earthnow-aliya

B uddha’s Belly: Common Name: Bamboo Botanical name: Bambusa vulgaris O riginally from South China… the bamboo has 1200 different varieties.. .. Growing in very cold temperate climates to the hot tropics…. from jungles to elevated mountain areas. Bamboo is a grass… with different heights from a foot -- - to oversized timber bamboo that can grow to over 100 feet. Bamboo very rarely produces seed, so most propagations are by division or clump cuttings. In Mizoram, (small hill state in north-east India) they say when the bamboo flowers : famine and destruction follows . How the B uddha’s B elly Grows: The Buddha’s belly can be an ideal bamboo, by a pond in a beautiful landscape…. ..! It has Swollen internodes which are quite fascinating & draw attention…. This species of bamboo is reliable and consistent in producing new shoots after every few months or after a heavy spell of rain. The new shoots are protected by a sheath, which are commonly rounded and smooth. This bamboo spreads by

I n Feb 2008: Barack Obama said that as president he would spend $210 billion to create jobs in construction and environmental industries: Amount to be used as investment in 2 programs which would last for over 10 years. The $150 billion to create 5 million on "green collar" jobs to remodel environment friendly energy sources. Sixty billion would go to a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other public projects. Obama explained that the money for his spending proposals would come from ending the Iraq war, cutting tax breaks for corporations, taxing carbon pollution and raising taxes on high income earners. Obama has also proposed a mandatory reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. {Which the Nobel Prize winning panel of scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate --have said must be done to avoid catastrophic climate impacts}. Propositions quite unique however application needs courage to resolve… Only time will tell if

Friday,November 6th. & I quote : David Hales (director of the Global Environment Center of the United States Agency for International Development.) “Transition to societies that are sustainable and just will require rare courage and wisdom". Courage and determination is just what Obama requires, to make a change and do some thing for : as Obama himself mentioned “the planet in peril”. & Climate Change should take center stage, in his agenda. & yes some amount of aggressiveness..to reduce the consumerism. David Hales also adds that he was hopeful & there would be a significant change in U.S. position, very soon. Obama has to make sure to get the unemployed jobs but to begin with: A drastic C hange in the mechanics of the automobile industry, has to be brought about: typically through green initiatives .. alternative energy sources...solar energy and recycling . Let us hope that CONSUMERISM gradually dwindles ....

Sustainable use of Resources: I ts easy to talk... but let us all make it practical. Sustainability can be exemplified by: a. Substitution of non renewable natural resources by renewable natural resources. Eg substitute the use of coal by using solar energy. Substitute the use hydro electricity by wind energy. b. Renewability  using recourses in a way that the rate of utilization should be lower than or equal to the rate of regeneration or restoration or renewal of resources. c. Institutional change All levels of society should be educated on sustainable development as an individual cannot do it unaided. d. Adaptability Stop using Plastic. e. Interdependence The environment does not have any boundaries. Eg the air pollution in Pakistan or created in Pakistan will spread into India... Ie from one country to another Environment has no boundaries Let us all think globally.

Wednesday , October 15th 2008: Sustainable use of resources: --> by conserving energy --> by conserving water --> by conserving biological resources (ie protecting forests, natural vegetation ,ecological riches) --> Reflect on what is happening around the globe: Lack of vegetative cover is changing the global climate.. Lack of vegetative cover is helping soil erosion. Lack of vegetative cover is reducing the fertility of soil. Lack of vegetative cover is uncompromisingly reducing rainfall. Consequently..a global institutional commitment is required. Accordingly let us begin with reducing pollution. -->Let us begin with REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE *Reduce the energy being used. *Reduce population…...population control. *Reduce using plastic ..synthetic rubber…motor fuel. --> Let CONSUMERISM gradually dwindle … Let NOT CONSUME more than the production. At the moment,50 times more st

