Expressions October 2010

october 2010 expressions1

by Shipra Roy

turning green to save some green ARNAB RAY

interviews with POONAM BIR KASTURI and CHITRA VISHWANATH turning green to save some green ARNAB RAY

interviews with POONAM BIR KASTURI and CHITRA VISHWANATH

expressions october 2010 october 2010 expressions2 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITORHey Yudhishter you have done it again

Like all its previous issues the September issue of Expressions has

again impressed the readers of the magazine It is well thought out well

planned immaculately executed and shows the hard work put in by a

battery of young people spearheaded by Yudhishter

Though all articles related to Tiger are informative I really like ldquoThe for-

est Guardsrdquo by Aditi Bisht as this article covers the plight of being a forest

guard and reveals all the hardships they have to face The other article

which has impressed me is ldquoConservation of Wildlife in India and related

Lawsrdquo by Adhideb and Ankit as they give an in-depth knowledge about

the laws to common man These lesser known facts are nicely put in the

article ldquoThe Girl with a Green handbagrdquo by Pooja Bhatt smartly demon-

strates a global concern in a dramatic manner and compels us to become

eco-friendly With ldquoWays to photograph Doon Valleyrdquo Sandip Puran

Singh has once again shown his finesse in Photographic skills

Best wishes to all the team members of Expressions

by Sanjai Saxena

Just went through the September issue and liked it very much All the

articles are very well written especially the lsquoGirl with the green bagrsquo by

Pooja the cover story and the one by Subinay khosla The photographs

by Saran Vaid and Sandip Puran Singh are too good and Yudhishter you

are taking really great efforts liked your views on conservation and tour-

ism Great going All the best

by Sonal Patil

I really loved the Expressions magazine I have been desperately search-

ing for such stuff in Delhi bookstores but all I ever got was bits from Geo

National Geographic or Indian Pet Magazines This Magazine is just awe-

some I believe this magazine should rather go on to some proper print

publication It certainly demands a wider audience and popularisation

The work being done here is amazing

by Harshit Singhvia facebook

CONTACT US

Write to us at Expressions 51-A Subhash Road Adj Damama Super Mart Dehradun ndash 248001 Uttarkhand

For Free Subscription SMS I CARE to +919411114921 Call +919760614317Fax 011-66173614

Email at yudhishtericarefordoonorg

wwwicarefordoonorg

the incredible thol LITTLE CORMORANT

The Thol Lake is just 25 kms from my home and is like a second home to me I rush to that place whenever I get spare time Irsquove been working as a freelance sculptor and a painter in Ahmedabad Gujarat since 1992 and being an artist I always try to shoot what I feel about the placeLike Picasso once saidrdquo Painting is a blind manrsquos profession he paints what not he sees but what he feelsrdquo Thol lake has thousands of colours and I always try to capture those wonderful huesThis image of a ldquoLittle Cormorant ldquo is very close to me I had to do some hard work to get this image (that particular spot which i had to arrange myself was on a sloppy area with a number of thorns) but eventually I was happy with the outcome

TEJAS SONI


22 Understanding Design Led Activism Shipra Roy

Features

Regulars

founder amp editorYudhishter Puran Singh

news editorSubhinay Khosla

assistant editorPooja Bhattcreative editor

Akshay Madan

photo editorSandip Puran Singh

advertising

Tushar Goel (NCR Region) tushar_icarelivecom

Gaurav Gupta (Rest of India) gaurav_icarelivecom

subscription team

Harshal Mirchandani Lavish Bhatia

special thanksSimren Singh

ALL EDITORIAL QUERIES MUST BE DIRECTED TOThe Editor Expressions

51-A Subhash Road Dehradun 248140 Uttarakhand India

M +919411114921 Fax 011-66173614

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Expressions its publisher andor editors We at Expressions do our best to verify the information published but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information

PERMISSIONSFor permissions to copy or reuse material fromEXPRESSIONS write toyudhishtericarefordoonorg

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICESFor subscription querieswrite tosubscribe_icarelivein or call +919760614317

Cover Story

cover designAkshay Madan

10 Green World IllustratedGirinath Gopinath

26 Green Games - Dream or Reality Subhinay Khosla

17 Turning Green to save some Green Arnab Ray

26 The Green Beat Simren Singh

14 Photo Story Himanshu Tomar

33 Green Tips S S Khaira

6 Shaping Generations - The Ethos of a Green SchoolYudhishter Puran Singh

18 Ways to photograph Doon Sandip Puran Singh

8 The Girl with the Green Handbag Pooja Bhatt

34 Green Wheels Vansh Naithani

Greetings Friends lsquoEnvironmental awarenessrsquo reached a new level since man noticed the ozone hole in the 70rsquos and too much waste scattered on the streets and floating in the rivers that led to pandemics and pandemonium The so called lsquogreen issuesrsquo have since then been taken up ever so seriously by every other public forum and scrutinized in detail Everything is inter-connected Any form of human action individual or at large is directly or indirectly related to the subsequent impact it causes on the environmentWhat are the buzzwords that we get to hear constantly today

Eco-friendly Sustainable and Green Living So in this issue we have drawn attention to lsquoEco-friendly Livingrsquo

The Cover Story by Mrs Shipra Roy lsquoUnderstanding Design-Led Activ-ismrsquo is a brilliant compilation of verity that shares valuable insights with the readers about sustainable design and development illustrated with a series of live examples like the Barefoot College of Tilonia Auroville Ethi-cal products et al Next we have an interview featuring Mrs Poonam Bir Kasturi Founder of Daily Dump - the incredible ways of terracotta composting at home also discussing the general attitude towards waste disposal in India Another featured interview is of lsquoEarth Architectrsquo Mrs Chitra Vishwanath who has to her credits a number of green buildings across Bangalore

Author Dr Arnab Ray shares with us his witty take on the rampage struck in corporate organizations who pitch ldquoEco-friendlyrdquo and how the common man is split in deciphering the possible way out of all the fanfare and green facades in lsquoTurning Green to Save Some Greenrsquo

We also have lsquoGreen Games - Dream or realityrsquo by Subhinay Khosla about the Common Wealth Games and the changing face of East Delhi the extensive development in the area and the ensuing environmen-tal costs lsquoGreen wheelsrsquo by Vansh Naithani is another interesting read that informs us about Hybrid ve-hicles battery operated ones and those that consume energy-efficient fuels along with green initiatives by automobile giants Continuing the trend of last month we have Forest Conservation and Preservation in India - Judicial Approach by Ankit and Adhideb which enlightens us about the forest legislations that have existed in our nation since the time of the British Raj

LastlyldquoIf you really want to define civilization it should be a culture that doesnrsquot destroy its environment If you burn down the kitchen one day and expect to eat the next it is not even intelligent let alone civilizedrdquo

- StingUndeniably Sustainability is the fad but I hope it stays for times to comeHope you enjoy this issue

Best

Pooja BhattAsst Editor Expressions

FROM THE EDITORrsquoS DESK

copy amp desk editorShubhodeep Pal

11 Face to Face withChitra Vishwanath

30 Coffee withPoonam Bir Kasturi

20 Forest Conservation Laws in IndiaAbhideb amp Ankit

41 In The News

marketingLotus Leaf Business Exhibitions

36 Bringing the tiger back from the brink


School children in countries such as the United States United Kingdom and Canada are now increasingly aware of the importance of connecting with Na- ture and protecting it The same cannot be said of our country where there doesnrsquot seem to be much initiative from the top Teachers have a major role to play if we are to change the current scheme of things because children gradually adopt their teach- ersrsquo ideas whether they are desirable or not I present before you some simple ways to lay the foundation for a green and secure future Itrsquos time for schools to shoulder responsibility as responsible stakeholders It is time for us as a society to look beyond schools as a vehicle for marks alone Children learn many valuable les-sons in school that have nothing to do with their academics Incorporating environ-mental awareness in the very heart of schools can make a sea change in how this generation looks at environmental protection But how can a school in essence truly go ldquogreenrdquo

child studies in try to look around and see the extent of eco-friendly measures taken As part of the school community believe that you can bring about change Demand active measures to be taken by the school authorities Sooner or later things will change

There is more to an eco-friendly school than just having a green building Beyond making school an aesthetically vibrant and environmentally friendly place the ultimate goal of the school should be to instill in students a sense of wonder as well as one of responsibility for their natural environment The curriculum needs to be looked into as well We must understand that the essence of education does not lie in getting good grades alone The first step to educa-tion is awareness not rote learning Children must see for themselves the kind of devastation being caused Subsequently they must themselves come up with ideas to help the environment survive Yes designing a green curriculum is not as easy as it sounds but over time efforts can be made by the management to ensure proper emphasis is given towards green activities

A few simple steps that can be incorporated in schools could be bull Plastic bags should be banned in the school cam-

pus The ban should be followed with sincerity and students must be made to understand why such steps are being taken

bull Substituting incandescent bulbs with CFLs or LED lights would go a long way in saving electricity Over a period of time schools which can afford to invest money could go for solar power harvest-ing

bull Rainwater harvesting should be practiced bull The schools can aim to be zero-garbage schools

Dry garbage should be recycled for further use whereas wet garbage could go to a compost pit that can be used as natural manure for organic plantation

bull Schools must discourage students from travel-ling in private vehicles and encourage the use

of either public transport or school buses This has been successfully followed by quite a few schools in Mumbai Alternately families could follow a car-pooling system

bull Paper wastage needs to be regulated Have you ever wondered what happens to all the report cards answer sheets and whole loads of other forms or registers that are maintained I agree some of them are used to a certain extent but how about having a paper-less office Have an automated system wherein from your attendance to your report cards and all other documents are made to be created online The data will be far secure and easier to access not just for the man-agement but for the parents as well

Well I feel ldquoA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo We should take that step the sooner the better Having a clean ecosystem at the moment may seem to be an insurmountable task but with a movement started by a few thinking sensitive and foresighted individuals percolating through the school system throughout the world would result into the creation of a caring generation This generation would ensure that Mother Earth is respected and given her due as a life giving force as the following signifies - ldquoGive a Man a Fish Feed Him for a Day Teach a Man to Fish Feed Him for a Life-timerdquo- Lao TzuStarting young - Itrsquos time to shoul-der some respon-sibility

