:: Delhi Greens ::

The Okhla Bird Sanctuary in NOIDA celebrated the International Wetland Day on 2^nd February 2010, to mark the signing of the Ramsar Convention on protection of wetlands of international importance. The celebrations saw participation from residents and over 40 students from Delhi Public School, NOIDA. As an extension to this program, an awareness drive highlighting the decreasing population of cranes from the region was also organised.

In association with Nature Foundation (India), the Okhla Bird Sanctuary invited three different schools viz. Nehru International Public School, Sarla Devi DAV Public School and Bal Bhavan Public School, Mayur Vihar Phase-2, from which, a total of 110 students in all benefited from the program and enjoyed the bird watching organised around the sanctuary.

Mr. Gopi Sundar,  member from Save the Cranes campaign addressed the students on the declining number of cranes and facilitated them in bird watching and in identifying different bird species that migrate to the Okhla Bird Sanctuary during the winter season. The major birds included Northern shoveler, black Ccot, Eurasian wigeon, etc.

Mr. Neeraj Kumar, District Forest Officer, was also present in the celebrations and spoke to children on the importance of wetlands. He also talked about the role being played by the Forest Department in conserving the sanctuary and the steps needed to be taken to preserve the biodiversity of the region in order to attract more and more relevant species in the near future.

Rakesh Khatri, Nipun Kaushik & Animesh Kapoor from Nature Foundation (India) also spoke to the students on the need and benefits of bird watching and also highlighting steps that can be taken to save the dwindling bird population in the entire NCR. The idea was to motivate the youth towards bird watching so as to developed it as a habit and a hobby.

The experience for the visiting students was nice which was well evident from the requests by them for letting them go into denser parts of the forest in their next visit.

As human beings, we are born into a pre-existing world. Being born into a culture we inherit-words and language-we assume that words and languages describe this preexisting world. Because we think of language as something in response to the world or existing in order to deal with the world, language becomes a means to an end. It is a means to make sense of the world and to make sense of ‘why and how’ of things around us.

This paradigm allows us only one way of thinking and doing things. The world is separate from us that we exploit for our benefit. Things that are useless are treated as waste or dirt or pollution to be discarded. It only allows us for fixing and changing things to our advantage, things that are not working or not working as well as we would like them to.This form of thinking has logic of its own. Cities like Delhi come into existence as a result of this logic. Agglomeration and consolidation of production of goods and services allow for trade and commerce so that more can be produced with least bit of energy and increased efficiency. It results in production of waste and pollution. It also results in crowding-settlements where human beings are living in close proximity and high densities.

Therefore waste generated by industry and commerce, air water land pollution needs to be treated in order to keep human labour healthy, so that they can be productive and efficient. Close and high density settlements need to be kept clean and safe so that human beings will be willing to stay with each other. Clean and safe drinking water, cleaning of the streets or keeping the garbage off the streets is in order to maintain good health of the population so that they can survive and produce efficiently. Even the immunization programs and the nutrition programs are in order to ensure that there is a future generation of skilled and semi-skilled human beings servicing the economies of growth.  This is essential in order to keep the entire giant economy of the city and the nation operating smoothly and growing at 6% or 10% GDP.

This is the implication of language as coming into existance in order to deal with the world. It follows that how we use language will be limited to what this paradigm allows us to do– to fix and manipulate the world in order to control and dominate it. Is there an option?

The Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) invites all citizens to celebrate the World Wetlands Day on the 2nd of February. This date marks the signing of the ‘Convention on Wetlands’ in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran. The 2010 Wetlands Day theme is “Caring for Wetlands – an Answer to Climate Chang”. The theme highlights the fact that wetlands, with their biodiversity, can help mitigate climate change.

Date: 2nd February, 2010
Time: 10.30 am
Venue: Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Jharoda Majra, Ahead of Wazirabad and Jagatpur Villages (10 mins drive from the DU Metro Station)

The YBP has been established in Delhi to recreate the locally extinct biodiversity of Yamuna river basin. The almost seven years old biodiversity park now harbours a wide range of ecosystems of river basin which support more than 1200 plant species. These include finest wetlands, besides a butterfly conservatory, a conservatory of fruit yielding plants, grasslands, tropical moist and dry deciduous forest communities, Acacia woodlands and a herbal garden.

Located on the floodplains of River Yamuna, Yamuna Biodiversity Park is the model location to discuss and work on the conservation of river basin and its biodiversity. The exceptional wetlands of Yamuna Biodiversity Park are fully functional and attract thousands of migratory birds each year in the winter season.

