Let There Not Be Light

Let there not be Light

It was a lazy morning. I woke up just at the right time to reach my class. I wished to bunk it today, but something about my professors just made me not to miss my class again. I was not late, but Professor was already in the class. Sir never dresses in casuals. Today he looked like he was in a jovial mood.

When the class settled down, he said, “We will discuss a grave issue today. Imagine, you are back at home after a very tiresome day, you have your dinner and go to bed. Your body wakes up to sweet light coming from your window and sounds of birds from outside. You figure out it is time to wake up and you get up despite of not feeling energetic enough. You walk to your window and look outside to the new day and then you look at your watch. It says 11.30 pm. It is not yet the morning! You wake up a bit more and realise that the day light is actually an artificial light source nearby, which has been upgraded to a fancy flood light. May be a hoarding by a new commercial. What will you do?”

My class is very active and quick. 

“Put the curtains and go back to sleep.”,  piped an answer from a corner. We all had a laugh.

“Ah! Yes.” The professor smiled and continued.

“Let us change the perspective for a while, shall we. We have watches and curtains. What about the ones who depend totally on light for their activities?”

There was a silence for thought. The professor said, “Come on, tell me who all can be affected!”

“Birds”, said a student.

“Bats. They wake at the night.”,added another.

It just took us some more push of thought to add owls, bugs and spiders to the list.

Professor loved looking at us struggle with thought processes.

“Well. If birds wake up early to hunt, and the worms are not awake yet, they will come back empty.” , thought a student aloud.

“But, if birds woke up early and got lost, isn’t there a possibility of them to get tired and may be collapse due to exhaustion? “ another student added.

“Well. That cannot be right. We do not see such stuff happening. Do we?” I asked with scepticism.

The professor smiled.

“Well, let me tell you what happened and what is in the news. In 2008, the Tucker County High School in West Virginia witnessed hundreds of birds crashing on the brightly lit school, when it was still dark. Within minutes the whole school was a massacre scene for birds.”

“Did they give a holiday to the students?” asked a jovial student. The class laughed.

“Oh! It was worse than that! They had to make sure that the place does not carry some bird related diseases. Actually, these phenomenon are widely studied, and these effects are classified under Light Pollution. Birds are not the only ones getting affected. You see, the darkness has its own life. A study conducted by Daniel Lewanzik from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife research in Berlin showed that light pollution slows down the regrowth of the forests. Nocturnal bats are better pollinators than birds and they get scared due to excessive light, not coming out. Fruit eating bats are very good seed dispensers as their droppings contain both seeds and manure. These problems on ecology are well documented. A scientific report by FWRI scientist Blair E. Witherington and R. Erik Martin of Ecological Associates Inc. shows that new born sea turtles have a tendency to go towards brighter areas immediately after hatching, which in a typical natural lit beach will be towards the sea, where the night sky is lit by stars and moon. But in a not so natural beach, the turtles will tend to walk towards the brighter side, which will not be towards the water, and hence eventually perish. These are very few to mention effects on environment. The overuse of unnatural light disturbs bugs, insects, birds, animals, amphibians and even humans.”

The class was silent. They never had thought that artificial light can be so disastrous for other organisms.

“Why do we humans on day to day basis not feel such extreme effects?” I was curious.

“Good Question”, replied Professor. “It is just that we humans are better at adapting due to our advancements in medicines which give us an advantage over animals. We can of course pull our curtains and go back to sleep, we have a good productive life! Very comfortable, with all the fancy lights. We also have the advantage to be indifferent and overlook how all the less evolved organisms suffer. But we even have a very special gift just by being a human. We have empathy. Empathy to the weak. We can feel the pain of others and choose not to be indifferent. We can adjust our comforts, dim our lights a bit, so that the weak ones can also live in peace.”

The bell rang. There was a pause. No one moved.

The Professor sighed. He added with a smile, “Well, it is a choice we can make, to be indifferent or to have empathy , which leaves us all with a question. With we being celebrators of festival of Light, do we actually use light wisely? Class dismiss.

                                                                 

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                -  Nishchal Dwivedi

                                               Free Plant Distribution Drive

A free Plant distribution drive was carried out during the Reunion event at Somaiya College, Vidyavihar on 22nd and 23rd January 2016. The saplings of “Ocimum tenuiflorum” commonly known as tulsi plant were distributed. The plant is well known for its medicinal properties and to purify the indoor air quality of households. Owing to these properties people were encouraged to plant and take care of the sapling. Suggestions for healthy growth of the plants were also given. This ultimately helps in aiding to increase a little bit of the greenery in the planet. 

