B E N N E T T, C O L E M A N & C O. LT D. | E S TA B LI S H E D 183 8 | T I M E S O F I N D I A . C O M | N E W D E L H I

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STUDENT EDITION

WEB EDITION

FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2020

WORLDENVIRONMENT

DAY FACTSTHE DAY: June 5 is celebrated asthe World Environment Day acrossthe globe to focus on environment-related issues. The first EnvironmentDay was observed in 1974, with thetheme,'Only One Earth'

THEME 2020: The theme for theWorld Environment Day 2020 is biodi-versity — a concern that is both urgentand existential, says the UN. Recentevents— from bushfires in Brazil, US,and Australia to locust infestationsacross East Africa – and now, a globalpandemic – demonstrate the interde-pendence of humans and the webs oflife, in which they exist. The themefocuses on 'time for nature', and pro-viding the essential infrastructure thatsupports life on Earth and humandevelopment.

3ENVIRONMENTAL GAMESTHAT TEACH KIDS ABOUTEARTH, ECOLOGY AND

CONSERVATION

Coral Reef, Tinybop Inc.In Coral Reef, players explore an inter-active ocean environment, discoveringhow organisms like sharks, sea turtles,and jellyfish live together in an under-water ecosystem. It helps in learningfoundational science concepts byobserving and answering questionsthrough interactions with undersea life.

WWF Free Rivers, WWF The sole augmented reality (AR) gamehelps in observing and interacting withdiverse river habitats in the comfort oftheir own home. The game immersesplayers in simulated environmentsbased on the Himalayan mountains,South American grasslands, etc

Habitactics, Zachtronics /Touch Press GamesHabitactics is a mind-bending ecologypuzzle game that teaches how differ-ent species affect each other and thesuccess of their ecosystems. Playersare required to explore an array ofdiverse environments, like rainforestsand oceans, and solve puzzles

I PLEDGE...

CLICK HERE: WWW.TOISTUDENT.COM

A s peopleacross theglobe stayed

home to stop the spreadof the coronavirus,nature got a breather.Air cleaned up, smogstopped choking peo-ple—there was a suddendrop in carbon emis-sions, reduction in NO2

concentration in atmos-phere, and the worldwitnessed the beautifulside of our planet...

While humans were confinedto their homes, animalsroamed around freely on theotherwise busy roads. ANilgai was spotted in Noidaduring the lockdown.Penguins were also seen onthe streets of Capetown

Rivers like Ganga andYamuna, which couldn'tbe cleaned despitespending crores, lookedsparkling clear, thanks toa blanket reduction inindustrial pollutants, andless human activity

Pink flamingoes which area treat to watch, returnedto Mumbai beach in hugenumbers. The BombayNatural History Societystated that their numberis 25% more than it was inthe last year

Pictures of the Himalayanrange visible fromJalandhar went viral, cour-tesy clean air. TheHimalayan range is morethan 100 miles away fromPunjab; when spotted, itssight left many in awe!

THE BIGGEST LESSON FOR HUMANITY

Earth is HEALING...

GREENER, CLEANERAND BRIGHTER

Let us PLEDGE to make it

My wish for the Earthis I wish that wetreat the plants andanimal species—as just as signifi-cant a part ofnature — as thehuman species. Iwish that wewould not treatthem as a meansto an end,because at theend of the day...we are all oneANUSHKA

SHARMA, actor

. My #OneWishForTheEarth thisWorld Environment Day is toconserve water . Water is oneof the most critical things inlife, and we must be careful

with how we use it. It’stime to shut your taps and open yourminds!

KARAN JOHAR, flimmaker

Climatechange is agrave realitythat all of usare facing. Thesimplest act isthat of planting treeAKSHAYA KUMAR, actor

Let us pledge tobe‘climate-con-scious’to protectnatureAMITABH BACHCHAN, actor

For thousands of years, we've been ex-ploiting the Earth's resources and ithas been bountiful. While we con-

tinue to use its resources, we ignore the factthe nature wants something in return: ourcare and consideration. So, on this Envi-ronment Day, I pledge not to use the air con-ditioner 24/7. I understand it is extremelywarm, but by dousing a cloth in water andpatting it on your face and other parts of thebody, when you feel hot, can be tried to cooloff. Besides, I will urge our house help andelders to use water judiciously for cleaningthe house—use a tub of water to clean theutensils, rather than using running water.Moreover, I will try to use the peels of veg-etables and fruits as compost, and plant trees.

