Unit 1: Environment

-N.M.Gaikwad, DYPP
1.1 Definitions, need of environmental studies
1.2 Segments of environment atmosphere,
hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere
1.3 Environmental issues - Green house
effects, climate change, global warming,
acid rain, ozone layer depletion, nuclear
accidents
1.4 Concept of 4R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and
Recover )
1.5 Public awareness about environment
 An environmental study is the interdisciplinary academic field which
methodically studies human interaction with the environment.
 It is a wide-ranging field of study that also includes the natural
environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships
between them.
 Environment is what we see around us, composed of both biotic and
abiotic factors, It has profound effect over the living organisms.
 It also exerts influence over their metabolic activities; it causes even
evolution to occur as the environment is dynamic and ever changing.
 The study of environment makes the man to understand the
importance of clean environment. Environmental Study, thus, will be
a growing field for the future with the growing concerns about our
global warming and climate changes.
 Man has been responsible for major part of the environmental
degradation through depletion of resources such as air, water and
soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife,
hence it becomes of paramount importance that people are aware of
environmental issues and their possible solutions.
 Abiotic components: are contrasted to biotic components, and
are non-living components of an organism's environment,
such as temperature, light, moisture, air currents, etc.
 Afforestation: The direct conversion of land which is not
forested since least 50 years to forested land through planting,
seeding.
 Anthropogenic: Caused or produced by humans.
 Aquifer: Water bearing strata.
 Biodiversity: Shorthand for biological diversity. Variability
among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial,
marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological
complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity
within species, between species and of ecosystems.
 Biomass: A renewable energy source, is biological material
from living, or recently living organisms.
 BM-sequestration: It is the capture and storage of the
atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by biological
processes.
 Biotic components: Biotic components are the living things that
shape an ecosystem.
 Biotope: Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions
providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and
animals.
 Carbon sequestration : It is the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2)
by way of afforesting or other methods
 CFCs: Chlorofluorocarbons. A category of chemical substances
that contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. Regulated
under the Montreal Protocol. Consumers (heterotrophs) :
Animals who depend upon producers for food.
 Decomposers (detritivores) : Fungi and bacteria; they break
down chemicals from producers and. consumers into simpler
form which can be reused.
 Deforestation: The direct human-induced conversion of forested
land to non-forested land.
 Demography: It encompasses the study of the size, structure, and
distribution of populations, and spatial and/or temporal changes in
them in response to birth, migration, aging and death.
 Dendrochronology: It is the scientific method of dating based on the
analysis of patterns of tree-rings.
 Ecological collapse: It refers to a situation where an ecosystem
suffers a drastic, if not permanent, reduction in carrying capacity for
all organisms, often resulting in mass extinction.
 Environment: The physical and biological factors along with their
chemical interactions that affect an organism.
 Ecosystem: Dynamic complex of plant, animal, microorganism
communities and their non-living environment, interacting as a
functional unit. Ecosystems are irrespective of political boundaries.
 GHGs: Greenhouse gases: Atmospheric gases that trap the heat
and are responsible for warming the earth and climate change.
The major greenhouse gases are: carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N20). Less prevalent but
very powerful greenhouse gases are hydro fluorocarbons
(HFCs), per fluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride
(SF6).
 Habitat: Place or type of site where an organism or population
naturally occurs.
 Hazardous wastes: Wastes that exhibit one or more hazardous
characteristics, such as being flammable, oxidizing, poisonous,
infectious, corrosive, or Eco toxic
 Micro-organism : Group of microscopic organisms, some of
which cannot be detected without the aid of a light or electron
microscope, including viruses, prokaryotes (bacteria and
archaea), and eukaryotic life forms
 PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) : PCBs were widely used as
dielectric and coolant fluids, for example in transformers,
capacitors, and electric motors.
 Producers (autotrophs): plants; they convert the
energy (from the sun, or other sources) into food.
