Aug 2018

VOLUME 101 | ISSUE 107 | AUGUST 2018 Page 4 Seed BombingSeed bombs are little nuggets of clay, compost, and native Established by H.H. Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA)seeds that you throw at the ground. You can throw them in Environment Wellness & Lifestyle Monthly Newsletter in 1992your yard or in a neglected space to help turn it into a floweringwonderland. Make your seed bombs out of flower, herb, or evenvegetable seeds. When you throw your seed bomb, it will breakapart as it hits the ground and a gentle rain will soon help theseeds begin to grow. Ingredients- BFI Wishes YouDirections- ♦ 2 parts potting soil ♦ 5 parts pottery clay mix♦ Mix the soil, clay and 1 part water thoroughly. Thereshould be no lumps. Slowly ♦ 1-2 parts water Biogas is a technology that mimics Uses of Biogas Energyadd more water and add ♦ 1-2 parts seeds of your choice nature’s ability to give back. Biogasseeds. Keep kneading thedough until the seeds are well ♦ A tub to mix the ingredients can be produced with various types of organic matter. As a clean source ofmixed in. ♦ A box to dry and store seed balls♦ Take small bits of the clay mixture and roll into ball about one inch in energy and a renewable means of diameter. The balls should hold together easily. If they’re crumbly, add more water. treating organic waste, biogas is applicable both in under developed♦ Dry the seed balls for 24-48 hours in a shady place before sowing or storing. and industrialized countries. The They store best in a cardboard box. Do not use plastic bags. resulting biogas can be used for gas,♦ The last step in how to make flower seed balls is sowing them. Yes, you can electricity, heat, and transportation place them carefully over the area to be planted or you can gently toss them one at a time, which is a lot more fun. fuels. It can impact on reducing greenhouse gases. Benefits :♦ Don’t bury them and don’t water them. You’ve done your job, now sit back ♦ Biogas creation uses up plant and animal waste that would otherwise end up in and leave the rest to Mother Nature. landfill sites. The rich leftover products that can be harnessed as fertilizer too. Read more at Gardening Know How - www.gardeningknowhow.comBurhani Foundation (India) ♦ Purifying biogas by removing CO2 and trace gases, turns the gas into bio- methane which can be used for domestic consumption as a fuel for CNG or LNG has partnered with vehicles that emits less greenhouse gases.Recycled Paper Used ♦ With a piping infrastructure, biogas power plants can provide heating to local Recycled Paper Used communities and districts that is greener and more sustainable. BURHANI FOUNDATION (INDIA) ♦ Biogas power plants are more efficient in using the heat they generate than Amatullah Manzil, 65 Bazargate Street, Fort, Mumbai-1. conventional coal, oil and gas plants.Phone: 22678480 / 22634326 Youtube: Burhani Foundation India ChannelWebsite: burhanifoundationindia.org Facebook: Burhani-Foundation-India Limitations :Email: [email protected] Twitter: BFI_environment ♦ Poor choice of feedstock will mean poor yields of biogas. A regular supply of feedstock must be ensured, otherwise there may be variations in production. [email protected] Instagram: burhani.foundation

Page 2 Page 3Things You Didn't Know Contained Plastic Environment NewsIt is estimated that today’s more durable stuff—including bottles, packing rings, India’s first “Plastic buyback scheme” to come into forcedisposable nappies and plastic wraps—will take over 450 years to decompose. Weneed to educate ourselves on the hidden plastics, blended into other materials, To ensure recycling of plastics that are not banned, Maharashtra government is setlurking in our everyday buys, that we don’t know are there. to implement a buyback scheme for PET bottles and milk pouches. While 18 other states have banned plastics in one form or the other, Maharashtra is the first state inSea Salt Your seasoning may be contaminated with tiny specks of plastic. India to implement a buyback depository system which is prevalent in 40 countries A 2017 study analyzing commercial salts originating from eight around the world. In effect, a deposit paid to a retailer will be returned on handing countries found that all samples contained traces of plastic bottles or pouches back to the store. As a next step, the state is also planning to debris. You can seek out premium rock salt or Pink Himalayan institute a similar mechanism for tetra packs and retail packaging in three months. salt, if you want to avoid potential plastics. - Edited from Times of IndiaAluminum beverage containers are lined with a plastic coating, Fizzy drink cans More on Maharashtra Plastic Banin order to prevent reactions between the drink and the canitself. While a more environmental choice than plastic bottles, it The Maharashtra government's ban on plasticis wiser to choose hydration drinks that come in glass bottles. has got a thumbs up from residents, who say that the move will be beneficial in the long run.Sports Clothing Polyester is used in a lot of our clothing - it is cheap and blends People in Mumbai are now seen using sustain- well with other fibers, making it a good choice for manufacturers. able alternatives like jute and cloth bags. The term ‘polyester’ means a chain of repeating molecular units. Maharashtra generates 1200 tonnes of plastic The variety used the most, is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) - waste everyday. a plastic. When these clothes are washed, little traces of plastic can leak into the water supply. Mumbai alone generates 500 metric tonnes of everyday which accounts for nearly 10% of its total waste. While this ends up in the garbage dumps and landfills, a lotTakeaway coffee cups are made out of a paper-plastic mix. Paper Coffee Cups of the plastic also ends up clogging drains and in the sea, leading to massivecups are usually lined with a thin layer of plastic, or have a layer marine pollution. The government has planned an extensive awareness campaignhidden between the paper to make it waterproof when they hold about banned items.liquids. It would be better to invest in a re-useable cup. Liquid water 'lake' revealed on MarsGlitter Researchers have found evidence of an Most glitter is formed from plastic, with colours layered on top. existing body of liquid water on Mars, under the planet's south polar ice cap, They eventually find their way into the oceans, where they may about 20 km (12 miles) across. Lake beds like those explored by NASA’s Curiosity be ingested by marine life. Rover show water was present on the surface of Mars in the past. However, the Snack Packets planet's climate has since cooled due to its thin atmosphere, leaving most of its waterRecycled Paper Used locked up in ice. Recycled Paper UsedNo snack packets are recyclable. They are formed of various - Edited from BBC Environmentlayers of plastics. Sadly, there are no alternatives out there rightnow.