HINA NAELA, class XII, GD Goenka public

school, Lucknow

TO SPARINGLY USEAIR CONDITIONER

The global pandemic and the lockdown has madethe three 'R's -Reduce, Reuse, Recycle even moresignificant. So, I pledge to make the best use

of the available resources and utilise them wisely.Besides, as our PM has urged each one to plant a tree,my brother and I will plant curry leaf saplings and'sambar cheera' plants on our balcony garden.DEVAYANI UNNIKRISHNAN, class VII, Rajagiri Public School,Ernakulam

Ipledge to makegreen and sus-tainable choice

and reduce carbonfootprint. The lock-down has given ustime to ponder about how each of uscan contribute and put our best stepforward to conserve our environment.This World Environment Day, I planto plant at least 30 plants on my ter-race and in my locality.DEV P SETH, class X, Venkateshwar Global School, New Delhi

TO REDUCE CARBONFOOTPRINT

The climate change that seemed likean unstoppable force till last year, isnow fixing itself, courtesy the lock-

down. I promise the next generation that Iwill provide a healthy and a pollution-freeEarth by limiting the use of electrical gadg-ets to minimise carbon footprint.

KHYATI TAPADIA, class XII, DCIS, Ahmedabad

Plants and ani-mals too havea life and it is

our duty to treatthem with love andcare. So, let us spreadawareness on a largescale on the need toact responsibly towards nature, be-cause spending time with nature in-spires creativity, boosts happiness,and makes you responsible.

DIYA LOKESH, class VII, DPS North,

Bengaluru

TO SPREAD AWARENESS ON MINIMAL USE OF ELECTRONIC GOODS

TO MAKE OPTIMUM USE OF 3'Rs’:REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE

TAKE CARE OF PLANTSAND ANIMALS

Actor Bhumi Pednekar is creating an awarenessabout the World Environment Day through herinitiative, ‘Climate Warrior’. Her campaign urgepeople to share 'One wish for the Earth'

Here's HOW YOU CAN MAKETHIS ENVIRONMENTDAY MORE MEANINGFUL

READREAD THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY2020 PRACTICAL GUIDE(https://p.widencdn.net/e2n0wj/WED_SimpleToolkit) to gain acomprehensive insightinto why the preserva-tion of biodiversity isessential to mankind’ssurvival. ➤ There are others aswell:http://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day/take-action➤http://www.worldenvironmentday. global

ACT➤ Go for an eco-friendly diet.Beans, nuts and soy offer high-protein alternatives to animalproducts➤ Travel less.Limit your travelwhen things go back to normalafter the coronavirus pandemic ➤ Leave some wild green spacesin your garden where pollina-tors and ground dwelling in-sects can thrive ➤ Avoid plastic. Plastic wastesthat end up in nature is oftenmistaken for food by animals,both on land and at sea. Formany species, it can cause se-vere injury and death ➤ Recycle as much as you can.Plant a tree on your balcony orbackyard ➤ Minimise the use of householdchemicals that can have toxic ef-fects on soil and groundwater. ➤ Encourage and use organic stuff

TEST YOURSELFTAKE A QUIZ ON: https://www.worldenvi-ronmentday.global/did-you-know/take-quizto test your knowledge Check out your knowl-edge on biodiversity, and learn more about theintricate services nature provides us.

LEARN➤ Find out what your city and the governmentis doing to protect the environment.➤ Join Earth School and take part in the 30 les-sons on the environment hosted by TED-Ed andcurated by some of the best nature teachers inthe world at http://ed.ted.com/earth-school ➤ Get information on how you can help fightclimate change through the United Nations’Act Now campaign, www.un.org/en/actnow/➤ Learn about plastic pollution and how it af-fects marine species through UNEP’s CleanSeas campaign, cleanseas.org

VOICE IT➤ Head to UNEP’s social media feeds;share with the world why action for na-ture is so critical. Use the #ForNatureand #WorldEnvironmentDay hash-tags. Tag a couple of people/organisa-tions/ companies in your reply; askthem to join the conversation

Compiled by NITYA SHUKLA

(SOURCES: HTTPS://WWW.UN.ORG/EN/OB-SERVANCES/ENVIRONMENT-DAY/TAKE-ACTION

HTTPS://WWW.WORLDENVIRONMENTDAY.GLOBAL/)

