About the Environment: Greening The Ghanain Youth

by Kwasi Gyeabour, Ghana

INTRODUCTION
Climate change is a big issue for my country, even though current government policy only outlines it, there’s no implementation of these outlines. Ghana hosted the 2008 United Nations climate change talks in Accra (21-27th August 2008), where several negotiations were made with no immediate impact on the host nation. According to the Encarta encyclopedia, my country is currently only 24% forested and it is rapidly dwindling down per annum. Ghana has about 22 million people in an area of about 238,500 sq. Km and a population density of about 99 persons per square Kilometer. We depend extensively on hydroelectric power for energy, and about 55 %( 2000) of the population is employed in the agricultural sector. The sector is not as mechanized as those in the advanced countries so we mostly depend directly on the vagaries of the weather. Most Ghanaians live on less than a dollar a day even though official economic figures suggest a better situation. Ghana officially protects about 4.8% of its land area but there is the issue of illegal sales of these lands to timber companies, and illegal logging activities by locals. Although we have ratified international agreements protecting the ozone layer, tropical forests, wetlands and endangered species, government activities and policies do not consider these agreements. Foreign companies with much financial influence normally get their way with the government. Our climate is composed of two rainy seasons in the south and one long rainy season in the north. There is also the Harmattan/dry season between November and January. Climate change has brought about extremities in the weather patterns in Ghana.

Recent Weather Extremes and its effects in my country.

The harmattan/ dry season for the past 3 years has not followed its regular pattern. In August 2006, the drought lasted really long as it was severe, to the point that the Black and White Volta Rivers nearly dried up. Several other rivers dried up in the forest areas, example the River Offin in the Ashanti region dropped to its lowest in almost a century. Ghana was caught up in an energy crisis, when the Volta River dropped about 41 feet below its regular level to a critical level. This meant that several energy dependent companies had to close down, according to the National Labor Department, approximately 33 companies filed for insolvency between September 2006 and March 2007 causing over 2300 workers to lose their jobs. The layoffs affected several families who were already struggling to make ends meet. Data Bank researchers (a financial research institution in Ghana) projected the energy crisis to cost Ghana about 1.4 billion US dollars. As a student in Ghana’s premier university, I suffered when one of my semester papers (French) was put on hold due to the lack of power to play the Oral tapes that semester. At night living conditions were unbearable since the temperature was high and we had no power to start the ceiling fans in a small room for four students. We had to do all our research in the day on some days and in the nights on other days since the Volta river authority had given us a timetable for electricity load shedding. It lasted for about 8 months. In those 8 months economic activity was badly affected, several hospitals which were not prepared for the situation had to move their patients to the two national Teaching Hospitals (Korle – Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra and the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi) which were already overcrowded. A few patients had to be put in the verandas.
When it did rain in the last two weeks of August and the first week of September 2007 it was excessive in the northern, upper west and upper eastern parts of Ghana exceeding the usual records. The flooding in the North left 20 people dead and 400,000 people in some 592 communities badly affected, most of them lost their homes since a majority of the houses there are mud houses. Several villages were washed away. There was also flooding in some 10 communities in the western region of Ghana. The U.N had to come to the aid of Ghana otherwise the conditions would have been worse. As a student volunteer for the relief efforts in the northern region, I was devastated by the horrible scenes I encountered. Children in these communities were under shock and battling with cholera after the flood. A look in these already malnourished children’s eye could strike a tear in the eye of even the hard hearted
We have also been through periods of severe droughts and high temperatures which have led to food shortages and led to rural water shortages. There are several areas in the northern part of Ghana which have been rendered infertile due to Human activity that fuel bad weather. Flooding also has caused soil erosion which has affected the production of food crops in the forest areas. The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency has predicted that by 2080, cocoa beans will no longer grow and thrive in Ghana due to climate change. Most Ghanaians in the rural areas are subsistence farmers and with the recent bad weather and high temperatures most of them are being forced to starve due to a decline in crop yields. Most of these people survive on less than 1 dollar a day (so you can only imagine). The youth in the rural areas in Ghana have therefore exponentially increased their migration into the cities only to sell hair ribbons on the streets or at best, dog chains. One gentleman I interviewed said that before, it used to be good back home in his village but now, the weather conditions do not favor farming and therefore he was earning a very low income from farming as low as 15 cedis (12 dollars) in a month from the sale of the small yield he gathers. He has 3 children, a wife and an ageing mother to take care of back at home and therefore the least he could do was to look for a “better” job in the city. His translation of “better job” meant being a human porter of goods at the central market in Accra. At least he was making 15 cedis more than he was making back home. Not much improvement in his standard of living but an improvement nonetheless. There are millions of Ghanaians in the same situation. The prices of certain food stuffs have tripled in the last 2 years alone. Plantain, millet, maize and cassava which constitute the basic ingredients of almost all local dishes have increased significantly in price.

A SURVEY
A survey I undertook Thursday 5th of February this year, for the sake of the essay using a sample of 200 young men, who live in my community, brought forth the following results.
Q1 YES NO INDIFFERENT
*Does Climate change affect you? 96% 3% 1%
*Do you feel policy makers should consider climate change in Economic Policy? 89% 6% 5%
*Do you feel there’s adequate information circulation concerning climate change in Ghana? 12% 88% -
*Have you heard of the word “Carbon footprint” 3% 97% -
*Do You feel the Youth have a huge role in slowing down the pace of Climate Change? 94% 6% -
*Are you doing anything to ensure the Earth’s Survival as a young Person? 1% 99% -


The above data suggest that more young people in my community believe it’s up to them to slow down the pace of climate change but most of them are currently doing nothing to help slow down climate change. Most young Ghanaians including myself believe that the government is not really doing much to spread the information about climate change and how to slow down the process. The 138 districts in the nation have at one point or another recorded several incidents of bush fire caused by bad farming practices such as slash and burn, which not only leaves the land bare for soil erosion but destroys vegetation and also group hunting for hare and rabbits, where these farmers smoke them out with fire. From this sample, I believe that at least most of the youth in my community like most other young men in the nation believe the government and the youth need to collaborate to help save our nation and hence our lives. Information dissemination would therefore be made a major priority in this essay. Making people aware of the problem is solving the problem halfway.

The Practically green solutions-Community Level

Green Mutual Sector Fund

Indeed the generation of the green entrepreneur is already here with us at least in the advanced countries. In our part of the world, companies which go green either collapse through lack of solid financial base or are NGO funded. The idea of green industry doesn’t exist yet in Ghana primarily due to lack of private investment in the green sector.
The average person in Accra has heard of some form of investment. It is like the latest phenomenon to hit Ghana especially on our university campuses. For this reason, I believe myself and a couple of friends can start an open-ended (the number of shares will not be fixed) sector growth fund8. The targeted portfolio would be energy companies i.e. bio- diesel companies, clean and renewable energy technology firms, for example firms that deal in energy saver light bulbs, and renewable energy consultants. We would also invest in companies which sell agro-based, forestry products (seeds). In Accra for example there are quite a number of these firms in mushroom forms. I believe that by investing in these companies, we would give them the necessary liquid capital base to maintain and purchase new capital goods, advertise, and in the long run to expand. At the same time the share holders of the fund will be making steady interest on their investment. A back end-load9 will be deducted from the redemption price, at a rate which decreases progressively depending on how long the holder has had the shares. We would begin the fund from the university campuses and gradually spread out to the general public. To gain a lot of shareholders and to reduce the risk involved, a massive mass education will be carried out to inform the general public as to the importance of investing funds into these firms and the need to save our climate.