Yudhishter Puran Singh21 year old graduate from Mumbai University a

young entrepreneur who loves to devote whatever time he can towards creating awareness about the

need for preserving environment Presently he leads the icare team and is also the editor of expressions

Terms like ldquogreenrdquo and ldquosustainablerdquo refer to the steps we take to reduce the carbon footprint (amount of carbon dioxide emissions) of a par-

ticular activity or institution A ldquogreen schoolrdquo would be one that tries to be as kind to the environment as possible

Eco-friendly designs are one of the hottest trends abroad The main reason for this change which has been growing in prominence over the last few years is that it is not only novel (ldquothe cool factorrdquo) it actually has tangible benefits for all The long-run environ-mental academic financial and health benefits are impossible to ignore Hence the change from lsquowe donrsquot want to be differentrsquo to lsquowe donrsquot want to be left outrsquo

I tried to do a little research but couldnrsquot find many schools in our country that can proudly stand up and be counted as an Eco-Friendly school However I managed to find quite a few schools in America One such school The Great Seneca Creek Elemen-tary school follows a strict green code It is the only one in the state to receive certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Seneca Creek for instance skims about $60000 off its annual energy bill and conserves about 43 percentmdashor 360000

gallonsmdashof water each year Similarly there is Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins CO Their 296000-square-foot building runs on wind and solar power and boasts an irrigation pond resulting in sav-ings up to 60 percent or more equivalent to about $11500 annually on water alone

It is believed that green schools save as much as 33 percent less energy and 32 percent less water according to a survey conducted in the US by US-GBC If all new school construction and renovations starting today were designed green energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 yearsMost of us will agree that children need a good environment to study in Studies conducted have re-vealed that a schoolrsquos physical conditionmdashespecially the lighting and indoor air qualitymdashdirectly affect student performance A survey was conducted by Heschong Mahone Group with over 20000 students from various schools in California Washington and Colorado and found that the students in classrooms with abundant daylight had up to 25 percent chances of higher learning rates and test scores in reading and math than their peers in rooms with less natural light How many of us are aware of that And how many of us take this aspect into consideration at the time of admission Next time you visit the school your

SHAPINGGENERATIONS

THE ETHOS OFA GREEN SCHOOL


SHAPINGGENERATIONS

aksh

ay m

adan


Hello and welcome back to yet another episode of my adventurous life after all Irsquom Esha Ved aka lsquoThe Girl with the Green Handbagrsquo Ap-plause (modesty personified) ha

Well Irsquom just kidding Donrsquot grind your teeth in dis-pleasure please Okay so Irsquoll share with you all somethinghellip arbitrary musings of a 19 year oldhellipYou know what I like best about him hersquos classy his parties are way beyond awesome (wink) but you know what I hate about him well I maybe turning judg-mental here he is generally sweet to everyone but the thing that puts me off the most is that ldquohe wastesrdquo ndash priceless resourcesLet me introduce you to another friend of mine Rohan He joined us this semester itselfHersquos the kind of guy whorsquod charm women or anyone for that matter with his suave talk and pleasing man-ners but only the lsquowasting bitrsquo is something that an-noys the hell out of me and so I keep reminding him that itrsquos great that he was born with a silver spoon and he gets to splurge in luxury and everything but that doesnrsquot make him entitled to take every thing for granted and just let it fritter away Though Irsquom person-ally not against the idea of extravagance I mean who wouldnrsquot want the comfort of good times at their beck and call I would any day But wasting is then again something I vehemently oppose

Anyhow we all were invited to his birthday party last Saturday evening at his place which is nothing less than a mansion Rain-dance pool party Woah Wow it was indeed a dream with the finest of food and music The crowd went berserk Had to We danced our hearts out and the party was full of the cream of the crop Amazing fun reallyIt was late in the night and everyone was either sloshed or asleep by then but I wasnrsquot

The party was over basically and I was sitting by the pool in that random ruminating mood where you just sit and stare and maybe think on an unusual plane Things outlandish things which perhaps lie ingrained in the sub-conscious and surface only at times when you let them Anyway I was gaping at the pool with my legs dangling inside and I realized that the water was grimy and I could feel the trash swimming around my feet like an amoeba trying to engulf itrsquos prey SICK -- ALL courtesy the grand birthday bash aftermath food wrappers streamers floating -- a clogged drainpipe that prevented the water from draining out It turned into a venomous sight and I canrsquot believe it was only us spewing the venom this time all on account of our selfish ldquoGood Timesrdquo Is this right I questioned myself Is all the lsquodeliberate messrsquo necessary Well the mess can be cleared but what about the water though We donrsquot recycle that We just waste it

ldquoWe are living in an interminable succession of absurdities imposed by the myopic logic of short-term thinkingrdquo

- Jacques Yves Cousteau

Canrsquot we do with the requisite lsquolessrsquo in our lives Lud-wig Mies van der Rohersquos lsquoLess is morersquo philosophy Or is it just not viable Mitali came and handed me a jack-et it was pretty cold early morning and asked me what was wrong I had a queer expression on my face and I said nothing She understands well my phases and the oft-occurring mood swings and therefore knew exactly what to do She gave me the look which said lsquoSTOP right there and we should be heading backrsquo I complied in silence

But you know what I just couldnrsquot get over that phase it just got into me It was a Sunday and so we crashed as soon as we returned Later in the day I got up with that sickening feeling when you just donrsquot feel right or up for anything I blankly stared at my closet for 15 long minutes indecisive about what to pick and wear then went for a quick shower well if quick means a good 45 minutes I told myself- Whatrsquos my problem se-riously Just because the warm water feels so good Irsquoll keep the shower running and the geyser on Just to make myself feel better My guilt-o-meter kept es-calating but nevertheless it did refresh me and now and then we choose to abandon responsibility and sen-sibility to rid ourselves of some other guilt over again that made us feel wrong in the first place and to get out of that we indulge ourselves all the more to the point of no return Insane isnrsquot it - The vicious circle

Rest of the day was spent in reading and watching sitcoms It was a dreaded Monday that followed and believe me it was the worst start ever Just imagine NO water in the house Absolutely NO WATER not a single drop of water No water to drink let alone brush and bathehellip urrrgh We cursed our luck and called the landlord but then he made some odd stupid excuse that we couldnrsquot buy but sadly we had no choice but to carry our toothbrushes in our bags to collegeIt was actually pretty uncanny made me feel nothing but filthy and cranky During lunch break I was in the cafeteria standing in the queue for food when I was noticing the guy washing the dishes his cell phone started buzzing so he conveniently started conversing for over 5 minutes as the water gushed by swiftly And it boiled my blood after all that I had to face that very morning I went up to him and blasted him and he gave

me the most appalled look ever and it was a bit of a scene but then suddenly I felt a spasm of guilt What hypocrisy Just day before I was happily in-dulging in that awesome rain dance and pool party and today I scream at this person for his unintentional mistake We all certainly make these mistakes with-out knowing it And the worst part is that we always feel itrsquos not a big deal how would it help the world if we save that little amount of water But picture it this way the lsquovery samersquo resource is indisputably the most prized commodity in the barren infertile land of the desert region where those middle-aged women walk bare feet on that desolate cracked land for long hours in the scorching heat breaking their necks and backs with those earthen pots on their heads -- JUST to col-lect water whereas in contrast we never think twice before letting it just flow lsquodown the drainrsquo It must pinch us the next time we manhandle this valu-able resource it must in fact make us feel the pain of those women and maybe the plight of the people liv-ing in areas which face acute water deficits Itrsquos really something that requires looking into I urge you guys please Water is indeed more important than anything else and we need to preserve it for the future genera-tions

Like Jacques-Yves Cousteau said ldquoWe are living in an interminable succession of absurdities imposed by the myopic logic of short-term thinkingrdquo The current times call for a widened perspective and ideal judgment where everyone can see the big picture clearly and maybe then that enlightened logic would supersede all our problems

Clicheacuted but true EVERY DROP COUNTS

Stay green until next timeMuch loveEsha

Pooja Bhatt19 years old pursuing accessory designing from NIFT Bangalore Presently she leads the PR team (icare) and is also the asst editor of expressions

THE GIRL WITH THE GREEN HANDBAG


FACE TO FACE

Often referred to as the lsquoEarth Architectrsquo designing sustainable eco-friendly buildings using environmentally sound and cost effective materials - lsquoChitra Vishwanathrsquo is a veteran architect

who was born in Banares and now based in Bangalore After completing a Civil Engineering Diploma in Nigeria (77-80) she joined the School of Architecture CEPT Ahmedabad in 1982Her husband is an Urban Planner who is spending considerable time on Water Sanitation and Agriculture issues Their office Biome Environ-mental Solutions Private Limited has dedicated team of architects engi-neers and lots of enthusiastic trainees from all over The team is totally involved in furthering and exploring newer ways of living ecologically while practicing the same in Architecture

with

Chitra Vishwanath

Expressions got in touch with her and received valuable insights about

lsquoEarth architecturersquo which we have shared with our readers in this ex-

clusive interview

EXPRESSIONS (E) What inspired you to start with the concept of

lsquoearth architecturersquo

CHITRA VISHWANATH (CV) Well really nothing which inspired per

se but only the fact that lsquosoil of goodrsquo was available easily in Bangalore

- whenever we dug the fact that the fired bricks were of very bad qual-

ity led us to choose earth as a building material More than an inspira-

tion it was a common sense pick along with the informed guidance by

the faculty from the Civil Engineering Department of Indian Institute of

Sciences who had done pioneering research work on Stabilized Mud

Blocks

E Can you brief our readers with this new emerging concept of eco-

friendly home and what are the things that one has to keep in mind

while planning an eco-friendly building structure

CV A new home anywhere in the world should be self sufficient in most

ways and not be a parasite It should be able to solve its-

1 Resource needs to build for this it sources its building materials

from the closest source One of the material is Mud It can be sourced

from a basement a water storage or sometimes from its own excavated

foundation

FACE TO FACE

2 Water needs The home stores water which falls on its terraceroof and

collects it for its drinking and cooking needs reuses after basic treatment its

waste water for flushing needs and also uses low water consuming appli-

ances and progresses to set in place ecological sanitation Ecological sanita-

tion is a method by which urine and faecal matter are source separated

and thus do not need water for their disposal In such manner not only the

household saves on water but also in return gets valuable fertilizer

3Energy needs Solar is the mantra nowadays but most important is also

look at the design itself of windows and ventilation so as to minimize use of

electricity itself

4Food needs The homes require food for the occupants which tend to

be travelling from distances The homes are constructed on land which could

otherwise be a place to grow food If the terraces and land around the buildings

are judicially planted with edible landscape we would go a long way in addressing food security

