Fight Climate Change by eating local fresh food. The Mumbai Organic Fest .

              Fight Climate Change by eating local fresh food.  Respect your local farmer.                      

Have you ever realized that agriculture and farming reduce the carbon dioxide from the air we breathe. Simple! This makes our farmers the best environmentalists on earth, yet we do not uplift or bother to revive their status, yes its true they are a dying breed, they commit suicide out of frustration and low tolerance for all the ills that climate change brings along with it. For instance, mango farmers in India are weeping and many ending lives as the early unexpected rains washed down all the mango flowers and tender mango fruits. Crops destroyed due to early showers.

                                                     

Hundreds of years ago organic agriculture started in India with the idea of providing good pure farm products to the nation but somewhere down the ages, the farmers were forgotten as produces became more and more commercialized. To help resurrect the farmers status we have come together to celebrate produce from organic farms and salute the farmers. The Mumbai Organic Fest 2015,April 19^th  from 9am to 7pm; is a date set to salute the farmers. Being held at the Norita Grounds, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai Mumbai, the fest promises to throw light on organic living, plight of farmers, sustainability and green living, where more than thirty exhibitors, chefs and experts will provide a wide range of products, services and resources in all things earth-friendly – from organic, gluten-free, local, vegan and vegetarian food to health, solar energy and many other green products. The Mumbai Organic Fest is being organized by very enthusiastic partners,   passionate about the environment and working towards a more sustainable planet that we live in.

                                                

Invites Dharmishtha Goenka one of the organizers of the event, “Come support organic farmers at the Mumbai Organic fest at Norita Grounds on April 19^th.Let us get together to promote health, be welcomed by the freshness of the vegetables, folk music and fun. Enjoy the organic fine fruits and vegetable growers committed to practicing sustainable agriculture.”

The festival will have farmers featuring their products and offerings to show attendees, expecting to bridge the gap between the farmer and the plate. it’s an event like no other, that brings together so many people from so many walks of life, all in the spirit of celebrating the rural and agricultural traditions.
                                       

Says Elsie Gabriel, one of the organizers of the Mumbai Organic Fest, “When you eat local, you buy local and you save so many carbon footprints in doing so. The aim to keep resurrecting the ancient organic culture is to help mankind in developing a more sustainable kind of agriculture, quality food and a respect for nature. Our farmers have been exploited and taken for granted. They are powerful environmentalists who actually feed the millions in our country and abroad if you come to think of it.”

This is an event, to focus on our farmers who are the hard working community who help our country thrive agriculturally, it is they who work behind the scene in India, and  are slowly being marginalized. The event is being held in honour of them and their organic produce.

It is our farmers who have years of experience in organic agriculture and agro ecology, from growing to pest control, weed management, marketing, post-harvest treatment, transport, grower organizations and developing new crops. Our Indian farmers can not be left behind. They have extensive first-hand knowledge of farming and environmental.

Farming is more than an occupation and a way of life. It’s an essential contributor to world nutrition, health and profits.. Although our farmers are producing more food than ever before, they face a daunting challenge as more and more people are born everyday! We specially in India I believe have a growing middle class hungry for high-quality food.Only our large population of farmers can cater to that!

Is there any reason to believe that India will be able to feed the exploding population? Both here at home ground India and world, the answer is yes the Farmers will be the only ones who take up this challenge responsibly.

Actually, by conserving resources, investing in modern farming techniques, our farmers have made incredible gains already. It would be right to say that farmers feed the country.
 Iam looking forward to highlighting this movement to bring all natural forces in regard to agriculture into balance, also with the whole cosmos.

 

EARTH HOUR MUMBAI FESTIVAL by Young Environmentalists NGO Mumbai

                      EARTH HOUR MUMBAI FESTIVAL

 

           by Young Environmentalists NGO Mumbai

Actor Umesh Pherwani,Actress Hrishitta Bhatt and Kingfisher Supermodel Sonali Raut came to Powai to promote the EARTH HOUR FESTIVAL by Young Environmentalists NGO and Green team at Meluha ecotel Powai Mumbai on March 28th .Earlier in the month, Elsie Gabriel founder of YEPT who has been certified by former VP of USA Mr.Al Gore in Climate Change, had kickstarted the Earth Hour Mumbai by presenting actor Arjun Kapoor a solar lantern to launch the EARTH HOUR campaign.The YEPT which has been taking the lead in Mumbai to spread the Earth Hour campaign invites citizens to join their solar projects.

Many complexes in Mumbai switched off their lights to promote conservation during the EARTH HOUR MUMBAI .But this is not about one hour ,it is about conserving more than the sixty minutes thus master Chef Parimal Sawant of Meluha ecotel also created a massive EARTH HOUR CAKE -Plus 60-to create awareness about ongoing conservation and recycling .

"The campaign was a great success on the 28^thof March for the Earth Hour festival which was held at Meluha the Fern ecotel Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai.I am proud that hundreds of people came to donate some time towards promoting the Young Environmentalists NGO and their solar project. We must celebrate EARTH HOUR daily in all areas of life," said Actress Hrishitta Bhatt at the event.

 

Surely,renewable energy is the need of the hour we must use the Gods gift of sunlight which is a free source of energy,Government must relax taxes and promote renewable energy in India, althoguh we are not the world biggest polluters at all.

Earth Hour is a global initiative and the largest environmental campaign in history where citizens around the world show their support for action on climate change by turning off non-essential lights for one hour, between 8:30pm-9:30pm.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Prime Minister’s residence, residences of Chief Ministers,MCGM, India Gate and government buildings in every participating city have turned off lights at the same time.The TATA Power, Reliance Energy and the BSES all together have yet to file a total report on the MW saved as all three sources provide energy to different parts of the city.

