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to save billions of lives
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What might your office or apartment have in common with a NASA spaceship? Unfortunately the answer may be poor air quality. Indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health: Stagnant indoor environments allow pollutants to build up and stick around in greater amounts than we humans should be breathing in. Living and working in places rife with air contaminants and lacking decent ventilation can cause " sick building syndrome," which can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and eye, ear, and nose irritation. Lucky for us, NASA scientists have been working to understand this problem and find solutions. Their space-age solution was an easy one that anyone can use: Use houseplants to clean the air Planting healthier indoor air. Claudio L. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2011;119(10):A426-7.

What's the Deal?

Given that people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, air quality matters Indoor climate and air quality, Review of current and future topics in the field of ISB study group 10. Höppe P, Martinac I. Int J Biometeorol. 1998; 42(1):1-7.. Furnishings, upholstery, synthetic building materials, and cleaning products in homes and offices can emit a variety of toxic compounds, like formaldehyde. Indoor air pollution can also be caused by pollen, bacteria, and molds, as outdoor air contaminants like car exhaust finds its way into buildings. All of these are made worse in small or poorly-ventilated spaces (like maybe your apartment with that window that you accidentally painted shut last year).

The good news is that there's an easy and affordable way to combat the presence of the yucky stuff we may be breathing in, and it comes right from the natural world. Plants purify air, making them part of what NASA calls " nature's life support system." Adding potted plants to a room has been shown to reduce the amount of air particulates (although plants in bloom may be contributing their own compounds to the air) Could houseplants improve indoor air quality in schools? Pegas P, Alves C, Nunes T, et al. J Toxicol Environ Health. 2012;75(22-23):1371-80. Beneficial effects of plant-associated microbes on indoor microbiomes and human health? Berg G, Mahnert A, Moissl-Eichinger C. Front Microbiol. 2014;5:15..

So, how do houseplants clean the air? Plants absorb some of the particulates from the air at the same time that they take in carbon dioxide, which is then processed into oxygen through photosynthesis. But that's not all-microorganisms associated with the plants are present in the potting soil, and these microbes are also responsible for much of the cleaning effect Beneficial effects of plant-associated microbes on indoor microbiomes and human health? Berg G, Mahnert A, Moissl-Eichinger C. Front Microbiol. 2014;5:15..

Beyond air quality, plants just make people feel better. For example, hospital patients with plants in their rooms were more positive and had lower blood pressure and stress levels Ornamental indoor plants in hospital rooms enhanced health outcomes of patients recovering from surgery. Park SH, Mattson RH. J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15(9):975-80.. Similarly, indoor plants may make people smarter by allowing them to stay alert and reducing mental fatigue Biophilia: does visual contact with nature impact on health and well-being? Grinde B, Patil G. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009;6(9):2332-43.

Your Action Plan

Although houseplants may be intimidating to those with a "black thumb" or fear of commitment, it turns out that many plants are easy to care for-so easy, in fact, you'd have to try pretty hard to kill them. Below, we've pulled together a list of nine virtually-indestructible plants inspired by NASA's research.

Each kind of plant has its own favorite environmental conditions, so look for a tag that comes with the plant or online to find out how much sunlight and water it will need. If your plant doesn't come in a pretty pot, or if it outgrew its previous one, you can easily repot it. Just find a pot that's at least onw inch larger than the previous container, add potting soil to the bottom, and place the plant so that the top of the soil remains at the same level as before. Finally, carefully pack potting soil around the edges of the plant and water it. Voilà!

1. Garden Mum

In the NASA research, this plant was an air-purifying champion, removing ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene from indoor air. Popular and inexpensive at garden stores, they can be planted outside after they're finished blooming.

Pollutants removed: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene

2. Spider Plant

Spider plants are among the easiest houseplants to grow, making them a great choice for beginners or forgetful owners. A fan of bright, indirect sunlight, spider plants will send out shoots with flowers that eventually grow into baby spider plants or spiderettes.

Pollutants removed: formaldehyde and xylene

3. Dracaena

There are more than 40 different kinds of Dracaena plants, making it easy to find one that's a perfect fit for your home or office. They're common foliage plants with long, wide leaves that are often variegated with lines of white, cream, or red. Pet owners might want to select a different plant, however, as these are toxic to cats and dogs.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene

4. Ficus/Weeping Fig

Though the ficus is a tree in its native home of southeast Asia, when it grows indoors, it's a hardy plant that ends up being between two and 10 feet tall. So why not get figgy with it? Grow this low-maintenance houseplant in bright, indirect light and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Although this plant has some serious air-cleaning abilities, it can also be taken outside in late spring and brought back indoors when temperatures are warm and well above freezing.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene

5. Peace Lily

Peace lily plants are relatively small compared to many of the plants on this list, but they still pack some major air-cleaning abilities. Easy to grow, these plants will flower for much of the summer. Just be aware that those flowers (like all flowers) do contribute some pollen and floral scents to the air, so you may want to avoid having a room full of them. Put peace lilies in a shady spot and keep the soil moist without overwatering.

Pollutants removed: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene

6. Boston Fern

These plants prefer to clean the air from a cool location with high humidity and indirect light. They're relatively easy to grow, but they do need to stay moist. Check the Boston Fern's soil daily to see if it needs water, and give it a good soak once per month.

Pollutants removed: formaldehyde and xylene

7. Snake Plant/Mother-in-Law's Tongue

This is one of the hardest houseplants to kill. Although it does need to be watered occasionally, it generally prefers drier conditions and some sun.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene

8. Bamboo Palm

A superstar of filtering formaldehyde, these palms thrive in full sun or bright light. Part of the reason they can filter so much air is that they can grow to be pretty big-as tall as four to 12 feet high, making them exciting (and pet-friendly) indoor additions.

Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene

9. Aloe Vera

In addition to being easy to care for, aloe makes some serious health claims. The plant's leaves contain a clear liquid full of vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and other compounds that have wound-healing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, and there is some evidence that aloe may help (and is unlikely to hurt) skin conditions like psoriasis Pharmacological attribute of Aloe vera: Revalidation through experimental and clinical studies. Gupta VK, Malhotra S. Ayu. 2012;33(2):193-6..

Pollutant removed: formaldehyde
Want More? What Are Essential Oils (and What Are They Good For)?

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9 Air-Cleaning Houseplants That Are Almost Impossible to Kill

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What might your office or apartment have in common with a NASA spaceship? Unfortunately the answer may be poor air quality. Indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health: Stagnant indoor environments allow pollutants to build up and stick around in greater amounts than we humans should be breathing in.

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Things we use that affect climate change.

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Things we use that affect climate change.

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Makaida Samuels

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When many of us think about climate change, we place responsibility squarely on the shoulders of big industry. While it is true that our world's fossil fuel power plants, manufacturing and transportation industries are the top greenhouse gas (GHG) contributors, it stands to reason that each individual is also contributing on some scale.

When you add all of us together, it becomes clear that if every individual made modest lifestyle changes each day, we could significantly slow the momentum of the planet's destructive warming trend.

And these changes in your lifestyle can go beyond creating an eco-friendly home.

Below are six things you and I might be doing every day that cause damaging emissions and some suggestions for easy fixes.

1. Driving Solo

Perhaps you number among the 76.3% of American workers who commute to work by private vehicle every day.

You may think that a single commuter's daily emissions make little difference in light of the number of vehicles on the road.

Unfortunately, this isn't really the case. Consider how a single average passenger vehicle emits roughly 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Now, imagine your commute to and from work and see how many of these cars and trucks are on the road.

And this is just your little corner of the planet.

Carpooling, taking public transportation or cycling to work will make a significant dent in each commuter's carbon footprint. Collectively, the reduction in GHG emissions would be significant.

If all carpoolers drove super-efficient hybrids or electric vehicles, the emissions reduction would be revolutionary.

2. Idling Away the Day

It isn't just vehicles in motion that add to global warming. Cars and trucks in idle mode are just as damaging. Leaving the car running when waiting for a train to pass or stepping into the convenience store is second nature to many drivers.

However, as the Environmental Defense Fund reports, an idling gas-powered vehicle emits as much carbon dioxide as a moving one.

EDF makes the following suggestions for kicking the idle habit:

Shut off the car when you must wait more than 10 seconds

Don't warm up the car in idle mode; driving it is just as effective

Warm up the interior while driving, not idling

Remember that idling is hard on your engine, and it wastes fuel too

3. Making Meat a Menu Staple

The agricultural industry contributes more than 8% overall to climate change, and raising livestock for the grocery store releases about a third of the industry's GHG emissions.

The primary emission is methane, which experts say is more environmentally destructive than CO2.

Consumers can directly reduce the demand for beef, pork and other commercially raised meat by making slight changes in their daily menus. In reality, giving yourself proper portion sizes of food can reduce the need for animal products while keeping the body healthy.

For instance, an 8-ounce steak is actually almost three meal portions of meat.

4. Maintaining a Big Lawn

If you have a lawn, you are well aware of the work it takes to keep it lush and manicured. As it turns out, all that work contributes GHG too. Gas lawn mowers, gas-powered leaf blowers and other power equipment produce damaging carbon emissions.

Commercial fertilizers emit nitrous oxide, another GHG, according to Michigan State University.

Big lawns require lots of water at certain times of year, a resource that is becoming scarce as summers heat up. One way we can address lawn problems is by gradually replacing traditional grass with low-maintenance, drought-resistant ground cover.

Adding hardscape areas such as courtyards, seating areas and pathways also reduces lawn space.

5. Wasting Consumables

Waste hastens global warming by supporting high demand for processed foods, fresh produce and restaurant fare. In reality, roughly 33% of the world's food is wasted or lost each year. And that food needs to be replenished.

Food production and processing, transport and delivery and ultimate disposal of waste all produce GHG emissions. Throwing good food away not only keeps the demand for these processes needlessly high; it also damages the environment.

The most important change of habit is shopping more judiciously. We should buy only what our families can eat. Secondly, we need to kick the habit of throwing leftovers away and eat them while they are still fresh.

6. Wasting Electricity

Over-charging electronics, leaving televisions running, using inefficient appliances and forgetting to turn off lights are all habits that are ingrained in our daily lives.

As a result, American homes use more than 10,700 kilowatthours each year. With 62.7% of domestic electricity generated by fossil fuel-burning power plants, this runaway usage is a big contributor to GHG.

In fact, things like the HVAC system and water heater can easily consume up to 61% of the power coming into your home right now.

If more individuals took responsibility to change their daily habits at home and at work, they could reduce their electric consumption significantly.

Some things we could do to decrease the amount of electricity we use include:

Replacing appliances that are more than 10 years old with high-efficiency models

Using only energy-saving CFL or LED lighting

Turning off power bars when not in use to minimize phantom power drain

Removing electronic chargers as soon as recharge is complete

Installing programmable thermostats to reduce heating and cooling waste

Conclusion

It only takes a few simple changes in your daily habits to do your part in slowing global warming.

Carpooling, shutting off your engine when idle, eating less meat, landscaping more efficiently and reducing waste are all environmentally beneficial tweaks anyone can make in their usual routines.

Conserving electricity is a simple matter of being more aware. Collectively, you and I have the power to stop contributing to climate change while we still have a choice.

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6 Things You Might Be Doing Daily That Contribute to Climate Change

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When many of us think about climate change, we place responsibility squarely on the shoulders of big industry. While it is true that our world's fossil fuel power plants, manufacturing and transportation industries are the top greenhouse gas (GHG) contributors, it stands to reason that each individual is also contributing on some scale.

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Prevent climate change, one person at a time.

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Prevent climate change, one person at a time.

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By walking, running, riding a bike, and more-- you can help stop end climate change.

-Xiomara Stratta

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What can we help you find?

Climate change is affecting everyone everywhere. Extreme weather events are more frequent and intense, sea levels are rising and many species are being driven to extinction. The good news is, you are not alone! People, communities, cities, businesses, schools, faith groups and organizations are taking action to help fight climate change. What changes will you make? Here are the top 10 things you can do about climate change. Choose just one to start.

2. Use energy wisely - and save money

Canada is the top per-capita energy consumer in the world! By becoming more energy-efficient, you pollute less and save money.

Consider making some or all of these small changes. Together, they really add up.

A house with a furnace is like a car that idles all day. Reduce or eliminate fossil fuels from your home by swapping your furnace for a heat pump.

Replace your gas water heater with a heat pump water heater.

Install a programmable or smart thermostat.

Swap your gas stove for an induction stove, which will also lower indoor air pollution.

Replace your gas fireplace with an electric one.

Unplug computers, TVs and other electronics when you're not using them.

Wash clothes in cold water. Hang your clothes to dry when you can and use  wool dryer balls to shrink drying time when you can't

Look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying new appliances.

Repair improperly sealed doors and windows and upgrade your insulation. Winterize your home  to prevent heat from escaping. Try to keep it cool in the summer  without an air conditioner.

Change to ENERGY STAR-certified LED light bulbs.

Get a home or workplace energy audit to identify where you can save the most.

Get tips and resources to live sustainably

6. Invest in renewables and divest from fossil fuels

Even if you can't install solar panels or a wind turbine, you can still be a part of the clean-energy economy. Search online for local renewable energy co-ops to join. As a member, you'll own part of the co-op's renewable energy projects and receive a return on your investment. You can also speak to your financial adviser about clean energy and/or technology investments.

Let industry know you care about climate change by meeting with your bank or investment adviser to make sure your investments do not include fossil fuels. And make sure your workplace, pension fund, university or bank doesn't invest in fossil fuels. If they do, join or start a divestment campaign.

Learn more about why it's important to divest from damage and invest in a healthier future.

9. Mobilize for local climate action

"What our cities do individually and in unison to address climate change can set the agenda for communities and governments everywhere." C40 Cities

In Canada, municipalities have influence over about 50 per cent of our emissions. And with about 80 per cent of people living in Canada living in cities, it's important - even crucial - that we focus on their potential to help stop climate change.

Citizens like you, willing to work with progressive local government leaders, stand to make a huge difference. Your role as a citizen with your local government is powerful.

We have created a comprehensive online resource to help you work with your local government on climate action.
Explore the guide

10. Get politically active and vote

It's important to take action to reduce individual carbon footprints, but changing the larger system is the greatest opportunity to reduce emissions.

Vote for leaders at all levels of government who take climate change seriously. They should commit to set science-based targets to reduce harmful carbon emissions, implement clear plans to reach those targets, adapt to climate change and shift to a clean-energy economy.

Your vote matters. Make sure you are registered to vote and then get informed for all elections - not just the ones that get the most media attention. Candidates' positions on climate change vary widely, so research the parties, ask questions about climate change at town halls or debates and let all candidates know you are voting for the climate.

If you're too young to vote, encourage your class or school to join a Student Vote program, which provides opportunities to experience participation in the election process. Talk to people in your life who are eligible to vote about the importance of voting for climate action.

The first step is registering to vote.

Join us on social!

Learn more about climate change and discover ways to take action

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Top 10 things you can do about climate change

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People, communities, cities, businesses, schools and other organizations are taking action to help fight climate change.

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Climate change is becoming worse what can we do about it ?

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Climate change is becoming worse what can we do about it ?

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Brianna Ajawuihe

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Six climate change solutions we can all agree on

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In the U.S., few issues seem to be as divisive as climate change. Although the science is unequivocal, political polarization has taken climate change hostage. Fortunately, there are solutions that people on both sides of ...

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-Johnny Guaman

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Hurricane season is heating up. Nearly 6 years after Sandy, is N.J. ready for another major storm?

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With all eyes on Hurricane Florence, New Jersey's readiness to handle future major storms is in question.

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-Jeanne Exantus

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Can I help nature to help us?

