At a time when everyone is trying to tighten one’s purse strings, at a time when we need to sit up and take notice of global warming and reduce unnecessary consumption and hence wastage, there is a lot one can save by following these very simple tips in the kitchen.

• Given the fast paced lives we lead today, we tend to cook food and then store in the refrigerator for consumption later. Or we tend to use packaged food that we buy and store in the fridge. When we take out this food and put it in the microwave or on a kitchen stove, it takes up a lot of fuel to warm up the food. This can be saved on drastically if we take the food items out of the refrigerator well in advance and let them get to the room temerature before heating them.
• Soak pulses in water well in advance before cooking. This will reduce cooking time and hence help save fuel.
• After you are done with making chappatis, use the hot tawa to warm anything that you might have taken out of the fridge for heating. You will be surprised how much residual heat is still there in the tawa.
• A few drops of oil or a small piece of butter, added when steaming pulses speeds up the cooking process. I have tried this while cooking dal, rajma and channa and it works.

Tags: environment conservation, Global Warming, green living, Save Earth, Stop Wasting, Sustainable Living

How beautiful!

Photo credits: diko1967

Sadly, the fragile underwater ecosystems today are threatened by:

• Ocean acidification: which occurs when CO2 released by humans enters sea water. The impact has been studied by scientists studying Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
• Oil spills.
• Pollution – garbage from the cities flowing into the seas, including polythene bags.
• Decreasing levels of O2 in seas, which in turn is causing the formation of  ‘underwater deserts; in tropical oceans. When the oxygen levels are low, nitrogen can-not react with oxygen to form biologically available nitrate – needed by underwater organisms at the base of these fragile ecosystems.
• Reckless fishing.
• Dredging for urban development, fishing.

Tags: environment conservation, Global Warming, Save Earth, Sustainable Living, underwater world

The strike by oil refinery employees some time back has thrown up a few questions. Infact these questions have been around for quite some time now but we have been ignoring them. Concerns have been raised that oil stocks won’t last beyond a few years and authorities have been asking us to use it wisely.

What became really evident was that we are moved only when we are subjected to discomfort. It is human nature to get used to the comforts of life and in that comfort zone we are not giving due attention to the issue. A few days of strike threw life out of gear across the country. there were queues on almost all petrol pumps and most ran out of stock in the first couple of days. While we waited for our turn at the petrol pump, we cursed the oil sector employees (for being so indifferent to our sufferings) and the government (for its failure in resolving the matter quickly). However, it was time for some deep thinking also. We have to understand that oil supply is limited and the only way to make it last longer is to use it wisely.

Also, each one of us has to take the initiative. We can’t shirk our responsibility by thinking that if others don’t use wisely, how will I alone solve the problem. 

Imagine life without oil/gas/fuel. Difficult!!

Now think about life without water. Nigh impossible.

Let’s respect nature for what it has given us and not take it for granted.

Tags: Save Earth, save oil, Stop Wasting, Sustainable Living

The Delhi Government on January 9, 2009 effected the ban on use, sale and storage of plastic bags in Delhi. Green campaigners have welcomed the move, terming it as long-overdue. Earlier the Government had banned the sale and use of plastic bags less than 40 microns in thickness and those that did not use eco-friendly dyes. The problem with plastic bags is that they end up in landfills or sewage and worse get consumed by stray animals, including cows with their food, often causing death of the animal in the process.

The ban on plastic bags is applicable to:

• Four star and five star hotels
• Food stores with a capacity of more than 50 seats
• Liquor vends
• Shops in shopping centers and main markets
• All Mother Dairy outlets
• Hospitals with 100 or more beds
• Shopping malls

Excellent piece of news and will be great if the Government can actually impose the ban. Remember the maximum penalty for using a banned plastic bag is a  monetary fine of Rs. 100,000 or a 5 year prison term. 

What are the alternatives available?

• Paper bags
• Jute bags
• Non-woven bags
• Cloth bags

Pros and cons of paper bags

• They are expensive as compared to plastic bags and while the big stores can afford them, for small shops it may not be economically feasible to give a Rs. 10 paper bag for someone making a purchase of goods worth Rs. 100. The alternative in such a case is to charge customers extra for the bag. This will ensure eventually that shoppers will bring in their own bags for shopping. A compromise on shopper’s convenience and a step back in time, some would say BUT lets not forget that environment is as much the responsibility of the person dispensing a plastic bag as it is of the shopper who happily takes it, uses it and throws it into the trash can. We must and will learn to carry our own bags when we step out.
• A lot of paper bags being given out by stores  today come with thin coatings, which definitely make the bags look fancier and stronger BUT are not eco-friendly. Most of these coatings are apparently not bio-degradable.
• An explosion in the use of paper bags will mean an explosion in the demand for paper. The direct consequence will be felling of more trees. A good alternative therefore will be to ensure that paper bags are made of recycled paper. 

Other options

Jute and simple cloth bags are sturdy and you have plenty of very nice designs available in the market now. Most jute and cloth bags come from the small scale organizations, often NGOs that support and help keep alive local handicrafts like jute making, embroidery, sewing, patch work craft etc. 

Of all the above, paper bags, though being largely touted as the next alternative, have the shortest life and are the least eco-friendly as compared with other options. Agreed, non-woven bags aren’t bio-degradable but then they hardly snap or break and can be easily washed to be used again. They have a pretty long life and the issue in their case is more of proper use – if people adapt the use-and-throw instead of use-keep/wash-use policy, then non-woven bags will pose a huge disposal problem.

