In the fields of Punjab ...

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In Punjab, Its not only the Factories or Industries who have a major hand in air pollution, but agriculture is also in the line.
picture from -connectbillions.in  

Firstly talking about the air pollution. Well we all have seen sights of agriculture fields set on fire after the harvest and the black ash layered soil left behind.  But the huge amount of pollution caused and the harmful gases released into the air is not taken into account by the farmers.

According to the report generated by The Tribune (published in Dec 30, 2011 print), about 19 million tonnes of paddy residue is burnt every year in Punjab, which is indeed a big value.

Due to this, huge amount of lethal gases generated in air become the cause for respiratory problems. But till date, there is no such law or any ban on this activity.

But an alternate to burning paddy residue can be  decomposing and later using it to enrich the soil. Or The Tribune report says that the left over can also be used to produce energy in co-generation plants to produce electricity.

But what we can do here is to educate our near and knowns who are agriculturist about this issue; Aware other people around us and head towards cleaner air to breathe in our city and state and then country!

 

Biodegradable Plastic Bags

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Whether you’re considering switching your grocery bags, shopping bags, or trash bags, biodegradable plastic bags are a great alternative to regular plastic bags, in that they do not harm the environment during their whole life-cycle. As they are made from 100% natural materials, they leave no residue behind, and compost perfectly with organic trash, such as leaves, food, liquids, etc. Their main advantage – apart from not harming the Earth in their manufacturing, use, and disposal – is that they allow consumers to carry on with their regular shopping habits, or kitchen, yard, and compost disposal habits.
 Biodegradable plastic bags do not harm wildlife nor marine-wildlife, since they biodegrade in water and if swallowed by animals, are digested quickly as they disintegrate. Since they are made from natural materials they go back to nature, just like any fruit or leaf would.

How To Make Sure Your Bags Are Biodegradable

1. Check the vendor’s claims about the biodegradable plastic bags. If the bags contain plastic (or technically called Polyethylene), these are not biodegradable bags
2. Check if the vendor has certification for the material. The only acceptable certification should be ASTM D6400 and/or DIN EN13432.

Biodegradable Plastic Bags vs. Paper Bags

Paper bags are environmentally problematic. They are heavier than plastic bags, and therefore require more trucks for transport, they need more energy to produce, and require a larger amount of energy to recycle. Also, paper manufacturers deplete significantly more CO2 than plastic manufacturers. The fact that they are made of trees is also an issue, but it is also what makes paper biodegradable.
biodegradable polythene bag 

On the other hand, biodegradable plastic bags require less energy to produce, are lighter and take less energy to transport. Also, they do not deplete CO2 into the environment during their manufacturing, and are made from all natural materials.
Biodegradable Plastic is still at nascent stage in India, but will surely come up as Environmental issues will rise. 

 

Eco Friendly Festive Celebrations ! What say??

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These days we all are enjoying the gala season ... Our most enjoyed festivals are arriving soon, why we would not be filled with elation.......

But coming to the point, we loose our concern towards environment.......

The first thing which arrives in our mind about DIWALI is - crackers ....... lighting bursting crackers....  But When we ask ourselves - "What we gonna get from these crackers?"  Pleasure and fun for a moment ?  But what about the damage we make to the environment to satisfy our inner souls by these crackers.....

We can't even make out how much pollution is created during diwali season in our whole country...
below is the satellite image of India on diwali....... looking fascinating ???


But beneath lies the bitter truth of this lighting reality........
The emanated smoke and noise pollution causes a devastating effect on environment ....

So why do we all resort to such things if they cause such results......
Can't we celebrate festivals without crackers??? YA WE CAN .....  Instead of letting our money burnt with the crackers we can make a better use of it.... buying chocolates , clothes and other articles is more beneficial and practical :)
So lets celebrate an eco friendly diwali this time by kicking out the crackers and letting in the real joys associated with these festivals ! 

 

GREEN JOBS !

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Realm of the ‘green collar’

The recent global economic downturn has given policymakers an opportunity to take a second look at their growth strategies, and many have concluded not only that serious structural change to a low carbon economy is necessary, but that the time to make the investment has arrived. Rapidly evolving job opportunities demand skill sets in environmental sustainability, and traditional jobs need to be re-imagined to support the emerging green economy. This rising need has given way to the concept ‘green jobs’

