Eco Awareness

8/3/2019 Eco Awareness

1/8


2/8

September 2011

Why Environ?We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our

children. ~Native American Proverb

To any school-going teenager, saving the Earth is probably the last thing on

a priority list of assignments, tuitions, co-curricular activities and friends.

Yet, ironically, it is this generation that is going to face the consequences of

continuous environmental degradation. Global warming is a reality; it is the

shared responsibility of all inhabitants of the Earth to proactively contribute

towards a greener environment and a healthier planet.

Environ is a newsletter that aims to promote environmental consciousness

among the student community in PSBB. Launched as a part of an awareness

drive in school, Environ is tailor-made to help YOU lead a more eco-

friendly life and reduce your carbon footprint.

Go Green!!

Compiled by: Anuradha Rao XII A

Cover credits: Anjanaa Devi XII B

ContentsPage 3

Page 5

Page 6

Page 8

Eco facts- 5 pieces of green

trivia that you would be

amazed to know!

Campus Update: A

highlight of green activities

and initiatives in our school

Green-o-meter: How green

are you? Take a two-minute

quiz to find out!

Birdseye View: A

collection of professional

photographs that capture

the beauty of our planet

Links to Learning: A

comprehensive set of URLs

to help you enhance your

eco-knowledge!

Page 4


3/8

ENVIRON An eco-awareness initiative

Eco facts

1) So much damage insuch little time!

According to scientificassumptions the Earth existsfor 4.6 billion years. Scalingthis to 46 years we come to46 years of existence, whichmeans that humanity hasbeen around for four hours,while the industrialrevolution has begun onlyone minute ago! In such ashort period, we havedestroyed much of ournatural environment just inorder to get raw materialsand fuels.

5 amazing green facts youd love to know!2) Chemicals at home

When we talk aboutchemicals that hurt thesoil, we usually refer tochemical pesticides andfertilizers used by farmers.Surprisingly, homeownersuse ten times morechemicals per acre thanfarmers do! It simply provesthat saving the planetdoesnt always mean changein the fields of agriculture,politics or social planning-we could individuallycontribute by making a fewlifestyle changes.

3) Clean energy

Effective hydrogen fuel cells arethe Holy Grail of alternative fueltechnologies. This technologyuses hydrogen gas to createelectricity. The electricity is thenconverted to mechanical energyin an electric motor. This gets thecar, bus, boat or any other formof engine-run transport moving.The only emission from the cell iswater, clean enough to drink anda far cry from the hydrocarbons,CO2 and oxides of nitrogenproduced by the cleanest carstoday.

4) An eco-friendlycountry

Iceland plans to unplugitself from all dependenceon fossil fuels by 2050 tobecome a hydrogeneconomy. Already,Reykjavik (the capital) getsenergy for heat, hot waterand electricity entirely fromhydropower and geothermalresources- both of which arerenewable and free of

greenhouse gas emissions.Some vehicles even run on

hydrogen, including threecity buses!

5) There is hope!

Despite all of the damage wehave caused theenvironment, theres goodnews: most of it isreversible. We can restorehabitats and return speciesto them, clean rivers,

renovate buildings,replenish the topsoil and replantforests. The first step is to createawareness among the citizens ofour planet about thinking, doingand living green!

(Taken from various sources onthe internet)


4/8


A complete novice? Don't worry. Check these out, and you'll get an idea about major environmental issues our earth faces

today.

http://www.pollution.in/what-is-environmental-pollution.html

http://www.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/question746.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.htm

http://www.globalwarming.org.in/

Want to know what YOU can do to save the planet? Make a difference- now!

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/save-earth-top-ten.htm

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-simple-and-cheap-green-ideas.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-green-architecture.htm

http://www.organicfoodinfo.net/

Interested inparticipating in green activities? Get involved with these Chennai-

based NGOs...

http://www.cpreec.org/

http://yellowpages.sulekha.com/chennai/environmental-ngos_listings_252.htm

http://www.madrascrocodilebank.org/cms/

http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?www=http%3A//www.blackbuck.org.&itemid=1066&itemname=Madras

Passionate about the environment? These top universities in India open up fantastic opportunities to get a green degree!

http://www.scholarshipsinindia.com/environmental.html

http://www.highereducationinindia.com/career-options/careers-in-environmental-science-17.php

http://www.cseindia.org/taxonomy/term/20070/menu

Links to LearningBored of browsing the same old sites in the

internet? Want to read about the

environment, but dont know where tostart? Stop right here Four sets of links

custom-made for you! Get surfing!


5/8


Dhruv G. Arvind of XII A won the Rolling Shield for EnvironmentalAwareness instituted by the Bala Bhavan Trust (an annual award presentedfor keen participation in environment-related activities) for the academicyear 2010-11. One of the contributing factors to Dhruv winning the awardwas his four-day-visit to the Bhadra Tiger Reserve with the biology teacherMrs. Annapoorni.

The significance of World Environment Day was highlighted in theschool assembly on 5th June 2011. A presentation on Recycling was made

by the students of standards nine and ten. With the help of visual aids,several simple methods of reusing and recycling were exhibited.

The founders of Eco Alternatives, a movement that mobilizes andencourages communities to take responsibility for working towards agreener world, conducted a session in our school about leading ecofriendly lifestyles' in June.

