Plastic bags are killing us

The most ubiquitous consumer item on Earth, the lowly plastic bag is an environmental scourge like none other, sapping the life out of our oceans and thwarting our attempts to recycle it.

Every year, Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags after they’ve been used to transport a prescription home from the drugstore or a quart of milk from the grocery store. It’s equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil. …
Only 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled worldwide.

The bags look like jellyfish to a lot of marine life. The bags that don’t get “eaten” become part of the flotsam that now clogs every square inch of the world’s now fully plastinated oceans (some sections of ocean now carry 6x more plastic than biomass).

More than a million birds, animals and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic. The conservation group estimates that 50 percent of all marine litter is some form of plastic. There are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
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In Mumbai in 2005 India experienced massive monsoon flooding partially as a result of drains blocked by plastic bags, resulting in over 1000 deaths.
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Similar flooding happened in 1988 in Bangladesh, which led to the banning of plastic bags in 2002.

Is Education The way Out? - 
The answer to polythene pollution, even if it isn't a complete answer, is education. It's admittedly a hard road to take to try to educate people to stop using something that is so very convenient, and from the perspective of the single individual, polythene doesn't seem to be all that harmful. None of us particularity likes to be told by our government what we can or can't do, and even have a tendency to rebel when something becomes mandatory. Education on the other hand can help people to understand the benefits we all will gain from not using or discarding polythene. If an outright ban isn't in the cards, at least people, on a global scale, might be able to learn to use these products responsibly.

Photo gallery Campaign at SJ Public School Jaipur

Campaign by MESSAGE NGO
 Date 20/12/2010
Subject: Say no to Polytheen Bag

Simple Ways to Save the Environment

Why not resolve to plant some trees every year? If each of us plants one little tree, it can amount to a great amount of afforestation making the environment healthier. Increasing the use of bicycles or making a habit to walk down short distances can contribute to reduction in air pollution. Try to minimize the use of vehicles. Use CFC-free products. For some destinations, the use of vehicles has no better options. But at least maintain your vehicles; clean their exhaust pipes, keep the pollution they cause under strict control.

Look at the gadgets you use at home. Are all of them necessary? Do you maintain them well and use them efficiently? Replace the air filters for your air conditioning unit once a month. Turn off the ACs as also the lights and fans in unused rooms. Make sure to switch off the lights, the television or radio systems before you leave the house. Do not keep your computer switched on while you are not using it. Did you know that your refrigerator and water heaters consume a lot of power? A careful use of these gadgets is a good way to save the electricity.

One of the most important constituents of the environment is water. Preventing the wastage of water and curbing water pollution is one of our primary duties. Turn off the taps; do not let the buckets overflow! The use of bath showers and heavy-flushes in toilets leads to an excessive usage of water. Do not dump garbage down a storm drain. Do not pollute water bodies.

Recycling is one of the best measures of saving the environment. Try to use renewable sources of energy. Resort to the use of renewable natural resources. A simple way to do this is to lessen the use of rubber and plastic. Instead, use paper bags and cardboard containers. Even a simple habit of buying in bulk can save a lot of packaging material, thus contributing to saving the environment. Buy the products that you can reuse.

When in office, print only when it is absolutely necessary. Printing every soft copy leads to a heavy wastage of paper. Remember to switch off your computer when no one is using it. Avoid an excessive use of air conditioners in the office. Use emails instead of paper correspondence. Do not use disposable cups when you have an option of using the ceramic ones.

Minimize the use of animal products, which involve their killing. Animal fur and ivory are some of the excessively used products that are gradually leading to the extinction of the animals that provide them. Resolve not to hunt animals. Follow the principles of saving the environment and encourage others in taking to environment-saving activities.

Activities like composting can be of great help in recycling of garbage into useful manures. Avoid an extensive use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic nutrients. Natural manures are a better option for farms and gardens.

These are some of the simple ways in which we can contribute towards saving nature. A small step by each of us can make a huge leap towards saving the environment.

