Treesouls

The western ghats, the northeast forests and the Andamans might still look pristine but of late there is enough scope to believe that conservation efforts is not not taking the right direction. The loss of habitat due to deforestation and human inhabitation is on the rise if one heeds a recent report by the The World Conservation Union comprising of 83 member countries.

Shocking though is the fact that 45 valuable tree species across India is almost at the brink of extinction. And to boot, 247 tree species have touched the endangered zone.

Reasons abound, theories proliferate but the crux of the issue lies at man’s insatiable greed to overreach his frontiers of existence at the cost of these national green treasures. Flora devastation. Fauna destruction. Betrayal of nature. Whatever, habitat decline has no excuses whatsoever.

Take the following facts that need to brook real answers.

• The Ilex khasiana tree, native to Meghalaya is in its last thores, only 4 left in the high altitude Shillong Peak.
• The Actinodaphne lanata tree, native of the Niligiri Hills cannot be spotted easily. Simply because there is just one left in the Shola forest.
• The Andaman Syzygium manii, a semi-evergreen forest is almost non existent.
• There are no records for many species feared extinct since 2000.

The Botanical Survey of India has to have answers ready. But like all governmental organizations, all they do is refute the evidence and cook up statistics to pat themselves on the back. Remember Sariska and the furore. Seems like the flora in India will meet the same fate as the fauna.

The only way out is for organizations and individuals to speak up in one voice and be heard. The rot has to stop now.

Before you set out to make this wreath for Christmas, promise yourself that you will not step out to buy anything. Look around for what is available in your house and visualise the look and feel of the wreath you want.

Be creative. Think out of the box.

Things you will need

 Plenty of dried flowers (you can also use newspaper bits, crushed brown paper shreds, dried leaves, dried straw bits, etc)

• Fillers – for embellishing the wreath (you can also use dried grass, twigs, dried tendrils, spaghetti, thin and slender dried leaves, any stuff from your old arrangements, etc.
• Cellophane Tape – to seal the loose ends
• Cable Wire/ Thick Wire/ Round Metal Frame – to form the basic frame of the wreath
• Thin sheet of foam which may be leftover or recycled – the add body to the wreath’s frame
• Thin metal wire – to fix the flowers around the frame. Or glue – If you do not like the idea of using a metal wire to fix the flowers
• Left over coir rope or strings – for making a loop to hang the wreath

LETS GET STARTED

Make a circle out of the old cable wire. Since it is thick and sturdy, it forms a perfect circle and because of its weight, the wreath will not fly away when hung on the door.

Seal the ends of the cable wire ring with cellophane tape, so as to prevent it from getting unwound. 

Cut 2-inch wide long strips out of any waste foam sheet. Start from the top and wind it around the cable frame, spirally, completing the whole circle. Seal the foam strip ends to prevent it from unwinding. 

The base is now ready. Sort your dried flowers into buds and blooms. This will later help you pick up the right kind of flower you may need, as work progresses.

Start securing twigs to the wreath base. Let the natural formations and twig patterns help you decide the design. You can make a perfect circle with twigs or let the beautiful imperfections come in. 

Start from the sealed spot. Pick up a single flower or a bunch of flowers and wind them around the foam padding. Use a thin metal wire as a binder and secure this first bunch firmly onto the frame. 

Add another flower or set of flowers to the frame and keep securing them with the metal wire or glue. Keep working around with more flowers and secure them to the base. You may place the flowers randomly or make a full floral circle.

You will get a fair idea of the pattern as you work along. More often than not, the work in progress patterns look far better than the finished product. Be creative with the thrash you throw around while making this wreath. Broken bits of twigs and dried petals can add far more beauty and depth to this organic wonder.

Once done, tie a coir rope or any cord to make a loop. Your basic wood rose wreath is ready to be hung on the door. 

If you desire, this woodrose wreath can be further embellished with fillers. These could be dried grass, small dried flowers, etc.

Insert fillers in little gaps to form a pattern. You may insert the fillers in such a way that they are secure and wont fall off or fly away. Or simply glue them.

This eco-friendly Christmas wreath is now ready to be hung on your door. 

Or you may add some candles for the added warmth at the dining table. 

Have a healthy and happy Christmas.

 

Its jingle bells time, Christmas season awash with glad tidings, decked trees, gaiety, mirth and the customary Santa visits. Well not just Christmas, all festivals brings in its wake not just good times but also an indelibe amount of waste and an inherent impact on the environment and the surroundings. Lets take a starry look at some commonsense ways wherein we can usher in the Christmas season in a more responsible manner.

