From trash mountains to waste segregation, a high-schoolers research and observation through the dump yards. The garbage mountains along the Yamuna, reminded me of the dystopian scenes from the movie Idiocracy (2006), in which people living in the shadows of such mountains get buried under an avalanche of trash. Hence, I embarked upon a quest to explore solutions to such colossal challenges and this journey took me the sites in and around my city, Chandigarh.Since 2019, I was associated with door-to-door campaigns for waste segregation in Mohali. Awarded as the Cleanest City in Punjab in 2023, I delved into this strategy of …

Child waste pickers in India need our help and compassion. Imagine waking up really early, when the sun is just starting to peek through. Imagine putting on a pair of your most ragged, worn-out clothes, picking up your work-gear – a large, equally tattered bag, maybe. And then, trudging out to begin another day, not for school, but for doing what you do every day of the week: pick up waste. Thousands of children in our country do this every day. You can see them scurrying along streets and footpaths with their oversized bags slung on their thin shoulders, rummaging through garbage dumps. They are the unsung ‘green …

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 look around any supermarket and one thing will be hard to miss: plastic. Every item small or big, from perishables to ones with a long shelf life is packed in plastic. Even the ones that have a covering of their own, say, oranges are needlessly packaged. The fruit is even peeled, kept on a delicate foam tray, and sealed with a plastic sheet. Apples are individually wrapped in comfortable cushions made of plastic. Gourds are packed in cling films. It’s almost as if humans think that their artificial packaging, which is wreaking havoc on the planet, is better than that of nature...

How much can you put at stake to help Mother Earth? Do you think sustainability is a trend? This article answers these questions and peers into mending one’s lifestyle, beginning from the clothes that you buy. **************************** The environment is connected to almost every aspect of our lives, from what we eat and wear to the choices we make on a daily basis like taking the car or cycling down to the supermarket...

A desire for a magazine that focuses on well-identified environmental concerns and concrete tangible solutions. ************************************************************************************* It is our collective responsibility to maintain our earth as a habitable place for our present and future. Today, more than ever before, we are facing environmental challenges that can spiral into major crises unless we take urgent corrective measures. We have to strive to execute our actions points and Gobar Times provides us a wonderful platform to achieve them...

With her hair neatly oiled and braided, wearing her green-and-white school uniform, Selvi sat on the mat waiting for Amma to get her favourite tiffin of idlis and carrot sambar. But today, as she waited she couldn’t smell the usual aroma from the kitchen. 'Here you go, Selvi, finish your tiffin and go to school!' Amma placed a plate with idlis and coconut chutney. 'Before you ask me, let me tell you, no carrot sambar...