This is the way that autumn came to the trees: It stripped them down to the skin, left their ebony bodies naked. It shook out their hearts, the yellow leaves, scattered them over the ground. Anyone could trample them out of shape undisturbed by a single moan of protest. The birds that herald dreams were exiled from their song, each voice torn out of its throat. They dropped into the dust even before the hunter strung his bow. Oh, God of May have mercy. Bless these withered bodies with the passion of your resurrection; make their dead veins flow with blood again. Give some tree the gift of green again. Let one bird sing. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) - translated by Naomi

Thursday,9th October 2008 Earlier the Rulers of Rajasthan were committed in conservation of natural resources through indigenous traditions and practices. JOHADS were built across a slope to catch rainwater . JOHADS were earthen check dams -- built to conserve water ,which led to increase in the groundwater level. JOHADS had high banks on three sides & the fourth side was left open for the rainwater to come into. & The KUND. A KUND’s shape is like an overturned cup positioned on a saucer.. A KUND was designed for the sandy Thar desert of western Rajasthan to harvest and gather ....rain water for drinking purposes.. In actuality KUND is an underground well... fashioned like a saucer , sort of catchment area which slopes down in the direction of the centre where the well is situated. Sides of the well are covered with lime & ash. More over, homes and hawelis in Western Rajasthan were constructed with rooftop water harvesting system. Rainwater from these rooftops was dir

Wednesday October 8th 2008. 1. KHEJARI : Local Name. Botanical name: Prosopis Cineraria Druce. The Khejri tree is the State Tree of Rajasthan, India. It’s a thorny small tree…. deep-rooted making it thus drought resistant. Khejri tree is sacred & is considered lucky to grow at home. It has many uses . .. Its thorny branches are cut and used as a fence to keep animals away from crops, The leaves are dried and used for feed and its bean-like fruit can be eaten ripe or unripe. The wood is used as fuel. 2. Castor Tree : Castor bean, Castor oil plant, Wonder tree • Hindi : Arandi Botanical name: Ricinus communis The castor tree, is an upright, tropical is a small tree, grows up to 30 feet tall. The Green leaves have uneven edge. The flat seeds are in a seedpod that burst when ripen. When mature the oblong fruit turns brown. The seeds of castor oil plant, are very poisonous…,however, once prepared commercially castor oil contains no toxic characteristics.. The oil extracted from the bea

Jatropha : Imminent Bio Diesel J atropha is native to Central America and now grows naturally in many tropical and subtropical areas, including India.. .. The mature small trees do not grow very tall. Jatropha was introduced by the Portuguese as a valuable hedge plant in Asia. In India it can grow as a sturdy bush , in scanty rain -areas, and providing rich dividends as raw material for Bio Fuel * The planting of Jatropha as a hedge -- protects the soil from wind erosion. The wind carries the soil & accumulates at the base of the plants, forming boundaries along the ground. This holds in water, more water absorption & less soil erosion. Planted in desert areas decreases the loss of land ,through deforestation or desertification. * The hardy Jatropha is resistant to drought and pests. * It produces seeds containing up to 40% oil. When the seeds are crushed and processed, the resulting oil can be used in a standard diesel engine. The residue can also be processed into biomass to

Saturday 4th October 2008 Common name: Amla, Indian Gooseberry. Botanical name: Phyllanthus emblica. 1. A mla (pronounced Awanlah) {N is silent} Is an indigenous tree to the Indian subcontinent, Amla is a small to medium sized deciduous tree (plants that shed their leaves annually at the approach of a season of cold or drought), reaching 8 to 18 m in height, the fruit is edible of the same name. The Tree is pleasing to look at….with crooked trunk and spreading branches drooping down. The leaves are simple, nearly stalk less and closely set along slender branchlets. The leaves are often mistaken for leaflets of pinnate leaves (describes a leaf that has a central axis or stem with parts branching off it). The flowers are small, greenish-yellow or pinkish. The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite shiny and hard looking, with 6 vertical stripes or furrows. Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. Sour &