• Turn off the Christmas light when its not needed or when you are’nt at home.
• As simple as turning off your thermostat by a degree can whittle off 10 percent on your energy bills.
• Buy recycled paper to wrap your special presents.
• Choose a gift that can be useful, lasting and recyclcled.
• Cold shoulder energy guzzling gadgets as gifts.
• Ensure gifted gadgets have rechargable batteries.
• Better green friendly gifts include concert tickets, gym memberships, baseball game tickets etc.
• Make it a point to buy Christmas trees potted or with roots intact. You can always keep it in the balcony for next year or better still can be planted in the garden for reuse next year.
• Reduce lighting up your garden or premises. You waste energy as also be a unwarranted nusiance to birds and insects.
• Say yes to cloth napkins and porcelain plates. Say no to paper plates and cups.
• Switch to organic produce for the Chrismas feast.
• Ensure spare food and leftover are cooled before storing in the fridge.
• Cook with the pan lids on. Your food cooks faster. You save energy too.
• If you want to live it up with caviar, say no to endangered sturgeon and choosed the farmed variety instead.
• Go for oysters than red meat. Oysters function like tiny carbon-wells that absorb CO2 to build their shells.
• Going for Atlantic salmon and swordfish might ensure you might not have it again soon. They are endangered and need to be protected. Go for other better choices.
• Do not use the dishwasher until it has a full load so that you can use it only once thus saving more.
• Use decor made from recycled or eco-friendly materials.
• Say yes to natural decoration. Easy to recycle and can be used as compost.
• Pinecones, painted eggshells, crushed (colored) aluminum foil, paper chains, paper snowflakes, old CDs can always double up as decoration when handled creatively.
• Sending an e-eard might not be too personal but it does help.
• Preserve boxes, gift bags, wrapping, filler, ribbons and bows for future gift wrapping or craft projects.

These are just a few tips that will not only make this Cmas greener but also give you the added satisfaction that you did contribute to the environment in little ways that really matter. And at the end of it, please dont forget to recycle all the Christmas waste..

Have a merry Christmas all the way…..

It’s a cliche really, the impact of the state of the Amazon forest on mother earth’s climatic horoscope. Yet the lengths to which governments go to put the burning issue under the mat defies logic of any degree.

A recent report by environmentalists showcased at the UN Climate conference at Bali that climate change coupled with deforestation could fatally impair nearly 60 percent of the evergreen forest by 2030 has still not put the Brazilian Government on action mode. Instead the govt has come out with a counter that there has been a sharp drop in the rate of deforestation.

Lets decipher the facts as they stand.

The key points of the green brigade is as follows.

• An important component of the world’s cooling mechanism will be lost
• One fifth of the world’s fresh water under threat
• 30 percent of the world’s flora and fauna face extinction, not to mention the species not discovered
• The world’s largest “carbon sinks” or absorber of CO2 will be destroyed
• Deforestation releases CO2 into the atmosphere (55.5 billion to 96.9 billion by 2030) – not a nice scenario to envision
• Logging, livestock expansion and drought will clear 55 percent of the rain forest
• Rainfall predicted to decline by 10 percent
• A small rise in temperature of 3.6 degrees will tip the environmental balance leading to floods, droughts, rising sea levels, heat waves and diseases 

The Brazilian Governments pooh pooh on the issues is spelt out below.

• Predictions on the Amazon’s longevity to be taken with a pinch of salt considering its complexity and size
• Enviroment ministry says rate of deforestation is down by 20 percent between August 2006 and July 2007
• 4,333 square miles lost this year compared to 5,420 square miles last year.
• Increased enforcement of environmental regulations.
• Low prices of soyabeans resuling in lesser forest areas cleared for cultivation.

As arguments and counters fly fast and thick, it cannot discount the fact that we are truly on the way to environmental imbalance and it’s time that Governments practise continual improvement to the processes in place. The Amazon needs an Amazon effort, a comprehensive shift to sustainable logging processes, better land use policies and more funding to increase forest cover. It is time the rich countries gave a hand by reducing emissions that can mar the overall effort. Simply put it needs a more concerted effort.

Chew on more here. And some more prespective here.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Labour Government decision to sign the Kyoto Treaty marks a significant change in the country’s direction towards Global Warming and its repercussions. The new PM signed the papers that will ratify the proposal on Dec 3rd, his first official act that has been welcomed by all as a kangaroo jump as far as global co-operation on this issue is concerned.

The signing that coincided with the start of the post-Kyoto talks in Bali is a major fillip to the Global warming control bandwagon that has to hit the fast track if sustainable preventive action has to be taken. The ratification will become effective 90 days after being received by the UN; hence it will be March, 2008 before the Aussies become full fledged Kyoto member. Incidentally, the previous conservative government has used Australia’s heavy reliance on coal for energy and export income as an alibi to not sign the global treaty.

Hopefully Australia’s decision will put some pressure on George Bush to implement a change in US policy towards Global Warming.