Multi-Compatment Shopping Bags

An idea that my sister came up with while shopping for vegetables in a weekly market :

Observation:

The only reason why I use plastic:

When I buy vegetables like okra, beans, green chilies etc., plastic bags come in very handy ensuring an ease of putting things away without first having to go through the painstaking task of separating each type. I recall the time when I newly returned from Germany, and after seeing their care with reusing plastic, I made my mother go to the market with just a cloth bag. We came back with a week’s worth of green veggies and to my mortification the greens were so well mixed together that it looked as if they were meant to be that way. My sister couldn't help chuckling at my musings and commented that it is the law of physics, entropy of the universe…dodging the potato that I threw at her. It took me larger part of an hour to separate and stock our refrigerator.

I wanted to apply methods that have worked somewhere else, without realizing that each problem has to be tackled individually. What worked for me in Germany did not work in India. My brain working in overdrive, I wanted to prove it to my mother that there had to be a better way of doing this. She had laughingly handed me the bag after getting home to organize the mess that I had inadvertently created.

Suggestion:

Necessity is the mother of all invention. I hit upon the idea that we could at least reuse the plastic bags. No sooner than I had said it , the idea seemed like a halfway attempt. It was then suddenly seeing my mom sitting at the sewing machine that I hit upon a better solution. We see plastic everywhere and reusing them also is not going to reverse a trend. What needs to be done is designing specific shopping bags with various compartments ( made out of cloth !! eureka!!) that can handle all the veggies but still make sure that nothing gets mixed up. The vendors can be given these free or at nominal costs to promote the use of such "Multi compartment Bags". Over a period of time, plastic needs to be completely banned. I wish it happens soon because I crave a country without plastic bags littered over its landscape.

Educating One And All

Well, this post is totally inspired by my new work profile : that of a lecturer. Venturing into a new line of work has made me think about the education system and the number of people who are fortunate enough to make use of it. The remaining, especially those who in no manner can afford it, remain illiterate.

Observation:
First and foremost, the problem arises as people don't have enough money to buy their way to even Primary schools. Though the government has started a number of municipal schools, the system suffers from lack of teachers as well as students willing to study when they can probably earn by begging/adhoc jobs.

Well, obviously, everyone does not have a socialistic approach to life, and truthfully, it is quite difficult to devote one's life to the upliftment of the society.

Suggestion:
I feel that Primary/Basic education is really not that difficult to impart. Students enrolled in all types of undergraduate and graduate programme (Be it Arts, Science, Engineering Medicine or Law) can be used to impart basic knowledge of different spectrum to children. Even a voluntary contribution of 1 hr per person per week to educate a child is a good amount. In an engineering college with a 4 yr degree programme and an intake of 500 could mean 2000 hrs per week, which is a HUGE amount if all are willing for this. (But that is being too optimistic)To add, if the students are taught during the college hours, it would give college students too some incentive to be part of a revolutionizing process.

What I am proposing is groups of say 5 universities/colleges to get together depending on the their location, identify and adopt a group of 50 students amongst them, and then proceed to teach them the basics of education, using the help of their own students. 50 students divided amongst 5 colleges can even be given enough old clothing, and perhaps a one time meal as well, which could be incentive enough for the children to come to study.

I am not saying this would be easy. Identifying potential students, connecting to them, managing the whole process, is definitely going to be very difficult. But basic education can definitely be imparted to all those who don't know how to read/write. This would surely go a long way in improving the literacy level of our country and making people more aware on a variety of issues.

This idea again is not new. A lot of work is being done by Volunteers of National Service Scheme (NSS). IIT Madras is doing quite a commendable work on this. However, it is just a few individuals who are trying to help the poor in this regard. Most of us are not even aware of schemes such as NSS, and even if we are, have no guidance how to go about helping. Making something like this available at college /university level would really help students connect to needy people via these Universities and partner NGOs. The Government's 'Education for all' (Sarv Siksha Abhiyaan) is a similar step wherein a number of schools have been set up with Governmental aid. Also, a similar programme called Teach India has also been launched (on the lines of Teach America). However, in all these, the participation of already established educational institutions is quite negligible and the involvement of college students is negligible. They definitely can contribute and make a huge difference, not only by teaching others, but in the way they perceive the society after experiencing the difficulties while teaching a child.

To conclude, I strongly feel that each one of us, who has had the privilege of receiving education, should help someone else too get it.

