IN the local dialect, it means wilderness, but the Research and Action in Natural Wealth Administration (RANWA) is an NGO working in the field of environment protection, education, biodiversity conservation and research. Apart from creating butterfly gardens, medicinal plant gardens and conducting environment impact assessment, RANWA also organises Nature trails to introduce people to plants, birds and butterflies. They are actively involved in plantation of local plant species and supporting environmental agitation and awareness campaigns. And there are some alarming issues they've brought to the fore.

How Green Is The House?

The greenhouse gas proportion in air is now 50 per cent higher than in the pre-industrial era. Greenhouse gases trap the solar energy and warm the air cap around the earth. Thus, the mean air temperature has risen during past years. Carbon emissions cause up to 80 per cent of the greenhouse effect. Most of the carbon emissions are due to burning of fossil fuels and much less by deforestation or farming. Climactic change has begun to cause hot and cold waves, droughts, cyclones, floods, sea level rise, coastal submergence, increasing UV radiations, etc. Urban growth, using nonrenewable resources and fossil fuels, has polluted air, water and soil.

Food For Thought

Nutrition is declining due to the reduced diversity of natural food, despite the quantitative food production growth, which is sometimes toxic. Citizens waste 135 litres per capita of water supply every day - four times more than what the villagers get. While urban effluents have destroyed 70 per cent of urban lakes and 15 per cent of the rural river stretches, the urban greed for cash crop addictive products has exhausted rural water supply. The use of fossil fuel and the greenhouse gas emissions has doubled in 30 years due to private vehicles.

People suffer from health disorders like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and infertility as a result of this environmental abuse. Coal-powered factories emit lots of carbon, cause global warming and climate change, which is responsible for killing millions of frogs and earthworms. Besides bad human and ecosystem health, there are indirect effects such as rising local unemployment and unmanaged cities.

Low imports and greater grass-root level employment generation would aid biodiversity conservation and reduction in pollution. The four 'R' principle of reduce, recycle, reuse and refuse would include 'reduce' use of water, energy, metal, glass, plastics; 'reuse' paper, vegetable wastes; 'recycle' water, paper, energy; and 'refuse' junk food and plastic.

Time To Smell The Coffee

Culture: We are changing from old 'wada' culture where we had gardens, courtyards and backyards at home, to a 'concrete' culture. Not only is it a cultural loss but also a loss of plants like 'tulsi' and aloe vera that were grown at home; and animals and insects like ants, termites, frogs and honey bees that used to earlier live in kitchen gardens, neighbourhood ponds and trees.

Food: The quality of food is declining due to reduced diversity of natural food. Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has increased quantity but reduced quality. It has shown adverse effects on the soil by killing different types of earthworms and other useful micro-organisms.

Fuel: Pollution because of overuse or misuse of fossil fuels along with greenhouse gas emissions has doubled due to the increasing number of privately-owned vehicles, unplanned workplace-house distancing and urban consumption.

Fibre: Traditional handloom and silk has been replaced by industrial cotton and synthetic materials. Rubber, jute and coconut fibres used in packing are being replaced by synthetics.

Waste: Daily per capita solid waste is 0.5 kg. About 70 per cent of it is inorganic and 10 per cent is toxic.

Noise and air pollution levels exceed safety limits by 30 per cent to 50 per cent.

What You Can Do

• Consume nutritive, organic food

• Use herbal medicines

• Wear handloom clothes

• Get involved in more physical activity

• Start car pools. On one day of the week, don't take the car out at all.

• Walk or take the public transport.