International Biodiversity Day!

What is biodiversity?

Simply put, it is the amazingly wide variety of species and sub-species of birds, animals, insects, micro-organisms and plants…all around us.
Right from the tiniest of single-celled organisms to centipedes, to algae, to cockroaches, dogs, eagles, sparrows,  wilder-beasts and what not,  biodiversity helps us live, and live healthy on this planet that we call home.

So obvious?
Yet, most of the times, what escapes most of our understanding is that the existence and safety of each species is so deeply interwoven with the other, that even the smallest of imbalances can jeopardize the life of many or some species on our planet.
Scary?
Yes it should be. So what affects this balance?

• Urbanization
• Unplanned deforestation
• Soil erosion by mining, industrialization and other causes
• Introduction of non-local species, that may intrude on the local ecology
• Destruction of habitat
• Pollution

These are some of the major causes of biodiversity being threatened.
Let’s take some time out to understand what is being done, and what we can do, to help.
Let us start with a focus on Marine Biodiversity.  Why?
Marine Biodiversity is the theme for this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB).

Designation of IDB 2012 on the theme of marine ecosystems provides Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and everyone interested in marine life, the opportunity to raise awareness of the issue and increase practical action. From 2000 to 2010, an unprecedented worldwide collaboration by scientists around the world set out to try and determine how much life is in the sea.
Dubbed the ‘Census of Marine Life’, the effort involved 2,700 scientists from over 80 nations, who participated in 540 expeditions around the world. They studied surface seawater and probed the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean, sailed tropical seas and explored ice-strewn oceans in the Arctic and Antarctic.
(Source : http://www.cbd.int/idb/2012)
Marine organisms play a crucial role in almost all biogeochemical processes that sustain the biosphere, and provide a variety of products (goods) and functions (services) which are essential to humankind’s well-being.
Besides these, marine ecosystems deliver a series of services that are essential to the proper functioning of the Earth. These include the production and mineralization of organic material, the storage of carbon, the storage of pollutants and waste products from land, the buffering of the climate and of climate change, coastal protection (mangroves, dune-beach systems, coral reefs). Most of these services are delivered by microscopic organisms.
And unmanaged fishing, pollution and destruction of our coastlines are some of the prime causes that threaten Marine Biodiversity across the world.

What can you do to help?
Raise awareness: You can join in too! Help spread the message. Get involved.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Stop the use of bottled drinking water. Buy local. Use plastic sparingly. Eat sustainable sources of sea food. Reduce dependency on oil and gas; carpool or walk or take a bike! Buy clean and green products.

A Greener World in the Making….

A Greener World in the Making….

Do you recycle paper? Do you turn off your computer when it isn’t in use? What kind of light bulbs do you use? Be honest! Most people are starting to be environmentally conscious at home but at work we still have a long way to go. Follow a few of these tips and you’ll save energy, save money and at the same time contribute to saving our planet!

1. ……….

			Print out hard copies of documents only when absolutely necessary.
			Look at documents on your computer instead of printing them out.
			Reuse paper that only has print on one side.
			Have a “paper box” in every office to make it easy for staff to recycle.

2. ……….

			Replace plastic glasses with real glasses.
			Replace paper towels in toilets with cloth towels or an air hand dryer.
			Re-use old bubble wrap, envelopes, wrapping paper, cardboard boxes.

3. ……….

			Give away items that you no longer use – but that are usable – to schools, churches or NGOs.
			Telephone the local council to get advice about throwing away waste products.
			Join a waste exchange programme where your unwanted items can go to a company who will use them.

4. ……….

			Buy products made from recycled materials – recycled stationary and office supplies such as paper and envelopes.
			Buy recycled paper that is unbleached and chlorine-free.
			Buy recycled toner for your printers.
			Buy rechargeable batteries for any appliances that you use in the office.

5  ……….

			Turn down the thermostat on your heating system by a couple of degrees – nobody will notice but the savings will mount up.
			Turn off the heating or air conditioning 30 minutes or an hour before everyone goes home.
			Plug all electrical office equipment onto a time switch that automatically turns off after office hours.
			Use the standby mode on all office equipment whenever possible – for example the energy saver button of photocopiers.
			When you need to buy office equipment, look for products that have energy saving devices.

6  ……….

			Organise a car pool system for staff living on the same work route.
			Encourage cycling by providing bike racks.
			Consider allowing staff to work from home once a week.
			Think about organizing a four-day working week of ten hours, rather than a five-day week of eight hours. For more info: https://www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-work-green-office-1.htm