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A Must-read Book With Actionable Points on Sustainability

Our Environment-Threats, Challenges And Sustainable Solutions

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“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.”

~Jochen Zeitz

When it comes to books on sustainability, especially for young minds, it must give a big picture and the actions needed at smaller levels. This book, Our Environment from Scholastic Publication does exactly that, which makes it a must-read.

Covering topics on environment, energy, environmental challenges and environmental responsibility, this makes for a wholesome read.

The book starts by answering the big question, what is the environment. It captures the pre-industrialisation, post-industrialisation and current situation, rightly and navigates us through different kinds of ecosystems and their functions. It talks about the biodiversity of India in specific and the threats to it.

A must read for children

The topic then moves on to different kinds of energy resources and how can we be more efficient in energy consumption and saving. The explanations start with examples that kids can relate to in their everyday life and then gradually scales up to help them understand the big picture.

There’s a wide range of topics covered, say from composting at home to the management of industrial waste, everything small and big that impacts or affects the environment is explained comprehensively. The language is lucid. It is not preachy but convincing.

Most importantly, there are small actionable points across the pages that can make a kid feel capable and take action in saving the earth in their own small, yet vital ways.

There are exercises that would make kids think about and take environmental issues seriously.

The best part of the book is that it ends by giving a brief outlook on the variety of “green careers” one can opt for and how to go about pursuing them.

To help the kids get inspired in choosing a green career, the book also goes on to tell about “planet pioneers” and their contributions.

To top it all, it ends on the topic of “Start A Campaign For Change” and there can’t be a much well-rounded, action-oriented book on sustainable solutions than this.

A highly recommended book for schools and homes as well, for everyone young & old.

To get a copy of the book, click here: Our Environment by Scholastic

Suggested Read:

“This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.”

‘I’m participating in the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter’.

5 Sustainable Practices From My Grandma’s Life

Life Lessons To Be Learnt & Practised

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To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.

~Thomas Campbell

It’s just about a week since my paatti (maternal grandmother) passed away. I realised that I didn’t grieve much. I did feel sad and shed a few tears when I came to know about her death but I didn’t grieve much. 

For some strange reason, I felt at peace and content whenever I thought of paatti. It’s upon introspection that I realised that she had lived her life wholly, wrapped us up with an abundance of love and left us with fond memories that she feels close even now.

It feels that patti’s passing away can never take away her presence through spirit

and the life lessons she has left us with. 

Here is a small tribute to my paatti whose life was teaching, sustainability is just one aspect of it.

My adorable paatti.

Lessons of sustainability from my paatti

1. Minimalism:

While minimalism may be a trending concept now, decades before, minimalism was a way of living. Our paatti was a living example of it. All her physical possessions were just an airbag full and she occupied very less of physical space. 

It just makes me wonder how much dependent we are on our physical possessions and tomorrow if we may die, how much of a burden it would be for the people around us to decide over keeping or disposing of them. 

Her minimalistic way of living is something I need to put into action. 

2. Basics:

My paatti was the kind of homemaker who prepared everything from scratch. Be it batter for idli & dosa, setting curd every night or making bakshanams(sweets & savouries), she did everything from scratch. Not only were they healthy and yummy, but in the long run, it was sustainable, hardly generating any waste. 

3. Sustainable choices:

While we are fighting the menace of one-time-use plastics and other non-biodegradable stuff, I’m always in awe to realise my paatti had always chosen sustainable options. Be it using kumkum in place of bindi or banana leaves in place of plates, she made sustainable practices an everyday practice and not an occasional one. 

A poem in rhyme

4. Reusing:

Believe me or not but there is still this kal chetti (stone cookware) that is exclusively used to make the prasava legiyam (herbal medicine given to mothers post-pregnancy) that my paatti had used over generations and is still intact. While we, the people of the current generation, end up in mindless buys, paatti knew how to go for minimal buys, maintain things and made it a point to prioritise reuse rather than throwing things away. 