Friday, The 3rd of October 2008 Please click on the pictures to enlarge Orchid Cactus T he Orchid Cactus, has bloomed tonight! ummm .. & it stirs up a lot of emotions within…. Its heartening .. Like my niece just commented on the images.. ‘ A thing of beauty is joy for ever….’ & Tomorrow it will no more…. Orchid Cactus , Jungle Cactus, Night Blooming Cereus, Botanical name: Epiphyllum oxypetalum Family: Cactaceae (cactus family) Epiphyllum Oxypetalum is by far the most extensively cultivated species from this genus of cacti. Cactus grows as an epiphyte (a plant that grows on top of or is supported by another plant but does not depend on it for nutrition) in the tropical rainforests of Guatemala and Honduras. These rainforests have high humidity, and temperatures that are constant throughout the year. Orchid cactus blooms at night, since the flowers are mostly pollinated by bats and large moths. They have large white star-like flowers to help their pollinators loca

Tuesday September 30th 2008 Here goes September.. in the midst of Ramadan I did not realize its onset.. Let us first understand why I talked about the trees of Rajasthan..& why the Rajas or the rulers planted trees.. Rajasthan and its plains is a sandy desert with River SUTLEJ in the North West and the Aravalli Range in the East; The Indus Valley in the West & The Rann of Kutch in the South. All of this by and large is a semi arid area. Cultivation is done in small patches and irrigations provided by small streams…which originate from Aravalli during the monsoons. There are many salt water lakes in the Eastern side eg the Sambhar Lake on the border of Jaipur. The Aravallis, are one of the oldest FOLD mountain ranges in the world. This range lies parallel to the direction of the south west monsoon winds. The Aravalli Hills are low in height so they are unable to stop the moisture laden winds. This makes Rajasthan a dry area. The perceptive & visionary rulers of Rajasthan wer

Conscious vis a vis Conservation : Damyanti Singh my charming hostess talked fervently, about the trees that she and her family tried to save and conserve some years back: There is this road in Jaipur,called Queen’s Road: It was a beautiful wide avenue with 300 year old huge banyan trees, on either side. {BADU-Pear} called locally. These were planted by the foresighted ancestors ...and were the legacy left for the Jaipurians. These 300 years old Banyan trees provided shade to the traveler and thus formed a divine canopy . They were the home for a millions and a variety of birds: parrot, bulbul,..and even the peacock used to nest here. It was so lovely a road, that it prompted the rulers of Jaipur to take Queen Elizabeth for a delightful buggy ride...in 1960s… There were about fourteen solid Banyan tress on a 3 kilometer road.. During early- Vasundra’s reign, for road-expansion & broadening, these banyan legacies were cut down brutally. The greed for power, popularity, expansion and

Please click on the pictures to enlarge Front Lawn Cacti and Aloe Plant Side Veranda Lawn To Go Green Is Positive The saplings planted today will grow tomorrow. As a consequence it is: Rewarding Satisfying Heartwarming Pleasing Munificent Bountiful..and then wait .. Serenity will be bestowed with patience and persistence.

Look what we have done to our earth... for momentary pleasures and short lived gains.... cutting trees and blasting rocks.. Don't go far -- start with Somaiiguda, Raj Bhavan Road.. 25 years ago just a quiet road with one or two cars mostly Renaults and Fiats, an odd or two ambassadors , men quietly pulling toiling their rickshaws.. Now a double road.. Drastically - widened may be four times.. in the last 25 years. Tress cut brutally cut -- Properties sold to buy diamonds.. or money transferred to USA by affluent NRIs .. Then they come back and live in their flats that they had bought. & What is this flat culture.. ? Again borrowed from the West.. These cars.. and heavy lorries.. the mad rush and honking.. Mother Earth is screaming .. Is any body listening… ? There was this beautiful champa tree (common Farangi Pani) in the vast Back Yard of the old-bungalow I was married into.. When the construction people took it over that is, when my Oh So Good and Saintly Sis in Laws sold th