"Say no to Polytheen" Save the Environment

20/12/2010

'पालीथिन हटाओ पर्यावरण बचाओ ' शपथ

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हमारी संस्था 'मैसेज  सामाजिक सुरक्षा एवं सुशासन की दिशा में कार्यरत एक स्वयंसेवी संगठन है, जोसरकार के वन एवम पर्यावरण मंत्रालय के सहयोग से 'पौलिथिन हटाओ, पर्यावरण बचाओ अभियान की दिशा में काम कर रही है और पौलिथिन थैलियों के उपयोग को बंद करने के लिए जनजाग्रति अभियान आयोजित कर रही है।
मेसेज संस्था के सचिव दीपक गोस्वामी के अनुसार मैसेज संस्था द्वारा संचालित पौलिथिन हटाओ पर्यावरण बचाओ अभियान के द्वितीय चरण में आज एस जे प•िलक स्कूल जनता कॉलोनी जवाहर नगर में आयोजन किया गया। इस अवसर पर बच्चाों में पोलीथिन से होने वाली हानियों के बारे में जानने की जिज्ञासा देखते ही बनीती थी। पर्यावरणविद डॉ. डी. के. ठाकुर ने बच्चों को पोलीथिन से होने वाली हानियों व पर्यावरण बचाने के उपाय के बारे में जानकारी दी।
शिक्षिका व समाजसेविका पूर्णिमा कोल ने उक्त अवसर पर बच्चों को पोलिथीन हटाओ पर्यावरण बचाओ की शपथ दिलवाई व घर में घर के बडों व अडोस-पडोस को पोलिथीन उपयोग न करने के लिए समझाने की कौशिश करने के लिए बताया गया। तत्पश्चात बच्चों ने कोरे कागज पर पर्यावरण के प्रति उनकी भावनाओं को ड्राइंग सीट पर रंगों के माध्यम से जीवन्त बना दिया। पर्यावरण के प्रति उनकी भावनाओं ने कागज पर कल्पना की उडान भरी जो देखते ही बनती थी।
एस जे प•िलक स्कूल की प्राचार्या श्रीमती मंजू शर्मा ने सभी उपस्थित अतिथियों का धन्यवाद ज्ञापन करते हुए आगे भी इस तरह के सामाजिक सरोकार वाले कार्यक्रमों में स्कूल के जुडऩे की सहमति जताई।
आमंत्रित मास्टर पेंटर श्री हर्सिव शर्मा व श्वेत गोयल द्वारा पेंटिंग्स में 10 पेंटिंगों का चयन किया गया।
अभियान पूरा होने पर शहर की प्रतिष्ठित गेलेरी में इन पेंटिंग्स का प्रदर्शनी का आयोजन किया
जाएगा व प्रतियोगिता में भाग लेने वाले प्रतियोगियों को पुरष्कïत भी किया जाएगा।

" Say No To Polytheen Bag" Campaign Save the Environment

“Say no to Polytheen bag” MESSAGE Institute in different schools of Painting Competition in different schools of Jaipur with an aim to create mass awareness among the children against environment on the subject-

“Say no to Polytheen bag”

Remove the Polythene, Save the Environment.

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A painting competition is being organized by the Jaipur with an aim to create mass

awareness among the children under the drive-

“Say no to Polytheen bag”

Wednesday, 15.12.2010 between 12.30 pm. To 01.30Pm. among the

deaf and dumb children of Anandi Lal Poddar Deaf & Dumb Institute,

near Police memorial JLN Marg, Jaipur, where the children will be explained about

environmental pollution caused by the use of the polythene products.

During the competition the children will express their feelings on paper with

the colors on the subject- “Remove the Polythene, Save Environment”.

The selected paintings will be displayed at the renowned Art Galleries

of the town for three days. Also the paintings as adjudged the best will

by the master painters will be duly awarded.

Photo Snapses/............
On spot Draying painting Copetition at Anandilal Poddar 
Deaf & Dumb Institute