5. Discipline:

Well, any of us can make sustainable choices or go for minimal buys but what makes my paatti stand out is her discipline. Sustainability wasn’t any practice or habit she picked up but it was her way of living.

For example, I have never seen her keep away clothes to wash for the next day. She does it the same day. In fact, I (& all my cousins too would agree!) had always been in awe of how neatly she maintains her pure cotton, peach-coloured 9-yards saree. 

She hand-washes it, and one can never find a single stain (thanks to her signature style of having a handkerchief tucked in her hip all day long)in it. The way she puts the saree to sun dry and then folds it tightly in the evening as if it has been steam-ironed with wrinkles nowhere to be found is just so being her.

Our paatti breathed simplicity, self-reliance & discipline

in such a way that sustainability became her being. 

But above all, if there is a key takeaway from her life, it would be her love & her way of living. She did all of this out of love and not even once has she advised or insisted anyone follow her way. Neither has she complained a bit; I feel that’s the main reason I’m so drawn to her. She lived simply & wholly that her living itself has become our guide.

Paatti, you have taught us all well & loved us abundantly. We aspire to follow your way of living & in all our efforts, small or big, you will be remembered fondly & forever!

~United voice of your children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren

“This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.”

Books on Sustainability for Young Minds

Zayn & Zoey- Environment Series

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The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.

~Robert Swann

Perfect for kids of 5 years and above, the Zayn & Zoey- Environment Series is a perfect conversation starter for topics on Environment and Sustainability.

We got this book recommendation from fellow parents through the Fb community, Kids Book Cafe, which is an active community in raising readers. Check their website here, for age-appropriate recommendations. 

This series has three books: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, Rainwater Harvesting and Learn About Solar Power and I would suggest that you start introducing the books to kids in the same order as I have put out here for better comprehension. 

The books are written in simple language and colourfully illustrated on gloss finish pages which is sure to hook young readers. 

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Zayn & Zoey-Environment Series Books

Zayn & Zoey-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

As the title suggests this explains the 3Rs; reduce, reuse and recycle; in a way that could easily get a kid thinking and come up with their own idea. 

It explains how waste can affect the environment and how one can practise the 3 rs in daily life, like utilising the backside of old worksheets for rough work, having toy donation drive at schools, wrapping gifts with newspaper, etc. 

This particular book is my daughter’s favourite as she was able to practically try the ideas out instantly. 

The Zayn & Zoey: Environment Series comes highly recommended for school libraries as this makes up for a great conversation starter and relevant read around Environmental issues and can help kids take action as a group or community. 

Rainwater Harvesting with Zayn & Zoey

With beautifully illustrated pictures this book shows kids how rainwater harvesting is done by taking the kids on a tour of Zayn & Zoey’s Grandma Grey’s farm. 

I loved the questions of Zayn and Zoey that were part of the narrative. They were typical of kids that exhibited curiosity and wonder elements. 

Teeny Weeny Tip: Next time when it rains, get your kid involved in placing a bucket closed with a thin cotton cloth as a filter, in an open area where you can harvest the rainwater. I am sure they will be amused at how this little act could save a considerable amount of water. 

Zayn & Zoey- Learn About Solar Power

Addressing the curiosity of kids about how the sun can give us electricity, this book is written engagingly informative. Language is lucid and helps in better comprehension of a complex process in simpler words.

This book talks about solar panels and the various benefits and applications of solar power. 

There are interesting fun facts throughout the book that feeds hungry minds. 

Pro Tip: For some practical ways to utilise solar energy at a small scale that can involve kids, try these:

  1. Ask them to sun dry their hair after a head bath instead of opting for a hairdryer. 
  2. Explain to them the benefits of sun-drying washed clothes instead of running an additional cycle of hot spin.
  3. Involve your kids in sun-drying mangoes or tomatoes and help them how solar power can be used to our benefit in easier ways. 

Wrap up words

I highly recommend this book as conversations on environmental issues, energy, conservation and sustainability are the need of the hour, especially for the younger generation to make conscious choices. 

