Green Vision

Newsletter from Green Brigade October - 2012

www.facebook.com/groups/371497349573555/

Take a step forward Take a step ahead Take a step towards a new world I can do it Even you can We can do it, Together.. Swarup Das

Editors Note
This is our first task as editors for the quarterly newsletter organized by Green Brigade. Consciousness of environment is the main motto of Green Brigade. It is associated by nearly forty members as on date. Every member has participated in many ways with their innovative ideas for the newsletter. We thank all of our participants for their great efforts. Especially we have tried to reach out all levels to increase the awareness for our environment. In future, we hope we will make next editions more innovative, more green and more successful.

Beyond the line: From the Founder's Desk

When I thought of creating a Facebook group so that my contributors to my program of recycling with Emirates Environmental Group, it just turned out to be a group where people informed me when to collect the materials and that was it. I thought a long time about the fact that the common man in UAE does not know the complex details of caring for the environment. I thought about engaging the youth to achieve this target because as someone great had once said 'The youth is the most powerful weapon of change.' We, as the youth can do a lot to educate the people regarding such important facts and to do this, we needed to spread awareness amongst all the people so that they get knowledge about the various environmental problems that the society faces today. Eventually, after days of rising phone bills and rising steam, we finally managed to form the Green Brigade. We had conducted a water conservation campaign in June to educate people on the need of saving water in not only households but also in places wherever we go. Because water helps save electricity, we started monitoring their electricity and water bills and consumptions so as to give them a trend of their households and let them know whether they are on the safe side or not. If their performance has improved, they are showered with praise. Every successful company, every successful organization and every successful group needs to have an identity to define itself and also maintain its originality. That is why our creative minds have racked the deepest depths of their brains, creativity and also feelings to create some logos and slogans for the Green Brigade. They are submitted as entries with the maker's name at the bottom. Please give your votes to one candidate whose logo you feel is nice and truly describes the purposes and the values of what the Green Brigade actually works for at unmeshdatta@yahoo.co.in. We would like to bring more and more towards the cause and expect a very active participation from all of you in all the forthcoming events. Also please let us know your thoughts and concerns/suggestions on various environmental issues to play a greater role in building our own future. If anybody wish to be a part of our recycling programme (with EEG), please let us know so that we can arrange for regular collection of newspapers, aluminum cans, Tetra packs etc from your place. Also you will receive our latest news, updates on upcoming events for this year and many more..... Have a Green time flipping through it!!!! Unmesh Datta DPS Sharjah (IX)

Founder ( Green Brigade ) Regional Ambassador : TUNZA Eco-generation (a collaboration between UNEP & Samsung Engineering)
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GO GREEN STAY SERENE

Supriya Singh and Sruty Nair Our own English School Class IX

What is environment? The word 'environment' is derived from the French word environ, which means 'to surround' or 'around' and is referred to as the external conditions in which an organism lives. Environment can defined as the physical, chemical and biological factors that surround an organism. Environment consists of five elements earth, water, sky, fire and air. These are slowly getting polluted because of various human activities. Factories and cars release harmful gases in the atmosphere. Untreated chemical waste is being dumped into various water bodies which lead to water pollution, killing marine life. The effects of pollution are disastrousharmful greenhouse gases such as methane, sulphur dioxide, etc., cause acid rain and ozone depletion. Ozone layer is important as it protects us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the Sun. Trees are being cut down in large numbers each day which results in the increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The following steps can help reduce pollution: Grow more plants Use paper judiciously Reduce usage of plastic Switch off lights, fans and air conditioners when not required Use recycled paper where possible Keep the environment clean Spread awareness about the importance of saving the environment. Today the good news is UN has made the environmental needs its first priority. Also, organizations like Beeah in Sharjah have taken initiatives to save the environment. They have initiated the Green Flag award to those schools and communities that have taken steps towards reducing pollution. Let us all work towards making a better and greener tomorrow.

Values of Trees
Ipsita chakraborty Goswami
A friend always does a good for us even if we do harm to him, similarly, always a tree save our life even if we hurt it. So tree is our best friend. We should not lose any trees from our world. The existence of earth greatly depends on the trees. Trees are our life, our future. They help to reduce the air pollution. During the process of photosynthesis they absorb the carbon dioxide from the air and give us the oxygen, which is the most essential thing for our life. Trees provide us various types of food, clothes, medicines, furniture etc. we collect our most essential products from trees. They save us from destroying flood and draughts. Our most essential products come from trees directly or indirectly. Not only vegetarian food but non-vegetarian food also comes from trees indirectly. Roots of trees prevent the erosion of soil. They keep the water below the soil clean. Trees save us from destroying floods and draughts. Trees are very essential to the eco-system in which they reside. Forest is protector of wildlife. They save us from heat of the sun and help to keep the weather cool. Moreover the climate of our nature depends on the trees. If there is no tree, there is no rain. Another aspect, how trees paint the canvas of nature with different shades of green, can we forget it? Folks, be alert, save the environment and live better future. Then lets unite, plant trees and make our life greener.