 Rangelands : are vast natural landscapes in the form
 Rio Conference: Shorthand for the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development
wetlands, and deserts. (UNCED), held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.
 The outcomes of the Conference include:
 (a) The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC);
 (b) The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);
 (c) Agenda 21;
 (d) The establishment of the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD);
 (e) The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development;
 Riparian: Area is the interface between land and a river or stream.
 Rotavirus: It is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among
infants and young children.
 Stockholm Conference: Shorthand for the UN Conference on the
Human Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972.
 The outcomes of the Stockholm Conference were :
 (a) The establishment of the UN Environment Program (UNEP);
 (b) The establishment of an Environment Fund;
 (c) An Action Plan; and (d) the Stockholm Declaration.
 Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.
 Van Mahotsav: is an annual tree-planting festival in India, celebrated
on first of July. During this event millions of trees are planted.
 Vienna Convention :
 (1) Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.
Adopted in 1984, and entered into force in 1985.
 (2) Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Adopted in
1969, and entered into force in 1980.
 (3) Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of
Treaties. Adopted in 1978, and entered into force in 1996.
 Years of Life Lost (YLL): The numerical difference between a
predetermined end point age (usually age 75) and the age at
death for a death or deaths that occurred prior to that end
point age.
 To inspire every citizen to use our environmental resources
with care and protect them from degradation
 To explain the concept of environmental degradation;
 To identify various factors causing environmental
degradation;
 To explain the concept of sustainable development;
 To recognize the national and international commitment to
the protection of Environment
 To gain support for environmental protection,
environmental cost-recovery and sustainable development
of resources
 It is clear that no citizen of the earth can afford to be
ignorant of environmental issues.
 To prevent ill-effects on our environment by our actions is
economically more viable than death* up the environment
once it is damaged as we bow that prevention is better than
cure.
Earth's Four Spheres

 ATMOSPHERE,
 HYDROSPHERE,
 LITHOSPHERE
 BIOSPHERE
 Most valuable gas oxygen is provided by atmosphere.
Oxygen is required for human respiration, carbon dioxide
used for the growth of plants
 The atmosphere forms a protective cover over the earth.
 The lowest layer, the troposphere, the only part of it warm
enough for us to survive in, is only 12 kilometers thick.
 The stratosphere is 50 kilometers thick and contains a
layer of sulphates which is instrumental in the formation
of rain. It also contains a layer of ozone, which absorbs
ultra-violet light.
 The atmosphere is not uniformly heated by the sun. This
leads to air flows and variations in climate, temperature
and rainfall in different parts of the earth. It is a complex
dynamic system.
 To sustain life, air should be clean. Major pollutants
of air are produced by industrial units which
discharge various gases such as carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and toxic fumes into the air.
 Air is also polluted by burning fossil fuels. The
accumulation of carbon dioxide and other gases
causes 'greenhouse effect' in the atmosphere that is
leading to global warming phenomenon.
 The rising number of scooters, motorcycles, cars,
buses and trucks which consume fossil fuel (petrol
and diesel) is a major cause of air pollution in cities
and on highways.
 Air pollution is responsible for acute and chronic
respiratory diseases such as lung infections, asthma
and even cancer.
 It provides the water for drinking, cleaning, washing, agriculture,
industrial need, gardening, public toilets; food resources from the
sea, including fish, sea weed, etc.; food from fresh water sources,
including fish and aquatic plants; and water flowing down from in
ranges used to generate electricity in hydroelectric projects.
 The hydrosphere cover three fourth earth's surface. A main part of
the hydrosphere is the marine ecosystem in the ocean, while a
small part occurs in fresh water.
 Fresh water in rivers, lakes and glaciers, is everlastingly being
renewed by a process of evaporation and rainfall.
 Some of this fresh water lies in underground aquifers. Human
activities such as deforestation create serious modifications in the
hydrosphere. Once land is denuded of vegetation, the rain erodes
the soil which is washed into the sea.
 Chemicals from industry and sewage catch their way into rivers
and the sea. Water pollution thus threatens the health of
communities as all our lives rest on the availability of clean water.
