2006 December » Wide Aware

Protect yourself and the environment from toxic chemicals

Dec 312006

We live in a chemical world. They are in use all around us – from pesticides to cosmetics and baby bottles to computers. Some chemicals are known to be toxic and we know very little about many others.

There are simple actions you can take to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals. And protect wildlife from the toxic threat.

Feeling defenceless against chemical contamination?

You can cut your risks by taking a few simple precautions when you shop and how you live…

In the living room and bedroom

Avoid

dry cleaning wherever possible
re-carpeting when you are pregnant
synthetic carpets, carpet underlay or upholstery with synthetic foams, foam rubber, latex or plastic coverings, because these emit VOCs
air fresheners, go for fresh air – open your windows! If you can’t do that, use natural odour eaters such as a bowl of baking soda, or natural fragrances such as potpourri

Buy

carpets from organic natural fibres such as wool, cotton, rattan or jute
machine washable clothes and clothes with fewer chemical treatments such as stain repellents

In the bathroom

Avoid

cosmetics, toiletries and perfumes with synthetic fragrances
long-term use of permanent hair dyes, especially those carrying a warning “can cause an allergic reaction”

Use

beauty products such as soaps, shampoos, conditioners and hair care products made from natural ingredients
fragrance-free products
unbleached toilet paper and sanitary products

In the kitchen

Avoid

tinned food products
chemical air fresheners or heavily scented cleaning products such as dishwashing liquids, floor cleaners and washing powders
cling film when reheating or cooking food in the microwave
microwaving food in plastic containers unless they are designed for that purpose

Use

organic products whenever possible
fresh, frozen or dried food rather than tinned food;
a water filter to reduce the levels of chemical contaminants in drinking water
non-vinyl flooring

In the garden

Avoid

using creosote-based preservatives or products pre-treated with creosote
using pesticides indoors or in the garden – use alternatives and try gardening organically

Use

paints, varnishes and glues labelled ‘Low VOC content’, or those that are water-based water-based
organic or natural paints made from plants oils – ask in the store to find which products are available.
garden furniture not treated with creosote

In the nursery

Avoid

polycarbonate-plastic baby feeding bottles. The vast majority of plastic feeding bottles are made from polycarbonate which contains bisphenol A, a hormone disrupting chemical that can leach into the liquid inside. Polycarbonate can be identified by looking on the packaging for PC 7 or looking inside the recycling triangle for the number 7. Wherever possible, breast feeding is always the best option
using old and worn plastic baby bottles

Use

baby bottles that are not made of polycarbonate
children’s teething products and dummies from a reputable source

Action points for an eco-friendly world

Nature Awareness No Responses »

Dec 312006

The New Year is almost here, and the greeting cards with best wishes are flooding in. Just today, I received some 34 greeting cards. Many of them were from people I don’t even remember. I doubt if I am going to read them all – ever. Perhaps some of the really interesting ones, I might read.

If this is the state of my cards, what is happening around the world? How many trees have died, for cards, no one even bothers to read?

I rarely use paper for my work. And when I do, I use both sides, most of the time. It not only keeps the number of papers more controllable in terms of storage, but also helps me be more organised with a computer, leading to an efficient information storing and recovery method, which ends up saving a lot of time and effort for me.

Raka is also very particular about being careful with resources, and we often collect the clean plastic bags we have and return them to shops so that they can be reused.

I am sure we make a difference – however small. What if the many of us could actively involve ourselves into making tiny changes in our habits, to create a massive positive influence on our planet?

With this in mind, I went to the WWF website and got this information to share with the readers here, so that anyone interested, knows exactly what they can do and can begin, without further ado.

I’m not inviting anyone. It is your planet as much as mine.

Save Wood and Paper

Return unwanted mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list.
Always use both sides of a sheet of paper.
Use e-mail to stay in touch, including cards, rather than faxing or writing.
Re-use envelopes.
Always recycle paper after use.
Share magazines with friends and pass them on to the doctor, dentist or local hospital for their waiting rooms.
Use recyclable paper to make invitation cards, envelops, letter pads etc.