The Climatic Change Relief and Impact Center. (CCRIC)

I also believe that through the collaboration of myself, friends and the local assembly of my community this center can be made a possibility. Since climate change is here to stay I believe we might as well learn how to adapt to it. This centre will train young men in disaster response and refugee management and disaster simulation drills. In times of flooding for example instead of waiting for the National disaster management organization (NADMO) who might not arrive in time anyway, we could be proactive and save lives and property. Now I believe when the Local Assembly supports the idea, we can convince a lot of young men to volunteer for the program. The training would be done by NADMO officials on weekends. The center will also carry out sensitization programs for the less educated and elderly farmers. Some of them engage in bad farming practices that only end up increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, for example a majority practice slash and burn and don’t make fire belts before the process, the burning of the trees sends large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere and affects a large area of forest land and mostly evolve into bush fires. Some of these farmers, upon starting the bush fires fail to inform the district firemen for fear of victimization and leave the fire to spread. The centre will also organize durbars on certain holidays to teach members of the community on how to survive in times of climatic disasters and the need to inform the fire station or the youth of their community in case of bush fires. There will also be training on how to reduce health risks that normally follow disasters. Had this system been in place in the northern part of Ghana the casualties from the floods would have been less. Most communities in developing countries need to prepare for such climate disasters.

Green Revolution

Most of the trends that are “in Vogue” are created by the youth. In my community for example, if college students came back home from school with a particular hairstyle it would spread as fast as wildfire. Based on this, I believe that as a tertiary level student I could, with the help of my colleagues, spark a green revolution and collective action which may eventually spread to other parts of the country. Through this I hope to achieve the following:
The Green Scout Movement
I propose a Green scout movement fashioned after the Boy Scout movement, only this time the focus will be on the environment, climate change and how to slow down the process. This movement will target young men from the ages of 6 to 21. The movement will have three divisions. The first division will be the Green Prince, the second will be the Green Scout and the final division will be the Green Entrepreneur.
The Green Prince division will be made up of students (boys and girls) from primary school class 1 to class 5. This division will focus on bringing the ideas of greening the environment to the children and teaching them of the importance of clean climate activities. They will also be involved in camping programs. The kids would also be encouraged to participate in green oriented science fairs which we would organize. We will partner them with adults who will supervise them in the completion of these series of tasks. Upon completion of a task a prince will earn a badge of completion and a certificate of accomplishment. Now their attire will be a green shirt and shorts with a green neckerchief. They will advance as they learn more and perform more tasks. After class five however a scout will advance to the next stage which is Green Scouting. This level focuses on the role of the scout in campaigning about global warming and embarking on other green activities such as tree planting and training the members of their household to use energy efficiently and to reduce their carbon traces. After advancing through the various tasks involved in this stage, they will advance to the final stage which is the stage of the Green Entrepreneur by which stage a scout should be between 18 and 21. Here the scouts will be trained on how to become green entrepreneurs in the first stage and in the second stage; they will be challenged to create their own climate saving activity or project. Upon completion a scout would get a diploma in entrepreneurship.

The Community Recycling Initiative.

Here I believe that my friends and I can collect renewable items that people in my community would otherwise throw away, and group them into categories for recycling. Now we plan to put boxes at vantage points especially at the community center, and label these boxes. We will separate them into paper, rubber and metal recyclables. Items like cans, bottles, newspapers and cardboard will be collected. We would then take them to companies in the community who manufacture these goods for recycling. In order for this to be successful, a larger number of young men need to be put together. Individual homes will be rewarded for choosing to separate their garbage to make collection easy. If recycling is taken seriously, then we wouldn’t have to deplete the few trees we have left, since there would be raw materials in the form of recyclables. The problem of waste management would also be tackled through recycling.

Online green social networking

Social networking on the internet is very common these days among the youth. Most of the young men and women are either on “Facebook”, “Hi5”, “MySpace” or “clubghana”. Internet blogging is also very common in Ghana. We can establish the Ghana temperature Movement online as a group on “Facebook” .Members of the group can invite people in their friends’ network from other communities to join the group. On the group’s forum boards, members can share ideas as to how to tackle global warming and the problems we face in Ghana which are climate related. We will also send environmental messages to the inbox of our members inviting them to our programs and share environmental solutions with them. Members will also be encouraged to blog on the issue so the message can be spread faster. Because the modern Ghanaian youth is energy dependent we will also focus on household energy consumption and how to reduce the carbon footprints of our homes. Likewise groups like these can be formed on other social networking sites until we can create our own environmental social networking website for our community and beyond.

Inter-School Climate Change solutions fair

This fair will allow young men and women in my community to showcase their projects on renewable energy and effective energy conservation. With the help of my colleagues I believe this can be made possible. With expected sponsorship from local firms and the local Assembly, We will reward the best practical climate change solution project and promote it to the national level. Participating schools in my community will each year compete with four projects from each school. This fair would encourage the youth to research into ways of improving their lives and other alternate forms of energy.

Green solutions – National Level

Carbon Compensation Plan (CCP)

Companies such as those in the cement manufacturing companies contribute CO2 when calcium carbonate is heated alongside fossil fuels. According to Wikipedia, It is estimated that cement production is responsible for 5% of all global man-made CO2 emissions, 50% of which is from the chemical process, and about 40% from burning fuel. The cement industry is estimated to emit nearly 900 kg of Carbon Dioxide for every 1000 kg of cement produced. Developing countries like Ghana use cement extensively in their building processes.
On this level I believe that my friends and other college students can come together to push to policymakers what I call the Carbon Compensation Plan. This is where firms like the cement manufacturers whose activities directly affect the environment will be forced to pay an exclusive compensating tax to the government. Revenue from this tax will be used in providing free energy saving light bulbs for homes which can’t afford to switch all their light bulbs to energy savers. Also the revenue can be used to finance tree planting exercises and renewable energy research which is not well funded in Ghana. These companies will also be required to plant a quantity of trees annually for as long as they operate in the country. In addition I believe that the government can place an importation tax on high carbon goods.
National Pre-college environmental service
In Ghana, from Senior High School, students stay home for about 10 months before they enter into a tertiary institution. The plan is to campaign for policymakers to engage these students in climate oriented service before they enter into college. Policymakers can make sure that community service will count towards a student’s admission requirements. These young men and women will be trained for three months and afterwards will be required to do a field work in their respective districts, such as community sensitization against deforestation for livestock grazing and discouraging of the slash and burn practice which normally leads to bush fires in some districts. They will also carry out water projects in water-stressed10 rural communities and as part of their field work each student should plant at least two trees in his assigned community. A certificate of community service will be provided to them upon completion of the service. Some students who show higher intellectual ability in their secondary schools can be drawn into research on how to convert the large tracts of infertile land in the northern part of Ghana into arable land.
A day should be set aside by the government to honor the young men and women for their outstanding service in this climatic venture.
Proposed Ideas for international Organizations- International level
Of course not all the ideas I have can be carried out by the youth alone. There are those that international stakeholders have the strength to carry out.
The World Bank Group which has affiliated institutions such as, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Development Association (IDA), International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) could also add a new environmental finance institution to their group since they have shown passion about the topic through this essay competition. The World Bank also helped to establish the Carbon partnership and the Forest carbon partnership facility all of which promote clean energy ventures. The bank has employed Carbon Finance programs which I believe could be managed by a new institution to ensure efficiency.
I propose the International Climate Investment Bank (ICLIB) - Which would invest in both private and public enterprises that are working in the field of renewable energy and efficient energy conservation. This World Bank Institution would also bind its members to include climate change in their domestic economic policies and encourage green solutions through dialogues. The institution would also provide support for research into climate change. The institution will also sponsor conferences and organize workshops on the topic for member nations. Members will be tasked to buy a minimum number of shares of the capital stock of the bank not according to the size of their economy but by their level of climate pollution. The operational funds of the bank will be raised through sales of interest bearing bonds and the issuance of notes in the world’s capital markets. This will free the other affiliate institutions to focus on their specialized programs.