This once abundant resource is now becoming small and costly
due to pollution.
 It provides us the soil for agriculture, stone, gravel, sand for
construction, nutrient for growth of plants, oil, coal, gas for
domestic and industrial use, minerals.
 Breaking down the complex organic -matter into simple
ones.
 There are two types of lithosphere :
 Oceanic lithosphere, which is associated with Oceanic
crust and exists in the ocean basins.
 Continental lithosphere, which is associated with
Continental crust.
 Oceanic lithosphere is typically about 50-100 km thick,
while continental lithosphere has a range in thickness from
about 40 km to perhaps 200 km; the upper 30 to 50 km of
typical continental lithosphere is crust.
 It provides food from crops and domestic animals, providing human metabolic
requirement; food for all forms of life which live as interdependent species in a
community and form food chains in nature on which man is dependent;
 Biomass fuel wood collected from forests and plantations, along with other forms
of organic matter, used as a source of energy and provide timber and other
construction materials.
 The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of
life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system.
 From the broadest bio physiological point of view, the biosphere is the global
ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including
their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and
atmosphere.
 The actual thickness of the biosphere on earth is difficult to measure.
 Birds typically fly at altitudes of 650 to 1,800 meters, and fish that live deep
underwater can be' found down to -8,372 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench. There
are more extreme examples for life on the planet :
 RUppell's vulture has been found at altitudes of 11,300 meters; bar-headed geese
migrate at altitudes of at least 8,300 meters; yaks live at elevations between 3,200
to 5,400 meters above sea level; mountain goats-live up to 3,050 meters
1. Global Warming and Green House Effect
2. Climate Change
3. Acid Rain
4. Ozone layer depletion
5. Nuclear Accidents
 Global warming and green house effect are not two different
incidences; rather they are the two sides of the same coin. Global
warming happens mainly due to the greenhouse effect.
 Global warming is the rising average temperature of Earth's
atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its
projected continuation. •
 The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation
from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse
gases, and is re-radiated in all directions.
 Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface and
the lower atmosphere, it results in an elevation of the average
surface temperature above what it would be in the absence of
the gases. Solar radiation at the frequencies of visible light
largely passes through the atmosphere to warm the planetary
surface, which then emits this energy at the lower frequencies of
infrared thermal radiation.
 Infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases, which
in turn re-radiate much of the energy to the surface and
lower atmosphere.
 The mechanism is named after the effect of solar radiation
passing through glass and warming a greenhouse.
 By their percentage contribution to the greenhouse effect on
Earth, the four major gases are (Known as GHG) : water vapor,
36-70%, carbon dioxide, 9-26%, methane, 4-9%, ozone, 3-7%, in
addition to nitrous oxide, CFCs etc.
 Owing to increase in GHG concentrations, the global temperature
has increased 0.74 degree Celsius in last 100 years.
 They indicate that during the 21st century the global surface
temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 2.9 °C (2 to 5.2 °F)
 An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and
will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, and a
probable expansion of subtropical deserts.
 Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent
occurrence of extreme-weather events sea ice. including heat
waves, droughts and heavy rainfall, species extinctions due to
shifting temperature regimes, and changes in crop yields.
 Climate change is a significant and lasting change in
the statistical distribution of weather patterns over
periods ranging from decades to millions of years.
 It may be a change in average weather conditions,
or in the distribution of weather around the average
conditions (i.e., more or fewer extreme weather
events).
 Climate change is caused by factors that include
oceanic processes (such as oceanic circulation),
variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate
tectonics and volcanic eruptions, and human"
induced alterations of the natural world; these
latter effects are currently causing global warming'
and "climate change" is often used to describe
human-specific impacts.
Causes of climate change :
 1. Ocean variability: The ocean is a fundamental part of the climate system,
some changes in it occurring at longer timescales than in the atmosphere,
massing hundreds of times more and having very high thermal inertia. On
longer time scales, alterations to ocean processes such as thermohaline
circulation play a key role in redistributing heat by carrying out a very slow and
extremely deep movement of water, and the long-term redistribution of heat in
the world's oceans.
