuming ways to affect change in our society. Let us not be afraid that we are too insignificant in the “grand scheme of things”; that our voices are too weak and our steps too short. Together we are many, together we are strong, and together we can change the world. In fact, we will!

cover design

Akshay Madan

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” - Marianne Williamson

Best,

ALL EDITORIAL QUERIES MUST BE DIRECTED TO The Editor, Expressions, 51-A Subhash Road, Dehradun 248140, Uttarakhand, India M: +919411114921, Fax: 011-66173614

Shubhodeep Pal

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Expressions., its publisher and/or editors. We at Expressions do our best to verify the information published but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information.

expressions november 2010

Copy and Desk Editor, Expressions

november 2010

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GREENHOUSE

GREEN WHEELS GREENHOUSE

GREEN WHEELS

GAS EMISSIONS

Humans are on a dangerous collision course with the environment. As the population grows, more production takes place, resulting in displacement of species and harm to the ecosystem. Resources are consumed without adequate replacement and what humans do not want is spat back in the form of harmful emissions. These days, concern for the environment is in the limelight of social and political discussions. The government enforces laws for economic and environmental sustainability but their implementation is still a major challenge. The need of the hour is to attempt to change the daily behavior of those who are willing to listen and who understand the need to fix what is with time becoming the greatest crisis of the modern world.

GAS EMISSIONS

Everything we consume has greenhouse gas emissions associated with it. We burn fossil fuels to create energy. They are either burned directly, example cooking gas or indirectly, example petrol (as a fuel in automobiles and seen as energy for transportation) and coal (in power stations to drive turbines and seen as electrical energy). Fossil fuels are also burnt at various stages in the process of creating food products and services for our consumption. The total carbon in the environment which we as individuals are responsible for is called our carbon footprint. Every time we burn fossil fuels such as gas, coal or oil, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. In a natural carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is re-absorbed by plants and trees (for respiration).

Increased CO2 emissions anywhere represent a threat to civilization everywhere. - Al Gore A wise man once said – If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. It is your decision, your choice to make a difference or not. In the modern world, every item we consume is created by an industrial process with greenhouse gas emissions associated with it. Under the list of these “items” comes not only electricity, gas or automobiles but also • Our clothes • Our furniture • Our food (unless it was grown, harvested and transported entirely by hand). • The government services provided (e.g. roads, health services, defense) etc.

However, we are burning fuels where the carbon dioxide has been trapped under the earth’s surface for millions of years. In short, we are generating amounts of CO2 that are beyond permissible levels. The effect of all this extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is that the overall temperature of the planet is increasing– and I don’t need to introduce the ever famous global warming here I guess. While the average global temperature is increasing, on a day-to-day level the climate is changing in unpredictable (and adverse) ways - from floods and hurricanes to heat waves and droughts. With carbon dioxide, there are other gases, such as methane, which cause global warming. Collectively, these are known as ‘greenhouse gases’ and in chemical terms, most of them are hydrocarbons. For ease of comparing the warming effects of each gas, we can convert other greenhouse gases into

carbon dioxide equivalents. Here’s addressing our national status. Although India’s per capita carbon emission is among the lowest in the world, its impact is visible in the form of erratic weather patterns - a clear indicator of climate change. The per capita carbon emission of India is 1.02 metric tons, compared to USA’s 20.01 metric tons and Russia’s 11.71 metric tons, the average per capita carbon emission of the world being 4.25 metric tons. According to the report ‘India’s Forest & Tree Cover – Contribution as a Carbon Sink’ of the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, the annual carbon removal by India’s forest and tree cover is enough to neutralize 11.25% of India’s total greenhouse gas emissions. This is equivalent to offsetting 100% emissions from all residential and transport sectors or 40% of total emissions from

back of several energy conservation measures like usage of carbon neutral fuels and carbon sequestration through large scale agro forestry programmes. If the planet warmed up by several degrees during the 21st century, as paleontologists and computer modelers agree is likely, what would be the consequences? Extensive studies show that the consequences of even a two degree rise would be severely harmful in many parts of the world. It’s easily concluded that by the end of the century we would face an unprecedented and grievous degradation of many of the ecosystems on which civilization depends. For the scientists, as one of them remarks, ‘seeing their own predictions come true can be a frightening experience’.

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. It is your decision, your choice to make a difference or not. the agricultural sector. This clearly indicates that India’s forest and tree cover is serving the purpose of carbon mitigation for India and the world. If we can reduce the carbon emissions and bring back more vegetation, we might be on a path of bringing harmony between the earth and its inhabitants. Many scientists point out that unchecked emission will bring not only ‘a warming unprecedented in the past million years,’ but changes ‘much faster than those previously experienced by natural ecosystems...’ Being carbon neutral is seen as a good social responsibility. Some of the countries and communities that have pledged carbon neutrality include Costa Rica, Iceland, Maldives, New Zealand, Norway and Tuvalu. Industries can take the initiative of becoming carbon neutral. A classic example of this is ITC Bahdrachalam. ITC became ‘carbon positive’ on the

Surbhi Arora

is an Assistant Professor at the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun. She is extremely passionate about teaching and loves interacting with her students.

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PHOTO

STORY

TE J A S S O N I is a freelance sculptor and painter based in Ahmedabad (Gujarat). He is a man of many talents and ardently pursues wildlife photography and sketching. He also enjoys playing the flute,harmonica and guitar.

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PHOTO

STORY

photographs: TEJAS SONI

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GREEN WHEELS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

WHEELS CLIMATE CHANGEGREEN MITIGATION

FROM INDIA’S PERSPECTIVE

change is essential .

CLIMATE CHANGE With the mighty Himalayas and its glaciers in the north, tropical in the south, dense rain forests of Meghalaya in the East and the dry Thar Desert of the west, incredible India, truly holds a variety of climate within her. Climate change refers to a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer). Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcings , or due to persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use . The term is now used to refer to climate change caused by human activity. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change defines climate change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.” In the latter sense climate change is synonymous with global warming. The atmosphere carries out the critical function of maintaining life-sustaining conditions on Earth. The earth both absorbs and, simultaneously releases heat in the form of infra red waves. All this rising heat is not lost to space, but is partly absorbed by some gases present in very small (or trace) quantities in the atmosphere, called GHGs (greenhouse gases). However, ever since the Industrial Revolution began about 150 years ago, man-made activities have added significant quantities of GHGs to the atmosphere. The atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have grown considerably . An increase in the levels of GHGs could lead to greater warming, which, in turn, could have an impact on the world’s climate, leading to the phenomenon known as climate change. Indeed, scientists have observed that over the 20th century, the mean global surface temperature increased by 0.6 °C. photograph: akshay madan

