Gardening is Great

The last 6-7 months were a bit crazy with falling sick and recovering, post-recovery rushing back to college in Ahmedabad and finally back to Bangalore. Now in good health and spirits with namma Bangalore ever ready with its heavy dose of awesome weather and good company.

My tray of Basil, Methi and Marigold

The research topic that I chose as part of my study course was 'Kitchen Gardening and its Sustainable Benefits'. And I must say growing your own veggies and plants is super simple. Just sparing a bit of time everyday, some watering and care and voila, you are on the green side. You can have a balcony, terrace, a small ledge or just a couple of pots and yes that is enough to start off.

I found there are a number of gardeners and urban farmers in Bangalore who love their greens and go to lengths to make sure their eating habits are organic and healthy. Inspiring individuals who take time out of their daily routine, relish food straight from their garden and love the healthy way of life. 

One of the first people I met was Dr. Vishwanath Kadur; Bangalore's foremost organic expert who grows almost all vegetables and plants on his terrace. "There is not one fruit or vegetable that you cannot grow, you can grow everything on your terrace! The health benefits are many, not only is gardening an excellent hobby but an active way of understanding how nature works and responsible for growing our food" he says. A pioneer in his field and founder of Organic Terrace Gardeners in Bangalore. I look forward attending his workshop on organic gardening this month which he conducts on a regular basis.

Vani Murthy's compost

Vani Murthy was next in question, and what a person! She is often called the 'compost queen' and said, "I grow what I eat and eat what I grow. Gardening makes me enjoy little things, we formed a team of close friends in the society and do everything together! This is what gardening has done, it also gives me balance of mind". Going through her different compost methods from 'bokashi' to vermi and traditional compost, I can say confidently her plants are happy and healthy!

Nagamani from Malleshwaram gave me some of her bounty; spinach saplings and fresh thyme and I nearly pinched myself with glee!
   Harvesting almost a kilo and a half of her veggies daily from tomatoes
   to brinjals, fresh herbs and all types of greens. "I love experimenting
   with my dals now, their even tastier now" she said happily. What was
   impressive was a save of Rs. 40-45 on a daily basis and ensured tasty
   food for her family. Her terrace also acts as a natural coolant to the
   house. What can I say? Wow.

Pumpkin at Green Thumbs

One of the places which blew me away was Green Thumbs Mini Farms an organic farm off Sarjapur road owned by Anand Maddur. I felt like a kid let loose in a candy shop! With all kinds of veggies like pumpkin, lady finger, chillies, brinjal, spinach to fruits like banana and chickoo, I went a bit berserk. A farm with a unique experience which allows people to grow their vegetables the organic way. "This is the best thing to do on weekends after a hectic work week. it allows me to unwind and relax" said the organic techie. What a weekend getaway!

Me going berserk

Speaking to another garden enthusiast Aparna George who said, "It is important my kids get the right nutrition, which made me question our eating habits". With composting and a garden full of yummy varieties of lemon she sports the 'I care about my city' sticker from Daily Dump (educational portal on composting) 

Some people like Anusuya Sharma who was awarded the Srishti Sanman for organic terrace gardening say, "I don't garden for the purpose of harvesting any fruit, I do it because I enjoy greenery and have grown up amidst plants so it only comes natural for me to have a garden". It was 5 degrees cooler and I almost got lost in her terrace which resembled a mini forest. What an feeling, that too in the heart of a city!
 
Jayram from The Green Path was one of my latest visits and is a busy person with a green business to run, but answered all my questions patiently. A delicious meal of beetroot and ragi roti along with dal and sambhar makes me go back to his green establishment which also grows sugarcane and banana on the terrace. Strange for a non-vegetarian like me to indulge in veggie food, but that is what organic food does to you. I returned home with bagfuls of red, brown rice bought from his store Era Organics.

Vishwanth's water plants

Vishwanth who is nicknamed 'rainman' harvests not only rainwater but has a near zero carbon footprint with electricity running on solar,  compost toilets in his house and uses plants to filter all greywater. "It is so simple, if we are productive we can create the food cycle in our own houses without any waste leaving our house" He also grew rice on his terrace at one point for 3-4 years and harvested 180 kilograms. A person who simply uses sustainability in the right way - saving everything.

I keep looking for interesting people to meet, understanding traditional practices which we need to bring into cities and tracking food miles, from farm to fork. Urban gardening which is so common in some parts of the world only makes sense in present food inflation and water scarcity times.It is an area which can change our attitude for the better and treat the environment with respect.

Climate Change and Monsoon Woes

The absence of monsoon this year have left tell-tale signs of impending climate change. With July already upon us northern states are yet to receive their rain water supply desperately needed after a long and hot summer period. More than 80% of India has not received its much required water needs this year.

Bangalore recorded the hottest day, temperatures touched 37 degrees celsius in April had everyone remaining indoors, avoiding the sun and witnessed water scarcity problems arising all over. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter shared common comments longing for rain, good weather and weather forecast so days can be planned makes us all wonder whether this year is going to be as bad as last or, worse.