In your Home

Turn off equipment like televisions and stereos when you’re not using them.
Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.
Save water: some simple steps can go a long way in saving water like for e.g: you should always turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth. And try to collect the water used to wash vegetables and salad to water your houseplants.
Let clothes dry naturally.
Keep lids on pans when cooking to prevent your cooker having to work extra hard. Prefer to use gas ovens, Geysers etc in place of the electric ones.
Recycle your paper, glass, plastics and other waste.
Use rechargeable batteries.
Send e-greetings instead of paper cards.

In your Garden

Water the garden early in the morning or late in the evening. This reduces water loss due to evaporation. Don’t overwater the garden. Water only till the soil becomes moist, not soggy.
Explore water efficient irrigation systems. Sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation can be adapted to garden situations .
Make your garden lively – plant trees and shrubs which will attract birds. You can also put p nest boxes and put food.
Try growing sturdy grass in bare patches of land , and convince people in your neighbourhood to do so too.
Put waste to work in your garden- sweep the fallen leaves and flowers into flower beds or under shrubs . This will increase soil fertility and also reduce the need for frequent watering.
If you have little space in your garden , you could make a compost pit to turn organic waste from the kitchen and garden to soil enriching manure .
Don’t use chemicals in the garden – as they will eventually end up in the sea and can upset the delicate balance of lifecycles.
Organic and environmentally friendly fertilisers and pesticides are available – organic gardening reduces pollution and is better for wildlife.

Reuse and Recycle

Use washable nappies instead of disposables if you can.
Recycle as much as you can.
Give unwanted clothes, toys and books to charity shops or jumble sales.
Use mains electricity rather than batteries if possible. If not, use rechargeable batteries.
Use a solar-powered calculator instead of one with a battery.
Instead of a plastic ballpoint, use a fountain pen with bottled ink, not plastic cartridges.
Store food and other products in ceramic containers rather than foil and plastic wrap

While Shopping

Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season to help reduce enormous transport costs resulting from importing produce and, where possible, choose locally produced food.
When buying fish look out for a variety of non-endangered species and buy local fish if possible.
Prefer vegetarian options for your meals.

On-line Shopping

Purchase solar powered products.
Send e-cards, if you can, rather than buy paper cards.
Shop online, not only will this reduce fuel consumption and emissions by not driving to the shops, but each time you buy something on-line WWF receive a donation. You may even buy products from the nature shop.

At your workplace

Use printers that can print on both sides of the paper ; try to look into this option when replacing old printers.
Use the back of a draft or unwanted printout instead of notebooks. Even with a double-sided printer there is likely to be plenty of spare paper to use!
Always buy recycled paper – for your business stationery and to use in your printers.
Switch off computer monitors, printers and other equipment at the end of each day. Though in standby mode they’re still using power – and that adds to global warming.
Always turn off your office light and computer monitor when you go out for lunch or to a meeting.

During Holidays

Go on holiday during the off-peak period to prevent over straining resources – you’ll also avoid the crowds.
Find out about your destination before you go on holiday – it may be an environmentally sensitive area. Doing this will also ensure you are informed of what to see and any local customs.
Find out about places before you visit. You may be visiting a environmentally sensitive area, in which case you must take extra care to stay on footpaths and follow signs.
Don’t travel by air if you can avoid it because air travel uses up large amounts of fossil fuels and creates greenhouse gases.
Avoid taking things on holiday that you will throw away.
Dispose of any rubbish responsibly – it can be hazardous to wildlife.
Ask your travel agent or tour operator what they are doing to be environmentally responsible.
Use public transport, cycle or walk instead of using a car.
Use facilities and trips run by local people whenever possible.
Don’t be tempted to touch wildlife and disturb habitats whether on land, at the coast or under water.
Be careful what you choose to bring home as a holiday souvenir. Many species from coral and conch shells to elephants and alligators are endangered because they are killed for curios or souvenirs.
Don’t leave any rubbish at the beach – turtles are often killed by plastic bags they’ve mistaken for jellyfish and many items take years to degrade as well as being dangerous.
Boats and jet-skis create noise and chemical pollution which is disturbing to wildlife – don’t keep the engine running unnecessarily.

© [date of material] WWF. Some rights reserved.