expressions november 2010

FROM INDIA’S PERSPECTIVE

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FROM INDIA’S PERSPECTIVE Impacts are already being seen in unprecedented heat waves, cyclones, floods, salinisation of the coastline and effects on agriculture, fisheries and health . India, home to a third of the world’s poor, and climate change will hit this section of society the hardest. Set to be the most populous nation in the world by 2045, the economic, social and ecological price of climate change will be massive. The future impacts of climate change, identified by the Government of India’s National Communications (NATCOM) includes the following: • Decreased snow cover, affecting snow-fed and glacial systems such as the Ganges and Bramhaputra. 70% of the summer flow of the Ganges comes from melting of glaciers. • Erratic monsoon with serious effects on rain-fed agriculture, peninsular rivers, water and power supply. • Drop in wheat production by 4-5 million tonnes, with even a 1ºC rise in temperature. • Rising sea levels causing displacement along one of the most densely populated coastlines in the world, threatened freshwater sources and mangrove ecosystems. • Increased frequency and intensity of floods. Increased vulnerability of people in coastal, arid and semi-arid zones of the country. • Studies indicate that over 50% of India’s forests are likely to experience shift in forest types, adversely impacting associated biodiversity, regional climate dynamics as well as livelihoods based on forest products. With 27.5% of the population still below the poverty line, reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate

STEPS TAKEN BY INDIA FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION India signed the UNFCCC on 10 June 1992 and ratified it on 1 November 1993. Under the UNFCCC, developing countries such as India do not have binding GHG mitigation commitments in recognition of their small contribution to the greenhouse problem as well as low financial and technical capacities. In India, the Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency for climate change issues. It has constituted Working Groups on the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC was adopted in 1997 and requires developed countries and economies in transition listed in Annex B of the Protocol, to reduce their GHG emissions. Several measures are being undertaken in the country, which contribute to GHG mitigation. Some of them are: 1. Establishment of the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council under the Department of Science and Technology, which facilitates the transfer of environmentally sound technology. 2. Extensive efforts in conservation of forests and biodiversity. 3. Involvement of a number of governmental and independent agencies in climate change research in India. 4. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) observes climatic parameters at surface and upper air observatories throughout the country. IMD’s network includes 559 surface observatories, more than 8000 rainfall monitoring stations, 100 satellite-based data collection platforms in remote areas, 203 voluntary observing ships, 10 cyclone detection radars, and 17 storm detection radars. Since 1983, IMD has maintained a meteorological observatory at the Indian Antarctic station. This data is scrutinized and archived at the National Data Centre, Pune, and used to study, predict, and determine the effects of climate change. 5. Replacement of the existing cyclone detec-

tion radars with state-of-art Doppler Weather Radars in a phased manner. The cities of Calcutta and Chennai have been the first ones to witness their use. An indigenous Doppler weather radar is being developed under a collaborative programme of the IMD with the Indian Space Research Organisation. 6.Using satellite data received from INSAT to provide cloud imageries in the visible and infrared channels, which in turn, are used to derive cloud motion vectors, sea surface temperatures, and outgoing long wave radiation.

CONCLUSION The shaky global economy provides a stark backdrop to why cooperation in an interdependent world is the only way forward. To succeed, climate change must be reframed as an agenda of hope, growth, innovation, and opportunity. It must be used to mobilize a new sense of national purpose and imbue people with optimism. India has a billion good reasons for leadership on climate change. Addressing this could be the best way for the country to secure prosperity and development. If India truly aspires to greatness, no other issue is more timely or compelling.

Abhidheb Bhattacharya Final year students at the University of Petroleum Studies (UPES), Dehradun. They harbour a keen interest in Indian Wildlife and Environmental Laws as well as Oil and Gas Laws.

Ankit Srivastava

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WAYS TO

PHOTOGRAPH DOON

effect can often be used in a striking way. Trees also have enormous potential as close-up subjects.

WAYS TO

PHOTOGRAPH DOON

F ai r y l an d T r ee

5 Photographing Trees I

am sure there are many others besides me who look at trees with utter delight and can’t resist a well-shaped, nicely lit tree in a photogenic situation, and Doon of yester years had many a beautiful stately trees growing in the valley.

sandip puran singh

Baanj (Oak) This shot was taken early in the morning during an autumnal trip to Kanatal. Walking along the sylvan path between the cottages at Hazara Heights looking for birds I came across this majestic ‘baanj’ as we call oak in the local language standing on the edge of hillside along the path. Hills north of Doon have

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plenty of oak on the south facing slopes and the oak is a lovely tree with its textured bark, moss covered limbs and leaves that shine silver blowing in the wind. There were many fine trees to choose from as we went along the walk. The difficulty, as always, was to find a way of separating some of them from the background. This giant was jutting out of the hillside and I was able to find a viewpoint where it was set mainly against the sky. I was lucky because there was a morning mist floating up the valley and some dark clouds in the background adding an element of mood. I thought this was better than a blue sky, which could have produced a too-pretty, postcard type picture. My viewpoint was restricted and quite close to the trees so I needed to use a wide-angle lens, with the camera tilted upwards, in order to exclude the unwanted hillside and include the sky. Photographs depend partly for their success upon contrasts, not only tonal and colour contrasts but also contrasting shapes. In landscapes photograph photography horizontal lines and shapes tend to dominate the image and when a vertical shape, such as a tree, is introduced the effect is invariably eyecatching. The most important factor in producing a strong image of a tree is that it needs to be clearly defined and isolated in some way from its surroundings. Winter is satisfying time of year to photograph trees because very often the structure of the tree and shapes created by most of the branches are more interesting than when they are masked by foliage. When shooting trees in a forest or plantation pattern

sandip puran singh

We all have a picture of fairytales in our mind and once in a while we come across a vista that makes us stop and soak in the feel because it takes us back to our childhood memories. I’m particularly fond of lonely paths in forested glades and the Himalayas in this regards are truly enchanting. We were coming down from a friends orchard at Niudi in Uttarkashi when the overhead sun in a quiet lost valley created a dream sequence and this tree which looked so much like a camphor tree which grows a plenty in Doon, the sinewy dark bark of the tree trunk stark against the diffused light filtering through the cedar needles made the path look like one from a fairytale. I had to use the widest angle possible on the lens in order to get as much of the tree and to highlight it I used a Singh-Ray color enhancing filter to make the dark tree trunk stand out more boldly from the diffused green background. The key to exploiting the textural quality of a subject is in judging the quality of the light and the effect is has an on the surface. It’s illuminating. A coarse, deeply indented texture needs to be lit with a more diffused and less acutely angled light than a finer, more subtle texture.

