Down To Earth travels to the desert state of Rajasthan to find out about the traditional food habits of the people in one of the driest regions of the country. We discovered that so many things grow in the wild and traditional knowledge of these will ensure that you have plenty to eat in the harsh desert environment. But is this traditional knowledge losing its ground slowly?. Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi...

We often hear that health is wealth. But how well is it understood and applied is difficult to ascertain. This time, we bring to you a story on a nutritional study undertaken by our five GSP (Green Schools Programme) Gold schools, for assessing their students’ health. A few students in the age group of 12–15 volunteered from each school to participate in the study...

The food we eat comes from various sources, among them, plants are the largest group of souces and our primary food producers. Can you think of the food items we get from plants?

Health, Food and Environment are closely related. All living beings have to eat. We eat food to keep our bodies healthy and strong, so that we can go about doing our day to day work. A wide variety of foods is available to us. In fact, our food can vary from region to region. For example, people living in coastal areas might eat a lot of sea food (fish, prawns, etc).

Microorganisms are extremely important for our survival. They help in decomposing organic waste material, and in nutrient absoprtion by plants and animals.

For those of you who often end up at fast-food restaurants in search of a bite, here is an eye-opener. According to global estimates, by 2025 some 268 million children aged 5 to 17 years may become overweight, including 91 million obese. Obesity-linked diseases are projected to increase sharply too; in 2025, up to 12 million children are likely to suffer from impaired glucose tolerance, 4 million will have type 2 diabetes, 27 million will have hypertension and 38 million will have fatty liver. Does this forecast sound alarm bells, kids?

“Pom! Stop now, hfff . . . hfff . . . I can’t run anymore,” shouted Piu. “Hurray! I won the race,” said Pom. “Hfff . . . hfff! I don’t have the energy to run any more . . . I'm going to rest under the tree,” said Piu. It was getting dark. Soon there was a big moon over the sky. “Piu we have to go home,” said Pom...

This member of the cucumber family goes back thousands of years

One summer afternoon when Aman was sitting in a corner looking lost, Parth went up to him and said, “Hi, why are you sitting alone during recess?" Aman got up from his desk and walked out of the classroom. The recess ended and all the boys entered the class and made themselves comfortable in their respective seats. After the school got over, Parth walked up to Javed and asked him as to what is the matter with Aman, why does he stay gloomy and aloof.

Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sikkim is leading the way to reduce plastic waste