Nature Heals

Nature stimulates

Posted by Dr.Susan Sharma on October 04, 2011

 
Forum Post
For stressed-out families, spending more time in the natural world — a nature stimulus package — may be just what the doctor and the economist ordered. Here are a few of the benefits:

1. With gas prices on the rise, families are rediscovering both the joy and the cost-effectiveness of getaways in nearby nature, including regional, state or national parks. As Outside magazine puts it, "near is the new far."

2. Unless we're talking about a new bass boat or a high-tech tent, nature toys are free or cheap, and they encourage self-directed creativity. In 2008, the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, N.Y., inducted the stick, which it called not only possibly the oldest toy, but "possibly the best."

3. Green exercise is free. In the United Kingdom, and now in the United States, families are eschewing commercial indoor gyms. Groups of families form " green gyms" and meet once or twice a week to hike, garden or take some other type of exercise in the natural world.

Read more at
http://richardlouv.com/blog/

Environment Awareness

“Save the tiger, sure, but also spare a thought for the Indian honeybee.”

Posted by Susan Sharma on October 04, 2011

 
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The subcontinent has approximately 1,300 of more than 20,000 butterfly species known, said Kishen Das, a US-based lepidopterist. That’s about 6.5% of the global butterfly diversity.

However, the problem is that around 100 of the butterfly species found in India are nearing extinction, according to Surya Prakash, a professor at the department of life sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University. “Few are aware of the crucial pollination role the butterfly plays, which is second only to the honeybee,” he adds.

There’s bad news on that front too.


Read more at

http://www.livemint.com/2011/09/29222646/Lower-pollinator-numbers-heral.html

Bio-Diversity

The Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary

Posted by Susan Sharma on October 04, 2011

 
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The Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary is a forest garden in the Western Ghat mountains of Kerala, India, dedicated to conservation and education. This mountain system is bordered by the Arabian Sea on one side and vast arid areas on others. It supports a unique and endangered flora, and has been identified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the 25 centres of biodiversity in the world.

Founded in 1981, the Sanctuary is a garden of wild plant species grown at the edge of a large rainforest reserve. Our central intention is to restore endangered species and habitats in a highly fragmented landscape, in which only a fraction of original forest remains and much of the native flora is extracted for human use.

The Sanctuary is run by a small group of resident gardeners, naturalists and educators, and supported by a wide circle of well-wishers. Together we offer an approach that is connected to the climate, landscape, ecosystems, plants, animals and people of the Western Ghats.

The work at the Sanctuary includes:

  • Conservation of native (rainforest) plants.
  • Education and public outreach.
  • Developing horticultural and conservation skills in local young women.
  • Habitat restoration in degraded areas of the Western Ghats
  • Supporting recovery of natural forest within our lands.
  • Research in biodiversity and conservation.
  • Sustainable agriculture and integrated land use: growing the forest farm.
Read more at http://www.gbsanctuary.org/

Climate change and Global Warming

Economic Policy Instruments for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Posted by Dr.Susan Sharma on September 29, 2011

 
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Economic Policy Instruments for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

 Dr. David Harrison, Andrew Foss, Per Klevnas, and Daniel Radov

Experts from NERA's Environment Group -- Senior Vice President and Environment Group Head Dr. David Harrison, Consultant Andrew Foss, Senior Consultant Per Klevnas, and Associate Director Daniel Radov -- have authored a chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society, a new book from Oxford University Press. The chapter, "Economic Policy Instruments for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions," considers the use of economic instruments to address climate change, including lessons from previous experience as well as a list of the key design elements. The authors focus on the cap-and-trade approach and complementary credit-based programs, as these have been most prominent in existing policies and proposals. The chapter begins with an overview of the conceptual similarities and differences between cap-and-trade programs and carbon taxes. The authors then summarize experiences with emissions trading and taxes that provide lessons on how the programs work in practice. The authors also describe key policy issues that arise in designing a greenhouse gas cap-and-program, many of which apply to carbon taxes as well.
 
