TEA PRICE FIXED - NEPAL

The buying price of tea leaves has been fixed in Ilam, eastern Nepal. The rates have been ranging from NPR 35 to NPR 45 per kg. Quality tea leaves cost as much as NPR 45 per kg, while organic tea factories have set the price at NPR 60 per kg.

April 06

http://www.ekantipur.com/2015/04/06/business/buying-prices-of-tea-leaves-fixed/403732.html

India-Himalaya

Thought of the Day!

When will people realize that advocates for environmental issues are advocates for the future of humanity!

North American Youth are driving less

Now a major new report from Benjamin Davis and Tony Dutzik at the Frontier Group and Phineas Baxandall, at the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, documents this unprecedented trend across a wide variety of indicators.

Their two big findings about young people and driving:

1. The average annual number of vehicle miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) in the U.S. decreased by 23 percent between 2001 and 2009, falling from 10,300 miles per capita to just 7,900 miles per capita in 2009.

2. The share of 14 to 34-year-olds without a driver’s license increased by 5 percentage points, rising from 21 percent in 2000 to 26 percent in 2010, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Young people are also making more use of transit, bikes, and foot power to get around. In 2009, 16 to 34-year-olds took 24 percent more bike trips than they took in 2001. They walked to their destinations 16 percent more often, while their passenger miles on transit jumped by 40 percent.

This is probably due to a combination of financial reasons, environmental and health concerns and the use of new technologies. 

See http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/04/why-young-americans-are-driving-so-much-less-their-parents/1712/

STATEMENT BY BRAULIO F. DE SOUZA DIAS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY on the occasion of INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY

22 April 2012

The proclamation of 22 April as International Mother Earth Day is an acknowledgement that the Earth and its ecosystems provide its inhabitants with life and sustenance. It also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.

Mother Earth is a common expression amongst many peoples for the planet Earth. It reflects the view of not only the interdependence of all living beings but of kinship with the Earth itself. Many indigenous peoples in Latin America call Mother Earth “Pachamama”.  For many indigenous peoples, including the Australian Aborigines, the Earth does not belong to them but they belong to the Earth – I come from there – she is my Mother (they would say).

The concept of Mother Earth is very much in harmony with the ecosystem approach which is one of the pillars of the Convention on Biological Diversity and also with the precautionary principle contained in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the preamble to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

International Mother Earth Day provides an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and the life it supports. Accelerating  environmental degradation and climate change make it all the more urgent to ensure the sustainability of development. It is also an opportunity to draw attention to the role of indigenous and local communities and their traditional knowledge – that intimate in-depth knowledge of the local environment held by indigenous and local communities. It is the knowledge of the cycles of the Earth and all that lives on it.

The Convention’s work on respecting traditional knowledge (Article 8(j)) and its commitment to the effective participation of indigenous and local communities grounds the Convention in a daily reality of peoples directly dependant on biological diversity for their daily lives. Furthermore their contribution to the work of the Convention is immeasurable. Their presence is a constant reminder to all of us that we are all interconnected with each other and to the Earth itself.

I remain convinced that the Earth and its rich biodiversity will be preserved by the actions all of us take on a daily basis, to help nurture and sustain our common matriarch, Mother Earth.

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias
Executive Secretary

Convention on Biological Diversity

NATIONAL GREEN SCHOOLS CONFERENCE- DENVER, CO.

Here we are at the Green Schools Conference in Colorado

We were able to visit the Denver Zoo before the conference.

The official Conference starts this evening.

Posted by the Grade 6, 7, 8 students of St-Laurent Academy- Ottawa, Canada

  

BIODIVERSITY MENTORSHIP PROGRAM #3- OTTAWA, CANADA

THEME: POLITICS AND BIODIVERSITY

1. Pauline Thereot (Imagineaction, Canadian Teachers Federation)

2. Brigitte Champaigne-Klassen (Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots)

3. Fred Sherman (2011 PC Candidate for Ottawa, Vanier)

4.Katherine Hobbs (City Councillor - Kitchissippi Ward of Ottawa)

5. Elizabeth Kilvert (Environment Canada)

6. Guiliano Reis (Professor of Education, University of Ottawa)

We welcomed youth to discuss biodiversity issues with the participating community leaders.  To date, about 60 youth from 14 schools have been involved in this community program. 

