Recapitulating the prestigious Green Schools Awards and felicitating the inspiring contribution of all the awardees. *************************************************************************************** The much awaited and eagerly anticipated Green Schools Carnival of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi was back on 30th January 2024. Against the backdrop of climate change and environmental degradation, the Carnival underscored the vital role of children and educators in championing sustainability-based initiatives...

धरती का हर मुद्दा जलवायु परिवर्तन से जुड़ा ********************************** बॉन कान्फ्रेंस 2017 की बात है। एलायंस आॅफ स्मॉल आईलैंड स्टेट्स (एओसिस) से जुड़े एक देश के बड़े नेता फूट-फूटकर रो रहे थे। एओसिस मतलब छोटे समुद्र द्वीपीय देशों का समूह। आसानी से समझने के लिए मा…

Sharing fond memories from 25 years back—of ice creams, rookies, cow dung, and some cool environment stuff for kids. ************************************ In the summer of 1992, late at night in the basement of the then rented office space of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the editorial team of the Down To Earth (DTE) magazine had a very long hot and tiring day putting together their very first issue. Anil Agarwal, the founder editor,...

In spite of all the brickbats and rebukes, a tabloid matures into a magazine as it finds its 'beginners' audience and speaks through quirky cartoons.  ********************************************************************************* Gobar Times (GT) already had a successful 10-year run before I got on-board. It was always resplendent in a spectacular tabloid avatar, grabbing eyeballs everywhere. But as if this was not intimidating enough, here we were staging the arrival of a new GT. It’s looks? A standard news magazine format. Were we taking a risk?...

Dusting off our archives to showcase some of the best stuff we’d published so far.

World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023: Small-scale incinerators for sanitary pad disposal in schools is not a good idea. Lack of monitoring and emission of harmful gases like dioxins and furans within poorly designed, substandard toilets are major risks posed by small-scale incinerators. ****************************** The theme of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023 is to make menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030. The predominant objective is to create a world where no one is held back because they menstruate…

A glimpse from the Gobar Times Design Studio, a designing contest organized as part of the Green Schools Carnival 2023, to allow our talented readers to express their vision and version of the Gobar Times by curating two-pages of the magazine—showing what they would like to read and how.

Performing tangible actions to achieve credible solutions—making eco-friendly cleaning agents and raising awareness on chemically-intense products to control pollution. ******************************************************************************** The unsettling sight of the Bellandur Lake—a foamy, cloudy demon gargling bubbles—and plastic litter—baffling mounds disposed irresponsibly—motivated me to act and revive our wonderful world. We all know that the climate crisis is going off the charts and the practise of ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ is gaining alarming urgency. Thus, it&…

A comprehensive wish-list sent from an avid reader to Gobar Times, providing details on what her dream magazine looks like. *********************************** Gobar Times has been around since 1998, which is a long time. It is an insightful read, for sure. It’s great to find it online as in this way, it is available anywhere and anytime...

Flood, drought, rainfall, snowfall, heatwave, cold wave, storm, cyclone, cloudburst, forest fire… You name it, we have it! But the biggest question is how and why? ************************************* The modern life we have created is good for us but not for the environment. This energy-hungry human lifestyle is heating up the world at a rate that is not sustainable for the planet. In the past 170 years or so, industries have flourished and have made the Earth hotter by over 1oC. India, for instance...

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...