Yes! We can all take notice of our environment. We can learn how our planet works. We can learn how to live on it without making a mess of it. We can help to keep it magnificent for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, and other living things besides us.

Some of the ways you can help may have to wait until you are a little older-like choosing an energy-efficient car, installing solar panels on the roof of your house, or choosing a "green career."

But there are many important ways you can help right now.

You can help by growing your own vegetables and fruits. You can help by planting a tree. Your new plants and trees will help to remove the greenhouse gas CO ₂ from the air. If you grow some of your own food, you will also help to prevent more CO ₂ from entering the air from the fossil-fuel-burning trucks, planes, and ships that transport your food to you from far away.

How can I reduce my "carbon footprint"?

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air because of your own energy needs. You need transportation, electricity, food, clothing, and other goods. Your choices can make a difference.

Swap old incandescent light bulbs for the new compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They use only 25% as much electricity to give the same light. They last ten times longer.

Turn off lights, TVs, computers, when you do not need them.

Unplug! Any electronic gadget you can turn on with a remote (TV, DVD player, Nintendo, Xbox) uses power even when it is "off." Appliances with a digital clock (like a coffee maker) or a power adapter (like a laptop computer) also suck power like a sneaky vampire. Plug these kinds of things into a surge protector or power strip that has an on/off switch. Then you can shut off all the power without unplugging each gadget.

There are even power strips that glow to show you how much power is going through them, and power strips you can control from your computer or iPhone.

Turn up the thermostat on the air conditioning when it's hot. Use fans if you're still hot. They use much less power.

Turn down the thermostat on the heating when it's cold. Sweaters, blankets, and socks are good for you and better for the planet.

Walk or ride your bike instead of taking a car everywhere. Even a 2-mile car trip puts 2 pounds of CO ₂ into the atmosphere!

If you must ride, carpool.

Stay out of the drive thru! When you go to a fast-food place, ask your driver to park the car and let you walk inside, rather than sitting in a line of cars with the engine running and polluting.

How can I reduce my trash pile?

Ask your parents to buy reusable grocery bags. Help them to remember to get them out of the car and take them into the store.

Recycle everything you can. If your city does not pick up recycled materials, find out who you can talk to about starting this service. You should be recycling paper, aluminum cans, cardboard, food cans, plastic, glass, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, phone books, and anything else made of paper.

Shop thrift stores. "BYOM." Bring your own mug. That's what you can tell your parents when they stop to buy their morning coffee. Use less paper whenever possible. Save the trees.

Drink tap water-filtered, if you like-instead of bottled water. Carry your drinking water in a reusable bottle. Plastic water bottles are an environmental disaster!

Use fewer containers. Buy the product that uses less packaging material. Even if you recycle packaging materials, it takes energy to create them in the first place and energy to remake them into something else.

Practice by playing "Recycle This!."

Do I need to save water too?

People and animals in many parts of the world do not have clean, safe water to drink. As many more regions are hit by drought, this problem will become even more serious. The sooner we start conserving water, the better off we all will be. Be aware of how much water you use.

Imagine you live in a recreational vehicle (RV), and your water tank holds only 50 gallons. Every time you turn on the water, the noisy electric water pump has to turn on too, sucking up your RV's battery power. Would you keep the water running while you brush your teeth? Would you spend 15 minutes in the shower using up all the water in the tank and depleting the battery? Would you plant a thirsty lawn in front of your RV if you were parked in the desert? Of course not!

How can I make a real difference?

You can choose a "green career." You can help to solve climate change problems and challenges. These are the exciting careers of the future. They range from designing satellites for NASA to fixing wind-energy generators to planning drought-tolerant landscapes for homes and parks. Many of the possible careers haven't even been thought of yet. You could invent your own career! Check out some Green Careers.

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We can do a lot, including planning for a green career.

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Students can help prevent Climate Change (global Warming)

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Students can help prevent Climate Change (global Warming)

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-Cindy Rojas

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We can advance policies to reduce our greenhouse gas pollutions.

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We can advance policies to reduce our greenhouse gas pollutions.

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- Ja´Nya Booker
https://www.njlcv.org/issues/fighting-climate-change

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What can we do to decrease climate change?

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What can we do to decrease climate change?

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-Gloria Noel

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"If there's a world here in a hundred years, it's going to be saved by tens of millions of little things."

- Pete Seeger

Rising sea levels. Raging storms. Searing heat. Ferocious fires. Severe drought. Punishing floods. The effects of climate change are already threatening our health, our communities, our economy, our security, and our children's future.

What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. Americans, on average, produce 21 tons of carbon a year, about four times the global average.

Personal action is, of course, no substitute for meaningful government policies. We still must limit carbon pollution and aggressively move away from dirty fossil fuels toward cleaner power.

But we can't wait for Washington to act. Join the growing list of cities, states, tribes, and companies who've pledged to take climate action. Then honor your commitment every day by following the tips below.

"Change only happens when individuals take action," Aliya Haq, NRDC's Climate and Energy special projects director, says. "There's no other way, if it doesn't start with people."

In the Home

Use only LED bulbs.

LEDs use as little as 10 percent of the energy of incandescent bulbs. And because the average American home has around 40 to 50 lightbulbs, this is a simple swap that will reap huge rewards. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent with an Energy Star-labeled LED, we would prevent seven billion pounds of carbon pollution per year. That's equivalent to the emissions of about 648,000 cars.

Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

Since the Energy Star program's inception in 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates it has reduced climate-altering pollution by more than 2.7 billion metric tons-equivalent to the annual emissions of 700 coal-fired power plants -while saving consumers $430 billion in energy costs.

A 15-year-old refrigerator, for example, uses twice as much energy as a new, Energy Star‒certified model. Replacing that old fridge could prevent 5,000 pounds of carbon pollution and cut your utility bill by as much as $260 over five years. (The EPA offers a refrigerator retirement calculator to estimate the savings.)

Recycle old appliances.

Recycling an old refrigerator through the EPA's Responsible Appliance Disposal Program can prevent an additional 10,000 pounds of carbon pollution because the global-warming pollutants in the refrigerants and foam would be properly captured rather than vented to the air.

Some utilities offer financial incentives for recycling old appliances or buying new, energy-efficient models. Consumers can search for incentives online or call their utility. The Energy Star site has information on rebates.

Keep your electronics from drawing excess energy.

American homes, on average, have about 65 devices connected to a power source. Electric devices such as smart phones, cordless vacuums, and power tools use energy even when they're not charging. In the United States, that "idle load" is equal to the output of 50 large power plants.

Unplug rarely used devices, such as televisions in guest rooms. Plug others into power strips or "smart" outlets so they draw power only when needed. Use timers for items you might forget to turn on and off, like coffeemakers.

Set your computer to go to sleep after 30 minutes or less of inactivity, and turn it off when you're finished using it.

Disable the "instant on" mode on your game console, and turn off the "quick start" option and automatic brightness control (ABC) sensor on your television.

Adjust your washing machine settings, and clean the dryer lint filter after each cycle.

Water heating consumes a significant amount of the energy it takes to operate a clothes washer. Switch to cold as your default water temperature. Or, if you're not comfortable with that, at least try the warm setting: It can cut in half the energy used to heat the water.

Also, always wait until you have a full load. If you simply must wash a smaller load, adjust the water-level setting.

And be sure to clean your dryer's lint filter after each use. Along with being a fire hazard, a clogged filter impedes airflow and reduces a dryer's efficiency.

Consider a heat pump water heater or a hybrid model.

Hot-water production accounts for 13 percent of residential energy use-second only to space heating. Even modest improvements can deliver large benefits.

Heat pump water heaters, which draw heat from the surrounding air, use less than one-third as much electricity as a conventional electric model, and hybrid heat pumps use less than half as much. They're both more expensive than conventional electric water heaters, but utility rebates and tax credits may be available. And remember, the efficiency will lead to lower utility bills.

Insulate, insulate, insulate.

Up to one-third of home heat escapes through windows and doors, so if you're feeling a draft, weather-strip your windows and use caulk to plug leaks, then hang heavier drapes. Properly insulating your walls and attic will also help preserve heat, energy, and money-in fact, all these improvements could cut your heating bill by 25 percent. The U.S. Department of Energy provides weatherization assistance to low-income households. The program saves households an average of $283 a year in energy costs and reduces carbon pollution by more than two million metric tons a year.

Replace drafty old windows with double-paned, Energy Star-rated windows.

This upgrade could cut carbon pollution by 2.4 tons per year for homes with gas heat, 3.9 tons with oil heat, and 9.8 tons with electric heat. A less expensive option is storm windows, which are temporary, install easily over existing windows, and can reduce heat loss by 25 percent to 50 percent. (If you're renting or can't replace your windows this year, you can apply low-emissive-also called low-E-film over them to reduce heat loss.)

Make sure your fridge and freezer doors seal tightly when closed.

Try the dollar-bill test. If a bill shut in the door is easy to pull out, it's time to replace the gaskets.

Use a programmable thermostat.

Automatically adjust temperature settings when you're away or sleeping. You could cut energy use by 20 percent to 30 percent, relative to always running your air conditioner or furnace. WiFi- or Bluetooth-enabled devices let you adjust settings from a smartphone.

Check the air filter on your furnace every month.

A dirty furnace filter will slow airflow and make the system work harder, increasing energy costs and possibly leading to expensive maintenance. So if it's dirty, clean it or change it. You could cut 350 pounds of carbon pollution a year.

Turn down the temperature on your water heater.

Many water heaters are set at 140°F when 120°F is sufficiently hot for most needs. Before leaving for vacation, turn the temperature way down to a lower set point. Otherwise you will be needlessly heating all those gallons-and paying for it, too.

Cut down on snail mail.

Stop throwing away food.

Forty percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted. And that means that all the energy, water, land, fertilizer, and other resources that go into growing, storing, transporting, and preparing that food is also wasted. Once food reaches landfills, it gradually converts to methane, a powerful climate pollutant. The most important thing to do is shop wisely-buy no more than what you expect to use. For extra credit, check out these other tips.

Organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste, can be broken down and added to soil to help plants grow instead of sent to the landfill where they release methane.

Go on a climate-friendly diet.

Some food produces more carbon in its production and transportation than others. For example, if cattle were their own nation, they would be the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitters, behind China and the United States. Livestock like cows, sheep, and goats emit methane. Climate-altering pollution also is generated from the energy needed to grow feed for those animals.

Beef production creates five times more greenhouse gases than pork or chicken and eleven times more than staples like potatoes, wheat, and rice. If Americans cut just a quarter pound of beef a week from their diets, it would be like taking 10 million cars off the road for one year.

In addition to cutting down on beef and other carbon-intensive foods like cheese, yogurt, and butter, eat locally produced food. You'll keep food from traveling long distances by planes, trains, trucks, and ships.

We've made some strides in keeping the things we throw away out of landfills, but we still have a long way to go. Americans generated 258 million tons of municipal waste in 2014 and recycled and composted 89 million tons for a lethargic recycling rate of 34.6 percent. We can do a lot better.

Austria and Germany boast recycling rates of 63 percent and 62 percent, respectively. If the U.S. recycling level could reach a very attainable 75 percent, the reduction in carbon emissions would be the equivalent of taking 50 million cars off the road.

Making aluminum from old beverage containers, for example, uses 93 percent less energy than making aluminum from bauxite. Newsprint made from old newspapers requires 46 percent less energy than making it from wood.

Buy less bottled water.

Bottled water requires a lot of fossil fuels to manufacture and ship. Invest in a reusable water bottle you can refill when you're thirsty. If you're nervous about the quality of your local tap water, look for a bottle with a built-in filter.

When you have no choice but to buy a bottle of water, be sure to recycle it. (Only about 31 percent of plastic bottles were recycled in 2015.) Each recycled bottle is one fewer piece of plastic trash that could wind up in our oceans and harm marine life.

Use less water.

Water-treatment plants are energy intensive, so even using less cold water will have downstream carbon savings.

Want to do just one thing? Take shorter showers. Just trimming three minutes off your average shower time will save hundreds of pounds of carbon pollution a year.

You can permanently save energy and water by switching to WaterSense-labeled toilets, showerheads, and faucets. If just one out of every 100 American homes were retrofit with water-efficient fixtures, we'd prevent 80,000 tons of climate-altering pollution-the same as the annual emissions of nearly 15,000 cars. Some utilities offer rebates for WaterSense-labeled products.

Buy green power (and consider solar panels).

Offsetting your home energy consumption might eliminate a quarter to one-third of your carbon footprint.

Rooftop solar systems have become more affordable because of declining production costs, federal tax credits, and local and state rebates. Residents with rooftop solar panels might even be able to sell excess solar to the grid.

That's a major reason why solar ranked as the number one source of new energy production in 2016, with a new solar installation completed every 84 seconds. About one million U.S. homes currently produce their own power from solar.

As an alternative to installing solar panels on your roof, look into community solar gardens. In such an arrangement, a utility company, nonprofit group, or business such as the Clean Energy Collective builds a giant solar-panel system on its own site, and consumers rent panels within that system to directly offset their electric bills. Currently there are almost 100 community solar programs across 25 states, with Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and Texas leading the way.

Another option is to choose a utility that offers renewable power. Green-e can guide you to renewable energy providers in your area.

Plant a tree.

One tree will absorb more than a ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. If every one of America's 85 million gardening households planted just one young shade tree in their backyard or community, those trees would absorb more than two million tons of carbon each year.

Get an energy audit.

A home energy audit can identify opportunities to cut energy use, reduce your carbon output, and save money. Ask your utility if it offers a free audit, or hire a professional to come to your home and perform one. The EPA's Home Energy Yardstick gives you a simple assessment of your home's annual energy use compared with similar homes.

On the Move

Drive less.

You can keep one pound of carbon pollution out of the atmosphere for each mile of driving you eliminate. Walk, bike, use public transit, and telecommute when you can. Leaving your car at home just two days a week can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by an average of two tons per year.

Drive a fuel-efficient car-or better yet, an electric vehicle.

A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Electric cars produce zero tailpipe emissions. Even if the electric car is charged with fossil fuel‒generated power, it still will account for less than half the carbon pollution spewed by a conventional car over its lifetime.

A study by NRDC and the Electric Power Research Institute found that widespread electric vehicle use could cut carbon pollution by 550 million metric tons annually in 2050, equivalent to the emissions from 100 million passenger cars. It also would reduce other harmful pollution, such as ozone and particulate matter.

Tax credits are available. The EPA's Green Vehicle Guide and Fueleconomy.gov's Find-a-Car provide information on vehicles' environmental and fuel performance. California's Drive Clean site also offers data on clean cars.

Keep your tires properly inflated.

You'll improve gas mileage, and for every gallon of gas saved, you'll avoid emitting 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. Recommended tire pressures are usually printed on the driver's door jamb or the glove compartment, or in the owner's manual.

Also, when replacing your tires, look for those that have low rolling resistance. These tires improve fuel efficiency by generating less energy-wasting heat as they rotate and grip the road.

Remove unnecessary accessories from your car roof.

Roof racks and clamshell storage containers can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 5 percent.

Stop idling.

The average annual carbon pollution from five minutes of daily voluntary idling ranges from 220 to 440 pounds per year, depending on the size of the engine. So instead of hitting the drive-through, park the car and walk inside. And turn off the engine while at the curb during school pickups.

Service your vehicle regularly.

A poorly tuned engine can use up to 50 percent more fuel-and produce up to 50 percent more emissions-than one that is running properly.

Fly less often.

A single round-trip flight from Los Angeles to New York, for example, creates a warming effect equivalent to two to three tons of carbon emissions per person-the same load the average car produces over six months. The high altitude at which planes release the majority of their emissions significantly increases their heat-trapping impact.