PARTICIPATEEVENTS SCHEDULE: Join a plethoraof online events, including wildearth live safari, instagram talkson waste management, and spe-cially designed escape rooms, etcat https://www.worldenviron-mentday.global/latest/schedulePHOTO CHALLENGE:CITIES4FORESTS has launched theForest Challenge. Join the photo con-test and plant a tree throughcities4forests.com/forest-chal-lenge/

Photo: Getty images

Photo: Getty images

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.”GÉRARD DE NERVAL, FRENCH WRITER AND POET02

GREEN YOUR WARDROBEA student’s guide to sustainable fashion because the #ootd is so last year

nupur.amarnath@timesgroup.com

Sustainability. That’s a bigword. In a spelling bee con-test, it would definitely beworth a 10-pointer. But it’s

not just a word any more – it’s away of life. Mindful fashion advo-cate and writer Sujata Assomullsays, “The trend of sustainablefashion was already on the rise be-fore this pandemic. This pause athome has made many of us thinkof our own personal fashion foot-print – and do we really need somuch stuff ?” It’s time to startyour sustainable journeyand remember no changeis too small.

EDUCATESustainable fash-ion blogger-turned-entrepre-neur DevyaniKapoor says thatfirst you need toeducate yourself.Don’t followhashtags, followi n f o r m a t i o nand proven work record. Someof the good social media accountsand websites are Fashion Revo-lution (Global and India), FairTrade India and Climate Karma.Or start reading: ‘Fashionopolis’by Dana Thomas is a good start.Documentaries like ‘The True

Cost’ and Hasan Minhaj exposeof fast fashion are also a must-watch.

SHOP YOUR CLOSETHave you looked inside your clos-et? Take everything out, make a listof what you have, figure out freshpairings and create new looks. Lay-ering shirts over tees, skirts as tops– you would be surprised how ver-satile your clothes are. Kapoor adds,“Start your journeywith what youhave. Theidea of sus-

tainability begins when you saythat what I have is enough for me,so you are not shopping more andhoarding more.” ThredUP’s Fashion Footprint calculatorhelps your assess the environ-mental impact of the clothes inyour closet.

INFORMED SHOPPERFollow the words of designer Vivi-enne Westwood, “Buy less, choosewell and make it last”. Sustain-ability advocate Livia Firth float-ed a concept of the 30-wears test.Before shopping, ask yourself: Willyou be wearing it 30 times, can ithandle 30 washes, etc.

ASK QUESTIONSNow that the clarion call of shop-ping local is on, it’s a good time to

research local brands – if theyare sustainable even better.

Also when you buy any-thing new, think of at leastfour pairing with what youalready have. .

DON’T SHOP FOR AYEAR

Indians have alwaysbeen big with hand-me-downs amongfamily and cousins.This helps in increasing the life

of the garment.By extending the lifespan of yourclothes by just nine extra monthsof active use, you reduce carbon,water and waste footprints byaround 20-30% each. There are somany ideas to not shop: swap amongfriends and family, rent, upcycle andjust make styling changes.

Pallavi.shankar@timesgroup.com

Throwing away vegetable and fruit peelsis usually a given. Well, it need not bethe norm. Most vegetable and fruit peelsare nutritious and can be used in

different ways in cooking and even skincare rituals.Here are some peels that deserve to be preserved.

RAW MANGO PEEL

The delicious raw green mangopeels add a lot of flavour and mildtanginess to your regular dal. Addit to your aloo-matar curries, espe-cially on days you are running outof amchur (raw mango) powder.

APPLE PEELThese pretty peels have 85% more cancer-fighting phytochemicals than the fruit it-self. If your grandparents find it difficultto eat apple with skin and peel it, don't dis-card it. Blend it in your fruit smoothie.

supriya.sharma2@timesgroup.com

“And from the window of my room I ownedthe world”... says young Rusty (RuskinBond) to his childhood friend Koki in hisfamous story ‘The Window’. A sentimentwe share at the moment as we sit lockedup at home with only a window or balconyas our link to the outside world. On WorldEnvironment Day, let's celebrate therole of nature in our lives, now that wehave been distanced from it and findways to still be in sync with it.

