An eco example

Typing the words Chennai and `eco' in Google, or Google news fetches far few results than for cities such as Bangalore and Mumbai.

It's heartening then, to note that there are green stories out there too after all. This one appeared in The Times of India some days back. But am pasting it along anyways, because we as humans need such green examples to lead us. In every city. Every village. And every sphere.

Indra Kumar is a machine operator turned green activist.

He didn't have to read rocket science to turn his residence into an "green" home. He is inspired by the simple, age-old chemical process that every housewife in India is familiar with. "If you leave a bowl of milk behind for five days, how will it smell when you come back? Rotten, right? But if you put a drop of buttermilk into it before you leave, you'll find fresh curd!" beams Indra Kumar (59), whose 1986-built house has now become a pilgrimage for those wanting to do their bit for the environment — be it farmers from Arakkonam or school students from Chennai.

Bishwanath Ghosh who has penned the piece goes on further to add:

"Here, smell it," says Indra Kumar, as he opens the lid of the septic tank in his garden. One instinctively recoils, but its contents look as harmless as accumulated rain water. "Is there smell?" No. "Do you see any mosquitoes?" No. "That's because I treat sewage with a certain bacteria," he declares. The bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, neutralise the sewage to turn waste into manure for plants in his garden.

Then, the earthworm takes care of the liquid waste from the kitchen. Under the drainage pipe, Kumar has buried some worms which not only digest the organic matter but also feed on mosquito eggs. And at the spot where water from the bathroom drains out, he grows cama plant, whose roots treat the soap water.

Solid waste from kitchen is collected in an earthen pot and dried cowdung sprinkled on it periodically. "Any smell?" Indra Kumar asks. No. "Any fly?" No. "In 60 days this will turn into beautiful compost," he exclaims. He treats leaves from the garden similarly: collects them in drums and sprinkles dried cowdung on them till they turn into compost. "This way, you give back to nature what it gives you. People often burn dry leaves, which only causes pollution." 

Wish Chennai had 100 such people who set the ball rolling and turned the city green. It's an uneasy feeling when one notices a daytime oven turn into a cool haven at this time of the year. Global Climate Change's little symptoms!