5Biodiversity need There is need to look at our neighbours and other species and work at building a sur-

rounding which encourages growth of biodiversity

E Considering the lack of awareness and average economic conditions of India do u think that the con-

cept in itself will be well acknowledged and adapted by all

CV I would answer this question with a question Are all these concrete Aluminum and Glass buildings which

we see proliferating all over a depiction of our economicawareness conditions Or are they merely playing

to a gallery of speculators and those who want to build quick and get fast profits It is the latter and those who

are building otherwise which too is a large number are building with whatever cheap material they can lay

their hands on and just going about managing to adjust within

We have unfortunately lost the skill as well as knowledge of building right for the context and climate As

resources start getting priced on their ecological costs the scene would definitely change Till then we have to

keep up the pace of innovation and keep bring it into the mindscape of many through efforts like yours

E What are the 3 things singularly overlooked by most of the architects when designing a house not nec-

essarily a green house

CV The 3 things singularly overlooked by most of the architects are as followsbull FirstthingwhichisgenerallyoverlookedbyallisthatbuildingahouseisateameffortNoheadway

would be made otherwise

bull AnarchitectisgoodonlyasfarashesheunderstandstherequirementandtranslatesittothelifestyleMud excavated at site

Ecological sanitation toilet


FACE TO FACEas well as needs of the client A homeowner would feel comfortable only if heshe looks at the home as

their own and not a showpiece for others to acknowledge their climbing up a ladder of prosperity

bull Ifeveryoneishonestintheireffortsthearchitectortheownerwouldnotmissanythingperse

Some things if overlooked are not a flaw on anyone but just a human error and for sure it would not be of

gargantuan proportions

E Eco-friendly designs are relatively prominent in metros like Bangalore but how do you think can

the concept of earth architecture be promoted in second string cities like Dehradun Pune etc

CV Dehra Dun or any other city is not a second string city

Of course ecological issues are similar and such buildings can be built anywhere There will just be a need

for the ownerdesigner to look up the materials available and choose the same wisely

E How do you think the govt could possibly help in promoting green architecture

CV Government can set in helpful bye-laws and also provide for some subsidies Still if planned in a

proper sense ecological buildings go a long way in saving your lifecycle costs and also are lot more

healthy

E Most of the people may have already built their dream houses without keeping in mind the green

measures that they could have taken In such cases what are a few things that one can incorporate

in an existing construction Your suggestion to the readers

CV Well in that case they can always put in rain water harvesting grey water treatment solar heating

solar lighting and also Ecological Sanitation toilets The next time they paint they should demand and use

paints with low VOC and no lead however expensive they may be They can always work at their lifestyle

which would use more of muscle energy and not be depended on machines they can use less plastic and

so on

HIMANSHU TOMARwas born in Dehradun in 1987 and holds a bachelors degree in Economics He is extremely passionate about photography and aims to become as proficient at it as his role model Hari Mennon Even though he is an expert Photoshop user he believes that such software should be used to only enhance photographs not alter them

PHOTO STORY


PHOTO STORY PHOTO STORY


WAYS TO PHOTOGRAPH DOON VALLEY

4 using texture

The photographic process has an almost uncanny ability to reproduce texture When success-fully captured in an image texture can be one of the most effective qualities in a subject

The mountains surrounding Doon have created a

quite astonishing landscape in places and by all nor-

mal standards helped create a lovely countryside But

I found the sheer scale and rich color of the mineral

deposits irresistible as a subject The day on which

this shot was taken was sunny but with enough light

cloud in the sky for it to be significantly diffused Most

distant landscapes subjects would have probably

been rather too soft to create a strong textural effect

But the deeply indented quality of the almost barren

hillside in Chakrata provided enough inherent texture

in the scene to produce the effect I wanted I used a

normal wide angle lens to fill in the expanse of the

terrain and framed the image so that the brown tinted

earth occupied most of the image

A HILLSIDE IN CHAKRATA

sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh

ldquoThe way a subject is lit is crucial to the outcome of imagesrdquo

WAYS TO PHOTOGRAPH DOON VALLEYDOLOMITE ROCKS wITH LICHEN amp OAK TREE TRUNK wITH MOSS

From the weathered skin quality of a character portrait or a fur of an

animal to the subtlety of rippled water or the differences in surfaces in

a basket of mixed fruits a photograph can seem extremely convincing

and tactile Texture can also be a powerful ingredient in landscape

photography both in close up images and when a distant viewpoint

creates a textural effect from details such as furrowed fields trees

and crops The way a subject is lit is crucial to the outcome of images

like these Acutely angled sunlight is often the most effective lighting

for more distant scenes which is why many landscape photographers

favor the light early or late in the day when the sun is low in the sky

The key to exploiting the textural

quality of a subject is in judging

the quality of the light and the

effect is has an on the surface

Itrsquos illuminating A coarse deeply

indented texture needs to be lit

with a more diffused and less

acutely angled light than a finer

more subtle texture

sandip puran singh

Sandip Puran Singh Writer is the founder of SUSWA an NGO working along the northern boundary of Rajaji National Park Hersquos also an avid bird watcher and an amateur naturalist working on the Doon valleyHis love for photographing the valley can be seen by logging ontowwwicarefordoonorg and can be reached atseemasandeepsinghgmailcom

copy EXPRESSIONS 2010


This happened when I was roaming in the backyard of my grandmarsquos houseThese small bite marks from a cat-erpillar turned into continents and it all appeared as a completely different worlda green world my world carved out

The moment I see the phrase ldquoeco-friendlyrdquo or ldquoGo Greenrdquo

written on the back of a bill sent to me by my cable or

phone company I gnash my teeth ldquoPlease sign up for

paperless billingrdquo they say ldquoYour efforts will save a treerdquo No it

wonrsquot It will save you postage and printing costs If bills were

just a service you provided us you would have gotten rid of it a

long long time ago But since the whole basis of your business

depends on you sending us bills there is no way you can elimi-

nate that expense The best you can do is to guilt-trip us under

the flag of environmental consciousness

One of the many things that piss me off is how corporations

who normally care two hoots about the environment (for in-

stance they would quite happily mow down trees to erect a

cell-phone tower) get all tree-hugger on us when ldquoenvironmen-

tal responsibilityrdquo is to be used as an excuse to cut costs and

maximize their profits ldquoWe will shut off AC in the office cubicles

at 6 to reduce our carbon footprintrdquo My foot Itrsquos the footprint of

the utility bill on your monthy expenses that is behind your sud-

den awareness If you be so concerned about carbon emissions

why not make the President Vice-President and the board all

travel in public transport Of course you wonrsquot because ldquoeco-

friendlyrdquo to corporations is just a PR buzzword a cost-cutting

measure and little else

TURNING GREEN TOSAVE SOME GREEN

GREEN WORLDILLUSTRATED

Girinath Gopinath was born in Cochin KeralaHe worked as a designer for a leading fashion accessory brand besides pursuing his school days passion for doodling People and things morphed in his imagination into characters and ideas and he has ever since continued his expression At present he is a faculty in NIFT Bangalore and can be reached at girinathggmailcom

copy EXPRESSIONS 2010Arnab Rayis the author of ldquoMay I Hebb Your Attention Plissrdquo published by Harper Collins one of Indiarsquos best-sellers for the year 2010 He blogs at httpgreatbongnet



For this purpose notification may be issued by the Government declaring its intention to constitute the reserve forest and specifying the situation and limits of such land and appointing forest settle-ment officer to enquire into and to de-termine rights of any person in or over the land comprised within such notified area

2 In consequence none will acquire any rights in or over reserve forest No one can make fresh clearings in that for-est Setting fire to the reserve forest is prohibited None can trespass even for pasture of cattle Felling or cutting trees in the forest area is prohibited Quarry-ing stone etc is barred Removing any forest-produce is not permitted Hunting and catching elephants are barred All prohibited acts are made punishable for the purpose of effective control It may be noted that the formation of reserve

forests and its safety are well taken care by the law provided the authorities ef-fectively enforce it

Clearly the Indian Forest Act contains many provisions to protect and grow forests in the country However the ef-fectiveness of its implementation is what mattersEver since the 1980s after the Supreme Court began considering cases related to the environment the judiciary in India has responded pro-actively towards en-vironmental problems Most such cases has required the Judiciary to deal with cases involving conflicts between the need to preserve forests and the need for developmental activitiesIn most such cases the Supreme Court and High Courts of India have empha-sised the need to preserve forests as against the needs of various industries

ConclusionThere are a number of laws in India that deal with protecting forests Also it is also worth mentioning that the Judiciary has mostly ruled in favour of forest conservation However deforestation activities are still rampant in India The government needs to be stricter in enforcing the laws which protect our forests against those who ravage it Until serious steps for the proper enforcement of the laws are taken our dream for a greener tomorrow will remain unfulfilled

Forests which once covered the entire earth are becoming increasingly scant The growth of civilisations seems to have changed the face of the planet for the worse Tropical forests face the highest threat of destruction

More than half of the worldrsquos tropical forests have been destroyed in the previ-ous 50 years The rate of forest loss in Asia is estimated to have been around 12 per annum during 1981-90 and seems to be increasing steadily This destruction has led to a huge increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere even as the soil is degraded and eroded

Preserving forests is an important part of the environmental protection movement While the destruction of forests from various activi-ties such as mining timber-extraction natu-ral calamities occurs rapidly re-forestation is contrarily a much longer process This has led to an imbalance in ecological systems across the world In India safeguarding the forests and wild-life of the country is a Duty entrusted to the State as per Article 48A of the Directive Prin-ciples of the State Policy in the Constitution of India It is also the fundamental duty of every citizen of India to protect and im-prove the natural environment including forests lakes rivers and wild life as envis-aged by Article 51 A of the Constitution

