Friday, August 7, 2009

Nobody Realises That We Are The Bigger Fish Next In Line…

To be or not to be, that is the question; 

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, (of our own doing)

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, (literally)

And by opposing, end them?

Shakespeare

Realise This… Climate Change is actually a play- a play with man’s in its lead role. But in this play it is man that goes on writing the play deciding what comes next as he acts it. It is in his hands whether he wants the end to be more tragic and bloody (than even Macbeth and that’s saying something) or whether to act now (literally) and carve out a responsible not to mention difficult and a brave role for himself. It is this question- a question of integrity ,of choice that eventually will be asked to each one of us and for those cool Fidos who think climate change won’t affect them I want to share another thought “Think again”

A few years ago, I remember, the pollution board put up “Pollution Meters” at the various intersections of the city. These boards actually topped 300 units when the bearable limit was supposed to be 50 units (To think Of It)… And the people were even naïve enough to believe that they were actually leading healthy lives when the meters were ticking 250… And no the story does not here. The local authorities finally decided to step in due to increasing dissidents and stop it once for all... And stop it they did. No I mean they did not reduce pollution or anything but infact shut down the meters…!

This incident unfortunately not only emphasizes our evasive role in protection of our environment but also shows our sensitivity (or the general lack of it) towards these issues. Let us face it what is it that is wrong? Awareness?? Yes to some extent. But a still major problem I feel is that of the image we present about Climate-Change. To most people it still means the “Something” that affects fishes in “God knows what sea” and yes not to mention the polar cap…What we unfortunately fail to project and what we as a people don’ realize is that in fact “We are the bigger fishes next in the line…”

 What we have to realize today is that the deluges and hurricanes are not a freak occurrence but infact an outcome of our own act. “Ya, right. So what? Won’t this all happen once I am gone for long?” Is that what I hear you asking? Let us ask ourselves this question: Tell me “Does the “I” in India just stand for a you? Does the “I” in united just stand for you?” Does It… Tell me do we not all strive hard- slog day in and day out just so that we could give our children a better “tomorrow”. Then why in the world are we, with our own hands, endangering their “tomorrow” that holds so much promise for them-for your generations to come…

So the next time you start a car just to go to the shop down the street “Think Again”… You might just be breaking up the dream of a perfect “tomorrow” for your children. But then it is still not to late (Remember Tomorrow Never Dies) you could still make the difference whether your descendents live the “tomorrow” you wish them to live

(And not to mention those poor fish in ‘God knows what sea)

 

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Concept...

Project AAPSE (An Aware Pune Saves Earth) is basically started out as an initiative to introduce the world of Environment and Climate Change to school kids. 
The project basically revolves around the fact that each person has his own way of tackling a problem. Moreover, each person also has his own unique perspective and the way he looks at problems. It is essentially based on this premise that the project intends to motivate school kids of different mind-sets, view-points and perspective to join in the Environmental Crusade.
What is finally intended is that all these individuals who are so diverse and unique come together which will equip the movement with an all round perspective and a vast knowledge bank. 
Together, I believe, we can make a difference on all the fronts of the problem. May it be on the social front or on the policy making front. 
That is the vision I have... That is a dream I intend to live...

The Vision

To create a self-sustained movement to empower youth and school kids in particular to tackle environmental problems using their own ideas and perspective.

Project AAPSE stands for "An Aware Pune Saves Earth"