World Forestry Reserve Heritage sites

Unlike the UNESCO’s world Heritage site, this program will involve every member of the United Nation. Every member of the UN will be charged to reserve a portion of their forest lands which will be managed by a joint team of the local government and the United Nations Environment program. The proportions of the site will depend on the size of the country and their population distribution. There will be emphasis placed on the preservation of rainforests such as the Amazon jungle and the Congo rainforest. Once the site is chosen it would become an international property. Now this site can be separate from national reserves. A convention will bind all the signatories to protect and maintain these properties for future generations and to ensure the sustenance of the earth.

Conclusion

We should act immediately! For as Confucius in the Confucian analects once said of a superior man "He acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions." We could talk about climate change for years and not live to meet eternity. We owe it to ourselves as the youth to do our part to save our own lives. To work together wherever possible to change the direction of climate change into our direction of peace love and sustainable development. Our choices today may write our dirge or our lyrics of survival tomorrow.

All of "Me's"

ALL OF "ME's" by Cahyadi Widianto, Indonesia

The video is produced by Cahyadi to showcase man's responsibility towards his environment. Enjoy and reflect.

Ethics of Science

by Alissa Gumbs
HTH, San Diego CA


Project Description

In the next six weeks, each 3-person group will do a research project on one topic related to ethical issues in the scientific world, including background on relevant scientific processes, historical factors, and ethical implications. The project will culminate in a Science Ethics Conference, at which you will present a final product of your design to an audience of school groups, university professors, researchers and community members. This event will take place Thursday, June 5 and is mandatory for all students. During the process of creating the final product, we are having: project proposals, workshop proposals, weekly check ins with Anne or Spencer, and finish end product.



Reflection

Throughout this project, I have had a delightful time trying to finish this project on time and dealing with my partners. My partners were Melissa Wendell and Gino Milan. Our topic was on industrial workers exposure to chemicals. The roles during this project were: Gino was to research on the effects on the cause and effects on environment, Melissa was to research on the cause and effects on chemicals, and I was to research on the cause and effects on health hazards on workers and the world. One thing that caught my attention was the fact that my partners worked well together even though at times one person was left out but we still pulled through the project with a great final product. One problem that came up was that we wanted to print out a human body in color at Kinko's but it would have cost $75 and I didn't want to pay that much money. A solution that we came up was that Melissa would print out the human body in black and white and the body parts in color. That worked out really well but then last minute we got information that Dr. Valvra, 11th grade biology teacher, had a color print that print out huge colored photos but we just stuck to what we had. The things I learned were more on my subject of industrial workers exposure to chemicals and how it really affects our bodies just by being exposed to certain chemicals. Overall, I liked this project especially the conference being that it was very organized and the workshops were very fun speaking to 8th and 9th graders even though sometimes the kids didn't know how to control themselves. Also this is our last project of the year so I'm happy that it’s over with.

My Room

Roger Krashner's Monologue performed by a Bethel Student in Vallejo. A character named Marcie speaks of the importance of her room. It is her sanctuary, her heaven, and her special place.

The Repercussions of Climate Change

by:Guillermo Recio
Mexico

The Repercussions of Climate Change on the Indigenous Rarámuri People: Local Actions, Global Benefits

“The Earth is our mother, she feeds us and she will receive us when we die.” [“La tierra es nuestra madre, ella nos da de comer y ella nos va a recibir el día que nos muramos.”]
-popular Rarámuri saying

Forest Industry in Mexico
International actors are known for imposing the ideology of modernization in the farthest reaches of the planet. Although progress has certainly allowed the global society to obtain greater knowledge-related benefits, we must not forget that this increased knowledge should be used within a context of sustainability.

Over the years, indigenous peoples have witnessed the invasion of capitalism into their territories. This is because of the high level of interest in usurping natural resources, and eventually establishing industrial complexes, which become communities that suffer a tremendous loss of ancestral biodiversity.

This has been the case with the Rarámuri or Tarahumara indigenous ethnic group, an indigenous community located in the southwest of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, with an estimated 84,086 indigenous Rarámuris, who represent three percent of the state’s total population. The Tarahumaras live together in the Sierra Tarahumara, a part of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range.

The majesty of the Sierra Tarahumara is seen in the enormous diversity in natural resources, with hundreds of endemic species that are very valuable for their traditional and cultural use. Therefore, in the Sierra Tarahumara alone, almost 600 medicinal plants have been documented, and in the words of German geographer, George Mayer, “The Western Sierra Madre ecosystem combines transitions of extreme differences in altitude and climate to form the greatest biodiversity of the American continent. 7,000 plant species, or one fourth of all the botanical species in Mexico, are found in the region.”

The Sierra Tarahumara also has various species of forest resources, such as pine, fir, and ash forests, which are vital for local and global development. This can be seen if we briefly analyze the importance of the Tarahumara forest in an international, national, and regional context.

One of the most outstanding features of the forests in the Sierra Tarahumara, at the global level, is the significant contribution to the field of environmental sciences, such as ecology, since the endemic species are an essential part of the ecological balance.

Climate regulation is another critical factor that allows us to understand the importance of preserving the forests in the Sierra Tarahumara. Since the signing of the Convention on Climate Change at the Earth Summit in Río de Janeiro (1992), the international community has fought to preserve biodiversity in order to reduce the consequences of climate change.

The contributions made by the Sierra Tarahumara at the local level are evident primarily in the way that groups of people interact with it. From before the arrival of the Spanish, Rarámuri communities depended, and still depend, on the natural wealth of the forests for their domestic needs—wood, food, and spiritual customs. However, the destruction of their forest began during the colonial era. Deforestation therefore started with the arrival of the Spanish colonizer, and it must be borne in mind that during the period of the Spanish Colony, firewood was one of the most symbolic fuels and was used in towns and cities. Furthermore, the mindset at that time was that natural resources were inexhaustible; the consumption of wood was therefore one of the main activities.

The foray of Mexican forest production into international spheres began in 1992 during the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1988–1994), subsequent to the amendment of Article 27 of the Constitution, which addresses matters related to forests and land. Through this article, various tariff barriers on wood resources were promptly removed.

