July 23, 2007
F E A T U R E
Think before you make the switch to CFL!
If there is one product that has come to symblolise the ease with which an individual consumer can make a contribution in towards reducing global warming, it is the Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL). But a growing section of experts and activists have dared to question the wisdom of a mass shift to CFLs without taking into account its dependence on mercury, writes Parvinder Singh and says there is more to it than a mere change of bulbs.
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N E W S
EU move on banning mercury trade welcomed
Delhi-based Toxics Link has urged the Indian Government to take a cue from the recent move against mercury by the European Union Parliament through a resolution seeking to ban trade of the heavy metal by 2010 and take some strong steps for replacement and phasing out of mercury here.
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Metro Go Underground: Demand RWAs
Citizens of Delhi have been voicing concern over the damage that is being caused to the city trees and environment for the mega transport projects, like Metro and High Capacity Bus System. Tired of waiting on the sidelines, residents from some of the residential colonies are now organising themselves to push for a people and environment-friendly implementation of these projects.
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Waste water irrigation make vegetables toxic: Study
Vegetables grown in semi-urban areas, which use industrial waste water for irrigation, have high levels of heavy metals such as lead, which is neurotoxic brain and cadmium, which can cause cancer, according to a new study by Indian and UK scientists.
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Demand for organic cotton growing: India emerges as largest producer
Global consumers are increasingly becoming environmentally conscious and this is pushing the demand for organic and eco-friendly products, particularly textiles. Demand for organic cotton is accelerating with brands and retailers continuing responding to consumer choices by increasing the use of organic cotton for manufacturing textiles.
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Government wants apex court's green bench disbanded
The Union Government has urged the Supreme Court it to wind up its Green Bench on the ground that it has outlived its utility and is hurting the objective of preservation of forests.The Bench's orders on the basis of advice given by lay persons have contributed in accentuating poverty, social unrest and a spurt in Naxal activities in major states, the Centre said in what marked an unprecedented display of belligerence.
P O L I C Y
Single-window system for environment clearances for builders being planned
The Union Government is reportedly planning to introduce as single window system for environmental clearance for builders. This will reduce the time required for the process to just three months.
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U P D A T E
Landfills not a solution to Delhi's urban waste crisis: DPCC
With all the three existing landfills in the National Capital Territory of Delhi running out of capacity and the State Government announcing new sites for fresh landfills, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), a nodal environmental body for the Capital, today said landfills were not a solution for the current Municipal Solid Waste crisis in the city.
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P A R T N E R S
Clearance to Commonwealth Games Village illegal: Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan
A grouping of citizens and civil society organisations, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA), has alleged that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has gone ahead with the plans to build the Commonwealth Games Village on the Yamuna riverbed overriding serious concerns expressed by the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) that studied the proposal in 2006.
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O P I N I O N
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