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A news report, and some gruesome pictures associated with it, recently caught my attention. I had not heard about the turtle population in Pakistan for many years now, and was somehow under the impression that steps taken by government to ban poaching and export had resulted in significant protection of the turtle habitats.

Well, according to the news item, a study conducted by the WWF-Pakistan at the Taunsa Wildlife Sanctuary concluded that that the turtle population not only faces brutality at the hands of poachers, but is also under threat of extinction.

Unlike many other topics that people in our country love to discuss around chai-time, protection of wildlife, and in this case turtles, has never gained popularity. The result of our collective social apathy towards the issue has resulted in significant loss of wildlife, and endangerment of precious species.

It is understood hat the various body parts of the turtle, especially the fresh water turtle, have become ‘hot export items’. Fisherman in Sindh and Punjab are found illegally hunting turtles and in some cases, a turtle is killed for a mere payment of 2 to 4 US dollars. The bulk of turtle exports, worth millions of dollars, are destined for Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and Taiwan where the soft shells and chest pellicles of the turtles are in the manufacture of Traditional Chinese Medicines. The practitioners of these medicines believe that the turtle shells are highly effective for purifying blood and curing many diseases.

Ofcourse the illegal hunters are not the only source of the problem. For example, the most commonly found turtles along the beaches of Karachi are known as Green Turtles. They are one of the seven marine turtles found in the world, and are the largest species of marine turtles after the Leatherbacks. It is Pakistan’s unique treasure that a significan percentage of the world’s green turtle population lays their eggs and builds their nests on the beaches of Sandspit and Hawksbay, on the shores of Karachi, and in Jiwani, a coastal town in the western part of the Makran Coast.

These turtle populations are in grave danger because of significant human footprint in their eco-systems. Excessive construction of beach huts and other buildings along the beaches are destroying some of the habitats used for breeding. Pollution, especially from the picnickers, is another major problem on the beaches in Karachi.

People go for picnics and outings and carelessly dispose of their garbage, which usually includes plastic bags, on the shoreline. During high tide, the water takes the garbage along with it into the sea. Green turtles usually eat jellyfish, which resembles the plastic bags, and hence, these turtles literally eat the bags and die!

Courtesy: http://www.pakistaniat.com

 

Sony's paper-powered battery offers the prospect of waste paper being used to top up mobile phones

Sony has unveiled a paper-powered battery prototype in Japan.

The technology generates electricity by turning shredded paper into sugar which in turn is used as fuel.

If brought to market, the innovation could allow the public to top up the power of their mobile devices using waste material.

The team behind the project said such bio-batteries are environmentally friendly as they did not use harmful chemicals or metals.

The Japanese electronics giant showed off its invention at the Eco-Products exhibition in Tokyo last week.

Employees invited children to drop piece of paper and cardboard into a liquid made up of water and enzymes, and then to shake it. The equipment was connected to a small fan which began spinning a few minutes later.

Learning from nature

The process works by using the enzyme cellulase to decompose the materials into glucose sugar. These were then combined with oxygen and further enzymes which turned the material into electrons and hydrogen ions.

The electrons were used by the battery to generate electricity. Water and the acid gluconolactone, which is commonly used in cosmetics, were created as by-products.

Researchers involved in the project likened the mechanism to the one used by white ants and termites to digest wood and turn it into energy.

Their work builds on a previous project in which they used fruit juice to power a Walkman music player.

"Using a 'fuel' as simple as old greetings cards - the sort of cards that millions of us will be receiving this Christmas - the bio battery can deliver enough energy to power a small fan," said Yuichi Tokita, senior researcher at Sony's Advanced Material Research Lab.

"Of course, this is still at the very early stages of its development, but when you imagine the possibilities that this technology could deliver, it becomes very exciting indeed."

Eco-friendly

While the battery is already powerful enough to run basic music players, it is still falls far short of commercially sold batteries.

The environmental campaign group Greenpeace welcomed the development.

