Chhidiyaa..uddd gayi (Dwindling number of House Sparrows)

I remember during early childhood, whenever we spoke about `chidiya', it was always the house sparrow that one thought of. It is really sad that their numbers have declined and there is nothing that we have been able to do about it till now.

The fluffy brown sparrows (scientific name: Passer domesticus), are 15cm in length and distributed all over India up to 4000m in the Himalayas. The disappearance of sparrows has been widely reported in India. According to a report, the sparrow population in Andhra Pradesh alone had dropped by 80 per cent, and in other states like Kerala, Gujarat and Rajasthan, it had dipped by 20 per cent, while the decline in coastal areas was as sharp as 70 to 80 per cent. However, reliable information on sparrow population is still not available. No one is counting and keeping a record of the number of sparrows. And that’s what has been adding to its dwindling population- sheer negligence.

It's not the urban habitat but the excessive use of pesticides, gradual decrease in nesting sites and food sources which are to be blamed. Also, introduction of unleaded petrol, use of chemically treated seeds and reduction in areas of free growing weeds are also possible reasons for this disappearance.

The most recent reason for their disappearance is the mobile phone tower. The flow of electromagnetic waves from cell phone towers is capable of destroying the life in the eggs thereby making them incapable of hatching.

Climate changes are evidently making our lives difficult for survival, then how come these small little creatures be not affected?

Small little measures from our end can ensure the sustenance of sparrows in the future. Otherwise, the time is not far when house sparrows will be viewed only on Google.

Firstly, we can sprinkle grains on our terraces which would provide them with food.

Secondly, placing bowls of clean water will help in quenching their thirst, more so now with summers approaching.

And most importantly, we all should focus on raising awareness of declining numbers of house sparrow and discuss about the seriousness of the issue amongst friends/relatives/neighbours and jointly take necessary action.

The sparrows are species that have evolved with humans and are always found in and around human habitations.

Since they have always been around us, a nest box provided to them is willingly accepted by them. As the nest boxes replicate their natural nesting site.

This not only helps the house sparrows' ecological need of food and safe nesting place but also helps in establishing emotional attachment to house sparrows, which has been lost somewhere.

More so, this decline in the number of house sparrows is a significant bio-indicator that there is something wrong in the whole eco-system which could be or is harmful for human beings as well.

When our environment is not able to support the survival of a small sparrow then it is a matter of great concern.

- This article is written by Neha Pradhan, executive member at Green Team Welfare Society.

Green Holi

‘Rang barse, bheege churan wali, rang barse’

This one song that everyone relates to at this time of the year. But I don’t know how many of us realize that ‘rang barse’ does no good to our skin, hair and eyes.  Rashes, infection, hair fall are a few problems everyone seems to grumbling about post Holi.

Let’s play it a different way this time. Let’s keep it green and safe. How? Use natural and organic colours. Not the ones that are sold in the market with the ‘organic’ tag to them. 

Make these naturals colours at home. Mehendi mixed with water can be used as green. Turmeric (haldi) or Marigold (gained ka fool) can be used as yellow colour.

The City of Pearls, Hyderabad is going Green this Holi. 

Small efforts like these will make a huge difference. ‘Karega India, Tabhi toh Barega India’

 This article is written by Saakshi Jindal from Green Team Welfare Society. 

Waste-to-Energy : Changing Perspectives

New Delhi is growing. Its population is burgeoning at a staggering pace even as its diminishing pool of resources paints a disturbing picture for the future. The National Capital Territory is home to over 14 crore people and this number is increasing rapidly. The city has seen a massive infrastructural and opportunity growth in the last decade which has led to untrammelled immigration to the capital. But along the way, the once self-sustained megalopolis finds itself heading towards an imminent resource –crunch which, if not accounted for immediately, may lead to dire consequences.

The per capita consumption of electricity in Delhi currently stands at 100Kwh which is about three times the national average. The 28.9 Lacs households in the city consume this colossal amount of energy year round. It’s not hard to foresee a time when this demand to supply equilibrium would be ruptured irrevocably. So what can be done to avert this crisis? As we certainly cannot constrict the exponential population growth, especially for a few decades to come, we may use the one resource that has been accidently made available to us. The waste. The most undesirable by-product of any process.

