PVC or polyvinyl chloride plastic, which is commonly referred to as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created on earth. PVC is a major thermoplastic material, used in a very wide variety of applications and products. It’s essential raw materials are derived from salts and oil. The electrolysis of salt water produces chlorine, which is then combined with ethylene obtained from oil, to form vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). A customised PVC compound is made by adding appropriate additives to the polymerised VCM molecules. PVC is not only dangerous to human health, but it is also a disaster to the environment throughout its entire life cycle, from the factory to our homes and even in the trash.

    PVC’s major characteristic making it a highly versatile polymer resulting in it’s wide spread usage is its compatibility with variety of additives. PVC can be plasticised to make it flexible for use in flooring, making toys and medical products etc. The Unplasticised or rigid PVC, also known as PVC-U is also extensively used in building applications such as window frames, pipes etc. These properties of PVC has made it a highly demanded compound being used in a variety of consumer products such as packaging, cling film, bottles, credit cards, sandwich box packaging and imitation leather as well as construction materials such as window frames, cables, pipes, flooring, wallpaper and window blinds. Not only this but PVC is also used by car manufacturers for car interiors and manufacturers manufacturing medical disposables for use in hospitals/clinics.

    PVC is virtually useless without the addition of a plethora of toxic additives or plasticizers, which adds flexibility to PVC making it a vinyl. A large quantity of these plasticizers i.e. up to 60 percent to the total weight of the final product, is mixed into the PVC to provide the required flexibility. Phthalate plasticizers are the dominant group of plasticizers used in vinyl to provide flexibility to other wise rigid PVC. Phthalates are a class of compounds which pose considerable health risk along with environmental hazards. DEHP is one of the most common toxic phthalate additives as it is a suspected carcinogen and reproductive toxicant, which is widely found in PVC products. These chemicals can easily evaporate or leach out of PVC, posing a greater risk to consumers directly in contact with these products. Children are the most potential risk bearers as a wide range of toys are made of PVC, releasing toxins directly into the child’s body either through direct chewing or through inhaling toxins while playing.

    Lead and other heavy metal are added to vinyl as stabilizers for construction and other extended-life applications. Lead, cadmium and organotins, are the most common PVC additives that are particularly hazardous for both environment and human health. These metal stabilizers are highly toxic in nature, for example lead is a potent developmental toxicant which damages brain development, reducing the cognitive ability and IQ of children. Cadmium is again a potential neurotoxin and carcinogen element which interferes with the normal functioning of the nervous system and can cause cancer. Organotins also have the potential to suppress immunity and can disrupt the endocrine system. Metal stabilizers are released from vinyl products through their life cycle in all the phases from its formulation, to uses, and even when disposed. These metals do not degrade in the environment meaning they resist environmental breakdown which has caused them to become global pollutants. Metals cannot be destroyed by incineration either and are thus released into the environment, via air emissions or ash residues. Trash incinerators are a dominant source of lead and cadmium pollution presently in the world.

    Dioxins, a large group of structurally and toxicologically related compounds are amongst the most important by-products of the PVC lifecycle. Dioxins are not manufactured purposely but are accidentally formed whenever chlorine gas or chlorine-based organic chemicals are burned. Dioxin, a known human carcinogenic gas which can be formed during the manufacturing or during the incineration or burning of PVC products. Vinyl is a major source of dioxin which is formed during numerous stages of the vinyl’s lifecycle. Accidental fires in buildings with PVC fittings are and increasing source of dioxins in the environment. Dioxins are global pollutants like lead and cadmium released from PVC stabilizers. Dioxins can now be found in the tissues of deep oceans whales, Arctic polar bears and virtually in tissues of every human being on earth. Dioxin in the tissues of the nursing mothers concentrates in breast milk which is then passed on to the infants.

    Dioxin is reported to cause damage to the normal development and reproduction pattern, apart from disrupting the immunity and endocrine systems even at infinitesimally low doses. Dioxin poses health risks to all. According to a study, the dioxin “body burden” of masses in the United States is already in the range at which adverse health impacts occur in laboratory animals.

