Content..NOT as in content for a website or a blog . Content in the sense of feeling contented with what one has.
Posts Tagged ‘earth’
Plastic free magazines
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
It’s almost di rigueur these days for magazines (in Indian retail ) to be wrapped in plastic .
An alarmingly increasing number of magazines are choosing plastic…plastic that will remain on the face of the earth long after the magazine issue has been read and recycled. Ironically several of the magazines carry (from time to time ) articles on ‘how to save the planet’ urge readers to be ‘more eco-friendly’.
Not satisfied with 1 plastic bag some magazines have 2 bags per issue . One for the main magazine , one for the supplement. We’re guessing it’s to maximize revenue from the advertisers of the back cover of the magazine as well as the supplement.
It’s a case of short term gains entirely obliterating the larger issue of needless damage to the environment . The magazine industry is by no means the lone ranger in this regard. A whole host of companies and industries keep them ‘company’.
As readers and citizens of the earth – we should exercise the responsibility to write to magazines to eschew plastic . It’ll take a few minutes to send an email . Repeated messages from readers will eventually necessitate magazines to find alternative , earth friendly ways to transport the copies to retail.
Here’s a draft that you can adapt to write to your fav magazines that currently use plastic covers :
To Team ABC Magazine
I would feel a lot better about buying your magazine if you eliminate the plastic cover . As you possibly know the plastic is going to hang around on the planet long after you and me have moved on. It does not bother me if the copy in retail looks less than pristine. It bothers me immensely that it comes enclosed in a material that chokes our planet and poses risk to all species.
Let’s save the only place we call home – Planet Earth. I believe that while no one can do everything . Everyone can do something.
Regards ,
Eco-warrior (your name here )
p.s – I hope your magazine supports tree plantation in a systemic way to compensate for the paper used to print the issues.
Pl share the draft with your friends via email , Facebook , twitter . Take a few mins to email the message to your fav magazines that use plastic bags to pack every copy. Do so every month till you see plastic free copies in retail.
* The magazines in the pic are representative of the category . The problem is by no means limited to these specific magazines.
Birds need you this summer
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
Summer is here . Birds and animals are as impacted by the heat as us . It is found that birds and animals can die due to the heat and lack of water .
Let’s do our bit to make water available to birds and animals facing the consequence of the actions of our species . Keep a bowl of water in your balcony / terrace / compound .
Recyclable does not equal recycled
Sunday, April 25th, 2010In theory everything is recyclable. I could recycle a building, an airplane, a DVD, a camera…or even my tooth brush. For something recyclable to actually be recycled someone needs to take that something and want to turn it into something new. That is exactly where the problem lies with the recycling concept…Interesting article by Kathleen Boylan.
It’s a good idea to reuse and reuse as much as possible . Invest in quality products . And when you feel you no longer want to use a product even though it’s in perfectly good condition try one of the following (listed in no particular order)
1. Do a bit of recycling on your own. Make something else from the original object . Turn saris into tablecloth , gift wrapping paper.
2. Find an alternative/creative use for the object e.g turn old mouse pads into table mats or coasters.
3. Pl pass it on to someone who can use it.
Let’s remember that unless the object is bio-degradable – when we throw stuff away there’s no ‘away’. It remains here on planet earth.
The story of bottled water
Friday, April 23rd, 2010Do watch . This will make you rethink the next purchase of bottled water.
Carry a reusable bottle filled with filtered water . When you visit a friend or an office ask to refill the bottle. You’ll have better tasting water and a cleaner planet. Asking to refill the bottle at a friend’s place is possibly easier than doing so at an office . But once you start doing so it’ll feel normal . It will inspire others to do the same.
Go ahead. Make a difference.
Laundry gym
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
A mechanical foot pedal powered washing machine that requires no electricity by Remya Jose . The kind of innovation we need to create a sustainable world.
When free of the constraints of convention the solutions that emerge are truly amazing.
Time to rethink and Rework a lot else..
Ocean of plastic in birds
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010Warning..the pictures that follow aren’t pretty. But then , neither is what we humans are doing to this planet.
~chrisjordan, Seattle, October 2009
Routine , everyday plastic product purchases that take the life of other species . The problem of premature death due to ingestion of plastic products is not limited to birds . Animals , marine life all suffer the consequences of human choices.
We need to drop the ‘what can I do’ line of thought and the consequent inaction / status quo . The oceans did not turn into landfills by the single act of one person . It has become so by the daily choices of millions of consumers and businesses.
Pl choose to reduce plastic in whichever way you can .
Edible Cutlery
Sunday, April 18th, 2010Peesapati Narayana has experimented to created edible cutlery . The main ingredient being jowar (sorgum) which is an environmentally friendly crop because it does not require as much water as wheat and rice. Vegetable pup – spinach , beetroot , carrots – to add color.
The products are marketed under the brand name Bakeys. They are a healthy alternative to plastic cutlery, which is toxic, carcinogenic
Bakey’s products contain nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, proteins, niacin and folic acid .” Three Bakey spoons are equivalent to eating a jowar roti . The shelf life of this cutlery is nine months. If we add preservatives it can be extended up to two years” Narayana says.
Disposable plastic cutlery – from canteens , out door catering , airline / train meals etc contributes to plastic in landfills where it will lie for thousands of years . Innovations such as this one are a step forward to plastic free meals..and to a Cleaner Planet.
