Environment

Yesterday, while chatting with a friend, I happened to mention the Millets Mela, now on at Lalbagh. His prompt response was “what is that?”. I wasn't surprised. In these days of white rice, brand name atta, imported cereal for children and milk additives that are packaged well and priced high, it is not surprising that millets don't have a market, even though a bajra roti or ragi malt in milk is as good if not better than more popular cereals. On the other hand, it is also surprising why they don't have a market, given their superior quality whether it…

PNLIT is happy to announce "PNLIT Greenscraps" an introduction to nature journaling which will teach children how to observe, sketch and write about what they see in the natural world around them. Too often we do not notice that little ladybird sitting on a pale green leaf or the cobweb in an early morning glistening with dew drops. These are the small pleasures that uplift our mood and give meaning to our day. These are invaluable lessons in appreciating natural wonders which stay with us as we grow older. Ms. Sangeetha Kadur and Ms. Shilpashree who designed the Greenscraps workshops…

When we hear the word "parasites", we generally think of leeches. But there are other creatures and plants around us, that are parasites - living beings which live on other creatures. One of them, not often known, is the Braconid wasp. This wasp ensures a fresh supply of protein for its young, by laying its eggs on a caterpillar. When the eggs hatch on the caterpillar, they feed on the caterpillar, sucking its blood...and then, as all insects do, the larvae turn into pupae, still stuck on the caterpillar's hairs. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae end up eating the…

It is not only the number of birds in our lake that is growing but also our team, slowly but steadily! We are happy to induct two teams of volunteers PNLIT Mitra and PNLIT Young Rangers. As of now we have three supporters in the Mitra (Friends) category and four Young Rangers who make up for their lack in years with youthful enthusiasm. To those of you who had suggested names for the PNLIT juniors - "PNLIT Young Rangers" was the name that the child members chose for themselves. With these new volunteers to assist us, we shall soon be…

BCIL ZED Foundation conducted an International Sparrow Conference on 20 March, to raise awareness about the fall in the House Sparrow population in Bengaluru. 20 March is celebrated as the International sparrow day. As part of the conference there was a panel discussion on the birds, held at the Xavier Hall of St. Joseph's College, Lalbagh Road. Poster displayed outside St.Joseph's College. Photo: Deepa MohanThe first to speak was Dr. Abraham Verghese, of the Indian Institute for Research, who touched on how, several decades ago, places like Rajaji Nagar were just open land helping sparrow population. He added that several…

As you walk about in Bengaluru, you might often pass several reptiles without seeing them. Though it is not common to see snakes, they are sometimes sighted, and strike terror into our hearts usually, even if they are non-poisonous. Pic: Deepa mohan But apart from the snakes, lizards are a kind of reptile that we see very often, and which are very helpful in keeping the insect population down. The House Gecko or the lizard in the house, that we don't like to see at all, actually eats cockroaches and other insects. Some of the other reptiles we see are…

Garbage is now a resource for residents of Mayflower block in Brigade Millennium apartment in JP Nagar. With our Zero Waste initiative, we are getting revenue instead of paying for garbage clearance. Zero Waste Management Team: (from left) Sharanappa S, Gayatri Gopalkrishnan, Swarupa Daithankar, Prakash P. Pic: Sanjeev Daithankar The initiative started in 2008, but was not successful because of low response from residents. Earlier we had a common chute facility to push down waste. Today segregated waste is collected door-to-door from all 220 flats, and we have closed the chute. We thank residents for their support in achieving this.…

Bangalore-based Environment Support Group was given the 2012 UN-Water "Water for Life" Best Practices Award for it unprecedented legal work on protection of Bangalore's lakes. ESG's trustee and coordinator Leo Saldanha received the award at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, at Rome on 22nd March, World Water Day. As some readers may already know, ESG has been on a major initiative for several years to protect Bangalore's lakes. Its litigation work has led to direct supervision of local government protection efforts by the Karnataka High Court itself. Leo Saldanha (right), Coordinator, ESG,…

March 20th is International Sparrow day, to mark this special day BCIL-ZED (Biodiversity Conservation India Private Limited- Zero Energy Development) foundation and Zoo authority of Karnataka, is holding an international conference on sparrows. The conference being organised in association with Gandhi Krishi Vignyan Kendra, Department of Forests, Department of Urban Development along with institutes such as Christ college and St Joseph college at St. Joseph's college auditorium. The objective of this event is to conserve bio diversity, understand best management practices to sustain wild life and to identify different species of sparrows, their food, feeding and habitats. Around 1200 delegates…

Nature is sometimes only as far away as one's window! Here's the view from an apartment balcony: I can see four kinds of trees. Pic: Deepa Mohan One can see the roads and transport and one can also see four different types of trees in the picture.Framing the photograph at right and left, are some of the most common trees in India, the coconut palm. What a wonderful tree it is, with every part of it being useful to us...the palm fronds used for thatches, brooms and pandals for auspicious occasions; the coconuts being useful as one of the few…