Tropicana non-vegetarian juice!!!!

This is my most harrowing discovery: Tropicana orange juice with omega-3 fatty acids has fish oil and other fish products! Who would've ever thought that a fruit juice could contain animal products and that too a juice advertised as "freshly squeezed orange juice"!! Then I did a search and found this link that lists all the Tropicana, Minute Maid and Florida Naturals juices that contain animal products. On reading the discussion on that post I found that OJ with Vit D from Tropicana are vegetarian but not vegan and from Florida Naturals are NOT vegetarian. Whoa! That was a saving grace.

This just adds the number of items where we need to check the ingredients list!

San Diego wildfire

The north eastern part of San Diego county is engulfed in flames due to a wildfire that started in Ramona. Most of the schools, universities and offices are either closed or have advised their employees to work from home. Thousands have been evacuated and heaven only knows how much damage has been done. The air quality is very poor and we know that not because we read it in the news but by personal experience: there were ashes falling on us yesterday when we were outside. One always feels sad to read about people affected by natural calamities but for the first time I can really understand what such people face because this time it's people whom I talk with everyday that have been evacuated from their homes. Some of them had houses 2 blocks away burning down to ashes. Just imagining how would one feel leaving their homes and knowing that potentially their home might be burned down, sent shivers down my spine. I always talk about that one should learn to be thankful to God for what one has and I always do; now I do even more.

My sincere prayers are with these people and all those who're suffering in this catastrophe. May God give everybody the strength to endure this. I request everybody who reads this to also pray for these people and the firefighters.

Read more about this fire here.

Green Olympics

In order to clean the air for the Olympics and reduce the traffic on the road China is taking the following measures:

"...In one move, the municipal government has called on local residents to take public transport more instead of driving private cars through axing bus and subway fares, hoping to reduce the pollution from automobile exhaust.

Citizens who possess vehicles such as motorcycles, passenger cars, sedans and trucks have been taxed more as of Oct. 1, with the rates ranging from 200 yuan (26.7 U.S. dollars) to 600 yuan ( 80 U.S. dollars) a year, almost doubling the sums before the change."

I agree that it's a very drastic change but I think if it benefits the environment then we should go for it. It might cause inconvenience in the short term but in the long term people adapt to such policies and would realize how much good they've done to the environment. I think such measures should be adopted in the US too. Unless it hurts the pocket, majority will not resort to means of transportation that are eco-friendly.

Forest Rights Act 2006

I recently came across this petition by Vanashakti which targets the withdrawal of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.

If you're wondering what is the FRA then here are snippets from various articles that summarize it:

• " ...is a historic legislation, the first legislative measure in India's history aimed at addressing the seizure of the homes, lands and livelihoods of tribals and forest dwellers through the declaration of 'government forests.'"[Source: FPP]
• "...The new law recognises the right to homestead, cultivable and grazing land (occupied, and in use since December 2005), and to non-timber forest produce..." [Source]
• "...This Act will give away up to 4 hectares of forest land to each tribal family and others dwelling in reserve forests, sanctuaries and national parks..." [Source: Vanashakti]
  

This act has antagonized many conservationists and environmental agencies and on reading their argument I felt rightly so. As Vanashakti says, the forests do not belong to any section they belong to all. However the FPP claims that these forests are not the uninhabited wilderness that they are being portrayed as but are home to forest communities. What both parties do side with is the denunciation of the act: by FPP because the act supposed to benefit them is being misused and by organizations like Vanashakti because they believe that it would lead to large-scale deforestation.

My take:
As always, I think, it's not the act that people are against but government's evil designs that have made people skeptical. With FPP on one side and the environmental organizations on the other, it's hard to say who's right and who's wrong till one can dig the true story; and that I haven't been able to.

If anybody has any insights on this topic, please share them with me. Or if you have an opinion and why.

No Impact Man

Came across this interesting post which speaks about the author's resolve to live a no impact life for a year in NY. By "no impact" he means not impacting the environment. A very daunting task indeed!

Even if he's not able to achieve "zero impact", he would at least substantially decrease his impact, that I'm sure. It would also motivate and inspire other people to take steps for the preservation of the environment. So all in all I think it's a good gesture towards the environment.

Related Links: Lighter Footsteps

Plight of road transport

When I used to drive to work, I would wish everyday that they (DoT) would add more lanes to the existing 5-lane freeway. Yes to most of you it would sound ludicrous that why would somebody want to extend a 5 lane freeway. Then again there would be some who would empathize with me; who know that even a 5 lane highway can get congested and frustrating at times. So in last year's local elections the winner's manifesto had to have the extension of the freeway as one of the main agenda. Not sure if that was the reason but whatever the reason the construction has started to extend most of the major roads/freeways in San Diego. My sentiments at this extension: frustrated, agitated. Why? Because how long can we keep extending roads to ease congestion? As Gandhiji said "Earth can provide for your needs, not your greed". There have to be alternate ways to resolve traffic congestion.