Therefore, the YBP has already become a hub of nature education and conservation of biodiversity. To promote nature education and conservation of wetlands, river Yamuna and its floodplains we celebrate each year World Wetland Day on 2nd February.

For more information and to participate, please contact:

Faiyaz A. Khudsar
Scientist Incharge
Yamuna Biodiversity Park
University of Delhi
Email: faiyazwild@gmail.com
Mobile: 09810511552

The feedbacks you post are out of your willingness to ‘because in the matter’ of creating a better world through environmental actions. Thank you for taking time out to respond to the blog and sharing your lives with me. It is these little acts of patchwork that brings us together. Patchwork is a creative way of bringing different pieces of cloth to create a new design. It always begins with small pieces coming from different places and origins and combines to create a design. It creates a completely new design from the old, the discarded and the small. Similarly when a new a new world order gets created, the pieces of different actions from people in different areas of life come together.

Wanted to share with you a news item by John Schwartz in the January 28th 2010 paper of International Herald Tribune as what appears to be a beginning piece and part of this emergent new world order. “Kivalina an Inupiant Eskimo village (in Alaska USA) of 400, perched on a barrier island north of the Arctic Circle is accusing two dozen utility companies of helping to cause the climate change that it says is accelerating the island’s climate change”. They use the sea ice blocks are used to protect the town’s fragile coast from high wind season. But this year they could not do it. The relocation cost of this village could amount to $400 million.

The case is one among three major law suits filed by environmental groups, private lawyers and state officials against major utility companies. It is a difficult battle and federal judge dismissed their suit, but they are appealing the decision. The cases rely on the common law doctrine of nuisance, the same concept that allows the neighbours to sue one another over noise odor and the like, that interfere with the use of enjoyment of property. In the context of climate change these used to be dismissed as frivolous, not any more. Similar issues with drug companies as captured in the classic ‘Silent Spring’, Tobacco companies and asbestos industries in the past have yielded results.

But this is just the beginning. The pressure from such suits could become a significant issue within the next few years. Let us wait and see. Blocking the ice melt.

Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) requests the presence of all concerned to the Indian People’s Tribunal (IPT) on the issue of Genetically Modified (GM) seeds/foods and Bt Brinjal in particular. HRLN is bringing eminent speakers and researchers from across the country to share a common platform and vocalise their experience and opinion on January 28th and 29th, 2010, at Vishwa Yuva Kendra, New Delhi.

The regulators in India have cleared Bt Brinjal as safe for human (& animal) health and environment and that it could be permitted for commercial cultivation in India. However, the Government of India is holding nation-wide consultations to address numerous concerns and unanswered questions on the GM food crop before reaching a logical end. Bt Brinjal is the first GM food crop in India and the first ever GM vegetable in the world with the Bt gene in it. This Tribunal is being held as a platform to not only address the surrounding queries but also highlighting the many facets of the debate on GM seeds.

Without really getting lost in the larger debate around food/hunger crisis, which is being made into the rationale for bringing in Bt Brinjal iisue, this People’s Tribunal focuses clearly on GM seeds, their relevance and need and other related issues, even as all presenters of testimonies will be encouraged to touch upon some larger issues too and present data to support their case.

A panel of prominent citizens, journalists, judges, scientists and activists will preside over the two-day IPT.

HRLN strongly hopes and looks for your support in this two-day programme, so that it will serve for larger social and political change in perceiving the issue. We anticipate the tribunal will be an indicator for civil society to rethink of a new set of strategies, to compel the State for immediate intervention to address the GM seeds/food debate.

Concerned individuals who would especially like to attend the IPT on the 29th of Janary are requested to kindly confirm  their presence in advance so that necessary arrangements can be made in due time.

For further information and to RSVP, please contact:

Imran Ali, Coordinator (IPT), +91-9212696986 or write to imran@hrln.org
Manisha Tiwari, Coordinator (IPT), +91-9717-505-798

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Save Loktak Lake campaigners at India Gate in New Delhi

Delhi Greens is proud to partner with the North East Center for Environmental Education & Research (NECEER), Imphal in calling for March 7th, 2010 as a Worldwide Loktak Campaign Day! Being coordinated by NECEER in 20 cities across 3 continents, the day is being marked as a worldwide attempt to raise awareness on the world’s only floating National Park – Keibul Lamjao – which is central to the Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in North East India.