"The issue that we always have with battery technology is the toxic chemicals that go into making them and recycling batteries is also complicated," John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK told the BBC.

"Any way to provide a greener technology could be a potential magic bullet. So from that point of view this is interesting, and I think it's fantastic that companies like Sony are looking to make the generation of energy more environmentally friendly."

Sony's engineers are not the only ones exploring the concept of paper-based batteries.

In 2009 a team of Stanford University scientists revealed they were working on a battery created by coating sheets of paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. They said their work might ultimately lead to a device capable of lasting through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles.

 

 

Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16288107

Say no to bottled water. Water is an excellent, healthy drink but drinking bottled water creates an extraordinary amount of waste. Did you know that it takes more than 17 million gallons of oil each year just to produce bottled water? That’s enough oil to fuel a million cars for an entire year. Instead, get a filter installed on your tap at home and buy a reusable jug to carry with you.

Get active. Instead of driving to your usual destinations, try walking, taking the bus or riding your bike. For every 4-mile trip you avoid taking you in your car, you can prevent approximately 15 pounds of air pollution from entering our atmosphere.

Green your clean. Many store-bought cleaning supplies contain harsh chemicals that aren’t good for you or for the planet. Did you know that baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice can be just as effective as store-bought cleansers? Try using some homemade green cleaners in your home today.

Get e-friendly. Most companies now have an online option for paying bills these days which creates a lot less paper waste. If every household in the US paid bills online, we could save 18 million trees each year.

Use cloth over paper. Instead of using paper napkins and towels, try cloth instead. It’s gentler on the environment and on your grocery budget too!

Power down. It’s hard to believe, but lighting alone consists of 5-10 percent of total energy use. Save energy by turning off lights when you leave a room.

Make a light bulb switcheroo. By switching to fluorescent bulbs, you can dramatically reduce your energy needs. Did you know that if every family in the United States changed to fluorescent bulbs it would be equivalent to taking a million cars off the streets?

Get energy efficient. The next time you need to buy a household appliance make sure to purchase one that has the Energy Star label and you can reduce the amount of energy your family consumes dramatically.

Plant a tree. Trees produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide and help clean the air and the soil of our planet. Without trees, we humans would not be able to exist here on Earth. Give a little something back to the planet by planting a tree in your backyard.

Green your beauty routine. Not only do green beauty productshelp protect the Earth, they're better for your body too! Check out some of the best ways to make your daily beauty routine eco-friendly here >>>

Eat local. Organically grown food may be healthy, but the environmental damage caused by transporting food long distances leaves a large and unnecessary carbon footprint. Studies show that a regional diet consumes 17 times less fossil fuels than a typical diet which includes foods shipped across the country. Try shopping at your local farmer’s market for some fresh and in-season goodies. Or better yet, plant a garden in your own backyard!

Conserve water. Did you know that for every minute you spend in the shower, you use 5 gallons of water? You can reduce your totally water usage dramatically by simply turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth and shortening your daily shower.

Recharge. Instead of buying lots of conventional batteries, switch to rechargeables and you will save the planet from a lot of hazardous waste.

Ditch the disposables. Sure, disposable packaging makes life easier in the short run, but unfortunately it creates a tremendous amount of unnecessary waste. Try buying reusable bags and containers to carry your lunch, groceries and other daily items.

Get creative. Before you throw anything away, think hard about how that item might be used again. Could you give it to a friend? Could it be repurposed into something else? Turn old maps and kids’ artwork into eco-friendly wrapping paper. Old T-shirts make great cleaning rags. Cereal boxes and egg cartons can be turned into arts and crafts supplies. Fill up your empty spaghetti jars with rice or other bulk grains. Old cards can be transformed into beautiful gift tags. The possibilities are endless!

Source : http://dailydelights.sheknows.com/articles/823899/15-ways-to-go-green-in-your-daily-life

NOW EVERYONE OF US CAN HAVE A CAR.

 

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