British IndiaIndustrialisation in India began with the ar-rival of the British which in turn led to the beginning of deforestation on a massive scale Since meeting the industrial needs of Britain was the primary aim of the coloniz-ers the natural resources of India came to be denuded However the Indian Forest Act of 1878 attempted to control the damage to forests by classifying some forests as ldquore-servedrdquo In 1894 the British Government in India reviewed its forest policy It decreed along with other laws that forests which are the reservoirs of valuable timbers should be

managed on commercial lines as sources of revenue to the State It is apparent that the policy during that time emphasized thecommercial use of forests

Independent IndiaAfter independence the Government of India introduced the National Forest Policy of 1952 which mostly continued the British policy of the commercial use of forests However the National Forest Policy of 1988 revised this The 1988 policy presented in the Parlia-ment recognized that over the years the forests had been severely depleted This was attributed to the relentless demands for fuel wood fodder and timber further worsened by inadequate protective measures It was recognised that there was tendency to look upon forests as revenue-earning sources The Government felt the need to review the situation and to evolve for the future a new strategy of forest conservationThe Central Government also enacted the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980Some unique features of the Indian Forest Act are

1 The Government can designate reserve forests village forests and protected forests Section 3 of the Act empowered the Govern-ment to declare any forest-land or waste land belonging to the State as a reserved forest

FOREST CONSERVATION LAWS IN INDIA

Adhideb Bhattacharyaand Ankit Srivastavaare final year students at the University of Petroleum Studies (UPES) Dehradun They harbour a keen interest in Indian Wildlife and Environmental Laws as well as Oil and Gas Laws




COVER STORY

Craft traditions of India have completely been based on these non professional designers Thus this dualism gives an apt environment for design activism to exist Activism in Todayrsquos ContextActivist are seen as individuals groups who have the capacity to look at non plural form of lsquoseeingrsquo and thus approach it form the point of view of other which may not be most popu-lar pluralistic agenda of the society The word also has a lot of energy in todayrsquos consumer materialistic and post industrial society with internet which has a lot of impact in the time of the internet when the society is going through a relationship revolution due to information and communication technology advent

For an activist it is important to be intrinsically driven to take account of the trigger points and then act upon it It is important to have the en-ergy and the motivation to follow the cues and be able to also motivate other to see your point of view

Design essentially being product and process oriented can have a very effective model for activism as each and every activity is an oppor-

tunity to act upon to make it more sustainable to make it more effective to leave less carbon footprint to plan the afterlife of the products to share the views with people involved in each and every step of design process and so on

According to Gro Harlem Brutlandrsquos 1987 report ldquoOur Common Futurerdquo Sustainable development is ldquodevelopment that meets the needs of the pre-sent without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needsrdquo

INTEGRATION OF DESIGN ACTIVIST IDE-ALISM IN EDUCATIONWith a strong background of living within the means India has a sense of activism built in the fabric of its society A lot of effort has been made to integrate activ-ism with people not only to understand the right and the wrong in certain context but also voice out their opinion and make a mark on the map of life through it In my personal journey I came across innumerable people and organizations that are making a difference in other peoplersquos life to make life worthwhile not only for themselves but also for the oth-ers Some of those are Bodhi Vadodara India

Sustainable development is ldquodevelopment that meets the needs of the present without com-

promising the ability of future generations to meet their needsrdquo

COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED

ACTIVISMIn todayrsquos time and age design has become a

very important tool in changing the face of the product nature of its use people who are going

to use it Design is driven by consumerism but at the same time it has the power to ask questions to be the connector to be the change agent to be the pioneer in movement and reaching to people It can build up awareness and consciousness among people It has the ability to effect one and many at the same time The results in tangible and intangible reality stay closer to people It is driven by society so it has the power to drive the society It has the potential to change the present and predict

the future It is important that design should find out its own future agendas and set it for its own self so that it can chart out a growth path in many dimen-sions and make sure that all the paths are leading to a positive change

Design ActivistA person thought whowhich believes that design has the power to change the world and make it better sustainable and a joy to live in and a better future to look forward to

In ldquoDesign for the real worldrdquo Victor Papanek opens it up with ldquoAll men are designers all that we do almost all the time is design For design is basic to all human activityrdquo

There is dual section of society who engage them-selves in the activity of design one who are trained to design through design education and one who have been practicing it to run their living and it has been a source of their income because of the skill they possessed which were passed on from gen-eration to generation

ldquoAll men are designers all that we do almost all the time is design For design is basic to all human activityrdquo

- Victor Papanek


COVER STORYwas also advertised in tea packets

PROPOSITION FOR THE DESIGN LED ACTIVISM AS A PART OF DESIGN EDUCATIONFor the sustenance of the idea of design activism it is important that the design education supports the idea A few ideas can be explored for integrating activism in design educationbull Integration of more field visits bull Opportunity mapping on the basis of human

needsbull Understanding and integration of strong socio-

logical content bull Integration of projects based on co-design co-

creation co-producebull Making Institutes environment eco-sensitive with

waste management rain-water harvesting re-cycling of water and other environmental based activities

bull Living with the artisans in their natural surround-ing and doing the co-design activities with the artisans

bull Encouraging more co-design co-creation re-design re-use re-look re-think based classroom activities

bull Integration with other institutes and coming up with co projects to be executed over a period of time towards an identified cause

bull Holistic thinking towards the objects and products not only till they reach the user but also when they are discarded and the activities surround-ing both the birth death and the afterlife of the product

References Faud-Luke Alastair Design Activism beautiful trageness for a sustainable worldPapanek V Design for the Real World Human Ecology and Social ChangeThorpe A Changing the Change Design Vi-sions Protocols and ToolsMargolin V Design Issues Vol 18

wwwchangingthechangeorg

wwwarchitectureforhumanityorg

wwwdesign-for-indiablogspotcom

wwwbarefootcollegeorg

wwwmotherearthcoin

EcoMark is a voluntary non binding scheme which labels consumer products as environment friendly based upon cer-tain environmental as well as quality parameters

Shipra Roy

Studied Accessory Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technol-ogy New Delhi She has been associated with academics for more than 8 years and has worked on many projects pertaining to artisans and crafts Her academic journey started with Indian Institute of Crafts amp design in the year 2001 and at present she is working with NIFT Bangalore as a faculty member in Accessory Design Department


COVER STORYA shop by Mala and Pradeep Sinha They specialize in hand-block printing and screen printing with mini-mal environmental impact In the trade which is often criticized for water pollution they use recycled water and effluent treatment is created for colored water For this couple developing new design techniques is more exciting than discussing the annual turnover ldquoThe joy of creating new things is more satisfying than the money it reapsrdquo Pradeep saysWith a team of 35 people working in the printing tailoring and embroidery departments Mala strives to give her staff a holistic experience They train the local women in hand embroidery and appliqueacute work In three years over a hundred women have been trained

Laurie Baker ArchitectUsing simple local materials Baker has been inspired to blend the best elements of Indian vernacular ar-chitecture with Western technology to create build-ings that live lightly on the land while respecting and reflecting their immediate environmentGandhi once exhorted builders to only use materials gathered within five miles of a construction site The use of such materials bolsters a local and regional economy and reduces waste from fossil fuels used to transport materials from far-flung origins

Barefoot College Tilonia Pioneers Bunker Roy and Aruna RoyPhilosophyEstablished in 1972 the Barefoot College is a non-government organisation that has been providing basic services and solutions to problems in rural communities with the objective of making them self-sufficient and sustainable These lsquoBarefoot solutionsrsquo can be broadly categorised into solar energy water education health care rural handicrafts peoplersquos action communication womenrsquos empowerment and wasteland developmentThe College believes that for any rural development activity to be successful and sustainable it must be based in the village as well as managed and owned by those whom it serves Therefore all Barefoot initiatives whether social political or economic are planned and implemented by a network of rural men

and women who are known as lsquoBarefoot Profession-alsrsquo

Auroville is a village in Pondicherry where people are driven by the philosophy of Aurobindo and want to actively contribute to his philosophy of Unity in the world This village has almost given the free reign to nature and people and the environment live harmoniously together Auroville is about sustain-able way of life through education media radio community based activities housing arts and crafts They actively participated in the rehabilitation work during the tsunami The place used solar energy for its energy usage popular form of transport is bicycle with community usage play ground with everyone contributing towards the sustainability of the environ-ment

Building with workers Meaningful Produc-tion An idea of co-creation co-design and co-makeDaram Designers and artisans work together to come up with the product range which will suit the urban lifestyle taking support from the skill set available with the artisans and material available in nature

Ethical ProductsDesign led activism has been very active in the area of ethical products category in India There are many instances where the raw material considered waste by the community has been taken up and bespoke finished products have been developed The organization is led by Neelam Chibber who along with two other partners started working with the artisans in South India to come up with the products like boxes mats cushions etc She is also pioneers in opening up of the store named Mother Earth which supports crafts person as producers and makes them a partner in the profit sharing of the store The store also keeps organically produced food products which are certified and supports and spreads the idea of being closer to nature

Jaago Re campaign supported by TATA enterprise in India about making people aware about the right to vote and thus increasing the peoplersquos participation in politics It came as commercial break on television it


GREEN GAMES

In October this year India (in particular Delhi) will host the Commonwealth Games (CWG) the third-largest multi-sport event in the world For Delhi this is an opportunity to host a mega-event almost 30 years after the Asian Games of 1982 The Games have the potential to transform the cityrsquos land-scape for the better and propel India onto the world-stage in a spectacular fashion

DREAM OR

REALITY

The Organizing Committee of the Common-wealth Games is firm in its determination to stage the first ldquogreenrdquo Commonwealth

Games and has declared that its collective vi-sion for this yearrsquos Games is ldquoTo strive towards reducing carbon footprints and to become the benchmark for the multi-disciplinary games in the futurerdquo In October 2007 the OC signed a Memo-randum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for assimilating major environmental considerations into planning and staging the Games The MoU proposed to cover areas such as the conservation of biodiversity extensive afforestation energy efficiency effective waste management reduced air and noise pollution sustainable transportation conservation of water waste water management and the use of renewable energy

