WILDLIFE MESSGES 2024

 

THE PLASTIC MENACE

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 (It is indeed difficult to comprehend the mind of virtuous men.

As hard as diamond and at the same time as soft as delicate petals)

- Bhavabhooti’s  Uttara Ramacharita, 1,14

;;Thursday, 26 September 2024

Dear friend,

 Today, the perils of plastic is haunting the whole world. Various plastic waste are lying everywhere in heaps. Why are plastic materials used all over the world? Where are these plastic factories? Can't they be shut altogether? Time and again, these questions may arise in your mind.

 Let me first explain what plastic is and where it comes from. Oils like coconut, sunflower, groundnut, mustard etc. which we use daily are extracted from coconut and various oil seeds. After extracting the oil from the oil seeds, the residue that remains are called oil cakes. We reuse these oil cakes in various ways.

 Similarly, the residue that remains after extricating oils like petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG, kerosene, etc. from the naturally available crude petroleum ores, is the basic material of all plastics! Various oils of petroleum were introduced in the 1950s and since then the world is using these products as fuel in vehicles and industries. This means, as long as the world continues to use the numerous petrolium products, the plastic scourge cannot be stopped.

 The unique and the most distinguished quality of plastic is that we can make things that are as strong as steel and those that are as soft as silk! And due to its air and waterproof properties, various things like plastic bags, covering sheets, clothes, paints, and bottle-boxes are made from plastic. This makes plastics, the most widely used material in the world. Plastic has become an integral part of human life today. Man is at the mercy of plastic for everything, due to low cost of its manufacturing and wide availability at affordable prices.

 But once these plastic products are used and thrown away, they take hundreds of years to decompose in the soil, air or water. Hence, plastic waste has become a huge challenge in all countries. More over, plastics have many adverse effects on the animals and plants living on land and in the sea and the whole environment. The hydrocarbon chemicals in plastic are not only harmful to human bones, nervous system, skin and eyes, but also cause infertility and many dreadful lung diseases and fatal diseases like cancer. Plastic waste management almost impossible!

 So what is the solution to this piled up plastic waste? The most acceptable solution to this bane lies in the plastic itself! Anyhow we know that plastic products do not quickly disintegrate into the environment. So we can put them to use where we want things that last. Can’t we process plastic waste and use them to make bricks, flooring, walls, windows-doors, etc. for houses and such constructions? Similarly, let us process plastic waste and put them on the roads!

 So do not blame the plastics without reason. Let us appreciate their exquisite qualities and continue to use everything that are made from them properly. But, after using the plastic products, definitely let us not throw them hither and thither. But collect them; reprocess and recycle the plastics systematically.

 Let us join hands to make our only Earth, a place where all elements of life can live in health, happiness and harmony.

SPECIAL WILDLIFE MESSENGER OF THIS YEAR

 Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) A resident bird of the Himalayan foothills of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland states of India, these birds belong to the most beautiful family of pheasants. Males about 70 cms, have a rich mix of colours on their feathers. They are found in the tropical forests of sub Himalayan states of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya. They are found near human settlements and have been domesticated since 7400 years, forming the primary species of all the domesticated chicken all over the world. Omnivorous. Feed on fallen fruits, seeds, roots and tubers along with arthropods, larvae and earthworms, lizards and insects foraged with its toes.

Hand-painted cards, Acrylic on Paper. Total: this year 2180; in 40 years 81,595. Total recipients: this year 1236; in 40 years 16,220.