Nature deficit disorderNature-deficit disorder is the ideathat human beings, espe-cially children,arespending lesstime outdoors,and the beliefthat this change re-sults in a widerange of be-h a v i o u r a lproblems. Nowwith Covid-19stay-at-home dik-tat, the problemhas only got worse.“In lockdown,peopleare glued to gadgets.Their lives revolvearound the internet,smart-phones, video games, and tel-evision. This is alienating them fromnature, making them obese, and may beleading to attention difficulties too. All thisis taking a toll on their emotional and men-tal well-being,” points out Dr Santosh Ban-gar; psychiatrist Global Hospital, Mum-bai, adding that it is the parents respon-sibility to educate their child about na-ture, help them plant trees, or opt forgardening. Like Richard Louv, author of

‘Last Child in theWoods’ says, “Parents,educators, and urbanplanners can help kidsreconnect with nature -before it’s too late.

Window... If you can't go out,let your eyes travel far andcapture every movement of na-ture and ears tune into theslightest of sounds. Observebirds and their flight patterns;take time to appreciate thechanging formations ofclouds; tune into the sounds

of nature – birds o n g .

“Watch na-ture documentaries,use

binoculars for birdwatching from

home, stargazefrom your rooftop

since the skies areclearer these daysor even pitch a tentin your backyard

and pretend camp-ing with family for

fun,” says Dr Bangar.Nature writer and ‘Los-

ing Eden’ author LucyJones: “I’ve been opening the

window to let the dawn chorusin, and have become reliant on Lev

Parikian's Twitter Birdsong Project to learnthe different calls. ‘It can take a while foryour ears to attune to it,’ cautions Jones,but stresses it is worth it.” Setting a fewminutes aside to sink into the view fromour windows - or taking slower momentson our daily walks - can lead to all sorts oftiny, precious discoveries that can helpground us at a time when we need it most.

DON’TLOSENATURE IN PANDEMIC

Romulus WhitakerWhat is he doing? Attempting to save the plan-et by championing reptiles:Romulus Whitaker has beenresearching and protectingsnakes and crocodiles, andbusting myths and stereo-types about reptiles.

What can you do? Learn everything there is toknow about reptiles. Once youknow how fascinating theyare, it’s easy to protect them.If there are venomous snakesin your area, don’t disturbthem. Instead, call the localwildlife department or peoplewho work with animals to rescue them.

and whatthey wantyou to do

Parineeta DandekarWhat is she doing? Attempting to save the planet bykeeping conversations about wa-ter flowing: Parineeta Dandekarstrives to protect rivers and waterbodies through her writing and re-

search, and acts as a bridge between policymakers, ecologists,scientists and people.What can you do? Well, it’s simple: save water. Fixleaky taps, close taps when not inuse, take shorter showers or bucket baths and so on.

Vidya AthreyaWhat is she doing? Attempting to save the planet byresearching human-animal con-flict: Vidya Athreya studies leop-ard ecology when they live amonghumans in agricultural landscapes,and helps citizen initiatives around

the Sanjay Gandhi National Parkin Mumbai to spread awareness onliving with leopards.What can you do? You can be an urban wildliferanger! Look out for all the wildlifethat visits your garden, home andschool. They could be birds likebulbuls, barbets and sparrows.

Rohan ArthurWhat is he doing? Attempting to save the planet by deepdiving into coral reef systems: RohanArthur studies how climate changeaffects the denizens of coral reefs, andbrings the world’s attention to whatis happening under water.What can you do? Every child should learn not to fearthe water and be taught to swim evenbefore he/she can walk. This requiresa cultural shift in our attitude.

NON-FICTIONGreen Gardeningby Benita SenTeaches you how to builda garden anywhere: awindowsill, balcony or a terrace.

FICTIONBudgie, Bridgeand Big Djinn by Ranjit LalAn adventure story of

three friends – a budgie, a teenagerand a Tibetan Mastiff-German Shepherd!

Published with permission from ‘10 Indian ChampionsWho Are Fighting To Save The Planet’ by Bijal

Vachharajani and Radha Rangarajan. The book releaseson June 8, 2020.