On the way to a greener Games there have been several hiccups Even though the Delhi cabinet passed a rule that made it mandatory to plant 10 plants for each tree felled environmen-talists have been unhappy with the way the city is going ldquogreenrdquo The attempts to make Delhi a ldquogreenrdquo metropolis will ironically require uproot-ing and transplanting thousands of trees lsquoThere

is no compensation for the loss of a fully grown mature tree While we cannot dispute the rise in green cover the city seems to be turning into a concrete jungle while the forests are being cre-ated on the boundary There is also no verification of how much compensatory plantation has been undertaken so far A lot of trees can be saved if only project planners consider these aspects Can the government really account for trees that were lost in projects like streetscaping where the contractors could not be bothered with preserving the greeneryrsquo said an agitated environmentalist Some also question the quality of the transplanting work Ravi Aggarwal a concerned environmen-talist says lsquoPlanting trees doesnrsquot mean digging up and burying a sapling It is a specialised job for which you need trained gardeners You canrsquot expect those who are constructing walkways and buildings to plant trees as well You canrsquot be plant-ing trees in the middle of the monsoon New plants canrsquot take the pressure of the rain and it hampers their growth The civic agencies have turned this exercise into a Game-related project giving no thought to the futurersquo

The renovation of various buildings construc-tion of new Metro lines and roads have all led to deforestation on a large scale Many ldquoheritagerdquo trees of Delhi have been either axed down or shifted to other locations The city has already lost

about 40000 trees to various Games-related pro-jects in the past few years Thankfully despite this the green cover has been growing at an average annual rate of 1 which is attributed to the high rate of compensatory plantation that occurs mostly in the city forests on the outskirts of the city In 2007 a student-led protest against the indiscrimi-nate felling of trees around the Siri Fort area was noticed but not heeded by the government which claimed that it was part of a necessary of ldquoplan-ning processrdquo for the 2010 Games The protesters claimed that a couple of weeks of games did not mean that the environment should be put at risk The trees they said are an essential part of Delhirsquos heritage

However despite substantial hurdles the Organis-ing Committee has done its best to efficiently imple-ment their promised plans The new ldquogreenrdquo low-floor buses running on CNG are helping alleviate the pollution problem A well connected Metro system across the NCR also adds to a more environment-friendly commercial passenger systemAt some Metro stations bicycles are rented out to willing riders A coal-based power plant also discon-tinued operations so that Delhi could gain cleaner air

Moreover the first ldquocity forestrdquo was developed by planting 3000 saplings in Arya Nagar by volunteers of various schools colleges and eco-clubs Depart-ment of Environment officials of the Delhi govern-ment and members of OC CWG Subsequently more such ldquocity forestsrdquo were developed to en-hance the green cover of the city

Even the Games venues have attempted to go green For example the Thyagaraj stadium which

was inaugurated in April this year (and is the venue for the Netball competition) has been built using ldquogreen building technologiesrdquo The bricks are made of environment-friendly fly-ash An affluent treat-ment plant recycles water within the stadium and rain-water harvesting guarantees water conser-vation Solar energy is being used to power the building will also be stored and harnessed for other purposes

Thatrsquos not all Recycled paper stationary will be used during the games Solar energy is used for external lighting and water heaters Energy efficient lighting systems such as CFLs LEDs and TL5 are being used Buildings are designed in order to have natural daytime lighting and integrated building management systems are strategized for stadiums and double glazed windows are being used to save power

It will soon be evident whether the games will truly be as ldquogreenrdquo as is claimed Nevertheless what-ever the final outcome the support for making the Games ldquogreenrdquo is laudable The current efforts may fall short of expectations but they are important first steps Indeed they are the beginning of a dream Join us as this dream begins

See you in Delhi

Subhinay KhoslaThe writer is 19 years pursuing English hons from Delhi University Is an avid nature enthusiast who loves to write in his free time



theGREENBEATbullAbonusandpenaltysystemforcarsbasedonpollutionlevels

bullAplantoincreaseenergy-efficiencyinbothexistingandnew buildings including a ban on incandescent light bulbs

bullAplantocutwastebyfocusingonpreventionincludingproposals to ldquoban or tax unnecessary wasterdquo (such as over-packaging) and proposals to turn to incineration only ldquoas a last resortrdquo

bullHalvingpesticideuseoverthenexttenyears

bullPossibleintroductionofacarbontax

bullLevyongoodsimportedfromcountrieswhichhavenotratified the Kyoto Protocol

I also wonder why we call India the lsquodumping groundrsquo of the West and ignore the threat posed by the Chinese goods Sta-tistics show that currently China tops the list of most polluted countries of the world This implies that the production un-dertaken in China does not comply with lsquoeco-friendlyrsquo norms Secondly with liberal trade policies India has now become a rampant market for Chinese goods Most Chinese goods are popular because they are cheap and can be replaced eas-ily However these benefits come with the caveat that such products are poor in quality and need frequent replacement adding to Indiarsquos burgeoning waste-management problemsRoss Perot said ldquoThe activist is not the man who says the river is dirty The activist is the man who cleans up the riverrdquo We must join hands if we are to save the environment Regu-lar environmental audits active public support for practices such as the GPP and organic farmingwill help mitigate the lethal impact of lsquodevelopmentrsquo on our Mother Earth

So letrsquos pledge to heal our Earth and in turn heal ourselvesHappy Conserving

ldquoThe activist is not the man who says the river is dirtyThe activist is the man who cleans up the riverrdquo

- Ross Perot

Simren SinghA 2nd year graduation student at Lady Shriram College For Women New Delhi Passionate about environment and an ardent nature lover currently the secretary of LSRrsquos envi-ronment society- Prakriti


theGREEN BEAT

The existing life-cycle related EU policies include the 2005 Themat-ic Strategies on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste and on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources as well as the 2008 Sustain-able Consumption and Production Action Plan Specific instruments to implement these policies include EU regulations on an Eco-label and an Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) EU waste directives a directive on Eco-design for Energy-using Products (EuP) and an initiative on Green Public Procurement

I would like to highlight here the importance of Green Public Procurement(GPP) As a means to kick-start the market for eco-innovative goods and services and achieving environmental goals in a cost-efficient manner the EUis promoting public procurement in its member states Public procurement refers to the purchase by public authorities of goods services or worksGPP requires contracting authorities to also use environmental criteria to decide whom to buy goods or services from Examples include energy-efficient computers or hydrogen buses for public transportIn Indiathe GPP policy can be beneficial in a number of sectors includingconstruction food and catering services transport servic-es energy office machinery and computers clothing paper and printing services furniture andhealth sector equipment since these have a significant environmental impact involve huge expenditure which only the public sector can bear

The pull of public procurement especially in India can be helpful in encouraging the private sector to take up the production of lsquogreen goodsrsquo even though these are expensive to produce and consume However as the industry for green goods expands it will lower the production costsallowing technologies that are currently not commercially viable such as biofuel- hydrogen- or electricity-powered hybrid vehicles to move into mainstream markets Adop-tion of resource-saving products across the economy will help to reduce energy consumption and energy importsLooking at French President Nicolas Sarkozyrsquos vision for an ldquoeco-logical New Dealrdquo and a ldquogreen revolutionrdquo in France India can too adopt the following proposals

aksh

ay m

adan

The answer is yes With the grow-ing emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) businesses

are being judged more than ever on how well they manage their resources and are profitable without hurting the environment around them

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the possible impactmdashpositive or negativemdashthat a proposed project may have on the en-vironment which includes the natural social and economic dimensionsUrban development projects cause a multitude of indirect effects through consumption of goods and services production of building materials and machinery additional land use for vari-ous activitiesmining of resources etc These effects are usually more intense in magnitude than the direct effects as assessed by EIA Large projects such as building airports or ship yards cause wide-ranging national as well as inter-national environmental effects which should be taken into consideration dur-ing the decision-making process

Amid concerns that growing resource-scarcity and rising raw-material costs are dampening prospects for economic growth in Europe the European Union (EU) is looking for ways to decrease the environmental impact of industrial activity manufacturing and consump-tion patterns along with improved social performance and sustained economic profitability

CAN WE SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT DISREGARDINGldquoDEVELOPMENTrdquo


E WITH THE RISE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT NOT MANY PEOPLE OWN HOUSES WITH LARGE GAR-DEN AREAS WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST THEY CAN DOPBKThis is precisely what has been kept in mind while designing the lsquokambharsquo It is a 3 tiered unit and caters to familiesindividuals living in apartments with limited space It is an outdoor product so it requires at least a balcony

E WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE NORMAL AVERAGE CITIzEN OF OUR COUNTRY WITH REGARDS TO PROPER WASTE MANAGEMENT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE SO CALLED ldquoCHALTA HAIrdquo ATTITUDE WHICH IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL THE MAJOR PROBLEMS IN OUR COUNTRY PBK At Daily Dump we firmly behave that the problem of waste is mainly due to an inefficient public waste management system on one hand and on the other apathetic behaviour of the general public that treats waste management as an issue to be addressed only by the StateDaily Dump products are designed to encourage individuals and homes to rediscover the art and science of waste management at source The products attempts to dispel myths and remove negative associations and reservations that people usually have for the issue instead making composting something lsquocoolrsquo and funSimultaneously Daily Dump products are also designed for community composting where a group of households can come together to efficiently manage their collective organic waste Throughout the process we support the individuals to gradually understand and appreciate the effort involved in waste management The result is a better informed citizenry that can then effectively ensure utilization of the State machinery and resources for more specific aspects of waste management

E WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE AUTHORITIES IN PROMOTING THE CONCEPT OF WASTE MANAGEMENT AT THE GRASS ROOT LEVEL HOW DO THEY INITIATE THE SAME WITH THE STUDENTSPBK It is not at all difficult for schools and colleges to initiate this First they need to start composting on their own premises to offer a live exam-ple for the children We also facilitate orientation sessions for children and teachers at our office or at their premises

EXPRESSIONSrsquo COFFEE

Expressions got in touch with her to know more about Daily Dump and terracotta composting In this section we exclusively share with you all the benefits of home composting also touching on subjects like waste disposal in India and the individual and government attitude towards the whole predicament

