Last week at the EcoFemme workshop in Auroville we had a very interesting discussion about plastics. It came up because, of course, plastic is a key ingredient in disposable pads. It’s also a liner used on the bottom layer of the EcoFemme pads as a way to leak proof them. It’s a minimal amount for … More Plastic Breaks Down. Period.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to go on the Bengaluru Trash Trail, which I’ve been dying to do for a few years now (you can read various accounts of it in the press here, here, here, here, and here. While this journey to follow the trash from your neighbourhood to the various places your trash … More Bengaluru’s Trash Trail
Last month I had the honour of attending a lecture that son gave (I won’t reveal the topic because I can’t even begin to unravel that level of theoretical physics) at the new International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bangalore. Below are a few snapshots. It seems that most of the folks there are following the … More Water & waste done right
Last month I travelled to Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan to go on a safari with my best friend who was visiting from Beirut. Another friend had arranged the trip as she works with the extraordinary organisation Dastkar. What I love about the way that Dastkar works is that it is not a charity. It … More Sustainability & livelihood in Ranthambhore
Warning: this post will likely sound a bit like Scrouge to many readers. Last night I walked down to the main street in my neighbourhood and I noticed lots of shopkeepers had Christmas wares for sale: plastic Christmas trees, polyester Santa hats, and lots of unnecessary, plastic junk. I get why Christians want to carry … More A Bah Humbug Post (or ideas for a green Christmas)
Recently I took a trip from Bengaluru to Delhi by train. It was a wonderful experience, except for all of the trash. Travelling by train, not unlike flying in an aeroplane, means producing a large quantity of trash for many reasons, especially because of all the food and drinks served and consumed along the way. … More Train trash
So far I’ve been focusing on teaching small children about garbage and reducing consumption. Perhaps because of my training as a professor I’ve kept myself busy reading and watching everything I can get my hands on that relates to rubbish. I have lists on Goodreads and IMDB related to trash, but my friend Sarika who … More The Garbage Syllabus (a work in progress)
This weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to join the sociology class at my school in their discussions around food with the local farmers who are active in the movement to maintain control over food, seeds, and livelihoods. We saw a short film (see below) and discussed these issues with local members of the Food Sovereignty Alliance … More Food sovereignty & waste
A student’s parent shared the greenwashed images below with me a few days ago. They come from a northern edition of The Hindu (I’m not sure if it came in the version sold down south where I live). He says it was the front page, front cover of the newspaper. It’s an ad for BASF claiming … More Greenwashing plastic
I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me to consider condoms and the plastic they contain. Yesterday when I went to Lauren Singer’s blog, “Trash is for Tossers”, I came upon a recent post of hers about the dangers that plastic plays in condoms. It turns out there are carcinogenic nitrosamines in condoms, which (if … More Condoms
Teaching Trash 