CHANGING CLIMATE

Just today I was chatting my mom about this Shraadh ,during which in Hindu religion food is offered to our dead forefathers,and I suddenly recalled my grandmother telling me about it raining once during Shraadh ,so that those who don't have anyone to offer them lunch ,satisfy their hunger by drinking rain water.And today being the last day there is no sign of rains.No I am not accusing god ,or implying there must have been some mistake in his rain book,but i am pointing towards this changing climate by this small incident.Weather changes which we earlier used to take for granted are becoming history slowly and slowly.Tim Flannery,a Australian scientist has said that global economic boom has accelerated greenhouse gas emissions to a dangerous threshold not expected for a decade and could potentially cause irreversible climate change.This scenario is akin to the movie 'DAY AFTER TOMORROW' in which there is sudden climate shift towards the ice age.Even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change establishes that amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the threshold that could potentially cause dangerous climate change.And this resulting global warming is driving up humidity levels ,with the risk that rainfall patterns will shift or strengthen,tropical storms will intensify and human health may suffer from heat stress .Already in Rajasthan this effect can be seen with flooding in Barmer district ,an area which usually faces drought problems,and it's soil not being adapted to deal with excess water ,rose the problems of water borne diseases due to stagnant water.This what is gonna happen until and unless some severe steps are taken to deal with this demon of global warming.

vermicomposting

The total annual waste generated in India in the form of municipal solid waste is 25 million tons, agriculture waste residues 320 million tons, cattle manure 210 million tons & poultry manure is 3.3 million tons( Source :CPCB 2001).Traditionally the solid waste management practices involve collection & transportation to far off low dumping sites. This leads to fowl smelling area, disease spreading, and mosquito breeding grounds that mar the aesthetics of urban as weel as rural dwellings.The other option is composting which involves the dumping of waste into a pit that is covered with soil on the top. The bioconversion of waste to farm yard manure (FYM) by this method takes about 6 months

There is a tremendous scope to convert the biodegradable waste into organic manure through vermiculture biotechnology or vermicomposting.

The vermiculture biotechnology denotes the use of earthworms as natural bio rectors for efficient biodegradation of organic solid wastes. Vermicomposting uses earthworms to reduce organic garbage to worm "castings," a rich soil fertilizer. The soil made by earthworms has many benefits. The earth worms ensures bio conversion of wastes into a rich manure within 40-45 days under complete aerobic conditions.

Unlike chemical fertilizers the vermicompost is gentle & does not burn plants. Its application in the soil results in:

• Supply of nutrients such as N, P, K, micronutrients and plant growth hormones to the plant
• Solublization of inorganic plant nutrients deposited in the soil.
• Improved soil aeration.
• Improved structural stability of soil.
• Increased water penetration into soil
• Neutralization of highly acidic & alkaline soil.
• Control of plant Pathogens & reduced pest attacks.
• Increased beneficial micro flora like nitrogen fixers, phosphate solublisers & actinomycetes.
• Better lusture, taste & keeping quality of produce
• Adding small amounts of wet kitchen scraps to a large compost pile in the garden day by day can disrupt the decomposition process so that the compost is never really done. But it works just fine with vermicomposting.

Varieties of earth worms:-

The species of earthworms that are being used for compost production are Eisenia foetida, Eudrilus eugeniae, Perionyx excavatus, Lumbricus rubellus and Pheretima elongata.

Composting with redworms is great for apartment dwellers who don’t have yard space, or for those who don’t want to hike to a backyard compost bin with their food scraps. Some kids like to keep worms for pets! By letting worms eat your food wastes, you’ll end up with one of the best soil amendments available—worm castings. This is the cheapest and easiest to manage worm bin system that I’ve seen:

Materials Needed to Make an Easy Harvester Worm Bin:

• Two 8-10 gallon plastic storage boxes (dark, not see through!) as shown in pictures Cost: about $5 each
• Drill (with 1/4" and 1/16" bits) for making drainage & ventilation holes
• Newspaper
• About one pound of redworms

  Step 1

  Drill about twenty evenly spaced 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of each bin. These holes will provide drainage and allow the worms to crawl into the second bin when you are ready to harvest the castings.
  
  

• Step 2

  Drill ventilation holes about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart on each side of the bin

  near the top edge using the 1/16 inch bit. Also drill about 30 small holes in the top of one of the lids.

  Step 3

  Prepare bedding for the worms by shredding Newspaper into 1 inch strips. Worms need bedding that is moist but not soggy. Moisten the newspaper by soaking it in water and then squeezing out the excess water. Cover the bottom of the bin with 3-4 inches of moist newspaper, fluffed up. If you have any old leaves or leaf litter, that can be added also. Throw in a handful of dirt for "grit" to help the worms digest their food.
  