    What makes PVC a lethal element during its life cycle is the persistent bio-accumulative toxicity of certain of it’s by products. This means that PVC produces certain chemicals or gasses which resist natural degradation resulting in their build up in the environment over time as global pollutants. Some of these substances have the ability to get accumulated in the body fat and there fore builds up in the body tissue of living beings. These bio accumulative substances magnify as they move up in the food chain making the species on the top of the food chain most vulnerable as they have the highest concentration of these deadly substances with in their bodies. These deadly chemicals are passed on to the infants of humans and mammals as they concentrate in the breast milk of nursing mothers.

    Through out its entire life cycle, PVC produces gasses and compounds that are dangerous to the human health and the environment. Our bodies today are contaminated with poisonous chemicals such as phthalates, mercury and dioxins etc., which are released during the PVC lifecycle, which may pose irreversible life-long health threats. These chemicals can now be found in the deep ocean waters, in air of remote regions, and even in the tissues and fluids of the humans and animals. Dioxins which are a group of the most potential synthetic chemicals ever tested are released during manufacturing or burning of PVC which has the potential to cause cancer, damage the immune system and also the reproductive systems. Dioxins are even produced during the incineration of vinyl products. Phthalates which are added to PVC as chemical additives can evaporate or leach out of PVC, posing risks to the consumers. Phthalate which is readily found in numerous PVC products like toys, music records, shower curtains, pipes etc. is a suspected carcinogen and reproductive toxicant. Chewing of vinyl toys exposes children to phthalates as they leach out into their mouth. While selling PVC baby toys containing dangerous phthalates is still legal in US, the European Parliament in July, 2005 permanently banned the use of certain toxic phthalates in toys. One study by EPA found that vinyl shower curtains can cause elevated levels of dangerous air toxins, which can persist for more than a month. Even when disposed off in landfills phthalates are released into the environment from the vinyl products. As phthalates are not chemically bonded to the plastic they tend to leach out of the plastic over time into air, water, or other substances in contact. Phthalates have been found to severely damage the reproductive system, causing infertility, testicular damage, sperm reduction, suppressed ovulation, abnormal development and function of the testes and male reproductive tract; and may also cause reproductive birth defects. Metal stabilizers like lead, cadmium and organotins etc. are also released during different phases of manufacturing, used, and disposal of vinyl products. Lead stabilizers are released from interior vinyl building products directly into the environment. As metals cannot be destroyed by incineration they are released entirely into the environment through air emissions or ash residues. Trash incinerators are a dominant source of lead and cadmium pollution. Accidental fires in buildings and landfills are other potentially important sources through which lead, cadmium, and organotins are released into the environment.

    The flexible PVC used in various home applications harms the indoor air quality. These products are potential the health hazards as they release phthalates into the indoor air and also facilitates the growth of hazardous molds. Phthalate thus released accumulates on suspended sediments or indoor dusts. Few epidemiological studies have found that exposure to PVC in building interiors causes significantly elevated risks of asthma and other pulmonary conditions, which includes bronchial obstruction, wheezing, pneumonia, prolonged cough, and irritation of the nasal passages and eyes. Heavy metals are released into the indoor environment in buildings with PVC products. Vinyl window blinds releases significant lead into the indoor air and PVC pipes contaminate the pipe water with lead after leaching out of the pipes. Toxic mold growth is encouraged by the vinyl wall covering where in the toxic substances are produced by the molds that grow beneath vinyl covering, causing severe human health problems like respiratory and neurological disorders. The other hazards that the firefighters and building occupants face during building fires, is the release of toxic hydrogen chloride gas by the heated PVC material, which is converted into deadly hydrochloric acid when inhaled.

PVC is extremely difficult to recycle and presently very little PVC is recycled globally. As each PVC product contains a unique mix of additives, the post-consumer recycling of these mixed PVC products is difficult. Even when recycled these cannot yield vinyl products with equivalent qualities to the original. Even in the most advanced Europe where PVC recycling is the maximum, only less than 3 percent of post-consumer PVC is recycled. PVC can even contaminate the entire recycling batch due to its mix of different toxic additives in it and in fact just one PVC bottle can contaminate a recycling load of 100,000 PET bottles, according to a study.