Wow!!! What a VIEW!!!

You too put on the green goggle like me!!! Lets look at our future
Romasha Guin, DPS Sharjah Class (V)
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News tracking around us

Akashdeep Das DPS Sharjah (Class V)

The Supreme Court of India has imposed interim ban on tourism in core areas of all 42 Tiger Reserves in India to protect tigers as population of tigers came down to 1,200 from 13,000. The bans impact will be seen in the National Parks like Bandipur, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Corbett, Ranthambore, Kaziranga and Kalakad-Mandathurai, which earn large revenue from tiger tourism. Ban on tourism in core areas will allow tourists to go till the buffer zones only. Since tiger sighting are rare in the buffer zones, the ban may discourage tourists from visiting these National Parks. Tour operators, hotel associations and several State Governments are opposing the ban and forced Supreme Court to reconsider the ban on tourism in core areas Tiger Reserve. Final order of the Court is yet to be published. Court has ordered the Central Government to set up a committee of environmental experts to look into long term implications of tourism ban in natural reserves. The Court has said that it would decide on lifting of the ban after the finalisation of guidelines on eco-tourism. But many guides, environmentalists and conservationists, insist the real losers will be the creatures who have helped everybody to prosper. "If the ban on tourism continues, it will be the end of the tiger in India," a guide said. "We're the ones who put energy into tracking them. We deter poachers. Tourists are only allowed in the park for six hours every day, but we guides take it in turns to patrol the park from sunrise to sunset. Voluntarily." Future will only tell the truth, but we all need to have a close look into the events.

Gulf News Article published on 2 July 2012

Some moments from our monthly update meeting

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Carbon Neutral: Climate Smart Anwesha Sarma

OUR OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, class (XI) Todays environmentalists have two major issues: a) Reducing Carbon footprint b) Conservation of natural resources Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases we produce through transport, rubbish, burning fuel for electricity and heating. Greenhouse gas is made up of four principal gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20) and the halocarbons. These gases have global warming Potential, with the most common being CO2. A carbon footprint is made up of the sum of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including usage of electric, cooking gas or transportation. While, the secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the daily products we use which include the food and clothes we buy. The problem that has been discovered in recent years is that people are using the natural resources much faster than the time it takes for the earth to produce them. If people recycled natural resources, they would be able to be re-used. There are a number of approaches that can be taken to conserve water, energy, and trees. Today it is highly important for us as individuals to contribute to the conservation of our scarce resources, yet we continue to ignore the great effects that will eventually occur and use up more and more of these resources. This is because today lifestyles are becoming based around materialistic things, busy lives where it is almost impossible to fit in time where we stop and think. Other peoples lifestyles may be considered as selfish, whereby peoples ignorance allows them to want to enjoy lavish holidays without the worries of the high pollution levels that airplanes have on the world in which we live. May be my carbon footprint is smaller than the worldwide average but still larger than the world wide target footprint (exceed about 3 metric tons). It is the time for us to change lifestyle which is very rarely environmental friendly. I always forgot to turn off the electric after using it. Also, I constantly turn on the airconditioner in my house without hesitating when I feel hot. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been used in the manufacturing of air conditioners. Scientists worldwide have concluded that CFCs releases chlorine to deplete the ozone layer. Since I seldom back home so the carbon I emitted through transportation is less. The most part of carbon I emitted is from secondary distribution which relate to my lifestyle. I always choosy in food and prefer non-veg than vegetables. Besides, I never pay much attention on the source of product I bought. Instead of going by school bus every day I travel by car/cab. All of these unintentionally action actually bring impact to our earth indirectly. In order to preserve our ozone layer, it is the time for me to reduce my primary carbon footprint. I should control my usage in electric and only turn on the fan instead of air-conditioner when necessary. Turn off the light, computer and television once after I use. I should turn off the water while brushing teeth to save gallons of water. Another way to save water is to be cautious of any dripping or leaking pipes or faucets. Another of earths resources that can be conserved is trees. Trees are by far the one of the most needed resources. People can conserve by recycling all the time or at least as often as possible. If the use of paper was minimized then that would save a large number of trees from being cut down. To help conserve the trees, people should begin to pay their bills online. The community could recycle newspaper, notebook paper, and recycle junk mail that may be lying around. Computers are available all around, but some people would still rather use paper. If people knew the importance of trees and the need of their conservation, then people may contribute to recycling. Likewise every individual should look into his or her lifestyle and take action as early as possible. Together we can make a greener future Let us take a vow to reduce carbon foot print to make our planet beautiful. Together we can.
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Inside view of my Green Life

