‘Hope Can Travel Even If We Can’t.’ Helping My Little Warrior Friends

“We Don’t Want To Have This Kind Of Life”

Urban Waste Management: The Key To Solving Our Climate Woes

Most Wastepickers Experience COVID-19 Like This: Marginalised, Jobless

An Internship With ‘No Child In Trash’ Is Teaching Youngsters Humility And Kindness

Access To A Small Library Is All It Took For This Little Girl To Feel Confident

How Can We Expect Kids To Go Out And Play When The Air Has Become Unbreathable?

An Individual’s Guide To Waste Audit

Before Debating GST On Sanitary Pads, Let’s Address This Vital Issue First

In the last couple of weeks, ever since we heard that sanitary napkins will have a tax of 12-14% levied on them under the GST, the internet has been in an uproar. When condoms and contraceptives are considered necessities, how is it possible that a sanitary napkin be considered a luxury item?  

14 Simple Ways To Live More Sustainably And Reduce Plastic Waste

Leading a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle is not difficult. It just requires us to alter our mindset, as well as becoming concerned and sensitive towards the need of the hour. It is a simple idea which just needs us to readjust our consumption habits.

What About The 1 Million Children Who Pick Up Your Trash?

Can you hear their voice? You probably can’t because you have your eyes, ears and nose covered against the community that stinks, the community that might not live up to your picture of a rosy reality.

PLASTICS OR PLANET? A Child’s Fight Against The Single Use Plastics

Riyaz-ul is a bright 10 year old boy from Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad.  A student of No Child in Trash Programme of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, he attended the workshop on reducing single use plastic and was motivated enough to get rid of plastic, but was unhappy to see the ‘chalta hai’ attitude of adults around him. Lack of steel ka dabba at home, forced him to use plastic to carry food, but he refused and used his hands to carry food stuff. He would roll ‘paratha and achaar’ and eat food on the go, as he pledged not to use plastic products anymore.  Seeing his dedication, his mother finally bought a steel tiffin for him.

From Solid Waste To Superbugs: An Indian Waste-Management Pandora’s Box

The Little Known Connection Between Solid Waste And Superbugs

बढ़ते कदम सरकारी स्कूलों की ओर

आज समाज में लगभग सभी लोग अपने बच्चों की शिक्षा के प्रति जागरूक हैं। अधिकतर अभिभावक अपने बच्चों को प्राइवेट स्कूल में भेजना पसंद करते हैं क्योंकि आज यह मानसिकता बन गई है कि प्राइवेट स्कूलों में बच्चों को अच्छी शिक्षा मिलती है।...

यह शकुंतला की कहानी है

यह कहानी 43 वर्ष की शकुन्तला देवी की हैं जो की भलस्वा, उत्तर-पश्चमी दिल्ली में आपने तीन बच्चो के साथ रहती हैं। शकुंतला एक निम्न मध्यम वर्ग से आने वाली औरत हैं जिनके सपने भी उनकी ही तरह बहुत सरल हैं। लेकिन उनके सपनो को पूरा करने की यात्रा बिल्कुल भी सरल नहीं थी। बारहवीं कक्षा के बाद आर्थिक परेशानियों की वजह से उन्हें पढ़ाई छोड़नी पड़ी और सन 2000 में एक सामूहिक विवाह सम्मलेन में श्री रामेश्वर सिंह से उनकी शादी करा दी गई।

The Prudence Project: Spreading Happiness Through Recycling

All through my childhood, I have been taught to value the importance of societal sustainability, which includes both the people and the environment. My parents have been bringing me to Umeed Home For Boys for many years, and after forming such a deep connection with the organization, I felt like it was time for me to contribute in a way that would that would not only make the children’s lives more enjoyable and comfortable, but also healthier and safer. Two years ago, I interned at Chintan, an environmental research and action group, and did a research report on food wastage in Delhi. That experience equipped me with the organizational and managerial skills to conduct a community service project of my own, and gave me the confidence to make my contribution to Umeed.

The Lesser Known Lives Of The People Who Live At Landfills

Only recently we have started noticing more advertisements for air purifiers and masks, winter vacations in schools getting extended, and people being urged not to step out of homes unless necessary. All this is due to the increasing air pollution, and the worsening air quality, especially in Delhi/NCR. And then, I observed more and more people wearing masks, buying air purifiers for their homes and reports of increased cases of respiratory problems in hospitals.

उफ़ यह प्रदूषण!