PVC which is now one of the most environmentally hazardous consumer materials ever produced have presented one opportunity after another in it’s entire life cycle for the formation and discharge of environmental hazardous substances. PVC, an apparently innocent seeming plastic in its entire lifecycle is actually one of the most environmentally hazardous consumer material that has not only produced large quantities of persistent, toxic organochlorines and but has also released them into our indoor and outdoor environs. A significant share of the world’s burden of persistent organic pollutants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals can be credited to the PVC, which includes dioxins and phthalates that are universally embedded in the environment and the bodies of the almost all the living beings. Vinyl without doubts has also considerably contributed to various occupational diseases apart from local level environmental contamination

In a nut shell the chemical substances produced by the PVC during its entire lifecycle are already present in global, local, and workplace environments at unacceptably high levels. Efforts to reduce the production and release of these substances should be our first priority towards a healthy living and safer environment. It is now the time to phase out PVC from our building and our lives. The hazards posed by dioxins, phthalates, metals, vinyl chloride, and ethylene dichloride are largely unique to PVC, which happens to be a major building material globally. PVC building materials represent a significant environmental health risks and thus should be phased and replaced by safer green building material alternatives. Thus more emphasis should be made to come out with safer and greener alternatives in the field of construction.

PVC is also the only major plastic that contains chlorine or requires such dangerous plasticizers and stabilizers. But the good news is that safer, cost-effective, alternatives to PVC are now readily available for almost every use. There is now thankfully a growing market for products ranging from safer plastics to bio-based materials which is replacing the hazardous PVC products. A growing list of companies have understood the changing costumer demand and have committed them selves to phase out PVC products and switching over to safer, healthier products. Bath and Body Works, Honda, Ikea, Johnson and Johnson, Microsoft, Nike, Toyota, Victoria’s Secret, and Wal-Mart are some of the companies who have stepped out to act against the dangers of use of PVC. Each one of us can help build consumer demand for safer and healthier products by avoiding the purchase of PVC. We can do this by looking at the number “3” inside the universal recycling symbol or the letter “V” underneath the recycling symbol. Any product with these symbols represent that the product contains PVC. Another important way of detecting PVC in soft flexible products is their distinct odour such as that of vinyl shower curtains. So the next time you go shopping look for the symbol and keep the poison away from you and your family. Look for alternatives which do not contain PVC and ask the shopkeeper to stock up things free of PVC, creating a demand for PVC alternatives. Take action before its too late, kill the monster PVC from your shelves before it kills you.

Genetically modified foods or GM foods is a term used for foods that are made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) who’s DNA has been altered through genetic engineering. Genetic modification is a special set of technologies through which the genetic makeup of the living organisms like animals, plants, bacteria and even humans can be altered to produce a specific set of characteristics in them. The process through which the genes from different organisms is combined together is known as recombinant DNA technology, that gives birth to organisms known as “genetically modified organisms”. The various genetically modified products available today includes medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers. It was in 1990s that the GM foods were fist introduced in the market. The process of producing GMO for use in developing GM foods may involve taking DNA from one organism, then modifying it in the laboratory, and then finally inserting it into the target organism’s genome to produce new and useful genotypes or Phenotypes. Such GMOs are generally referred to as transgenics. There is another method of producing GMO that includes either increasing or decreasing the number of copies of a gene already present in the target organism; silencing or removing a particular gene or by modifying the position of a gene within the genome. The important point here is the not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be transferred into a plant! Thus a genetically modified plant with enhanced desired traits like increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content etc. is produced. The fruit of this genetically modified plant is thus referred to as GM food. The first commercially grown genetically modified whole food crop was the Flavr Savr tomato, which was made more resistant to rotting. Calgene was the company that introduced these GM tomatoes into the market in 1994 and that too without any special labeling of it being a GM food!