Tips to be eco-friendly in school were read out in the morning

assembly. Students contributed and designed a display board about thesame.

Shreya Murali of XII C visited Chengdu, China in June for aweeklong conference titled Asia for Animals organized by AnimalsAsiaFoundation, which works for the welfare of wild and urban animals in thecontinent.

Poetry and poster-making contests were organized on the themeBiodiversity. The contests saw enthusiastic participation and severalentries were received. The prizes were distributed in the school assembly.

Sanjay Narayanaswamy and Dhruv G. Arvind of XII A presented aproject on Global Warming and Eco Solutions at a Science Expoconducted by the CBSE in August. They were declared the winners in thecategory Green Energy and were awarded certificates and a cash prize.

Anusha Shankaraman, Chandrashekar Sriram and VishnuSrinivasan of XI A have been selected to attend World School Forum 2011themed The Environment: Rebuilding from Disasters. The programme will

be held in Italy this October.

Activities, initiatives andprojects related to the

environment are not hardto come across. A quick

look at the recent greenhighlights of our school

C

AMP

US

UP

DA

TE


6/8


GREEN-O-METER

Take this quiz to see how environment-friendly you are! (Calculate

your green score at the end of the quiz)

1) Do you buy newspapers?

a) No, I read my news onlineb) Yes, every week and I recycle themc) Yes, everydayd) No, I don't care about the news

2) Do you buy fresh fruits and vegetables?

a) Yes, and they must be organicb) Sometimesc) I always buy canned and frozen foodsd) Who eats vegetables?!

3) Do you turn off the tap while brushing yourteeth?

a) Yes, it helps save waterb) It depends on whether Im in a hurryc) No way, whod take the effort?d) Hows my rubber ducky supposed to splash

around?

4) What do you use to carry your groceries?

a) Paper bagsb) Plastic bags that I reuse

c) Disposable plastic bags they give me at themarketd) How does this even matter?

5) What kind of bulbs do you have at home?

a) LEDsb) CFLsc) Incandescent bulbsd) What are these things?

6) Do you segregate waste?

a) Alwaysb) Sometimesc) Neverd) Do I look jobless?

7) How do you freshen the air in your livingroom?

a) Open the windows and keep lots of plantsb) Spray air freshenerc) Use air conditionerd) People freshen the air?

8) Where do you buy birthday cards for your

friends and family?

a) I send e-cardsb) I make cards from recycled materialsc) I buy them from the supermarketd) My moms the one who remembers

birthdays

9) Do you have a reusable drinking container?

a) Yes, I use it every single day

b) I try to use it all the time, but I forgetc) I dont have oned) Eww! I hate washing them!

10) Do you turn off the lights when you leave theroom/ house?

a) Alwaysb) Sometimesc) Neverd) My fish are scared of the dark


7/8

11) What do you do with clothes that you dontwant anymore?

a) Cut them up and make a bedsheet

b) Donate themc) Sell themd) Throw them away

12) How do you store leftover food?

a) In re-used take-away cartonsb) In dishes I wash laterc) In cling-film or foild) Are you telling me to recycle leftovers now?

13) When you have a party, what do you eatfrom?

a) Bio-degradable and reusable plates, cupsand napkins

b) Dishes from my home that I will wash laterc) Paper plates and plastic cupsd) Its a party!! Does anything else matter?

14) Do you check the energy-saving rate of anappliance before buying it?

a) Yes, of course!b) Sometimes- it also depends on the pricec) Neverd) Appliances are rated?

15) Do you care about the environment?

a) Yes, its our earth!b) I dont have a choice, Im forced toc) Only on Environment Day and Earth Day!

d) It doesnt feature on my to-do list at all!

Green-o-meter Readings:

If you have maximum a s:

Great going! Youre very environmentally friendlyand you genuinely care about the Earth. Youunderstand the gravity of the situation, and youre

very conscious about reducing your carbonfootprint. Think of ways you can sustain thesegood practices and inspire the people around youto follow your example!

If you have maximum b s:

You try to do your bit towards the planet, but youarent very committed to the cause. There are otherconsiderations that you look at first before goinggreen. Thats not a bad thing; but try to push eco-friendly living up on your priority list. Read up

about economical and easy ways you can changeyour lifestyle to be in sync with the environment.Your intentions are right- put them into action!

If you have maximum c s:

You arent too bothered about environmentalissues. Wake up! The next generation may notenjoy the comforts you have due to an extremelack of natural resources! Thats not what youwant, is it? Theres a lot of scope for improvement-and it isnt too late to begin! Retrospection at theend of each day can work wonders; think aboutwhether you could have been more eco-friendly inthe previous twenty-four hours, and learn fromyour mistakes. Schedule your next dayaccordingly. Read up and empower yourself; youcan make a difference!

If you have maximum d s:

Theres quite a problem here. Your attitude needsa complete makeover! If you think this entire

newsletter is rubbish, then think again.Environmentalists arent wasting their time aboutnothing. The earth is in danger due to continuousexploitation, and if you dont accept this reality,youll be the loser in the end. Take more interest inwhats going on around you. Read up or find outfrom friends about the environment, and thinkabout what you can do to save the earth. Startsmall, and take this test again at the end of themonth- you definitely shouldnt be reading thissame paragraph again!


8/8

Eco Awareness

Documents

Transcript of Eco Awareness