Tags: alternatives to plastic bags, green living, Save Earth, say no to plastic, Stop Wasting, Sustainable Living

Well, now that we are officially heading towards times when cost-cutting and reduction of overheads will be the key to survival, I thought it was a good opportunity to initiate some steps in our small office as well. I checked up with a friend who owns a mid-sized firm and they are well on their way to making such changes a way of life at his workplace. The good thing is that each of these measures also has the potential to reduce greenhouse emissions. Heres a partial list of what they have started doing:

• Switching off computers when not in use. Atleast switching off monitors. Its a waste of energy if the system is on and not in use. And switching off computers when not in use, can pare energy usage by two-thirds.
  According to an estimate by the research firm Gartner, PCs account for some 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions coming from IT & Telcom.

• Reducing drastically on personal meetings with clients and vendors they have worked with in the past. And relying on phone and email for business communication instead.
• Installing power saving flat screen monitors in place of the old TFT monitors. And boy, do they look good!
• Switching off extra lights.
• Allowing natural light to come in through windows. Earlier, the blinds were always drawn.
• Turning off the coffee dispenser when not in use.
• Printing only when imperative.
• Making slip-pads out of one-side used paper.

What’s your office doing? Any other ideas?

Tags: Global Warming, green living, Save Earth, Stop Wasting

Found this award winning video on Global Warming dis-believers. Too good! Check it out…

Did you know that US alone is responsible for 25% of world pollution thats causing Global warming? Take a look at this award winning video…

Well, we all have to care. There is no other alternative.

Let’s not be embarassed to:

• Carry our own bag for shopping.
• Wrap our gifts in  newsprint.
• Switch off extra lights.
• Switch off the AC if fans can treat us well enough.
• Go on foot to places within walking distance. Its healthier too.
• Use public transport as far as possible. The DMRC is an excellent alternative.
• Order food that just enough. If the food still get left-over from a meal, let’s not be embarassed to ask for it to be packed.
• Eat at the restaurant instead of getting it packed at a take-away. Will just take a few minutes extra but we can save a whole lot of plastic and paper that would otherwise go into packing the stuff.
• Use washable cups and glasses where possible. Atleast avoid styrofoam as much as possible. There is no way to recycle it!!
• Use one-side used paper for printing.
• And yeah, print only when absolutely necessary.
• Print in toner saving mode as far as possible. Not only reduces our carbon footprint but also goes easy on the pocket.

Simple measures but then little drops of water fill up the ocean

Ever wondered how at an individual level you affect the climate? This carbon calculator will tell you just how much.

Tags: Global Warming, Save Earth, Sustainable Living

As a child, I used to marvel at and be at awe of the amazing steel, glass and concrete buildings one would see so often on trips abroad. Now that there are plenty of these at home, I have begun to feel sick at their sight. All that one longs for now is to see loads of green cover in the city, birds crooning, butterflies, flowers… and not barren stretches of land interspersed with solid concrete structures looming into the sky (read Gurgaon). O for something far removed from these impersonal alienating structures surrounded by a cacaphony of horns! Homes and offices that are an extension of nature around us, that make us feel at one with nature and yet are practical.

Ofcourse I can’t afford to buy a large enough piece of land in Delhi to construct a home but what can stop one from some wishful thinking And so I tried to figure how to make such a home on my imaginary piece of land…virtually. I was happy to find that there are others who want and infact have gone and gotten themselves homes and offices that I can only dream of…people are even using mud houses as natural habitats. Awesome! Indian architects like Chitra Vishwanath, Eugene Pandala, Yatin Pandya are known for their sustainable architecture and eco friendly design.

The most surprising finding of my research, however, was that Bamboo, yes the humble bamboo is increasingly being used in modern construction. Bamboo which is five times as strong as concrete is being used to build even bridges! Houses built with bamboos are said to withstand even hurricanes! Wonder why it isn’t being used extensively despite its known benefits… If you are really facsinated by the idea of sustainable architecture, then what these experts say will interest you.

It is interesting to note that while the eco-friendly housing and construction is more sustainable, it is also more affordable and requires lesser maintenance. Eco-friendly construction uses natural materials like bamboo and other natural resources, viz., sunlight, harvested rainwater, natural ventilation, gray water recycling and attempt to cut down energy usage. Eco-friendly houses typically have maintenance free exteriors and interiors. So while eliminating or reducing the use of solvent based paints on one hand, they are also easy on your pocket on the other. Eco-friendly construction is the way to go!

Tags: eco friendly construction, green living, Save Earth, sustainable architecture, Sustainable Living

Did you know that being a vegetarian is not just healthy but also good for the environment? As Albert Einstein said, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances of survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

Sample this…

• “Growing a pound of corn can take between 100 and 250 gallons of water…But growing the grain to produce a pound of beef can require between 2000 and 8500 gallons.” - Peter H. Gleick
• According to a UN report, 18 percent of global warming emissions come from raising chickens, turkeys, pigs, and other animals for food. This is nearly 40 percent more than all the cars, trucks, airplanes, and all other forms of transport combined. And is way more than all the homes and offices in the world put together (8 percent).
• “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.” – Environmental Defense
• Animal farming causes an explosion in CO2 emissions, methane and nitrous oxide emissions, which are the primary causes of global warming.
• Animal farming emits two-thirds of acid rain causing ammonia into the environment.
• Animal farming uses 30% of land on earth and is a prominent cause of shrinking forest cover.

…and more…Jennifer Horsman and Jaime Flowers talk about it in this presentation. I was particularly appalled by the devastating effect on the environment (slide 13 onwards).

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by aSGuest449

Be a vegetarian, its healthier and eating lower down in the food chain will ensure you have plenty of water and trees to not worry about global warming alarmingly. For those who want to make an effort to Go Vegetarian, this site offers a Starter Kit.

Tags: dont eat animals, environment conservation, healthy eating, Save Earth, vegetarianism