25th January 2011 ‘This is my plant!’ piped a tiny student of Sacred Heart High School, proudly showing off her sapling. We were impressed—these students, and their eco-club in particular, have taken decisive steps to make their school a greener and healthier place. Our visit began with the eco-club, led by their teacher Mrs. Nirmala, showing us their garbage management system, where wet waste is composted and used as fertilizer for plants. This led us to their next initiative, a small garden of medicinal plants. They then explained how they’ve succeeded in combining environmental consciousness with utility by setting up an organic garden where they grow vegetables with the manure generated from the school’s wet waste. They also went on to show us how they are trying to involve other students in their greening activities by getting them to bring their own plants to the nursery.
3rd October 2011 The students of Sacred Heart High School Vashi are not only implementing green projects in their campus, but are also making sure that environmental consciousness becomes a permanent part of their school culture. In their second session on Environmental Leadership, the students of the Eco-Club presented the draft environmental policy that they have been working on. The most striking feature of the policy so far is that the draft was prepared in an entirely democratic fashion. The process began with all students from Stds. III to X participating in a competition to select the best policy suggestions. After this, the teachers selected the best suggestions, which were debated by the eco-club members and the house captains. The policy was then drafted by the eco-club. The environmental policy covers four sectors—Supplies, Waste, Energy and Events—and includes a variety of possible practices, from reusing decorations at events to having regular energy consumption report...
Did you know that Mumbai has its own dedicated ‘city bird’? You might think that this title has been given to the common crow or the blue rock pigeon or maybe even to the house sparrow; because these are birds that Mumbaikars come across all the time. But what if I tell you that none of the above hold the coveted title of being our 'city bird'? The city bird of Mumbai is the Coppersmith Barbet and it is also known as the Crimson-breasted Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala). This bird is more often heard than seen and it is known to make a monotonous call that goes like, tuk-tuk-tuk. The call resembles a coppersmith repeatedly hitting a copper sheet and this is how it gets its name. The Coppersmith Barbet is also known to make an early morning call to welcome the sunrise. Haven't you heard this call in your locality? Coppersmith Barbets can be found near wooded areas, gardens and possibly even in the greener patches around your residence. They often inhabit...
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