Sandip Puran Singh Writer is the founder of SUSWA, an NGO working along the northern boundary of Rajaji National Park. He’s also an avid bird watcher and an amateur naturalist working on the Doon valley. His love for photographing the valley can be seen by logging onto www.icarefordoon.org and can be reached at seemasandeepsingh@gmail.com © EXPRESSIONS 2010

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AVIATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

CRACKER FREE

DIWALI

A GLOBAL SECTORAL APPROACH IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

he special festive season is finally here! But with every year that we sit in our plush interiors, enjoying the moods of the season, a part of our planet crumbles away. The Earth has been wrecked by environmental pollution. But why are discussing the festive season and the environment together? Let’s get the environment bit straightened out first. Environmental pollution has many aspects to it, the areas of our concern being air and noise pollution.

viation needs global solutions to combat the ill-effects of carbon emissions. A global framework based on sound principles is urgently required. Governments and the industry must work together along with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ensure a sustainable future for aviation. In recent years, major scientific bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the National Academy of Sciences have concluded that human activities, including the combustion of fossil fuels, industrial and agricultural processes, landfills, and some land use changes are significantly increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thus pushing up global temperatures. This scenario will cause marked changes in sea level, eco systems and ice-cover. In recent times, key scientific assessments have underscored the importance of stabilizing the emissions of greenhouse gases to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. International aviation contributes to climate change through aircraft emissions (carbon dioxide and water vapour emissions, contrails or ‘aviation smog’, nitrogen oxides etc). Although the air transport industry has made improvements to aircraft technology and efficiency, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) have not been enough to compensate for the rapid growth of global air traffic which has increased

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by more than 50% over the last decade. Since 1990, carbon emissions to fuel consumption have increased by 87% and now account for around 3.5% of total ‘human activities’ that contribute to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that this share will grow to 5% by 2050 and will undermine efforts made by other industrial sectors to reduce carbon emissions. Inexplicably, the aviation sector has not been required to do much to address climate change. Indeed, the Kyoto Protocol excludes international aviation and requests countries to merely work towards reducing emissions in this sector through the ICAO. Although the ICAO had initially endorsed the idea of an emissions trading system to meet the carbon emission reduction targets, prospects for a comprehensive global agreement now appear distant. Given the present situation, a multi-faceted approach is required with a strong commitment from all stakeholders: airlines, manufacturers, fuel suppliers, airports and air navigation service providers.

Sqn Ldr Sabitha Banu(Retd) Assistant Professor Aviation Management UPES, Dehradun © EXPRESSIONS 2010

Air pollution is the reason behind the “infamous” global warming. Moreover, since air is omnipresent, its pollution in turn affects everything, from humans to plants, animals and even buildings & monuments. Its effect is visible as increasing respiratory prob-

In short, Earth is already plagued by these forms of pollution. Why do we then, instead of taking actions against these, go ahead and contribute more to them? The enormous amounts of crackers lit on Diwali create immense air and noise pollution which easily outweigh the beauty of these cracker shows. A “non cracker free” celebration directly involves the harmful consequences of these two forms of pollution. According to me, putting so much at risk for just a few moments of pleasure is hardly a sane option. Diwali is not synonymous with crackers. It is a festival of light and joy. When we clean our homes, why is it that we dirty the planet (God’s home for us)? And above all if the Earth degrades, no home anywhere will be of any purpose to us. So we should take a decision today and have a cracker-free and safe Diwali.

A “non cracker free” celebration directly involves the harmful consequences of these two forms of pollution. According to me, putting so much at risk for just a few moments of pleasure is hardly a sane option. lems in humans like lung cancer and asthma, in the degrading vegetation, as the melting polar ice caps (increasing sea level) and as adverse climatic changes, to name a few. Noise pollution is also a major contributor to environmental pollution. It is one of the drawbacks of living in an urbanized world, as mostly all the things around us contribute to it - noise from construction, transportation, industries, as well as noise from the electrical appliances of daily use in any household. Noise pollution has both short term and long term impacts, interfering not only with speech and hearing but affecting the brain too. Plants are also sensitive to noise and buildings can be damaged due to high decibel sound vibrations generated.

Sanya Khan

is a student of Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University, doing an honours course in English, 2nd year. She takes a keen interest in reading & writing & often does freelance content writing.

photographs: akshay madan

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COVER

GLOBAL WARMING IS WITH US ALL. We need to accept it and do all that we can to prevent it. The increase in land air and sea temperatures has arisen by over one degree over the last century, this century it is expected to rise from any where between one and six degrees. The primary cause of GLOBAL WARMING is Carbon Dioxide emissions. CO2 is being pumped into our atmosphere at an insane pace; 8 billion tons of CO2 entered the air last year. Of course some of this is due to natural activity such as volcanic eruptions and people breathing. But the Earth is equipped to easily absorb those into the normal regenerative process. No, the beginning of

global warming was caused by fossil fuels being burned and emitting plenty of CO2. Currently in the world 40% of all CO2 emissions are caused by power plants. These are burning coal, natural gas and diesel fuel. Some power plants burn garbage. Some burn methane made from garbage. And discounting those super green electrical generating plants designed to issue negligible pollutants, all of our power plants let loose into the atmosphere CO2.The other major factor in causing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is deforestation, which is caused by clearing great tracts of lands for plantations or grazing for cattle, the forests that have been felled are burnt and destroyed at an alarming rate in places such as the Amazon rainforest, though also happening across Asia and Europe.

The increase in land air and sea temperatures has arisen by over one degree over the last century. expressions november 2010

The effects of GLOBAL WARMING, are causing rises in sea level, which means as polar ice caps melts, they will join the oceans and swell them, causing land reclamation by the oceans of lands at sea level or below, also causing salt water to mix with freshwater and affect our drinking water supplies. The polar ice caps melting also affect the wildlife, such as polar bears, which could mean a first ice free summer in the area by 2040.There is also the extreme weather, some are saying this is being used to scare people on GLOBAL WARMIMG, though one relevant statistic, category 4/ 5 hurricanes have risen from 20% to 35 % over the last 30 years and they are stronger and wetter and for longer. Drought will occur with more frequency, this means as the temperature on the planet increase, this will give conditions for more forest fires. How can we help, there is no one way to stop GLOBAL WARMING, though there are many ways in our day to day life, that we can do to improve the

situation. We can use energy saving light bulbs, though slightly more expensive, they last for 10 times longer. Using solar energy ,this can be used in many simple forms, such as panels connected to batteries in low poverty areas, or installed into houses. There is wind energy, this form of energy has been gathering pace over the last twenty years, though when sites are designated, there is lots of opposition to there size and blot on the landscape. We can save more electric by turning off the lights in rooms we are not occupying. Recycling is a major way forward, all countries across the globe need to do more, aluminium from which cans are made of, it takes only 10 % power to melt down old cans, into new, compared to mine and refine bauxite into aluminium. Plastic bottles can be melted

STORY

How can we help, there is no one way to stop GLOBAL WARMING

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FACE

COVER STORY down to make new plastic, even the ones that cannot, can be ground down and used as raw materials. We can use our cars less, we can car share to work and other journeys can be coordinated to mean less green house gases into the environment. We can donate our clothes, we can ride our cycle or walk for our short trips. We can also plant a tree for life, every six seconds the earth is losing an acre of rainforest, as trees play an essential role in our climate. They extract Carbon monoxide from the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen, one tree can supply enough oxygen for two people. They also extract ground water through their roots and evaporate that water into the atmosphere through their leaves,

without the precipitation created by trees areas of major deforestation are prone to drought. This is how rainforests become deserts. We can also read E- books, which will mean less books being printed and saves the forests also your wallet. Business can also make an impact on the environment, they can have more efficient building that will save energy through heating and lighting. One major bug is that companies leave lights on in so many offices, even when not occupied. We as a race can impact our planet on so many levels, we can do this as individuals, as companies and groups of people. We need to stop abusing our eco system now before its to late for future generations.