The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society is available for purchase on the Oxford University Press website.

E-Governance for Conservation

Tech award 2011 for Indian initiative

Posted by Susan Sharma on September 29, 2011

 
Forum Post

Awaaz.De


Country:
India


Problem: Rural people in developing regions lack access to on-demand localized information sources and a platform to “give their voice,” to share what they know.

Solution: An interactive, voice-based platform supporting knowledge sharing over phones. Offers high-quality, relevant information in any language.

Impact: Used in India by social development organizations in agriculture, labor rights, education, and women’s empowerment

Bio-Diversity

whale sharks

Posted by Susan Sharma on September 29, 2011

 
Forum Post

Now, armed with latest technology and collaborations with whale shark experts from around the world, WTI with TCL’s support, is assisting the Gujarat Forest Department, to unravel the mysteries surrounding this fish.

“There must be something in the water of Gujarat that attracts them here,” says Manoj Matwal, Field Officer, WTI. “Perhaps it is the productivity which allows for flourishing of micro-organisms that predominantly make up the diet of this fish.”

Read more at the link

http://www.wti.org.in/current-news/110819_why_do_whale_sharks_visit_gujarat.html

Engineers and Environment

Novel waste water treatment technology from IIT Bombay- Soil Bio technology

Posted by Siddharth Biyani on September 29, 2011

 
Forum Post

CAMUS‐SBT  is an  oxygenation  engine that outperforms  conventional  technologies

likeActivated Sludge Process (ASP), Sequential Batch  Reactor (SBR),  Membrane  Bio Reactor

(MBR)and Moving Bed Bio‐reactor (MBBR). Our technology harnesses a  special set  of

 bio‐chemical reactions  to deliver  the  oxygenation required for effluent treatment. 

 

In  conventional technologies,  aeration isachieved mechanically, which is very energy

intensive.  At higher ambient  temperatures (like inIndia) the solubility of oxygen in water

is  low, therefore  energy  requirements of mechanical  aeration  used by  conventional

technologyincreases.  Moreover, air contains only20% oxygen, the rest being nitrogen that

ispassed into water wastefully, further adding to process inefficiency.

 

CAMUS‐SBTresolves this problem  using a  bio‐chemical method  of  oxygenation, which

notonly uses the atmospheric oxygen, but also uses the  nitrogen  from the  atmosphere  in  a

specially  engineered natural  ecology  to achieve the desired level of purity.

 

In  addition conventional  technologiesgenerate  large  amount of  sludge  for which

additional  disposal facilities  have  to  becreated.  CAMUS‐SBT  does not  face  any such

problems.Theschematic of the process is shown below.  


Featuresof our technology:

 

  • ·         Low‐energy consumption

  • ·         All green natural process

  • ·         No moving  parts  apart from pumps

  • ·        No bio‐sludgeformation

  • ·         Efficient removal  of  COD and nitrogen

  • ·         Near drinking  water  quality after treatment

  • ·        Treatment  cost Rs  3‐5  per 1000L

  • ·        Garden likeambiance

  • ·         Bio‐tower designs  available for spaceconstrained areas.

  • ·        One time mediainstallation

  • ·         Long life

  • ·         Unskilled personnel  sufficient to operate

  • ·        No foul Odor

 

Varioususes of the technology

·        Sewage treatment plant(STP)  and industrial effluent treatment plant (ETP)applications.

·        Retrofit ofpre-existing STP/ETPs with SBT/CAMUS-SBT systems. 

·        Laundry EffluentTreatment for total water reuse. 

·        Distilleryspent-wash treatment. 

·        Coffee Effluenttreatment.

·        Hospitals waste water ,Hotels waste water,Municipal waste water can all be treated using SBT.

·        Design of zerodischarge air scrubbers for removal of waste noxious gases (Sulphur, NOx  

              and organic pollutants from Industrialprocesses). 

