She was right about one thing our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day here’s what I remembered we did have…. Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building.

We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room, and the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the wall.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gas just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.

And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

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Hardayal Government Upper Primary School in Sikar town, Rajasthan, has been doing this practice since 2006. As a result, the school has about 800 trees at present, including some growing small plants.

This guru dakshina tradition started by the then Principal Mahaveer Prasad Sain since from 2006, who was an environmentalist and that time there were only a couple of trees in the school premises.

The guru dakshina tradition of repaying one’s teacher after completion of formal education has thus given a remarkable green look to the surroundings area of this school. The school requests every student who passes class 8 to seek transfer certificates only after planting at least one tree, the present Principal Parmeshawari Devi said.

“We do not force students to do so. It is solely on their choice. But it is really good to know that a majority of students are following this religiously,” she said.

A student, Ajay Rastogi said “I planted two plants – one of Indian gooseberry (Amla) and other of Cestrum Nocturnum ( Raat ki Raani ) as guru dakshina. I really love to see them growing. Once I leave this school, my juniors will start to look after it and I will also try to visit the school occasionally to see my plants growing,”.

“Most of them plant at least two. It is also necessary for the student to hand over the responsibility of caring for the specific tree to some junior student,” said Parmeshawari Devi.

“To ensure that the tree is being properly taken care of, the students visit the school from time to time to supervise the progress,” she said. “Now almost each part of the school has a tree,” the principal added.
We wish every school should follow this tradition.
Source: IANS

Type of Pollutants: Hexavalent chromium and other metals

Source of Pollution: Sukinda Chromite Mines is an old mine owned by OMC. The mining lease was granted over 936.22 hectares to the corporation in 1966, the main source of pollution is Chromite mines and processing.

Scope of the Problem: Around 12 mines operate in the area without proper environmental controls. Pollution caused by the mines is a major health hazard, these mines continue to operate without any environmental management plans and control. The town has over 30 million tons of waste rock which are spread over the surrounding areas and the Brahmani riverbanks. The mines discharge untreated water into the river resultant approx 70% of the surface water and 60% of the drinking water contains hexavalent chromium at more than double national and international standards and levels of over 20 times the standard have been recorded.

Health Hazard: Workers and nearby resident are exposed to contaminated dust and water, Tuberculosis, asthma and Gastrointestinal bleeding, are common ailments. Infertility, birth defects, and stillbirths and have also been reported. According to estimates 84.75% of deaths in the mining areas and 86.42% of deaths in the nearby industrial villages occurred due to chromite-mine related diseases. Villages within one kilometer of the mines were the worst affected, with over 24% of the population found to be suffering from pollution-induced diseases.

Clean-Up Status: Pollution in Sukinda is spread over a very large area and residents are affected by the chromium through different source. The Odisha government has gone on record saying: “It is unique, it is gigantic and it is beyond the means and purview of the [Odisha Pollution Control] Board to solve the problem.” Remedial plans remain lying on the paper with no decisive action to provide for effective health monitoring and abatement programs.

Officially no comprehensive health study has been carried out as yet at Sukinda by any Government agencies, however the results of different surveys conducted by non-governmental organizations are enough to alarm the Government about the worst situation because these studies have reported acute health problems due to chromium contamination of the whole ecosystem, the CAG report is more specific: “The valley has been witnessing hexavalent chromium pollution in its air, land and water due to 12 operating mines.” Significantly, around thirteen mines in the area have no ‘environment management plan’ to operate further… The government should wake up from deep slumber and take urgent call on this..

Please plant more tree and protect our environment.

The 350.org supported by people in 116 countries and over 1198 actions so far around the world, it continuously addressing the climate crisis issue. As per climatologists the “global warming” has tipped us into 390ppm of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – which is too high. To encourage interest, participation and encourage supporters to seek a major global shift in addressing the “hot” things on our planet the models were used to get the message out to take strong action from our leaders..