  Step 4

  Add your worms to the bedding. One way to gather redworms, is to put out a large piece of wet cardboard on your lawn or garden at night. The redworms live in the top 3 inches of organic material, and like to come up and feast on the wet cardboard! Lift up cardboard to gather the redworms.. An earthworm can consume about 1/2 of its weight each day. For example, if your food waste averages 1/2 lb. per day, you will need 1 lb. of worms or a 2:1 ratio. There are roughly 500 worms in one pound. If you start out with less than one pound, don't worry they multiply very quickly. Just adjust the amount that you feed them for your worm population.

  Step 5

  Cut a piece of cardboard to fit over the bedding, and get it wet. Then cover the bedding with the cardboard. (Worms love cardboard, and it breaks down within months.)

  Step 6

  Place your bin in a well-ventilated area such as a laundry room, garage, balcony, under the kitchen sink, or outside in the shade. Place the bin on top of blocks or bricks or upside down plastic containers to allow for drainage. You can use the lid of the second bin as a tray to catch any moisture that may drain from the bin. This "worm tea" is a great liquid fertilizer.

  Step 7

  Feed your worms slowly at first. As the worms multiply, you can begin to add more food. Gently bury the food in a different section of the bin each week, under the cardboard. The worms will follow the food scraps around the bin. Burying the food scraps will help to keep fruit flys away.

  What do worms like to eat? Feed your worms a vegetarian diet. Most things that would normally go down the garbage disposal can go into your worm bin (see the list below). You will notice that some foods will be eaten faster than others. Worms have their preferences just like us.

  Feeding your worms:

  Worms LOVE	Worms HATE
  Breads & Grains Cereal Coffee grounds & filter Fruits Tea bags Vegetables	Dairy Products Fats Meat Feces Oils

  When the first bin is full and there are no recognizable food scraps, place new bedding material in the second bin and place the bin directly on the compost surface of the first bin. Bury your food scraps to the bedding of the second bin. In one to two months, most of the worms will have moved to the second bin in search of food. Now the first bin will contain (almost) worm free vermicompost. (You can gently lift out any worms that might remain, and place them in the new bin, or put them into your garden!)

  Troubleshooting

  Problem	Probable Cause	Solution
  Worms are dying or trying to escape	Too wet Too dry Bedding is used up	Add more bedding Moisten bedding Harvest your bin
  Bin stinks!	Not enough air Too much food Too wet	Drill more ventilation holes Do not feed for 1-2 weeks Add more bedding
  Fruit Flys	Exposed food	Bury food in bedding

  Worms Eat My Garbage, the best book on worm composting from Amazon.com

During the 22 day war with Pakistan Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan-‘Jai jawan,Jai kisan’ (Hail the soldier,Hail the farmer) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee further added to it by incorporating Jai Vigyan.And if both of these kisan and vigyan join hands ,then miracle happens.India is mainly an agricultural country ,in which the major contribution to economic growth is by agriculture only. But in spite of that farmers are facing acute poverty.This is because only 25-40% of their crops fetches money whereas the rest of 60-75% of his produce which is agriculture residues is simply junked. Obviously no industry can survive on such low productivity.Apart from the government’s low support prices ,it is wastage that has made the farming non-renumerative.India generates 600 million tonnes of agriculture residues every year. If farmers are able to earn money through this,rather than burning it as a way of waste disposal ,it will greatly boost up the prospects.Any marginal farm can produce agricultural residues even if the main crop fails.And iof these residues are are used to produce energy ,a farmer can earn an average income of Rs 2000-Rs 4000 per acre from residues alone. This income can give him benefits even in the distress sale of his crops.

Three types of energy can be produced from these residues-Liquid fuels such as ethanol or pyrolysis oil;gaseous fuels like biogas and electricity.

Ethanol, which can be used as transport fuel can be produced by lignocellulosic conversion of residues.Extensive R&D is being done the world over to optimize this technology.Afew large plants in Canada,Japan and US have already been set up with this technology.Theoretically,residues in India can produce 156 billion litres of ethanol ,which can take care of 42% of India ‘s oil demand for the year 2012.

Pyrolysis oil is produced by rapid combustion of biomass ,which is rapidly condensed so that oil is yielded which is nearly equivalent to diesel.Around 20% 0f charcoal is produced as a byproduct which can be used as cooking fuel in rural households.Nevertheless,R&Dis still neededto make this technology suitable for use in internal combustion engines.India can produce about 400 billion kg of pyrolysis oil from its agricultural residues which is equivalent to 80% of India’s total oil demandfor 2012.