EXPRESSIONS (E) WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DESIGN DAILY DUMPPOONAM BIR KASTURI (PBK) How can you and me contribute to making our world a better place The Daily Dump Terracotta Composters are a simple direct innovation to help all of us do just thisComposting is a natural process ndash itrsquos been perfected by the universe and natural systems in a profoundly evolutionary way I asked myself what I need to do about it to make it part of everyonersquos behaviour I started the Daily Dump project based on a number of ideas influenced by the systems theory sustainable development design methods sacred geometries craft development Indira Darshinirsquos (standup Indian fast food places) the open source movement micro-enterprise facilitative processes and design

E WHAT ARE THE CHANGES THAT YOU HAVE OBSERVED IN THE CITY AND WHAT ARE THE IMPLICA-TIONS OF THOSE CHANGESPBK Increase in traffic air pollution multi-storeyed buildings water logging etc These changes will gradually affect the climate of Dehradun

E HOW CAN WE POPULARIzE THE CONCEPT OF COMPOSTING FROM HOME PBK You can do so by first practicing it yourself and then getting a few friends and neighbours interested in it You could write about your experience and share this with others If you or anyone you know is inter-ested you could even set up a Daily Dump clone in your city

E WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS FACED BY FAMILIES WITH REGARDS TO MANAGING THEIR DAILY DUMP AND HOW DOES YOUR TEAM ASSIST THEM IN THIS PROCESSPBK We have realized that composting at home takes some getting used to So while some of our cus-tomers may initially have fears related to the presence of maggots ants flies or smell over a period of usage and gaining from the benefits of composting these are issues that they overcome gradually Daily Dump also ensures consistent and timely support to all our customers as we believe that home com-posting needs to be supported We respond by mail phone through servicecrisis visits offering the cus-tomer as much information and support we can to solve the problem at hand Sometimes customers also tell us that they visit our website (wwwdailydumporg) that has a separate page on common mistakes and troubleshooting and are able to deal with the problem themselves

with Poonam Bir KasturiPoonam Bir Kasturi is an Industrial designer facilitator entrepreneur and men-tor She graduated from the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad India in 1986 specialising in Product Design and is passionate about design education

Shersquos is one of the founding faculty members at Srishti School of Art Design and Technology Bangalore Since 2000 she has spent a lot of time writing papers on Design and how it impacts lsquoDevelopmentrsquo Her latest project lsquoDaily Dumprsquo involves the design manufacture distribution and servicing products related to

home composting Daily Dump has been selected as one of the ldquoTop Nomineesrdquo for the INDEX Design award 2007



GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan

Our environment is facing serious problems today In order to preserve it and make the world a greener place we must act together We must ensure that future generations do not have to deal with a devastated planet

Letrsquos work together towards this end by following some simple eco-friendly methods

bullEachyear300millionplasticprintercartridgesendupinlandfillsWhynotrefillcartridgestwotothree times before disposing You will cut waste and save up to 90 on the cost of a new cartridge

bullLeavingthelightsongeneratesunnecessaryheatrequiringair-conditionerstoworkover-timeusing more electricity That adds to greenhouse gas emissions Let us take an initiative to switch off lights and electronic devices that are not in immediate use

bullRememberthatleavingelectronicdevicespluggedinwithoutturningofftheswitchdrawselectric-ity Ensure that laptops computers MP3 players and digital cameras are unplugged when not in use

bullThepapermanufacturingindustryusesalotofchlorineandotherchemicalsforbleachingusingalot of energy Cut waste and save paper by using both sides printing in small fonts Also print only if it is very essential Use removable media such as CDs DVDs and flash drives instead of resorting to printing out material Thoroughly proof-read material before printing Promote the use of recycled paper which uses up to 90 less water and half the energy required to make paper from virgin tim-ber while producing 36 less green-house gas emissions

bullBeforeoptingfordrycleaningconsiderthemeritsofaquickcold-waterhand-washorspot-clean-ing Look for cleaning services with clean and green processes including reuse of garments and hangers

bullSayNOtoplasticbagsforeverHavethecouragetosaynotoshopkeepersUse cloth bags or other forms of recyclable bags for shopping

E WOMEN ARE MORE SOCIALLY INCLINED TOWARDS CONSERVATION ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE THERE ARE INNUMERABLE EXAMPLES FROM THE RACHEL CARSONrsquoS TO MARIA CHERKASOVArsquoS TO OUR VERY OWN GAURA DEVIrsquoS TO VANDANA SHIVArsquoS ALL AROUND WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE SOLE MOTIVATING FACTOR PBK Women know lsquoprocessrsquo better I think It takes time to bring up a family and manage its different aspects Maybe this is why we feel a lot more and can see the connections between emotion action and consequences

E WASTE MANAGEMENT IS ALL IN THE NEWS THESE DAYS WITH THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES COM-PLAINING ABOUT THE FILTH SCATTERED ALL AROUND THE CWG VILLAGE WHERE DO YOU THINK LIES THE PROBLEMPBK We are not taught to get our hands dirty and we think that the street is the public dustbin We do not pay attention to detail so we think that just installing a dustbin will take care of the problem We donrsquot think through the whole cycle of who will fill the dustbin and who will empty it and where will it go How will this whole cycle happen what are the gaps what are the possible failure points how does the process take care of failure

E IF YOU WERE TO WORK IN TANDEM WITH THE GOVT ON ENSURING A PROPER WASTE MANAGE-MENT POLICY IS STRICTLY ENFORCED WOULD YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVEDPBK The government is made up of people These people have no motivation to do things better because they are not accountable No one can work with the government structure from outside and get things moving in waste area because there is a lack of budget allotted to this sector and it is not a priority There is also the ldquowaste lobbyrdquo that has got so used to using very cheap labour to haul waste ndash not manage it Disposal is not equal to managing and recycling Unless the government acknowledges this difference and makes a change in the design of the tender documents nothing will change I would like to get involved in changing the design of the tender

E WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE YOUTHPBK Define your life in larger terms at all times ndash your job and your passion and your life there must be some synergy

EXPRESSIONS


Surjit Singh KhairaHOD-Geography

Welham Boys Schoolcopy EXPRESSIONS 2010


GREEN WHEELStions All buses auto-rickshaws and taxis run on CNG New Delhi has the largest fleet of state-run CNG buses in the world Many car companies in India offer CNG kits which aid in cutting emissions

Hybrid vehicles are also seen as attractive alter-natives to reduce emissions The most popular hybrid car in the world is the Toyota Prius It was recently launched in India with an absurdly high sticker price of Rs30 lakhs because the govern-ment chose not to waive the import tax Such un-supportive government policies hamper the sales of green vehicles to a great extent

Hybrid-electric vehicles are the most common type of hybrid vehicles Other types include vehi-cles running on ethanol or plant-based oils Some even use hydrogen fuel Hybrid-electric vehicles use electric cells to power electric engines along with an internal combustion engine Hybrid cars limit pollution and consume minimal fuel These cars can recharge their batteries by capturing en-ergy released while braking (regenerative braking) saving a lot of fuel as a result Hybrid-car technol-ogy has improved over time as hybrid cars have become popular with customers and attractive to produce for car companies In hybrid cars the battery provides additional power for energy-con-suming activities like going uphill or accelerating Hybrid cars are also lighter have a better aerody-namic design to reduce air-resistance Moreover their tires are usually stiffer and have a higher inflation so that the drag of the car is reduced Though the prices of these cars are high they are worth buying because of the low overall costs in the long run

Let us do our bit to reduce en-vironmental pollution by invest-ing in less polluting vehicles and using more environment-friendly fuels Hybrid cars are undoubt-edly the new ldquocoolrdquo cars of the 21st century

the government chose not to waive the import tax Such unsupportive gov-ernment policies hamper the sales of green vehicles to a great extent

Vansh Nathanidid his schooling from The Doon School and is cur-

rently a student in Ramjas college and can be reached at

vansh127gmailcom


Automobile giants have never really cared about anything besides their profits However due to changes in government policies across the world and stronger public sentiment to mitigate vehicu-lar pollution there has been a shift in priorities in the automobile industry

Car sales in India are booming Maruti Suzukirsquos Alto alone sells about 27000 units a month compared to overall car sales of around 2 lakh units a month If we include two wheelers and commercial vehi-cles as well this figure could be close to a million vehicles a month Rapidly increasing sales of cars as illustrated above justify the growing concerns about pollution and emissions

The emphasis on performance and design has shifted to better fuel efficiency reduced drag co-efficient and lower emissions In the lsquo70s and lsquo80s it was common to have average fuel efficiency figures between 3 and 7 kmpl Nobody cared about fuel efficiency because it was presumed that the Middle East had unlimited oil reserves Thing have changed a lot since then The recent Maruti Suzuki commercials that show the growing obsession with fuel efficiency in India best showcase this point

Most automobile companies have taken some green initiatives Land Rover has revealed a green-er version of the Freelander which will offer lower emissions Even Porsche a sports car manufactur-er that had previously focused on performance is launching a hybrid car the Panamera a four-door super-car priced at around Rs15 crores Honda has also been taking initiatives to make its car range greener All its cars can be run on a mixture of 10 ethanol and 90 fuel It also has hybrid ver-sions of the Civic and Jazz Maruti Suzuki launched CNG versions of five car models recently

In India the governmentrsquos recent shift to BSIV (Bharat Stage 4) fuel in 13 cities saw all car-makers make necessary changes in their catalytic convert-ers It is common to have vehicles running on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) these days The Nation Capital Region (NCR) has many CNG re-fuelling sta-

GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an


The Tiger Summit to be hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Russia in November 2010mdashthe

Chinese Year of the Tiger and the Interna-tional Year of Biodiversitymdashpromises to be the most significant meeting ever held to discuss the fate of a single non-human species The Summit will culminate ef-forts by the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) launched in 2008 by Robert Zoellick World Bank President Leaders of 13 tiger range states supported by international donors and conservationists attending the summit are being asked to commit to substantive measures to prevent the unthinkable extinction of the worldrsquos last wild tiger populations

