Stop concrete around trees!

In urban areas of India, Its common to see people put concrete around trees with out leaving space for the trees to grow. In front of many homes, we see the trees on sidewalk have been filled with heavy concrete. This makes it absolutely suffocating for the trees. Also the tree is not able to absorb water into the soil due to these concrete filling. 

Its time people care for trees and maintain sufficient space around the tree. At least a good 1 feet of space around the tree should help the tree grow peacefully and also will not damage the concrete sidewalks. Its a win win for both owners and for the trees. By maintaining space, the trees will not create cracks in the concrete sidewalks. 

Why blame Ganesha ?

Every year Indian's suddenly become conscious of water pollution. Yes! it’s that time (Aug/Sep) of the year in India, when every body becomes aware not to pollute water bodies, lakes or rivers by immersion of Ganesha idols! 

But why only Ganesha?  Is only Ganesha responsible for water pollution?

But what about us -Humans? We pollute these water bodies all 365 days a year. At home we use a wide array of polluters such as Tooth paste, bath soaps, detergent soaps, shampoo's, harmful toilet cleaners, floor cleaners, bleaching powders, phenyl etc.  Just imagine a Billion plus people doing this on a daily basis in India. How can we control such mass amounts of pollutants going into our water bodies? 

If domestic pollution is one concern, Industrial pollution is another major contributor of water pollution. Above all, we dont have of the best of water management systems to tackle this ever growing problem.

"The best way to clean the polluted water is not to clean the polluted water but to stop polluting."
- conserve energy future 

Coming to immersion of Ganesha Idols, a lot has changed over the past decade and lot of care is taken in selecting eco-friendly idols and facilitating dedicated tanks for immersion. But the though I am trying to bring across is, people highlight and take care about water pollution during the Ganesha festival time and forget how much they are polluting water bodies the entire year.

Share what you think about this article and post your thoughts in the comments section below.
Also there are some interesting reads in the links below. Kindly explore!

What can we do?

• 30+ Simple and Easy Ways to Reduce Water Pollution That Nobody Would Tell You... Read More
  
  
• How to reuse waste water from your RO filter?
  Bengaluru resident Prabhat Vijayan has made a simple system to reuse the discharge water from his RO water purifier at home... Read More
  
  

Who is doing what?

On the brighter side, there are many organizations, who are working towards making our world a better place. Below are some links to stories of change:

• 5 Innovations By Indians That Curb Water Pollution!
  Conscious citizens across India are making attempts at the local and national level to prevent water pollution, revive the polluted water bodies and thereby eradicate water-related diseases... Read More
  
  
• Keeping rivers and lakes clean is the duty of every citizen
  as they are the source of our drinking water and food production... Read More
  
  
• Not only does water pollution result in contaminated water, but it also hurts the wildlife that depends on safe water for survival... Read More
  
  
• 30+ Simple and Easy Ways
  to Reduce Water Pollution That Nobody Would Tell You... Read More
  
  
• Cleaning rivers from plastic pollution with bubbles
  Our Bubble Barrier catches plastic over the fu­ll width and depth of rivers and prevents plastic from ending up in the ocean. The system does not interfere with regular river activities and is operational 24/7... Read More
  
  
• WE DEVELOP AND SCALE TECHNOLOGIES TO RID THE OCEANS OF PLASTIC
  Every year, millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans, of which the majority spills out from rivers. A portion of this plastic travels to ocean garbage patches, getting caught in a vortex of circulating currents. If no action is taken, the plastic will increasingly impact our ecosystems, health, and economies... Read More
  
  
• Ayurvedic Alternatives
  Check some alternatives for shampoos and toothpastes: Read More

Biodegradable Sanitary Pads

 With the ever-growing population, the demand for basic necessities keeps growing. At the same time, our day-to-day needs also impact our environment. One such product is "Sanitary Pads". Most of the sanitary pads available in the market are 90% plastic and does not degrade in soil for over 500 years. This only adds to the huge landfill problem we are already facing. But hope is on our side. Thanks to many entrepreneurs and the research community, things are changing for the better. Here is a list of eco-friendly sanitary pads:

• Sanitary pads made from Banana fiber
  The surat-based couple is making sanitary pads using banana fiber. Conventional pads contain plastics, synthetic fibers, artificial fragrances, deodorants, dyes, and many other harsh chemicals that may be harmful to your health. Made with banana fiber, bamboo fiber, and corn starch, Sparkle pads do not contain harmful chemicals that may cause rashes, irritation, infections or UTIs.
  
  
• Biodegradable & Compostable from Saathi
  Saathi pads are Biodegradable & Compostable, using plant-based materials for the leak-proof outer layers of the napkin.
  
  
• Cotton and Bamboo pulp
  100% organic cotton, biodegradable sanitary pads from PEESAFE
  
  
• Cloth pad from EcoFemme
  Cloth pads are made of cotton & promote well-being through the menstrual cycle, as well as being affordable & beautiful too. Cloth pads can prevent thousands of non-biodegradable sanitary waste around the world each month.

Weaver ants

It's amazing how weaver ants build such wonderful nests by folding leaves. But it's very difficult to get pictures of the actual nest building. Below are some pictures of the weaver ant which has built a nest in a Ramphala tree (Also known as Anona reticulata of the family Annonaceae).

Shashikala's terrace garden.

It's a small terrace garden, grown with love.