Here are some of our little wins:

Some of the little ways that my 10-year-old understands and makes efforts independently for sustainable solutions. (Proud momma here!)

When it comes to sustainability, inclusivity is mandatory, which means involving kids too in having talks on sustainability and helping them take independent steps, how much ever small they may be.

Every small step towards sustainability matters and let’s help young minds make conscious choices.

For now, I leave you with this quote to ruminate upon:

“Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness.”

~Khalil Gibran

“This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.”

Growing Plants Only in Compost- The Pros & Cons

My gardening experiment & experience

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Plants are generally grown in a mix of garden soil, cocopeat and compost. But for a change, I wondered, what if I could grow plants only in compost. So I went ahead putting my thought into action.

Compost is a mixture that is largely made of decaying organic matter like dried leaves and food scraps and is used as a fertiliser for plants. Mature compost is rich in readily available nutrients and is also lighter than soil. 

Inspired by Vani Murthy ma’am, the composting queen, also known as the WormRani (follow her on Instagram here, for a daily dose of motivation) in the gardening circle, I took to composting 4 years back. One year later, I was so obsessed with the process of composting and compost that I wanted to try and experiment with growing plants only on compost. 

In Bangalore weather and on an open terrace that gets a fairly good amount of sunlight throughout the day, growing only on compost did have a decent outcome. Mind you, I started with zero expectations and I always indulge in gardening just for the sake of it with not many expectations. 

Here are some observations from growing plants only in compost

Pros of growing plants only in compost

  1. Compost is lighter in weight compared to soil. Water drains through it easily thereby avoiding stagnation of water in potted plants. This in turn highly reduces the chances of root rots in plants. 
  1. The lighter nature of compost makes it easy to transfer or carry pots around while shifting. Trust me, it is something you may want to consider if you are someone who is into shifting houses, often.
  1. The lighter nature of compost always makes it easy to till up while repotting or sowing or removing weeds, unlike working with soil that gets hard and crusted, making it difficult to till. 
  1. As a lot of chopped vegetable scraps goes into the compost, the nutrient availability increases in the end product, i.e, the mature compost.
  1. Compost is something that is always in progress. It gets denser over time which means that the pot you might have filled to the brim with compost might have reduced in quantity in two weeks. This acts as an advantage as it gives more space to add more compost which in turn reduces any chances of excess wet waste from our households going to landfills. 
  1. Having compost in your pots or soil bed may surprise plants that might have grown from a seed from veg or fruit scrap that had gone into the compost bin and thrived to turn into a sapling. We had watermelons and papaya plants come that way. 

You might as well, like reading this:

Cons of growing plants only in compost

  1. As much as the lighter weight of compost is a plus, it is equally a minus. The lighter weight doesn’t help in providing firm support like soil, especially to climbers and some tender stemmed plants like tomatoes.
  1. Compost, if added prematurely, turns acidic which may harm plant growth. 
  1. Again, adding premature compost may also end up having the growth of unwanted plants (courtesy, the seeds from veg & fruit scars gone into composting & chosen to survive)  along with the ones you intentionally sowed. 
  1. Adding premature moist compost may invite grubs and affect the roots of the plants. 
  1. The easy to dig property of compost may have your furry friend dig it all away and have a good night’s sleep in the warmth of the pot (true story!). 

Have a look at the garden that thrived only on homemade compost.

The result may surprise you!

Click here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Zr__rzBsc-s

Wrap up words

As much as compost is rich in nutrients and can be tempting enough to grow plants only in compost, we should know that it may not provide firm support which too is vital for healthy plant growth. 

So my key takeaway from the experiment was to have a mix of garden soil and matured compost, say in the ration, 4:6 and it has been working well for me till now with decent yields without the need for any chemical fertilisers. 

Happy garden, happy me!

Hope you find this helpful. Also, I am all ears to know about your gardening experiments and hacks. Indulge me!

Signing off with this interesting quote:

Kings and cabbages go back to compost, but good deeds stay green forever.

~Rick DeMarinis

“This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.”