The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

Posts Tagged environment

Trash and litter in India? Who cares!

Jun 2

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, environment, India, Most Popular Stories | 13 Comments

Trash and Litter in India – A socially accepted behavior threats the environment and surroundings

During a recent visit to north India, (after a long time, I might add) I noticed something obvious. May be I was comparing everything to living abroad. Anyhow, on my way back to America, I wrote this post during a stop-over – while waiting for my connecting flight in Amsterdam.

All around the globe, the world is taking a note of India’s economic growth. The country has made tremendous progress over the last 10-15 years. It is something to be proud of, to be very proud.

However, we must acknowledge, if there is any aspect in which India or Indians have not moved forward – or moved very sluggishly, – is in the field of environmental cleanliness and taking care of the surroundings.

By ‘surroundings cleanliness’, I mean caring about our neighborhood hygiene and upkeep beyond the doorsteps of our own home.

If you look around, trash and litter is everywhere. Nobody seems to care about the waste, and how we discard it. If anything, we add to the garbage that is already abundant in the open and is everywhere. Littering a plastic cup on the road-side, after we are finished using it, is the norm. No one realize anything wrong with it. Throwing our waste on the street, and right outside our own house is a part of our daily routine. That’s how we are, that’s what we think is normal. Having waste and garbage scattered around everywhere does not bother us. We are content within ourselves as long as our house is polished clean up to the front doorstep. When it comes to surroundings, that’s where our responsibilities seem to end; that’s where we tend to stop – our doorsteps. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Spring Time

Apr 11

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Entertainment, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

The seasonal birds are back again. Red Robins are flying around with tiny branches in their beaks, looking for safe places to build their nests. The geese are migrating back from the south; flocks of ducks are re-acquainting with the freshly unfrozen water in the ponds. The tulips, the daffodils, the lilacs, the gladiolas….the roots of bulbs are bursting out in the garden soil. New sprouts are shooting out to enjoy the new season. Everyone – a plant or an animal – knows: it is spring again.

Put away your winter jackets; put away the snow shoes. It is time to come out of the hibernation; the spring is here.

It is time to admire the nature again. The trees are shaking off the freezing stiffness of winter. The new buds are opening up; the ground is unthawed; the grass is changing color from dry brown to lively green again.

Look outside, look around – a natural and beautiful canvas of prominent green and new spring colors is painted once more. Once again, the blue ponds and the new shrubbery are the living proof that there is no better artist that Mother Nature. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Bloom Box –An energy magic box or just a hype?

Mar 8

Posted by admin in environment, News, Trivial Stuff | 2 Comments

Every now and then, there comes something that makes you turn you head, that demands your attention regardless if you are ready or not.

Is the world ready for green energy to take over the day-to-day life?

The chatter is getting louder, about the possible next BIG thing. California Silicone Valley is buzzing with the new venture. Backed by the same powerful venture capitalist who once supported the start-ups like Netscape, Amazon and Google, the discussions about alternate power source are everywhere.

If successful, the new energy source can replace the big power plants and eventually transmission line grid over time. Moreover, it is ‘green energy’, completely environment friendly, as there is no burning or combustion.

K.R. Sridhar, the CEO of Bloom Box, is the man behind the concept. The ambitious undertaking is already being trialed by EBay headquarters and many other corporations, as an alternate to the conventional energy.

Basically, in simplistic terms, the Bloom box invention is a fuel cell, a very skinny battery that always runs; that is always on. The slim wafer takes oxygen from one side, and fuel on the other. The two combine within the cell to create a chemical reaction to produces electricity. These tiny wafers or skinny slates are stacked up to compound the energy production.

According to Sridhar’s interview on CBS’s ‘60 Minute’, 2 boxes of these batteries – each box slightly bigger than Rubik’s Cube – can power up one US house, or 2 European house, or 4-6 houses in India around the clock.

If the promise holds true, this invention in the field of green energy could be one of the biggest breakthroughs of modern days. Read the rest of this entry »

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A not so vain global fashion

Dec 22

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, environment | 1 Comment

The fashions change with time, the trends evolve. The hairstyle, the shoes, the dress code..….everything changes as the time goes.

And, it is not just our dress code, it is not just how we present ourselves, the change is a part of every aspect of our lives. How we address each-other, how we greet someone, how we write, how we talk…..everything is so different compared to when we were kids.

When we were kids, smoking in public was a common scene; throwing trash on the roadside – or in the middle of the street – was not rare; kicking an empty can or a bottle down the street was normal. It was somewhat cool and expected.

But that is not the case anymore. The time has moved on, so has the social thinking, so has the new ‘cool’.

Now-a-days, people dress less formal; the greetings are more casual. It is no longer a fashion to smoke in a public place. You will get some dirty looks if you decide to toss your empty Coke or Pepsi bottle in the middle of the road.

So what is fashion now-a-days? What is the new cool?

Cleaning behind your own mess is considered cool now-a-days. If you refrain from smoking, your colleagues appreciate that – as non-smoking is the new trend. If you recycle your waste, you will earn some extra points from your neighbors and friends. Picking up someone else’s trash and throwing in the recycle or garbage bin nearby is all cool.

So next time, when you see an empty bottle or a can lying in the middle of the street, when you see a newspaper trashed along side-walk, it is okay to pick it up and throw it in the recycle bin. It is okay to remind a smoker in a public park that smoking is not allowed there; a mother with a small kid nearby will appreciate your gesture.

Now-a-days, here in North America, more and more households are switching to fuel efficient cars and trucks. People are starting to brag about how they are using environment friendly ideas – the solar lights, the energy efficient appliances, planting more trees in the neighborhood. ‘Going green’ is becoming a new topic of small talk……

It is the new trend; it is the new fashion that is catching up everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

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Long live Freedom, long live the Earth!

Jul 4

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, History, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

“We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. The third is freedom from want…. The fourth is freedom from fear.”  Franklin D. Roosevelt

America is celebrating its Independence Day today. The day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the signing of the ‘Declaration of Independence’ on July 4, 1776.

For any nation, Independence Day is the day to be proud of their past, to salute those who struggled and sacrificed for independence. It is a day to remember the importance of freedom. Thanks to our ancestors all over the world in different countries, we have the freedom to pursue our goals and dreams. We have the freedom to express our opinion, the freedom to decide what is good for us and our family.

Equally important, it is also a time to remember this: while we live a free life dictated by our own will, we also have responsibilities as the free citizens of the globe. We owe it to those who sacrificed everything for freedom; we also owe it to the future generation who will tread this planet after we are long gone.

Franklin D. Roosevelt envisioned a freedom from fear. Let us do our share in minimizing the fear of uncertain tomorrow by making this planet a better place to live for a long-long time. While we guard our dear freedom, let us also guard our future and the future of our kids by being responsible and caring inhabitants of this earth. We can do our share towards keeping this planet safe by reducing pollution and by eliminating waste. Let us educate ourselves and everybody around us to improve the environment, and to minimize the impacts of climate change.

Read the rest of this entry »

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