Small Steps Towards a Big Change
Excessive use of fossil fuel and unabashed abuse of nature's bounty have taken a toll on our planet. Global warming, pollution, devastation are no longer just words of a distant future. They are realities that are already upon us. When will this stop. It's not too late.
If not Earth, Where? If not now, When? If not us, Who?
WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR ANCESTORS; WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.
As a research continues in the field of energy, more and more statistical data is now emerging, giving blinding evidence sustaining the fact that we are soon going to run out some of the substances which are most important in our lives right now. The fuels that we are using to run our vehicles, light our homes and generate our electricity, have almost reached the bottom of the containers. We can however, with no doubt, rely on resources such as the Wind, the Sun, Water and Nature, resources that ironically were the ones first provided us with everlasting supply. The time has come for us to realise that we need to start finding, developing, and implementing the utilization of renewable energy.
People always sat theory, theory, and theory but no one never gets their hands on practical implementations. All of us have learnt about procedures like vermi-composting, rainwater harvesting, harnessing solar and wind energy, etc. These measures help save the Earth from evils like global warming.
What are we waiting for let's start getting on with its practical implementations! It would make a huge difference to our societies, if schools today began inculcating these processes in their co-curriculum, educating children about these procedures and making them more environmentally-conscious citizens of the future. Not only would they give students a little green time but also help them take that extra step towards a greener and cleaner planet.
The key to avoid global warming lies in replacing fossil fuels with those from non-polluting sources. These answers are starting at us, just waiting to be applied. It's ironic that since the earliest of times man has fallen back on energies from nature, but along the way man has wavered from this path and given into better polluting sources. Self-sustainability is also the key to tomorrow's survival with resources rapidly depleting. Using the given methods in school would also provide an inspiration to student who are a significant fraction of the population and the future of tomorrow. Equipping them with such essentials is the only possible path to salvation.
SOME SELF-SUSTAINING MEASURE WE CAN USE:
Recycling-Paper: All it takes is a conscious effort to make a large difference, and that is just what we as responsible students have to take up. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, each of which could have been the product of years of painstaking care. So, it seems quite a small effort on our part to save paper. Hence, saving paper indirectly saves trees, so we must try and do the same. Some tips for saving paper include:
Rainwater Harvesting: Rain in excess could be beneficial or tremendously harmful. There is a large amount of runoff rainwater that trickles away, unused. Thomas Fuller said "We never know the worth of water till the well is dry". The ideal location in schools for rain water harvesting units would be terraces and other elevated regions connected via pipes to basements, where water gets purified. This water can be used for irrigation, to recharge groundwater, reduce storm water discharge, prevent overloading sewage treatment plants, reduce seawater ingress in coastal areas.
Vermi Composting: The process of managing organic residuals is known as composting and using worms (vermi in Latin) is Vermi Composting. It is used to enhance the process of waste conversion and produce a better end-product. This is a method that was used almost 2 millennia, ago, when man found some of its application useful. The most obvious reason would be to increase soil fertility, and now its need is felt in full blast with artificial fertilizers ruining the soil's quality and waste accumulating as far as the eye can see. All we require is soiled waste, earthworms, normal room temperature and moisture.
Solar Power: This is energy derived ultimately from the sun. This is achieved by using photo-voltaic cells, which not only produce electricity but also can help light and maintain the houses and buildings. Apt locations for solar panels include roof tops and other elevated regions. This is so, as there are no obstructions from direct sunlight, which could hinder this process, like in the case of fields with trees.
Biomass: Biomass is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. Is is a process wherein plant and animal matter is used for production of fibers or chemicals, which is used to derive electricity and heat by burning organic waste. Organic substances like fossil fuels are excluded as geological process convert them in to coal or petroleum. Biogas, when refined, can be used to power vehicles directly. Bio-ethanol can be mixed with petrol for use by vehicles and is becoming commercially available in some countries. Governments are encouraging people to opt bio-ethanol. For example, the Sweden government gives excise duty exemption and free parking for driver on ethanol. This instigates people to go in for bio-ethanol. Biogas is the biological break down of agriculture and human waste and other biodegradable material. It is also known as landfill gas. It can be used for cooking or heating as a investment as it is a renewable fuel which can be used in many modern waste management facilities to provide and generate power.
WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR ANCESTORS; WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.
As a research continues in the field of energy, more and more statistical data is now emerging, giving blinding evidence sustaining the fact that we are soon going to run out some of the substances which are most important in our lives right now. The fuels that we are using to run our vehicles, light our homes and generate our electricity, have almost reached the bottom of the containers. We can however, with no doubt, rely on resources such as the Wind, the Sun, Water and Nature, resources that ironically were the ones first provided us with everlasting supply. The time has come for us to realise that we need to start finding, developing, and implementing the utilization of renewable energy.
People always sat theory, theory, and theory but no one never gets their hands on practical implementations. All of us have learnt about procedures like vermi-composting, rainwater harvesting, harnessing solar and wind energy, etc. These measures help save the Earth from evils like global warming.
The key to avoid global warming lies in replacing fossil fuels with those from non-polluting sources. These answers are starting at us, just waiting to be applied. It's ironic that since the earliest of times man has fallen back on energies from nature, but along the way man has wavered from this path and given into better polluting sources. Self-sustainability is also the key to tomorrow's survival with resources rapidly depleting. Using the given methods in school would also provide an inspiration to student who are a significant fraction of the population and the future of tomorrow. Equipping them with such essentials is the only possible path to salvation.
SOME SELF-SUSTAINING MEASURE WE CAN USE:
Recycling-Paper: All it takes is a conscious effort to make a large difference, and that is just what we as responsible students have to take up. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, each of which could have been the product of years of painstaking care. So, it seems quite a small effort on our part to save paper. Hence, saving paper indirectly saves trees, so we must try and do the same. Some tips for saving paper include:
- When you buy notebooks, pick those with 100% recycled papers.
- Paper made up of bagasse is also a concept of rise.
- Write/print on both sides of any sheets, this is the easiest form of day-to-day re-cycling.
- Recycle paper (various sources include sheets of drawing paper and old newspaper).
Wind Energy: Wind energy is largely harvested in India as a renewable energy resource. The energy from wind is converted into electrical with the use of Wind Mills/Wind Turbines. This method of generating power is less harmful to the environment. Huge areas are more suitable for wind farms and its applications have already been initiated. Wind power accounts for 6% of the India's total installed power capacity, and it generate 1.6% of the country's power. It is estimated that 6,000MW of additional wind power capacity will be installed in India by 2012. Something useful schools can do is install windmills in open fields.
Solar Power: This is energy derived ultimately from the sun. This is achieved by using photo-voltaic cells, which not only produce electricity but also can help light and maintain the houses and buildings. Apt locations for solar panels include roof tops and other elevated regions. This is so, as there are no obstructions from direct sunlight, which could hinder this process, like in the case of fields with trees.Biomass: Biomass is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. Is is a process wherein plant and animal matter is used for production of fibers or chemicals, which is used to derive electricity and heat by burning organic waste. Organic substances like fossil fuels are excluded as geological process convert them in to coal or petroleum. Biogas, when refined, can be used to power vehicles directly. Bio-ethanol can be mixed with petrol for use by vehicles and is becoming commercially available in some countries. Governments are encouraging people to opt bio-ethanol. For example, the Sweden government gives excise duty exemption and free parking for driver on ethanol. This instigates people to go in for bio-ethanol. Biogas is the biological break down of agriculture and human waste and other biodegradable material. It is also known as landfill gas. It can be used for cooking or heating as a investment as it is a renewable fuel which can be used in many modern waste management facilities to provide and generate power.
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