A green job is one that helps bring about and maintain a transition to environmentally sustainable forms of production and consumption. Green jobs relate not only to renewable energy, biodiversity preservation, waste management, water conservation and treatment, and carbon management, but also to the change in employment patterns in favour of greener, cleaner and more sustainable employment.
A ‘green job’ is employment in any industry that contributes to preserving or restoring environmental quality in that sector and allowing for sustainable development. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize (or altogether avoid) generation of all forms of waste and pollution. A green job can be a white or a blue collared job in any sector: agriculture, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and service activities such as IT, finance, teaching and so on.
Green jobs exist in all sectors. Increasing environmental awareness is changing and increasing legislation supporting the environment, which will mean increased environmental litigation, lawyers and policy writers. Growth of global carbon markets will mean an increase in carbon finance consultants, analysts, financiers, an increase in carbon accountants, business risk analysts and more. A rise in green buildings and energy efficiency is increasing the demand for architects, engineers, technicians, plumbers, and construction workers. This means more engineering jobs, more construction jobs and more management jobs. These are just a few sectors and jobs out of the hundreds of jobs that will be transformed and created in the future.
Green jobs in India could overlap with other professions: architects capable of designing green buildings, civil engineers capable of making environment-friendly infrastructure, organic farmers, etc. India will need a lot of professionals and trained people to take care of and expand its solar energy, wind power and turbine facilities. The country is facing a shortage of experts in these fields.

Green collar job is the latest trend in the job market and employment sector. The green jobs trend is sprouting around the world. By generating new kinds of employment even countries like India the trend of green jobs is going to be a revolutionary drive and a much preferred one in the coming years.
There is an increasing demand amongst students for “green” courses and degrees that provide them with the knowledge needed to equip them for a rapidly changing business environment and shift in all sectors. In addition to this, businesses are increasingly demanding for more workers with the right skills to complete their projects and work, hence it is crucial that the education sector disseminates the right curricular, training to students, in order to adequately prepare them for a decent paying job.

Some of the courses available to students are:
Bachelor of Science (Env. Sc.)
BE in Environmental Engineering
BTech in Environmental Engineering
Carbon Finance Course n Masters in Science (Env. Sc.)  
Mtech/ME in Environmental Engineering
ME in Hydraulics and Flood Engineering
Phd & Mphil in Environmental Management
Phd in Environmental Protection and Management
Phd in Environmental Science
Phd in Environmental technology  
Phd in Environmental Engineering  
Phd in Forest Ecology, Biodiversity & Environmental Sciences  

Source-
TRIBUNE INDIA-Jobs and careers  
PICTURE 1
PICTURE 2

   

 

Your Views

Posted by gunjan comments (1)
As the school has introduced a new appointment of "environmental affairs".
I think this post will go meaningless if no real effort is done regarding any non-Eco-friendly action.
I want the views of all regarding this..Regarding the related issues you come across. I welcome all  your suggestions about what can  be done for improvement... and any other thing.....  .You can post it here.
Thank you.

 

THINKING GREEN !

Posted by gunjan comments (2)
Until a hundred years ago as humans we had a simple, uncomplicated biological connect. It was a straight-forward equation: we drew roughly 3000 calories each of energy out of Earth for our food and life's sustenance. Today that number per capita has grown to 100,000 calories. We still need only 3000 calories each to nourish life itself. All the rest of this energy is what we extract from Earth for everything else besides keeping ourselves alive. In some countries, like the US, this per capita number runs at over 200,000 calories.
Some of us are concerned about this. We fret over what we could - and should - really be doing to soften this abuse of resources. Little things fox us in the welter of things that we get to read. What is sustainable development? How can it be started at our homes? Beyond the ceremonial planting of green and getting people to run marathons of various lengths in support of the environment, is there more that we can add to the abstract value of 'sustainability'? What are the little things we can do in our day-to-day lives, to reduce demand for things that people make and market?
Of course, we know that it helps to avoid a plastic bag when you can use a newspaper bag, or a brown bag, or even a jute a bag which you can use for many more years unlike a plastic bag which you throw away in less than a week or after a few uses. Can I avoid using the car when I can use a mobike? Can I avoid using a mobike when I can use a bicycle? Can I avoid using petrol or kerosene or diesel and use other alternate fuels which are renewable?
These are common, and widely-understood ideas of environmental responsibility. And the more of us practising them the better. However, there's actually quite a bit more that you and I can do, without compromise on comfort, with very little as cost incurred, with financial savings that you can gain on energy and water use, and with solutions that are very feasible and within your reach.
You could do more by making an effort to understand the simple equations of the environment around us-at the level of your house, your neighborhood, your city, and the country. Not only that, this can be done without the risk of relapsing into intellectualising it and reflecting on some large and fuzzy concepts of sustainability that 'others' and the government should be practicing. It is possible to understand our ecological footprint and its disastrous consequences, not merely in terms of our own behaviour as consumers, but really in terms of the impact on the environment we make. Such a deeper exercise is something, dear reader, you can bring into your lives with a conscious effort you make to bring respectful balance with nature.