PLEASE ACT NOW

Phil Davis

is the founder of Tiger Awareness, a non-profit organisation based in the UK. He travels mainly to India and helps in supporting local communities in various ways such as reimbursing local farmers for losses from a tiger kill, or promoting tiger conservation

TO FACE

uren Vikhash is a product designer and social entrepreneur who currently leads a project called Thunk in India which produces innovative products from waste material. Via Thunk in India, he aims to provide a sustainable and independent livelihood to various communities including rag pickers, slum women, farmers and craftsmen. He is a firm believer in the power of product design; design, he believes, can alter social norms and cultural mindsets about the utility and value of materials around us. Expressions got in touch with him to know more about ‘Thunk’ and his views about the immediate need to work collectively for a sustainable tomorrow in this exclusive interview for our readers.

with

Expressions got in touch with him and received valuable insights, which we have shared with our readers in this exclusive interview.. EXPRESSIONS (E): How and when did you come up with this brilliant idea of recycling or re-inventing from waste? SUREN VIKASH (SV): Waste is a huge problem. But it is so much around us that we have almost become neutral to it. I am a product designer, and strongly believe that design can be used as a tool to address various problems around us. I also strongly feel that technology is not enough to solve various problems we face today. However it can aid in implementing various creative solutions. I took this up as a challenge, to see how I could use creativity and lateral thinking to tackle the issue of waste. As a part of my final graduation project, I firstly immersed myself into the waste management system in Bangalore, India. I initiated the project by bringing together various experts and stake holders who were doing valuable work in the field of waste onto a common platform. I did this as various experts, working on different parts of the waste management system worked in isolation, inspite of their larger focus being waste. Together, they could co-create to address various issues each of them individually (their company) faced. Also when they collaborated, lots of insights were revealed. After a deep grass root research, I identified various intervention points in the current waste management system, where a small change could result in a huge difference. One of these interventions was identified in the landfills, where a lot of non-biodegradable waste materials where found. All these materials have a long life but once a small part of their life is utilized from the time it is produced, sold and consumed. For example plastic has a life of more than 500 years, but from the time it is manu-

Suren Vikash

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FACE TO FACE

factured to the time its consumed and thrown away is just 3 -4 months. Here was an idea to reuse these materials which had a long life, Up-cycling. At Thunk in India, we design durable and funky products from (Non-recyclable) waste materials that generally find their way into the landfills E: What was the first product that you created from waste and how did you come up with the idea? SV: Initially, a range of products were created from tetrapak waste. Please look at the pdf(attached in the next mail). The basic idea was to utilize the life of materials that reached the landfills early, By looking at different ways to manage waste at source and by understanding how the existing system works, I understood how intervention at various points with small changes would result in big differences. I decided to make useful products from waste by providing value to otherwise discarded materials. We use these waste as new rich raw materials to innovate with (processing innovations, weave exploration and product innovation. This not only utilizes the waste materials and increase their life span but also reduces new natural resources from being used up. Currently, we create many products from waste plastics. E: From where do you collect waste and what kind of waste do you use in your production? SV: Waste is collected from various consumerist companies such as malls, IT companies, where large quantities of waste can be procured under one roof. Slum women work in each of these companies, and segregate the waste on a daily basis. All the recyclable waste is generally sold to secondary buyers/recyclers. We ony look at those waste materials, where on recycling solutions have not been found. Currently, it is mainly non-biodegradable materials like plastic covers, thermocol etc

• Co-creating with all the Stakeholders. • Constantly exploring the different ways of making our venture more efficient and sustainable, from the design of products to the production and marketing. • Using creativity and lateral thinking at all stages of our process. • Working at grassroots level. • Understanding the present/past systems and scenarios of waste management and the stakeholders. • Waste is our constraint. We innovate and transform it. • We focus on making the livelihoods of underprivileged communities more meaningful and independent. • We provide alternatives (through our products and services) for one to easily make a difference and go green without any compromise. • We REUSE old resources & thereby REDUCE new natural resources from being used

TO FACE

E: How do you help companies to incorporate zero waste strategies? SV: We provide recycling/up cycling(reusing) solutions to all the companies we work with. We make sure that all the waste reaches our network of recyclers. We also provide a eco - carbon audit for companies E: What support/actions would you like the govt. to take in this regard? SV: Enforcing Laws on EPR (extended producer responsibility) , promoting eco friendly products, banning plastic and other toxic materials E: What are the waste management techniques that you would advise schools and colleges to adapt? SV: Waste segregation is the first step. Due to lack of segregation, a lot of the recyclable waste also becomes non recyclable and toxic. Composting all the organic waste is something anyone can easily do.

E: Where all does your waste collecting team operate/ located? SV: In the outskirts of Bangalore and Coimbatore

E: What support/actions would you like the govt. to take in this regard? SV: Enforcing Laws on EPR (extended producer responsibility) , promoting eco friendly products, banning plastic and other toxic materials

E: What are the strategies involved? SV: Characteristics of our approach: • Creating sustainable livelihood options for the underprivileged communities. • Identifying points of intervention in the waste management system where even a small change can result in a big difference.

E: What is your message to the society at large that indulges in wasteful consumption and in turn aggravates the problem of waste mismanagement? SV: Conscious consumerism is something every one needs to atleast start thinking of. It requires a change in mindset

expressions november 2010

FACE

november 2010

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theGREEN BEAT

SAVE

theGREENBEAT

OIL

diesel engine. It is renewable and as stated above, is derived from vegetable oil. Unlike petroleum diesel, it is biodegradable. It offers much higher lubrication than petroleum diesel and its use can prolong engine life. Bio-diesel is a green fuel and is carbon neutral. Its use does not lead to any harmful change in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It produces drastically reduced quantities of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and soot (as engine emissions).

It is rightly said ‘Necessity is the mother of all inventions.’