Before booking that next business trip, consider videoconferencing. If you're not traveling too far, take the train. Or, if you must fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets to counterbalance the hefty carbon pollution associated with flying. Some airline websites offer carbon offsets, for example.

When you buy a carbon offset, you are investing in a project, such as a renewable energy project, that reduces carbon pollution. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. Do your homework to find the best supplier.

At Work

Use a laptop or mini-desktop.

According to a University of California, Irvine, study, office desktop computers are switched on 77 percent of the time but are sitting idle 61 percent of that time. A typical desktop consumes substantial amounts of electricity when on but not actively used- almost four times as much power as a typical laptop and 40 times as much as a tablet.

Turn off your computer when you step away from your desk, or have it set to power down after 30 minutes or less of inactivity.

Break the paper habit.

The average office generates about 350 pounds of wastepaper per employee every year.

You can e-mail invoices and contracts (which can be e-signed); edit and comment on drafts electronically; skip the handouts and view meeting materials on a monitor at the conference table instead.

Push your office to buy paper that is made with 100 percent postconsumer recycled content rather than produced with virgin materials, which generate twice as much greenhouse gas emissions.

BYO coffee mug.

One reusable mug, used twice a day, every day instead of disposable cups, can save 135 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per person per year.

Promote waste-cutting office policies.

Advocate for buying in bulk and for purchasing products made from recycled content that come in recycled packaging. Put collection bins around the office and encourage coworkers to recycle. Conduct regular waste audits to see how you're doing and to provide motivation.

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It's true that aggressive policies and laws are crucial to save the planet. But carbon-cutting actions by individuals can also make a dent (especially when corporations and elected officials take note!). Here are some easy, concrete ways you can make...

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- Dylan Brooks
https://www.bicycling.com/news/a23707702/climate-change-cycling/

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- Sabrina

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Our Trajectory

Earth Will Continue to Warm and the Effects Will Be Profound

The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions, and an increase in the wind intensity and rainfall from tropical cyclones. Credit: left - Mike McMillan/USFS, center - Tomas Castelazo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, right - NASA.

Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to Earth's climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are already having widespread effects on the environment: glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting, and plants and trees are blooming sooner.

Effects that scientists had long predicted would result from global climate change are now occurring, such as sea ice loss, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves.

" The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming."

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Some changes (such as droughts, wildfires, and extreme rainfall) are happening faster than scientists previously assessed. In fact, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the United Nations body established to assess the science related to climate change - modern humans have never before seen the observed changes in our global climate, and some of these changes are irreversible over the next hundreds to thousands of years.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for many decades, mainly due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities.

A Degree of Difference

So, the Earth's average temperature has increased about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. What's the big deal?

Read more

The IPCC's Sixth Assessment report, published in 2021, found that human emissions of heat-trapping gases have already warmed the climate by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since 1850-1900. The global average temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5 degrees C (about 3 degrees F) within the next few decades. These changes will affect all regions of Earth.

What's the difference between climate change and global warming?

"Global warming" refers to the long-term warming of the planet. "Climate change" encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet, including rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers; accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic; and shifts in flower/plant blooming times.

detailed answer

The severity of effects caused by climate change will depend on the path of future human activities. More greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more climate extremes and widespread damaging effects across our planet. However, those future effects depend on the total amount of carbon dioxide we emit. So, if we can reduce emissions, we may avoid some of the worst effects.

" The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future." ²

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Future Effects in the U.S.

U.S. Regional Effects

U.S. Regional Effects

Climate change is bringing different types of challenges to each region of the country. Some of the current and future impacts are summarized below. These findings are from the Third and Fourth National Climate Assessment Reports, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Is it too late to prevent climate change?

Humans have caused major climate changes to happen already, and we have set in motion more changes still. However, if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the rise in global temperatures would begin to flatten within a few years. Temperatures would then plateau but remain well-elevated for many, many centuries.

detailed answer

Northeast. Heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise pose increasing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Farmers can explore new crop options, but these adaptations are not cost- or risk-free. Moreover, adaptive capacity, which varies throughout the region, could be overwhelmed by a changing climate. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.

Northwest. Changes in the timing of peak flows in rivers and streams are reducing water supplies and worsening competing demands for water. Sea level rise, erosion, flooding, risks to infrastructure, and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire incidence and severity, heat waves, insect outbreaks, and tree diseases are causing widespread forest die-off.

Southeast. Sea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats to the region's economy and environment. Extreme heat will affect health, energy, agriculture, and more. Decreased water availability will have economic and environmental impacts.

Midwest. Extreme heat, heavy downpours, and flooding will affect infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, air and water quality, and more. Climate change will also worsen a range of risks to the Great Lakes.

Southwest. Climate change has caused increased heat, drought, and insect outbreaks. In turn, these changes have made wildfires more numerous and severe. The warming climate has also caused a decline in water supplies, reduced agricultural yields, and triggered heat-related health impacts in cities. In coastal areas, flooding and erosion are additional concerns.

References
References
Header image shows cracked mud stretches across sections of the Panamint Valley. Credit: NPS/Kurt Moses; A degree of concern thermometer image credit: Pixabay/geralt

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intergovernmental panel on climate change

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Long-term effects of global climate change in the United States.

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What we can do in our communities to help decrease climate change

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What we can do in our communities to help decrease climate change

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-Emely Falcon

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Reuters

Nine low-tech steps we can take to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Over the past 50 years, our average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. That is fact, not opinion. This is not abstract, nor are the effects limited to the developing world.

These changes will have - indeed, are already having - major effects on our cities, suburbs, and towns. Chicago is becoming warmer. So is Orlando. So are Spokane and Dallas. So are smaller towns such as Louisville, Colorado and suburbs such as Gaithersburg, Maryland. Everyone has weather, and everyone's weather is getting warmer. By fits and starts, to be sure; but, if you don't believe it, ask a landscaper. The serious impacts beginning and yet to come are not pretty and, as my colleague Kim Knowlton has reported, even the insurance industry is noticing.

There are many things we can and must do to reduce the warming trajectory. First among these is reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common and potent greenhouse gas, particularly by transitioning to a clean energy economy. But turning this ship around is going to take time, even under the best scenarios.

Meanwhile, there are also measures we need to take right now inside our communities so that we are as prepared as possible for the warmer climate ahead. Some of them are related to technology, of course, perhaps including personal technology. But that isn't my personal strength as an environmental observer.

This article focuses on a few things that we can and should do for our cities, suburbs and towns that are low-tech. What's below is by no means a definitive or complete list, but it's a start:

1. Bring more vegetation into neighborhoods. I've written often about the benefits of green infrastructure - green roofs, roadside plantings, rain gardens, swales, and so forth - to stormwater management, and I've applauded the way these practices can bring bits of nature into our neighborhoods. But they also lower the temperature, compared to hard surfaces, and absorb carbon dioxide from the air. So do street trees and parks large and small.

2. Plant city-scaled community gardens. One type of vegetation that is a special case is gardening, including small urban orchards (such as the one incorporated into the plan for Via Verde in the South Bronx). These, too, can help lower temperature, and growing some of our own food right in our neighborhoods can also reduce the number of errands we need to run, while increasing health and fitness. Health and convenience are good things in a warming world. But note my caveat that they must be the right scale, to enhance and complement walkable urban densities, not displace or preclude them.

3. Use drought-resistant landscaping. It's going to be not just warmer but also drier in many communities. We should use native species and xeriscape wherever possible, so that homes, offices and neighborhoods can enjoy the benefits of attractive landscaping without exacerbating water shortages. In fact, when practiced collectively, drought-resistant planting can help stave off the water shortages likely to come more frequently with warmer temperatures.

4. Use light-colored roofing and pavement. Dark surfaces absorb heat, while light-colored surfaces reflect it. Writing in Clean Technica, Zachary Shahan reports that, on the hottest day of the New York City summer in 2011, a white roof covering was found to be 42°F cooler than the traditional black roof it was being compared to. That is an amazing difference that not only helps reduce the on-site temperature but also lowers electricity demand for air conditioning, which in turn reduces carbon emissions from power plants. This finding was part of a study led by scientists at Columbia University and announced by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Earth Science Division. (Shahan also notes that an earlier study that claimed a net warming effect in the atmosphere globally from white roofs failed to account for the reduced energy demand.)

5. Get serious about sea level rise and storm surges. It's making less and less sense to build in low-lying parts of coastal areas. As my colleague Dan Lashof recently wrote, what used to be a storm of the century is becoming a storm of the decade. Last week, researchers at Climate Central published studies and released an interactive map that shows increasing flooding risk for the entire US coastline. Anyone who lives near the coast can enter her zip code and see a localized map of the areas that will flood at various storm surge levels. Dan examined a map of Virginia Beach, for example, showing that a four-foot storm surge (which has about a one-in-three chance of occurring in the next twenty years as sea levels rise) could flood more than 10,000 homes and affect almost 30,000 people. We should make sure that flood plain demarcations take account of warming trends, and keep future buildings out of those zones.

6. Save older buildings. New construction generates heat and disrupts existing vegetation while frequently failing to generate carbon-reduction benefits over older buildings, even with newer and more efficient technology. Our older buildings also remind us who we are as a community, and tend to knit together existing neighborhoods.

7. When building new, follow "Original Green" practices. Especially in a warmer climate, it is important that buildings be constructed and sited to take advantage of natural processes. Bring back real front porches. Plant deciduous trees on the south side, where they provide shade in summer while allowing sun in the winter. Plant evergreens on the side that will benefit by protection from winter winds. Use close-to-the-source materials and naturally insulating design. Place new buildings in walkable settings with everyday conveniences nearby.

8. Keep the regional footprint small and well-connected. Sprawl exists, and it will take some time to repair or retrofit it into a more sustainable pattern. But, in the near term, we absolutely should not add to it. This means no more leapfrog development, period. Instead, we should accommodate growth by inclusive revitalization, grayfield and brownfield redevelopment, and the right kind of infill that enhances neighborhoods without overwhelming them. Internally to our communities, we must make public transit robust and walking and bicycling to common destinations easy.

9. Update our zoning and building codes to facilitate resilience. As I observed just last month in my article on DC's current zoning update, in most communities it will take affirmative code amendments to make walkable, diverse neighborhoods legal again. Let's do it.

While this article focuses on strengthening communities in the face of climate change, these steps also provide other kinds of resilience. Since fuel prices will continue to rise, for example, reducing demand for electricity and gasoline through smart building and growth management conserves financial resources. So does obviating the construction of infrastructure expansion to accommodate sprawl and employing green techniques to manage storm water instead of building larger concrete sewer and drainage pipes.

As I wrote at the outset, this isn't meant to be a definitive list. Nor is it intended as an antidote to global warming. Rather, it's meant to start a conversation about the reality of a warming climate and what we can do with our built environment to respond to it in the most realistic and sustainable way. What would you add to the list?

This post originally appeared on the NRDC's Switchboard blog.

About the Author

Kaid Benfield is the director of the Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, co-founder of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, and co-founder of Smart Growth America.

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What Communities Should Do To Protect Against Climate Change

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Over the past 50 years, our average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. That is fact, not opinion. This is not abstract, nor are the effects limited to the developing world. These changes will have - indeed, are already having - major effects on our cities, suburbs, and towns.

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Things we do that affect our climate change.

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Things we do that affect our climate change.

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-Luccyano Arrojo

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Ashley Batz/Bustle

As we've gotten more and more aware of how us humans are negatively affecting the Earth, we've gotten to know some of the top things we can do to reduce our footprint on our planet and leave it better than we left it. But there are somethings most of us do every day that we don't realize are bad for the environment - and unfortunately, they're not all easy fixes.

While each habit on this list is something you may do every day without thinking about how it harms the environment, adjusting these habits is part of sustainable living. And when we talk about living sustainably, we have to talk about whether that sustainable lifestyle is sustainable both for the Earth and for us. Changing your habits and picking up planet-saving ones as part of your daily life is definitely positive, but your planet-saving habits also have to be sustainable for you. The habits below aren't going to be things everyone is able to change - and that's 100 percent understandable.

But if you're able to, making even a few of the below changes can help reduce the footprint you leave on Earth - and therefore help keep Earth around just that little bit longer.

1Tossing Used Pet Litter

If you've got an animal like a rabbit, guinea pig, or hamster, and you're not composting their bedding and waste, you should know that you can! You can compost most beddings, and as long as you're not loading down your compost with "pure poo," as Can I Compost This? says on its website, you'll be A-OK - and reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill.

You should be careful if you want to compost cat litter, since cats can pass on certain diseases to humans, according to Recyclebank. But even for our feline friends, there are ways to reduce the footprint, like more lightweight litter, and litter made of sustainable materials like recycled newspaper or even coconut.

2Using Plastic Bags

You probably know using a lot of plastic is bad for the environment. But if you live in a city with an initiative that places a surcharge on top of every plastic bag you use (in my city, it's 5 cents), you may be fooled into thinking that covers you. But you can still be minimizing the number of plastic bags you use. You can usually find cheap reusable grocery bags either at your grocery store or online - stock up and shop on.

3Online Shopping

OK, I know I said "shop on," but I didn't necessarily mean shop online. Online shopping is frankly terrible for the environment in multiple ways, and because it's become so commonplace in so many parts of the world, it's starting to have a serious impact. Vox reported that the emissions from delivery trucks ferrying online-ordered packages to customers is creating serious issues, including a disproportionate amount of pollutant emissions.

4Washing Your Face

Many places have banned microbeads, the tiny, scrubby beads that became all the rage in body care products a few years ago. At one point, in New York state alone, more than 19 tons of microbeads were added to the water system in just one year, Business Insider reported. The U.S. has banned microbeads in products, but if you travel to another country or you buy body care products from outside the U.S., you may still be using products with microbeads.

5Using Plastic Straws

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you probably knew plastic straws weren't like, the best for the environment, but they're so ubiquitous - they're in virtually every restaurant we go to - that it's hard to take in the full scale of their effect on the Earth. Plastic straws have been all over the news this year, but you may not realize people in the U.S. reportedly throw away over 500 million of them each day, according to CNN. Soon it may be easier to change this habit, considering McDonald's in the U.S. is testing phasing out plastic straws completely, reported Treehugger.

6Driving

Vehicles produce one-third of the U.S.'s air pollution, according to National Geographic, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, just one normal vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. So while you probably know that vehicles overall affect the quality of our air, you may not realize just how much your individual car is adding to that pollution. The solution is one I know you've heard before: Use alternate modes of transportation if and when you're able, and if you're heading out with friends, do your best to carpool.

7Flushing Your Toilet

OK, I head into this one fully aware that I'm going to gross some people out. Look, there's an old rhyme about yellow and mellow. You know it, so I'm not going to make you read it again. But that rhyme, as kinda cringey as it can be, is true. I'm not saying let your pee fester for days, but it's not going to hurt anyone if you stop flushing every single time you pee - and in fact, you'll be saving up to seven gallons of water per flush, according to ConserveH2O.

8Turning On The Lights

That's a bit dramatic, I know. And while, yes, I do also mean turning and leaving on lights when you don't need them, mostly I mean turning on lights and not using light bulbs that are energy-efficient and as environmentally friendly as possible. By purchasing energy-efficient, long-lasting light bulbs (which are a little more expensive, but worth it), you'll be reducing the amount of power you use, and reducing the amount of waste you produce when you inevitably need to change your bulbs.

9Drinking Coffee

Ah, the daily nectar from the gods. I'm a coffee lover, and the mere idea of giving up my morning (and noon, and 3 p.m., and 8 p.m....) cup of joe gives me heart palpitations that totally aren't related to caffeine, I swear. But unfortunately, the coffee trade isn't easy on the Earth - Sustainable Business Toolkit reports that not only does the coffee trade cause deforestation, but the process of turning coffee cherries into ready-to-go ground coffee results in a lot of waste.

