Stop Global Warming!

I just had a nice interactive session at our office on Saturday. The session was to make the work-free ambience on Saturdays a bit more interesting and at the same time dispense some really informative content to all the employees who are receptive enough to bother. The speaker initiating this chose to speak on one of the most bothersome concern facing us threateningly in our faces: GLOBAL WARMING!

The essence of the entire discussion was the so very simple measures that we can implement in our day to day lives and yet contribute a lot towards procrastinating the inevitable, if not completely prevent. The very fact that we tend to overrule our own cognizance and continue to behave in very irresponsible manner has always been the biggest predicament and obstacle in helping the environment. This attitude of ours is nothing else but a harsh apathetic CALLOUSNESS. We are killing our own future and we need to act now, it is actually the state what our TVS Apache’s tagline says: Its NOW or NEVER.

So just to point out some alarming facts that many of readers are well aware of, but still would like to reiterate and hope that its imprints last long enough in our minds and continue to urge us to behave in a manner that we all preach and dictate.

Greener computing:Visit this page to learn more GREEN COMPUTING

• Printing (save trees; do not unnecessarily print pages unless required. Always use print preview to avoid errors)
• Inkjet vs Laser printing
• Leaving monitors on
• Standby vs Hibernation
• Shutting down when not required
• Screen savers: Avoid the use of screensaver, just turn off the monitor when not required
• Black screen vs White display (Blackle)
• Email vs Postal cards and letters: Use of emailand ecards is much better way than to use letters and greeting cards. You can save a lot of paper by reverting to the electronic mode of keeping in touch.

Automobiles are the single largest contributor to Global Warming

• Walk and Bicycle as and when possible, avoid using vehicles for short distances.
• Do not use private vehicle unless absolutely necessary and resort to using public transport ike bus and trains
• Always have PUC done for your vehicles
• CNG vehicles can contribute a lot towards helping for a greener cause. Use CNG vehicles and get your vehicles modified for CNG compatibility. This will save a lot of Diesel and Petrol and will help to reduce the emission of green house gases
• Servicing the vehicles, vehicle maintenance, regular cleaning of filters and replacement when required, fuel efficient driving

Lifestyle changes required

• Frozen food
• Air conditioning
• Sustainable consumption of available resources
• Water management
• John Abraham: One minute less in shower every day
• Switching off fans/lights and other electronics when not required
• Ligitings CFL’s Vs Tubes Vs Bulbs
• Greeting cards: Avoid greeting cards
• Avoid using electronic equipments unnecessarily, especially when it can be avoided

Greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gases are the gases present in the atmosphere which reduce the loss of heat into space and therefore contribute to global temperatures through the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases are essential to maintaining the temperature of the earth; without them the planet would be so cold as to be uninhabitable.Likewise, an excess of greenhouse gases can raise the temperature of the planet to lethal levels. The term greenhouse gas is applied to, in order of relative abundance: water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and CFCs. Greenhouse gases are produced by many natural and industrial processes

Measure and control your Carbon Foot-prints

A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases we produce. It is measured in units of carbon dioxide.

A Carbon Footprint is made up of the sum of two parts, the direct / primary footprint and the indirect / secondary footprint.

The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane).

The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use – those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown.

Tips to Reduce Your Primary Footprint
1. Holidays: Don’t go by air
2. Electricity: Sign up to renewable energy
3. Gas: Try using solar water heating – this can reduce your gas bill by up to 70% over a year.
4. Travelling around: Use public transport as much as possible. Find out about your local bus services and then use it.
5. Car Share: Sign up to a car share scheme to reduce your travel footprint.

Tips to Reduce Your Secondary Footprint

When you buy goods – consider where they have been made and the materials and processes used to make them. Items that have high emissions in the manufacture or delivery should be avoided when ever possible. Things such as:-
Bottled water: Tap water is safe to drink in most European and North American countries, yet people still insist on buying bottled water. If the bottle is labelled as being from volcanic springs – you can bet that it has probably been imported from some distance. Imagine the carbon footprint of the flight / shipping of the water! And that’s before adding in the emissions due to making the bottle and / or recycling it.

Food and drink from far distances: When you go to the supermarket, look at the label to identify which country the food is from. There is no need to buy New Zealand apples in the UK in the autumn – but people do!

Think twice about buying a bottle of wine from the other side of the world – you may be able to find much more local wine, which will have travelled far fewer miles.

Better still try growing your own fruit and vegetables in your own garden. Planting an apple tree will not only provide you with lots of fruit, with zero carbon footprint, but the tree itself with breathe in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – making these fruit effectively carbon negative!
Meat eating: Reduce your consumption of meat, especially red meat.

Clothes from far off lands: Check the clothes labels before you buy. If they come from more than 1000 miles away, keep looking!

High packaged items: Avoid goods and services that have unnecessary packaging!

Tree plantations: Deforestation n Afforestation. Need we say more?

Water management, Waste management, Mass motivation, Spreading awareness

Organisations
www.stopglobalwarming.org
www.fightglobalwarming.com

Hope you can do your bit and make this world a better place to live, for you and for me and the entire human race

E-Waste

Planning to buy a newer mobile? Think again!

E-waste, an orphaned product of Technology, has piled up to threatening levels and the impending danger is easily palpable. A comprehensive effort on an united front is deemed essential to tackle this seemingly daunting task.