In addition, on January 1, 1994 Mexico—along with Canada and the United States of America—ratified the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The new free market model attracted the attention of the North American market. Suddenly different transnational corporations decided to invest in the vast Tarahumara forests, which had been exclusively reserved for regional gain.

Unfortunately, the hope of reducing the poverty levels in the region, guaranteed by the Free Trade Agreement, has not become a reality and much remains to be done. A recent trend of great environmental importance is the high rate of legal and illegal deforestation in the Sierra Tarahumara (almost 90 percent of the wood obtained for the forest industry in Chihuahua comes from Tarahumara land), thereby increasing an irreversible ecological imbalance.



What are the Effects of Climate Change?

Soil is one of the Rarámuri community’s most fundamental ties to its historic past and traditions. Several population groups recently questioned the deforestation techniques that have increased the levels of soil erosion. Statements made by environmental organizations, such as Greenpeace México and Fuerza Ambiental, indicate that ever since the felling of trees began, soil erosion has increased.

The danger of deforestation is still imminent in Mexico, and secret felling is disrupting the national climate systems. Furthermore, because of the non-existence of tree species in our tropical and temperate forests (as is the case with the conifer forest in the Sierra Tarahumara), it is impossible to capture CO2, which is found freely in the atmosphere. Recent research shows that “Mexico has deforested more than one-third of its forests and jungles, thereby reducing its original woodland area of 52 percent of the country, to 33 percent in the year 2000.”

At the international level, Mexico must demonstrate social responsibility in environmental matters, since it produces approximately two percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and if this trend continues, it is projected that by 2010, Mexico will be generating twice its current volume of emissions.

My Experience in the Tarahumara

Below, I will briefly present my experience as a volunteer in the Sierra Tarahumara, where I had the opportunity to witness the serious effects of climate change on one of the most isolated indigenous communities, which has the highest poverty rate in the country. This account seeks to illustrate the critical situation faced by the Tarahumaras.

During my years as a university student, I had the opportunity to explore various areas of learning. However, there was something inside of me that made me want to leave that circle in which I was immersed, and learn about a reality that was alien to my own. One afternoon, while walking along a corridor of the University, I saw a yellow poster hanging that read: “Hear the call of the Tarahumara.” Eager to learn more about that call, I signed up for the information session and a few weeks later became a volunteer in the Sierra Tarahumara.

On reaching the town of Huiyochi, and once inside the old clinic of the town, a group of children came to welcome us. Quickly trying to say Kwira ba (hello) in our best Rarámuri, we began to greet them.

In Huiyochi, we were surprised by the great distances between houses in the same community, which meant that everyone had to walk long distances to go from one house to the next. When we asked Juan, our small nine year old Rarámuri guide of the first few days, why this situation existed, he said that it was because there was little arable land.

During the first weeks we noticed the tremendous ecological damage within the Sierra Tarahumara. Almost 60 percent of the families in the community of Huiyochi were enduring the hardship caused by the environmental changes, which were reflected in the barren farmland.

Case of the Jiménez Family

Our daily task was to assist various families in Huiyochi. Of all the families that we came to know, I can say that we had a close relationship with Juan’s family, the Jiménez family. His father, Patricio, is one of the most respected men in the community because his anayáwari (ancestors) were great heroes for the Rarámuris. María, his wife, was known for preparing the best teswino in Huiyochi. However, it was very difficult to communicate with her since she did not speak Spanish, which is typical of indigenous women in the Sierra Tarahumara who have to do household chores, thus preventing them from attending school, which is where most Tarahumaras learn Spanish.

Patricio and María have three children. The oldest is Felipe, whom unfortunately we did not meet since a few weeks earlier, because of the small harvest resulting from the low rainfall recorded during the month of March, he went to the city of Cuauhtémoc, where he managed to get a temporary job as an apple picker. The second son, Juan, was in the third grade at primary school. He told us that his favorite subject was History because he liked to know what had happened before all of us were born. And lastly, there was Martina, who was only four years old.

One morning, Patricio took us to his workplace, a sawmill located on the outskirts of the municipality of San Juanito. Owing to the fact that he had to walk just over two kilometers to get to work, Patricio always took the precaution of leaving home at 5:00 a.m. to avoid any delays, since the first to arrive were hired to work that day.

I immediately noticed the vast expanse of land that used to be a forest, but now only bears the remains of a place that was once the habitat of hundreds of species.

Patricio’s job, like so many other Tarahumaras who worked at the sawmill, was to fell trees, which are subsequently sent to various machines that convert wood into semi-finished products. At this stage, Tarahumara labor is almost minimal and despite the fact that this small sawmill is known to use extremely obsolete technology, the owners choose to hire trained personnel to operate these tools.

The work done by the Tarahumaras is characterized by exhaustive and long days, with workers at great risk of becoming accident victims. In terms of payment, the workers earn only 80 pesos per day (approximately US$5.70).

The Tarahumara people know that this depredation of the forests is an activity that is slowly putting an end to their existence, and are aware of the tremendous damage being done to the earth. However, in the absence of better economic opportunities, this type of work is the only option.

It is important to mention that the purpose of the forest in every ecosystem is the evapotranspiration of water to vapor, the gas that rises into the atmosphere to form clouds, which in turn will be responsible for producing rain, and a constant life cycle and enrichment of the soil leads to fertile land. However, cutting the trees will halt this cycle, the rains will stop, temperatures will rise, an irreversible process of desertification will start, and water resources will decrease, as seen in 1999 when the Basaseachi waterfalls dried up due to a reduction in rainfall in the Sierra Tarahumara. The sum of all the above factors is the engulfing of the Tarahumara by climate change.

The Drought Research Center [Centro de Investigación sobre Sequías CEISS] recently stated that “as a result of climate change, in recent years the institution has lost 68 percent of its forest cover, recorded persistent droughts, and witnessed an increase of up to 4°C in temperature. Also, since 1993, annual average rainfall has been below 400 millimeters.” In a region that is accustomed to having an average temperature of 5°C during the winter, after severe climate changes, the thermometer has dropped to -10°C in some sections of the Tarahumara. Likewise, during the summer, the temperature was usually 30°C. Now it is above 38°C. According to the State Civil Protection Unit of Chihuahua [Unidad Estatal de Protección Civil del Estado de Chihuahua], climate change in the region will result in a 25 percent decline in annual precipitation. Furthermore, in most of the territory, extreme temperatures of 53° C in the shade are expected.

This increase in temperature, which causes excessive heat, lack of rainfall, and poor vegetation, has greatly affected the sowing of corn, beans, and alfalfa. Traditional agriculture was unable to withstand the severe increases in temperature and the drought that dominated the Sierra for most of the summer. The harvest was lost, leaving the family without food for several days. The uncertainty of not knowing what they would eat during those days was an ongoing concern for the families of Huiyochi.

The effects of climate change are not only the change in the environment, but also the severe social repercussions. Some of the impacts include migration, malnutrition, and drug trafficking. I will briefly describe below the three aforementioned effects.

1.- The decision to leave the ancestral lands is attributable to the consequences of climate change, which have impacted the way of life of the Rarámuri ethnic group. Strong environmental degradation, coupled with extensive periods of drought, has created serious migration problems. However, this process is not easy, as the Tarahumara must leave their families and enter a culture that is totally different from their own.