The solution? Try purchasing shade-grown coffee, which Sustainable Business Toolkit says is minimally disruptive to local flora and fauna. And, of course, compost your coffee grounds.

10Leaving Appliances Plugged In

When I was a kid, I was often baffled by my grandfather, who would go around unplugging everything from the stove to the TV to the alarm clocks whenever he left the house, convinced that he would be adding tens of dollars to his monthly electricity bill if he left them plugged in. However, there was some merit to this practice: It turns out there are appliances that use what's known as "phantom energy" even when they're turned off but left plugged in, according to HomeStars. Some of the worst offenders to consider unplugging when you're not using them are routers and modems, computers, and video game consoles, HomeStars reported.

11Using Nonreusable Menstrual Products

I'll be straight-up: As a person who menstruates but is physically unable to use a sustainable solution like a DivaCup, I am here for you if you didn't think about the potential sustainability of your menstruation solutions. Well, it turns out that more than " 20 billion sanitary napkins, tampons and applicators are dumped into North American landfills every year," according to Lunapads. As you can imagine, that takes up a huge amount of landfill space - and it's difficult to make the switch, since there are relatively few menstrual products that are sustainably made.

However, there are some you can switch to, including, of course, DivaCup, washable period underwear, and reusable cloth pads.

Though seeing how we can improve the everyday impact we have on the Earth is sometimes not easy, noting even the smallest habits we can change will have a positive effect - one that will last beyond our lifetimes.

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11 Things You Do Every Day That Are Surprisingly Bad For The Environment

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As we've gotten more and more aware of how us humans are negatively affecting the Earth, we've gotten to know some of the top things we can do to reduce our footprint on our planet and leave it better than we left it. But there are some things most...

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Some things you can do to Reduce Climate Control

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Some things you can do to Reduce Climate Control

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-Wilson Morocho

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"If there's a world here in a hundred years, it's going to be saved by tens of millions of little things."

- Pete Seeger

Rising sea levels. Raging storms. Searing heat. Ferocious fires. Severe drought. Punishing floods. The effects of climate change are already threatening our health, our communities, our economy, our security, and our children's future.

What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. Americans, on average, produce 21 tons of carbon a year, about four times the global average.

Personal action is, of course, no substitute for meaningful government policies. We still must limit carbon pollution and aggressively move away from dirty fossil fuels toward cleaner power.

But we can't wait for Washington to act. Join the growing list of cities, states, tribes, and companies who've pledged to take climate action. Then honor your commitment every day by following the tips below.

"Change only happens when individuals take action," Aliya Haq, NRDC's Climate and Energy special projects director, says. "There's no other way, if it doesn't start with people."

In the Home

Use only LED bulbs.

LEDs use as little as 10 percent of the energy of incandescent bulbs. And because the average American home has around 40 to 50 lightbulbs, this is a simple swap that will reap huge rewards. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent with an Energy Star-labeled LED, we would prevent seven billion pounds of carbon pollution per year. That's equivalent to the emissions of about 648,000 cars.

Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

Since the Energy Star program's inception in 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates it has reduced climate-altering pollution by more than 2.7 billion metric tons-equivalent to the annual emissions of 700 coal-fired power plants -while saving consumers $430 billion in energy costs.

A 15-year-old refrigerator, for example, uses twice as much energy as a new, Energy Star‒certified model. Replacing that old fridge could prevent 5,000 pounds of carbon pollution and cut your utility bill by as much as $260 over five years. (The EPA offers a refrigerator retirement calculator to estimate the savings.)

Recycle old appliances.

Recycling an old refrigerator through the EPA's Responsible Appliance Disposal Program can prevent an additional 10,000 pounds of carbon pollution because the global-warming pollutants in the refrigerants and foam would be properly captured rather than vented to the air.

Some utilities offer financial incentives for recycling old appliances or buying new, energy-efficient models. Consumers can search for incentives online or call their utility. The Energy Star site has information on rebates.

Keep your electronics from drawing excess energy.

American homes, on average, have about 65 devices connected to a power source. Electric devices such as smart phones, cordless vacuums, and power tools use energy even when they're not charging. In the United States, that "idle load" is equal to the output of 50 large power plants.

Unplug rarely used devices, such as televisions in guest rooms. Plug others into power strips or "smart" outlets so they draw power only when needed. Use timers for items you might forget to turn on and off, like coffeemakers.

Set your computer to go to sleep after 30 minutes or less of inactivity, and turn it off when you're finished using it.

Disable the "instant on" mode on your game console, and turn off the "quick start" option and automatic brightness control (ABC) sensor on your television.

Adjust your washing machine settings, and clean the dryer lint filter after each cycle.

Water heating consumes a significant amount of the energy it takes to operate a clothes washer. Switch to cold as your default water temperature. Or, if you're not comfortable with that, at least try the warm setting: It can cut in half the energy used to heat the water.

Also, always wait until you have a full load. If you simply must wash a smaller load, adjust the water-level setting.

And be sure to clean your dryer's lint filter after each use. Along with being a fire hazard, a clogged filter impedes airflow and reduces a dryer's efficiency.

Consider a heat pump water heater or a hybrid model.

Hot-water production accounts for 13 percent of residential energy use-second only to space heating. Even modest improvements can deliver large benefits.

Heat pump water heaters, which draw heat from the surrounding air, use less than one-third as much electricity as a conventional electric model, and hybrid heat pumps use less than half as much. They're both more expensive than conventional electric water heaters, but utility rebates and tax credits may be available. And remember, the efficiency will lead to lower utility bills.

Insulate, insulate, insulate.

Up to one-third of home heat escapes through windows and doors, so if you're feeling a draft, weather-strip your windows and use caulk to plug leaks, then hang heavier drapes. Properly insulating your walls and attic will also help preserve heat, energy, and money-in fact, all these improvements could cut your heating bill by 25 percent. The U.S. Department of Energy provides weatherization assistance to low-income households. The program saves households an average of $283 a year in energy costs and reduces carbon pollution by more than two million metric tons a year.

Replace drafty old windows with double-paned, Energy Star-rated windows.

This upgrade could cut carbon pollution by 2.4 tons per year for homes with gas heat, 3.9 tons with oil heat, and 9.8 tons with electric heat. A less expensive option is storm windows, which are temporary, install easily over existing windows, and can reduce heat loss by 25 percent to 50 percent. (If you're renting or can't replace your windows this year, you can apply low-emissive-also called low-E-film over them to reduce heat loss.)

Make sure your fridge and freezer doors seal tightly when closed.

Try the dollar-bill test. If a bill shut in the door is easy to pull out, it's time to replace the gaskets.

Use a programmable thermostat.

Automatically adjust temperature settings when you're away or sleeping. You could cut energy use by 20 percent to 30 percent, relative to always running your air conditioner or furnace. WiFi- or Bluetooth-enabled devices let you adjust settings from a smartphone.

Check the air filter on your furnace every month.

A dirty furnace filter will slow airflow and make the system work harder, increasing energy costs and possibly leading to expensive maintenance. So if it's dirty, clean it or change it. You could cut 350 pounds of carbon pollution a year.

Turn down the temperature on your water heater.

Many water heaters are set at 140°F when 120°F is sufficiently hot for most needs. Before leaving for vacation, turn the temperature way down to a lower set point. Otherwise you will be needlessly heating all those gallons-and paying for it, too.

Cut down on snail mail.

Stop throwing away food.

Forty percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted. And that means that all the energy, water, land, fertilizer, and other resources that go into growing, storing, transporting, and preparing that food is also wasted. Once food reaches landfills, it gradually converts to methane, a powerful climate pollutant. The most important thing to do is shop wisely-buy no more than what you expect to use. For extra credit, check out these other tips.

Organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste, can be broken down and added to soil to help plants grow instead of sent to the landfill where they release methane.

Go on a climate-friendly diet.

Some food produces more carbon in its production and transportation than others. For example, if cattle were their own nation, they would be the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitters, behind China and the United States. Livestock like cows, sheep, and goats emit methane. Climate-altering pollution also is generated from the energy needed to grow feed for those animals.

Beef production creates five times more greenhouse gases than pork or chicken and eleven times more than staples like potatoes, wheat, and rice. If Americans cut just a quarter pound of beef a week from their diets, it would be like taking 10 million cars off the road for one year.

In addition to cutting down on beef and other carbon-intensive foods like cheese, yogurt, and butter, eat locally produced food. You'll keep food from traveling long distances by planes, trains, trucks, and ships.

We've made some strides in keeping the things we throw away out of landfills, but we still have a long way to go. Americans generated 258 million tons of municipal waste in 2014 and recycled and composted 89 million tons for a lethargic recycling rate of 34.6 percent. We can do a lot better.

Austria and Germany boast recycling rates of 63 percent and 62 percent, respectively. If the U.S. recycling level could reach a very attainable 75 percent, the reduction in carbon emissions would be the equivalent of taking 50 million cars off the road.

Making aluminum from old beverage containers, for example, uses 93 percent less energy than making aluminum from bauxite. Newsprint made from old newspapers requires 46 percent less energy than making it from wood.

Buy less bottled water.

Bottled water requires a lot of fossil fuels to manufacture and ship. Invest in a reusable water bottle you can refill when you're thirsty. If you're nervous about the quality of your local tap water, look for a bottle with a built-in filter.

When you have no choice but to buy a bottle of water, be sure to recycle it. (Only about 31 percent of plastic bottles were recycled in 2015.) Each recycled bottle is one fewer piece of plastic trash that could wind up in our oceans and harm marine life.

Use less water.

Water-treatment plants are energy intensive, so even using less cold water will have downstream carbon savings.

Want to do just one thing? Take shorter showers. Just trimming three minutes off your average shower time will save hundreds of pounds of carbon pollution a year.

You can permanently save energy and water by switching to WaterSense-labeled toilets, showerheads, and faucets. If just one out of every 100 American homes were retrofit with water-efficient fixtures, we'd prevent 80,000 tons of climate-altering pollution-the same as the annual emissions of nearly 15,000 cars. Some utilities offer rebates for WaterSense-labeled products.

Buy green power (and consider solar panels).

Offsetting your home energy consumption might eliminate a quarter to one-third of your carbon footprint.

Rooftop solar systems have become more affordable because of declining production costs, federal tax credits, and local and state rebates. Residents with rooftop solar panels might even be able to sell excess solar to the grid.

That's a major reason why solar ranked as the number one source of new energy production in 2016, with a new solar installation completed every 84 seconds. About one million U.S. homes currently produce their own power from solar.

As an alternative to installing solar panels on your roof, look into community solar gardens. In such an arrangement, a utility company, nonprofit group, or business such as the Clean Energy Collective builds a giant solar-panel system on its own site, and consumers rent panels within that system to directly offset their electric bills. Currently there are almost 100 community solar programs across 25 states, with Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and Texas leading the way.

Another option is to choose a utility that offers renewable power. Green-e can guide you to renewable energy providers in your area.

Plant a tree.

One tree will absorb more than a ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. If every one of America's 85 million gardening households planted just one young shade tree in their backyard or community, those trees would absorb more than two million tons of carbon each year.

Get an energy audit.

A home energy audit can identify opportunities to cut energy use, reduce your carbon output, and save money. Ask your utility if it offers a free audit, or hire a professional to come to your home and perform one. The EPA's Home Energy Yardstick gives you a simple assessment of your home's annual energy use compared with similar homes.

On the Move

Drive less.

You can keep one pound of carbon pollution out of the atmosphere for each mile of driving you eliminate. Walk, bike, use public transit, and telecommute when you can. Leaving your car at home just two days a week can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by an average of two tons per year.

Drive a fuel-efficient car-or better yet, an electric vehicle.

A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Electric cars produce zero tailpipe emissions. Even if the electric car is charged with fossil fuel‒generated power, it still will account for less than half the carbon pollution spewed by a conventional car over its lifetime.

A study by NRDC and the Electric Power Research Institute found that widespread electric vehicle use could cut carbon pollution by 550 million metric tons annually in 2050, equivalent to the emissions from 100 million passenger cars. It also would reduce other harmful pollution, such as ozone and particulate matter.

Tax credits are available. The EPA's Green Vehicle Guide and Fueleconomy.gov's Find-a-Car provide information on vehicles' environmental and fuel performance. California's Drive Clean site also offers data on clean cars.

Keep your tires properly inflated.

You'll improve gas mileage, and for every gallon of gas saved, you'll avoid emitting 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. Recommended tire pressures are usually printed on the driver's door jamb or the glove compartment, or in the owner's manual.

Also, when replacing your tires, look for those that have low rolling resistance. These tires improve fuel efficiency by generating less energy-wasting heat as they rotate and grip the road.

Remove unnecessary accessories from your car roof.

Roof racks and clamshell storage containers can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 5 percent.

Stop idling.

The average annual carbon pollution from five minutes of daily voluntary idling ranges from 220 to 440 pounds per year, depending on the size of the engine. So instead of hitting the drive-through, park the car and walk inside. And turn off the engine while at the curb during school pickups.

Service your vehicle regularly.

A poorly tuned engine can use up to 50 percent more fuel-and produce up to 50 percent more emissions-than one that is running properly.

Fly less often.

A single round-trip flight from Los Angeles to New York, for example, creates a warming effect equivalent to two to three tons of carbon emissions per person-the same load the average car produces over six months. The high altitude at which planes release the majority of their emissions significantly increases their heat-trapping impact.

Before booking that next business trip, consider videoconferencing. If you're not traveling too far, take the train. Or, if you must fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets to counterbalance the hefty carbon pollution associated with flying. Some airline websites offer carbon offsets, for example.

When you buy a carbon offset, you are investing in a project, such as a renewable energy project, that reduces carbon pollution. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. Do your homework to find the best supplier.

At Work

Use a laptop or mini-desktop.

According to a University of California, Irvine, study, office desktop computers are switched on 77 percent of the time but are sitting idle 61 percent of that time. A typical desktop consumes substantial amounts of electricity when on but not actively used- almost four times as much power as a typical laptop and 40 times as much as a tablet.

Turn off your computer when you step away from your desk, or have it set to power down after 30 minutes or less of inactivity.

Break the paper habit.

The average office generates about 350 pounds of wastepaper per employee every year.

You can e-mail invoices and contracts (which can be e-signed); edit and comment on drafts electronically; skip the handouts and view meeting materials on a monitor at the conference table instead.

Push your office to buy paper that is made with 100 percent postconsumer recycled content rather than produced with virgin materials, which generate twice as much greenhouse gas emissions.

BYO coffee mug.

One reusable mug, used twice a day, every day instead of disposable cups, can save 135 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per person per year.

Promote waste-cutting office policies.

Advocate for buying in bulk and for purchasing products made from recycled content that come in recycled packaging. Put collection bins around the office and encourage coworkers to recycle. Conduct regular waste audits to see how you're doing and to provide motivation.

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It's true that aggressive policies and laws are crucial to save the planet. But carbon-cutting actions by individuals can also make a dent (especially when corporations and elected officials take note!). Here are some easy, concrete ways you can make...

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Johan B

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Recently, there was a question asked very simply "What is the solution for global warming?"

The answer to this question is relatively simple: eliminate the use of fossil fuels in every area of society possible and stop greenhouse gas emissions from other sources such as deforestation and agriculture. However, the size of each of these pieces of the solution is often unclear, so here I will provide a breakdown of what climate change means and what the solutions are on a high level. In future posts, we will dig more deeply into the solutions themselves.
What is Climate Change
Climate Change is the general term for a complex set of changes happening to the environment of our planet.