Technology has catered us with absolute miracles. Advances in technology have been churning out products and gadgets at a rate faster than we blink. Combine that with a booming global economy and we realize that we are consuming technology faster than we can digest. The result is a dangerous explosion in electronic scrap containing toxic chemicals and heavy metals that cannot be disposed of or recycled safely. These electronic scraps are popularly termed as E-waste.

Market is flooded with new products; laptops, mobiles, desktops, refrigerators, fax, printers, televisions and such. At the end of their useful life when they become redundant we just replace it with a newer and better one. But do we ever think where does these scraps go? Where are they dumped? Disposed or recycled? The answer is: “They pile up”.

E-waste junk is exponentially increasing with 20-50 million tonnes generated every year globally. Where thousands more are exported, often illegally, from the Europe, US, Japan and other industrialized countries to the subcontinent, Asia itself discards an estimated 12 million tonnes each year. Electronic waste now makes up a whopping five percent of all solid waste worldwide. Developing countries are expected to triple their e-waste production over the next five years.

● The average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years now. ● Mobile phones have a life span of less than two years. ● Statistics project that by 2010, there will be 716 million new computers in use. ● There will be 178 million new computer users in China, 80 million new users in India.

Personal computers (PCs) contain certain components, which are highly toxic, such as halogens, toxic gases, biologically active materials, acids, plastics and plastic additives. The hazardous content of these materials pose a threat to environment and health. Improper disposal ensures that they end up in landfills or incinerators or, more recently, are exported to Asia.

Landfilling can cause toxic chemicals in electronics products to leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, impacting nearby communities and the environment. Incineration releases heavy metals and toxic fumes into the air. Mercury released into the atmosphere can bio-accumulate in the food chain. Acids and sludge obtained from melting computer chips, if disposed on the ground causes acidification of soil.Another leeway is exports. E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries to developing ones, often in violation of the international law. Growing E-waste trade problem in India. 25,000 workers are employed at scrap yards in Delhi alone, where 10-20000 tonnes of E-waste is handled each year, 25 percent of this being computers. Other E-waste scrap yards have been found in Meerut, Ferozabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. There, workers at scrap yards, some of whom are children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons.

Reuse and recycling are better alternatives to the above mentioned. However, these modalities are not being widely implemented for their own shortcomings and lack of recycling plants. The lifespan of reused products is very short and they are usually dumped further accentuating the problem. Although recycling can be a good way to reuse the raw materials in a product, the hazardous chemicals in E-waste mean that electronics can harm workers in the recycling yards, as well as their neighboring communities and environment.

Then what is the solution? Solving this perplexing problem is a dilemma.

Proper control over the materials used in the manufacturing process is an important way to reduce waste generation. All production materials must be evaluated to examine if they contain hazardous constituents and whether alternative non-hazardous materials are available. Changes can be made in the production process, which will reduce waste generation. Also improvements in the operation and maintenance of process equipment can result in significant waste reduction.

Recycling could eliminate waste disposal costs, reduce raw material costs and provide income from a salable waste. However recycling of hazardous products has little environmental benefit if it simply moves the hazards into secondary products that eventually have to be disposed of. Unless the goal is to redesign the product to use non-hazardous materials, such recycling is a false solution.

Government will set up regulatory broads and industries will form a convention to implement stringent protocols. How far these will be regulated and implemented depends on the bureaucratic wrangles. Even if it is realized, the magnitude of this problem cant just be attenuated unless the participation is on an individual level. What can you do and what must be done is an important question to address.

Waste prevention is perhaps more preferred to any other waste management option including recycling. Donating electronics for reuse extends the lives of valuable products and keeps them out of the waste management system for a longer time. But care should be taken while donating such items i.e. the items should be in working condition.

Reuse, in addition to being an environmentally preferable alternative, also benefits society. By donating used electronics, schools, non-profit organizations, and lower-income families can afford to use equipment that they otherwise could not afford.

E-wastes should never be disposed with garbage and other household wastes. This should be segregated at the site and sold or donated to various organizations.

You can follow these simple protocols to do your bit:

● Support companies that make clean products.

● Think twice before buying whether you really need a new device.

● Support greener manufacturers and buy them

● Purchase energy efficient and certified products

● Return your equipment to the manufacturer when you have finished with it.

● Customers should opt for upgrading their computers or other electronic items to the latest versions rather than buying new equipments.

Every coin has two sides. Technological advances, while being the biggest boon of the millennium has also been a threat and has raised environmental concerns in the form of piling E-wastes. However, It is not technology that can be held responsible, but haphazard growth, un-mindful implementation and disposal by us has led to this stage where technology is spitting venom right on our faces in the form of potentially harmful wastes. We as responsible habitants of this green planet are ought to display some responsible behaviour and take measured and appropriate actions to minimize, if not eliminate, the same.

References:

● Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

● Greenpeace International reports

Green Computing

Technology and environment

Ever since it was invented, computing technology has seen a spiralling growth curve, both in terms of efficiency and productivity. Head counts have been rapidly replaced with desktops and the required manpower implementation is significant on a downside. The human work force, driven by physical energy is left way behind and is not a viable option when power driven (electricity) computers performs the same task more efficiently.