Despite the existence of more opportunities, it will be hard for both men and women to break the yoke of discrimination, as they face labor exploitation in unskilled jobs, such as those in the manufacturing industry, construction, and domestic services. As a result, the adoption of alien cultural values is more evident, and the loss of the Rarámuri (culture) has therefore become a constant factor in the second generation Tarahumaras who reside outside of their community. Felipe, whom I never had the chance to meet, came to mind, but this did not prevent me from thinking about the difficult circumstances under which Felipe grew up in the Sierra Tarahumara, which pushed him to seek better opportunities for his family. Upon my return to the City of Chihuahua, I was moved by the sight of a young Rarámuri boy juggling with small balls, begging for alms in front of the Ministry of Social Development. At that moment I remained reflective and at a loss for words.

2.- Efforts by public health institutions in Mexico to combat the effects of malnutrition have been limited, as these institutions are only located in big cities. Some 90.6 percent of the most inland communities of the Sierra do not have health services. During the time that I was in Huiyochi, I observed only one visit by medical representatives.

Obtaining a suitable diet has caused abject misery, since 50 percent of children under five years of age suffer from malnutrition, 23 percent of children are underweight, and 2.5 percent have severe cases of malnutrition.

3.- Drug trafficking is increasingly commonplace in Tarahumara families that allow poppy plant growing in their own homes as an alternative source of income. This situation has triggered serious problems with security and violence in the Sierra.


How Can We Address Climate Change in the Tarahumara?

The situation is quite grim, and the high level of environmental degradation caused by the effects of deforestation on climate change and recent social problems have led me to wonder: What can we do to help? How can we do it? How can we combat climate change?

My friends and I therefore decided to create a Biointensive Orchard with the Jiménez family. The orchard uses sustainable agricultural methods that have the capacity to put nutrients back into the earth, where labor is the most important value. Creating an orchard does not require big tools, only pick axes, shovels, and forks. The Ecology and Population Association [Asociación de Ecología y Población] mentions the following features of the Biointensive Orchard: “(a) It obtains results of between 400 and 3,100 percent, even in adverse soil conditions; (b) It does not require fertilizers or chemical pesticides; (c) It only needs 30 percent of water, which is particularly important in arid zones or areas that receive little rainfall; and (d) It reconstructs the soil 60 times faster than nature itself.”

The process was very simple. We first marked out the space for the orchard, with 1m x 3m as the measurement. We then used posts and cords to mark the five beds where we would plant beetroot, zucchini, corn, potato, and radish. We will explain below the double digging technique, a process that is extremely relevant for soil regeneration. In the first bed, we made a 30 centimeter ditch, using the points of the fork to loosen the earth, which was removed and placed in a container. We then continued using the fork to loosen the earth that was beneath the earth that had been removed.

Alongside our first ditch, we conducted the same procedure to remove 30 centimeters of earth, which would be placed in the first ditch. All the steps were repeated until the five beds were completed. The double digging technique is noted for leaving the soil “loose and ideal for the roots of plants to penetrate it without too much effort.”

Having an orchard was very important for the family, as it gave them a great sense of purpose to take due care of the orchard. It was very gratifying for us to be able to return four months afterward to Huiyochi and see the fruits of our labor: food self-sufficiency and a reduction in soil erosion, since the soil was being kept moist. There was also community interaction, because since there was a method that provided food in abundance, it generated even more Korima (spirit of giving), whereby anything good that I possess I share with my brothers for the benefit of the community.

During the 2007–2008 period, 12 biointensive orchards were established in Huiyochi, extending to the neighboring communities of Guacayvo, Osachi, and Tayarachi.

Through the orchards project, we managed to combat the specter of poverty and malnutrition caused by global warming. However, the critical issue requires more actions to reduce the effects of climate change. In addition to the biointensive orchards project, I would therefore like to present two more programs.



(a) Tarahumara Verde

Based on the principles of sustainability, the program, in collaboration with environmental NGOs, seeks to reforest native species of the Sierra Tarahumara in order to (i) combat climate change by planting hundreds of trees that will capture the free CO2 in the atmosphere; (ii) reverse the deforestation process; (iii) increase the green areas that have been reduced by the invasion of forest sawmills; (iv) balance the rain cycle; (v) reduce soil erosion; (vi) reduce extreme weather changes; and lastly (vii) promote the conservation of natural species.

(b) Environmental Education

Young people are constantly being denied the opportunity to participate in the building of a more just and equitable society, perhaps because we are still too young to provide ideas that are worthy of discussion. Nevertheless, many of the best ideas come from young minds. The global youth is, and must be, the builder of a new society.

Mexican youth must also be the protagonists of essential changes in indigenous communities, including the Rarámuri. In my opinion, one of the most evident shortcomings of contemporary Mexico is our poor educational system, especially in terms of the ecological culture, where, part of the blame rests with us, the young people, who do not demand a greater focus on environmental matters from our teachers and the Government.

As a volunteer and a student, it pains me to know that indigenous populations are always the main victims of environmental changes. It is precisely this lack of care for the indigenous communities that makes them vulnerable to surrendering their land to a system of overexploitation.

As young people, we must be more sensitive to these major issues. A bicultural-bilingual Rarámuri environmental education program would be a suitable measure for combating climate change from the bottom up.

Similarly, the educational program not only promotes the dissemination of ideas in rural schoolrooms, but also man’s interaction with the environment as an effective means of emphasizing knowledge of and empathy for nature. The following paragraph therefore reflects the points to be addressed in the area of environmental education.

(1) Natural Preservation: The Rarámuri philosophy believes that respect for nature is essential for human development. During my voluntary service in the Sierra, I remember speaking with Sofía, a young rural teacher, who was trying to teach children the importance of caring for our environment. In order to achieve her objective, Sofía used the Rarámuri philosophy to explain to children how nature got angry with man if man forgot about her and polluted her. Using a creative approach, a course is being adopted that promotes the use of indigenous knowledge in plant and animal conservation.

(2) World Tree: The main advantage in starting environmental education early is that it gives children and young people the necessary tools for protecting the environment. Furthermore, as the child grows, s/he will become a parent, an active member of the community, and an opinion leader who will seek to transmit this ecological learning to the new generations. Through the “World Tree” workshops, Tarahumara groups of children and young people are invited to become witnesses of the benefits that this program can provide for the global society.

Conclusion

The need to rescue the indigenous Tarahumara community from climate change is critical. It is impossible to speak about progress and modernization, as presented in international agreements such as the FTA, when we see that within Mexico, 84,088 indigenous Rarámuri are in a desperate situation of marginalization. We young people should be among the primary promoters of national ethnic wealth, and, as such, the opening up of the discussion, where cultural value is taken into consideration, is of fundamental importance in order to ensure real social change. Biodiversity would therefore be supported through indigenous care, which would combat climate change. Finally, we must raise awareness about the fact that national cooperation must be the way forward in the quest for intergroup development. If as a society we are capable of making great strides, why can’t we address and promote socially responsible development that elevates our human worth?