These changes in the environment primarily include:

More heat energy trapped in the atmosphere

More heat energy trapped in the oceans

More heat energy trapped in our planet means that the average overall temperature of the planet is rising over time, and thus the term "global warming."

The reason for the additional heat trapped in the atmosphere and in the oceans is the creation of greenhouse gasses by humans. Greenhouse gasses prevent heat from escaping the Earth. Planet Earth has always had a greenhouse effect, however human activities have increased the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, leading to an increased amount of heat being trapped - this warms the planet.

Main causes of greenhouse gas emissions are:

Burning and extraction of fossil fuels

Deforestation, land use and agriculture

A graph from NASA observations of the planet's atmosphere shows the levels of Carbon Dioxide from the last 400,000 years:
Consequences of Climate Change
According to NASA, climate change has several main effects:

1. Increased average global temperatures

2. Warming oceans

3. Sea-level rise

4. Increased extreme weather events such as extreme disasters

5. Ocean acidification

6. Shrinking ice sheets, shrinking glaciers and reduced snow cover

The Solution
Climate Change is driven primarily by the use of fossil fuels and secondarily by greenhouse gas emissions through deforestation, agriculture and other less prominent causes.

The primary way to solve global warming is to eliminate the role of fossil fuels in modern society wherever possible. This means transitioning to renewable and carbon-free energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro which cause less than 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel energy sources.

Secondarily, deforestation should be prevented and replaced with sustainable forestry and land-use practices. Because plants breathe in carbon dioxide and store it, they actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Therefore, in the simple sense, there are two ways to solve climate change.

1. Reduce and stop emissions of greenhouse gases including Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide

2. Remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by allowing forests, the oceans and other natural systems to act as carbon sinks - which is what they naturally do. We can encourage this removal of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere by ending deforestation, ocean habitat destruction and promoting sustainable forestry.

In practice, preventing the emissions of greenhouse gasses means that the following actions must be taken:

1. Transportation must end reliance on fossil fuels - must be powered by clean electricity. 28.5% of 2016 emissions in the USA are from transportation.

2. Electricity production must come from clean energy sources such as hydro, wind, and solar. 28.4% of 2016 emissions in the USA are from electricity production.

3. Industry must learn to capture emissions from chemical production, cement production and utilize green energy for all energy needs. 22% of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions in the USA are from industry.

4. Residential and Commercial owners must become efficient with heating and cooling of buildings, as well as utilizing green energy such as solar and wind. 11% of 2016 greenhouse gas emission in the USA are from residential and commercial users - primarily from heating and electricity use.

5. Agricultural practices must be improved to use fewer fertilizers, less industrial production of beef, and better sustainable agricultural practices such as sustainable crop rotation and reduced tilling of the soil (which releases carbon). 9% of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions in the USA were from agriculture.

6. Land Use and Forestry - cutting down trees not only releases the carbon stored in that tree and in the soil, but also prevents that tree from taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere during the course of its life. Sustainable forestry and land use lead to carbon dioxide being taken out of the atmosphere.

The solution to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a worldwide commitment that must be enacted across nearly every sector of industry and personal choice. Fortunately, the technology to switch to renewable energy such as solar and wind is readily available, and is now cheaper in most places than energy coming from fossil fuels such as coal and gas. The switch to renewable energy will solve a large piece of the puzzle, if we can act fast enough to implement.

In 2015, 195 parties signed the Paris Agreement, which is a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the worst aspects of climate change from ever taking place.

Governments, companies and individuals all play a role in solving climate change.

Governments can set effective regulations to reduce carbon emissions such as a carbon tax

Companies can commit to sustainable sourcing (look at IKEA for inspiration on sustainable wood sourcing, or Apple for renewable energy use)

Individuals can commit to reducing their carbon emissions through simple actions like: driving a well-maintained, fuel-efficient vehicle, putting good insulation on their homes and purchasing new heating systems, switching to low-cost energy efficient appliances and lights and turning every electronic device off when it's not in use.

In addition to reducing our carbon footprints, we can all also take the additional step of offsetting the emissions we cannot prevent through carbon offsets. Carbon offsets projects are projects that prevent greenhouse gas emissions and provide a mechanism for individuals and companies to take direct action on climate change.

We can all play a role in solving climate change in many areas of our lives: citizen, worker, individual. The fundamental premise is: reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

_______________________________________________

Sources used in this article: NASA, EPA, NOAA

Graham Majorhart is the founder of Carby Box, the first way to become carbon neutral in 1-click through Amazon.com.

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Recently, there was a question asked very simply "What is the solution for global warming?" The answer to this question is relatively simple: eliminate the use of fossil fuels in every area of society possible and stop greenhouse gas emissions from other sources such as deforestation and agriculture.

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Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Climate Change

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Top 10 things you can do to prevent Climate Change:

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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-solutions/

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How to stop global warming ~Rose Dieujuste

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How to stop global warming ~Rose Dieujuste

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https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming

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Ways to reduce climate change and how to take action-Jairo 

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Ways to reduce climate change and how to take action-Jairo 

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https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/

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The Biodegradable Plastics Market is Increasing at a High Rate - Autumn Tarver

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The Biodegradable Plastics Market is Increasing at a High Rate - Autumn Tarver

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New York, NY, Dec. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new report titled "Biodegradable Plastics Market by Type (PLA, Starch Blends, PHA, Biodegradable Polyesters, and Others) and by End-Use (Packaging & Bags, Consumer Goods, Agriculture & Horticulture, Textile, and Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2018-2024''. According to the report, the global biodegradable plastics market was valued at around USD 10.01 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach approximately USD 18.05 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of slightly above 9.10% between 2018 and 2024.

Biodegradable plastics are made from different natural materials, such as corn starch, corn oil, etc. These biodegradable plastics are majorly made from traditional plastics that are engineered to break down easily. The two major types of biodegradable plastics are OXO-biodegradable plastics and hydro-biodegradable plastics. Both these plastics are degraded via the chemical method.
Browse through 55 Tables & 25 Figures spread over 110 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Global Biodegradable Plastics Market: Industry Type, Size, Share, Trends and Forecast, 2018-2024".
Request Free Sample Report of Global Biodegradable Plastics Market Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/biodegradable-plastics-market

There is a sudden shift in consumers' preference regarding the use of eco-friendly products. The governments in various regions and the environmentalist have started to emphasize the urgent need to put an end to the activities leading to environmental degradation. Various governments across the world are encouraging the use of biodegradable plastics by imposing strict regulations on plastic use. Moreover, the consumers are also willing to pay more for biodegradable plastics, as they are eco-friendly in nature. Among the major types of biodegradable plastics is polylactic acid, as it is largely used in the food packaging, textile, and tissue engineering industries. The key market players are investing in product developments to make them eco-friendly and fulfill consumer needs. However, the high costs of biodegradable plastics than that of conventional plastics might be a major restraint for this market. On the other hand, emerging end-user industries of biodegradable plastics analysis is further expected to provide numerous opportunities for the key players working in the global biodegradable plastics market.

The biodegradable plastics market can be fragmented based on type and end-use. Based on the type, this market is segmented into PLA, starch blends, PHA, biodegradable polyesters, and others. The end-user segment includes packaging and bags, consumer goods, agriculture and horticulture, textile, and others. The packaging and bags segment is likely to lead the biodegradable plastic market in the upcoming period, due to the increasing demand for packed food items in various regions across the globe. Growing textile industry is also contributing toward the expansion of the biodegradable plastics market.

Download Free Report PDF Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/biodegradable-plastics-market

The Asia Pacific biodegradable plastics market is projected to witness a high rate of growth in the upcoming years. This is due to the fact that this region leads in the manufacturing and consumption of biodegradable plastics. Moreover, the region is anticipating a high demand in the packaging materials, due to substantial developments in the food and beverage industry. The biodegradable plastics are environment-friendly and hence they are largely developed and used in the region. Moreover, increasing demand by the end-users is also contributing toward the expansion of the biodegradable plastics market.

North America is likely to witness a substantial rate of growth in the biodegradable plastics market and is expected to grow at a higher rate in the years to come. In the U.S., the demand for biodegradable plastics is growing at 15.5% annually. This is mainly due to the various technological developments that are taking place in the region. The polyester-based and polylactic acid resins are anticipated to have the fastest growth rate in this market. The starch-based biodegradable plastics are to remain the most popular segment, as they have applications across various industries, such as food packaging and textile, among others. The plastic industry in the U.S. has a net worth of USD 350 million and is likely to grow in the upcoming time period. This, in turn, will increase the demand for biodegradable plastics in the region.

Browse the full "Biodegradable Plastics Market by Type (PLA, Starch Blends, PHA, Biodegradable Polyesters, and Others) and by End-Use (Packaging & Bags, Consumer Goods, Agriculture & Horticulture, Textile, and Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2018-2024" report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/biodegradable-plastics-market

Europe is likely to witness a sluggish rate of growth in the biodegradable plastics market during the forecast time period. The European government is making various amendments to promote biodegradable plastics. The key market players are also making various product developments to enhance their market presence in the region. Various key developments are being made in the manufacturing of biodegradable plastics by the key market players so that they are easily decomposable and do not lead to any sort of environmental hazards.

Some major players operating in the global biodegradable plastics market are NatureWorks, BASF SE, Total Corbion PLA, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Biome Bioplastics, Plantic Technologies, Bio-On, Danimer Scientific, Novamont S.P.A., and Toray Industries, among others.

Inquire more about this report before purchase @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/biodegradable-plastics-market
The report segments global biodegradable plastics market as follows: Biodegradable Plastics Market: Type Segment Analysis Biodegradable Plastics Market: End-Use Segment Analysis

Packaging & Bags

Consumer Goods

Agriculture & Horticulture

Textile

Others

Biodegradable Plastics Market: Regional Segment Analysis

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

The Middle East and Africa

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Global Biodegradable Plastics Market Will Reach USD 18.05 Billion by 2024: Zion Market Research

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According to the report, the global biodegradable plastics market was valued at around USD 10.01 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach approximately USD 18.05 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of slightly above 9.10% between 2018 and 2024.

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Lessons from 'progressive farmers' of Karnataka

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Lessons from 'progressive farmers' of Karnataka

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Kalaburagi district (Karnataka): "Year by year, the quantity of rainfall is decreasing," said Shyamrao Patil, 55, a lungi-clad, generously mustachioed wiry farmer who has learned to read the changing seasons and-most importantly-adapt to them in a country where climate change has started affecting the livelihoods of a fifth of the population, or 263 million people, that depends on farming.

Here in the pigeon-pea ( tur dal) bowl of Karnataka, Patil and his wife Laxmibai, 50, grow a variety of crops as one bet against climate change in an area where farming risks include water scarcity, increasingly erratic rain, rising temperatures and decreasing soil quality, we found in a 2018 study of 419 farm households. Further, 91% of farmers surveyed in Kalaburagi reported a decrease in rainfall over a decade to 2016, and 61% reported regular scarcities of water for farming, we found across four blocks in this arid, poor northern Karnataka district where several human-development indicators match those in India's poorest state, Bihar.

Patil and his wife-both have studied till class three, in a district with a literacy rate of 65%, lower than many Bihar districts-represent communities in India's drylands who have a history of coping with and planning for climatic risks. Some examples: Water harvesting in Rajasthan and tank irrigation across South India.

Diversifying risk, investing in machines to process some of their crops, utilising government subsidies and participating in collective efforts to market crops and store water-these are some of the techniques the Patils have learned and now teach others. They offer a template that could be used in many parts of India in an age of shrinking landholdings, growing water scarcity, climate change and agrarian distress.

To capture similar examples of bottom-up solutions to the constraints farming faces today, we studied eight progressive farmers in Gulbarga and Kolar districts in Karnataka, all recognised as "progressive farmers" by the state government and, as we argue, are champions of sustainable farming practices that hold lessons for building climate resilience -- or the ability to manage change, reduce disruptions and enhance opportunities.

From fires in Greece to flooding in Laos and heatwaves in Japan, the effects of climate change are widespread. Closer home, a July 2018 World Bank report warned that climate change will lower the standards of living of nearly half of India's population by 2050.

These changes are already being felt in India's semi-arid regions, which have expanded by 10% in recent decades. These regions include swathes of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that are home to India's most vulnerable people.

In addition to the impacts of climate change, rural India is witnessing growing agrarian distress despite bountiful harvests, as IndiaSpend reported in June 2017. Caught between fluctuating market prices and growing indebtedness, many farmers regard agriculture as an unviable livelihood: A fourth of 50,000 farmers surveyed nationwide said they would quit farming, if they had an option, according to this February 2017 study.

How then can governments and development agencies encourage farmers to invest in their land, and-most importantly-help farmers adapt to a changing climate? Some answers are available in Kalaburagi and the life of the Patils.
In a dry land, diversifying crops, saving water
Nearly three times as large as Goa or a fourth as large as the Netherlands, Kalaburagi, formerly called Gulbarga, is a drought-prone region that receives an average rainfall of 842 mm annually-the Karnataka average is 1,248 mm-with temperatures varying from 45°C in the summer to 10-15°C in winter.

Farms in the tur dal bowl of Karnataka now face rising winter temperatures and erratic rainfall.

Farms in the tur dal bowl of Karnataka now face rising winter temperatures and erratic rainfall.

Although Shyamrao owns two borewells, he rarely uses them because they only have about 5 cm of water. He is aware that water needs careful management. "If we withdraw water from the ground, there won't be any left," he said. "We also need to let the earth drink water."

Shyamrao has discussed a collective effort with other farmers to store water by constructing farm ponds and check dams. Karnataka is a pioneer in community watershed development and deploys government programmes, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme -- the world's largest make-work project-to drought-proof farms.

For a smallholder farmer in water-scarce, rain-fed conditions-no more than 17% of farmland in Kalaburagi is irrigated; the Indian average is 58%-innovating is a challenge, but that is what the Patils have done on their farm of 3.5 acres, not much larger than the Indian norm: Nearly 85% of working farms are smaller than two hectares, according to 2013 National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data, the latest available.

Shyamrao and Laximibai use what is called a mixed-cropping system-growing two or more crops together to confer ecological benefits-to grow tur dal, onions, wheat, jowar, groundnut, sesame, tamarind, mangoes and curry leaves. They also run a dairy and poultry farm with eight cows, 150 chickens and 28 goats. Their annual income reaches Rs 500,000, of which Rs 250,000 is the estimated profit.

In 2007, the Patils-instead of selling their produce to middlemen-invested in mini tur dal mill after consulting Kalaburagi agriculture department officers, who also helped them with a government subsidy. The mini dal mill allows them to process raw tur into dal to make sambar. They have also purchased shavige (rice vermicelli) machines, which lets them make rice noodles (used for breakfast) that are then sold to their neighbours.

tur dal mill after consulting Kalaburagi agriculture department officers, who also helped them with a government subsidy. The mini dal mill allows them to process raw tur into dal to make sambar.

Such subsidies, said Shyamrao, are "very useful" for small landholders like him and critical to those who do not have extra cash to invest in post-harvest infrastructure. The dal machine, for instance, allows the Patils to sell powdered tur at Rs 140 per kg in markets across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat-the raw tur sells for Rs 100 per kg in Kalaburagi.

They have also learned to work with others like them. The Patils are one of 13 members of Bhagyavanthi Sangha, a self-help group from their village that allows them to sell their tur and green gram in places as distant as Madhya Pradesh, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Delhi.
The value of collaboration, peer-to-peer learning
Shyamrao grew up watching his mother, also a farmer, using synthetic fertilisers on their 8-acre farm but observed that increases in yield were not substantial. He switched from conventional, chemical farming to organic farming on the 3.5 acres he inherited. His decision to switch to organic farming occurred after he attended a training programme organised near his village in 1997. That's where he learned about the benefits of organic farming.