At the same time, when IT technology has helped companies streamline business processes and improve efficiency, the amount of processing power and bandwidth IT systems use has also been increasing. So the amount of energy they consume and the volume of toxins they emit have also been on the rise. This has been alarming and the devastating effects are already glimpsed with the melting of Arctic and Antarctic. Sea levels has been rising, environmental detriments are visible. Everyone is now aware of the “Greenhouse effect” and “Global Warming” phenomenon.

Well, have you ever imagined that all these things stem from callous attitudes on an individual level. How much do we contribute to these effects? And more importantly, what can and should be done to counter it? It is in this effect that the term Green computing has been the centripetal guiding force of the contemporary businesses and individual practices.

What is green computing?
Green computing is a mindset. Contemporaneous businesses have networking processes that has a quadratic effect, the interaction grows in three dimensions geometrically rather than linearly and has disturbed the environmental symbiosis. So green computing is a mindset that asks how we can satisfy the growing demand for network computing without putting such pressure on the environment. Scourge for an alternative way to design a processor and a system such that we don’t increase demands on the environment, but still provide an increased amount of processing capability to customers to satisfy their business needs.

Green Computing protocols focusses on the so-called triple bottom line of economic viability, social responsibility, and environmental impact. This includes disciplined approach to an array of values and criteria for measuring organizational success; economic, environmental and social.

Unlike standard business practices earlier, contemporary Green practices focuses on economic viability as well as green chemistry; reduction of the use of hazardous materials such as lead at the manufacturing stage, maximized energy efficiency during the product’s term of use, and recycling potential or biodegradability of both a defunct product and of any factory waste.

Power consumption
It is not just the fact that computers are used, but it is the way in which computing is implemented. Research [Courtesy: The Global Energy Network Institute (GENI) ] reveals that most personal desktop computers are not being used the majority of the time they are running and many personal computers nationwide are needlessly left on continuously. Every time we leave computers or lights on we waste electricity.

A typical desktop PC system is comprised of the computer itself (the CPU), a monitor, and printer. Your CPU may require approximately 100 watts of electrical power. Add 50-150 watts for a 15-17 inch monitor, proportionately more for larger monitors. The power requirements of conventional laser printers can be as much as 100 watts or more when printing though much less if idling in a “sleep mode.” Ink jet printers use as little as 12 watts while printing and 5 watts while idling.

How a user operates the computer also factors into energy costs. First let’s take the worst case scenario, continuous operation. Assuming you operate a 200 watt PC system day and night everyday, besides the direct annual electrical costs the amount of resources consumed would be phenomenal. In contrast, if you operate your system just during normal business hours, say 40 hours per week, the direct annual energy cost would be significantly reduced – plus, of course, the cost of providing additional cooling. So, if the PC is performing a lengthy operation, at least turn off the monitor.

Greenhouse effect
Considering the tremendous benefits of computer use, neither of the above cost figures may seem like much, but think of what happens when these costs are multiplied by the many thousands of computers in use. Burning fossil fuels generates most of our electricity and it also emits pollutants, sulphur, and carbon dioxide into the air. These emissions can cause respiratory disease, smog, acid rain and global climate change.

Computers generate heat and require additional cooling which adds to energy costs. One idea is to reduce the “carbon footprint” of users — the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases naturally blanket the Earth and are responsible for its more or less stable temperature. An increase in the concentration of the main greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons — is believed to be responsible for Earth’s increasing temperature, which could lead to severe floods and droughts, rising sea levels, and other environmental effects, affecting both life and the world’s economy.

Government initiatives
There are national and international initiatives in place to encourage manufacturers to reduce the standby consumption of appliances to as little as 0.5W, and pressure is also being applied for devices to be fitted with proper power switches so they can be switched off without hassles and provide no excuse for letting it remain on.

In a move that aims at saving power, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), recently started its ‘Standards and Labelling’ (S&L) programme for electronic appliances. These include refrigerators, air conditioners, water heaters, agricultural pumpsets and tubelights.

All this is part of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, of the Centre to save a whopping 20,000 mega watt power in the country. Once it comes into effect, the Act will have to be implemented by all the states and union territories. The Non-conventional Energy Development Corporation of AP (Nedcap) was nominated by the state government, through a government order, as the regulatory and enforcement agency.

But is it being implemented? It’s a lesson to Indian Standard formulation bodies who are urged for speedier implementation of EE&L Standards on availability of Energy labelling on Energy Efficient products on potential savings.

At present, it is upto the manufacturers to display energy efficiency labels on their products. But in a year’s time, it will be made mandatory and products that do not conform to norms will not be sold in the market, as it says on the paper.

Energy efficiency labels, the government feels, will provide energy use and cost details to the consumer. By making minor changes in the design of the switching mode power supply, makers of electronic home appliances can reduce consumption by a few watts. One can save three units every month by just switching off the television.

As of now, nearly 20 million cell phones in the country use 40 million watts electricity everyday. However, energy consumption can be brought down to 5 million watts if manufacturers of mobile phone chargers install a transformer costing just Rs 5. All electronic appliances can save at least three to five per cent of total power consumption in the standby mode by making minor changes with minimal investment, according to Nedcap officials.

An average middle class household consumes 150 to 200 units every month out of which 60 units are consumed by the refrigerator alone. The consumption can be brought down to 45 units. Over 35 countries, including the US, have implemented the S&L programme.