मेरा नाम सविता कुमारी हैं और मै दिल्ली एन सी आर में रहती हूँ I अक्सर मैं दिसम्बर की सर्दियो का इंतजार करती हूँ I इस महीने में बहार घूमने मे बहुत मज़ा आता है, क्योंकि  कडाके की ठंड महसूस होती है और अपने परिवार के साथ घूमने फिरने में भी मजा आता है I मुझे दिल्ली की गर्मी से भी निजात मिल जाती है I गर्मी के मौसम में घूमने में इतना मज़ा नही आता, सभी पसीने से परेशान रहते हैं , इसलिए ठण्ड के मौसम का इंतज़ार रहता है|

Steel In The Times Of Plastic

It is difficult to miss the brightly lit food stall outside the closed gates of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Janakpuri, New Delhi. The Indra Devi stall serving hot cooked south Indian food was started in 1992 by Rajendra Shiv Chandran, then a migrant from Tamil Nadu.

Sharada Is Fighting Plastic Pollution With Her Glass Bottle, And Here’s How You Can Too!

“It is one of the easiest, but most sustainable swaps I have made”, says 24-year-old Sharada K, holding her reusable glass bottle. An engineer by education, Sharada is passionate about environmental conservation. She is especially passionate about fighting plastic pollution, which she believes is one of the biggest threats posing our environment today.

As The Most Polluted City In The World, Delhi Cannot Afford To Lose 16,500 Trees

I was late for my first protest gathering. The WhatsApp and Facebook messages had been sent only a few hours ago, and it was a surprise to find more than 30 people already there at the protest site. Students, residents, children and citizens from all corners of Delhi braved the heat and gathered beneath the ‘Redevelopment of Sarojini Nagar’ signboard opposite Netaji Nagar, which used to be my home until only a year ago.

Crackers: Do They Amuse Or Are They An Abuse?

In the 19th century, two brothers, Ayya Nadar and Shanmuga Nadar came to Kolkata in search of their fortunes and worked in a match factory. The brothers could visualize the abundance of opportunities that the industry would bring with itself...

E-Waste Management: Lessons From The EU And Why India Should Wake Up And Smell The Hazard

In 2012, the European Union (EU) produced 9.45 million tons of electronic waste. Only 35% of this e-waste was properly disposed and reached certified, local recycling plants. The rest was illegally shipped out and sold to countries such as China, India and the West Africa region. However, the e-waste recycling efficiency varies vastly across the EU...

Clean Up Plans For Delhi’s Most Polluted Drain That Falls Into Yamuna

I’m a native of an eastern Himalayan state where fresh, clean water and rainfall is in such abundance that we can’t help but take them for granted. When I came to Delhi for my higher studies, I was low-key aware of the alarming levels of pollution and the gloriously polluted Yamuna...

Encouraging Children To Join Sports Will Help Them In Learning Important Life Skills

The Indian contingent recently concluded Asian Games in Jakarta. The event was full of surprises and stories of grit and determination. Whether it was Swapna Barman, who won the gold in Women’s heptathlon despite severely limiting physical issues, or Manjit Singh who raced for a gold medal in 800 meters – they all achieved the near impossible with remarkable élan...

Your E-Waste, Your Responsibility: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle

Nearly a decade ago, smartphones didn’t exist- at least not the way they do today. Our obsession with ever-advancing technology has placed a high standard on all of our products, demanding that each generation quickly improves upon the last. Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing segments of our nation’s waste stream...

मेरी पहली इंग्लिश क्लास मुझे आज भी याद है

यह वाक्या सन 1992 का है, जब मैंने पहली बार स्कूल जाते वक्त कुछ बच्चे जो निजी स्कूल में पढ़ते थे उनको एक ऐसी भाषा में बोलते सुना जो मैंने कभी नहीं सुनी थी! कुछ वक्त तक मुझे उनकी एक भी बात पल्ले नहीं पड़ी और मैं बस उनको देखे जा रही थी उत्सुकता के साथ! बाद में मुझे पता चला वो ‘इंग्लिश’ बोल रहे थे। मैंने सोचा क्या मैं भी कभी इंग्लिश बोल पाऊंगी ? हमें स्कूल में इंग्लिश छठी क्लास से पढ़ाया जाता था, और एक दिन वो पल आ ही गया जब मैं छठी में आ गयी।...

Delhi Is Being Choked, One Landfill At A Time

A few months ago, while I was still doing my post-graduation, I happened to visit Okhla for a field trip. Being a resident of Delhi, I am no stranger to the obnoxious levels of air pollution and health issues that plague the city every year...

How I Saved The Environment From 150 Kg Of E-Waste

Being brought up in one of the fastest developing economies of the 21st century, we all have noticed the skies turn blue to slightly grey, and the landfills mount up year by year. We have also noticed humans evolve into cyborgs, with their eyes constantly fixed to their smartphone or laptop screens, wired from top to bottom with charging, audio and performance devices...

Your High Fashion Clothes Are Costing You More Than Just Money

This is not just another preachy post about sustainable fashion, or gimmicky post selling conscious consumerism. I don’t call myself an environmentalist either. I am just another millennial, trying not to cause more damage than what has already been done to the wildlife and natural resources...