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Earth summer camp by Young Environmentalists Programem trust

Mithi River E.V.S. Young Environmentalists Field trip Info sheet. Elsie Gabriel.9967347511

 

Mithi River E.V.S. Young Environmentalists Field trip Info sheet. Elsie Gabriel.9967347511

River Mithi is a river in our very own city of Mumbai . Have you ever heard of it? Have you ever seen it? Come join us on a trail and learn more.  It is a confluence of tail water discharges of Powai  and Vihar lakes. The river is seasonal and swells during the monsoos. The overflowing lakes also contribute to the river flow which is stopped by a dam in other times. During this season the river is a favourite with the fisherfolks who catch large fish that have escaped from the lakes. Fishing is banned there.The river is also a natural drainage channel which carries the excess waters during the monsoons. However it is filthy mainly due to the presence of slums and the discharge of industrial effluents.

Topography-The river originates at Powai and meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim Creek flowing through residential and industrial complexes of Powai, Saki Naka, Kurla,Kalina, Vakola, Bandra-Kurla complex,Dharavi and Mahim over a distance of about 15 km.The river bed is narrow in the initial stretch and is about 10 meters wide but at Bandra-Kurla complex, it is much wider.Ecological importance of the river-Mahim bay area, where Mithi River meets Arabian Sea is a nominated bird sanctuary where migratory birds come for nesting. This part is full of mangroves. When the river was not as polluted as it is today, it used to serve as an important storm water drain for Mumbai but as it has been used as a sewer over the years, its importance as a storm water drain has reduced and on the contrary, it poses as a hazard during high tide bringing polluted water into the city.

Powai lake overflows into the Mithi River during monsoons carrying with it all the silt from the several hills around it,along with sewage,plastic bags and garbage.Pic copyright Elsie Gabriel

 

 

Pollution of the Mithi River-The river is treated as an open drain by citizens who discharge raw sewage, industrial waste and municipal waste unchecked. Besides this, illegal activities of washing of oily drums, discharge of unauthorized hazardous waste are also carried out along the course of this river. Cattle sheds in some areas contribute animal waste. Barrel cleaners, scrap dealers and others dump sludge oil, effluent and garbage in the river. The organic waste, sludge and garbage dumping has reduced the carrying capacity of the river. The water with mixture of sewage and industrial waste is a threat to marine life. The river bed is full of sludge, garbage and vegetation growth like hyacinth in many parts.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has undertaken a cleanliness drive lately so that the floods of July 26, 2005 are not repeated but work seems unfinished as of today.At Mahim, around the still, stagnant waters, just before the river flows under a railway and then a road bridge and meets the creek and then the Arabian sea, the slums jostle with each other in resplendent third world glory – surrounded by huge mounds of plastic bags and assorted garbage, which lie untouched even today.We citizens have to cultivate a civic sense wise enough to do our bit to save the River Mithi for the next generation!Use cloth bags and recycle.Today encroachments,hirise complexes,industries built on& near it;and very slow clean up work at the Mithi still make it a threat to the city!First hand experience of the river is vital for students to feel the pulse of the Mithi ecosystem and know the value of a river in their own city!

CLOTH BAG REVOLUTION BY YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTS NGO

                                               CLOTH BAG REVOLUTION

 

Here in India, every once in a while the government passes out an order banning shop keepers from providing plastic bags to customers for carrying their purchases, with little lasting effect. Mumbai hears of no legislation at all. We do have states like Chandigarh and Bangalore which have put a stop on usage of plastic bags to some extent. Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well as consumers because they are cheap, strong, lightweight, functional, as well as a hygienic means of carrying food as well as other goods. Even though they are one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, they are responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up the precious resources of the earth.


How Are Plastic Bags Harmful to the Environment?
Plastic bags are used by every body,it is easily available and free.

 You get them, right from a vegetable vendor to a designer store.

Spread garbage all around our open spaces.

Once they are used, most bags go into landfills which are already crowded here in Mumbai. Each year, more and more bags are ending up littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into our waterways, parks, beaches, and streets. And, if they are burned, they infuse the air with toxic fumes.

 Animals suffer the most..
About 100,000 animals, such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins are killed every year due to these bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food and therefore, die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal. Thus, it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it.In Delhi there have been media reports of ‘Cows’ eating plastic bags from the garbage around and dying of indigestion!

Non-biodegradable

One of the worst environmental effects is they are non-biodegradable. Research says that the decomposition takes about 400 years. No one will live so long to witness decomposition of plastic! Thus, save the environment for the future generation of humans as well as animals.

Petroleum Is Required to Produce Plastic Bags

Petroleum products are diminishing and getting more expensive by the day, since we have used this non-renewable resource, increasingly. Petroleum is vital for our modern way of life. It is necessary for our energy requirements -- for our factories, transport, heating, lighting, and so on. Without viable alternative sources of energy yet on the horizon, if the supply of petroleum were to be turned off, it would lead to, practically the entire world grinding to a halt. But it is said that  to make plastic, about 60 - 100 million barrels of oil are needed every year around the world. Surely, this precious resource should not be wasted on producing plastic bags, should it?

So, What can you do?
Single-use bags have become such a easy way of life that it seems as if we simply cannot do without them. However, if we have the will, we can start reducing their use in small ways.

A cloth bag can make a good substitute for holding the shopping. You can keep the bag in your car,with the cashier, and then put your purchases into it instead of the usual plastic bag.
Recycling the bags you already have is another good idea. These can come into use for various purposes, like holding your garbage, instead of purchasing new ones.

While governments may be working out ways to lessen the impact of plastic bags on the environment, however, each of us should shoulder some of the responsibility for this problem, which ultimately harms us. Cut down on your use of plastic, and do your bit to save our planet.