Once again, through Green Beat, I would like to highlight another promising practice that can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The world has become a concrete jungle. Urban development is breaking its own records with every passing day. Earth has become an unbelievable place to live in. In today’s technologyrun environment, can we imagine to live without oil? A day strike by the petrol pump owners or a little hike in the price of oil affects us from every angle. The question is: Can we afford to consume all the oil available? We all know that the day is not far when the world will witness a crisis. We have to search for alternatives today. India is under the tyranny of a monster - inflation. Statistics show that food prices are soaring to an all time high! In such a situation, are we ready to tackle yet another economic catastrophe like that of 2008 when the world witnessed its worst oil crisis with the prices of crude oil hovering around US $140 a barrel? The answer is an obvious no.

akshay madan

Constant imbalance between payments and the ambition to strengthen one’s global economic status has spurred ‘green innovation’ in some parts of the world.

Brazil, a lesser known country for ‘world class’ development has taken a lead in developing economically feasible alternatives to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Brazilian companies have successfully used sugar cane to produce mass quantities of ethanol (an efficient fuel). Now, more than 80 percent of new cars sold in Brazil are equipped to use ethanol as well as gasoline. The home grown fuel there is more popular than foreign imports. It has not only reduced the country’s dependence on imported Middle Eastern petroleum after the oil crisis during the 1970s but has also given a push to the domestic automobile and sugar mill industries. This has been of benefit to the farmers as well as the buyers who have to pay a smaller purchase tax on these ‘Flex-Fuel’ cars. Great Britain, following in Brazil’s footsteps is trying to use wheat and sugar to create its own bio fuels. Let me brief you about these techniques. Ethanol is a byproduct obtained when sugar is manufactured from sugarcane. It easily mixes with petrol. Presently, Brazil and USA are using ‘Flex fuel’ cars that can run on petrol, ethanol or a combination of both. A Flex-fuel car has a petrol engine with a modification in the fuel pipe and the chip which tells the fuel injection system about the proportions of ethanol flowing in the engine. . Quoting Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Panwar, “India, the world’s biggest consumer of sugar, is planning to increase ethanol production to protect mills from falling prices of the sweetener as the country expects a bumper crop next year (2011). If the country produces more ethanol and gets a good price for it, farmers will also get a good price for their sugarcane.” Another non conventional source of energy is Bio-diesel. Bio-diesel is produced from Jatropha oil and can be used directly in any

expressions november 2010

Former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam is one of the strong advocators of jatropha cultivation (for production of bio-diesel). In his recent speech, he said that out of the 600,000 km² of wasteland that is available in India, over 300,000 km² is suitable for Jatropha cultivation. Also, once this plant is grown, it has a useful lifespan of several decades. On 12 September 2008, the Indian Government announced its ‘National Bio-fuel Policy’. By 2011, it aims to meet 20% of India’s diesel demand by fuel derived from plants. By 2020, Indian government aims to generate 7.5 million tons of bio-fuel per year. Large plots of waste land have been selected for Jatropha cultivation- a step that will provide the much needed employment to rural India. Entrepreneurs are also seeing the cultivation of Jatropha as a good business opportunity. Due to these promotional strategies for biodiesel, the rising population, and the growing energy demand from the transport sector, biofuels will definitely have a large market in India. Jatropha plantation will not only solve the problem faced with diesel but will also provide various other benefits such as erosion control, soil improvement and poverty reduction. Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have already started with the successful cultivation of the Jatropha Carcus seed. However, there is still a long way to go for India. But with serious implementation of programs and strategies, we will surely achieve our aim. I would like to conclude with the thought: The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. Why wait for the dreaded moment when every oil tank in the world will be dry? Why wait for 2020 to execute ecological practices and not become sensitive to this thought today and realize the importance of the need to save? Why not use public transportation or go on foot whenever possible and say no to oil consuming luxury cars? Happy Conserving!

The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. Why wait for the dreaded moment when every oil tank in the world will be dry?

A 2nd year graduation student at Lady Shriram College For Women, New Delhi. Passionate about environment and an ardent nature lover, currently the secretary of LSR’s environment society - Prakriti

Simren Singh

november 2010

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ENVIRONMENTAL

ECONOMICS “Man did not weave the web of life he is merely a strand in it.Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” - Chief Seattle, 1854.

fter I finished presenting my term paper on Chief Seattle and his famed speech pleading for the rights of native tribes and a passionate, if not desperate, appeal to protect the ‘bed we sleep in’, a classmate raised her hand and proceeded to ask me if my presentation was consistent with the fact that we are students of economics. Let me explain. As students of economics, we are taught how to ‘think’ like economists which implies, among other things, a rational, nonemotive thought process. This is something that probably would bother any thinking person. If I want to maximize my satisfaction level (utility, as economists put it) should I really care about the environment? Personally, I do think there are rather serious moral and philosophical arguments in favor of caring for the environment, but let us ignore them at the moment. Instead, let us assess whether purely rational beings should care for what’s around them. Fortunately there is a lot of economic literature affirming environmentalism, but, as of now, I want to present a few arguments of my own in the context of being a producer. At the outset, it is important to review our concept of being ‘rational’ with respect to production and the use of nature. Conventional economic rationality would encourage maximizing production as long as I’m earn-

ing more than I’m paying. In this context, the case for environment protection stands defeated as it would lead to added costs which would make the firm uncompetitive. However, let us look at that again – but this time from a different perspective. For budding entrepreneurs and established firms, a good question to ask is about the intended life span of the firm. Permanence is almost always a desired aspect of a firm’s growth target. Even if a firm has to go through losses for a while, production normally continues if the firm has the capability to ‘kick back’ in the long term. Thus short-term losses don’t necessarily imply long-term incompetence. On the flip side, we can look at added costs as an investment for the firm’s sustenance. Chief Seattle’s words, “Contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste” ring true for us today. If a producing unit keeps discharging pollutants without an effort to reduce or treat the discharge the day of its demise will come. Economically speaking, negative returns beckon. There seems to be an inconsistency with the case I presented above. What if producer X actually tries to reduce chemical pollution by installing a plant that treats the factory’s waste before final disposal in the neighborhood but on the other hand producer Y (X’s competitor and also in the same neighborhood) doesn’t really care and just keeps on discharging harmful chemical waste that hurts both X and Y? So really, even though X has increased his costs (and reduced profits) he is still subject to the harmful effects of the chemical waste. Does this mean that X should revert to his old method of production if that is economically more feasible? I would think otherwise. First, even though X might possibly lose in the short run, long-term benefits would most likely exceed the cost. This is true, especially if the new environment-friendly technology is one that recycles waste. As an example if firm X treats its chemical water so that it can be used again, this could become a source of cheaper water and hence reduce costs. Second, firm X might create a new consumer group for itself. This aspect has gained prominence with greater levels of environmental

ECONOMICS

education and awareness. Take notebook producers for instance. Of late a number of them have started printing notebooks that are made of recycled paper. They usually have ‘environment friendly’ written all over them. Hence, if I walk into a store and see that such a notebook is marginally more expensive than another one of similar quality, I might actually buy it due to a sense of moral responsibility. So would others who care about the environment and are aware of how the paper industry is detrimental to the environment. Thus firm X could create a dedicated consumer group for itself. Therefore, as we have seen, it is possible for an economist to include environment conservation in his framework without it being discarded as irrational. In fact, environmentalism has given birth to a branch of economics called environmental economics. Today, environmental economics is a discipline that is taken seriously to further the idea of nature’s pervasiveness in human decision. A general consensus now exists that only in nature’s sustenance is an economy’s existence possible.

