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...

What is food wastage? Simply put, it means throwing away food which could have been eaten by oneself or by others. This could happen for various reasons – buying more than needed, or because it has been too long on the dining table. We are all guilty of pushing older food to the back the fridge or cupboard and placing fresh food in front.

They are known to have cradled civilisations, all over the world. They bathed, fed and helped carry humans. What are we talking about? Rivers, of course! With a twist to their modern profile, though, today they also serve as water suppliers for grand industries…

Remember the last time you packed a gift on your best friend’s birthday? Well, wrapping up or ‘packaging’ comes naturally to human beings. Not only to make the things inside it look pretty but also to protect them from breaking, tearing or getting dirty. In ancient times, leaves and cloth were the common packaging stuff. But now we have a vast range of ‘packaging materials’. What are they? Also, what happens to the package once we have used what was inside it? It is of no use to us. What happens to the large amount of packaging material generated by huge populations around the world?