Individual initiatives
So the question that pops out is, What can I do?, What can we do? The answer is You can and We can. Simple disciplines and responsible computing may help reduce your computer energy consumption by 80 percent or more while still retaining most or all productivity.

Turn off your computer and/or peripherals when they are not in use. Screen savers save no energy. If screen saver images appear on your monitor for more than 5 minutes, you are wasting energy! A screen saver that displays moving images causes your monitor to consume as much as electricity as it does when in active use. These screen saver programs also involve system interaction with your CPU that results in additional energy consumption. A blank screen saver is slightly better but even that only reduces monitor energy consumption by a few percent. It is best to turn you monitor off.

Standby also provides a good option. But then, standby power is also used to keep internal clocks ticking and to store user options and presets. It consume a reduced amount of power, but are ready to respond to commands from a remote control unit. The amount of power consumed ‘extra’ is stand by mode as against turning off the system would be very small, but again it has a cumulative effect when we consider the millions of machines working globally. While standby mode is preferable to leaving a device fully powered, research conducted around the world has revealed that vast amounts of power are wasted by devices left in standby mode.

If the computer is going to be inactive for more than 20 minutes, consider turning it off. After this time, the energy needed to run the computer outweighs the start-up energy. Turning on and off will not harm the equipment. Look for ways to reduce the amount of time your computer is on without adversely affecting your productivity.

Environment Protection Agency (EPA), benchmarked Energy Star monitors, that stands by its claim of energy efficiency. These “Energy Star” computers and monitors can be programmed to automatically “power-down” to a low power state when they are not being used. These efficiency gains can be achieved without any sacrifice in computing performance. The EPA has estimated that providing computers with “sleep mode” reduces their energy use by 60 to 70 percent. The recommended settings are 20 minutes for monitor sleep and 30 minutes for system sleep.

Thus, you must turn off your computer and peripherals including monitor and printer, when not needed. The inconvenience of waiting a minute or two for a computer to reboot or peripheral to come on line may be trivial compared to the energy savings achieved by keeping computer equipment off when not in use.

The same applies to all other devices and accessories besides computer and peripherals. It is also beyond doubt that there is a great saving of energy (50-80 W) on use of CFLs (15 & 20 W) against incandescent lamps (for use against 75-100 W lamps).

You can take a giant step toward environmentally responsible or “green” computing by conserving energy with your computer. But green computing involves other important steps as well. These pertain to paper use, toner cartridges, disposal of old computer equipment and purchasing decisions when considering new computer equipment.

Paper conservation
Paper conservation is another important aspect of Green Computing. Rather than creating a paperless office, computer use has vastly increased paper consumption and paper waste. Science News writes that computers are responsible for 115 billion sheets of paper being printed annually.

We can take simple precautions to minimize paper waste. Don’t print unless needed, information can always be stored on the disks and backed up. Also to avoid re-printing, reduce errors by reviewing and modifying documents on the screen and use print preview. Also, buy and use recycled paper in your printers and copiers. From an environmental point of view, the best recycled paper is 100 percent post consumer recycled content.

Use “paperless” methods of communication such as electronic mail (e-mail) and fax modems. Also, do not print out copies of e-mail messages unless necessary. Store information on diskettes rather than in “hard copy” format. A single high-density 3.5 inch floppy disk can hold the equivalent of 750 sheets of paper, about one and a half reams. Use a printer that can print double-sided documents. When making copies, use double-sided copying.

Environmentally responsible computer use implies not buying new equipment unless there is a demonstrated need. Determine whether you can upgrade your existing equipment rather than purchasing new equipment.

10 Tips towards greener computing

• Buy only “Energy Star” computers, monitors and printers. Flat panel monitors use about half of the electricity of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display.
• Buy a monitor only as large as you really need. A 17-inch CRT monitor uses 30 percent more energy than a 15-inch one when each is in an active mode.
• Buy ink jet printers, not laser printers. These use 80 to 90 percent less energy than laser printers and print quality can be excellent.
• Printer toner cartridges can be refilled, rebuilt and reused. Many manufacturers will take a spent cartridge, refurbish it, refill it, and return it for about half the price of buying a new one.
• Network and share printers.
• Do not turn on the printer until ready to print, even an idle printer consumes energy.
• Try to schedule computer-related activities to do them all at once, keeping the computer off at other times.
• Once they are available, consider buying “Green Computers.” Several computer equipment manufacturers are currently developing PCs which are not only highly energy efficient but are also manufactured in a resource efficient and less polluting manner and are designed and built for eventual recycling.
• Consider leasing equipment as an alternative to purchasing. Leased equipment is typically refurbished or recycled, and packaging is reduced.
• Donate an old computer to a school or charity; if it is permanently out of order, give it to a computer recycling facility instead of discarding in a landfill.

With cognizance about environmental ethics dispersing among the masses globally, the term ‘Green Computing’ is not an oxymoron anymore.

In the end, computers and the internet and technology as an entity, are not eco-neutral. Some of their impacts are negative, with energy consumptions and piling e-wastes. But much of their impact is positive with fostering economies and enhanced productivity. What is more important is being cognizant of the need to leverage the two parameters for benefit, a global benefit. The impact of the devices on ecology needs to be lightened, but the impact of the tools on the world is already enormously positive, and will only get better. Start it from an individual basis.

