... my mother always used to scold me when I was young. I used to throw water outside our house on all four sides in the summer to cool the house in the evening. I used to resent it then. What did SHE know? But now I listen to her... in my heart. And in my actions...
Living in Jayanagar, Bangalore, we were abundantly supplied with water from the Kaveri water supply project. This water so much that the pressure used to wear out the washers in our taps! During the summer months, I used to take two very long showers ... morning and later afternoon. Again, she would say that.
Decades later, I learned the link between the environment and folk sayings. Many folk sayings convey environmental knowledge from generation to generation. This particular saying was widespread in southeastern Tamil Nadu which is even now an area of low and undependable rainfall. Water is still a very precious commodity.
Such folk sayings are part of what we call folk lore -- that is, wisdom about local environments. With time, the word "local" changes in some ways. The wisdom becomes applicable more widely not just locally.
This is true of the saying above.
My mother was no scientist. Nor were the many generations of people who knew the importance of water conservation. Generations of people everywhere in the world have known about environmental issues and put that knowledge in the form of sayings that are easy to remember, using imagery that is easy to relate to, etc.
Were they scientists? Did they have "hard" and "numeric" data on which to base their sayings. But they were very good environmental empiricists. Environmental empiricists are people who can observe patterns in their environments and draw conclusions about how things work.
Environmental scientists have a different approach, the 'scientific method' -- they form a hypothesis, make observations and record data, then they analyze the data, and so on to arrive at their conclusions.
The empiricists depend on observation and intuition.
Neither these scientists nor these empiricists are ever 100% right or wrong. The difference may be that these scientists' work may be widely applicable. The empiricists' knowledge may be applicable more locally.
Time often changes the geographic scope of knowledge. So, water conservation is important everywhere, even where fresh water is plentiful.
Our elders had many practices that we would today call 'green' and 'eco-friendly'. Often, these were based on cost considerations. Whatever the motivation might have been, the impacts were... well, eco-friendly. And climate-friendly.
Look at another example. Food. Not long ago, I remember in my own youth in Bangalore, if I wanted plums, I had to wait for the winter to find them. Likewise apples were seasonal, so were every fruit imaginable... jackfruit, guava, mangos. There was a seasonal celebration of those fruits. They ripened in their season. Foods prepared followed these seasons. This seasonal consumption kept us -- and the environment -- healthy.
Wait, what does this have to do with climate change?
Well, it's like this. We now have all fruit all year round. There are two things to thank for this: (1) geography, (2) technology, and (3) "globalization."
Okay, I can't count! THREE things!
In similar climates around the world, the growing and harvesting seasons of many vegetables and fruits occur in different times of the year. This has always been true. But now, technology enters the picture and makes things move around more. Technology overcomes geography! (As a geographer, you have no idea how MUCH that disturbs me sometimes!) Technology enables chemical intervention to control when fruits and vegetables reach harvestable status, how long they can be preserved, how far and how fast they can be transported, etc. And all these have become increasingly cheaper. With globalization, countries are making it increasingly easier for produce to move internationally.
Go to a grocery store in urban India and notice the apples from Washington (USA) and China, the pears from China, Rambutan from southeast asia, etc. Transporting, refrigerating, preserving, packing ... all these processes put out emissions into the atmosphere. Thus, their carbon footprint is vastly greater than when we had seasonal foods.
Plus they are not that great for your health out of season and with all those chemicals used.
Here's what I want you to do for me. I want to hear from you about green practices that exist in your family NOW! If you have elders in your family ask them about how they conserved food, water, fuel, materials, etc. If you find out more about these things, you will likely see the wisdom of their practices today, too.
They may be older, but they are not yet done teaching.
Nor are we done learning from them.
Yet.
Decades later, I learned the link between the environment and folk sayings. Many folk sayings convey environmental knowledge from generation to generation. This particular saying was widespread in southeastern Tamil Nadu which is even now an area of low and undependable rainfall. Water is still a very precious commodity.
Such folk sayings are part of what we call folk lore -- that is, wisdom about local environments. With time, the word "local" changes in some ways. The wisdom becomes applicable more widely not just locally.
This is true of the saying above.
My mother was no scientist. Nor were the many generations of people who knew the importance of water conservation. Generations of people everywhere in the world have known about environmental issues and put that knowledge in the form of sayings that are easy to remember, using imagery that is easy to relate to, etc.
Were they scientists? Did they have "hard" and "numeric" data on which to base their sayings. But they were very good environmental empiricists. Environmental empiricists are people who can observe patterns in their environments and draw conclusions about how things work.
Environmental scientists have a different approach, the 'scientific method' -- they form a hypothesis, make observations and record data, then they analyze the data, and so on to arrive at their conclusions.
The empiricists depend on observation and intuition.
Neither these scientists nor these empiricists are ever 100% right or wrong. The difference may be that these scientists' work may be widely applicable. The empiricists' knowledge may be applicable more locally.
Time often changes the geographic scope of knowledge. So, water conservation is important everywhere, even where fresh water is plentiful.
Our elders had many practices that we would today call 'green' and 'eco-friendly'. Often, these were based on cost considerations. Whatever the motivation might have been, the impacts were... well, eco-friendly. And climate-friendly.
Look at another example. Food. Not long ago, I remember in my own youth in Bangalore, if I wanted plums, I had to wait for the winter to find them. Likewise apples were seasonal, so were every fruit imaginable... jackfruit, guava, mangos. There was a seasonal celebration of those fruits. They ripened in their season. Foods prepared followed these seasons. This seasonal consumption kept us -- and the environment -- healthy.
Wait, what does this have to do with climate change?
Well, it's like this. We now have all fruit all year round. There are two things to thank for this: (1) geography, (2) technology, and (3) "globalization."
Okay, I can't count! THREE things!
In similar climates around the world, the growing and harvesting seasons of many vegetables and fruits occur in different times of the year. This has always been true. But now, technology enters the picture and makes things move around more. Technology overcomes geography! (As a geographer, you have no idea how MUCH that disturbs me sometimes!) Technology enables chemical intervention to control when fruits and vegetables reach harvestable status, how long they can be preserved, how far and how fast they can be transported, etc. And all these have become increasingly cheaper. With globalization, countries are making it increasingly easier for produce to move internationally.
Go to a grocery store in urban India and notice the apples from Washington (USA) and China, the pears from China, Rambutan from southeast asia, etc. Transporting, refrigerating, preserving, packing ... all these processes put out emissions into the atmosphere. Thus, their carbon footprint is vastly greater than when we had seasonal foods.
Plus they are not that great for your health out of season and with all those chemicals used.
Here's what I want you to do for me. I want to hear from you about green practices that exist in your family NOW! If you have elders in your family ask them about how they conserved food, water, fuel, materials, etc. If you find out more about these things, you will likely see the wisdom of their practices today, too.
They may be older, but they are not yet done teaching.
Nor are we done learning from them.
Yet.
"Shabhaash, India ! "
"Shit!" "What CRAP!" "RUBBISH!" These are not dirty words!
"Waste" can become a totally un-cool term !
Look at what Poonam Bir Kasturi is doing that you can do, too!
And what does she call this treasure trove?
DailyDump!!
"Waste" can become a totally un-cool term !
Look at what Poonam Bir Kasturi is doing that you can do, too!
And what does she call this treasure trove?
DailyDump!!
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