The Loktak lake has been a main source of income and sustenance for inhabitants of the area. Since the last few decades, the lake has been facing all round destruction owing to both natural and anthropogenic activities. Rapid expansion of ‘phumdis’ (floating islands!!), siltation, pollution, agriculture and adverse effect from Loktak Hydropower Project are some of the main problems which had led to an alarming destruction of the lake. This has also threatned the already endangered Manipur brow antlered deer ‘Sangai’ – Cervus eldi eldi and many plant species that are endemic to the region.

For more infomration, please contact:
K. Jibankumar Singh
neceer.imp(a)gmail.com

To volunteer for the Worldwide Loktak Campaign Day in Delhi, write to mehnazlee(a)gmail.com or to aastha(a)delhigreens.org. Visit NECEER.Imphal for updates, or subscribe to the Delhi Greens blog!

Previously on Delhi Greens:

• Delhi Greens partners for Global Day of Action in Imphal, Manipur

Environmental Equity and Justice Partnership (EEJP) is an independent grant-making program of the Just Environment Charitable Trust and supported by the Ford Foundation. The initiative is dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the area of environmental justice by catalysing grassroots initiatives; triggering new imagination; bringing in new perspectives; encouraging crossover linkages; promoting community participation, and providing greater opportunities to connect to the environmental thinking.

The goal of EEJP is ‘to secure environmental justice especially for the poor and the marginalized that are often expected to bear more than their share of environmental burdens’. EEJP is currently inviting applications under two categories:

1. Environmental Small Grants (for grassroots organisations): The Environmental Small Grants allows EEJP program to assist worthy grassroots organizations engaged in environmental work through support of small projects that are of special importance to those applicants and their communities. The focus is on supporting organizations that identify and work on the root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change.
2. Environmental Fellowships (for young individuals): The Environmental Fellowship component of EEJP allows it to assist young committed individuals with a leadership potential to engage with the cross cutting issues of Toxicity, Waste and Pollution within the context of environmental justice. The broad aim is to encourage new thinking and perspective that in turn challenge the status quo and help re-imagine solutions.

The focus under the current phase of EEJP (2009-2012) is on the cross cutting issues of Toxicity, Waste and Pollution.Deadline for receiving the applications is 30th Jan 2010 28th Feb, 2010. For more information, visit http://eejp.org

Previously on Delhi Greens:

• Announcement: Fellowships Available with EEJP

Maitri Sthal at BumLa, the highest pass to Tibet in Tawang

Delhi Greens wishes its readers a very Happy Republic Day! We dedicate this day to all the soldiers who brave extreme environmental conditions to protect our borders and keep us safe and secure. May peace always be the way forward no matter what the conflict, for after a war, it doesn’t matter what was right…only what is left.

Toxics Link’s Environment & Health Public Lecture Series

How the Australian Rainforests were saved – the influence of Gandhi

Australia-India Council, Kalpvriksh and Toxics Link cordially invite you to an evening imbued in film, music and ecology by renowned conservationists

Speaker: John Seed

Very few of us are aware that the world’s first direct action in defence of rainforests took place at Terania Creek in northern New South Wales (NSW) Australia in 1979. Strongly influenced by Gandhi’s principle of Satyagraha, the movement hugely influenced the drafting of a historic legislation by NSW government in 1982 to protect the rainforests there.

John Seed, the founder-director of the Rainforest Information Centre, Australia, has been involved in direct actions that have resulted in the protection of the Australian rainforests. His narration involves innovative use of film, music and presentation to focus on the struggle of a peaceful few to protect the subtropical rainforests in their area

John, an accomplished bard, songwriter and film-maker , has produced albums of environmental songs and numerous films He is a Fellow of the Findhorn Foundation UK and an occasional Scholar-in-Residence at the Esalen Institute in California. He has created numerous sustainable development projects to protect rainforests in South America, Asia and the Pacific region . His valuable contributions on various projects in India include reforestation of Arunachala and protection of wild Asian elephants in the Nilgiris.

Date: 28th January 2010, Thursday
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Conference Room 1, India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi (In collaboration with India International Centre)

For further information and to RSVP, please contact:

Suparna Dutta: suparna@toxicslink.org
Nitin Jain: nitin@toxicslink.org
Email: info@toxicslink.org

ठण्ड के अपने मजे कोई खुले मैं, कोई मफलर मैं.

Around a time very close to the Delhi winter, the city administration suddenly realized to complete a long pending task. And several “illegal” night shelters were brought down..