David Clarance The writer is 19 years, pursuing English hons from Delhi University. Is an avid nature enthusiast who loves to write in his free time.

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TIGER SAFARI AT

saran vaid

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

“Good night”, said Amit. I looked at my watch. It was 2 am. I set the alarm for 5 am, drank the water left in the bottle and switched off the light. Silence, almost. I could hear some insect screeching somewhere. Amit seemed to be fast asleep. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But sleep seemed a distant dream. Last evening’s drive flashed in front of my eyes. I had probably faced so much traffic for the first time in seven years in Mumbai. Having started from home at around 3 in the afternoon, I was still stuck in the traffic at 8 in the night. Worse, I had missed my flight. As I struggled to sleep, I realized that I was left with only a day and a half to explore the forest of Tadoba. I don’t remember when I dozed off but the alarm ensured that I was awake early and ready for a long day ahead. The jeep was ready. We were left with three safaris only and I was keeping my fingers crossed for at least one glimpse of a Tiger!

expressions november 2010

TIGER SAFARI AT

The Reserve

Tiger safari

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, “the jewel of Vidharba”, is Maharashtra’s oldest Tiger reserve. It is situated in the Moharli hills of the West Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. Established in 1935, it was declared a National Park in 1955. Andhari Wildlife sanctuary was notified in 1986 and the Park and the sanctuary were unified in 1995 as the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). It is one of the 28 Project Tiger Reserves of India and is one of the most picturesque and valuable.

Safari 1: We had planned to explore the Moharli region for

The name ‘Tadoba’ comes from ‘Taru’, a local God. ‘Andhari’ is derived from the name of the Andhari river which flows through it. Legends say that Taru was a village chief who was killed in a battle with a tiger. A shrine dedicated to Taru still exists near the Tadoba lake. The local villagers are mainly Gond tribals who speak Marathi and Gondi. Since TATR is not as well-known as its counterparts, it is largely uncommercialized and has a pristine eco-system that harbours a rich diversity of wildlife. Apart from Tigers, Leopards, Gaurs and Sloth Bears, the forest hosts a number of other mammals which are uncommon in other forests – the Rusty Spotted Cat, Ratel, Indian Mouse Deer, Spotted Deer, Four-Horned Antelope and Wild Dog. There are also 195 identified species of birds in the park making it a haven for avid bird-watchers. The GreyHeaded Fishing Eagle and Crested Serpent Eagle are two of the most well-known raptors of the forest. Reptilian fauna is abundant too. The Tadoba lake harbors a number of crocodiles. The Indian Python, common Indian Monitor and the poisonous Russell’s Viper can also be found here. On the northern and western boundaries of the forest are hills with dense forests. To the southwest is a huge lake. It is a southern tropical dry deciduous forest with Teak as the predominant tree species. The bamboo forest defines the typical tiger territories. Even though the Park is open throughout the year, summer is the best season to visit since the wildlife remains around the sources of water. However, Tadoba is uniquely charming during the monsoons. Immediately after the rains, the grass is green and sighting a tiger in a lush green background is a photographic delight.

some time. As the jeep circled the area, our guide said, “The cubs were spotted here last evening”. One unique thing to be noted while visiting a Tiger reserve immediately after the rains is that you don’t get to hear ‘alarm calls’ that deer and monFacts and keys normally make when they spot a tiger. Following the calls is usually the best way to spot a tiger. But after the rains, the grasses are thick and long and the beast remains completely Langoor hidden. Hence, its slightest movements go unnoticed and it becomes near impossible to spot a tiger. When we hadn’t spotted Spotted Deer any tigers for about an hour, we thought of moving to Tadoba gate. Suddenly, Amit exclaimed “Leopard”! It was our first sub- Wild Dog ject for the day. I managed to click about a dozen photographs Indian Bison even though the light wasn’t favourable for photography. It was our first photograph of a leopard in the wild. However, the next Sambar few hours were uneventful. On the way back, I tried my new Barking Deer camera to shoot a Sambar. The results were rather pleasing.

figures

Blue Bull Safari 2: The evening safari began in Moharli again. We saw a vehicle stopping ahead. In the dim light we could see the people in pointing towards a small stream. I couldn’t see anything as we reached. The guide said “they must be around”. Almost instantly, we we saw a male tiger coming out of the forest to the main road. It was Yeda Anna, the famous male tiger of Tadoba. I managed to take a few snaps before the tiger turned away. Soon we spotted the cubs. There were four of them gamboling around as they crossed the road. They came close and gladly posed for my camera for around 40 minutes. I was in bliss.

Mongoose Sloth Bear Four-hornedAntelope Jackal Jungle Cat Tiger Leopard

to get a photograph of a tiger in water. We saw the four cubs again. They were incredibly playful and lively. We were in luck: there was a small body of water and the cubs played in it, splashing water around. It was one of our most memorable moments in the forest.

Hyena Indian Pangolin Ratel

Tadoba gave me more than I had expected. Much, much more. I fell in love with the forest and came back with wonderful memories of the lovely Moharli cubs. All wildlife lovers should go there at least once and witness the spectacular beauty of wildlife in its natural surroundings.

Wild Boar

Porcupine

Safari 3: “Thoda aur wish karo” said Amit. I badly wanted

Dr. Caesar Sengupta

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

2770 2039 1758 1052 669 512 228 195 184 165 145 79 44 43 22 15 5 2 1

How to reach Tadoba Nearest Airport – Nagpur, Maharashtra Nearest Railway Station – Chandrapur, Maharashtra Accommodation – MTDC resort Contact person – Manish Varma – 08055920303 © EXPRESSIONS 2010

november 2010

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GREEN GAMES

IN THE

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SAVING OUR COMMONWEALTH

peculations about the inevitable failure of the Commonwealth Games in India have been put to rest. The Games were successful by all counts. The malfeasances which occurred before the games have been overshadowed by dazzling ceremonies and the near faultless staging of the games.However, as important as the games themselves will be the postgames investigations which will, hopefully, publicly indict all those whose tardiness and embezzlement of public funds nearly jeopardizedthe staging of the games. The games have brought about much needed lasting change to the city:improved infrastructure, a boost to the status sports in country, better adoption of eco-friendly strategies etc. Construction activities, transportation used by the participants, electricity consumption before and during the games, etc. were expected to emit an enormous amount of greenhouse gases. Hence, in the wake of potential environmental crisis, it was imperative to take steps against the harms that could occur during games’ preparation.A series of green measures such as boosting energy efficiency and air quality to expanding the city’s forests ensured that the Delhi Gameswere awarded the status of the first ‘green games’ As a major emerging economy with a sixth of the world’s population, India faces major challenges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving carbon neutrality.Achieving carbon neutrality for the games, hence contributed greatly to the cause of climate change mitigation.