Floating Gardens To Tackle Food Scarcity

Observation:

The earth is covered only with 1/4 th of land, while the remaining 3/4th is purely water. Arable land is an even smaller percentage of the total land available. There is indeed scarcity of land for both habitation, and cultivation. With population growing by leaps and bounds, there are bound to be issues arising from using agricultural land for habitation purpose. Consequently, the agricultural produce is hardly sufficient for all in this world.

Suggestion:

Oceans receive ample amount of rainfall (fresh water) which largely goes untapped. Also, the sunlight received in may parts of the ocean is in abundance and also suitable for growth of plants. The problem: there is no land there to tap the rainfall and sunlight

The idea here is to make small floating platforms, about 2 feet deep (since most vegetables do not really require depth more than that) appropriate material. These farms can be self sufficient making use of the solar/wind energy for power requirements. These small blocks can be then joined together to make a large farm / garden which can be positioned in the oceans that receive good rainfall and sunlight. During some change of weather, these platforms can be relocated to a different part of the world. These can even be brought to the shores from time to time, the produce harvested, and a new crop planted again.

This same technique can be used for creating huge gardens of flowers, vegetables, pulses, corn , poultry farms to rear chickens and pigs etc. This methodology would specially be useful for countries that are suffering from serious shortage of food, or those which do not have enough land for cultivation.

Similar projects have been implemented by countries such as Japan for making "Floating Airports". Although, the platforms here are not quite floating in this case, and cannot be relocated, but these definitely solve the problem of not having enough land.

An elementary research shows that people have already come up with this kind of an idea, there are even books on this , and if I am not wrong, there are a few places where "Floating Fish Farms" have been implemented as well. However, I still feel that not many people are aware of this and this methodology to increase agricultural produce is still largely untapped. If implemented, millions of people would benefit from it!!

Reflective Surfaces to Reduce Fuel Consumption

Observation:

Almost all vehicles manufactured these days come with a built in Air Conditioner and a Heater. This is quite essential, given the excessive heat/cold outside, especially during certain times of the year.

However, as soon as the Air conditioner is switched on, the load on fuel consumption increases drastically. The main reason being: the car shell itself becomes quite hot when it absorbs the radiations from the sun. The AC goes into an overdrive, not only trying to cool the air inside, but also the metallic shell. Also, since darker colours absorb more heat, the fuel consumption for them is much higher as well. Hence, a Black BMW, though may look sleeker than a White BMW, consumes much more fuel than its white counterpart.

Suggestion:

By law, all the vehicles should be made to have their rooftops as a "Reflective Surface" that would reflect the Sun's radiations instead of absorbing them. Also, the colours permitted for the external shell of these vehicles should only be light colours. People might argue that few cars are hardly going to make much of a difference in the level of fuel consumption. However, we are not talking of few cars, but of millions. A simple reflective paint on these vehicles can do wonders!!

Extrapolating this very idea, even office buildings, institutions for education, health care etc, where Air conditioning is extensively used, should go for Reflective Rooftops, so that the load on the AC can be brought down. Roofs should include high reflective surfaces which reduce the cooling load on the buildings and therefore reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

This would esspecially be of great economic importance in countries that are generally warm throughout the year and require lot of Air conditioning due to the weather conditions there. Also some form of economic incentives can be provided to people such as lower taxation, import duties etc. to get them to follow such energy saving methods.

After all, fuel such as Petrol/Diesel is a Non-Renewable form of energy. We have limited resources, and it is the duty of each one of us to use it judiciously. However, to expect each individual in the world to be concerned about the environment, is probably being too optimistic. Thus, in my opinion, it is imperative that laws must be passed that ensure use of such reflective surfaces.

Essence of Smile

Observation:

How many of us like to be praised? I think, ALL. It is human tendency to want to listen to few good words about themselves. The simplest of praises, like, a good dress, nice pair of shoes, a lovely smile, a beautiful hairstyle, good work etc. all boost our confidence levels, and makes our day beautiful. But then why are people so frugal in praising others? Each individual on the face of this earth has certain qualities, and no one is perfect in this world. Then what makes us hold back in the act of praising and appreciating people?

People over a period of time tend to take others for granted. In short, they become ungracious, without realising. How many of us thank the waiters for getting us food? Or the cab driver ferrying us around. Not many, I would say....Agreed, it is their job. But a bit of appreciation makes it much more enjoyable.

Suggestion:

A cheerful person would spread cheer and happiness to others in turn, and people would be happier and better mannered, not to mention more productive. I am not talking about incessant praise, but few words of genuine appreciation that one might feel meeting someone during the course of the day.