Waste can be broadly classified under four heads: 
1.  Urban waste
2.. Industrial waste 
3.  Biomass waste 
4.  Biomedical waste

By means of incineration, and utilizing various technologies like bio-chemical and thermo-chemical conversion, all this waste has a potential of generating up to 3000 MW of energy. Surely this is not the number that is an answer to all our energy needs, but if coupled with effective waste management, we may be creating something useful from something that is potentially hazardous. New Delhi has already taken cue from the bright prospects of waste-to-energy process and steps are being taken to make the energy plant more community-friendly. With proper technological corrections, waste-to-energy has tremendous potential in the capital city.

- Green Lantern

References :

http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/wte/wte.html

http://delhigovt.nic.in/newdelhi/dept/economic/empweb/summary.htm

delhiplanning.nic.in/Economic%20Survey/...02/PDF/chapter11.PDF

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00024/WASTE_DUMP_YARD-GHAZ_24416f.jpg

“What can I do?”

This is a question, which haunts most of us because we want to help but we do not how. We don’t have the time to take part in clean up or plantation drives. Nor do we feel that suggestions like using public transport or using a bucket to bathe instead of a shower suits our lifestyle.

Most of us do our bit by cultivating simple things like switching off electrical appliances when not in use or turning off the vehicle engine at signals. Quite a few of us have developed habits like closing the water tap while we brush our teeth or carrying our own bags when we go to shop.

We still want to do more and we need to figure out how.

If you ask yourself this question and then sincerely search for an answer, you will find that you can do a lot more. You can find solutions that suit your schedule and are easy to carry out in your organisation’s set up.

For example, a friend was very upset about the number of print outs that his job requires him to take every day. He was using at least 200 A4 sheets per week! He did not have the option of not taking out these prints, as keeping a hard copy of every report was compulsory for him. A little thinking gave him a very simple and effective solution.

He decreased the font size to 10 instead of 12. 12 is the suggested ideal size but 10 is equally convenient when it is for record keeping and needs to be referred to rarely. With a little convincing, he managed to make this new size acceptable to his seniors. This enables him to save 30 - 40 sheets of paper every week!

Another friend decided to put a simple poster near her office’s tea dispenser. The poster said “Plastic cups harm the environment. Don’t paper cups do the same? Use your own cup and save many trees”. The company actually had to decrease its purchase of paper cups to half of the number being brought earlier.

I had a similar experience in my office. Green Team had suggested using printed sheets with one side free by simply punching holes into them and then using a ribbon to tie them together into a notebook. I implemented this.

Following my example, my entire office today, does the same. Not everybody has made the effort of compiling used sheets into a notebook. Some use them as loose scribble sheets while others use the other side to take fresh print outs for next day’s in house jobs. No paper with one side free is now wasted.

Depending on your work requirements, you can also find simple and effective ways of doing your bit for the planet.

Think about it. Let’s put Planet First!    

- This article is written by Vidushi Agarwalla, Copywriter at Green Team Welfare Society. 

Creativity and Environment

For building a greener future for ourselves and our coming generations we need to start working today. We all know this, have heard it many a times, then why does the message conveyed is not able to get people to act?

For a message to be communicated in the desired manner, besides the correct framing of the message its execution has to be taken care of, catchy enough to hold their attention. There is hardly a soul around who is not aware of our current environmental problems unless the person is totally dumb or ignorant.

Save Trees Save Environment, Save Earth Save Yourself, Save Water, Stop Pollution and many of such kinds have been around us but the impact generated has not been to the expected level. We get used to seeing such quotes around that they start losing their importance. To capture attention, a buzz needs to be generated and using new creative and innovative modes of message communication can do it.

Words that create impact, which make people ponder over an issue, they need to be shown the consequences, instilling the feeling of fear can do wonders. Till the time they were asked to Save Trees they didn't act because they didn't get the motivation but if they are told Save your natural Oxygen Cylinder- Trees! This would create the impact; they will realize it is for their benefit which automatically makes them to Act.

Creative approach towards an issue can fetch necessary results. For environmental issues people have to be aware and motivated to act, they can’t be forced to work. The willingness to work has to come from within.

Same story same meaning just a different way of expression does the trick!


- The article has been written by Neha Pradhan, a Communication executive with a leading Indian corporate. 

Willful Ignorance

We all dream of an ‘ideal’ future which is safe, clean, open spaced, bright, not too cold or too hot,

where we can find pure water and fresh food . However, the cruel future images are dirty, cluttered

with pipes, streaming gases and glazed with unnatural lighting, where the food is supplied in

packages from vending machines.