Going green with Dell

• Dell was awarded the National Recycling Coalition’s ninth annual Recycling Works Award in the year 2007. Across the range of Dell products, energy savings are built-in.
• Dell’s versatile OptiPlex line of performance desktops is built with energy efficiency in mind. Innovations designed into the OptiPlex series, when configured with Intel Core 2 Duo processors and flat panel displays, allow the OptiPlex 745 to use up to 70% less power than previous generations of OptiPlex desktops, dramatically cutting consumption down.
• Current Dell Latitude notebooks consume up to 70% less energy on average than the previous generation OptiPlex GX620. The energy saved results in a reduction of pollution to the environment. In addition, every 1000 units of Latitude notebooks installed instead of the Opti GX620 helps reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 1 million lbs.
• Targeting server power efficiency is one of Dell’s primary design objectives. The latest Dell PowerEdge servers consume up to 25% less energy than previous generations. When combined with impressive performance gains, this results in up to three times the performance per watt over previous generations.
• The new Dell PowerEdge servers powered by Intel Xeon 5100 series processors can deliver up to a 152 percent performance increase over the previous generation 2U Dell PowerEdge server.
• The new server portfolio can also lower power consumption by up to 25 percent, providing an increase in performance per watt of electricity of up to 169 percent and addressing customer requirements to reduce the cost and environmental impact of data center power demands
• Dell makes it easy for you to calculate energy use and your costs with Energy Calculators for some of our desktops, notebooks, servers and monitors.

CES is going green too
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today announced that the 2008 International CES is taking unprecedented steps to ‘go green’ by becoming carbon neutral and incorporating the use of sustainable and energy efficient practices.

• The International CES has committed to reducing its impact on the environment wherever we can and offsetting what we cannot avoid. Any damage caused to the environment by the show’s carbon output will be compensated through CES’ donations to renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects.
• In addition to offsetting the carbon emissions of all CES venues, freight, shuttle buses and hotel rooms, CES provided attendees the opportunity to offset their airline travel via Carbonfund.org.
• CES also debuted a TechZone dedicated to environmentally and economically sustainable technologies which contribute to the social and cultural growth of the developing world.
• CEA took additional steps to make the 2008 International CES more sustainable including working with its Las Vegas-based vendors to use ‘green’ solutions at the event itself.

Lenovo’s efforts

• Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gives High Marks to 42 Lenovo PCs and Monitors. ThinkCentre A61e is adorned with EPEAT Gold status, which is the highest designation offered by the operating Green Electronics Council and it is Lenovo’s signature product.

• With its 85% efficient power supply and optional solar panel, this green machine uses only as much power as three light bulbs. Not only that, but it’s made of over 90% reusable or recycled materials.
• The ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops received an overall “EPEAT Silver” rating, indicating that Lenovo PCs met all criteria for healthy environmental performance, plus implemented optional activities beyond the minimum requirements.
• Lenovo PCs are also energy efficient, which reduces emissions of climate changing greenhouse gases. Lenovo also offers safe recycling options for the products.
• Lenovo’s goals in 2007 covered recycling, energy consumption, and paper usage for manufacturing sites. For products, Lenovo’s goals focus on energy efficiency, design for recycling and reuse, use of recycled materials and environmentally preferable finishes, among others.

Deforestation at CBD hills

For the last few times we had been out to CBD hills for bouldering, much of our time is occupied by quenching out undying thirst and trying to shelter ourselves from the sweltering and scorching heat. We look for the shades of green to hide away from the sun. Our eyes wander to look for the cool shade the trees have to offer, but all we find is a shoot of a tree trunk, mercilessly cut midway along its length and the barks and leaves cut off. All that is left behind is a weeping severed tree trunk. The trees along the slopes of CBD hills are being axed every day. The slopes once tinted with the shade of green are now rapidly trimmed away to the barren shades of brown.

Why this insensitivity? Why this mindless activity? Why this antisocial crime? Yes, its a crime. Global warming is a phenomenon concerning entire world now, and yet such un-mindful acts contribute heavily against the mankind. Mumbai being a coastal metro will have to bear the brunt of the global warming in the future years. Its not just shade it has to offer, but there is a complex ecosystem operating at various levels and trees have been and always will be an inseparable and an important chain in the system. The food chain, pyramid all gets tumbled up with rampant deforestation. Beginning from the tiny termites feeding on the dead and decaying tree trunks to the termite eaters to the higher carnivores, everything is interlinked and inter connected. Even if we hamper a single and seemingly insignificant aspect of the chain, the entire system collapses. Remember how a single card holds the key to an entire building made out of a pack of cards. Pull out a single card and the whole system collapses.

One can see a big banner hosting the CIDCO signature, and captioning it is the text “We build cities”. Yes, no credits off, giving all the due credits to CIDCO for the development of Navi Mumbai, CBD, is the concretization the only form of development can they think of? Of course concretization supports the urban infrastructure, vertical growth is collaborative with development of a city; but then what about the green cover? It’s not that CIDCO themselves are involved in the rampant tree felling in the area, but shouldn’t it shoulder the moral and ethical responsibility as an organization to curb these eco hazards. Shouldn’t it try to save the green carpet, which was even greener not so long ago? The point more alarming is, does even the CIDCO authorities are aware of this rampant deforestation? I guess they are not. Because it doesn’t affect the daily routine of the life of the people macroscopically, it is going unnoticed. But it’s high time we all realize that the microscopic bearing it has directly on our ecosystem and hence on us is huge.