Agricultural residues can also contribute in the production of 80,000 MW power all year round through biomas based power plants.The plants could be either small scale (500MW) running on producer gas fronm agricultural residues or medium scale (10-20 MW) running on direct combustion of these residues.

A part of these agricultural residues can also be used via the biodigestor route to produce fertilizer for crops and methane gas to run rural transport ,irrigation pump sets or kitchens.Energy from agricultural residues in India can generate 30 million jobs in riral areas.When farmers are forgotten,long term sustainability of the country is threatened .When farmers produce both food and fuel ,their utility becomes manifold.65% OF India’s population depends on farming for its livelihood.If energy from agriculture emerge as an area of interest ,India can emerge as a high tech farming community.

Global warming is already under way. The evidence is vast and the urgency of taking action becomes clearer with every new scientific study. Some of the most obvious signs are visible in the Arctic, where rising temperatures and melting ice are dramatically changing the region’s unique landscapes and wildlife—as well as people’s lives and livelihoods. Across the globe, other early warning signs include melting glaciers, shifting ranges of plants and animals, and the earlier onset of spring.The profound impact rising temperatures have had in the Arctic provides a window into a future we may all experience. With continued warming, we can expect more extreme heat and drought, rising sea levels, and higher-intensity tropical storms. At risk are our coastal property and resources, the livability of our cities in summer, and the productivity of our farms, forests, and fisheries.In the conference on climate change recently,delegates from 37 small island states warned about the disappearance of small islands which are the home to five percent of world's population under the rising oceans as a result of global warming.Solomon islands foriegn minister Patteson Oti remarked that the climate change is the symptom and not the disease.He said the disease is our unsustainable means of production,worsened by unsustainable patterns of consumption.
We can’t avoid all the consequences of global warming, but committing ourselves to action today can help ensure our children and grandchildren inherit a healthy world full of opportunity.

By investing in renewable energy and energyefficiency,and increasing the efficiency of the cars we drive, we can take essential steps toward reducing our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels that cause global warming. Using energy more efficiently and moving to renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy) would significantly reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases. The United States currently produces 70 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, but only two percent from renewable sources. Since the burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide—the leading cause of global warming—but renewable energy does not, increasing the share of our electricity generated from renewable resources is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming emissions. Cars and trucks are another significant source (25 percent) of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. A serious effort to address global warming must therefore reduce emissions from cars and trucks. Many technologies already exist that can do this, while also creating new jobs in the U.S. automotive sector and other industries throughout the country. In addition, American consumers would save billions of dollars on gasoline, and we would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. By putting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and vehicle technology solutions in place at the federal level, we can reduce our contribution to global warming while creating a stronger, healthier, and more secure nation.

BICYCLE REVOLUTION

Nowadays transportation is increasing day by day,with leaps and bounds.Acquiring more than two cars is becoming a status symbol even in developing countries like India.In Haryana ,when farmers sold their land to developers ,the first they bought was a car,bigger the better.Car use has rapidly accelerated, fueled by the increasing income and high standard of living. Ultimately crisscrossing over 40,000 miles, the new freeways are being chiseled through cities and towns, sometimes splitting apart neighborhoods, and creating new pathways for development and sprawl far from urban centers.With the doubling of population(it seems that India will leave even China behind in the race for most populous country ), commutes are growing longer, and pollution and traffic congestion have worsened. Increasingly, city leaders and urban planners have began to see that building more roads has done little to solve traffic congestion. They are found that offering commuters 'carrots' — more travel choices including 'non-motorized' transportation like bicycling — did prod motorists out of their cars and help alleviate gridlock and traffic jams.To get out of this jam ,there is an urgent need for reviving this forgotten mode of transport-bicycling.If everyone who lives within 5 miles of their workplace left their car at home just one day a week and cycled to work, nearly 5 million tons of global warming pollution would be saved every year — like taking about a million cars off the road.Bicycles are made out of steel ,aluminium and plastic.The steel used in bicycles is made from scraps from junk yard thus saving on energy and aluminium used in it is less than the aluminium used in one tyre of a car.

The payoffs of pedaling to work are many:

• saving money on gas,
• avoiding traffic,
• getting exercise, "Pedaling to work 30 minutes a day or even twice a week is a great way to get more exercise while also helping reduce air pollution." — Dr. John Balbus, Environmental Defense health program director and bicyclist
• helping curb global warming pollution and often saving time, too.
• Cycling is the least polluting way of travelling after walking and ten bikes can be parked in the space of one car
• does not emit climate-disrupting carbon dioxide, and is affordable for billions of people who cannot buy an automobile.

