Save Water, Save Holi!!!

As we eagerly await the Indian Festival of Colors - Holi, we would like to share a bad news and a good news with you.

Bad News: Our very beloved festival also stands threatened from us the humans.

How???
Indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resources and an unending interference with natural systems have left our human evolved systems threatened by our own actions. Nature is the common element threading the diverse beads of cultures and traditions across societies. However, today this natural element stands disrupted by our modification. Today we stand amidst a water crisis which threatens existence of life. Over 1.1 billion people in this world live without clean drinking water. And yes our very own festival Holi, an occasion which marks the turn of seasons stands threatened of losing its existence.

Though colors form the attraction of the festival but water adds the element of wit in the festival. All the fun and energy of this festival is now at stake of our own actions. If we continue to be ignorant about our usage of water and don't use it judiously then we may be responsible for depriving our future generations from the culture and fun we inherited from our ancestors.

Ignorance today can lead to an endless guilt and dis-satisfaction. Choice is ours and need to be made today.

Good News: We can still make a difference

'You' can Save Holi and have all the fun by simply making a green choice of using edible/ herbal colors over the commonplace chemical colors.

3 ways in which edible colors help you save water:

1. Preparation of these colors involve minimal direct usage of water and often rely on physical processes of mechanical powdering and mixing of ingredients like dried flowers, arrowroot, turmeric etc.
2. Unlike the chemical colors which demand use of water, these colors can be used in the dry form to leave you with colorful and natural impressions of Holi
3. Buckets of water which you drain in the bathroom struggling to get rid of the chemical colors can be saved by using these natural colors which are fun while playing and even after Holi is over.

Hence, to relive the fun of Holi year after year, make a difference by playing a water neutral holi. It doesn't costs you much but draws you an endless satisfaction of doing your bit for your fellow beings and your own planet.

Story of Environmental Crisis Part I- Human Malfunction

Earth is home to over 1.5 million species. These diverse species are webbed together intricately within the laws of nature to sustain the cycle of life. Waste of one kingdom is food for another, resources of nature a positioned in a manner to sustain and satiate the distinct and vital needs of each species. Today this innate balance of life has been disrupted by single most powerful species on this earth – The Humans. Resources which were once abundant and sufficient for sustaining all forms of life are now delimited by increasing human demand. Consequently, humanity today is faced by serious water crisis, ever growing air pollution, massive deforestation, an overall ecosystem disruption and encompassing issues like climate change.

Not only this, the human created systems which form yardsticks of development also stand vulnerable as a consequence of disruption of natural systems and limiting resources.

Though we may not acknowledge, the impact of these disruptions on our daily living but certainly each of us is at the receiving end of these environmental disruptions. However, a linkage more vital than this is, the causal influence of human action that has lead humanity to this day. Humans have shared a close relationship with nature since time immemorial, sometimes, getting influenced by nature and at the same time influencing it in turn. Over the years this relationship has underwent a dramatic change from a symbiotic to that of an exploitative, consequence being the fading harmony and balance between human systems and natural systems.

The systems which we have evolved and the development which we take pride in are built upon the extensive services drawn from natural ecosystems. The questions which we have reached in this ignorant process of resource consumption, find answers in our actions. Self – centered and consumerist approach of man has led to an unprecedented resource crunch which can lead to complete devastation of life. We have proven our ability to change the face of earth, though in a negative sense, in the past and today again we need to bring a change in our own attitude and actions to see a conducive, sustainable change.

The human malfunction and its consequences can only reach a positive end if we the humans awaken to our responsibility to take care of our very own planet.

Only we can make a difference!

the year of biodiversity

United Nations has declared 2010 as the year of biodiversity. This as said by the CBD (Convention on Biodiversity), ' it is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives'.

But what is Biodiversity. In the simplest terms, it can be understood as variation (diversity) of the life form (bio). The measure of biodiversity is often geographical or temporal. It means we can measure biodiversity at our local, ecosystem, country or global level.

Biodiversity has been under threat for a long time due to human activities. Destruction of habitat, hunting, deforestation, Climate Change are some of the many threats being faced by the biodiversity. Hence, the UN has decided to celebrate 2010 as a celebration of life and has declared it as the international year of biodiversity.

CBD defines 4 reason for declaring 2010 as the year of biodiversity:



However, its upon us now to respond to the invitation of UN & CBD (they have invited the world to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity). The simplest (and the most complex) way to respond to this invitation is to make our lives sustainable. Use only as much as we need. Recycle, Reuse and Reduce paper (using cell phones will not solve the problem). Be considerate towards towards other species.

Think.....before doing anything.

As a small initial contribution to this cause, we have put the 'species of the day' widget on the blog. The widget updates the picture of an endangered species everyday and if you click on the picture you can know more about the species. It is brought to us by IUCN. Have fun and let others have fun.

The heat is on

I wished to talk something about the Atmospheric CO2 widget that we have put on the site. It is just to keep reminding us of how much change we are making to the environment and far we are going away from the actual composition that 'God' had created.

We being the most dominant species of the Earth are bound to have some impact on it. We are the most powerful and can control various things (but of course not nature, it will always fight back). But sometimes this power gets on our head and we forget our responsibilities. Remember the movie Spiderman and the famous dialogue 'with great power comes great responsibility'. So, just to remind what our great power is doing and what great responsibility we have at our hands, we have added this widget.

It shows the changing CO2 concentration for last few years and the trend currently is invariably a rising one. The data has been feeding into this widget comes from very credible sources like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA), USA and Mauna Lao Observatory (from where the Keeling curve originated; we will tell you about it in later posts).

So, just keep an eye on the CO2.