You must be thinking how conventional cross breeding/ high breeding of plants which has been carried out since ages is different from the recently invented genetically modified plants? In conventional breeding half of an individual’s genes come from each parent, whereas in genetic engineering one or several specially selected genes are added to the genetic material. The other important difference lies in the fact that conventional plant breeding can only combine closely related plants, where as genetic engineering permits the transfer of genes between organisms which might not otherwise be able to cross breed because of their non compatible genetic structure. These transferred genes known as transgene can come from any other plant species, or even from a completely different organism like animals or even humans (e.g., bacterial genes)!

Most of the genetically modified crop plants developed till date provides resistance to herbicide or insects; improved crop production and soil management. These characteristics of the GM crops have revolutionized world agriculture and are thought to be a big relief to the developing countries fighting poverty and malnutrition. The GM crop is said to be a farmer friendly crop where the inputs like pesticides and insecticides are reduced heavily due to the inbuilt resistance of the plant apart from increasing the crop production. Some of the crops even require less amount of irrigation that again is a big relief to the over burdened farmers in developing countries which mainly depends on rain water for irrigation. Researches are being going on to develop varieties which are also resistant to drought, heat, cold, acid soils, and heavy metals so that more of the land can be brought under agriculture and even the presently existing ones can be ideally used, increasing the food availability to ward of global food crisis.

But this is only the better half of the story. The GM foods and crops are surrounded by many controversies with focus on a variety of issues ranging from human and environmental safety, food security, labeling and consumer choice, environmental conservation, intellectual property rights, ethics and poverty reduction. Many religious and environmental organizations, public interest groups and governments world over are protesting against the use of GM foods and crops. One of the biggest dangers of the genetically modified crops/plants is that they tend to pose life threat to other organisms. Due to their self induced insecticidal/herbicidal tendencies which tend to kill the bugs or weeds can also damage the other non harming insects and plants too. A study has shown that pollen from B.t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Is not the caterpillar alone but unfortunately many species of insect larvae gets killed by the B.t. toxins. Thus there is a high possibility of potential risk to the non-target organisms from these GM crops. The herbicidal tendencies of the plant might kill the insects useful for maintaining a healthy structure of the soil, disrupting the soil ecosystem.

Not only this, there is also a high probability that the pests might develop resistance to these inbuilt pesticides, rendering the crop vulnerable to pest attack. This will rather worsen the situation more than spraying the pesticides directly in to the field as the continuous presence of these self initiated pesticides by the plant will make the pests adapt to it sooner than before.

Another major concern is that their might be a cross breeding of the GM plant engineered for herbicide tolerance and that of the weed! This cross breeding of the GM and the weed might result in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the GM crops into the weeds resulting in weeds being resistant to the herbicides produced by the bio engineered crop plant. Another possibility of cross breeding of the GM crop is that it might transfer certain of its genes to the other non engineered healthy plants/crops in the neighbourhood due to the action of wind, pollination etc. All this will adversely affect bio diversity of the region.

Not only that it’s the environment alone that is under a threat by the GM crops but even humans are equally at a risk to these. There is a possibility that introduction of a gene into a plant may cause allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. Studies have shown children across US and Europe developing life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. In 1996, Brazil nut genes were introduced into soybeans by the Pioneer Hi-Bred company which induced strong allergic reactions like anaphylactic shock (similar to a severe bee sting reaction) in some of the individuals, which could have even lead to death.

There is also a growing concern regarding the unexpected, negative and irreversible impact of introducing foreign genes into human body via food plants . Lab experiments on animals have shown the negative effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract. There is a possibility of developing cancer and other degenerative ailments in people who consume dairy products of cows injected with certain genetically produced growth hormones. Birth defects along with shorter life spans due to ingesting of transgenic human/ animal products may follow, as studies have already shown the rapid increase in birth defects and shorter life spans in cows due to rBGh which is a genetically produced growth hormone. The milk from cows with rBGH contains substantially higher levels of pus, bacteria, and fat. A study has also shown that certain GM foods have lower levels of vital nutrients especially phytoestrogen compounds thought to protect the body from heart disease and cancer. Thus there are possibilities of negative effect of GM foods on the human health.