 

Indo-Gangetic plains face ozone threat

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A study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has indicated the possibility of high levels of ozone in the Indo-Gangetic plains stretching across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal in the next 10 to 20 years, impacting human health and agricultural productivity. The study also indicated dangerously high levels of fine dust particles (bigger than 10 microns or PM-10) occupy almost the entire country.
TERI researcher Sumit Sharma says the study clearly indicates while particulate pollution is the most widespread among Indian cities, pollutants like NOx and ozone are the emerging threats and proactive policies will be required to control these.
The results have given the researchers a fair idea about the intensity of ozone pollution in different regions. Sumit says the 150-km-wide corridor on the southern side of the Himalayas had moderately high levels in 2005, which can run the risk of turning into dangerous level of 120 microgram per cubic metre by 2030 if no action is taken.
Incidentally, while ozone layer at the stratosphere level protects us from UV rays, ozone produced by anthropogenic sources at the ground level is harmful for human health, impacting respiratory system. The three-atom compound can be linked with premature death, asthma, bronchitis, heart attack besides affecting agriculture with yield of wheat, cotton and paddy crops going down due to its increased levels.
Meanwhile, the report also warned that the fine dust might occupy the entire country, with the exception of the southern tip of Tamil Nadu and the western districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The level of dust will go up from around 100 microgram per cubic metre of air to 200 or more in the next 20 years, in the business as usual scenario, it said.


Source- The tribune newspaper, saturday, june 25, 2011

 

World Environment Day

Posted by gunjan comments (1)
what does world environment day actually mean to us?? just having a speech recitation competition at the school.......or receiving fake advices on how to save environment....???
Its Actually about really thinking something about our future.. what it would be like .......if the environmental issues continue to prevail without any control..
our each 'n' every action counts..... a destroying one also... and a conserving one also....
But if we ALL do a bit of our part to save some extent of environment... it will make a significant difference....
we dont need a special day for this purpose.... but need to have the positive approach....


now this wasn't one of the "always heard lines" by the people on the environment conservation.....
But an APPEAL to all....... to do "something"



 

SIMPLE WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER

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Turn Off the Faucet While Brushing Your Teeth

Why it’s worth the effort: Brushing your teeth seems like a quick job, but before you know it, four gallons of water may have slipped down the sink.
 Your one-year effect: 2,880 gallons of water saved.
 The effect if everyone in the U.S. did it for one year: More than four times the Mississippi River’s annual flow of water.

 Bring Your Water With You
Why it’s worth the effort: Buying a daily bottle of water may quench your thirst, but it parches the planet. Each one-liter plastic bottle takes seven liters of water to produce. Refilling your own bottle directs the water where it’s needed―into your body.
 Your one-year effect: 577 gallons of water saved. 

Water Your Lawn in the Early Morning or Evening

Why it’s worth the effort: If you irrigate in the middle of the day, evaporation prevents 14 percent of the water from reaching the plants’ roots. Watering the lawn in the early morning or evening can save the typical home owner 87 gallons a week.
 Your one-year effect: 4,524 gallons of water saved.
 The effect if every household in the U.S. did it for one year: Equal to nine times the annual rainfall in Seattle. 


Fix leaking faucets and toilets right away. Even small drips can add up to thousands of gallons of water wasted.


HOW TO SAVE WATER AT SCHOOL
  • Close the tap tighly after using it.
  • Whenevr you see a water tap running., close it immediately, even if u have not left it open.
  • Dont spill off the water left in the water bottle after the school is over. Water it to the plants.
  • If any source of water is leaking anywhere, report it to the management.

    LETS IMPLEMENT THESE TIPS IN OUR LIVES AND SAVE WATER TO SOME EXTENT!
    Give your own ideas and add up your own points regarding this.


 

burning of leaves

Posted by gunjan comments (3)
one most typical non environmental friendly issue seen in our surrounding is burning of dry fallen leaves. this is not only hazardous to the air.. but also for other living creatures.


The visible smoke from leaf burning is composed of tiny particles that contain a number of pollutants. If inhaled, these microscopic particles can reach the deepest regions of the lung and remain there for months or even years. Breathing particulate matter can increase the chances of respiratory infection, reduce the volume of air inhaled and impair the lungs' ability to use that air. Particulate matter can also trigger asthma attacks in some people.


Leaf burning also increases air pollution, reduces visibility and damages property. it is recommend composting leaves as an alternative to burning. The practice can save money, create fertilizer and reduce pollution.
GIVE US YOUR VIEWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. HOW WE CAN ERADICATE THIS AND MAKE PEOPLE AWARE.






collection of facts from the following websites ;-
http://theindiapost.com/health/burning-leaves-pose-several-health-hazards/
http://environment.about.com/od/pollution/a/burning_leaves.htm

 

Posted by gunjan comments (5)
The main aim of this blog is to make people aware about the daily actions and activities which can make a difference in saving the environment. So share your views and knowledge on the blog ...

tell us the activities happening around you what you think harms the nature..  we ll find the solutions to it,..

CHEERS AND GO GREEN TODAY AND EVERYDAY...!!