Eager to try it, Shyamrao sought help from NGO workers, who in turn sent him earthworms accessed through the agriculture department. Gradually, the Patils began moving to organic farming. In the, first year, nearly two decades ago, they mixed diammonium phosphate (DAP), a widely used fertiliser, and vermicompost in equal measure. In the second year, they mixed half a bag of DAP with one bag of vermicompost; in the third year, 10 kg of chemical fertiliser and three bags of vermicompost; by the fourth year, only five sacks of vermicompost were used and no chemical fertiliser.

"I did not give up on using chemical fertiliser all of a sudden," said Shyamrao. "I left it stage by stage. Although the yields went down at first, they improved and have increased now."

Shyamrao Patil watering his vermicompost pits. The Patils began moving to organic farming gradually. In the, first year, nearly two decades ago, they mixed diammonium phosphate and vermicompost in equal measure. By the fourth year, only five sacks of vermicompost were used and no chemical fertiliser.

DAP use has dropped and vermicomposting has increased around his village, said Shyamrao, an observation confirmed by the Samata Loka Shikshan Samiti (Equal World Education Board), an NGO in Aland Gulbarga. He has trained about 150 other farmers through the Samiti and other NGOs, such as MYRADA. We observed that the experiences of progressive farmers, such as the Patils, are powerful triggers for others to follow suit and further spread knowledge. In 2000, Shyamrao and Laxmibai set up their own farmer group called Punyakoti, comprising 15 farmers from their village; they meet regularly and make sales for their produces such as tur dal and green gram.

Of the 419 households we polled, 12% mention that they accessed information provided by the Krishi Vigyaan Kendra, a farm knowledge centre run by the government, in Kalaburagi; 85% of these found the information to be satisfactory. It is significant that 85% of the households depend on family or neighbours, 1% on government, 1% on politicians and 2.5% on NGOs/community groups in times of distress.

The Patils are now key facilitators in the exchange of knowledge among farmers who are willing to try new methods. Shyamrao also helps other farmers secure financial support. He has helped five farmers in his village to get loans worth Rs 250,000.
Recognition and reward
For their efforts to demonstrate thriving agricultural practices despite scarce water, in 2008-09, the Patils were awarded the Krishi Pandit Prashasthi (progressive farmer award) for organic and integrated farming, given every year for the last 18 years by the Karnataka government. The award is one of 30 that the Patils have received.

Shyamrao and his wife have built social networks and helped these networks-as we said-access technical know-how and financial support in the form of subsidies. They have also innovated by changing their farming practices to make them more sustainable, diverse, and remunerative, thereby climate-proofing their livelihood.

The Patils are an example of how a mix of state support, NGO action, and farmer innovation can drive bottom-up solutions that are adaptive, sustainable, and-importantly-financially viable.

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(Greeshma Hegde and Chandni Singh are part of the climate change team at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), Bangalore. They work on issues of climate change adaptation, migration and livelihood shifts and are currently part of a multinational, long-term project across India and Africa called Adaptation at Scale in Semi-arid Regions)

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How to beat climate change? Lessons from 'progressive farmers' of Karnataka

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Kalaburagi district (Karnataka): "Year by year, the quantity of rainfall is decreasing," said Shyamrao Patil, 55, a lungi-clad, generously mustachioed wiry farmer who has learned to read the changing seasons and-most importantly-adapt to them in a country where climate change has started affecting the livelihoods of a fifth of the population, or 263 million people, that depends on farming.

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Mitigation Plan for the state of Karnataka

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Mitigation Plan for the state of Karnataka

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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NASA is a world leader in climate studies and Earth science. While its role is not to set climate policy or prescribe particular responses or solutions to climate change, its purview does include providing the robust scientific data needed to understand climate change. NASA then makes this information available to the global community - the public, policy- and decision-makers and scientific and planning agencies around the world.

Credit: kwest/Shutterstock.com

Climate change is one of the most complex issues facing us today. It involves many dimensions - science, economics, society, politics, and moral and ethical questions - and is a global problem, felt on local scales, that will be around for thousands of years. Carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is the primary driver of recent global warming, lingers in the atmosphere for many thousands of years, and the planet (especially the ocean) takes a while to respond to warming. So even if we stopped emitting all greenhouse gases today, global warming and climate change will continue to affect future generations. In this way, humanity is "committed" to some level of climate change.

How much climate change? That will be determined by how our emissions continue and exactly how our climate responds to those emissions. Despite increasing awareness of climate change, our emissions of greenhouse gases continue on a relentless rise. In 2013, the daily level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed 400 parts per million for the first time in human history. The last time levels were that high was about three to five million years ago, during the Pliocene Epoch.

Because we are already committed to some level of climate change, responding to climate change involves a two-pronged approach:

1. Reducing emissions of and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere ("mitigation");

2. Adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline ("adaptation").

Mitigation and Adaptation

Credit: trekandshoot/Shutterstock.com

Mitigation - reducing climate change - involves reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing sources of these gases (for example, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, or transport) or enhancing the "sinks" that accumulate and store these gases (such as the oceans, forests, and soil). The goal of mitigation is to avoid significant human interference with Earth's climate, "stabilize greenhouse gas levels in a timeframe sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner" (from the 2014 report on Mitigation of Climate Change from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, page 4).

Adaptation - adapting to life in a changing climate - involves adjusting to actual or expected future climate. The goal is to reduce our risks from the harmful effects of climate change (like sea-level rise, more intense extreme weather events, or food insecurity). It also includes making the most of any potential beneficial opportunities associated with climate change (for example, longer growing seasons or increased yields in some regions).

Throughout history, people and societies have adjusted to and coped with changes in climate and extremes with varying degrees of success. Climate change (drought in particular) has been at least partly responsible for the rise and fall of civilizations. Earth's climate has been relatively stable for the past 10,000 years, and this stability has allowed for the development of our modern civilization and agriculture. Our modern life is tailored to that stable climate and not the much warmer climate of the next thousand-plus years. As our climate changes, we will need to adapt. The faster the climate changes, the more difficult it will be.

While climate change is a global issue, it is felt on a local scale. Local governments are therefore at the frontline of adaptation. Cities and local communities around the world have been focusing on solving their own climate problems. They are working to build flood defenses, plan for heat waves and higher temperatures, install better-draining pavements to deal with floods and stormwater, and improve water storage and use.

According to the 2014 report on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (page 8) from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, governments at various levels are also getting better at adaptation. Climate change is being included into development plans: how to manage the increasingly extreme disasters we are seeing, how to protect coastlines and deal with sea-level rise, how to best manage land and forests, how to deal with and plan for drought, how to develop new crop varieties, and how to protect energy and public infrastructure.

How NASA Is Involved

NASA, with its Eyes on the Earth and wealth of knowledge on Earth's climate, is one of the world's experts in climate science. NASA's role is to provide the robust scientific data needed to understand climate change. Forexample, data from the agency's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), its follow-on mission ( GRACE-FO), the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), and the ICESat-2 missions have shown rapid changes in the Earth's great ice sheets. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and the Jason series of missions have documented rising global sea level since 1992.

NASA makes detailed climate data available to the global community - the public, policy-, and decision-makers and scientific and planning agencies around the world. It is not NASA's role to set climate policy or recommend solutions to climate change. NASA is one of 13 U.S. government agencies that form part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which has a legal mandate to help the nation and the world understand, assess, predict, and respond to global change. These U.S. partner agencies include the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy, each of which has a different role depending on their area of expertise.

Although NASA's main focus is not on energy-technology research and development, work is being done around the agency and by/with various partners and collaborators to find other sources of energy to power our needs.

Related Articles

For further reading on NASA's work on mitigation and adaptation, take a look at these pages:

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Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Learn about where climate change solutions begin and NASA's role in adaptation and mitigation.

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-Yasheka Smith
Different ways of transportation that are safe to the environment.

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New urbanism is the revival of our lost art of place-making, and promotes the creation and restoration of compact, walkable, mixed-use cities, towns, and neighborhoods.

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5 Ways to Curb
Climate Change

Governments, businesses, and utilities are moving toward cleaner energy. But the push to trim carbon emissions begins with changing how we live.

GRAPHICS: LAWSON PARKER, MATTHEW TWOMBLY, DANIELA SANTAMARINA. TEXT CONTRIBUTORS: JEREMY BERLIN, MARC GUNTHER, CHRISTINA NUNEZ, RACHEL HARTIGAN SHEA, DANIEL STONE, CATHERINE ZUCKERMAN. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Javier Jaén

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5 Ways to CurbClimate Change Governments, businesses, and utilities are moving toward cleaner energy. But the push to trim carbon emissions begins with changing how we live. GRAPHICS: LAWSON PARKER, MATTHEW TWOMBLY, DANIELA SANTAMARINA. TEXT CONTRIBUTORS: JEREMY BERLIN, MARC GUNTHER, CHRISTINA NUNEZ, RACHEL HARTIGAN SHEA, DANIEL STONE, CATHERINE ZUCKERMAN.

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Meet the first SubAir System of the world@Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium

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Meet the first SubAir System of the world@Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium

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The M Chinnaswamy stadium is all set to receive an upgrade in its infrastructure with the installion of the SubAir subsurface aeration and the state-of-art vacuum powered drainage system. This is the newest innovation that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is bringing to cricket as the Chinnaswamy will be the first cricket stadium in the world to house this infrastructure.

The technology will help in preventing water logging in the outfield and will also help in draining the water 36 times faster than the prevalent normal systems. Consequently, the matches can be quickly resumed after any interruption due to rainfall. The project will cost Rs 4.25 crore, but it is well worth it.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Anil Kumar, who is the MD of Great Sports Infra, the marketing arm of SubAir, USA, said, "It is a matter of pride that KSCA is showing the world how to make use of technology in cricket infrastructure.

"The SubAir system automatically kicks into action the minute it starts raining, thereby not allowing any build up of water on the out field. Water begins to get sucked out at the rate of over 10,000 litres a minute from the moment it begins to rain. The suction system gets activated through signals from the remote sensors embedded in the field."

The system is capable of pumping in oxygen required for aeration of the roots which in turn ensures that the grass will stay healthy. Thus, by preventing turf diseases, excessive thatch, algae and black layer, it will help in maintaining a much better playing field. In addition to this, the technology also includes an inbuilt sprinkler system for watering.

One of the many pros of this modern technology is that it will optimise the use of water required for the turf. Hoever, KSCA will have to spend Rs 7 lakh annualy for maintenance of the drainage system.

Vinay Mruthunjaya, spokesperson of the KSCA, said, "This technology makes tremendous economic and financial sense and many games will be saved in the future."

KSCA vice-president Sanjay Desai said, "Fan experience is our primary objective. There is a risk of losing Rs 80-100 crore when a game gets washed out. We believe we have addressed this challenge."

Although this is the first cricket stadium in the world to house this technology, other stadiums like the Wembley (London, UK), Etihad Stadium (Manchester, UK), Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and several others have installed the SubAir technology already. The system was also used for the football World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

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Bangalore: Chinnaswamy Stadium Becomes The First Cricket Stadium In The World To Install SubAir System

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The M Chinnaswamy stadium is all set to receive an upgrade in its infrastructure with the installion of the SubAir subsurface aeration and the state-of-art vacuum powered drainage system. This is the newest innovation that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is bringing to cricket as the Chinnaswamy will be the first cricket stadium in ...

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Villages in Uttarakhand Practicing Sustainable Living

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Little villages in Uttarakhand are taking towards a sustainable, eco-friendly way of living. http://almora.nic.in/

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Rooftop Solar Installations for Railways

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Rooftop Solar Installations for Railways

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National Workshop on Roof Top Solar Power by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy

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Rooftop Solar Installations for Railways

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The railways' buildings will soon harness solar energy with rooftop solar installations. Know mroe here: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

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by Keiren 725 Views

Americans threw away 33 million tons of plastic in 2013, according to the EPA. How long does it take a plastic bottle to degrade in a landfill? Some say 500 years, some say 1,000. Plastic hasn't been around long enough. We (in our lifetime) will never know how long today's petroleum-based plastic bottles take to break down in the environment. But we can do something with them while they're around.

Plastic Bottle Homes Around the World

eco-tecnologia.com

How To Help? Buy A Reusable Water Bottle

The best thing, of course, would be to stop using plastic water bottles completely. We recommend these eco-friendly, reusable water bottles.

physorg.com

sites.google.com

Morimoto Restaurant's bottle wall in NYC is composed of 17,400 half liter plastic bottles filled with mineral water and then backlit with LED lights.

Plastic Bottle Greenhouses

Plastic Bottle House Innovations

Ecological House: Constructed with 8,000 bottles with composting toilets and a solar water heating system. The green roof can weigh 30 tons when wet and has been supported by the walls without any extra reinforcement. It is the first house in the world made from PET bottles without using cement in the walls.

Tomislav Radovanic, a retired math professor from central Serbia has built a house of waste plastic. "The house is comfortable and it practically cost me nothing," Radovanovic said, adding that the bottles are good insulators. The foundation is concrete but all else is plastic; gutters, windows and furniture are made from recycled bottles. Freerepublic.com

Eco Tec's Sky Field House: The first vaulted ceiling using PET bottles.

All Eco-tec projects have a strong social focus. Most of the PET bottles used are recovered in clean-up campaigns and recycling drives. The community then fills them with sand. They train the unemployed and handicapped in their construction methods. They build water tanks, schools, community centers, urban benches as well as homes. Andreas Froese, Eco-Tec's inventor hopes to also build some PET homes in Haiti utilizing construction debris. Most of the PET bottles used are recovered in clean-up campaigns and recycling drives. ( www.eco-tecnologia.com)

Ecological Bottle House, near the Iguazu Falls, Misiones, Argentina.

Alfredo Santa Cruz and his family built this house and matching play house out of used plastic bottles, Tetra Packs and CD cases. They used 1200 PET plastic bottles for the walls, 1300 milk and wine Tetra Pack boxes for the roof, 140 CD cases for the doors and windows, plus 320 PET bottles for the furniture. ( sites.google.com)

Taiwan's plastic bottle building: EcoARK Exhibition Hall.

Not just a bottle picked off the street. Polli-Brick from Minimize is made from recycled PET bottles. The building can be disassembled and then reassembled elsewhere. Looks like that might take a bit of time though as the building is 279 feet long.

Plastic Bottle Houses Under Construction

How To Build A Plastic Bottle House

Plastic Bottle House Videos

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by Keiren 725 Views Americans threw away 33 million tons of plastic in 2013, according to the EPA. How long does it take a plastic bottle to degrade in a landfill? Some say 500 years, some say 1,000. Plastic hasn't been around long enough.

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How Surat became khubsurat from badsurat - a transformation

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How Surat became khubsurat from badsurat - a transformation

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Daily Dump – Easy and Effective Waste Management

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Daily Dump – Easy and Effective Waste Management

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One question that you would perhaps like to answer is "How do I reduce my contribution to the city's garbage system without altering my lifestyle too much?" Well, let Daily Dump answer that for you.
Daily Dump provides a commercial compost 'pit' that you can have at your home. All your leftovers and other organic waste can be dumped into these pits. Within a few months this becomes manure and you can use it for your garden or just sell it off to a needy farmer maybe.

Early Days

Daily Dump, the brain child of Ms Poonam Bir Kasturi, evolved from the question - How can design make a difference? Poonam graduated in Product Design in 1985 from the National Institute of Design. She worked in a small scale manufacturing company after college and then set up a craft based design company called Industree with two other partners. She quit after 5 years and set up Playnspeak, a proprietorship concern, to make products for the home. At the same time Poonam also was the founding faculty of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore which she in May 2008 to start Daily Dump.