Composting of waste is an aerobic method of decomposing solid-waste. Moisture content should be around 55% which is essential for the biological breakdown of the waste. Microorganisms help in stabilizing organic matter. Eg: Fungi could start working in the 1st week . Actinomycetes help in the last stages of the breakdown while bacteria is present through out the process. The process involves decomposition of organic waste into HUMUS known as COMPOST. Composting process produces carbon dioxide and heat (which can be used for different purposes). The urbanite can make its own compost: Instead of filling bag after bag filled with the swept leaves, twigs ,yard waste or kitchen scraps and flowers and dumping them in the dump. The urbanite can start composting: with any organic waste – from leaves and grass clippings to horse manure to kitchen scraps – This turns into compost: the dark, crumbly humus that is excellent for the garden, trees, vegetable beds. Composting is the natural pro

Good Mulch: O RGANIC MULCH can be made with wood shavings, shredded leaves and horse manure. Ideally, it should be made by hand. Although, not every one will like to do that. Best is to chop leaves with a with a big scissor.. . Let it cure together for 15 to 20 days in water before using. Cover it while it cures. ..(To avoid mosquito breeding etc) Use this as a top layer , adding nutrients to a flower bed or vegetable garden. However, mulching should be done with care. Do NOT use ply wood or painted wood shavings as this could be toxic to your plants. Be cautious: Mulched layers that are more than 2 to 3 inches deep, can turn sour, thus creating a toxic anaerobic condition that could kill plants. Thick mulch also draws pests like slugs, fungi and slimy molds and. A Good Mulch should do everything a decomposing layer of leaves does. It should suppress weeds, conserve moisture and protect plants from temperature extremes & simultaneously breaking down to im

I ts easy for me to type a few words…. expressing concern if my precious garden does not get water on any particular day. Just half a kilometer away is a slum where in majority Muslims reside. Over population….. children scampering barefoot on narrow slushy lanes with open drains containing raw sewage running parallel. Not enough drinking water….& what ever is released on alternate days kills some of these children as they drink it un boiled. To boil water their poor mother would need kerosene or some other fuel…every thing costs money. The cost to boil water consistently would cost about a third of the earnings. Then what about the cost of food? Everyone in the slum drinks the water, usually without boiling, and water seems so natural that most mothers do not understand the threat it holds. The water comes from cracked pipes that runs into the slum. Some pipes run into a ditch filled with sewage. Even though, the water is treated at its origin, sewage seeps into the water to gener

29h July: Water is one of the most precious and valuable resources. We easily forget how the sun blazed just recently over head. The rainy weather and the rim jhim mausum….makes us forget. When every drop mattered. When the water supply shortens.. The taps go drip drip from the previous gushing flow.. When quite a few worry how to water their garden.. ! Now in July,when its raining out side......it is difficult to describe the impact of the blazing sun on our plants and earth. Yes I am talking of April, May and beginning of June. It is a challenge to maintain the green patch green… to feed it nurture it Then.. Sustainability To use recycled water. Supervising that the last rinse of the clothes that were washed -to be poured into the precious heliconia bed.... The non oily - dish water for the Buddha’s belly ... The tea leaves into the Bird of Paradise as mulch.. thus preserving the moisture... Yes summer heat withers the plants… But with a little organized help & concern from our w

Teach your children what we have taught our children -- That the earth is our mother Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves. This we know The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth This we knowAll things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. We do not weave the web of life, We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web,we do to ourselves. By--Chief Seattle ***** The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass speaks to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, The rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me. The strength of the fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me And my hea