Whenever we are asked about the foremost reasons that lead to environmental crises, some of us

give quick answers, some ask for further explanations of the question and some for more time to

determine an answer to the question. However, response to the question cannot be one. The effect

on the environment has been so adverse that one couldn’t give just one answer. The unexpected

answers and untroubled attitude reflect the poor environmental knowledge of the people who are

wishing for the ideal future every day.

(Closing the window doesn't stop the rain)

When developments are the only motive of the human beings then they shape into the worst

human carefree behaviour and free themselves from the responsibility of the later consequences

that developments are accompanied with. Developments become self destructive and fraudulent.

But humans never imagined for once that this could ever happen to them. They always believed

that more developments will make future fruitful.

The explosive growth of human population, overconsumption, speedy growth' and the technological

advancements lead to the imbalance in the environment as humans took everything for granted.

However, they forgot that good and bad always go hand in hand. Initially humans were ignorant and

primitive but now what has prevailed is willful ignorance.

Everyone has contributed their share in the destruction of environment by not controlling energy

demand, through misuse of water and fuel, by not recycling or by using bleach. The worst is that

each one of us is well aware of their contribution yet is willing to contribute more and more every

day. Biggest problem that has arisen is that people do not have complete information to facilitate

recommendations hence the obvious result- temporary. People need to be more in touch with

the environmental issues so that they can be motivated frequently to carter to the demand of

conservation that will eventually lead to the environmental protection .There is a need to eradicate

willful ignorance which can only be possible when there is complete knowledge accessibility.

- The author of this article is the Editor-in-Chief with Green Team Welfare Society. 

Filmy Greenies

Nobody is as much obsessed with the celebrities in their country as we Indians are. Many a times, Bollywood celebrities have become role models for people in our country. We idolize them in almost every way possible. Wanting to live the kind of life they live, the clothes they wear, the places they visit, their style, in short become just like them.

In a country where advertisements play a major role in the promotion and position of a brand, Bollywood celebrities are rolled in to endorse them with the conviction that more and more people would buy them.

Only if this could also hold true for what they did for our environment. They might be celebrities because of the work they do. However, at the end of the day they all are human beings worried for the world and the environment. Hence, like you and me, they also in some way or the other contribute their bit to make this place greener.

Shahid Kapoor has been a vegetarian since the last many years on which he says, “Being a vegetarian is a lifestyle change and something that comes from a sense of responsibility.” The actor has also put his dog on a vegetarian diet other than celebrities like Kareena Kapoor and Maggie Q.

But it’s not only about changing your eating habits. There are celebrities who might not be vegetarians but are still doing a lot for the environment. Priyanka Chopra is the brand ambassador of NDTV’s Greenathon campaign. Launched in April 2008, the NDTV-Toyota Green campaign was India’s first ever-nationwide campaign to save the environment. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about environmental issues by involving the people of our country to make a difference.

(In picture: Priyanka Chopra, Jairam Ramesh, Pranoy Roy, R.K. Pachauri)

As part of this environment campaign, NDTV organized India’s first Telethon in 2009 – THE GREENATHON, a fund-raising event that brings in people to donate money to support TERI’s initiative – Lighting a Billion Lives which aims at providing solar power to villages without electricity. In Year 1, they raised funds to light up 56 villages and in Greenathon 2, the event resulted in 115 villages being provided with solar power. Many celebrities like Rahul Bose, Vivek Oberoi with the help of Greenathon adopted villages and lit up the lives of the people living there.

However, there are ground level activities too in which these celebrities indulge to spread awareness and to motivate those around. Back in 2009, Preity Zinta along with industrialist Ness Wadia undertook a cleanliness drive at

Carter Road, Bombay

. After constant complaints to BMC (Bombay Municipal Corporation) and failed reverts, Preity Zinta decided to clean the area of Carter Road herself along with some more willing people.

(In picture: Rahul Bose)

My point here by stating these examples is that even the smallest effort by our side can do a lot for the environment. Clean and hygienic surroundings keep us away from diseases and the plants from dying.

Everybody has idols. But it’s what we idolize about them that matters. Anyone can idolize material things like clothes, shoes, house etc. It’s those who idolize the deeds who would make a difference. 

- This article has been written by Saakshi Jindal, Content Developer in a leading company in Delhi.