    Though its still a matter of debate whether genetically modified foods and crops are a disaster or a blessing for the world, as studies are still going on to come up with a strong enough conclusion regarding the whole concept of GM technology and it’s effects. Though the controversy is still on, many states in both the developed as well as the developing world are rapidly bringing more and more area under GM crops. Presently only four major GM crops are dominating the globe which includes soybean, corn, cotton and canola (a type of mustard for industrial use), but many other crops like barley, sunflower, watermelon, cucumber, sugarbeet, fodder beet, cowpea, faba bean, carrot, papaya, plum, mango, cherry, pineapple, strawberry, grape, apple, pear, carnation, lettuce, alfalfa, apricot, peach, gerbera, chrysanthemum, pine tree, poplar types, eucalyptus etc are being researched upon. Though in India only Bt cotton which is a non food crop, is the only GM crop which is commercially grown and no genetically modified food crop till date is grown for commercial purpose. But researches on food crops like rice, chickpea, tomato, potato, tobacco, rapeseed, mustard, brinjal, cauliflower, chilli, bell pepper, banana, cabbage, muskmelon, blackgram, coffee, pigeonpea, wheat, citrus fruits and groundnut has been going on since years now. The governmental agencies confirms the report of the approval of large scale field trials of genetically modified brinjals, the Bt brinjal in India. Though India has allowed commercial cultivation of genetically modified cotton since 2002, it’s for the first time that a GM food is put on trial for human consumption. The news of genetically modified ‘protato’ added with AmA1 genes to make them high on protein has also made news in India for the possibility of it’s use to counter malnutrition. The idea of introducing these biotech potatoes in to the midday meal programme for redressing protein deficiencies in children’s diets, can indirectly target the young population of already vulnerable section in case we fail to detect the long term negative effects of these genetically modified food crops. Though for bulk imports of any GM food or material for any purpose requires the approval of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee in India but the recent reports of Pepsico’s Doritos Corn Chips contain genetically modified Mon 863 and NK 603 variety corn ingredients in them which were picked up from a Delhi store, indicates the lapses in the system. Both Mon 863 and NK 603 are Monsanto’s genetically modified corn varieties which contain bacterial genes used for pest and herbicide tolerance. Researches on both Mon 863 and NK 603 has confirmed that these two pose serious health impacts, resulting in many countries in Europe including France and Romania to stop the cultivation of GM corn! In India too none of these varieties have been approved for consumption by humans.

As the controversy get thicker and thicker though time, the choice lies with us, the consumer! Whether to consume these yet debated genetically modified foods, ignoring the possible threats that it pose to us and passing them to many of our forth coming generations or to resist this forceful feeding by the giant profit makers. The chose lies in our hands. The consumer has the power to shape it’s own future, where you can put pressure on the producers to provide you with what you demand and not the other way round. Let us not allow these money minting giants decide what they want to supply rather forcing them to supply what we actually demand. Next time you go out shopping keep in mind what you really demand, look for your choice on the shelves and let the shopkeeper know what you demand if it’s not in there rather than compromising with what is already on the shelf. Create a demand, let the suppliers know what you demand and the supply will surely follow. It’s not that difficult to change things as it might look. Take a step and things will follow. You’ll be proud of your self for the amount of difference that one small step of yours can bring in into the lives of millions on this earth.

Fly ash, a waste product of thermal power plants which is available in large quantities world over as 40% of the world’s power and about 65% of India’s power is generated in these thermal power plants using coal/lignite as raw material. Fly ash is a residual product of coal/lignite after combustion. This fly ash when stored in the ash ponds under dry condition can become air born, causing air pollution and thus resulting in serious health hazards.

Fly ash brick is a gift of modern engineering and an answer to many such environmental concerns today as these are made of fly ash, a non toxic residue of thermal power plants. A fly ash brick contains fly ash to the extent of about 60% and other components are gypsum, lime and coarse sand which also can alternatively be used in combination of cement and coarse sand. This eco friendly brick works in a variety of ways to conserve the different aspects of the environment.