The boulderer’s from Girivihar, are faced to this brutal reality every time they go up bouldering on the slopes of these hills. They have seen the green carpet some years back and now they are seeing it vanishing soon in front of their eyes. They have developed this site as a haven for rock climbers and bouldering enthusiasts. They have opened up several routes, several boulders. Quite a number of bolted sport routes and stuff like that is the result of hard work and spirited effort of Girivihar for last few decades. And now they are seeing their efforts being ruined away by the tree felling in their haven.

Who is responsible for these tree felling?
By now quite a number of new shanties have enforced the slum developing at the base of CBD hills. These slums have already encroached upon the slopes of the hills and are impacting the nature to an extent beyond repair. Not to mention the amount of garbage and sewage the area collects from these slums, the surrounding area is being dumped with all the non bio degradable wastes. Also like the cities host an area called as hawker’s zone, these slums have developed a novel idea of building up a shitting zone. Not only does the stink emanating from the bulk is foul and obnoxious, but also consider the unhygienic conditions and threat of transmissible diseases these slums are exposed to. It doesn’t take long for an epidemic to start, and it spreads even quicker.
Its these slums that are largely responsible for the forest cover being rapidly diminishing. The main reason for tree felling is for the use of firewood. These slums still cook on firewood. The LPG cylinder is still an alien to them and neither are they ready to indulge in LPG and save the trees. Also cattle’s grazing is another factor contributing to the damage.
When asked about their act, they calmly respond back saying that they chop down only the dried trees and spare the greener ones. And the game of blaming others begins. No one is ready to take the blame. Who will? But the tree felling continues. There is no authority to govern and curb these mishaps and the kind words and appeal of the Giriviharaites are turned away with deaf ears.
Legalization of slums and backing of some authorities for the sake of cheap politics is eating away the very precious and life supporting system of our environment.
Who is to be blamed? The slum dwellers? The administration? The unaware CIDCO?
It’s prudent now, actually to forget the blame game and indulge in the repairs. The damage is already done, and being done. Its more about damage control measures now.

How can this be curbed?
The slum dwellers must be made to realize about the damage they are causing to environment, themselves and to all others. They must be informed. However if the kinder informative words fall on deaf ears, its upon the authorities to introduce stern and stringent measures to curb the tree felling. The use of firewood must be replaced with LPG. The locals have enough finance to build new temples and encroach on the slopes of the hills. They have enough money to spend on two temples within a meager distance of 100 meters of each other, but they don’t want to spend on LPG and save the forests.
Girivihar have started volunteering for the cause, but it needs backing. Its our sincere request to get involved and help for a cause.

Also, the filth and garbage these slums have accumulated and dumped near the bouldering sites of old nursery have become a nuisance. The adventurers have to cover their nostrils and reach the site. They have to be careful with every step of theirs. So much is the filth scattered. We have already requested these slum dwellers to stay away from the bouldering sites, but all in vain.
If these slums are backed up and allowed to be standing, then isn’t it necessary to provide them with basic facilities of toilets and sanitation. The lack of it is causing a nuisance and filth in the locality.
CIDCO, you build cities, please contribute by building toilets too.
Its is not strange, that the CIDCO authorities have been at the inauguration ceremony of this years annual bouldering and rock climbing international event conducted by Girivihar, and the plea has already been place forth. We are waiting for a response. Its just not for Girivihar, but the entire locality, the slum dwellers themselves and the environment in a larger perspective.
Hope for the best and keep working for the cause, is what I believe in.

Save Trees!!!

The cost of living is increasing, shooting up with every moment passed. Living is costly. The prices of basic necessities are rising. The technolgical edge comes at a cost. The malls. The pubs. Expensive indeed.
However, dying can be expensive too. We hear of farmers comitting suicide every other day; (in an agrarian nation like ours it is a concerning tick) But has it ever tinkered upon our gray matter that dying is expensive. Yes dying is expensive, more so in ecological terms. Its is more a concerning fact.

How is that supposed to be? The answer lies here:
More than 83 people die globally every minute. If all were buried, 50 acres of land would be taken up for burial grounds. Well real estate prices are shooting up, arent they? Expensive!!!
But more disturbing fact is that, as in Hindusim, burning pyres is the traditional way to do it, just the amount of wood required for the last rites to be performed is magnanimous. Assuming that 80 percent of the deaths occur in Hindu families, around 8 Hindus die every minute. That amounts to 8 trees being chopped down every minute to bid a farewell to the parting soul.
It costs about 300 kg of wood per dead body—one tree approximately. At the current rate of mortality it amounts to 8 trees per minute per dying Hindu. This amounts to 2400 Kgs of firewood for pyres every minute. That is a lot of biomass. But ‘traditions’, they say, die hard. So, it’s hardly surprising that electric cremation, the best-known alternative to pyres of precious firewood, has not found the kind of acceptance it should have.
For, in these ecologically-conscious times, it’s also a question of values and politics. In fact, of survival itself. So, ‘how can the dead be allowed to deplete the resources of the living?’, is much more than a moral poser now. The annual 24-billion-kg consumption of firewood, just for cremation—assuming that 80 per cent of one crore people who die each year (according to national statistics) are Hindus—in such times is, therefore, no less than an unforgivable act of crime.