Homemade Organic Beauty Products!

How to make your own organic eyeshadow, lipgloss and hair dye.

Disclaimer: The Ashbury Green Club does not take responsibility for green hair, parents who get mad after you destroy their kitchen or stores that refuse to give you their entire stock of samples. Use your good judgement when following the recipe.

These crafts are so versatile that they can be tailored to anyone's life. Like science class? Think of these as chemistry tests. In World Affairs? Use them to bring down heartless multi-national corporations. In Green Club? Sell them and use the money to plant trees. On the football team? Give them to your mom/sister/girlfriend for her birthday. In {italics} are my comments and personal tips from previous attempts.

First: Containers are needed!
To store two of these projects, you're going to need sample containers. They can be found in hotels, art workshops or at store give-aways. At stores, the challenge is to obtain the maximum number of containers without purchasing anything. The creativity is endless! You can employ cute younger siblings, appear indecisive about buying a product, or unsure if you have allergies to a certain ingredient. At least one is required for each project (not the hair dye).

How to make your own eyeshadow:
What you need: container(s), mica rock(s), plastic bag, hammer
Mica rocks are rough, black with silver or gold flecks inside. They're found on the ground, on E-Bay or in your sibling's rock collection.
7 year old sister: (playing with rocks)
Me: "Hey sis, you see that ugly black rock over there, can I have it?"
Smart 7 year old sister: "Okay, $100!"
Me: "Come on, I need it to write their Blazer article on how to make your own eyeshadow, lipgloss and hair dye!"
Dumb 7 year old sister: "Hair dye? I have a better deal: I give you my rock, and you let me try the hair dye FIRST."
Me: "Okay!"
Once you have a rock or two, place them inside the plastic bag and start pounding with the hammer. Note to self: to not hammer on the fancy tile counter of a newly renovated kitchen The final result is either a grey-silver or a grey-gold powder (Mica is the base of all those expensive mineral makeups). It should remove with warm water.

How to make your own lipgloss:
What you need: container(s), virgin almond oil OR virgin coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E oil, cooking pot, stir stick. Note: this recipe is measured for roughly one container
Place one teaspoon (the smaller one) of almond/coconut oil, one teaspoon of beeswax and two drops of vitamin E oil ( it acts as a natural preservative and gives your concoction a 6 month shelf life) into the cooking pot and slowly heat, but don't boil. Stir slowly.
Now the fun part; Go nuts with the options! Essential oil, blueberry smoothie, green food colouring, freshly cut bananas, purple glitter...
Me: (on the phone) "Hello? Lady Gaga? I've got a new look for you!"
Wait for the mixture to cool (about 2 hours) before storing in containers.

How to make your own hair dye:
Note: due to intense cowardice the full dye job has not actually been performed on anyone the author knows, though highlights have worked, even if the brunette recipe "smells bad" according to little sister (we're against animal testing).

For Blonde Hair:
What you need: shower cap, juice from two lemons.
Pour juice into shower cap, place shower cap on head, wait 30 minutes (for highlights), 2 hours (for all over lightening). Rinse hair.

For Brunette Hair:
What you need: shower cap, quarter cup of coffee
Pour cooled! coffee into shower cap, place shower cap on head, wait 30 minutes (for highlights and lowlights), 2 hours (for all over colour). Rinse hair.

For Red Hair:
What you need: shower cap, quarter cup of strong rose-hip tea
Pour &cooled!} tea into shower cap, place shower cap on head, wait 30 minutes (for highlights), 2 hours (for all over colour). Rinse hair.

Have fun!

Author: Clara Charron