 2. Orbital variations: Slight variations in Earth's orbit lead to changes in the
seasonal distribution of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface and how it is
distributed across the globe. There is very little change to the area-averaged
annually averaged sunshine; but there can be strong changes in the
geographical and seasonal distribution.
 3. Solar radiations: The sun is the predominant source for energy input to the
Earth. Both long- and short-term variations in solar intensity are known to
affect global climate.
 4. Volcanism: Volcanic eruptions release gases and particulates into the
atmosphere.
 5. Human influences: most concern in these factors is the increase in CO2 levels
due to emissions from fossil fuel combustion, followed by aerosols (particulate
matter in the atmosphere) and cement manufacture. other factors, including
land use, ozone depletion, animal agriculture and deforestation
 Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is
unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of
hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have harmful effects on plants,
aquatic animals, and infrastructure.
 Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides which react with the water
molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.
 Governments have made efforts since the 1970s to reduce the
release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere with positive
results. Nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by
lightning strikes and sulfur dioxide is produced by volcanic
eruptions.
 The chemicals in acid rain can cause paint peel, corrosion of
steel structures such as bridges, and erosion of stone statues
and monuments.
 Acid rain causes acidification of lakes and streams and
contributes to the damage of trees at high , elevations
 Chernobyl Nuclear Accident: follow the
Youtube link for detailed information:
 https://bit.ly/2tcMEph
 Reducing the waste stream is the most
significant of all the options to manage waste. If
we never generate the waste, then we do not
have to devise ways to dispose of it. To reduce
the waste we usually have to make significant
lifestyle changes. Reduce the amount you buy in
the first place.
 Purchase only the amount you need. By
becoming better environmental shoppers we
can reduce the waste we generate.
 Each Person adds to the waste Management problem. If each
household reduces its waste, the Problem will be reduced. You
can start by analyzing what you throw away at home.
 Think about the goods, services you buy and the activities you
support. In what ways do they contribute to the solid waste
problem? How could you purchase and dispose of items in
ways that generate less trash? What can you do to voice your
opinion about solid waste issues in your community?
For example, consider:
 Buying goods in returnable and recyclable containers.

 Learning where you can take items to be recycled; then show

your support by recycling.
 Reading labels and learning more about the contents in
household products. Try not to purchase items with harmful
ingredients.
 Letting store managers and manufacturers who are making good
environmental choices know that you recognize and appreciate their efforts.
 Requesting larger quantities and sizes of products by introducing a bulk
buying section for grains, pasta, and other dry goods.
 Using consumer hotlines provided as a service by many food companies.
Explain the need for environmental shopping and why you support it.
Companies are very interested in how their products are perceived by
consumers.
 Keep a reusable mug, plate, or silverware at your desk or in your office.
 Use a water filter and reusable bottles instead of buying bottled water.
Ask manufacturers to consider these areas when designing packaging:
 Plan for recyclability, both in design and material choice.
 Eliminate excessive packaging.
 Have more reusable or refillable packages.
 Use creative thinking to find less wasteful solutions to theft prevention and
shelf marketing.
 Substitute non-toxic pigments and stabilizers.
 Design plastics for return and refill.
 Concentrate on the best and most efficient methods for minimizing the
generation of waste.
 Select products that are durable, easy to repair, have good warranties, are energy
efficient, functional, nonpolluting in both manufacture and use.
 Disposable items such as plastic plates, polystyrene cups, razors, pens, cameras,
watches and other items all end up in the landfill.
 Invest in durable materials that you can use over and over again such as using cloth
for napkins.
Some throw-away items that cause concern include:
 Disposable razors: Annually, more than 2 billion disposable razors were bought in
the U.S alone. Today's disposable razors, made from plastic and steel can occupy
space in the landfill for many years. Invest in a quality razor and change the blade or
use an electric razor.