Since I started using public transportaion, I realized what a boon it is and that was the solution to all our traffic problems. Then I wondered that why do people prefer to be stuck in jams rather than using a bus/train. The answer was simple: public transportation in San Diego is expensive and time-taking most of the times; and inconvenient some of the time. That gives most people little reason to use public transportation. So why don't they spend a fraction of the billions of dollars from the transportation budget to strengthen the infrastructure for public transportation like improving connectivity; and promoting it? Wouldn't doing this
be less expensive that building roads, especially since they don't offer a long term respite? The benefits we're looking at:

1. Reduction in gross fuel consumption, hence reducing dependence on foreign fuel.
2. Environment-friendly in multiple ways: saves a natural resource; burns less gas.
3. Eases traffic congestion.
4. Believe it or not, it would reduce the stress in everybody's life. You'll agree that driving in congested conditions leads to stress on the driver and leaves him flustered. However, if one were to use the public transport, one can simply enjoy the ride.

The more I talk about this issue, the less it seems to me. I wish somebody would put it into the heads of DoT personnel. Seems like this topic has become close to my heart; I can never stop once I start.

Let go the car!

On my way to the office, I look around and find that 90% of the vehicles are occupied by just the driver - including me. With the rising fuel prices, increasing traffic jams and concerns for global warming, I had a huge guilt in my heart. I was an abettor in the bumper-to-bumper traffic jams and a contributor to the selfish depletion of natural resources. Among the alternatives, cycling or walking was not an option considering the miles I'd to travel. Carpool was an option that I really wanted but none of my searches resulted in success. Finally, frustrated with being stuck in traffic jams almost every other day I decided to use the San Diego Coaster (train). Words can't describe my feelings the first day I commuted to office solely on the basis of public transportation. Not only was I saved the agony of jams and harassment by traffic violators but I it also made me feel as if I'd contributed to a good cause however small the contribution: I'd saved a few gallons of gas, to be precise 2 gallons. If I could do this every week, then I would save 104 gallons in a year. If one person could make so much difference then just imagine how much gas would be saved if each of us shunned our cars just once a week!

Using public transportation has many advantages, personal as well as societal:

1. Saves gas.
2. Saves you the hassle of driving and facing traffic.
3. Gives you time to do anything you enjoy doing during your commute.
4. In most cases would turn out to be cheaper. The cost of driving your own vehicle is not just the cost of fuel, it also included cost of maintenance, insurance, etc. To calculate the actual cost of driving you can use this calculator.
   
5. Reduces the depreciation on your vehicle.
6. Reduces the cost of maintenance of your vehicle.
   
7. Reduces number of vehicles on the road and hence decreasing traffic jams.

In some cases, like mine, using public transportation may take some extra time as compared to taking your own vehicle but that extra time can be put to good use and then the pros easily outweigh the cons.

For those who're looking for some information on how to commute using the coaster: most of the stations have the facility to park your car at the station of origin and from the destination station there are a number of shuttles which is most cases will drop you off next to your office. These shuttles are free if you're using the coaster. A single day ticket might be a little expensive but it's worth when on days of the week when you encounter long traffic jams. A monthly pass is very reasonable if you decide to use the coaster daily. The best part of these shuttles is that they are for the coaster commuters so they leave as soon as the commuters have boarded and hence there's no wait. Similarly, their return time is scheduled such that they drop you off just in time for your coaster. Another advantage of using the coaster is the beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean you get to see.

De-stress your driving

I saw this excellent post "5 Powerful reasons to drive slower..." and immediately felt the need to propound it and hence the link. I'm a firm believer of the points that the author has raised.

Initially when I reduced my speed, the main reason behind it was to lower the fuel consumption for economical and environmental reasons. However, since I've slowed down I've realized one more thing and that is: I can keep my cruise on for longer. Ultimately, this too realizes all the benefits already listed in the post.

Being one of those who've long commutes I've come to realize that accidents are big production stops. They not only affect the ones who cause them but thousands of others who get stranded in the traffic jams caused by these accidents.

Let there be green...

When I used to read about global warming in school, I never thought that I would witness this phenomenon in my lifetime. I was under the impression that it would take decades and decades for such a thing to have it's effects; but mother nature proved me wrong. San Diego had such a wonderful weather: it was the pride of San Diego. Never too cold, never too hot. However, one year it got a little hotter than it used to be but it was only for 4-5 days and so quote manageable. The next year, the hottest selling item at any store was: fans. The winters have become so cold that sometimes it touches the freezing point. In retrospect, it's unbelievable; but it has happened and if we don't want it to get any worse then we better start doing something about it or else we would be living the movie "Day after Tomorrow".

Each one of us should do whatever we can towards conservation of natural resources and reduction of non-biodegradable waste. Here are some suggestions which I've adopted over the course of my life:

1. Use the recycle bin: try to put every little piece of paper. that you want to throw away, into the recycle bin. Not just paper but also cans, boxes etc.

2. Re-use your plastic/paper shopping bags. Instead of getting new ones everytime you go to a grocery store, take your old ones. You could probably keep some extra in your car trunks, that way you don't have to remember to take them everytime. Or maybe buy a cloth shopper.

3. Minimize the consumption of fuel by :- carpooling, not using the car if the destination if walkable and using the public transportation if possible. Initiate a "ride-your-bike-to-work" day at your workplace. Or assign a day just for yourself when you won't use your car.

4. Avoid using disposable stuff like spoons, plates, glasses, etc. They are significant contributors to the trash.

5. Buy stuff in bulk rather than personal packs, not only does it come out to be cheaper it also saves the extra packing material.

6. Switch on your dishwasher/washer/dryer only when they are full. It conserves tremendous amount of energy and your energy bill plummets! :) Try this for a month and compare your bills.

Note: I'll keep updating this list as and when I come across new ways to save energy.

Related Links
Anyesha's take on Earth Day