So, what exactly is Daily Dump?

In simple words, this product allows every homeowner to reduce their contribution to city waste. In India, no commerical home composter was available till the Daily Dump product was launched.
It is designed for a single family as the "customer". It is supported by a service backup and customer support. It actually helps families convert their wet waste into eco-friendly compost. The knowledge base is open-source to encourage micro-enterprises.

How to start Daily Dump-ing?
1. Order a Daily Dump composting product from the address given below.
2. Install it in your home
3. Start putting all your organic waste in this compost pot.
4. Rejoice in having reduced the burden on your city's waste management system!

The Product and its elements

Daily Dump has designed a product with which anyone can convert kitchen waste into compost at home. The product, made of terra-cotta, is sourced from village potters. It is marketed through word-of-mouth referrals, media awareness, and their website. It is sold through channels including individuals, retail stores, and societies. The designs are 'open source', so individuals in other locations can replicate, adapt, build on, sell and use - for wide and rapid propagation of the idea.

The current product works well in independent homes; and they are working on a 'mechanical composter' for use in flats. Daily Dump's vision is to see a composter pre-fitted in every flat sold in the country, as a standard fitting. Daily Dump not only retro fits composters at homes and other establishments but also provides maintenance advice and assistance through its service plans, essentially allowing you to just dump and letting nature and Daily Dump do the rest.

This product, in addition to reducing waste, serves as a way to get over the social stigma attached to waste in our country. Without being preachy it makes the job of taking care of your waste "doable" and "possible".

The potters who make the terra cotta pots have benefited significantly - their profitability has increased since they started making these products.

The Team

The current Daily Dump team comprises of:
Poonam Bir Kasturi (Founder), Delara Damania (Designer), Savitha, Shwetha, Vinita, Trupti, Sudheer and Anupama

Current Challenges

The challenge faced by the team presently is to create sustainable revenue streams and make money out of all the research and design work that they have done. The team has also learnt a lot and is looking to partner with NGO's now to make strategic connections to enable waste to be managed better all over the country. Daily Dump has a robust design and an easily replicable one, which can be adapted by most people all over India.

Looking forward, Daily Dump is in the process of prototyping a mechanical composter to be retrofitted into homes in India. For this, they are looking to work with builders and see if this product can then enter into every home as a standard fitting.
The Daily Dump team is constantly trying to figure out:

How to get builders to retrofit a composter in each balcony and utility?

How to design a new mechanical composter such that it follows the cradle to cradle philosophy and yet is cheap and fits into the informal manufacturing setup that dots the Indian urban landscape?

Recognition

Daily Dump has received the following awards & honors:

"Nominated for the INDEX awards 2007 - an international award to improve the quality of life

Awarded the Green Product of the Year by Anchor Better Interior Excellence Awards 2007

Made it to the final round of the TATA NEN Hottest Startups 2009.

Indira International Innovation's 'Star Entrepreneur of the Year Award', 2009

Made it to the final round of the Sankalp Social Enterprise and Investment Forum Award 2009.

Love reading positive news? Help The Better India grow

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Daily Dump - Easy and Effective Waste Management

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One question that you would perhaps like to answer is "How do I reduce my contribution to the city's garbage system without altering my lifestyle too much?" Well, let Daily Dump answer that for you. Daily Dump provides a commercial compost 'pit' that you can have at your home.

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Farmers tackling India's climate change with the help of low - cost tools

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Farmers tackling India's climate change with the help of low - cost tools

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The technologies also came accompanied by ready-to-use kits, such as a bucket kit or a drum kit, which were customized to help farmers grow off-season crops and raise their income. Unlike expensive diesel pumps or drip systems for large tracts, these kits could be used on tiny plots and could be bought for as little as Rs 250.

A small farmer, Nabin Amanatya, can attest to the IDEI pump's user- friendliness. Afflicted with polio, he struggled for years farming his family's spit-sized plot that reached a mere tenth of a hectare. Then in 2006, he bought a treadle pump. His neighbours teased him when they saw him trying to make a go with the pedals. But he was soon tending a thriving garden of cucumber, ridge gourd, and lady's finger - vegetables that are very popular in the local market. Within two years, Amanatya had repaid his father's loan and had switched to better seeds and fertilizers.

While there were many such encouraging examples, Sadangi realised early on that developing technologies and making them affordable wasn't enough. It also had to be sold to mostly illiterate farmers who preferred using age-old means and were reluctant to try new technology.

"Farmers need to be made aware of the benefits of using a treadle pump, of how it can improve the quality of their lives. When a farmer can think beyond the next meal, he can think of his family's nutrition, his children's education, thereby creating a sustainable chain", says Sadangi.

To build the demand for IDEI's innovations, Sadangi resorted to another innovative approach-film-making. IDEI produces films that have a hero, a plot, singing and dancing-and problems. This comes along with a product that solves the problems and makes everyone happy.
Also Read: Celebrating India's Rural Women: 3 Inspiring Stories of Women Farmers Bringing About Change
Most studies have shown that farmers who have used IDE-India's treadle pumps and other systems have managed to increase their net annual income by at least Rs. 20,000. The low-cost micro-irrigation equipment has also helped farmers reduce their dependence on India's notoriously unreliable monsoon showers.

With grants from the US-based Skoll and Lemelsen foundations,IDEI is constantly looking for better and newer technologies and has moved on to devising low-cost sprinklers and water storage tanks. As their treadle pumps make a huge saving on diesel, the organisation also raises funds by selling carbon credits to MNCs. These funds will be utilised in developing cheap solar and wind pumps as well as setting up a micro-credit company for poor farmers.

Sadangi's vision is to empower even the poorest farmers to irrigate their land. Opposed to idea of freebies and subsidy, he believes that giving rural farmers a chance to pull themselves out of poverty is the way towards sustainable and dignified development. A soft-spoken and shy man, he says,

"If ten more people will start working like me, I think that will be my biggest contribution."

Over the years, the non-profit initiative has evolved into an organization that works to provide the poorest populations of the world with the tools and resources they need to become self-sufficient and build both their income and their community. Each IDEI technology is designed to be one-fifth the cost of its competitors, scaled down to fit one-tenth hectare plots, and able to generate sales at an unsubsidized market price.

IDEI also provides technical, financial, consulting and business development services to its customers, enabling them to enter high-value commercial agriculture. For instance, IDEI learnt that due to incomplete labelling and use of English, farmers were often unable to get the exact information about the product they are buying. As a result, they unknowingly ended up buying expired seeds or low quality ones.

In response, IDEI is promoting Vegetable Nurseries in the villages. The organisation builds the capacities of smallholder farmers who have overcome irrigation challenges (either through IDEI promoted technologies/ through other devices) and can spare some land on their field exclusively for establishing nursery. These farmer-entrepreneurs provide good quality sapling to other farmers, teach techniques to assure germination in the field and promote high value crop cultivation that will bring good returns to the poor farmers.

The capacities of these farmers are further built in developing bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides and plant nutrient. The entrepreneurs then package these materials and sell to other farmers. These items are developed from locally available material such as dried leaves, cow dung etc and are therefore not very expensive. While the user farmers save money as these are cheaper than other available material and the farmer-entrepreneur is able to augment his/her income.

In addition, IDEI is also promoting the concept of developing soil health cards among the farmers. To facilitate this IDEI collects soil sample from the field of representative farmers as specified by the agencies and deposits at the nearest institution. Once analysed IDEI shares the analysis with the respective farmers and encourages them to undertake the required treatments for betterment of the soil.

IDEI conducts training programme for the identified entrepreneurs in allied agricultural fields like apiculture/ honey bee farming, spice cultivation, agro-climatic vegetable cultivation, rice intensification system etc. It has also developed a low cost greenhouse to benefit small holder farmers who find it difficult to afford conventional greenhouse structures.

Thanks to IDEI's efforts, many marginalised farmers now cultivate throughout the year, which contributes to increased food security and a decline in migration; 20% reported investing income in their children's education and 15% have increased spending on family health.

Till date, the organization has helped one million farming households spread over 17 states increase their annual income! IDEI is now exporting its technologies to countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, aiming to reach 30 million people by 2020.

In recognition of their efforts to improve the social, economic and environmental conditions of the rural poor, Sadangi and IDEI have been honoured with several awards, including the prestigious Templeton Freedom Prize for Social Entrepreneurship (2005), the Tech Museum BD Biosciences Economic Development Award (2010), the Zayed Future Energy Prize (2010), and the Ashden Outstanding Achievement Award (2009).
Contact Details
Email: amitabha@ide-india.org
Website: www.ide-india.org

You can connect with the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ide.india.

Also Read: How a Young Couple from Delhi Left City Life behind to Become Full-Time Organic Farmers in Mysore

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How One Man's Simple Low-Cost Tools Are Helping Millions of Farmers Tackle Climate Change in India

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The technologies also came accompanied by ready-to-use kits, such as a bucket kit or a drum kit, which were customized to help farmers grow off-season crops and raise their income. Unlike expensive diesel pumps or drip systems for large tracts, these kits could be used on tiny plots and could be bought for as little as Rs 250.

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An electrical engineer and IIM Alumnus - helping small farmers with innovative ideas 

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An electrical engineer and IIM Alumnus - helping small farmers with innovative ideas 

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Engineer and business graduate Devi Murthy identified growing difficulties faced by small-scale Indian farmers. A majority of agrarian workers in the country were finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with rising labour costs, but were unable to mechanise their cultivation processes because imported farm equipment was unsuitable to their modest farm sizes. With her farming equipment development company, Kamal Kisan, she began to customise her products to suit the needs of the small-time Indian farmer.

In a survey done in 2014 by CSDS it was found that, given an option, 76% of farmers in India would prefer to take up alternative lines of work. Poor income, bleak future prospects and job stress were cited as the main reasons for this trend.

The survey covered a comprehensive 5,000 farm households across 18 states.

With farmers spending over 40% of their total cultivation costs on labour alone, the profession is no longer deemed profitable inciting over 100,000 farmers to give up farming every year. A lack of relevant technology and the burgeoning costs of labour- increasing by nearly double over every three-year period - set the stage for serious food security concerns by 2020.

On the other hand a PTI report, published early in January last year, states that while around 1.5 million engineering students graduate every year in India 80% of them remain unemployed.These students mostly end up working out of their areas of expertise, in roles that don't interest them.

The founder of Kamal Kisan, Devi Murthy, saw a potential solution to both problems.

"India, as a country, is capable of a lot more innovations in agriculture but we are not doing enough in that area. Indians are known for their jugaad mechanism. We need to take this mechanism to the next level where it gets community focus and not individual focus," she says.

It was with this belief that Devi- who holds an electrical engineering degree from Drexel University, USA and Masters in Entrepreneurship from IIM, Bangalore -began Kamal Kisan. Her aim was to kick-start a company that would develop cost-effective, smart mechanization solutions for India's small and marginal farmers, to reduce labour dependence and increase profitability.

It was taken for granted that Devi would join the family business, an established sheet metal fabrications and components manufacturing company called Kamal Bells. Keeping with tradition, she joined the firm as Head of Product Development and Business Development and worked at the post for over six years.

However she was unable to shake off a desire to begin a project that would create social impact. The idea first occurred to her while she was pursuing her Masters in Entrepreneurship at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore. One of her classmates, who belonged to a farmer's family, suggested that she use her skills to help farmers.

Devi began her journey to start Kamal Kisan by spending two years travelling across the country to meet small farmers. She also visited various institutes such as the CIAE in Bhopal and the UAS in Dharwad. Her research made her realize the large gap that existed between the needs of the Indian farmer and the expensive, large-sized, imported machinery used in farming.

Despite the fact that India is the 3 rd largest tractor manufacturer in the world, less than 2% of the country's farmers use mechanization. A dearth of equipment and scarce availability of hands-on-the-ground have driven up labour costs. Farmlands with less than five acres of area constitute more than 80% of farm holdings in the country today. The increasing non-availability of labour has become a major concern among farmers as it leads to low productivity. Furthermore, adapting modern, mechanized techniques in cultivation have proven to be difficult because most available machinery is unsuitable for small farms.

Devi decided to use her machine development skills to help small farmers.

"We, as innovators, never see small farmers as our customers. I think this perspective has to be changed," says Devi.

A hardcore city girl, Devi had never visited a farm before. But once she became focused on developing products for the sector, she began to attend farmer fairs, travel to fields across the country and survey farmers to better understand their needs and the products already available in the market.

Often, she juggled her newfound interest in farm equipment with her day job at the family firm.

"I would sneak out two hours earlier than usual from my regular job and spend time at my workshop in the same facility. I had hired two people with my salary and together we would inspect existing farm equipment from China and tinker around to see how we could make it better and suitable for the Indian farmer," she recalls.

Finally, with a seed fund of Rs.5 lakh from the Rural Technology and Business Incubator (RTBI) at IIT Madras, Devi began her experiment in 2013. She also received incubation and mentoring from Villgro Innovation Foundation in 2014 to ensure her venture had all the support to succeed.

Kamal Kisan first manufactured a vegetable planter in July 2015. The product was priced low to make it affordable to small farmers. The feedback was overwhelming.

"A small farmer who bought our product was so happy with the reduced labour and cost effectiveness that he personally came to thank me. You get to enjoy such experiences only if you are working for a social impact," says Devi.

When asked about whether she found her line of work difficult because she was a woman in a typically male-dominated field, she responds positively, saying that her gender never made a difference to the farmers she worked alongside. On the contrary, most people seemed taken with the idea of a foreign-educated girl working for them. Devi soon discovered that it was often times the urban public who came with a discriminatory mind-set with regards to gender-specific work, rather than the vast workforce across rural India.

Today, Kamal Kisan has been able to reach over 800 farmers and deliver a cumulative saving of over Rs. 10 lakh.

At present, the firm has several innovative products for small farms on the market, as well as plans to develop at least two products in the pipeline per year.

Foremost among these is the Vegetable Planter, a handy low-cost machine that eases the cultivating process of most fruit and vegetable saplings with an increased process efficiency.

The planter allows for a single laborer to plant a one acre plot with vegetable seedlings within four hours, as opposed to a conventional planter that requires four laborers to achieve the same results. Furthermore, it is portable and easy to operate, manufactured with high-quality steel and equipped to adjust planting depth according to the seeds being worked with.

Another popular creation is the Kamal Kisan Mulch Layer, a tractor-attached device that can lay plastic mulch sheets between three to four feet, covering soil in a single pass.

The mulch layer has reduced labour requirements from six to just two laborers, while completing the laying of one acre of mulch film within three hours.

The first-of-its-kind Sugarcane Planter has also received positive reviews.

The device combines three processes - ridging, planting and furrowing - to increase efficiency and has reduced the time required to plant a one-acre area to just three hours. Moreover, it mimics current planting methods and easily be can be used with small tractors with powers as low as 30 HP.

Apart from these, the company is researching two new products and is soon to launch a mini rice mill.

"I just have one message," says Devi in conclusion."There is huge opportunity in this field and more and more people should come forward to use their skills to help our farmers."

For more information on the products please log on to www.kamalkisan.com

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
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This Electrical Engineer and IIM Alumnus Is Now Helping Small Farmers with Her Innovations

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Engineer and business graduate Devi Murthy identified growing difficulties faced by small-scale Indian farmers. A majority of agrarian workers in the country were finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with rising labour costs, but were unable to mechanise their cultivation processes because imported farm equipment was unsuitable to their modest farm sizes.