 Disposable diapers: Disposable diapers are made of an outer layer of waterproof
polypropylene plastic. Sandwiched in between the plastic and water repellent liner
is a thick layer of an absorbent cotton-like material made from wood pulp. It is
estimated that 75,000 metric tons of plastic and 1,265,000 tons of wood pulp are
used every year to make disposable diapers in the U.S. About 5 million tons of dirty
diapers are buried in landfills in the U.S. each year and consumers spend at least
$100 million annually to dispose of these.
 Batteries: Certain kinds of batteries are recyclable; however, many find their way
into landfills. Shop for the longest lasting batteries or rechargeable ones.
 Tires: several million tires are discarded each year in the India. You can help reduce
this amount by buying high-mileage tires and by maintaining proper air pressure in
your tires.
 Paper products: Minimize use of paper towels, paper plates and napkins. Invest in
cloth napkins for everyday use and use reusable wiping cloths, towels and plates
rather than paper "throw away"
 Over packaged Items: An item surrounded by polystyrene
beads in a box that is inside another box that is wrapped in
plastic may be very secure. However, all that extra packaging
material (the cost of which is added to the price you pay for
the product) generally ends up in the landfill. Buy items such
as fruit, vegetable's and dry goods that use little or no
packaging at all.
 Refillable & Resalable Containers: Use refillable containers.
Many food cooperatives allow customers to bring their own
containers to refill. Peanut butter, cooking oil, honey,
shampoo, flour, nuts and many other products can be
purchased in this manner
 Bulk Packaging: Buy food and dry goods in bulk sizes. Items
with a long shelf-life such as laundry detergent, flour and dry
pet food can be purchased in large-size containers.
 Concentrates and Less Processed Foods: Purchase
concentrates and adds the liquid yourself. Transfer to a small
container(s) that can be used over and over. Eat lower on the
food chain by using less highly processed foods. Foods in
their natural or raw form have less packaging.
 Buy Recycled Materials: No material is truly recycled
until it is brought back into productive use in
manufacturing and production
 Buy Goods That Can Be Recycled: Buy products in
containers that can be recycled. If a product such as
cooking oil or peanut butter is sold in a recyclable
container such as glass and a similar container in a
non-recyclable material.
 Use Appropriate Technologies : Use appropriate
technologies, whenever possible, such as solar •
power to dry clothes and heat water, or "human"
power to open cans or brush teeth
 Reduce Toxic Chemical: In minimizing the amount of
toxic chemicals in the home, substitute ins toxic
commercial products or make your own less toxic
cleaning materials. Substitute manual pump Spray
containers rather than using aerosols.
 Strategies in Reusing:
 Containers can be reused at home or for school projects.
 Reuse wrapping paper, plastic bags, boxes and lumber.
 Give outgrown clothing to friends or a charity.
 Buy beverages in returnable containers.
 Try repair before you consider replacing lawn mowers,
tools, vacuum cleaners, and TVs.
 Donate broken appliances to charity or a local vocational
school which can use them for art class or for students to
practice repairing.
 Offer furniture and household items no longer needed to
people in need, friends, or charity.
 Sheets of paper that have been used on only one side can
be used for note-taking or rough drafts.
 Old pieces of furniture can be repaired or finished with
special finishes such as splattering, sponging or rag
painting which takes very little time and skill.
 Old towels and sheets can be cut in small pieces and
used for dust cloths.
 Plastic bags and wraps can be used for storing items.
They can also be used for packing items for mailing.
 Books and magazines can be donated to schools, public
libraries or nursing homes. Newspapers can be donated
to pet stores.
 Packing materials such as polystyrene, plastic quilting
and similar packing materials can
 Carry a reusable tote bag or take bags to the store when
you go shopping.
 Reuse containers. Many containers can be used in school
projects. Ask your school what sizes and types they
would like you to save.
 Old tires can be used in the garden and in the play yard.
 Save items that are used in schools, day care centers, by
scouts and senior citizens.
