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

Not just global warming but also higher costs for corporations. A recent report by McKinsey & Co. suggests that data centers are grossly under used leading to tremendous wastage of energy on a global scale and causing major cost inefficiencies at the corporation level. With one of the companies which they studied, they observed that a third of their 500 servers had utilization rates below 3%; and about 2/3rds had utilization rate below 10%. Wow, what a waste of power. If not for global warming, then atleast to pare their costs, companies need to work out processes to better manage their data center capacities.

McKinsey’s research brings up interesting findings like, almost every company can double its data center energy efficiency through better, cohesive data center management, better planning, and increased accountability. And this will lead to more efficient energy usage, cutting down in terms of both capital investments for setting up or expanding a datacenter (including expensive real estate) and recurring costs, and, a good level of reduction in CO2 emissions! Plenty of incentives to do what is necessary. And indeed I can’t help saying that common sense isn’t so common after all. While it would seem to be common sense to expand capacity only when the current set up is fully utilized, it appears that companies end up spending billions more than necessary because of poor management.

Tags: Global Warming, Stop Wasting, Sustainable Living

Several researches in the present times have focused on Global Warming. A recent report of such a research published in Science suggests that at least half of world’s population could face serious food shortages.

• There is a greater than 90% probability that the lowest crop-growing-season temperatures in the tropics and sub-tropics will be higher than any recorded to date.
• India to be among the worst hit areas. Higher temperatures will mean some of our crops can-not be cultivated. Or will face reduced yields.
• Extreme warnings that have happened the world over in the recent past – like heat waves in Europe, hurricanes, droughts, floods could become the norm in the long-run.
• Cities or countries could get wiped out because of rising sea levels, which would lead to a further shortage of agricultural land.

Does paint a scary picture, this report! However, while I am sure the scientific community will be doing its bit to ensure crop yields are not affected this much by rising temperatures, let this be a reminder to all of us to do our bit to preserve our beautiful planet.

Tags: Global Warming, Stop Wasting, Sustainable Living

Reckless texting, net surfing and emailing is killing the planet! Surprised? Thats exactly what my reaction was when I heard it for the first time. This gentleman, I met last year, heads a Cooling solutions company that specifically looks after Data Center cooling. During the course of an informal conversation, I learnt facts that were appalling. Like everytime I forward a fun sms to a friend, somewhere at some data centers it is taking up energy enough to light up a football field!

Data Centers, typically the size of a football field, house servers which work behind the scenes everytime we send that sms, or email or access the internet. They are power hungry and generate immense heat, green house gases. According to a study by McKinsey, by 2020, the greenhouse gas emissions from data centers would have surpassed those by the airline industry. Data Centers will be major contributors to Global Warming!

And so understandably, there is immense interest in innovations for Green data centers. However, while that happens, lets do our bit to save the planet:

• Lets think twice before we forward that totally unnecessary sms to friends.
• Lets think twice before we while away hours on a social networking site. I am going to just hop over and see friends who live close by. Nothing like chatting with a friend in person, over a good cup of coffee
• Lets get a DVD to watch a movie and if its new, watch it at a movie hall with friends and family. In the long run, it will turn out to be cheaper than mitigating the effects from Global Warming that result from downloading or watching a movie online.
• Lets reduce the number of spam mails we send…yes, we all spam our friends’ mailboxes with fun email forwards.

The information technology has impacted our lives, and, more importantly, the way we communicate with each other, radically. But in our enthusiasm, lets not forget that until further advancements ensure Green Data Centers we’ll be better off if we keep our ‘data center footprint’ to what is necessary.

Its difficult – ask me! I make a living out of internet services – but possible.

Tags: Global Warming, green living, Sustainable Living

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