Guessing a writer’s gender

Uncategorized No Responses »

Dec 312006

I came across an interesting page that compares a piece of writing with an algorithm based on study of the differences of usage of language between the two sexes. This study can be found here. Curiosity is a virtue, or so I thought and promptly proceed to paste in a few articles from various areas of this site into the “genie” and see the results.

My results hit male as often as female. Is it that my writing style is masculine or that the genie is wrong? As far as I know, I’m female

The paper is quite interesting, and explains the findings from study of various samples and the differences the statistics bring out. Some differences are that females are more “involved, while males are more “informational”. This link to the genie puts these findings into a form, that you can submit writing into and have it see how the your writing reads out.

With a name like Vidyut, many people already confuse me to be male (all other Vidyuts I know of are male). Perhaps this is another thing that may be adding to the confusion?

Can’t say. Definitely worth exploring.

I often find behavioural differences between males and females, as well as differences in thinking styles. I find women more expressive and quick to reach out, while men often seem to be more into doing stuff, but not talking much about it, unles it is well within comfort zones. Women are quick to react to new events and try out new stuff, while men fare better in terms of consistency.

And so on…. but I’d better not bore people with unresearched findings. I’m just tickled about someone going to these extents to document the differences.

Comments and opinions welcome!

Global Warming – Time for Action?

Nature Awareness No Responses »

Dec 312006

I came across this press release in my relentless surfing (when I find the time). I found this to be an interesting concept. Most vacations are contributing to the degradation of the environment and global warming. These guys have come up with a novel idea. What they do is buy a certain amount of credits with money from client payments that goes toward projects targetted toward decreasing the amounts of methane in the atmosphere. Methane is one major culprit in the global warming scenario.

This money is used to fund expensive projects on livestock farms to capture the methane released in the area and convert it into energy for use on the farm, which also results in savings. Needless to say, such a project can be very expensive and this is where the money from aware citizens comes into play. Even if they cannot physically do the work, they certainly can support it. What a brilliant idea!

This is a programme not happening in India currently. I wonder how we at Wide Aware can do something about it, or perhaps create an initiative in a similar, constructive direction….

*Makes a mental note to figure out a way and share it with the people*

New trend – Families in adventure travel

Adventure Sports No Responses »

Dec 302006

I received a call from someone called Girish, who was enquiring about prices for a rafting trip for a group of 20-25 people. Assuming that this was a run-of-the-mill group of employees/friends, I provided the details with practiced ease. The conversation was comfortable, and once the basic details were sorted, we talked about other adventure tour possibilities.

He enquired about the possibility of participation of some elderly members of their group, and said they were reasonably fit and active. We talked about that some more, and then turned to discuss wildlife tours. He was also interested in a trip to the Pench Wildlife Sanctuary. This got me curious. The nature of discussions was quite free-flowing and non-sophisticated for this to be a corporate enquiry, and the number of tours spoken of didn’t suggest young people – in fact, older people were specifically mentioned, as were young people.

I asked him about the nature of their group. Imagine my surprise when he said that this was a family outing! A family this size heading into the outdoors with a specific interest in adventure is really rare to come by as is the willingness to rough it if need be in the quest for adventure.

To quote him, “We’d like to do something original and interesting, rather than the standard tours. The time now points to adventure sports as a very meaningful and constructive means of recreation. So we’d like to do that.”

If this is an upcoming trend among families as Girish said, I feel that this is a very welcome change in the overall Indian perception of “enjoyment”. This is indeed welcome news.

I still haven’t received a booking from him, we will be speaking about it in the first week of January, but I hope it works out. I would love to meet such an interesting family!

Citizens aware

Uncategorized No Responses »

Dec 262006

Amid rumours of Goa being targetted for terrorism, and the government assurances that security is adequate and things are under control, my mind travels to the recent past, where the bomb blasts in Mumbai caught us all unaware.

As helpless, unknowing people, ignorant of the true intentions of horror, we can do little to prepare ourselves from dangers that could strike in any direction. I was just wondering about what we could do as normal citizens to make such situations easier to handle. I came up with a few ideas.

