A Happy Green New Year !

Posted by gunjan comments (1)

A Very Happy New Year to all the readers. Lets welcome the this New Year 2012 with resolutions for our environment too!

So here are some simple initiatives which we all can take this year and do our part.

1) Switching all the appliances not in power and Save Electricity.
2) Using energy efficient appliances and CFC free.
3) This is the most important one- Say NO to POLY BAGS. This can actually create a huge               difference.
4) Plant atleast one tree.
5) Save trees. Atleast the ones around your home.
6) Save water by repairing all leakages and turning the taps off before leaving home.
7) Control the pollution emission by turning off your vehicles at signals and jams and car pooling.
8) And as a god citizen , Don't throw litter or garbage here n there which makes the environment      unclean.
9) Save paper. Millions of trees are cut to make paper , so don't waste it.

These simple steps can lead you to saving your environment . So cheers to the New year and a bright future.....

 

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In the fields of Punjab ...

Posted by gunjan comments (1)

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??

Posted by gunjan comments (3)
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 !

Posted by gunjan comments (4)
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.