Air pollution can ruin your outdoor plans

Air pollution is measured with the Air Quality Index, or AQI.

The lower the AQI, the cleaner the air is. However, if you are outside when the AQI is over 100, it’s about the same as breathing in exhaust from a car all day! Things that cause poor air quality are forest fires and cities with lots of car traffic. If the AQI is higher than 100 you shouldn’t spend too much time outside.
Carbon dioxide in the air can be both good and bad
When humans and animals breathe, we give off an odorless gas called carbon dioxide, or CO2. Plants use this gas, along with sunlight, to make food—a process called photosynthesis. In this process, plants give off oxygen, too! However, large amounts of CO2 are also produced when cars and power plants burn coal, oil, and gasoline. CO2 is also the most important contributor to human-caused global warming.
Source – Climate.NASA.GOV

Use and Impact of Mass Media for Climate Change Awareness

Why Traditional Media and Social Media is Important for climate change
  Mass Media
Traditional Media -Print ,Radio and Television,
New Age Media -Google,Facebook,Twitter and WhatsApp
Traditional Media -helps in news coverage,pro environment coverage and also policy making.
Social Media - Communication,Information,Discussion & Mobilization. Also helps in Research work by scholars and scientist.
Climate Change Media coverage should give space to the voices of poor, role of traditional knowledge systems in providing solutions.For Example In Bali, Indonesia ‘Subak’ is the traditional irrigation system. Social Media can play a very important role to bring back USA to Paris accord.European Union organizes online consultation thru facebook to create new laws and policies about CC. The decision makers and young influentials are very active on social media and this can be leveraged for climate change.
Importance of Mass Media Print – Effective on daily basis and local level – news in Dainik Bhaskar abt water level of bhopal lake. Article in Time abt pollution in capital of Mongolia is noticeable.The title has to be catcy to get the attention of readers →→→→→→→→→→

Television – Global reach and is very impactful – Films on biodiversity,wild life,deforestation.CCNews item influence people.
Radio – Reach to lower income group,community, and rural areas.
Facebook – Helpful in creating positive campaigns like Earthhour and Save Water.Greenpeace & other groups use it very productively.
Twitter – Very effective in emergency ,Hashtag abt california wildfire in 2007 helped a lot.Earthquake Info.
Google – Creating a mass campaign
Youtube – Films and Programs related to climate change.Videos on Glaciar Collapse.Usage of solar energy in household as youtube videos are very powerful tool and effective and have universal viewership.Videos of organic farming at home or at a small place.Waste management. 
WhatsApp – Cheapest way to dissipate information Example – C40 cities climate leadership C40 cities account for 92 affilaited cities,25% of Global GDPcities

Facebook & Google More than 2 billion monthly active users. average the like & share buttons are viewed across almost 10 million websites daily. Campaign against Industrial pollution. Google has market share of 89% among the leading search engines.It also owns Youtube. popular or trending google search has the widest reach among all media platforms. Social Media has made voice of Common people to be heard.During the time of Odd-Even in delhi,how the opinion changed from morning to evening is a good example.A lot many were supportive of it by the evening. Public transport usage can be promoted by both old and new media.

Impacts Proper use of Mass Media can help protect environment . Promote sustainable development,it has to be accurate,timely & relevant. Climate change reporting or awareness requires global as well as local perspective. Policy making can be affected by proper use of these media. People are made aware and they take responsible decision. Social media platforms have provided a faster, more efficient, and arguably more inclusive venue for climate change discourse. One issue is the concept of self-selection bias. Social media discussion about climate change is marked by a high degree of polarization.Also it is biased towards the educated. Climate change is the reality in which all of our lives will be lived. Its scale and impacts over the coming decades will depend on the decisions we make in the next few years. Information will be critical. Source - Time.com,WhattsApp,Google,Facebook.

Useful tips while buying petrol

Do not Pump Full Tank of Petrol.......
READ THE REASONS -- DO NOT DONATE FUEL
This is applicable to India,where pump owners usually adopt different ways to steal petrol. Recently one of my friends sent a useful email with a very useful tip. I was surprised to know it but had a doubt so I talked to one of the pump technicians and he too accepted it as a fact. I think apart from providing space for the gas generated inside the petrol tank this is yet another reason why we shouldn't fill the tank to the brim. Many of us are not aware that the petrol kiosk pump has a return pipe-line (in Pink).

When the petrol tank (in the car) reaches full level, there is a mechanism to trigger off the pump latch and at the same time a return-valve is opened (at the top of the pump station) to allow excess petrol to flow back into the pump. But the return petrol has already pass through the meter, meaning you are donating the petrol back to the Oil Dealer. Also only fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the petrol, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your liter is not exactly a liter. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your Petrol tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more Petrol you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. petrol storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the Petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every litre is actually the exact amount. Another reminder, if there is a petrol truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy Petrol, DO NOT fill up; most likely the petrol is being stirred up as the Petrol is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Infographics - Save Water

Clean Water Availability

Water the most important resource for human survival is the greatest gift of God.In the urban world,we take water availability and usage for granted.We should know that diseases from unclean water and non availability of basic sanitation kill more people than war.One in nine people across the world lack access to clean water. Approximately one-third of water pumps built by NGOs and government in remote areas are non functional at any given time. 40 billion hours every year is spent by people in Africa to fetch water.Same is the case in countries like India, Nepal,Pakistan and Bangladesh.Mainly women and children are involved in this transportation.They have to walk miles to collect dirty and contaminated water. Major portion of their day is spent on collecting water,which keeps them away from home,not able to take care of families.Kids are not able to go to school.On the way women are subjected to harassment and sexual assault. Lives of these women will improve, if clean water is made available to them nearby.Children will be able to study and get more time to play.Water-related deaths can be reduced by 21% globally if clean water is made available.

How can we commute green

While commuting for work we can use environment-friendly ways.We can make a positive impact on the planet by walking,cycling or taking public transport like train,bus or metro.
Big company like Google promotes self powered commute.Which involves going to work by foot,bike,cycle,skateboard,scooter or even kayak.Cycling to work is one mode of transport that is strongly encouraged by Google.
In San Francisco Bay area office of Google 4500 employees take the shuttle to work on any given day.The shuttle system is so rider-friendly and easy that employees often leave their cars at home and many even don't bother to purchase one.
If a big corporation like google encourages employees to use green ways of commuting to work ,why can't other companies do the same.
We as an individual can do the same and make a big  positive difference.

The birds of India

India boasts of over 1,200 bird species and ranks 7th in the world for its diversity of avifunal species.Species that can be spotted in urban zones include Koel,Pariah Kite,Spotted Owlet,Tailor Bird and Purple Sunbird.