A Large part of India like most other parts of South Asia and for that matter the rest of the world were till recently covered with thick forests. This region is probably best known for the civilisations that flourished in the valleys of its great rivers like the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Indus after which the country is named. Being a tropical nation and fortunate enough to have a share of rainfall as she does, peninsular India had lot of green cover. However this green carpet is disapperaring too fast for environmental health.Although there is evidence of deforestation even in pre-colonial India, especially due to the expansion of agriculture, it has been shown beyond doubt that the large scale destruction of the forests was started by the British, India’s colonial rules.

Agricultural expansion and Urbanisation
The other major causes of deforestation immediately after independence was agricultural expansion, often state-sponsored. In more recent times it is new policies and programmes of development; rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and growing consumerism that have resulted in the widescale destruction of the forests. What has been equally bad if not worse is that the development projects very insensitively alienated the communities living in the forests, depriving them of their basic sources of survival, forcing them to move away and in the process making them refugees in their own land.

Plywood mills
The profits made and the incentives offered by the administration encouraged the plywood mills to go in for substantial augmentation of their production capacities. With more and more increase in timber demand, supply proportionally increased reaping rich profits. And with government subsidaries offering a support, there was no stopping to the rampant tree felling.

Commercial Forestry
Another major factor contributing to change in the ecological forest cover and tree felling is commercial forestry. Commercial forestry was introduced and the process of conversion of natural forests into commercial plantations was started.Commercial plantations like teak, tea, spices and condiments etc demanded the natural forest cover to be compromised. The introduction of commercial forestry resulted in a conflict over natural resources and the ‘right’ of the people to use the resources became ‘privileges’.
The government classified the forests into reserved forests (large parts of which were used for commercial forestry), protected forests and minor forests, where the local people were allowed access to meet their survival requirements. Profits and the incentives inherent in timber harvesting, mining and power projects are the underlying causal factors of deforestation.

Over a period of the last few decades the direct causes of deforestation include activities of the local populations like, clearance for agricultural activities, and grazing of cattle in the forest which prevents regeneration of new herbage. Natural forest fires are common annual occurrences in the dry seasons and sometimes the FD also uses fire as a management policy. The main benefactors are the contractors responsible for tendu leaf collection as fire helps in the fresh sprouting of the economically important leaf. There have been a number of commercial threats to the forests as well. This includes the conversion of forests into teak plantations, and the operations of the charcoal contractors, who in the past had been leased out the parts of the forest.
In recent years, the state government has been granting long term leases to industries and monopoly rights of exploiting the forest products like timber & bamboo and mining products like coal. Big industrial houses have also been trying hard to grab fertile and good forest land under the cover of degraded and denuded forest land. Not only has all this resulted in the direct destruction of the forests, but government policies have also alienated the local people who no longer associate with the forests like they did in the past.

Deforestation is rampant in a nation like ours. Being a populous country, people have to be actually included at all levels in planning, decision making and implementation to make any programme successful and that afforestation cannot be looked as a sectoral responsibility of the forestry sector. It is a process of social engineering, that should involve all the stakeholders. Any afforestation project will make a dent only when the underlying causes for deforestation are adequately addressed. Without paying attention to the causes of deforestation, afforestation projects cannot succeed.

Some steps which can serve as a ray of hope to replenish the forest covers:

Any implemented program can be truly sucessful if the local population take an initiative. Its not just government who is responsible, but it is for each and every living soul to be morally and dutifully responsible for the deed. Action must initiated from inside.

Rural India is at the base of the pyramid of our developing India, both in terms of manpower as wells as resources. Involving rural India in afforestation program can be a stepping stone towards sucess.

Safeguarding forest is not an isolated process, but it is actually an integration with social, economical and political reforms.

Knowledge is power, but a vast majority of people are unable to acquire it. A small section of people dominate over it. Accurate knowledge and information are needed for taking the correct decisions.

Wooden carpentry needs to be swapped away from domestic India.

Synthetic alternatives and metallic substitutes are equally good and durable, if not better. More importantly, eco friendly.

Its high time that LPG reaches rural India. Biogas offers a good alternative. But still majority of India cooks on firewoods. This needs a drastic restructuring. LPG stations needs to be supplying rural India to save the green. If government can’t copeup with these demands, private sector are eager to have their stake in this sector as well. Decentralize, introduce the private sector. Not only will it serve as an eco friendly energy resourse, but also boost up the rural economy.

Charcoal industry no longer need to exist. They must cease at the moment. There are so many natural and inexhaustible energy resources. Solar energy is one of them. Harnessing solar energy and its redirection for domestic and industrial purposes will contribue a lot towards conserving traditional and exhaustible resourses like firewoods and charcoal.

Use of woods for architectural purposes is a thing of the past now. Take for example, The Tipu Sultan’s palace, which is completely carved out in wood. Nowadays its not a trend. Atleast this change has helped to conserve trees.

Commercial forestry is welcome, but not at the cost of depletion of natural forest cover. What sense does it make to chop down evergreen forests for tea plantations. It not only depletes the forest cover, but also drastically disturbs the food chain and ecological chain.

Restructure the power projects and mining industry to coexist in a harmonious way with the environment.

Cease all the government subsidaries to the plywood and timber industry.