BIBLIOGRAPHY

• COSYDDAC (1999) The Forest Industry and Forest Resources in the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua: Social, Economic, and Ecological Impacts. [La industria forestal y los recursos forestales en la Sierra Madre de Chihuahua: impactos sociales, económicos y ecológicos] http://www.texascenter.org/publications/forestal.pdf

• Tarahumara Foundation [Fundación Tarahumara] José A. Llaguno (http://www.Tarahumara.org.mx/)

• Martínez, Manuel (undated) The Biointensive Method of Cultivation [El método Biointensivo de cultivo]. Ecology and Population Association [Asociación de Ecología y Población]. http://www.bosquedeniebla.com.mx/imagen/metbio.doc

• Molina, Mario (2005) Air quality in Mexico. An integrated approach [La calidad del aire en México. Un enfoque integral]. Fund for Economic Culture [Fondo de Cultura Económica FCE], México. DF.

• Monárrez, Joel (200?) Public Health in Mexico [Salud pública de México] Vol. 42 No. 1 Cuernavaca Jan./Feb. 2000 http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=S0036-36342000000100004&script=sci_arttext
• Pintado, Ana (2004) Tarahumaras, National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples [Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas], México DF. http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&Itemid=&gid=48

• Planeta Azul (2007) Climate Alert in Chihuahua [Alerta el clima en Chihuahua]. Planeta Azul, environmental journalism. Chihuahua, México. http://www.planetaazul.com.mx/www/2007/05/28/alerta-el-clima-en-chihuahua/


• Ricker, Martín (2008) The Role of Mexican Forests in Storing Carbon to Mitigate Climate Change. Biology Institute [El papel de los bosques mexicanos en el almacenamiento de carbono para mitigar el cambio climático. Instituto de Biología], UNAM. México D.F. http://www.smf.mx/C-Global/webElpapelbosquesmex2.htm

Holocaust

By: Allan Leyva
HTH, San Diego CA

Wiesel, Elie. Night. The hearts corporation 959 eight Ave New York, New York 10019. Avon Books: October, 1969.

Reason, Type and Setting: One of the reasons that I chose this book is because I thought it would be interesting to learn about a true life that lived trough out the holocaust. This book is a non-fiction book and it has to do with the Holocaust during the early 1900’s. Is the story of a young kid that has to live trough the holocaust and has to go trough all the pain and horror of the Nazis. The kid lived trough-out the concentration cams and the sad time where his father passes away and he has to live everything by him self. This story takes place in Germany during the First World War, during the period where Hitler wanted to kill all the Jewish people for hate.

Content: the content of the book is basically to show the way people lived in the holocaust. The author described the place in detailed of the events that happened. Elie has conflicts and starts to loose his faith in god. The book is significant because it shows the horror thousands of Jewish people went thought. Well this is a non fiction book so I believe the whole book is used as evidence.

Chapter: One chapter that really took my interest was chapter 3 because just when he was about to give up something happened that gave the story a whole twist. This chapter fits in the argument because he was going to give up his hopes in god but he saw that they got help from USA. This chapter is important because towards the end of the book the USA Solders arrived. I selected this chapter because Elie was about to give up and

Evaluation: I liked this book because it gave me an over view of the holocaust and the way the poor innocent people died. This book was very interesting and it had interesting things that where not mentioned or went through the. This book would not be my favorite but it did entertain me, but it did inform me. I would definitely recommend this book to people because it has a lot of information and its interesting.

What significance does the book has the book has the big situation of the holocaust that happened in and around Germany. This book is important and significant to people.

'Go Green' - The New Mantra

by : Sonali Punhani
India

Realizing the Inner Self through the Universal Self:

On 25^th June 2006, I boarded the Jammu Express for my first visit to the Heaven on Earth – Kashmir. My destination was the Holy Cave Shrine of Amarnath in the up hills of Jammu and Kashmir to pay my offerings to the ice Shiva Lingam. The Shivling is a natural ice stalagmite that waxes between July and September in the Holy months of Shravan and melts thereafter. It is believed to be one of the three abodes of Lord Shiva, where his Holiness narrated the story of eternal life and immorality to Mata Parvati. The Shiva Lingam which formed naturally for thousands of years is one of the most sacred pilgrimages of the Hindus.

My longing for cleansing and purifying the eternal soul was shattered when I reached the base camp in Pahalgam enroute Amarnath. There I was informed that the Shivling has melted completely due to unusual hot climatic conditions. From a majestic height of fifteen feet snow image that pierced the rocks, it was left to a mere seven inches. Hopes and beliefs of more than five hundred thousands pilgrims who had gathered to pay their respects to Lord Shiva – The Creator at the Holy Shrine were shattered.

Governor, Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. N.N. Vohra tried to pacify the pilgrims by citing the reason for the same. The depth of the snow around the caves which used to be around twelve meters earlier was only left to three feet. The regular advent of helicopters, deforestation around the area, large scale human activities all perpetuated to the dissolution of the Shivling. In nutshell the real culprit was – Global Warming that was adversely impacting us in all ways- environmentally, economically, socially and now even religiously.

On my return, I decided to find out more about this issue of Climate Change and see what could be done positively to make a difference.

The Hindu Philosophy- School of Thought:

In Indian tradition, the Earth is worshipped as the compassionate Mother Goddess. It is believed that, in her maternal aspect, mankind not only satisfies material needs but also has a chance to realize the Supreme consciousness. This according to me also has a scientific connotation to it.

Scientific evidence indicates that the Earth is a living being. Tracing history of millions of years of evolution of life on Earth, it appears that we are becoming conscious of the importance of preserving the earth’s heritage. According to Hindu mythology human consciousness has to find its essential identity with the universal consciousness for peace and tranquility. Whether humanity makes such a transition science is not certain. What is certain is that humanity is in severe crisis and cannot continue on its present destructive path for long or else it will perish.

This paradigm according to Vedic conception believes that the Earth on which man lives and works, loves and suffers is directly affected by man’s condition. Conversely, we can assume that Earth can also be hurt by man. Therefore, to strike an equilibrium Man has to be more sensitive to his usage pattern of the planet earth.

The hymns to the Mother Earth-Bhumi Sukta in the Vedas give due to the ancient sense of morality towards the Earth and also reveal a deeper sense of the significance of the World for realization of the Universal Self.

The Global Crisis:

According to Environmentalists change is a fundamental characteristic of the environment. From the ice age of the past to the industrial age of the present, the climate of the earth has been changing. Changes due to natural factors are acceptable but those due to increased human activities leading to greater acceleration, is a cause of grave concern.

The earth’s climate is changing - its atmosphere is warming at an unprecented pace rising by

0.6⁰ C in the last decade. By 2050 scientists predict that the earth will be warmer by 1.5⁰ C to 4.5⁰ C. Nine of the hottest years recorded in more than a century have occurred since 1988. These are alarming trends!! The earth’s climate is a complex interaction between the sun, oceans, land, air and the biosphere. Global warming imbalances these linkages creating havoc in the environment. In 1988, the United Nations set up the IPCC Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change. This was the first of its kind scientific body of international experts to investigate the issue of climate change. Mr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC cited that the increased Greenhouse Gases effect was the root cause of the problem.

One hectare of tropical forest is estimated to store four hundred forty five tonnes of carbon in its biomass and soil. When a forest is cut in the name of development, much of the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as CO₂. As the green cover diminishes fewer plants are left to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, thus disrupting the eco-balance.