The image was.. Downloaded from New York Times I have labeled this picture “Living in Harmony with Nature” One can get entranced just looking at this image.. All plants look native.. and the Buddha’s statue .......... So perfectly positioned. Giving out a message of Peace and Tranquility. Why can’t we live in Harmony with nature…? Why have affected landscaped gardens….? Just the nature takes it course and we should build around it. We should raise our voices and take a firm stand : When the construction companies cut down trees brutally … When the rocks of Hyderabad are blown up.. Is this development..? We are destroying the earth. What will we give to our future generation.....?! We should be careful about the carbon foot prints we leave behind. Don Boudreaux in his blog http://cafehayek.typepad.com/hayek/2005/04/living_in_harmo.html says & I quote: “We moderns don’t live in harmony in nature, and one consequence of our inharmonious existence is the manatees’ near-extinction”. He

The image was.. Downloaded from New York Times I have labeled this picture “living in harmony with nature” One can get entranced just looking at this image.. All plants look native.. and the Buddha’s statue So perfectly positioned. Giving out message of Peace and Tranquility. Why can’t we live in Harmony with nature…? Why have affected landscaped gardens….? Just the nature takes it course and we should build around it. We should raise our voices and take a firm stand When the construction companies cut down trees brutally … When the rocks of Hyderabad are blown up.. Is this development..? We are destroying the earth. What will we give to our future generation.....?! We should be careful about the carbon foot prints we leave behind. Don Boudreaux in his blog http://cafehayek.typepad.com/hayek/2005/04/living_in_harmo.html says & I quote: “We moderns don’t live in harmony in nature, and one consequence of our inharmonious existence is the manatees’ near-extinction”. He adds: “To live

Lets join hand & Clean then Green our Earth: Lets start by becoming guerrilla gardener of sorts.. Years back I took over with a little aggression the front part of the house and converted an ugly neglected dump yard into a lush green lawn with proper landscaping-- flower beds..and pruned hedges.. Mother in law did not like it.... and she labeled me into an eternal bad daughter in law!! Defamed me -- blah blah blah.. This went on for years till she accepted the fact that the front landscaped space looked great. The plants are greener and providing lot of oxygen on Raj Bhavan Road.. Its a good green patch.. Anyway can't we start a guerilla war fare or a movement doing odd jobs on neglected dirty corners and places.... ? Converting these dump yards into Green lush zones.. ....... ............................ ......... Can’t we...? For this movement we need funds to hire people who can work under our guidance @ night : ( a little aggression for a good cause) This group ( like the

Writers and gardeners are often solitary souls. Close friends, are frogs, birds, bees bugs, butterflies & the cats on the walls.. to keep company and keep the eyes occupied from other things but green. There is the husband of course and the kids who call for the attention.. but the plants ..draw one near oh so near. Sometimes the tour of the garden can start from ,therefore build a house or modify the house with a good garden view,,,,,, looking out. One can reflect a lot just by looking at the garden or the green.. The owner of the house should love the garden more than the house…. The house should have almost all glass windows… French doors.., and even the front door with glass , , offering a generous view of the garden and the lush bloom outside…. Semi arid areas around, Hyderabad, where there is water scarcity’s one need low-maintenance plants which will be a panacea for the region's water supply uncertainties. Ideally , the garden should need very little pruning and waterin

I need gardening: Every garden has its peculiarity, and mine is that it is basically a converted green patch formally a dump of garbage and shabby bushes. I garden on a semi arid area much dependent on municipality water ^ amended by trucked-in manure and red earth topsoil and compost heap that I try to pile up. The happiest hours that I spend are in the garden feeling the mud -- the earth.. Trying to attend to a plant.. leaf through leaves.. removing the dry ones….to make a pot look neat and attended to. Making my own bio degradable compost.. (with dry leaves.. and twigs) Sweeping cleaning.. doing my own small digging. The garden did not take over night to grow; it took time, immense energy and my love.. It shaped up and formed its own character With the stately palms on the front step saying welcome.. The platform with the Anthuriums; The huge Jaqeranda tree… perfuming the air shedding and showering its purple bell shaped flowers…on the green lawn.. each time the wind blow