Some of the initiatives taken to stage eco-friendly games were: Ecological Code launch - Ecological Code (EcoCode) was launched to in order to ensure that the games would be green in all possible ways. It provides guidelines on conserving biodiversity, energy efficiency, effective waste management, reduced air and noise pollution and sustainable transportation. The main heads under which environmental activities are categorized include - Land, Energy, Waste, Water and Carbon. Land - Three city forests were developed for the 2010 Games which included planting more than 50,000 trees. Around 5 million potted plants were also placed in Delhi prior to the Games. This plantation was a huge success and played a central role in carbon offsetting. Energy - ThyagarajStadium is India’s first green

expressions november 2010

stadium. Apart from having a gas-based captive power generation of 2.5 MW and a 1.0 MW solar rooftop module, it made extensive use of solar-energy powered lighting and water-heating apart from usingCFLs, LEDs and other energy-efficient fixtures. Water–Water-efficient fixtures were used to reduce water wastage. These included the installation of dual flushing systems; sensor-based faucets; overflow controllers for key points of storage; onsite waste-water treatment and reuse; and rainwater harvesting systems at some of the competitionvenues. Waste–The construction debris across all CWG venues was reused. Fly ash bricks were used at CWG venues. Extensivewaste management and recycling systems were established at NDCC building. Air and Carbon–The use of hybrid vehicles and sustainable fuel such as CNG was promoted. State-ofthe-art Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting Systems were also established at strategic Games-related locations. Awareness Campaigns such asGreen Concerts were held to promote low-carbon emission practices.The World Environment Day Celebrations andWorld Earth Day Celebrations along withradio and newspaper messages helped promote environmental awareness on a larger scale. As a citizen, I believe no cause can be complete without the participation of everyone. The environment belongs to us all; hence,all of us need to do our best to preserve it. Even the smallest of deeds like disposing ofour waste properly, avoiding the use of plastics, switching of our fans and ACs when not in use, can bring about a big change. Let us pledge to do our bit before we point fingers at others.

Taking the cracker out of fire October 7th, 2010

The neon sparks from a fancy firecracker will not be seen this Diwali. Nor will your pets run in fear when the neighbour’s 10,000-wallah goes off. And you can be rest assured that violators of this police imposed ban will have a hefty fine to pay. But before you frown in despair, the ban only stipulates noise levels, the supply of illegal fireworks and the permissible stocks in the retail spaces. But the limited scope of this ban begs an answer. With firecracker haven Sivakasi being in Tamil Nadu and known to be the toxic hub, why aren’t the cops cracking down on these centres? And is there any intervention to check child labour? But some young people are disappointed at this ban. “Diwali without crackers is not happening. We have been brought up with a mindset that this festival is all about lights, sweets and crackers. Everything is turning eco-friendly nowadays so why not crackers,” asks RachnaBhathija, marketing manager. Social activists feel this is the first big step towards promoting an environment-friendly way of celebrating Diwali. “All the chemicals we use to make the crackers have to go into the air, water and the ground which are vital lifelines for us. Most people do not seem to realise that we burst crackers for ‘enjoyment’ and ingest all the chemicals back in some way or other. Restrictions of this nature will definitely be the first big step towards sanctifying earth. And we hope the community itself will gradually see why such constraints are needed for their own long-term health,” says ShobhaMenon, social activist who works with Nizhal, an NGO that promotes eco environs. Speaking of the ban, ShakeelAkhtar, additional commissioner (law and order) says, “We held discussions with the fire department, explosives department and the corporation and have fixed some guidelines.” Explaining the ill-effects of noise pollution, Dr. V. Srivats, E.N.T. specialist says, “As per the Environment Protection Act, no fire cracker which produces more than 125 decibels of sound should be manufactured or used.” According to NandithaGopalakrishnan, architect, “Apart from being harmful to the environment, making firecrackers involves child labour which I don’t think should be encouraged.” Nityanand J., an environmentalist says, “Nowadays it’s good to see children being conscious about the environment. In fact, a lot of them, in the recent past have completely stopped indulging in buying or bursting crackers. Though I can’t say people must completely stop bursting crackers, it’s good to keep a tab on the pollution level and contribute in this small way towards the environment concerns.”

Source :http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/taking-cracker-out-fire-332

Aditi Sharma

has a Master's degree in Environmental Management from FRI University, Dehradun. She is presently working with IL&FS Ecosmart, which promotes environmental initiatives in the framework of Public-Private Partnerships

Sachin, Nana Patekar back noise free Diwali campaign Press Trust Of India Mumbai, September 18, 2010 As part of his effort, Ramesh spoke of wooing the state government with “green bonus” and rewards, based on their performance in this regard. A sum of 5,000 crores has been set aside for the next five

november 2010

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Maharashtra AndhashraddhaNirmulanSamiti has roped in master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and veteran actor Nana Patekar for a campaign advocating noise-free Diwali celebrations. Both the celebrities would appeal to school children through a letter signed by them to burn less fire crackers this Diwali. The letter’s other signatories are scientist JayantNarlikar and Planning Commission member NarendraJadhav. “Crackers worth Rs 500 crore go up in smoke every year during Diwali which also create huge air pollution. Our aim is to save Rs 20 crore, the amount which coincides with years completed by the Samiti,” SushilaMunde, state convener said. The appeal from famous personalities can influence children, Munde said. A resolution form would be distributed among children and parents along with the letter also requesting to buy less crackers this year, Munde said. The State Government’s environment cell ‘HaritSena’ is also helping them to mobilise the campaign against noise pollution, she added

Source :http://www.hindustantimes.com/Sachin-Nana-Patekar-back-noise-free-Diwalicampaign/Article1-601773.aspx