Curiosity is healthy. It might help to be aware of people around us, and their behaviour. Small things could make a difference. Alert citizens can act as the added eyes of security services.
As an adventure professional and outdoor enthusiasts, we have a strong network of brave people trained in rescue. We could plan to be alert for situations where we could help, in a bad scenario. Small drops make an ocean.
Helping maintain calm, and staying tuned to media for information and opportunities to pitch in and help out.

It is sad to see the usually bustling Goa desolate in this season. I wish everyone alert and safe holidays. May our contact be more out of celebration than sorrow.

Social Development – Encouraging Involvement

Uncategorized No Responses »

Dec 172006

I found this out, in my quest to find out ways people can connect with social awareness issues and do their bit to be aware, spread the awareness and encourage support.

The Peacock Project and MAM Movies are coming together to launch a film project where youth will be invited to create a short film based on a local Mumbai charity organization within a short period of 101 hours. This short film will capture the organization’s mission, their achievements as well as difficulties that they face. The filmmakers will also attempt to capture on film, the heart of the people who are making the organization work and are making a difference in the world.

The goal is – through the medium of stories – to strike a cord within filmmakers to inspire and make films that matter. It also gives the filmmakers and other youths an opportunity to connect with local charities, who have dedicated their lives for the betterment of the society. These films can be used by the charities to create awareness and inspiration among their current and future donors and volunteers.

Some of the 101 Charities they are working with are CRY, PETA, SPCA, MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION, SMILE, HELEN KELLER INSTITUE……

In a society that appreciates films as a medium, the opportunity for the filmmakers to get involved with such issues is indeed bound to have interesting results. Let us all pitch in, and see what we could do to help.

You can help us spread the word among filmmakers who would like to make these films, youth, publications, bloggers, websites from around the world. Because this is a complete grassroot level competition any help with sponsorship is much appreciated.

Contact Information:
Ajesh Shah
9820781666
101 (at) genesisfilmproject.com

Girivihar’s 35th annual Rock Climbing Camp

Mountain Learning No Responses »

Dec 152006

Flashback time.

A client just called, asking for rock climbing training. He wanted to learn, but he was alone and didn’t have anyone to share the price of sessions with. I was wondering what to do, as we also are really packed with work, when I remembered the date. It is December. The time of the glorious rock climbing camp tradition started by Girivihar way long ago, long before I took my first uncertain steps on a mountain even.

This is where I first learnt to climb. It was an annual routine. Every year, members of this club take time off from the 24th to the 29th of December (regardless of day of the week), and volunteer their efforts to teach the new generation of enthusiasts the fine art of climbing. This volunteering of effort and extremely basic facilities make the camp affordable to many young climbers (young climbers are always broke – they spend their money on heading out every weekend). When I did the camp, I paid Rs. 350/- as fees (or was it Rs. 550/- I don’t remember).
A lot has changed since then. Our old venue – Kanheri Caves is no longer available to us, where we could avail of really cheap accommodation (a government bunglow, which was basically two huge empty rooms). The camps now take place at CBD Belapur and 14 years later, cost Rs. 2,000/- and should be well worth every rupee paid.

I did the unthinkable. I forwarded a professional client to the place I learnt in. There is no way I can match the level of instruction, hard core climbing ambience, and the company of fellow enthusiasts for that kind of a price. I would love to attend it myself again, for the experience.
May this tradition of old mountaineers dedicating time each year to produce new ones live long!

Those who are interested in this years camps, may download the file here – Girivihar’s 35th Annual Rock Climbing Camp – Entry form

Inspiring social initiative

Uncategorized 1 Response »

Dec 152006

It is a confusing image that India has and on all fronts. On one side we have our rich cultural traditions and diversity, on the other, we have orthodox beliefs and discrimination. We are growing as an economy, yet we have too many poor people. We worship the goddesses and we kill the female children.

Quite a paradox, aren’t we?

I started this segment to see if I could share ideas that occur to me with other like minded people. Ideas that make the world a better place, ideas that mean that we quit whining, and move our own bottoms slightly out of our comfort zones to “walk our talk”. Ideas that mean, while we can expect things from our government and politicians, we far outnumber them in terms of capacity for individual effort. All this effort could be put to better use than airing opinions alone.

This first post is likely to be jumbled, since there are too many things I care deeply about, but I guess I need to make a start somewhere and take it from there.