Wild tiger numbers are at an historic low There is no evidence of breeding popula-tions of tigers in Cambodia China Viet-nam and DPR Korea Current approaches to tiger conservation are not slowing the decline in tiger numbers which has con-tinued unabated over the last two dec-ades While the scale of the challenge is enormous we submit that the complexity of effective implementation is not com-mitments should shift to focus on protect-ing tigers at spatially well-defined priority sites supported by proven best practices of law enforcement wildlife management and scientific monitoring Conflict with local people needs to be mitigated We argue that such a shift in emphasis would reverse the decline of wild tigers and do so in a rapid and cost-efficient manner

erogeneously and except in the Russian Far East are now restricted to small pockets mostly in protected areas The recent analysis identified 42 ldquosource sitesrdquo so termed be-cause these areas contain concentrations of tigers that have the potential to repopulate larger landscapes Source sites were defined as having the potential to maintain gt25 breed-ing females being embedded in a larger landscape with the potential to contain gt50 breeding females having an existing conservation infrastructure and having a legal mandate for protection These sites contain the majority of the worldrsquos remaining tigers

Strategies to save the tiger must focus first and foremost on protecting these remaining concentrations of tigers These 42 sites contain almost 70 of all remaining wild tigers so have a disproportionate importance to the survival and re-covery of the species Nevertheless collectively they cover lt100000 km2 which is less than 05 of their historical range and just 6 of even their current distribution If Russia is excluded from the analysis 74 of the worldrsquos remaining tigers live in less than 45 of current tiger range Therefore protecting source sites offers the most pragmatic and effi-cient opportunity to conserve most of the worldrsquos remaining wild tigers

Source sites are not evenly distributed across the tigersrsquo range Most are in India (18) Sumatra (eight) and the Rus-sian Far East (six) Based on available data no source site was identified in Cambodia China DPR Korea or Vietnam Surveys in Bhutan and Myanmar have thus been too lim-ited for their status to be assessed Nevertheless potential source sites in some of these countries warrant further investigation Even source sites however have depressed tiger populations Only five all of which are in India maintain tiger populations close (gt80) to their estimated carrying capacity Thus the recovery of populations in source sites alone would result in a 70 increase in the worldrsquos tiger population

BRINGING THE TIGER BACK FROM THE BRINK

THE DECLINE OF THE TIGER Despite a long history of concern for wild tigers both their range and total number have collapsed fewer than 3500 animals now live in the wild occupying less than 7 of their historical range Of these approximately 1000 are likely to be breeding females

In most countries overhunting has been the driver of the de-cline in tigers and their prey Additionally loss and fragmenta-tion of habitat was locally important Nevertheless beginning in the early 1970s conservation initiatives helped establish a large number of tiger reserves particularly in India Nepal and to a lesser extent in Thailand Indonesia and Russia Probably the most successful of these at least initially was Project Tiger in India which was launched in 1972 with the political support of Prime Minister Indira Ghandi The appar-ent success of these reserves prompted in the 1990s many conservationists (including some of the co-authors of this report) to shift their focus to a landscape approach which sought to conserve tigers well beyond protected areas so as to maintain the genetic and demographic viability of popula-tions of this low-density wide-ranging species Conservation investments subsequently increased but the array of activi-ties was complex less directly related to tigers and spread thinly across large landscapes With hindsight it also became clear that protection and management of many reserves re-mained inadequate (the extirpation of tigers in the Indian tiger reserves of Sariska reported in 2004 and Panna reported in 2010 is illustrative) and this coupled with an increased demand for tiger parts meant that poaching of tigers and prey decimated populations across Asia both inside and outside reserves

PROTECTING SOURCE SITES

While approximately 15 million square kilometers of suitable habitat still remain in Asia tigers today are distributed het-


6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid

42 sites contain almost 70 of all remaining wild tigers so have a disproportionate importance to the survival and recovery of the species


While recognizing that the long-term goal is to conserve an Asia-wide network of large tiger-permeable landscapes the immediate priority must be to ensure that the last remaining breeding populations are protected and continu-ously monitored Without such protection all other efforts are bound to fail The similarly dramatic decline in African rhinoceros in the 1980s provides useful lessons on how best to respond to a decline in a species of high commer-cial value Where conservation efforts were geographi-cally diffuse the costndashrisk ratio greatly favored the illegal hunter Only where protection efforts either were focused on small- to medium-sized areas (eg Kenyarsquos rhino sanc-tuaries) or were well financed (eg Kruger National Park) did rhinos persist While tigers have larger spatial require-ments than rhinos the challenge is the same

Actively protecting tigers at source sites is feasible and pragmatic and has been demonstrably successful in many reserves across India between 1974 and 1986 The Malenad-Mysore tiger landscape currently maintains gt220 adult tigers one of the greatest concentrations in the world mainly due to intensive protection of its source sites such as Nagarahole National Park where tiger numbers have increased by 400 after protection began in the early 1970s and has now maintained a high density for 30 years Across India tiger abundance is strongly correlated with prey density and both depend on strict controls on hunting The Tigers Forever program has supported governmental protection effort aided by MIST (Management Informa-tion SysTem) law enforcement monitoring in Thailand Lao PDR and Malaysia and hunting has been reduced and tiger populations stabilized However these results require greater levels of law enforcement surveillance and monitoring than typically is found in national protected areas In the Russian Far East traditionally a stronghold for tigers annual monitoring detected a dramatic decline in tiger numbers over the last five years which was associ-ated with a decline in enforcement Recent declines in tiger numbers in the once thriving source sites in Nepal were also associated with reduced emphasis on protection

THE COST OF PROTECTION We assessed the costs of protecting source sites including increased law enforcement biologi-cal and law enforcement monitoring and where appropriate community engagement inform-ant networks and trade monitoring Costs were sourced where possible from those responsible for managing source sites such as protected area authorities supplemented by published national government figures Included costs were limited to those supporting the core activities of protec-tion and monitoring of source sites These include law enforcement law enforcement monitoring general management and the monitoring of tigers and their prey One-time conservation infrastruc-ture development and costs related to the reloca-tion of communities within source sites were not included in the analysisProtecting source sites is financially attain-able Our analysis estimates the average cost of protecting and monitoring tigers effectively at all 42 source sites at $82 million per year or $930km2per year within the range of effective protected area costs in general (from $130 to gt$5000square kilometeryear for densely settled regions in Asia) More than half of these funds ($47 million almost US$500km2) is already being committed by range-state governments and to a far lesser extent international donors and NGOs However much of the total governmental finan-cial commitment comes from and is spent in India When India is excluded from the analysis the av-erage current commitment drops to US$365km2 per year This leaves an overall shortfall of US$35 million a year for all source sites

A PRAGMATIC STRATEGY While protecting source sites is essential to re-verse tiger declines this is but one element of a long-term recovery strategy For wide-ranging low-density species like the tiger conservation planning at the landscape level is necessary landscapes need to remain permeable to tiger movements and source sites have to remain embedded in those larger landscapes This will require strict limits on habitat conversion and infrastructure development In addition conserva-tion efforts need to target the illegal trade as site-based protection will be increasingly costly if the global demand for tiger products is not curtailed All of this will require concerted orchestrated and politically bold commitments by range-state governments supported by the general public and the international community and sustained over decades

However with so few wild tigers remaining almost entirely clustered in a few small areas the most immediate need is to protect populations in the remaining source sites For financially valu-able species like the tiger intensive protection is paramount and the success of such protection has been demonstrated Commitments made at the Russian Summit must refocus on the protec-tion of source sitesmdasha strategy that is financially realistic politically feasible and will deliver the greatest return on conservation investments Only when we are able to stop the slide in tiger numbers at source sites will we be successful at managing tigers across the wider landscape

Source Walston J Robinson JG Bennett EL Breitenmoser U da Fonseca GAB et al 2010 Bringing the Tiger Back from the BrinkmdashThe Six Percent Solution PLoSBiol 8(9) e1000485 doi101371journalpbio1000485

BRINGING THE TIGER BACK FROM THE BRINK BRINGING THE TIGER BACK FROM THE BRINK

saran vaid

Actively protect-ing tigers at source sites is feasible and pragmatic and has been demon-strably successful in many reserves across India be-tween 1974 and 1986

SIX PERCENT SOLUTION


IN THE NEWS IN THE NEWS

Eco-Ganesha drive ends on a high note

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has hinted that the upcoming tiger census expected in November

ldquowill make us all happyrdquo

Though the increase may not be that phenomenal but it would be encouraging He was speaking at a

seminar on ldquoThe Future of the Bengal Tigerrdquo organised by Sanctuary Asia in association with other part-

ners

As part of his effort Ramesh spoke of wooing the state government with ldquogreen bonusrdquo and rewards

based on their performance in this regard A sum of 5000 crores has been set aside for the next five

years

Further rewards worth 900 crore would be introduced from the next fiscal He admitted that reforms

as these were necessary to tone up and galvanise the Indian Forest Service

The Minister also claimed to bring in more participatory measures to involve the local communities in

the reserve areas

First the revenue generated out of tourism would flow back for the benefit of the local communities

instead of the respective State exchequers Nearly 3 crore in Kanha and 15 crore in Tadoba reserve

ldquoWe have also begun aggressive recruitment of local communities in the reserverdquo he said adding 400

youths from chenchu tribes have been employed as forest staffs in the Nagarjuna reserve 40 Van Guj-

jars in Corbett besides Kurumba tribes have been employed in the Nilgiris

Present on the occasion were tiger expert Valmik Thapar Bittu Sehgal and Belinda Wright amongst

others

Source httpwwwdnaindiacommumbaireport_eco-ganesha-drive-ends-on-a-high-note_1439553

Indian consumers are most eco-friendly surveyAmericans rated last for sustainable lifestyles followed by Canadian and French consumers

New Delhi INDIA

Though there are many environmental concerns that haunt India Indian consumers are the most eco-

friendly says a 17-country survey

Released on the eve of the World Environment Day lsquoGreendex 2010 Consumer Choice and the Envi-

ronment-A Worldwide Tracking Surveyrsquo done by the National Geographic Society and the polling firm

GlobeScan says India has the most sustainable consumption pattern

Americans rated last for sustainable lifestyles followed by Canadian and French consumers The survey

is a comprehensive measure of consumer behavior in 65 areas relating to housing transportation food

and consumer goods

Greendex 2010 ranks average consumers in 17 countries according to the environmental impact of their

consumption patterns and is the only survey of its kind It said over the past two years Indians have

shown increasing environmentally friendly behaviour

Talking about the motive behind the study National Geographic said ldquoWe want to inspire action both

among the millions that the National Geographic brand touches worldwide and among others who will

hear about this study A chief component of this effort is giving people a better idea of how consumers in

different countries are doing in taking action to preserve our planet by tracking reporting and promot-

ing environmentally sustainable consumption and citizen behaviorrdquo

This quantitative consumer study asked 17000 consumers about such behavior as energy use and

conservation transportation choices food sources the relative use of green products versus traditional

products attitudes towards the environment and sustainability and knowledge of environmental issues