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Temparature Bags - Using plastic waste to make hot meals

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Temparature Bags - Using plastic waste to make hot meals

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From plastic waste to hot meals | DW | 23.12.2016

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A Zimbabwean startup is tackling plastic waste by recycling it into a product that also helps save energy. They've developed Temperature Bags, which allow food to keep cooking after being warmed briefly on the stove.

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Living Planet: Cooking with trash in Kenya | DW | 15.09.2016

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Waste disposal is one of the major challenges in large African cities. But in one Nairobi slum, some guardian angels have come up with a solution that gets rid of the trash - and provides hot food for locals, at the same time.

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By Spooky on December 6th, 2016 Category: News

In an effort to combat plastic pollution, Indian startup EnviGreen has come up with a combination of natural starch and vegetable oils that looks and feels just like plastic, but is 100 percent organic, biodegradable and eco-friendly. You can even dispose of such a "plastic" bag by eating it.

EnviGreen founder Ashwath Hedge came up with the idea for these revolutionary bags after seeing people struggling to find alternatives to plastic bags, following bans imposed by several Indian cities. "People were concerned bout how they would carry products from the market now. Everyone cannot afford a bag worth Rs. 5 or Rs. 15 to carry a kilogram of sugar," he told The Better India. So the 25-year-old decided to work on something that would solve this problem while being environment-friendly.

Hedge spent four years researching and experimenting with various materials, but one day he discovered a combination of 12 ingredients, including potato, tapioca, corn, natural starch, vegetable oil, banana, and flower oil, that looked and felt like plastic, but posed none of the environmental problems. The manufacturing process is obviously a closely-guarded secret, but the young entrepreneur did reveal that the raw materials are first converted into liquid form, and then taken through a six-stage process to create the bags.

The cost of an EnviGreen bag is about 35% higher than that of a plastic bag, but the benefits of using the former are more than worth the extra cost. Once discarded, EnviGreen bags biodegrade naturally in less than 180 days, and if placed in water at room temperature, they dissolve in less than a day. For quick disposal, they can be placed in boiling water, and they dissolve in about 15 seconds.

"We don't use any chemicals at all. Even the paint used for printing on the bags is natural and organic," Ashwath boasts. That not only means that users can discard them without hurting the environment, but also that animals can safely ingest them. In fact, EnviGreen "plastic" bags are edible, something that Hedge was more than happy to demonstrate in his interview with The Better India. He simply soaked a bag in water and gulped it down with a smile on his face.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has already approved EnviGreen bags for commercial use, but not before conducting a series of tests. They found that despite their appearance and texture, they contain no plastic, and don't share its hazardous properties. When burned, the innovative material does not melt, drip, or release any toxic fumes.

EnviGreen has set up a factory in Bangalore, where it produces around 1,000 metric tonnes of eco-friendly "plastic" bags a month. That's not very much, considering that the city of Bangalore alone consumes over 30,000 metric tonnes of plastic bags every month, but Hedge claims that he wants to set up enough production facilities before they start distributing to individual customers and shop owners. They have however started supplying the bags to corporate retail chains like Metro and Reliance.

Apart from protecting the environment, Ashwath Hedge also plans to use EnviGreen bags to support local farmers. "We had this unique idea of empowering farmers in rural Karnataka by sourcing all our raw materials from them," he said. "We are also planning to distribute seeds to help them produce the amount of materials required to make the bags."

According to the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, over 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India every day, only 9,000 of which are collected and processed. Inventions like EnviGreen can help solve this problem, so let's hope it lives up to its potential.
Photos: The Better India

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Indian Company Makes Edible 100% Biodegradable "Plastic" Bags

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By Spooky on December 6th, 2016 Category: News In an effort to combat plastic pollution, Indian startup EnviGreen has come up with a combination of natural starch and vegetable oils that looks and feels just like plastic, but is 100 percent organic, biodegradable and eco-friendly.

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We need smart energy solutions that provide reliable and affordable electricity, contribute to a strong economy, and do not compromise our health or our climate.

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The first list of air-filtering plants was compiled by NASA as part of a clean air study published in 1989, which researched ways to clean air in space stations. As well as absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as all plants do, these plants also eliminate significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.

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A car mechanic from India claims to have designed an astonishing car that runs on water.

Mohammad Raees Markani, 44, has been modifying an 800 cc engine for the last five years - and now believes he has made the scientific breakthrough.

The eco-friendly car uses a mix of water and carbides.

Incredibly, A one litre mix of this concoction costs under two pence - making it more cost effective than traditional fuels.

Markani, from the state of Madhya Pradesh, said: "The car runs on acetylene gas , which is formed from a chemical reaction between calcium carbide and water.

"The gas is used for several industrial purposes including welding and portable lighting for miners. But in my case, I am using it to propel the car engines .

"I have made other changes to the engines, which helps the overall performance of the car . So basically, it is just about the water."

Markani has been a car mechanic for over 15 years.

READ MORE: Top Gear host Chris Evans races to help rescue OAP in beach drama

He never went to school and cannot read or write. So the invention has been hailed as a great leap in Indian society - and made him a local celebrity.

"This idea struck my mind while I was gas welding a part of my car in my workshop many years ago. But I did not know how to go about it," Markani said.

"Somehow, I made a start and it took five years to make this efficient engine."

Markani now has a patent for his water car and has been invited by Chinese automobile companies to to develop the idea further.

READ MORE: Dakar Rally crash: Four spectators injured after car ploughs into crowd - before race even starts

He added: "The market for environmentally friendly cars is getting bigger and automobile companies around the world are looking for eco-friendly ways to reduce pollution.

"So a car like mine can be a good alternative. It costs close to nothing to operate and it is environment friendly."

All the companies that are interested in Raees's water car project will have to meet his one condition - any plant to make new cars will be established only in his hometown in Madhya Pradesh.

Markani said: "I want things to change in my hometown. So this is where my work should continue."

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H2Go! This amazing car runs on fuel that costs less than 2p a litre

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A car mechanic from India claims to have designed an astonishing car that runs on water. Mohammad Raees Markani, 44, has been modifying an 800 cc engine for the last five years - and now believes he has made the scientific breakthrough. The eco-friendly car uses a mix of water and carbides.

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Why do we need bottled water - while we have water ATM

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Why do we need bottled water - while we have water ATM

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Pi-lo water vending machines are making pure drinking water accessible and affordable to all. They are also attacking the plastic menace created by bottled water.

In 2011, when the massive anti-corruption protests led by Anna Hazare swept Delhi, city cleaners also had to sweep away thousands of plastic water bottles. While the protestors were on the roads shouting slogans throughout the day, they needed water to quench their thirst. But access to safe drinking water was a problem. The most convenient option was bottled water. For those who couldn't afford these bottles priced at Rs 20 each, cheaply available water packets that are largely unsafe for consumption were the only source of water. The city had no other convenient and accessible public sources of drinking water. At the end of the day, many fell ill from drinking contaminated water and the plastic menace was revolting.

Vikas Malik was shocked to see this situation. He wanted to change the scenario and make safe drinking water accessible and affordable for all. With this vision, Vikas joined hands with his friends Jatin Ahlawat, Parveen Singh, Ajay Yadav, and Mohamad Yunus Ansari. "We are a team of engineers, automation experts, water technology experts and social workers. We decided that we will build drinking water ATMs - water vending machines that will dispense water that is purified using Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology at a cost that everyone can afford. With this intent we started Abhyuday Automation in 2013," says Vikas.

After investing over two years in raising funds and building a robust technology, the team launched water vending machines called 'Pi-lo' in 2015.

Pi-lo dispenses pure, chilled water 24/7 at just Rs 2 for 250 ml and Rs 5 for one litre - four times cheaper than bottled water!

How is Pi-lo able to provide RO water at this price? Vivek Malik explains, "RO purified water is considered 100% pure for consumption. But the technology's biggest downfall is the wastage. The usual rate of wastage in RO filters is as high as 40-50%. We decided on Zero Liquid Discharge technology, where 95% of the input water is made available for consumption. This helped us reduce the wastage cost. Then we decided that we will not spend any money on advertising. We decided to partner with public institutions and make our vending carts visibly available in public places. We also made sure that our water transportation cost is low by creating water source points across Delhi. All this helped us in keeping our pricing exceptionally low".

As much as the team wanted to keep the cost low, they also were obsessed with the quality of water. Pi-lo has a real time water quality display, something that no one in the country is currently doing. Its built-in sensors check purity in terms of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), temperature and ph level of water and display these for the users in real time. They have also made testing kits available at the kiosks for people to check the water quality for themselves. The kiosks display and distribute printed information about the standard water purity indicators to create awareness. "If the water quality is below the standards, Pi-lo just shuts down and will not dispense water. That's how much we are obsessed with purity," says Vikas.

Pi-lo stays away from plastic cups and bottles. Paper cups are made available and people are encouraged to bring their own bottles to fill water.

Pi-lo kiosks have also started to sell copper and clay water bottles, which are considered healthier alternatives to plastic bottles. Pi-lo wants people to completely shun the habit of using plastic bottles.

The Pi-lo vending machines are located at over 80 locations, including 28 metro stations in Delhi-NCR. These coin-based self-service kiosks dispense close to 10,000 litres of pure water every day. Pi-lo is coming soon to Hyderabad and Chennai metro stations too. Plans are afoot to make Pi-lo available in schools, communities, supermarkets, and train and bus stations too.

You can write to Pi-lo at info@pilo.co.in

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

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Say Goodbye to Bottled Water - These Water ATMs Dispense RO Water at Just Rs 5 per Litre!

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Pi-lo water vending machines are making pure drinking water accessible and affordable to all. They are also attacking the plastic menace created by bottled water. In 2011, when the massive anti-corruption protests led by Anna Hazare swept Delhi, city cleaners also had to sweep away thousands of plastic water bottles.

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Thinking what you would get in return for throwing garbage? - Free WiFi!

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Thinking what you would get in return for throwing garbage? - Free WiFi!

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Throw garbage in a bin and get free WiFi in return? Sounds unreal? This duo from Mumbai has made it possible with its unique innovation called the 'WiFi Trash Bin.' This is how it works.

"If you think about it, keeping the country clean is a very thankless job...nobody comes and pats you on the back for throwing garbage in the dustbin. But we can at least acknowledge the efforts that people are making towards a cleaner nation."

- Raj Desai, a technology buff from Mumbai.

Raj, along with his friend Pratik Agarwal, has come up with a perfect way to appreciate those who try and keep their surroundings clean - a brilliantly innovative and amazing technology - the WiFi Trash Bin.

The founders decided that if it can't be a pat on the back they can definitely give out something else, something that will not only be useful but will also act as a strong incentive for people to throw garbage where it should be thrown. Thus, they came up with the idea of a specially designed dustbin which gives free WiFi to people who use it.

"When you throw trash in the dustbin, an access code will be generated on the LED display in front of the bin. You can then use that access code to connect to the WiFi network of the dustbin," explains Raj.

The router for the connection is a part of the dustbin's design.

25-year-old Raj and Pratik started their own organization called ThinkScream in 2011, with the aim of providing new age technology solutions. B.Com graduates from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, both Raj and Pratik come from non-tech backgrounds. They had to learn the different concepts of development and programming and other technological concepts on their own.

They began by setting up WiFi networks for places like multiplexes, retails shops, music festivals, and events like trade shows. And for all these places, they developed some unique products.

For example, the WiFi networks that they set up in multiplexes are such that when a person is logged into the network, he/she can order food from providers inside the multiplex without having to leave the seat during the movie, and without the need to download any special app. All the person needs to do is to log into the network and use the custom-designed website to order food.

"The idea behind ThinkScream was to solve some problems and make this world a little bit better. We started by solving simple problems, such as food ordering in cinemas, and then graduated to the issue of connectivity at high crowd density gatherings," says Raj.

In 2013, they were setting up a network at a music festival for the first time. It was the NH7 Weekender, which is the biggest festival for independent music in the country. "We wanted to do something crazy at the festival, something beyond the vanilla WiFi," says Raj. So they started exploring the kind of problems faced at these festivals.

One major issue they found was that amidst the music, food, drinks, and all the fun, not many people were concerned about cleanliness. At the end of it all, the entire place was left looking like a large garbage dump.

This gave them the idea of incentivising garbage disposal for people whose sole purpose for attending the festival was to have a good time.

What was the one thing they were not getting there? A free and fast WiFi connection. Combine the two things, and voila! - you have a dustbin that generates WiFi codes when you throw in garbage!

For this project, they partnered with two organizations - MTS (sponsors) and Brandmovers (activation agency).

"We were there during the installation of the device and we saw people standing in a queue to use it. We had never seen people forming a queue for a dustbin before," says an exultant Raj.

After that, they set up the dustbins in different venues of the festival - Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore.

This video shows how the Free WiFi Trash Bin was used to keep the NH7 Weekender clean.

"The dustbin uses multiple technologies. The first is the WiFi technology which we have to optimise to make sure that all the generated codes work properly. The second is the technology used for motion sensing and figuring out how the trash comes in and its movement. And the third is the entire bridge between the motion sensor and the WiFi network to ensure that they connect at the right time. So it is a mix of hardware and software technologies," explains Raj.

The WiFi network can be designed as desired. So the range can vary from a few metres to an entire campus or office. The dustbin either uses the connection set up by ThinkScream or a connection from a nearby location, which is done with the help of their servers.

One device costs between Rs. 50,000 and 1 lakh in development. The development of the dustbins is usually done in partnership with different organizations.

Other than the trash bin, the duo is also thinking of various ways in which technology can be used to change behaviour.

"We are expanding the entire concept of design thinking. We want to start taking design to multiple levels. So, in places where WiFi will not be as useful, it could be something as simple as the dustbin saying thank you, or smiling at you when you throw garbage. The idea is to acknowledge the efforts of people with basic incentives which need not be monetary or materialistic," explains Raj, who believes that it is easier to incentivise people than to penalise and demoralise them.

As of now, the two have set up the waste bin at about eight to ten places, which include some events like a business conference and a pharmaceutical event.

They are now targeting corporate offices, residential societies, shopping complexes, etc., and are looking for large-scale projects. In the future, they also plan to expand and set up the dustbins on the streets.

You can contact Raj by writing to him at raj@thinkscream.com.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

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What Can You Get in Return for Throwing Garbage? Free WiFi!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Throw garbage in a bin and get free WiFi in return? Sounds unreal? This duo from Mumbai has made it possible with its unique innovation called the 'WiFi Trash Bin.' This is how it works. "If you think about it, keeping the country clean is a very thankless job...nobody comes and pats you on the back for throwing garbage in the dustbin.

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A Matchbox, Candle, String, Nail, Sticks & Soap - enough to save billions of lives

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A Matchbox, Candle, String, Nail, Sticks & Soap - enough to save billions of lives

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Did you know that millions of deaths each year can be saved by just the simple act of washing hands with soap? Over 2.2 million children under the age of 5 die every year from diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children across the world. Although we clean our hands with water, very few use soap to wash hands.

Seen here is a disarmingly simple idea to drive the use of soap for hand-washing in public places. No running water or sink? Just collect a few every day objects to set up the Tippy Tap, a low tech, low cost, water-saving hand washing device.

To know more, please visit tippytap.org - a partnership between WMG ( watershedmg.org) and Grampari ( grampari.org)

Filmed and directed by Andrew Hinton at Pilgrim Films
Music by Jamie Perera: jamieperera.com
Graded by Eric Trometer: tarmakmedia.com
Audio mix by Farrell: audiomonkey.tv
Produced by Sowmya Somnath and Jared Buono

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A Matchbox, Candle, String, Nail, Sticks & Soap: That's All You Need To Save Millions Of Lives.

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Did you know that millions of deaths each year can be saved by just the simple act of washing hands with soap? Over 2.2 million children under the age of 5 die every year from diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children across the world.