The key to realizing the potential is to create a bicycle-friendly transport system. This means providing both bicycle trails and designated lanes on streets for bicycles.Cycling has too often been given insufficient attention in transport and land use planning. It has been easy to assume that because few people appear to cycle, this will always be so. Multi-stage trips (e.g. cycling then train) need to be identified, together with the potential for modal transfer. A Cycling Inventory should be considered, including: 1) Extent of cycling activity 2) Accidents and road danger 3) Opportunities 4) Quality - coherence, convenience, safety, security, and comfort.Making our streets and pathways safer and accessible to cyclists will encourage more people to pedal to work and to use bikes for recreation. The Perspective Plans for our towns and cities must include Green Transport Plan to give a new horizon to sustainable development in our Planning process. Let's plan our cities towards a Better Earth, Better Life and Better Tomorrow.

ECO-FRIENDLY WAY TO BE COOOOOOOOL

Oooffffff!this heat wave.It is September and still the Sun is shining as brightly as ever.May be he is getting a nonstop supply of glucose from somewhere.Well,jokes apart,the heat wave of summer has come early this year and has been one of the hottest in history.Hundreds of people have already fallen ill or died from heat related issues.And in addition to the humidity ,deadly diseases like dengue have terrorised everybody.Also these escalating electricity bills due to the usage of Ac's and coolers to ward of this heat have been burning a hole in the pocket as well as have already created an energy crisis.So what can we do to keep cool and healthy during these hot summer months and that too in an eco friendly manner?Read on-

• Tree plantation.Yes,trees planted outside the house not only beautify it but also prevent direct sunlight from entering the house.Also,if the trees are deciduous,then they will shed leaves in winter and thus allow sunlight to enter the house and winter.If tree plantation is not possible,then hanging plants outside the windows or planting creepers etc. will block sunlight to an extent.


• Use of light coloured curtain or blinds(helps in reflecting heat away from the house).


• Giving your house a paint of light colours ,preferably white will reflect the heat away from the house.This can be done during the annual 'house painting ' exercise.Also houses with rooftops can get the floor of the roof also painted white,the reflecting heat away from the house.


• Encourage everybody in your community to plant trees,be in the parks only.Because trees will lower the temperature of the neighbourhood thus providing a remedy to tackle the heat.

HELP THE NATURE

It has been established that green house gases in atmosphere has increased manifold;that this increase is due to human activity,and is leading to the warming of the climate system,evident in increase in global air and ocean temperatures,widespread melting of snow and ice and rising sea levels.All that was feared was coming true ,in our life time.But still it's not Dooms Day.We can still save the earth to an extent.And by we ,i mean us common citizens of will be the first victims of this climate change ,but still feel helpless in doing anything for the environment. We can't rely on the government much because by the time all the bureaucratic hurdles will be cleared ,the change in climate will reach the point of no return.So here are a few things which as an individual we can do to contribute to save this environment,because a stitch in time saves nine,read environment here.

• Usage of paper bags instead of plastic bags.Also paper bags are the in thing and they look more cool than plastic bags.And if you are artistic kinda person then unleash your creativity on them ,by painting,collage or whatever you can think of ,and ,voila you have your own individual bag which defines your individuality and marks you as Eco-friendly person too.


• Minimise the household waste that goes into landfill.Vegetable and fruit peels ,used tea leaves (best fertiliser available) etc can go into the pots or kitchen garden.To avoid the stench that will emanate when they decay,the waste should be mixed with the soil,which is technically,anaerobic composting.Take it, it is my guarantee that it is best fertiliser available in the market.I used vegetable peels as fertiliser in one flower pot and in other commercial fertiliser.One with natural fertiliser has witnessed many plants in less than one year ,all healthy and blooming,like,water melon,Bengal gram,tomatoes,and Bougainvillea which was ever present.And other with commercial fertiliser was not even able to stand one harsh winter.


• Use of car pools.This way you can save your petrol by alternating as well as you get company to lighten the journey which would have been spent in cursing everyone while stuck in traffic jams.


• Plant a tree.Or if you are living in a congested area or are unable to plant and take care of that sapling that compensate for that by planting as many plants as you can . I agree that plants can't compensate for the trees we have lost by the way of jungles but still we need each quart of Oxygen we can get.Also plants beautify our homes,and don't forget the butterflies.

Rest for later.looking forward to your comments..................