 By recycling, waste objects are brought back in to a state of raw material. Like waste
paper becomes pulp, plastics are melted and molded into new products and so on.
 In other words, what was considered a waste becomes a resource.
 Recycling is considered a product of the environmental movement of the 1970s,
when the public became aware of the limitations of our natural resources.
 Recycling Generates Industry: As in a recycle, there will be a growing supply of
materials generated. In order to utilize these recycled materials, manufacturing
facilities will emerge to find uses for them. As more recycling plants are built and
more products are manufactured, we will gain a greater understanding of the entire
process.
 Recycling Creates Jobs: Recycling can create jobs. A report at the New York
Recycling Forum estimated that recycling 10,000 tons of materials would create 36
jobs compared to six for land filling the same amount. Some communities have
formed working partnerships with workshops for the disabled, developed and
administered job training partnerships or otherwise found work for unemployed
labor in recycling programs.
 Cost Avoidance of Recycling: For years, recycling has been hampered by the belief
that it should make money. That may be true for some recyclables, but not for
others. Rather, recycling should be thought of as a cost effective disposal option. It
usually requires fewer government subsidies than landfilling or incineration. It
saves natural resources and helps protect the environment. Lower taxes, energy
savings, and a cleaner environment are the real "bottom lines" in favor of recycling.
 Finding outlets for recycled waste is a critical element of a successful
recycling program. For communities, a first step is to identify long
established local dealers. As recycling becomes more important,
cooperatives may become available in rural areas to help find markets
for products.
 Local recycling industries may be developed.

There are additional strategies that states and localities can use to
successfully develop markets. These include:
 Establishing guidelines for buying supplies and equipment and
encouraging industry to label the percent of recycled material in a given
item.
 Establishing financial incentives such as tax credits or loans.
 Finding buyers for locally produced recycled products.
 Exploring the development of new products made from waste.
 Promoting cooperative marketing programs where a nonprofit
organization puts recyclers and buyers of recycled products in touch
with one another.
 Paper: Many communities have been recycling newspapers for years so there
are existing established markets. Paper constitutes about 40% of the volume
of residential waste and is one of the most important items for a community to
recycle in order to cut down on disposal costs and save landfill space.
 Newspaper: Stack newspaper in manageable bundles and tie both ways with
twine; or stack inside grocery bags. Do not include junk mail, telephone books
or magazines. Keep the paper clean and dry. •
 Cardboard: Consists of two layers of heavy cardboard with a ribbed section
between them. It is commonly used for heavy duty cartons. Boxes can be
flattened and bundled.
 High-grade paper: High grade paper or ledger include typing, notebook,
ditto, mimeo, photocopy and writing paper.
 Aluminum: More than 90% of all the beer and soft drink cans are made of
aluminum. Aluminum cans are molded without side seams and are
nonmagnetic. To recycle, rinse and box or bag. Crushing is not necessary, but
saves space. Aluminum foil, pie pans, TV dinner trays and lawn furniture are
also recyclable.
 Steel (tin) cans : Steel cans, commonly called tin cans are typically food cans.
Food cans make up 37.3% of total can production. These are generally steel or
tin-coated steel and can be recycled. They are magnetic and have side seams.
To recycle, rinse, remove the label, remove both ends and flatten
 Glass: Glass containers make up 20-40% of municipal waste glass and
are the easiest for recycling centers to collect and handle. All kinds of
glass containers-heavy or light, whole or broken-can be recycled and
reused an indefinite number of times. Glass is 100% recyclable; there
is no waste or bi-products.
 Plastic: Two plastics dominate the market : PET (polyethylene
terephthalate) is the primary plastic for soda bottles and HDPE (high
density polyethylene) is the usual component of milk jugs. By weight,
plastics constitute about 8% of the waste system; by volume about
30%. The plastic recycling industry is growing with a variety of
products being manufactured, including lumber, machine parts,
household items such as pans, flower pots, fiberfill and carpet.