I’d like to mention an interview I saw on Doordarshan, of a man called Prof. Subedar Surve – a writer, teacher and social reformer. This man stayed in my mind for a very long time. I didn’t have the time to see it in great detail, but the gist of it is that this is an old, retired person with highly educated children, well into their respective careers. This man noticed the children on the streets and their lack of education. He started a learning centre for them and applied for funding support from the government. He got a grant. Moving to a different area, he did the same and got a grant again.

Applying this method over and over, he ended up with about 40 of these small education centres that are free of cost for poor children to get a basic education! We are speaking of about 1,200 kids! He noticed that some people were using the school premises to stay in at night, and expanded his programme to include night classes for grown ups.

Definitely old in terms of age, this is one of the most vibrant and youthful personalities I saw in a long time. Chirpy and cheerful, he speaks of the support he got from the government, once he took the initiative. He praised his wife for the unfailing support over the years through some very difficult times. He spoke of some of his stories that got national awards. He spoke of his enthusiasm to take his work further. He spoke in very supportive terms of todays youth that the world sees as “reckless” and thinks that it is a generation growing in a different world from what they know, and they are really very good people at heart, and they are going to take the world to new heights. This is one man who can retire, but not stay out of action. Kudos to him!

Jovial, extremely willing to talk of anything the interviewer requested, he had all of us “youngsters” spell bound and disappointed that the interview got a little abrupt toward the end for want of time. I could have listened to this guy for the whole day.
For all those who sit and speak of what the government should do, what the society needs, and what is the problem with everything, this man is a inspiring example of what can be acheived if we care to put our ideas into action.

May we all WALK OUR TALK

Malli Mastan Babu to make a new mountaineering record

Adventure Sports 3 Responses »

Dec 142006

A passion to follow ones dreams always makes for an inspiring tale. I came to know the story of Malli Mastan Babu, an IITian from Andhra Pradesh who has scaled the world’s seven highest summits in record time. What’s more, he broke the existing record for speed as well. The whimsical part of this inspiring acheivement is that he has also done the seven summits on seven days of the week.

He has applied to the Guiness Book of World Records, and is now awaiting recognition. What a feather in the cap of India’s climbing community!

We are proud of you Babu!

An article about this from the Daily India site:

Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Dec. 14 (ANI): Malli Mastan Babu, an adventure-sportsman, is set to enter record books for scaling seven of the world’s highest peaks in over just 172 days.

Babu from Andhra Pradesh achieved this feat earlier this year between January and July. A unique feature of his record is that he conquered the seven summits on seven different days of the week.

“I am the fastest of the seven-summiteers in the world. I did that in72 days. And, I am also the only person in the world to climb these seven summits on seven different days of the week. It is a unique record. I have applied to the Guinness Book of Records. They would be coming for their next edition,” said Babu.

The first South Asian to do so, Babu scaled Mount Everest in Asia, Mount Denali in North America, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Mount Aconcagua in South America and Mount Kosciuzsko in Australia.

Babu had the zeal to climb peaks since his formative years. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) and Indian Institute of Management (Kolkata).

Through school and college, Babu won several state and national level recognition for achievement in adventure sports.

He left his white-collar job in a top software company, after three years to pursue adventure sports. He has enthusiastically lined up his future plans.

“My next mission is to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse without oxygen, which nobody in the world has achieved. I would also like to do another national feat- to run a marathon in each state of India – 29 states, 29 marathons, 29 days in February 2008 to encourage the spirit of fitness and health among Indians,” he said.

Babu, who had to expend his own resources to pursue his love for adventure, recently got support from the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to support his future plans. (ANI)

Link:http://www.dailyindia.com/show/93043.php/Andhra-Pradesh-mountaineer-set-to-enter-record-books

Wide Aware

Protect yourself and the environment from toxic chemicals

Action points for an eco-friendly world

Save Wood and Paper

During Holidays

Guessing a writer’s gender

Global Warming – Time for Action?

New trend – Families in adventure travel

Citizens aware

Social Development – Encouraging Involvement

Girivihar’s 35th annual Rock Climbing Camp

Inspiring social initiative

Malli Mastan Babu to make a new mountaineering record

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