Famous IndianEnvironmentalists

Want to do your bit for motherEarth? Make seed bombs anduse it yourself and distribute

to your friends and family too. WHAT IS A SEED BOMB? A seedbomb resembles a bomb like struc-ture wrapped in soil material, usuallya mix of compost and clay. This islater dried and thrown into the wild.“It is used in re-vegetation and re-

forestation of our fragile eco-system.The seed bombs help in securing theseeds and help in its germinationprocess, and gives it a fightingchance to survive in the open andwild,” informs Derek Henriques, anenvironmentalist. So go ahead andmake some at home. INGREDIENTS: ➤ Mud/soil Neempowder (helps keep rodents away) ➤

Organic compost ➤ Seeds (of anyplant)HOW TO MAKE: 1. In a bowl, mixtogether compost, neem powder and

clay or soil with water. Mix until theconsistency is thick. 2. Slowly mix in water until every-thing sticks together.3. Make small and firm pieces of themixed clay.4. Then make a depression in theclay and add the seeds.5. Roll out the mixture into firmround balls.6. Keep the seed bombs in the shadeto dry. They are now ready for use.

Make seed bombs to help environment!

MAKE FURNITUREThis activity has been designed keep-

ing in mind innumerable trees thathave been uprooted in Amphan all

over West Bengal including Kolkata

1 Portion of the bark can be cut into acylindrical shape. This should be the

job of the elders.

2 Be ready with glue and sea shells, tostick it around the sides of the bark.

3 Old cushions can be cut in oval orcircular shapes and attached to the

flattened top.

CREATE A ZONE

Lockdown posed a big challengeas our gardener did not come.Then I was given the responsibil-ity of taking care of the garden.I was irritated in the beginning,but slowly it became my passion.Apart from watering plants andcleaning the garden area, Iworked on a special space withplants around it, which I call“Buddha Silence”. It is here thatI read, study and think. I havedeveloped a connection withgardening that will not fade evenafter lockdown is over.NIYATI DESAI, class XII, St Xavier’s,

Ahmedabad

Activity

World Environment Day

BIODOMESWe will be creatingbiodomes usingthings available athome. A biodomehelps in the study ofeco-systems by modellinghow living and non-livingthings interact in theirnatural environments.This is an attempt to create awareness aboutliving responsibly.Biodomes EngineeringDesign Activity1. Cut a two 2-litre bottleinto three pieces. 2. Using the duct tape,connect the three pieces. 3. Drill a hole in bottomlid and place a cottonstring through it.4. Fill the top portionwith 8-10 cm of potting soil.5. Fill the bottom portion with apond of distilled water, so that thecap is just above the water line.6. Plant different kinds of seeds inthe soil.

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL,

ELECTRONIC CITY, Banglore

Other books to read

TOUCH WITH

PEEL & PRESERVE

THEENVIRONMENTIS MOURNING

ENJOY THE VERSATILITY OFORANGE PEEL

These peels are aromatic and versatileand can be used to make fancy zest foryour dessert as well as face cleansing

powder to treat oily and blemish-prone skin.Plus they are rich infibre, vitamin B6 andC, and folate.

HOW TO EAT: Cutorange peels intosmall, thin strips andadd it to your cake,shakes, marmalade.

HOW TO USE ON SKIN: Preserve orange peelsand dry in sun for 7-10 days. Once completelydry and brittle, grind for 3-4 minutes. Your facecleanser is ready to be stored in a jar.

RECIPE: Take 1 teaspoon of orange peel powderin a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of gramflourpowder (besan) to it. Add enough water to thismix be used it as a cleanser, scrub or even aface mask. This natural cleanser is devoid ofchemical ingredients that find their way in theoceans and contaminate it. Bonus ppoints: Ithelps heal acne and dark spots.

We are deeply,deeply grieved.

And we bet so are you!

Be a part of this campaign.Every. Voice. Counts

1 Write to us on timesnie175@gmail.com on

how you feel about this tragic incident. Tell us what wecould do to make animal protection better in India.

2 Make a short video or afilm on why we should

take care of animals and howwe can do it. Share it on thesame email id..

3 Interview wildlife conser-vationists and send us the

transcript.

JOIN THIS DISCUSSION ONMONDAY...

CUCUMBER PEEL

This green peel is nutritiousas it is loaded with tons ofvitamin C and other nutri-ents. Once done with peel-ing, just preserve it and later chop and add to raitaand salad.

4 We can also use twigs, andpainted dried leaves to deco-

rate the stool. It is not possiblefor the trees to decompose incities because the gravel roaddoesn’t allow the fresh soil tocome in contact.

SRIJITA CHAKRABORTY, class XII,

BDM International, Kolkata