Firstly by using the residual product as its main ingredient, it solves the problem of safe disposal of the waste as once this ash is converted into solid blocks there is no leaching of any type into the ground water. Secondly it does not create any air pollution or soil degradation as no baking/heating or even excavation is required in its manufacturing and processing, which is otherwise inevitable in conventional clay bricks. Thirdly the energy consumption while manufacturing is also minimal and what ever minimal energy is use is electricity and not fossil fuel. Thus there is no consumption of any fossil fuel or resulting emission of any of the greenhouse gases which is the major cause of global warming. The multiple environment conservational aspects in terms of controlling air pollution, soil degradation, underground water contamination and usage of fossil fuels thus marks the fly bricks high on eco friendly rating.

Not only this but these eco friendly bricks are also consumer friendly as they save up to seven to eight per cent of the building cost because of their bigger size where in one fly ash brick can replace up to eight clay bricks. The uniform structure of the bricks and larger size further cuts down the amount of mortar or the binding mixture which is used for structure construction, thus making it further more economical. The neat and uniform structure of each such brick makes it possible to do without the plastering of the walls without even compromising on the aesthetic aspect. Fly ash bricks are also lighter in weight by 10 per cent as compared to clay bricks, as they absorb less water than the normal clay bricks which adds on to their structural strength. The compressive strength of these bricks is more than 100 kg /sq.cm. These eco-friendly bricks are also easy on the pocket of the consumers as they are not very expensive and are available at almost comparable cost to that of the conventional clay bricks.

Dadri power station of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPW) which has been certified for both ISO 14001 and ISO 9002 has an Ash Technology Park within the plant premises where one of the product produced from fly ash is the fly ash bricks which conforms to IS 12894. Thus the next time when you plan for any construction whether commercial or residential do keep in mind the environmental cost involved apart from the financial cost and opt for the fly ash bricks which are easy on both the environment and your pocket, making your living more meaningful just by making the right choice.

The every day waste from our kitchens can now be utilized as manure in our lawns or in our own potted plant helping them to grow faster and healthier! Vermicomposting is one of the most simplified way of converting the bio waste or the daily kitchen waste into high grade manure. Vermicompost is similar to normal composting with the only exception that worms are used in addition to microbes and bacteria to turn organic waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. In Vermicomposting a special variety of earthworms are used which are rarely found in soil and are adaptive to the special conditions like rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles Vermicomposting is a scientific process where in a pit is dug in the ground and is filled with the bio degradable waste like garden waste, leaves, straw, vegetable left out etc. in addition to some amount of cow dung or animal manure. The special variety of earth worms are then added to it which feed on this biodegradable waste to convert it into compost or manure which is high in its nutrient content. Water is sprinkled regularly on to these pits which keeps the matter moist for the worms so that they can easily feed on it. Earthworms are natural bio rectors with specific body organs that grind the waste ingested by them into castings, a rich soil fertilizer within 40-45 days under complete aerobic conditions.

Vermicomposting is a very simple and convenient method which can be done at a variety of locations both indoor and outdoor. The popular indoor spots are the kitchen, pantry, bathroom, mud room, laundry room, or even the basement, apart from the out door locations. The out door pits/bind are to be placed under shade like under a shed to protect it from direct sunlight, birds and animals. For indoor vermicomposting specially designed bins are available which facilitates proper air circulation and moisture retention which is very essential for the survival of the worms. There are a variety of species of earthworms that are mainly used for composting which includes Eisenia foetida, Eudrilus eugeniae, Perionyx excavatus, Lumbricus rubellus and Pheretima elongata. Care has to be taken regarding the bio degradable waste that is added to the pits which is either not easily digestible or which increases acidic content hampering the composting process and the health of the worms too. Care should be taken that no such thing like meat scraps or bones, fish, greasy or oily foods, fat, tobacco, or pet/ human manure be added to the pits/bins. The amount of citric food added to the pits/bins should also be limited to keep a check on the acidity levels. The waste should be cut/ shredded into small pieces so that the worms can break it down easily. Thus this is one of the most simplified and environmentally effective ways of converting daily kitchen/garden waste into nutrient which every one of us can take up individually or collectively without even investing much on it. Vermicomposting has many environmental impacts ranging from improving soil quality to enhancement of plant growth to eco friendly waste management. Vermicomposting produces a non chemical based fertilizer which can be used in kitchen gardens as it does not have any adverse effect on the soil, plant or the environment. The compost when added to the soil improves soil aeration, texture and tilth and thus reduces soil compaction. Because of its high organic content vermicompost when added to the soil increases its water retention capacity. The compost also promotes better root growth of the plants and their ability to absorb nutrients. Apart from this it also improves nutrient status of soil, both the macro nutrients and the micro nutrients, thus an over all nutrient enhancement of the soil.