The sound of silence Is noise leaving your irritated? It’s time you reconnected with a world where silence soothed the nerves and helped you introspect. When was the last time you heard silence? An oasis of time with no conversations, incessant music, persistent beeps/ring tones, blaring loudspeakers, traffic noise, and the low-pitched but chronic whirring of gadgets… Did you know that this constant cacophony might be the reason why many of us feel edgy, irritated and strained? Remember the jarring sensation you felt in your teeth when someone nearby rubbed metal sheets against each other? Or, the sense of relief that enveloped you when you turned off that rumbling grinder or got out of that noisy office. It is as if you had been subject to stress all the time, though you’d just been doing routine work. “Human beings are sensitive to noise. Natural sounds are okay, but the constant noise of gadgets can be stressful,” says E. S. Krishnamoorthy, director, Institute of Neurological Sciences, VHS Hospital, Chennai. In fact, natural sounds such as the rustle of leaves and the chatter of birds actually refresh your mind. The noise response In a study by Cornell University, employees in an office space buzzing with noise from chatter, fax machines, telephones, shredding machines, etc., were found to have higher levels of the stress hormone adrenalin in their urine, compared to those in quiet office spaces. And, when a puzzle was given to both groups, the first group turned out to be less diligent, was easily frustrated and gave up more easily than the group from the quiet office. Additionally, workers from the quiet office slept better at night, had better digestion, were much less ir-

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NEWS

ritable at home and felt better at the end of their work day than employees from the noisy office! That’s because humans instinctively responds to noise. This reaction helped early humans get all pumped up and be ready for action — such as say, fighting a predator. Now, this stress response is set off partially in urban residents all the time, thanks to the noisy world we live in. Prone to disorders “Chronic noise can dampen our mood, make us irritable, lower our concentration, memory, work quality and ability to cooperate, can trigger aggression, anxiety and nervousness, and also strain interpersonal relationships. Additionally, it makes us more prone to psychosomatic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and palpitation,” says Lakshmi Vijaykumar, psychiatrist, and founder of SNEHA. Western research shows that children living near airports or busy highways tend to have lower reading scores, and that productivity is lower and psychiatric hospitalisations are higher in noisy areas. “On the physical side, noise pollution causes not just hearing problems, but a host of other issues such as high blood pressure, increased heart rate, fatigue, risk of cardiovascular deaths, strokes, weakened immune responses, peptic ulcers, disrupted sleep cycles, and headaches,” points out Mohan Kameswaran, consultant ENT, head and neck surgeon and MD, Madras ENT Research Foundation. Least recognised is the fact that constant noise has a debilitating impact on the mind. It obstructs the mind’s gaze inward, for introspection, for the manifestation of creativity, for peace of mind. Silence is golden Many of us have also become uncomfortable with silence. We mis-perceive silence and solitude as loneliness. But, as philosophers say, silence is to the mind what sleep is to the body: a rejuvenating experience. “While silence over prolonged periods can be depressing, we need periodic exposure to silence. Mindfulness is not possible without silence, insists Dr.Krishnamoorthy. Hopefully, we’ll learn soon enough before we record silence and hear it on our iPods!

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article812800.ece

‘Air pollution raises risk of heart attack’ LONDON: People living in areas of heavy air pollution may be at greater risk of heart attacks, European scientists have said in the leading medical journal devoted to advancing science related to thrombosis, bleeding disorders and vascular biology. Jos Vermylen, Professor of Medicine at Belgium’s University of Leuven and a retired expert on clot development, said in a paper published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis that both short and long-term exposure to airborne particulate matter is associated with death from cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. The airborne particulate matter identified by Professor Vermylen is the result of burning fossil fuels such as coal. Fossil fuels provide roughly 60% of the world’s electrical power and 95% of the world’s total

november 2010

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Doon International Students go GREEN

energy demands. But their combustion is the major source of carbon dioxide emission, leading to the socalled greenhouse effect. The new paper, which uses previous research on patients with damaged arteries, says the ambient air pollution resulting from fuel combustion and even, forest fires, leaves people at risk of acute myocardial infarction, commonly called a heart attack. Under the agreement, Air India can perform EcoPower engine washes on various engines in its fleet of aircraft. It will offer the services to other carriers in the region. The service center will have the ability to perform washes on nearly all commercial engines currently in service. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Air-pollution-raises-risk-of-heart-attack/articleshow/1244857.cms

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What do you think is the most compelling environmental issue that challenges sustainable living today?

Dehradun: 23- October-2010

NEWS

Team iCARE, as part of its ‘Plant for the Future campaign’, conducted a Green Seminar with students of DOON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL in the school premises today. The “Plant for the Future” campaign is an ambitious project undertaken by iCARE, along with members from Aagaas Federation, in order to spread awareness about the need to preserve the environment as well as, of course, plant more trees in the valley. Its aim is to create a close-knit community of enthusiastic citizens concerned about the plight of our planet and keen to make it a better place to inhabit. So far, schools such as Carman School, Touchwood School, Sai Grace Academy, KV BHEL, Apollo International, Beverly Hills, Sunrise Academy and Dehradun Hills Academy have taken part in this initiative. The ultimate objective is to enlist as many schools as possible in the campaign in order realize our target of making the valley greener. The students and staff of the school, along with members of iCARE and Aagaas Federation, planted trees such as Chandni, Gulmohur, Kachnar and Kapoor. Many saplings were also donated by the Aaagas Federation to the staff and workers of the school as part of its ambitious goal to reduce air pollution in the valley. Yudhishter Puran Singh, the founder of iCARE was very pleased with the enthusiastic participation of the students of Doon International School. In his words, “I want to reach out to the heads of educational institutions and make them realize the important role they have to play in motivating their students to work towards creating a beautiful and sustainable tomorrow. After all, it is their future which is at stake. Let us be honest with them and give them a fair chance to save what’s left.” The Executive Director of Doon International School, Mr Harinder Mann, was appreciative of the campaign’s vigorous efforts to save the environment: “It is gladdening to see our youth make these efforts to save our planet! May you succeed in making this world a greener place to live in! these were necessary to tone up and galvanise the Indian Forest Service.

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Theme - Climate Change

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expressions november 2010

november 2010

expressions

Since the inception of *our* magazine, EXPRESSIONS, in June 2010, we have come a long way. I say *our* magazine because this effort is fuelled as much by the efforts of those who work on it, as by those, such as yourself, who subscribe to it and wholeheartedly support it. To those who have been with us since the beginning, thanks! New members, welcome! Make yourself comfortable here. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve embarked on a rather enthusing journey of hope and change, and we shall not rest till our dreams come true! This magazine is our portal of hope. You, dear readers, are our beacon of change. Through this magazine, we seek to reach change-oriented individuals who will understand the problems facing our environment today, and subsequently step up to the task of damage control. We publish the expert opinions of naturalists, conservationists and nature/wildlife enthusiasts. Moreover, we also publish the opinions of students concerned at the plight of our environment. Essentially, we seek to connect with anyone who CARES about making the world a better, safer and more beautiful place to live in. Your thoughts, opinions and suggestions (as well as articles for the next issue) are welcome at expressicare@gmail.com

expressions november 2010