There was also a model demonstration of a “sustainable building” which explained the various technologies that can make urban environment eco-friendly without compromising on the comforts. Technologies like rain water harvesting, vermicomposting, Solar panels and algal panels that address problems like water scarcity, solid waste, and, high electricity usage. The processes were explained in detail and encouraged the young crowd to learn about eco-friendly ways of living. 

People were also encouraged to participate in various activities for environmental causes conducted by green health foundation. More than 500 people volunteered to support which exclaims the grand success of the event. Siddhika Mohan

Green Health Foundation greenhealth2015@gmail.com http://greenhealthfoundation.in/index.html

The scared droplet

ज्योंनिकलकरबादलोंकीगोदसे।

थीअभीएकबूँदकुछआगेबढ़ी।

सोचनेफिरफिरयहीजीमेंलगी।

आहक्योंघरछोड़करमैंयोंबढ़ी।

This is India.  Always personifies. Even if it’s a small drop of water pouring from the clouds, like me! I still remember the old days, leaving the clouds. I cherish the memories of being poured upon the saintly land of India.Yes, as the poet Hariaudh says in the above lines…I was always scared to leave my cloud; but whenever it used to be India, I was never scared. Sometimes I landed in the holy kamandal of a sadhu, being sought for as a symbol to reach heaven,sometimes in the play of some very unique fauna. Sometimes, I was used to wash the feet of an elder, sometimes in making of a sweet served outside a temple. There was a great sense and philosophy to respect water, every single drop! It always ended up water not getting wasted in vain.

Today is not the same. Today again I am on my way to pour down to this city called Mumbai in India. I no longer feel the same sense of respect. Earlier, to get water to support their family, humans used to have a very hard time. They had to either dig a well, or rely and share from natural sources. There used to be pots on the heads and walking over long distances.This inaccessibility to the sources made the humans humble about getting water, avoiding wastage. They understood that Water was for all the living creatures and it was simply borrowed by humans. This made them sensitive to plants and animals alike.
Things are not the same in the present scenario. Today Water is just something which the humans buy with money. This buying leads to sense of ownership, which ends up in misuse.

As I am falling from the sky, I know what will happen to me. It is all predictable! I will land up in some tank which will take me to some house. The house will use me in the shower, a fancy way to bath! If they would have used the Tap and bucket instead, it would have saved me and lots of my friends from misuse. And then I will inevitably go to the drain, a drain with so much of dirt and chemicals that no process in the human reach are able to clean me completely. Laden with all these chemicals, I reach in the sea. And here comes a bigger problem… the sea has much more chemicals dumped into. I remember the days when the sea used to be happy and the aquatic flora and fauna used to feel lively with arrival of me and my friends, because we brought a lot of Oxygen and Life for them. Today, we are so much laden with chemicals, that we are no longer able to carry enough oxygen for the sea. This has lead into poisoning of the sea and its inhabitants. Now the sea is sad. It has a layer of oils and chemicals, which prevent our immediate evaporation. And when we evaporate… many times some ugly chemical tags along with us and next time we rain as acid… a disaster to all living ones!
Another scenario which happens with us these days is landing up in a bottle of plastic. It is not much comforting to be inside a cage of plastic which takes ages to degrade. Now comes the work of the humans who buy us with a sense of ownership. The irony is, they will buy us, but won’t finish the entire bottle. They will just throw us in a dustbin, half used, right next to a dying plant and a thirsty stray dog! I will never understand why will the humans not help the other living beings? They being the most smart and strong living beings… isn’t it their responsibility to safeguard all the weaker beings around?

I feel the Humans are being overwhelmed. The technology they have got gives them power and they still do not know how to use it correctly. But that can never serve as an excuse. What the humans need to do is realize their responsibility to safeguard the nature. They need to appreciate the effort the nature takes to deliver its resources to them without complaints. I don’t know if the humans can hear me or not… but if humans scare a drop like me… the day will not be far when we will collectively decide not to arrive at earth all together. Humans must realize it.

Article contributed by:

Nishchal Dwivedi
A Young nature sensitive science enthusiast who believes in logically understanding the environment and communicating it simply to everyone around him with help of articles, cartoons and contribution in various blogs.
He is an explorer of Ornithology and Biodiversity. He implements his knowledge in physics in understanding these varied branches of Environment.
contact:avid.writer.writes@gmail.com

Graphics contributed by:

Hrishikesh Badrike

Green Health Foundation

contact: greenhealth2015@gmail.com

www.greenhealthfoundation.in

Who is the God ?

‘Religare’ , a word from Latin means “To Bind”, which evolved to ‘Religio’ to mean something which is a bond and something which someone Oblige to do. Thus evolved the word Religion. Religion further evolved to Ideas. Ideas of some people which convinced others and people decided to take those set of Ideas, Stories and Facts as a common ground for standing together and celebrating!