In a predominantly agrarian nation like ours, agriculture is our bread and butter. To meet the growing demans of the population, the output has to increase, but instead of trying to increase the hectares and acres of land under cultivation, try to increase the productivity of the land alreadu under cultivation. Expand cultivation to the fertile soils of the deltas and river banks. The super fertile silt and alluvials soils need to be the utilized carefully and appropriately, rather thanjust encraching upon forest land for cultivation.Supply funds and fertilizers to the underpreviliged farmers.
Implementation of effective and irrigation programs. Bhakra-Nangal project and the Narmada project with Sardar sarovar dam justify the inputs when weighed against outputs it has provided.

Urbaniszation is good for Indian economy. More and more rural India is getting under the urban shade, but spare the forests. With a growing economy and infrastructure, it would be an absolute calamity to ignore the environment. When the tricolour unfurls, we see that the green is an inseparable part of it. Let it always be associated with the colours of development.

The onus lies on We. Us. Ourselves. Back to Chipko Aandolan!!!

Trekking

Trekking in the sahyaris is spreading like an inferno…
This really is good if we consider the desirous efforts and their fruits that they bore via some collective efforts…yeah just pointing out the recently undertaken project on Rajmachi and sudhagad. It really is heartening to see the enthusiasm and the will of the participants and the non participants as well…i must say this coz many of them, desirous though unable to make themselves available for such efforts, are still itching to participate..the reasons varied.

These forts, are the sentinels of the historic events, the battles, the bloodshed for the attainment of swarajya, the oath the dedication and other glorified events of the past. These are the citadels of the past.

Trekking and hiking in the sahyadris today is being promoted by several groups thru net other forums and all such measures and its really heartening to see the response.
Knowing all these leaves a rising desire to do more n more….and promoting such activites is certainly a way to do it….

but certain etched category trekkers do pose a big hindrance for this. Just taking Naneghat…years ago when i visited it…the flooring of the cave, the walls the ceiling were in good shape n clean..the pass was unadulated; now sorry to say…the cave is nowhere near as it was…the walls n ceiling blackened with the soot that the flames deposit on burning firewoods…the location being spolied with the barrage of plastics..and not to mention number of bottles labelled with Mcdowells or Kingfisher i must say….although the villagers from the nearby settlement take up the cleaning activity, as they are being paid by the local governing body for this, the mishaps occur too often too be neglected and forgived.

Another such instance that i can recollect is of Rajgad..as its name suggests “King of the forts” is also being defaced by such activities…but thanks to a certain group who take care to prevent such occurences..i.e they prevent the so called trekkers….from carrying alcoholic beaverages on the fort…even then some of the present day Devdases dint budge and did tried to trick a way out from this..only to be confronted themselves with angry villagers and the personnels…and its really good to see that this has really lessened such incidents on the fort….

Present day trekking is reduced to mere picniking and it has really lost its essence and the flair…not amongst those who really value the blessing which we posses in the form of sahyadris but those who dont really understand its importance and just dims the glowing spirit..

mentioning recent article on the peb fort where Abhijit and his frnds came across a grp who were readily defacing the rocks with some asian paints ..i cant mention the hue..sorry for that though..but as if the company has given them liscence for promotion of the co. and that too on isolated forts…it really stinks..and really abhijit and his frds could really do little as they were outnumbered by them and all of them were drunk….and what the hell of the difference is it going to make by writning all those silly stuff…no one is going to remember those names…u cant leave ur imprints their like this…infact u r just earning some banes for urself…really…painting arrows dont hurt the trekkers..who really need them if they are unsure of the path instead of this names…
There are innumerable such hindrances which stands in the face of the betterment work undertaken..and these r only a few which are highlighted….and as we try to upoot more such useless weeds more are the cactii we will encounter….but the spirits isn’t dozed by this…isn’t it?
Also…there must be number of small activities being performed which we dont really know about…its really can be good if we integrate such activities….but financing may be a big prob it seems….still sources are available…….As ravi mentioned, an article in midday said that there a helps available for such reconsructive activities…just a matter of approch..i myself has not gone thru it….so cant comment much abt that…but if ur willing sources are available…….

Trekking is not just about adventure sport, there in no competetor, infact u compete with nature’s barriers and ur innerself..yet there in no compromise with safety..ther must be a willingness to accept certain rough with certain smooth..
Trekking is not just wandering in the wilderness and witnessing the natures beauty n grandeur…but it is process which every mountain lover experiences and has to respond to the inner challenge that they stimulate… its not a measure of physical strength but it inculcates a value of physical exertion, sometimes to the limit of endurance and above all a spirit of comradeship..and also leads to a closer interst in trees,birds, wildlife etc. This is the essence sought by a trekker, and it is very impotant for us to spread this essence.
Considering the etched category it seems very difficult to spread this message but as far as optimism is concerned it still leaves a strong flavour, and i belive this flavour is for each and everyone of us to taste for.

Also the recently conducted event Girimitra sammelan held in mulund…Ravi has already posted the info on the sahyadrilovers grp…plz read it…much to elaborate..is another kind of activity which all must participate in……still…some probs come without giving an irk…anyways..this programm will focuss on all such activities, the measures to be taken and ofcourse “para-trekking” activities if i can call, coz the are always uattatched with it…viz..photography n all that will also be also featured in it….
just want to conclude….
“U cant do much about the length of your life,
but certainly can do a lot about its width and depth”
Sahyadri is inviting..respond!