The story of how a village got its first toilet. *********************************** G Nandakumar is a young farmer in Diguvapalem, a remote hamlet and a chronically drought-prone area in southern Andhra. In 2019, I met him on a school hiking trip, as part of our Geography classes. 'Nandu,' fondly addressed as so, was keen to upgrade his village by pursing some sustainable environmental practices, like organic farming. However, he lacked the resources to execute his vision. So, as a young student, I was very inspired by his ideas and wanted to help...
Entrepreneurial projects and learning-by-doing activities help build environmental consciousness among young school children. ************************************************************************ Our surroundings are indispensable to our survival. Hence, environmental conservation has become a high priority the world over, owing to climate crisis, pollution, land degradation, etc. Environmental awareness can be attained by changing the attitude...
What are Micro-Plastics? Micro-plastics have not been defined in particular. They are just tiny particles that result from the disintegration of bigger plastic materials. However, most researchers say that any plastic smaller than 5 millimetres in size is a micro-plastic. Hence, these are really, really teeny-tiny! Plastics are made up of polymers, which are derived from fossil fuels. A whole lot of chemicals are added to the polymers—close to 10,000—to ensure that a given plastic has the desired properties...
A vow from an environmentalist to pledge his duty to preserve Mother Earth. *********************************************** If I was the editor of Gobar Times, I would appreciate and highlight all those people in my magazine who try to keep our environment clean. This would include people who save and plant trees and conduct public programmes to spread awareness about environmental issues...
The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganga. It travels barely a distance of 22 km through Delhi. However, this region contributes to about 80 per cent of its total pollution load. Currently, this stretch discharges waste water from almost 22 drains into the river. Untreated effluents, containing toxins and chemicals, released from houses and industries creates froth (white foam) on the river’s surface. Algae, in addition, prevents sunlight from venturing into the depths of this river. Plus, low water level in the river causes concentration of these pollutants…
To burst or not to burst?’ is a question many young humans might be asking as the patakha (firecracker) season begins. Teachers and doctors tend to advice against firecrackers but there’s always a paan-chewing uncle or a macho friend who’ll bully you kids into becoming enthusiastic arsonists. It’s usually a tough choice to make. Some additional information is always a good help in firming up ones’ resolutions. Therefore, let's throw some light on the history, chemistry, and eco-friendliness of patakhas.
In the era of fast fashion, things are made quickly and for a fraction of the cost but end up being expensive for the environment. Today, the textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world and in India, it is the third-largest source of waste after plastic, paper and compost.
What kind of world will the younger generations inherit? Piu gets a hint.
Renewable energy can be a viable power source for our airports, stadiums & homes. Piu entered the house panting one summer afternoon and said, “I have no energy to do anything.” She had come back from school and was completely exhausted. Her mother came to her rescue and handed her a glass saying, “This should energise you.
