5th World Zoroastrain Youth Congress 2011
Dear Friends,
5th World Zoroastrain Youth Congress 2011 Committee & Directors of ZSBC are proud to announce that the Opening Ceremony to 5WZYC2011 is fully sold out with around 900 people attending the ceremony. The last minute preparations are well on the way to make this congress a memorable one for all participants.
Thank you to all those who have bought the tickets to the Opening Ceremony. Please note that the dress code for the event is Semi Formal.
Also please be informed that the Opening Ceremony at Chan Centre, UBC will end at 1.00 pm, thereafter followed by buffet lunch will be served at Studen Union Building Cafeteria (a short 5 minute walk from Chan Centre). Signs will be posted and Volunteers will be on duty to guide you to the lunch venue.
For more details, visit www.zsbc.org
Looking forward to seeing you all.
Regards
Homi Italia
President, ZSBC
World Zoroastrian Youth Congress 2011 is a very good platform for our younger generation.Congrats and best wishes.
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Plastic Freedom and how to get it
An average family accumulates up to 60 plastic bags in just 4 trips to the grocery store.
According to a UN report an estimated, 30,000 plastic bags are found in every sq.km of ocean.
Up to 93% of the plastic waste generated every year remains un-recycled.
Startling facts! But what do we do about it? Our use-and-throw attitude towards plastic has proven to be very damaging to our own planet, probably because of our sheer apathy or due to lack of adequate knowledge.
Let’s analyze a bit before we start talking about preventive measures. Plastic is essentially a derivative of crude oil, and resistant to degradation, due to its chemical properties. So under ideal conditions a plastic bag or a bottle would degrade in 20-25 years. But here’s a catch. It splits into simpler yet more toxic chemical compounds. And since most of the plastic waste ends up into landfills all these toxins are released into the land. In essence plastic once created, remains forever and does not biodegrade. And if it ends up into an ocean it’s far more damaging.
The excuse that we give most often for this berserk use of plastic is convenience even though it causes more inconvenience in the long run. Plastic does not ‘go away’. The only solution is to concentrate on greener alternatives of plastic.
But it’s not easy, here are a few key strategies that we can adopt to lessen plastic in our lives.
1) To begin with try to avoid plastic bags. Use bags made out of biodegradable material like cloth. They’re reusable, convenient and far more cost effective. They degrade a lot faster than plastic but last longer in use.
2) Another good alternative is bags made out of newspaper. Reusing and recycling is always a better option.
3) Make sure you always a carry a reusable bag, whenever you go out to shop. Keep 5-6 such bags at home.
4) Also dispose all the plastic waste separately. Use food grade plastic containers. They are easy to recycle.
5) Moreover do not dump plastic in water or anywhere on the streets. It helps to keep the surrounding clean.
That’s the minimum we can do to avoid and reduce plastic use. Let us know if you have any more plastic freedom tips.
–
TCTC Team
So what exactly is Greenhouse Effect?
‘It’s hot!’ I think as I sit frantically fanning myself while praying for some breeze. I love the summer with all its picnics and food fests, but right now I yearn for December and respite from this heat. And then I suddenly recall a similar scenario in December last year- the frantic fanning and pining for breeze. I sit up with a sudden realization that we have just had 365 days of summer, with possibly another 365 days looming ahead. Global Warming had finally arrived at my doorstep.
Our Earth is heating up at an alarming rate, the cause of which is the green house effect, our battered textbooks told us right? Wrong. The green House effect is in-fact intrinsic to our survival – Greenhouse gases block significant amounts of heat from escaping out into space, thus keeping the Earth warm enough for us to survive. These gases absorb and release solar radiations within the atmosphere, thus maintaining and regulating the temperatures at appropriate levels. Some primary greenhouse gases are of are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
The problem, as with most other problems arise due to excess. Most greenhouse gases have natural and anthropogenic sources, but the dawn of the industrial age has intensified human activity and added greenhouse gases to the atmosphere mainly through the burning of fossil fuel and the clearing of forests. This increase of atmospheric gases has lead to a rise in the average temperature of the earth’s surface – approximately 0.74 degrees.
The excess of the green house effect has left the earth feverish, with severe bouts of droughts and floods, rising sea levels and rapid climate change all of which are disastrous for the continued existence of human life. “Save the planet” is the new catch phrase, and we now have Summits every five years, the latest being in Cancun- Mexico. Global Warming conventions, Environmental policies and large budget allocations for environmental causes are all part of the campaign.
Effective measures no doubt, but all out of my reach. Since I am an equal contributor to the sickness plaguing the earth I want to have a hand in its cure too. My first stop was a local carbon footprint calculator stall by the science department at college. As I answered the questions, I was feeling pretty smug about my lifestyle choices – I rarely traveled by flight, we segregated the garbage at home, and I generally switched off the lights in unused rooms. So the 400-odd trees I owed the Earth in order to erase the mark of my carbon footprint came as a shock to me.
A Chinese proverb states, “the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now”. I guess awareness of the problem is the first step towards the solution.
Posted on 02nd Jun 2011
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The water we waste. >> 4 things in your bag that will help the planet.
One of the simple yet very effective ways to go green is to cut down on the amount of waste generated. We can start off is by reducing the usage of:
Plastic – since it is petroleum derivative and consumes crude oil and is non-biode
Paper – since you cut down trees for making paper.
Instead, we can use alternatives that are eco-friendly and also sustainable. The best thing to do is carry them with you in your bag. So that whenever faced with a situation where you will be using the use and throw things made of paper or plastic – you can just use these instead.
1. A steel water bottle – Simple, inexpensive, durable, reusable, convenient. You can put it in your backpack use it on the go. What else do you need from a water bottle? And most importantly it’s eco friendly!
2. A reusable coffee mug. A good sturdy reusable mug, or even a food grade plastic mug (which is recyclable) is a good option. It will help to cut down on your use of paper cups drastically at take away coffee shops, cold beverages and just water from the cooler.
3. A Cloth Bag. Make sure that you always carry a Cloth bag whenever you go to the market or for shopping. Cloth bags are reusable and last for years if used appropriately. Even if we dispose, them there’s no harm to the environment because they are bio-degradable, unlike plastic bags. Best policy is to keep one folded in your handbag at all times.
4. Carry a steel spoon and fork. It’s the easiest and an off-the-shelf solution. Make sure that you always carry a steel spoon and fork with you, and use it instead of the plastic spoons given at all food shops. Why do you want something that will be useful for just 5 mins, but remains on the planet for 5000 years? Everybody has one at home, so you don’t even have to purchase anything. That’s so much easier. Even better – Carry a Spork!
So these were a few small steps, though the list of things you can do is endless and it completely depends upon you. Start doing it from today, and slowly imbibe them in your daily living for a better planet.
Stay Green!
TCTC Team