This week I had the pleasure of accompanying one of our CAT members, Georgina on one of her weekly teaching escapades in the Mumbai suburbs. We took the train to SMPR, a small English medium school in Mulund, where I observed her two-hour session with the children.

This session was not only a learning experience for the children, but for me as well - she talked about the cities problems regarding waste and also highlighted ways in which we as concerned citizens can contribute to solving them.

Mumbai is India’s largest metropolis with a fast growing population. As the number of people increases, so too does the city’s waste (currently around 7000 tons per day). The city’s main dumping site at Deonar has reached its full capacity and is in the process of being closed! We all know that Mumbai suffers from a shortage of space, and this problem encompasses space for waste disposal as well. As a result, new dumping sites such as one at Kanjurmarg are being developed- on our precious mangrove forests!

Therefore it is our responsibility to help manage and reduce our waste production. Two easy ways in which we can contribute are:

-Segregating domestic waste

-Composting waste

By segregating wastes at home, we are ensuring that the dry waste can be easily removed and recycled. Composting too helps reduce the amount of waste that goes into the dumping sites, as organic waste is disposed of at home itself.

When asked, only about 3 of the 30 children said they segregate their waste. Yes, segregating waste in a city like Mumbai is hard to do, but it is this civic sense that I could see Georgina trying to inculcate in the children.

“My mother won't allow me to" one child said. Possibly, he was just coming up with an excuse to argue with the teacher. Even still his excuse shows us that lack of awareness in India is not only limited to the youth, but spans all generations. As members of the CAT team, we hope that the ideas we spread to the children are further spread by them to their parents, creating a sort of multiplier effect.

Small success stories such as when a young boy comes up to you at the end of the session saying how much he enjoyed the activity, or when a little girl shows you the Christmas cards she made out of recycled paper-taking so much pride in the fact that it was recycled paper-are what really lets us know that our message is being spread.

- Sia Khandelwal (Intern at CAT office)

Carbon Footprint

(Click on the image to view the picture clearly)

"Reduce your Carbon footprint and retard the process of Global Warming" is the mantra we all get to hear.
So what is this Carbon Footprint?

Carbon Footprint is a measure of the total quantity of gaseous emissions of Greenhouse Gases (gases that cause an undesirable and disproportionate heating-up of the earth's atmosphere) emitted by an individual in one year;

• directly (such as by burning fuel), or
• indirectly (through consumption of products and services that have resulted in such emissions in the manufacturing process)

There are three main gases that are classified as 'Greenhouse Gases': Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, and Methane. By converting Nitrous Oxide and Methane into equivalent quantities of Carbon Dioxide, one can arrive at a total amount of 'Carbon Dioxide Equivalents' produced per year.

In a nutshell, your Carbon Footprint value is the number of tonnes (1 tonne =1000 kgs) of Carbon Dioxide equivalents you have generated in one year. (courtesy NO2CO2)

Click on this link(Carbon Calculator) to know the amount of Carbon dioxide equivalent you generate/year.

Once you do that, post your results here as a comment to this post. Don't worry if your value comes beyond the expected range given in the site. The idea is to realize our individual impact on the ecosystem and then take collective measures to reduce our respective carbon emissions.

All is not over yet. You and I can still make a tangible difference! :)

Ms Kavita Mallya

Kavita Mallya is a trainee working at CAT. She is quick and agile as a reptile, which makes her an effective animal rescuer. People google for information,we ask Kavita. She has been to innumerous trails and treks all across the country. If she were to write a Nature Travelogue, it would be one of its kinds, rare and bestseller of our times. She is a wonderful mimic; humans, birds, cats, she can imitate them all. If ever you want to do a studio recording of a Lion’s roar, you know whom to call ;)
Our cat meows at kavita.cat@gmail.com

Mr Kaustubh Rane

Mr Kaustubh Rane is the calmest person we have ever known. We have tried everything possible, including sending Kaustubh with Nudrat(read Nudrat and Debi’s profile to know more) for the Dharamshala project, but to no avail. He remains as stable as ever! Kaustubh has an in built GPS system which is more accurate than Google Maps. A while before, he was directing a miguided bat out of the window. He has an eye for details and never misses a thing. At times we wonder if he has evolved from a house fly(compound eyes, remember?)
He loves bird watching(the feathered kinds, we mean) and if Amol and Kaustubh could fly,they would’ve made an exclusive close-up portfolio on Flamingos and other migratory birds in the city.

If you are a bird, you can get in touch with him at kaustubh@cat.org.in

Mr Shashikant Shah

Mr Shashikant Shah works with CAT as Manager Admin and Finance . He loves forests and wildlife but unfortunately the accounting aspects of the organization leave him with little time for pursuing his hobby or interests. He never misses a chance to visit the bird watching sites on Vashi and Airoli bridge.

He is always willing to help and advise the younger lot of the organization.We in a lighter vein call him the grand old man of CAT

Ms. Meghna Laghate Daver

Meghna is currently researching the habits and habitats of the flamingos at CAT. She loves interacting with kids in schools and other educational institutes in Navi Mumbai. She is known as the office bully. All she has to do, is point her razor sharp finger at the victim,(erm person),and the work gets done in a matter of seconds. You just need to brief her about the topic and off she goes to win the battle. If Piranha dispenses meat in a matter of seconds, Meghna does the same with money. Give her a huge pile of money and see it getting distributed before you can say achoo! Convincing polar bear to eat grass is her forte. She was all set to go to Copenhagen to teach all the world leaders a lesson, but then her work beckoned and she turned her rudder back towards MWC. MEghna can be contacted at meghna@cat.org.in.