 

 

Common Mancan help

Currentlyaverage consumption of an individual per day is around 135 Liters per day (mayvary with climatic conditions) and it is increasing with the increasingstandards of living and to add to it our fresh water source are continuouslydepleting. Out of this 135 liters around 50% is being used for secondarypurposes like toilet flushing and bathing etc. which can easily be treated andrecycled which will save a lot of fresh water It’s high time now that we throwour water in the municipal sewer lines and depend on the government to takecare of it which is extremely difficult. The better approach can be to treatthe water locally at our housing complex or bungalows or your commercialcomplexes and reuse it for secondary purposes which doesn’t really requirefresh water sources .The recycled water can be used for gardening and flushingby providing a separate lines but people have a mental block for using therecycled water.

 

To Take aninitiative to recycle waste water in there facilities one has to do following

1.)   Assess the water consumption which can be doneby the total number of residents and multiplying by average water consumption.

2.)   Decide an area for the STP. Preferably itshould be an open area but not accessible to children

3.)   IF you wish to install SBT units the pleasemail us at vec@visionearthcare.com with theabove details .

4.)   It generally takes 2-3 months for a new SBTunit to be installed and get functional.

5.)   If you already have an STP working and if youwant to retrofit it then also please mail us and we will retrofit your existingplant using SBT

6.)   Typically SBT unit require 1-1.5 m2 per KLD(can be included under garden area and design is flexible)of sewage to treat withan operating cost of 3-4 Rs. Per KL

7.)   Various designs are available for spaceconstraint area and for hilly regions where laying of sewerage pipelines isdifficult.


Corporates and Environment

Carbon stocks in vegetation

Posted by Susan Sharma on September 26, 2011

 
Forum Post
The Global Conservation Standard is based on a holistic approach on land use in the context of local development. The Conservation Credit Units are quantified on the basis of carbon stocks in vegetation. They are the starting point for bringing in capacity and technology from a wide array of choices, such as agroforestry, intensified food production, land reclamation and erosion control, the production of agro-fuels, composting, watershed protection and wastewater treatment, or eco-tourism. The aim is to empower the rural sector and to substantially reduce the existing pressure on the land and water resources.

Read more at
http://www.conservationstandard.org/home.aspx

Wildlife

African crusader for nature and wildlife

Posted by Susan Sharma on September 26, 2011

 
Forum Post
For Wangari Maathai, the preservation of the land and the planting of trees was more than about enriching the lives of people, it was about bringing back animals to deprived ecosystems. Wangari Maathai has been instrumental in bringing an ethic of concern about animals to the attention of the Kenyan parliament and people.

"To speak about Wangari Maathai in Kenya is to speak about the Green Belt Movement (GBM) and environmental conservation. She is the most known environmental conservation activist in Kenya and Africa. Her words get the attention of the who-is-who in global business, politics or funding circles.

Without her, we wouldn’t be seeing or relaxing at Uhuru Park. She was Moi regime’s nightmare – opposing all kinds of attempts to excise government land such as Karura and Ngong forests. Maathai has walked the talk, like the evangelist of the gone days."

Visit the link http://greenbeltmovement.org/index.php  to understand more about the green belt movement in Kenya.

Wildlife

MY DEAR ANIMALS

Posted by sarath lal k.p on September 18, 2011

 
Forum Post
I LOVE ANIMALS VERY MUCH .BACAUSE THE ARE VERY CUTE AND BEAUTIFUL. BUT TODAY MOST OF THEM  IS DESTROYED  AND KILLED BY HUMANS.SO I WOULD LIKE TO  CARE THE ANIMALS AND SAVE MY NATURE "" EARTH IS OUR  GOD '''''@EARTH GIVE US EVERY THING & WE  DESTROYED HER EVERY THING '''' SAVE OUR ''''MATHA''''
 
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