I came across a cheeky video that demonstrates how few words of praise changes the life of so many people. The 'change' here may not be drastic, but the person in question is definitely a happier human being. To be able to make someone smile, not by a comic act or some joke, but by making them feel GOOD about themselves is not so difficult, and is , in my opinion, definitely a very simple and cost free method to make the world a much happier place to be in.

I haven't uploaded the video due to size constainst. However, the link to the video is:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Uses of Tyres

An interesting use of old tyre that my sister came across while touring Switzerland.

Observation:
Punctured, eroded tyres are of little use on the road. The material that they are generally made of is difficult to re-cycle and re-mould, and burning then produces a horrible smell. The best way to use them is either cut it and make some contraptions, or to use it as it is, for different purposes.

Suggestion:
The old tyres can be filled with concrete, with an upright signpost in the center. This type of contraption can be really useful where mobility of signpost is required. The signposts can be picked up and put in different locations in no time. These can be quite useful in fairs and exhibitions as well.

I did a casual search on the net, and came across quite a lot of other useful suggestions on the uses of old tyres. The links are as follows :

• http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf284146.tip.html
• http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/usedtyresleaflet.pdf
• http://www.tirecrafting.com/

There was also an article that mentioned the Government of Spain thinking of passing a law to use old tyres while building roads. If other governments could also pass such laws, it would really help in preserving the environment by re-cycling products that have once served its purpose.

A Light Source With Insect Repellent

Observation:

The light source in modern world is synonymous with a "Tubelight" or a "Bulb". However, one might have noticed how insects and moths tend to agglomerate near any light source, and that too during specific time of the year, such as fall and spring.

When the light source is inside a house, it can get very difficult to ward off small moths during specific seasons. Also, one never know if each species of these insects is harmless.

Suggestion:

The idea is to combine a tubelight with an insect repellent. This can be done as 2 devices in a combination pack, operated separately, so that the insect repellent can be switched on only when necessary. Moreover, if the insect repellent has a refill option, it provides even more flexibility.

There is already a device with a purpose as the above, wherein the light source is generally inside a cage that has electical curents passing through it. Insects such as flies that come close are electrocuted. However, this device is large and bulky, and is generally kept at entrances / lobbies. Moreover, the electrolution produces loud crackling noises. These are definitely not appropriate for the comforts of a bedroom or study area.

Thus, a light source with an insect repellent would be quite useful in areas that have high vegetation, and insect population especially during certain seasons of the year!

Don't Worry, Be Blissful

A beautiful story that was published in the Economic Times. The link for the same is: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Cosmic_Uplink/Dont_worry_be_blissful/articleshow/3734367.cms#write (Please paste this URL to open the article in Economic Times)

Definitely worth reading it!

"There was a wise and compassionate king. All his subjects came to him for advice. Once a woman came and complained to him that her husband was ill-treating her because she could not bear a child. Another man came to him and grumbled that his chlidren were greedy. They were after his wealth and ill-treating him. A poor man petitioned him for money and lamented saying how wretched he was to be poor. A rich man came to the king and complained that he had no real friends. Every one he knew was nice to him only because of his wealth.

The king, after talking to many people, found that the same things, children, money, and health, repeatedly induced people to worry and be sad. Money was needed by one, but was causing sorrow to another. The king hit upon a novel idea, he called his ministers and said: what if we open a Worry Exchange (WE), can’t people come and exchange their worries? A person who was unhappy without children could exchange his or her worry with another who was unhappy because he or she had children? A rich man who was unhappy could trade his worry with a poor man who needs money.

His ministers thought it was a brilliant idea. So the WE was inaugurated. On the appointed day all the king’s subjects arrived at the WE, long before it was to open. They stood around and talked, talked and talked. WE stayed open until dusk. Not asingle trade materialised. Not one person came forward to barter or swap his own worry with another’s worry. The king was disappointed. However, instead of being angry, he enquired from his subjects why no one came forward to trade worries, though they had all said the WE was a brilliant idea.

The subjects replied in one voice: we prefer to live with the worries we know, rather than exchange them for something that we do not know! Worries become, over time, our crutches, ourcompanions. We feel lost without them. We need them to justify our behaviour and depend on them to lead our daily life. Our worries have no meaning or purpose. I tell people to write down their worries in our Life Bliss Courses. I tell them to look at this list after three or six months. They then tell me that 90% of the worries never materialised. The 10% that did were good for them!

If we allow ourselves to release our grip from worries and relax in the present, then we can begin an intimate, spiritual journey. The purpose of our life is to journey inwards and experience bliss, not to indulge in wasteful worries."