Subhasree Dutta
As a home maker, I always think, what I can contribute to the society as I have very little interaction with outside world and I realised that through my small steps taken in my own household, I would be part of the global movement for better green world. I am a great believer of 3R concept (reduce, reuse and recycle) and take this wonderful forum of Green Brigade to tell all the following steps which I have adopted for my household: 1) I Use a dish cloth instead of paper towels. 2) Many newspapers and magazines are online now. Instead of buying the paper versions, I find them on the Internet. 3) I don't buy things what I don't need or items that come in wasteful packaging or that cannot be recycled. 4) I try to avoid disposable goods, such as paper plates, cups, napkins, razors, and lighters. Throwaways contribute to the problem, and cost more because they must be replaced again and again. 5) Bring cloth sacks to the store with you instead of taking home new paper or plastic bags. You can use these sacks again and again. You'll be saving some trees!.... ( I use the Jute bags provided by Gulf news a few years back ) 6) I Don't throw out clothes, toys, furniture, and other things that I don't want anymore. Somebody else can probably use them. I bring them to a center that collects donations, give them to friends, or even have a yard sale. 7) I Use reusable containers rather than plastic wrap. 8) Many of the things I use every day, like paper bags, soda cans, and milk cartons, are made out of materials that can be recycled. I segregate these used materials separately and arrange to send them for recycling purpose on a monthly basis. 9) I always try to buy products made from recycled material. I Look for the recycling symbol or ask store managers or salesmen. The recycling symbol means the product is made of recycled material, or the item can be recycled. For instance, many plastic containers have a recycling symbol with a numbered code the identifies what type of plastic resin it is made from. However, just because the container has this code does not mean it can be easily recycled locally. 10) I Cut the tops of plastic bottles and use them as covers for opened packets by pulling them through the bottle top and then closing it with the lid.

Entries for our logo competition

Anushna Bagchi

Shreyas Das

Swagat Das

Swagat Das

Kankan Santra

One of our young member, Shreyas, who has created the logo themed on green step, has also nicely described on every single item on the logo. Please read below for what he told us:
The green earth with the environmental sign represents the healthy, environmental hazard free world of tomorrow. The road represents the hope and the path to reach healthy, environmental hazard free world . Finally the small footstep represents a step taken and a step is what required to make the world a better place tomorrow.
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Entries for our slogan search

DO NOT GO GREENGO GREENEST : Anushna GREEN TODAYCLEAN TOMORROW : Anushna TINY DROPLETS CONTRIBUTES TOWARDS OCEAN OF CHANGE : Anushna A SMALL FOOT FORWARD TO CURB ON FOOTPRINT : Anushna CATALYSYTS FOR CHANGE Anushna : TAP YOUR FEET.ON A GREEN BEAT :Anushna BLUE PLANET NEEDS A GREEN MAKEOVER!!! : Anushna

STONE AGE > BRONE AGE > IRON AGE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GREEN AGE, TOGETHER WE WRITE HISTORY ON TOMORROWS PAGE : THINK GREEN TODAY BREATHE EASIER TOMORROW : Anushna Anushna Bagchi DPS Sharjah class (VI) Sajal

GREEN IS BEST FOR A.......BLUE NEST!

Some Green Tips
Swagat Das

OUR OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, class (VIII)

Today's people are more wired up, plugged in, worldly and savvy than ever. Many care deeply about the threats facing our environment, and are committed to making difference. But it's not always easy to know exactly what to do. Here are some suggestions to get started. When You're Done Surfing Turn Your Computer Off: If you shut your machine off before bedtime, you'll save an average of $90 worth of electricity a year tell your parents that, and ask for a raise in your allowance! If you must leave your computer on, tell it to go into "sleep" or "hibernate" mode, which saves power. Get Involved: Most schools have environment or Earth Day clubs, so give them a chance! It's a great way to meet nice people, and you can learn so much from your peers. Many clubs convince their schools to recycle or start a garden. Get involved with organisations like EEG, EMEG etc Go Veggie Once Per Week: The commercial meat industry takes a huge toll on our environment. One pound of wheat can be grown with 60 pounds of water, but a pound of red meat requires 2,500 to 6,000 pounds of water. In a world where water, land and energy are premiums, making a small cutback in the meat you eat is healthy for the planet, as well as your body.

A Green Appeal to you - Yes you are our green Briga-Dear

Thank you for your effort & thought spent on last 10 minutes read. Before the moment fades, let me ask you one of the simplest questions ever, "What will you do with this piece of paper in your hand?

No, please don't let the paper and your thought go into the waste bin.
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Anushna Bagchi DPS Sharjah (Class VI)

Upcoming green events:

a) EEG student workshop : 15th . to 17th . October (Sheikh Rashid Auditorium, Dubai) b) Drawing / poster competition by Green Brigade : 7th.Dec-12 (Venue will be announced later) c) One root, one commune-tree programme by EEG : 12th.Dec 12 d) Beach Cleaning drive and fun day by Green Brigade : in Januray-13

Contact details : Unmesh Datta( unmeshdatta@yahoo.co.in) / (00-971-50-9527005) Editors : Ipsita Chakravarty Goswami & Baisakhi Biswas Published from Sharjah, UAE