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...

A novel carbon-capturing method involving old basalt rocks—this proposal won a gold medal for India at the International Earth Science Olympiad 2022. *********************************** Global warming is a burning issue affecting the earth. Discussed in all forums at the international and regional levels, this issue is a worry worldwide because its impact is devastating. Various methods are being proposed to effectively combat this problem...

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...

Global CO2 emissions need to drop to net zero by 2050 to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Since fossil fuels account for 80% of global energy consumption and 75% of greenhouse gas emissions, countries are transitioning to cleaner energy systems like renewables and promoting energy efficiency...

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.

In the guise of development, what allows us to be callous with earth's resources? A study conducted by Indian Institute of Soil Science shows that majority of the soil in India is deficient in secondary nutrients, such as sulphur, and micronutrients, such as zinc, boron, iron, copper and manganese. The question then is how nutritious can our food be if it is grown on malnourished land? Many other villages are suffering, like Jaduguda and Kolaghat, because the polluter does not take the responsibility of the waste, burdening locals with unseen consequences...

The movement towards a cleaner environment got a huge push recently when the Irish Parliament passed a bill that would make Ireland world's first country to fully divest public money from fossil fuels.

Why do we need to conserve energy?

"Oh, my God! Mummy, there is a snake in the house.” "I am dead and yuck!” I heard the desperate cries of my two daughters, Badki and Chutki. Alarmed, I ran towards the room from where I could hear their voices, to check whether it was actually a snake in the house or something else. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the room I spotted three earthworms wriggling in through the space between the main door and its frame, into the house. My younger daughter Chutki was calling it a snake and the older one Badki was so scared to see them that the glass fell from her hand and broke!

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...