Unatural weather behaviour has affected India, with a country with more than 6 climate subtypes ranging from Himalayan region, arid desserts, coastal locations and sub-tropical areas it is no wonder that we have a complex weather pattern that checks a stable climate and cycle. Climate change has started affecting regions which are most vulnerable to changes; melting glaciers and lake outbursts in the Himalayan region have become a common hazard destroying crops and plantations, wiping out villages  settlements and taking lives. In the Himalayan Meltdown rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yamuna which originate from this region are heading for big trouble, by 2025 if Himalayan glaciers retreat substantially this will affect the 200 million population of North India who are directly dependent on these rivers for their precious water supply.

Bangladesh has a record of 50 million climate refugees today and is the most affected region in the world to climate change and rising water levels. Cities like Mumbai and Kolkatta have the biggest slum settlements due to migration of rural into urban cities as a result of crop failure, loss of land, unemployment which forces the poor to turn to metros for jobs and end up living in slums adding to problems of choked cities.

Climate change in India hits the poor the hardest who end paying the biggest price and do not have the voice or power to communicate their distress. Our water, food and ecosystem will be the most affected which will spiral into socio-economic problems and loss of economic GDP.  The Indian government wants to see a rise in India's GDP which is currently 9% to 11% in the next few years, but this will only be possible if we attend to the real issues on ground like rural development and employment, clean energy implementation and promoting climate resilient agriculture. Floods need to be controlled with appropriate drainage systems and infrastructure like rainwater harvesting need investment so we save every drop, emergency evacuations systems in vulnerable areas like Bangladesh and Leh-Ladakh region need to be well-equipped and successful.

One of the greatest changes that we can do as a nation is also at a citizens level. I believe that educated, urban born individuals can start doing their bit in a small way that allows them to save precious fuel and electricity costs. Environmental sensitivity should be significant in urban cities which have heavy infrastructure development, the aesthetic needs of merging environmental friendly surroundings with urban development has the potential of becoming a viral phenomenon if we Indians appreciate the natural beauty and fragility of our very ecosystems. It is time we wake up from our stupor 

News links:

http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/June-rain-deficit-at-31-monsoon-in-crucial-phase-2-July-2012-Times-of-India

http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/Delayed-Monsoon-Extends-Hot-Spell-in-Northern-Region-1-July-2012-The-Business-Standard

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2011/06/13/-revealed-the-himalayan-meltdown-.html

My Expectations from RIO and the Future I Want

It has been an eye-opener in all these years on the various climate conferences, COP and leader summits taken place in addressing the biggest challenge on this planet - Climate Change & Sustainable Development. Yet, there has been very little action has been taken.

The question that arises is that will RIO+20 be any different? The conference has already opened opinion poles asking individuals on what they want to be different, what does sustainability mean to them in The Future We Want 20 years from now. Social media like Facebook has played a massive role in reaching out to millions across the globe, connecting young minds who wish to make a change and aggressively asking people what they want the world to look like two decades from now.

Personally the future I want is where sustainable development is at its prime which means anchored in offices, industries, schools, institutions and residences across the world. Politics and government treat sustainable business and development as the top priority in the world, there is a complete balance over human activities and the natural environment, Strict regulations, laws, wildlife protection and natural resource capital has the tightest security. CFL/ LED light bulbs in everyone's homes are made from plastic bottles, rainwater harvesting is on every persons roof and recycling water takes place in every home, commercial establishment and industry.

I want to see a future where we learn the value of water, air and earth. Where green spaces are common in every establishment, where compressed natural gas (CNG) is the order in transportation, the waste to wealth concept is a business opportunity in cities and bio fuel is the largest petrol and oil industry. Harnessing the power of water, sun, air and the earth is the biggest development and making huge turnovers. Our coral reefs, forests, water, wildlife, mountains, ice caps and natural things exist in real life and growing.

The poor are affected by environmental and social issues the most and we cannot address the topic of sustainable development without addressing poverty which is the biggest polluter today as Indira Gandhi so rightly said. Fighting against poverty needs to be a worldwide struggle, in every continent, country, state, town and city. NGOs and government working together , people need to understand that they are responsible for their actions and taught that caring and making a difference goes a long way. Equity development is the most crucial part of sustainable development, south countries of the world need to realise this. The 'I don't care attitude' is not going to get you anywhere.

This is just a small entity of the problems out there. In a planet where Emerging Countries (like India) are still fighting over presidency and draft issues on the upcoming RIO summit and refuse to submit to the European carbon tax plans if there is no definite plan of where we are heading nationally then what about on a global front?

RIO+20 needs to look at each country, draw an accountability of whats done, involve women - they are the biggest change agents in agriculture and rich indigenous knowledge, social enterprise, equity + poverty = human sustainable development. There must be a pattern where both men and women understand this cycle.

Join the dots and start an action plan before generations after us start questioning why we dint do what we should when there was time.

I want more and expect more from RIO this year.