The release of GHG’s due to excessive burning of fossil fuels disrupts this optimal balance. I tried to speculate and find reasons for the same. We only have ourselves to blame for this mess. Our lifestyles which reflect obnoxious consumption are causing these changes. Flashy cars, wasteful use of electricity, the greed to acquire more and more material resource is causing pressure on mother earth. Man exists as if there is no Tomorrow.

Despite widespread concern over global warming, humans are adding carbon to the atmosphere even faster than in the 1990s. Latest research suggests that the Carbon Emissions have been growing at 3.5% per year since the year 2000, up sharply from 0.9% per year in the 1990s. We need to take urgent affirmative measures which are collective as we have only “One Earth to Live On”. If we do not act so, the earth’s fragile environment would evolve beyond us. The earth will go on without us. Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem, we destroy ourselves.

The Indian Scenario:

The challenge in a country like India is tremendous. Being a largely agriculture economy, India is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate change. The Himalayan temperature is increasing at an alarming rate of 0.6⁰ C annually. Rising sea levels in coastal region is damaging nursery area for the fisheries, causing erosion and flooding, coral bleaching, glacial lake outflow and altering the configuration of forest ecosystems.

Scientists believe that the fluctuating weather conditions in a country suggest that it is reeling under climate chaos. For more than a decade now, India has been experiencing contrasting extreme weather conditions, heat waves to cyclones at one end and droughts to floods at the other. Orissa, an important eastern state of India, is classic example of chaotic climate change events. There have been instances of destruction of mangroves along the Southern Coastal region, a steep fall in agriculture and forest productivity, coral bleaching etc. which are being experienced in the Indian sub-continents.

According to estimates, India as a contributor to climate change ranks amongst the top ten countries of the world with the highest Green House Gas emissions. It emits more than two hundred and fifty tonnes of carbon every year in the atmosphere, which has to be curbed by being friendly to the environment. Our huge populace is putting an unprecedented burden on the environment. Being a developing economy we have to be extra cautious. Remember, Pollution should never be the price of prosperity.

Though a fast developing country, India has one of the best records of climate change mitigation with one of the lowest per capita carbon emission in the world. Its automobile industry has better clean technology. Major cities have introduced clean fuel like CNG and LPG. The Government of India has proposed mandatory blending of ethanol in petrol. Price of energy, both electricity and fuel, is much higher than the developed world. Though its economy is growing at a rate of

7-8%, there has been a mere 3.7% growth in energy usage. These are cautious consumption trends. But much more needs to be done.

The paradox is that we are a developing economy. India and China need to chart a different growth path to develop low carbon economies to combat global warming. The experience of developed countries has proved disastrous. According to a study, the total carbon released into the atmosphere as CO₂ by an average US resident is two hundred and sixty tonnes per year with respect to by an Indian which is merely six tonnes per year. The total amount placed in the atmosphere by an American citizen since 1900 is more than forty times with respect to an average Indian.

The other side of the story is very bleak. We are more than a billion people in India. Therefore, the developed economics of the North need to address the issue of over consumption while the Southern developing world has to deal with over population. These two together–over population and over consumption are the most important causes responsible for the environment degradation. We need to address them simultaneously and not in isolation. The bargaining needed to get Southern attention to over population and the northern’s willingness to face the issue of over consumption will only help to bridge the global divide.

The Indian projections of Climate Change in the future (as presented below) will impact productivity of most crops. Water availability will reduce drastically. Increased droughts and floods are likely to increase production variability. Increasing sea and river temperatures are likely to impact our aquaculture and fisheries.

• Productivity of most crops would decrease due to increase in temperature and decrease in

water availability (especially in IGP). Greater loss expected in Rabi.

• Reduced frequency of frost damage in Punjab
• Impacts on food quality could be variable
• Considerable effect on microbes, pathogens, and insects
• Imbalance in food trade due to positive impacts on Europe and North America, and

negative impacts on us

• Increasing temperature would increase fertilizer requirement for the same production

targets and result in higher emissions

• Increased droughts and floods are likely to increase production variability
• Increased water, shelter, and energy requirement for livestock
• Increasing sea and river water temperatures are likely to affect fish breeding, migration,

and harvests.

Youth Participation in Green Endeavours:

Gandhiji, the great Indian Mahatma rightly said that the mother earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed. We, the youth of this world, should practice the Gandhian philosophy of simple living and high thinking. Over consumption of goods and services should be restricted. Each one of us in one’s own little way can make a positive difference.

Individual initiative to reduce over consumption should be done by adopting the 5R’s.

• Refuse unnecessary goods and services. Plastic bags should be a strict No-No as they are

non biodegradable. The Government of India has banned the use of plastic bags. It is

instead propagating the use of traditional, localized recyclable paper and cloth bags.

• Reduce - We, the inhabitants of the planet Earth, should minimize the consumption of the goods and services as much as we can. Switch off the computers, TV when not in use, walk or cycle to college, marketplace, propagate car pools, use natural electricity etc are some initiatives which can make a significant difference.
• Reuse - Today is the era of ‘Disposables’ which is considered as fashionable. We should reuse goods as much as we can and it will automatically reduce the demand for new goods. This is turn will reduce the demand for production of new goods.
• Repair- Old furniture, car, electric equipment and reuse them as they are cost effective and ecofriendly options.
• Recycle goods so that they can be used over and over again.

When I look back, I realize that my grand mother followed all these principle in her own subtle way. The traditional Indian living patterns were based on the 5R’s. There were no disposables and food was cooked and consumed in reusable metal utensils. Every time we went to the market to buy fruits and vegetables we carried a home stitched cloth bag from an old bed sheet which was reused for years. When it got torn, it was used as a floor mop or duster till it became completely tattered.

Those were indeed simple times. Simple living and high thinking was the guiding principle of life. There was so much sharing and more of “We” than “Me” as we see today.

In the ‘new age of convenience’ - Disposables Consumerism, we waste as much as we consume. In some cases, Packaging costs are almost 55% of the cost of the product. Therefore, we need to simplify our consumption habits by demanding for natural, organic products from the producers.

Green Initiatives:

Today, as a citizen of the 21^st century, I ponder and wonder “Have we truly developed”? When I look around, I see a meltdown in all spheres - moral, economic, social and environmental. The picture is indeed bleak and we, the youth of the country, have a national responsibility to take concrete steps.

In my college, we formulated an Eco Club responsible for creating awareness regarding environmental friendly practices. Through posters, slogan writing, puppet shows, street plays, and similar traditional media we spread the message of “Green Environment - A Sustainable Environment”. Eco Club runs campus-wide campaigns to promote water and energy conservation, organizes national intercollegiate recycling competitions, energy conservation contests and hosts annual celebratory events like Earth Day and Environment Day. We also have an “Each One Teach One” programme where each student imparts life skills to at least one individual from the under privileged section of the society. Through this personalized interaction, messages on eco friendly strategies are imparted which are localized to the community.

When I think deeper on this subject, I see a lot of hope as many Green Initiatives have been launched. People in the media, educational institutions, resident welfare associations (RWAs), Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are voicing their concerns and taking concrete measures to address the issue of Climate Change.

We have taken a pledge to plant a tree on our every birthday. The Delhi Govt. has started the ‘Green Delhi’ campaign, where free saplings are available to be planted anywhere, anytime by anyone.