Many nations, organizations and individuals across the world have taken up such steps where in they contribute on their own level to convert the waste into nutrients for the plants and the soil. Many colleges in Chandigarh, the city beautiful have taken up such initiative wherein the bio- kitchen waste from the hostel mess is converted into compost and further used as manure in their lawns. GCG 11 is one such example in the city where such an initiative is successfully running from past few years and this has also changed the face of the college lawns which now bloom with a variety of colourful healthy plants without even spending a penny on purchase of any artificial plant nutrients. The Department of Rural Development & Panchayats, Punjab has also started with a project for implementation of vermiculture biotechnology in villages of various districts of Punjab. The council is implementing this technology in Moga, Jalandhar, Patiala, Ropar, Bathinda, Sangrur, Fathehgarh Sahib districts of Punjab. Thus a new perspective to look at the bio degradable waste has initiated a wave of converting this waste into nutrient for the plants apart from other advantages it has in improving soil quality and structure. This is one small step that each one of us can take as a return gift to the nature for providing us all that we have today!

To initiate action and promote Responsible Tourism, eonEcon Foundation in collaboration with the Chandigarh Administration, a Conference was held on 29th March 2008 at the UT Guest House, Sector-6, Chandigarh. The conference was to promote consciousness about social, economic and environment responsibility of tourism industry and how it could be cost-effective as well.

Tourism has a huge impact on the social, economic and environmental aspects of the particular area. Responsible Tourism is a tourism management strategy that embraces planning, management, product development and marketing to bring about positive economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts. The Cape Town Convention of 2002 declared Responsible Tourism to be a form of tourism that:

1. Minimises negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;
2. Generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well-being of host communities, improves working conditions and access to the industry;
3. Involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;
4. Makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
5. Provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;
6. Provides access for physically challenged people; and
7. Is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.

The objectives of the conference were:

1. To create consciousness about social, economic and environment responsibility of tourism industry and how it can be beneficial to the hotel industry in terms of brand, cost effectiveness etc.
2. To create a working group of different stakeholders to formulate a detailed policy for Chandigarh for future.
3. Share information on sustainable architecture.

Amongst the speakers were:

• Mr. Vivek Atray, Director PR, Chandigarh Tourism
• Mr. Pavan Khaitan, President eonEcon Foundation & MD, ABC Paper
• Prof. Anil Laul, Architect, Anangpur Building Centre
• Mr. Manmohan Singh, President, Chandigarh Hotels Group
• Ms. Harveen Kour, Project Manager, eonEcon Foundation

The forum highlighted the importance of environment initiatives, gave an insight into why Responsible Tourism is an important initiative, why sustainability and architecture is important. As a part of the further action plan, hotels will be sent brief guidelines of things that they can adopt as a part of Responsible Tourism programme and also hotels will be addressed and would be a part of working group for making specific policies for Chandigarh hotels to take forward.

Few articles to check:

‘UT tourism industry setting example for whole country’ -Indian Express

Chandigarh Toursim and eonEcon to organize Conference on Tourism-Northern NewsLines

Conference on Responsible Tourism on March 29 -Northern NewsLines blog

UT aims to promote ‘Responsible Tourism’- The Tribune, Chandigarh