In the present survey India scored 626 points in the overall green index to retain top rank Brazil (58)

came second followed by China (573) The US finished last with a score of 45

Source httpwwwciolcomNewsNewsNews-ReportsIndian-consumers-are-most-eco-friendly-

survey1372680

Plastic paving for eco-friendly Indian roads

Reuters Life) - An Indian company has found a novel use for the heaps of ecologically unsound plastic

that litter Bangalore itrsquos turning it into roads

KK Plastic Waste Management run by brothers Ahmed and Rasool Khan collects thousand of tonnes of

waste plastic from garbage bins across Indiarsquos IT hub through a network of municipal workers rag pick-

ers and their own employees

The plastic is then shredded and mixed with asphalt to form a compound called polymerized bitumen

When used in paving the brothers say it withstands monsoons and daily wear and tear better than tradi-

tional methods and also reduces pot holes

Scientists agree Professor CEG Justo a Bangalore-based highways and roads experts said the pro-

cess of mixing plastic waste in road construction enhanced the performance of the road

ldquoIt (waste plastic) gets into some of the voids of the bituminous mix and makes it more resistant to dete-

rioration under wet weather conditionsrdquo Justo told Reuters Television

Ahmed Khan the managing director of the firm says the idea struck about a decade ago when various

organizations started anti-plastic campaigns


IN THE NEWS

Eco-friendly living would give the Eco-sphere the breathing space it deserves Comment

Answer in about 100-150 words and you stand a chance to win a special prize

Have a passion for writing drawing sketching photographs This is your chance to be featured in ldquoEXPRESSIONSrdquo November issue and you stand a chance to win a surPRIZE

Theme - Global WarmingSend in your entries latest by 25th October 2010at beautifuldehradungmailcom

IN THE NEWS

contestquestion

contestquestionwinner

We would like to congratulate you Your gift voucher will be sent across to you as soon as possible

For any confusion feel free to call us at +919760614317Keep the entries coming in Lots of prizes to be won

AMBIKA RATHODfrom JAIPUR

ldquoEvery day there is 10000 tonnes of waste plastic and it would all go to landfills how much of that can you do

There it does not degenerate or bio-degrade and ultimately it will be a problem so this is the best solutionrdquo he

said

The remaining garbage separated from the non bio-degradable plastic can be turned into compost Khan

added

Several state governments in India have banned plastic bags in recent years although Bangalore has not

The Khans say they have helped lay about 1400 km (870 miles) of roads with their product and with encour-

agement from state government agencies they say the could rid the entire country of its plastic waste

Unless its bio-degradable plastic does not decompose and stays in the environment for years causing grave

damage to fish marine birds and cattle that often choke to death after swallowing plastic bags

There have been instances in India where hundreds of plastic bags have been found in the stomachs of dead

cows who eat food from garbage dumps

A few years ago when monsoon rains flooded Mumbai plastic bags were blamed for clogging the under-

ground drainage system and intensifying the effects of the floods

India has the worldrsquos second largest road network but the World Bank says infrastructure limitations are its

most serious constraint to growth and the most serious limitation to rapid poverty reduction

Source httpwwwreuterscomarticleidUSTRE60D07F20100114

Air India to use eco-friendly aircraft washing system

FARNBOROUGH Indiarsquos national carrier Air India has signed an agreement with American aircraft en-

gines and products manufacturer Pratt amp Whitney to set up an environment-friendly system for washing

aircraft engines at Mumbairsquos Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

The agreement was signed by Air India and Pratt amp Whitney on the sidelines of the Farnborough Air

Show that began here Monday

The EcoPower engine wash system patented by the company reduces fuel burn eliminating three

pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for every pound of fuel saved It also helps decrease engine gas tem-

perature thus increasing the amount of time an engine can stay on wing

Joanne Hastings director Pratt amp Whitney Line Maintenance Services told a Britain-based specialised

news agency which broke news abut the agreement ldquoThis partnership will expand the availability of Eco-

Power engine wash services to India one of the worldrsquos fastest growing aviation markets The service is

especially valued since fuel prices in India are among the highest in the worldrdquo

KM Unni SBU Head (MRO-Airframe) Air India was quoted as saying ldquoAir India will offer its custom-

ers the unique advantage of EcoPower engine wash services in India This will help airlines reduce their

operating costs and emissionsrdquo

Under the agreement Air India can perform EcoPower engine washes on various engines in its fleet of

aircraft It will offer the services to other carriers in the region The service center will have the ability to

perform washes on nearly all commercial engines currently in service

Source httpeconomictimesindiatimescomnewsnews-by-industrytransportationairlines--aviation

Air-India-to-use-eco-friendly-aircraft-washing-systemarticleshow6188681cms

expressions october 2010 44


LETTERS TO THE EDITORHey Yudhishter you have done it again

Like all its previous issues the September issue of Expressions has

again impressed the readers of the magazine It is well thought out well

planned immaculately executed and shows the hard work put in by a

battery of young people spearheaded by Yudhishter

Though all articles related to Tiger are informative I really like ldquoThe for-

est Guardsrdquo by Aditi Bisht as this article covers the plight of being a forest

guard and reveals all the hardships they have to face The other article

which has impressed me is ldquoConservation of Wildlife in India and related

Lawsrdquo by Adhideb and Ankit as they give an in-depth knowledge about

the laws to common man These lesser known facts are nicely put in the

article ldquoThe Girl with a Green handbagrdquo by Pooja Bhatt smartly demon-

strates a global concern in a dramatic manner and compels us to become

eco-friendly With ldquoWays to photograph Doon Valleyrdquo Sandip Puran

Singh has once again shown his finesse in Photographic skills

Best wishes to all the team members of Expressions

by Sanjai Saxena

Just went through the September issue and liked it very much All the

articles are very well written especially the lsquoGirl with the green bagrsquo by

Pooja the cover story and the one by Subinay khosla The photographs

by Saran Vaid and Sandip Puran Singh are too good and Yudhishter you

are taking really great efforts liked your views on conservation and tour-

ism Great going All the best

by Sonal Patil

I really loved the Expressions magazine I have been desperately search-

ing for such stuff in Delhi bookstores but all I ever got was bits from Geo

National Geographic or Indian Pet Magazines This Magazine is just awe-

some I believe this magazine should rather go on to some proper print

publication It certainly demands a wider audience and popularisation

The work being done here is amazing

by Harshit Singhvia facebook

CONTACT US

Write to us at Expressions 51-A Subhash Road Adj Damama Super Mart Dehradun ndash 248001 Uttarkhand

For Free Subscription SMS I CARE to +919411114921 Call +919760614317Fax 011-66173614

Email at yudhishtericarefordoonorg

wwwicarefordoonorg

the incredible thol LITTLE CORMORANT

The Thol Lake is just 25 kms from my home and is like a second home to me I rush to that place whenever I get spare time Irsquove been working as a freelance sculptor and a painter in Ahmedabad Gujarat since 1992 and being an artist I always try to shoot what I feel about the placeLike Picasso once saidrdquo Painting is a blind manrsquos profession he paints what not he sees but what he feelsrdquo Thol lake has thousands of colours and I always try to capture those wonderful huesThis image of a ldquoLittle Cormorant ldquo is very close to me I had to do some hard work to get this image (that particular spot which i had to arrange myself was on a sloppy area with a number of thorns) but eventually I was happy with the outcome

TEJAS SONI



Features

Regulars




Akshay Madan


advertising



subscription team





M +919411114921 Fax 011-66173614




Cover Story



















Best







41 In The News

























SHAPINGGENERATIONS



SHAPINGGENERATIONS

aksh

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adan


















FACE TO FACE



with

Chitra Vishwanath



clusive interview










Blocks









foundation

FACE TO FACE










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PHOTO STORY





4 using texture


















sand

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COVER STORY









COVER STORY

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DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















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Shipra Roy












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See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




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GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

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EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added





































Features

Regulars




Akshay Madan


advertising



subscription team





M +919411114921 Fax 011-66173614




Cover Story



















Best







41 In The News

























SHAPINGGENERATIONS



SHAPINGGENERATIONS

aksh

ay m

adan


















FACE TO FACE



with

Chitra Vishwanath



clusive interview










Blocks









foundation

FACE TO FACE










electricity itself





































healthy








so on


PHOTO STORY





4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added

























































SHAPINGGENERATIONS



SHAPINGGENERATIONS

aksh

ay m

adan


















FACE TO FACE



with

Chitra Vishwanath



clusive interview










Blocks









foundation

FACE TO FACE










electricity itself





































healthy








so on


PHOTO STORY





4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




















































FACE TO FACE



with

Chitra Vishwanath



clusive interview










Blocks









foundation

FACE TO FACE










electricity itself





































healthy








so on


PHOTO STORY





4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




































FACE TO FACE



with

Chitra Vishwanath



clusive interview










Blocks









foundation

FACE TO FACE










electricity itself





































healthy








so on


PHOTO STORY





4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added

















































healthy








so on


PHOTO STORY





4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added







































4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added





































4 using texture


















sand

ip p

uran

sin

gh





















more subtle texture

sandip puran singh



















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added



















































































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added





















































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




































COVER STORY









COVER STORY

understanding

DESIGN LED









- Victor Papanek

















wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added



















































wwwmotherearthcoin


Shipra Roy












GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




































GREEN GAMES


DREAM OR

REALITY













See you in Delhi













- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added













































- Ross Perot



theGREEN BEAT




aksh

ay m

adan





















GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added


















































GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




































GO GREEN TIPS

aksh

ay m

adan













EXPRESSIONS












vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added











































vansh127gmailcom







GREENWHEELS

aks

ha

y m

ad

an














6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added
















































6THE

SOLUTION

saran vaid










saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added











































saran vaid










ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added










































ners



years




the reserve areas







others



New Delhi INDIA








and consumer goods















survey1372680

















IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




































IN THE NEWS





IN THE NEWS

contestquestion







said


added




































Documents

Expressions October 2010