Diwali - The festival of lights and crackers is one of the most auspicious Hindu festivals celebrated in India. A campaign by the school students for the students “Say No to Crackers” was launched. It has made a significant decrease in the pollution levels of the country, as the youth and children have voluntarily decided to boycott the use of crackers and celebrate a smoke free and noise free Diwali.

I was impressed to hear that many RWAs in Delhi, the capital of India, have tied up with schools and colleges, Multinational Corporations etc. to get waste paper completely recycled by collaboration with an NGO – Waste2Wealth. The RWAs collect paper from the area residents and hand it over to the NGO at the end of each month. These include old bills, visiting cards, newspapers, and magazines etc which are otherwise sold by each household to the scarp dealer who does not send it for complete recycling. The NGO has tied up with various recycling industry units who then make fresh paper from it again. The philosophy is that every scrap of paper should be recycled through ecofriendly options.

Statistics show that by recycling a tonne of waste paper we can save at least seventeen large trees, seven thousand gallons of water, enough energy to heat or air-condition an average home for six months, besides protecting the green cover to absorb the Green House Gases generated from human activities. Delhi alone consumes twenty thousand metric tonnes of paper and through citizen actions like these; we can help to make our city Green.

Another ecofriendly initiative in this direction is SmritiVan - a park where family members plant saplings as tribute to their departed. At a mere cost of US$ 10, a sapling of your choice can be selected. It is then planted with a stone plaque bearing the name and message of those loved ones whose memory is to be immortalized. Once planted the maintenance is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation. We can go back to the evergreen whenever we want for strength and solace. Watching them thrive can make memories grow fonder even as the project helps the city become greener and its air cleaner. The idea is to adapt a tree and establish a relationship with it forever. Families draw comfort from seeing the tree flourish and that’s what memories are for. Trees, after all, make unusual but poignant memorials. Presently, around five thousand trees have been planted in the SmritiVan by Delhi residents in the memory of their beloved ones. Indeed a novel Green Idea – To plant a sapling and Grow a Memory.

Going Green – The New Mantra:

India has embarked on “Go Green”- New energy mantra. It has launched as ambitious mission of harnessing sunlight and wind to contribute at least 5% power to the country’s energy basket. The credit for this goes to the awareness campaigns pitched by young environmentalist who would also earn money by savings through carbon credits. I strongly feel that the global venture of trading carbon credits by adopting CMDs is a novel idea. According to economists, a green fiscal stimulus can provide an effective boost to the global slowdown. It will generate increased labour demand in a timely fashion and also build a foundation for a sound sustainable and strong growth in the future.

In view of the ever-rising need of Energy, India has addressed the need of Energy generation through non-conventional measures. In addition to hydro generation, India has forayed into wind and solar power generation as well. In Asansol West Bengal, the country’s biggest solar energy power plant of 100 MW is coming up. In Gujarat, the government has signed an agreement with several companies to provide solar lanterns. The change is also taking place at the community level. Many NGOs, spearheaded by many young environmentalists with a Green mission, are introducing innovative clean technologies. Pollution often disappears when we switch to renewable resources.

“Development Alternatives”- an NGO, handed over a solar power plant to villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi District. This village did not have power supply since the country’s independence and now they have their own ecofriendly solar power plant.

Anticipating the possibility of load shedding in the summer of 2007, young green entrepreneurs in Mumbai embarked on a Save Power Campaign called “I Will and Mumbai Will”. These activities were initiated to educate and motivate the consumers to switch over to CFL lamps which, in partnership with Phillips India, were made available to consumers at discounted rates. Consumers were appealed, through advertisements in Leading Newspapers, to operate their washing machines and other electric gadgets at non-peak hours and set their air-conditioners to 24⁰ C and thus join the Conservation Campaign. This was backed up with Awareness Programmes on Energy Conservation and Electrical Safety held in schools and colleges. Visits of children from schools to thermal power station at Trombay were organized. The contents of all the awareness programmes focused on the need for energy conservation, easy to follow tips on conserving energy and precautions to be taken while using electric gadgets to avoid accidents. Such initiatives were replicated in various states of India and have led to green entrepreneurship.

As they say, Need is the Mother of all Inventions. Fly ash technology is providing relief to the over stressed resource base of soils being mined for the production of fired-bricks. This is demonstrated in the post-tsunami reconstruction project in South India. The massive task of reconstruction after the tsunami had necessitated the requirement of large amounts of high quality building materials in a short span of time; material that would also resist the deteriorating effects of the salt water in coastal regions. Fired bricks, the popular materials for construction have already stressed the scarce resource of available soil. Fly ash, available in plenty as a waste from the thermal power plants, is now rapidly gaining acceptance in producing bricks used for construction of eco friendly houses. The erstwhile waste of the power plants has become a manna for the building industry struggling to seek environment friendly, high quality and affordable alternatives. The use of fly ash block technology has shown a way to reduce the consumption of energy and the use of scarce agricultural soil required for the production of traditional fired bricks and at the same time provides a solution to the environmental hazards of dumping ash as has been the practice of most power plants in India.

The Delhi Government has banned the use of plastic bags by every citizen and has mandated commercial vehicles to use cleaner, greener fuel in Delhi. Presently over one hundred thirty thousand vehicles plying on Delhi roads use CNG as fuel. Garbage has been used as refills at large wasteland sites and these are converted to green parks.

Making IT Green, an initiative of the Indian IT industry, ensures adoption of green technologies and practices including green buildings, green computing infrastructure like energy efficient data centres, power efficient computers, sharing infrastructure, shared data centers and addressing issues like e-waste management.

Making Green happen through IT deploys IT solutions which help firms and businesses become green, including cloud computing, video-conferencing, intelligent transport systems, Web-conferencing, motion and heat detection sensors.

Making Green Warriors encourages over two million employees of the IT-BPO industry to adopt a green life-style and thereby become change agents to create a sustainable impact in the society around themselves through increasing awareness and more importantly changing behaviours.

The Indian IT industry has been at the forefront of many transformational initiatives and I am sure it will play a very important role in creating a more sustainable environment, not only in

India, but also across the increasingly flat world we live in today.

Green credentials are already becoming evaluation criteria and thus creating green solutions will enable firms to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market."

A Green Hope:

The present environmental crisis has a global impact. Regrettably, only in times of crisis, we learn that each one of us is an integral part of the whole. We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. What we do or fail to do have a very real impact on the existence of the Earth as it’s all inter related. Humanity has to change and must grasp the idea of Cosmic Unity in which the body, mind and surroundings all appear as one Entity, only then can we contribute effectively towards promoting a holistic way of life that will help to overcome this present environmental crisis. We have to devise strategies to change and focus on the complete well being so as to avoid a Global Catastrophe.

Muhammad Yanus, noble prize winner 2006, has called for global lifestyle changes to make the world a better place. We should adopt a lifestyle which is consistent with this decision as we cannot continue a lifestyle at the cost of the planet itself. Each generation should take a pledge that they will leave the world safer than they found it as “We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from our children”.

I see a lot of hope in these initiatives undertaken by the young Green Entrepreneurs. I am sure children, on their visit to Amarnath - the Holy Cave Shrine of Lord Shiva, will not be disappointed like me. They will get an opportunity to witness the tall natural ice stalagmite in all its glory and peace.