Engineers, Tree huggers, Eco friends

lend me your ears....

One of my favorite things to do is watch the rain. I love it when the sky gets all dark and cloudy.You can almost smell the approaching rain. It brings back memories from my childhood in Kerala. I used to get almost two months of vacation every summer. As the initial joy of no school wanes away, you begin to realize the summer heat and humidity. It makes you almost pray for a rain. The monsoon rains finally arrive. It brings with it, sheer joy and relief. It pours for days together. I sit in my balcony and watch the rain drip from the coconut and the mango trees. The birds would hide among the trees initially. They would eventually give in and take a quick shower.

Fast forward a decade (or two) and thousands of miles... A similar situation. I am in my balcony (blogging). It is hot and humid, but the clouds are near. There are no coconut or mango trees here, but the smell of approaching rain is still the same. I hope it rains today.

Now back to the point. Lend me your ears again...

Three great stories. Three very different individuals. Three different context. One common vision.

I) A 63 year old ardent nature lover fighting hard to conserve the forests. I am proud of the fact that he is from my home state. For the past 16 years he has been living in a forest tree house. Impressed by his efforts, the forest preservation officials have requested his help to keep the Teak Mafia at bay. He is now popularly known as Teak Pillai

II) The Church of South India (CSI) adopting the concept of Green Church. All the parishes are encouraged to spread awareness and also adopt atleast one eco friendly project. India attaches a huge importance to religion. This is a significant step in the right direction

III) A scientist from University of Toronto (Ted Sargent) is revolutionizing the way we harness solar energy. Using nanotechnology, he is researching ways to tap into the infrared spectrum of solar energy. Nanotechnology would make it possible to have solar cells the size of dots and also dispersible. You could paint it on your house , you sweater ... Infinite possibilities

A green future...


Quote of the day
"All the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Ants have been incredibly industrious for millions of years. Yet their productiveness nourishes plants, animals, and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for little over a century, yet it has brought about a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn't have a design problem. People do" - William McDonough, architect and designer