Different people, different Ideas, different goals, different religions! All Standing tall in their own beauty!

But its not just Ideas which bind us together. A common fact binds us all since the very begining. Not only humans, but even beings who don't communicate with us. The Friendly ones and also the beasts. That Eternal fact which we celebrate daily knowingly or unknowingly! The Fact that we are on the Planet which supports us for Life, and an environment which allows us to be alive to the fullest of human capabilities. That's something to be thankful of! That's the religion we celebrate even by just waking up to life and by evolving generation by generation, race by race. That's a religion we are passively part of.

The gods of this Religion are forces which we interact with and which make us alive. They support our life. Oxygen to breathe, Land to be sure that it will keep us supported, Water to keep us hydrated, air to make sure that we when we speak, our voice reaches to our loved ones! They have been our Gods for so long that we have been unconscious and unappreciative towards their role in our development and existance.

This unappreciative nature of us humans have really compromised our celebrations towards the nature. The trouble in breathing, the sliding of lands, the poisonous water and the diseases in air are now news of our daily life and not unheard of. On the name of progress and higher goals, we ignore the harm done to the environment and choose to be blind towards the environment.

We do it on our daily basis. From spitting on the streets to throwing a wrapper on the bench, we all contribute very minorly to this harm which multiplied by each individuals of earth makes it a huge mess for the whole Eco system to process. The supporter of our lives is now no more able to support us, making survival more and more difficult for the coming generations. Just by being a mere spectator to this change makes us equal criminals. Our homes are spic and span with no piece of dust on top of our expensive gadgets, but we forget to search for the garbage bin when we come outside of the house, not realizing that the asset of the Clean and Green Earth is Priceless and the consequences are much more expensive for the whole planet.

The Planet can be saved, the religion of environment can be protected. All we need is a Start. A Start from our mentality. The realization that solutions exist to the waste problem and we can solve it by just being creative is a good First step. Small steps like kitchen gardening , waste segregation, conserving water, planting trees and so on take us a long way. Understanding that the waste to someone can be a treasure to another being of the ecosystem can reduce the problem of Solid Waste to a great level.

Above all, the understanding that one is Important and make up the entity of the Eco System is the most important belief needed in the present day scenario. The want to change and save nature will find its way in making a better environment and shall make the day after tomorrow worth living.

                                                             

Article contributed by

Nishchal Dwivedi:

A Young nature sensitive science enthusiast who believes in logically understanding the environment and communicating it simply to everyone around him with help of articles, cartoons and contribution in various blogs.
He is an explorer of Ornithology and Biodiversity. He implements his knowledge in physics in understanding these varied branches of Environment.

contact:avid.writer.writes@gmail.com

www.greenhealthfoundation.in

Plantation Drive at Aarey Colony !!!

Land of plantation

Trees are one of the main components of environment which help in balancing the ecosystem as a whole. Unwanted cutting of trees and deforestation are harming our climate and ecosystem to a large extent. The effect can clearly been seen by gradual increase in the global temperature and thus this is a global concern. Thus, plantation of trees is a crying need of the time.

To mitigate the effects of deforestation Green Health Foundation conducted a tree plantation drive in association with NAATA Foundation in the Village zone of Aarey Colony, Mumbai on 11^th July, 2015, with help of volunteers from Sandesh College, Vikhroli and Royal College, Mira Road

One day prior to the plantation activity, GHF along with volunteers carried out digging of holes for plants. On 11^th July 2015, plantation mainly fruiting plants was carried out so as to provide the villagers with employment and also an added incentive to care for plants. Also the plants would increase the green cover of the city. Along with the fruiting plants some non-fruiting plants too were planted. A total of 70 plants were planted on the day.

After the completion of the plantation drive the members of NAATA Foundation and Rotary Club of Bombay, Film City were given a token of appreciation in the form of Thank you letter for being present in the plantation drive and improving the tree cover of the city and supporting GHF. As a token of appreciation they were also provided with a Tulsi sapling. The volunteers were provided with certificates for participating in the plantation Drive.

Numerous plantation drives take place along the year but due to lack of understanding of the importance of green cover, many of the planted friends die. Hence GHF planted fruit plants so as to balance the environmental damage as well as provide fruits to villagers which would be the incentive for them to care.

GHF will be making frequent visits to the place to keep a check on plant health and will try its best to sustain the green cover spread by us. We look forward to create a more greener and sustainable appearance to the planet. We wish to ReGreen everything!!!

Green Health Foundation

219, Gopi Mall. Vishnu Nagar

Dombivli (W) – 421 202

www.greenhealthfoundation.in