 Motor oil: Motor oil never wears out, it only gets dirty. Drain car,
motor cycle, or lawnmower oil into a container with a sealable lid.
Some garages, service stations and some large retailers with auto
shops accept used oil. Once impurities are removed, used oil can be
marketed as re-refined oil or industrial fuel oil.
 Organic waste: Grass clippings, leaves and small branches can be
recycled or managed at home. Using these valuable materials can save
the homeowners energy and serve as a plus in a yard maintenance
program. Old Christmas trees can be recycled, chipped into mulch and
used on the grounds.
 Scrap metals: Aluminum lawn furniture, windows, and door frames
as well as brass, lead, steel, cast iron, nickel and fixtures and
machinery parts can all be recycled. Broken appliances, copper tubing
and old car batteries can also be recycled.
 RECOVER is to convert waste into resources (such as
electricity, heat, compost, useful materials and fuel) through
thermal and biological means.
 Resource Recovery occurs after reduce, reuse and recycle have
been attempted. When it is not possible to reuse or recycle
objects - such as mobile phones, computers, televisions and
other electronic gadgets, all of which may contain toxic
elements, recovery is the last option.
Collection Methods:
 Curbside collection requires homeowners to separate re-
coverable from their garbage. Clean re-coverable are placed in
special containers while the garbage goes in standard
containers. Both are placed at the curb for collection by
separate trucks.
 In apartment complexes centrally located containers can be
made available. The separated re-coverable materials are taken
to a processing facility and prepared for shipment to end
markets which will use the materials to make new products.
 Re-coverable are cleaner if they are separated from
the garbage by the homeowner. Cleaner materials
are easier to sell and receive better prices.
 Drop-off centers are one of the simplest forms of
collecting re-coverable materials: citizens drop off
their used glass, metal, plastic, electronics items and
newsprint at a designated re-coverables drop-off
site.
 These centers are usually placed in an easily
accessible location near a high traffic area. The
centers can be sponsored by the local government
as a method of reducing waste that must be
landfilled or they may serve as a fund raiser for
churches, Boy Scouts, 4-H clubs and other nonprofit
groups.
 Importance of the Environmental Studies:
 Closely associated. It is concerned with the day today
interaction with the surroundings with which human
being is closely associated.
 It is related to many branches of the science and is an
interdisciplinary field.
 It is concerned with the importance of wild life its
protection
 It explains the significant role of biodiversity in
establishing ecological balance significance and
sustenance of ecosystems.
 It deals with different types of ecosystems, biotic and
abiotic factors and their role in the ecosystem
 It is concerned with different types of food chains,
food webs, productivity, biomass, carrying capacity of
ecosystems.
 It deals with various types of interrelationships existing
between living and non-living organisms and also between
different types of living organisms such as symbiosis,
mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, competition, antibiosis
etc.
 It gives information relating to population explosion, growth
and development, impact of population growth on the
resource consumption and national economy.
 It explains the coexistence of both living and non-living
organisms and their contribution to the nature for its
sustenance.
 It explains the significance of forests and their products in the
human routine and in country's economy.
 It gives information about water conservation, watershed
management and the importance of water as a universal
solvent and the importance of the same in various
physiological, bio-chemical, internal systems and external
environment.
 It explains the importance of sustainable development which
is so essential for the survival of present and future
generations.
 Generating public awareness and environmental education,
particularly among targeted groups, about relevant laws and
regulations and about their rights, interests, duties and
responsibilities, as well as about the social, environmental and
economic consequences of non-compliance;
 Promoting responsible action in the community through the
media by involving key public players, decision-makers and
opinion-builders in such campaigns;
 Organizing campaigns for fostering environmental awareness
among communities, non-governmental organizations, the
private sector and industrial and trade associations;
 Inclusion of awareness and environmental educational
programmes in schools and other educational establishments
as part of education;
 Organizing campaigns for fostering environmental awareness
and environmental educational programmes for women and
youth;
 Organizing campaigns for encouraging public involvement in
monitoring of compliance