Earth Day celebrated

 22^nd April Monday New Delhi 2013:

Heart Care Foundation of India and World Fellowship of Religions in association with Ministry of Earth Sciences Govt. of India and Delhi Public School Mathura Road observed World Earth Day 2013 by organizing inter school competitions on the theme ‘Future Earth’. More than 15 schools from different parts of Delhi participated in these competitions.

 Speaking on the occasion, Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India said that Environmental Education among school children is an important step towards ensuring a sustainable and safer future. We need to keep on motivating them to think positively about the atmosphere they live in and have to live and how they can help in sensitizing their parents and other members of society about the same.

The activities included painting and slogan writing competitions. The best paintings and slogans would be submitted to Ministry of Earth Sciences as entries for their national competition on painting and slogan writing.

Ministry of Earth sciences organizes competitions amongst the winners of these competitions held earlier by NGOs on World Earth Day in the country. The winners are awarded Prizes and certificates.

 The activities will continue on Tuesday with a walk and other competitions.

 Recycle your e-waste

• Electronic waste, or “e-waste,” is a term used to describe any electronic device that is outdated, obsolete, broken, donated, discarded, or at the end of its useful life. This includes cell phones, computers, laptops, PDAs, monitors, televisions, printers, scanners, and any other electrical device.
• With the rapid expansion of technology, combined with the relatively short shelf life of many present day electronic devices, more and more e-waste is generated each year. Often, these discarded devices end up in landfills or are incinerated, which can cause major environmental problems in our communities.
• Many of the materials found in electronic devices are extremely hazardous. These include lead, mercury and cadmium. When these electronics end up in landfills, many of these chemicals leach into the soil during rainfall or are released into the atmosphere when burned. These chemicals can have dangerous impacts on the health of plants and animals and when inhaled can lead to serious respiratory problems. Fortunately, the simple solution to limiting the dangerous effects of careless e-waste disposal is safe and responsible recycling. 
• Each year, the United States alone produces up to 50 million tons of e-waste. Of this, only 20-25% is recycled safely and responsibly. The other 75% ends up in landfills. As a direct consequence, hazardous materials found in this waste routinely contaminate our air and water supplies. By safely and responsibly recycling your e-waste, you can help protect your community and the ecosystem from these dangerous chemicals.
• Everyone should collect all old electronic materials and take them to an e-waste recycling facility to make sure they are properly handled. 

Mercury Is Hazardous To Health

World Earth Day organized at DPS Mathura Road

Flagging the World Earth Day Walk organized by Heart Care Foundation of India jointly with Delhi Public School, Mathura Road and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Military Secretary to the President of India- Lt. Gen. A.K. Bakshi, SM, VSM said that every school child should plant a tree to reduce the problem of global warming in the society.

Talking to a gathering of over one thousand children, Padmashri & Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee, Dr. K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India, said that one should not use mercury based thermometer and blood pressure instruments. They can be risky to life. Two thermometers are broken each year for every bed in a hospital. For 40,000 beds in Delhi alone, 80,000 thermometers get broken every year and the mercury of these thermometers enters the environment. Each thermometer contains ½ g of mercury meaning 4 kg of mercury is released in the environment every year only from breaking of thermometers in various hospitals in the city of Delhi.

Mercury is toxic and with active and chronic exposure, affects brain and kidney. Acute exposure can cause nausea, blurred vision, painful breathing, and excessive salivation. Chronic exposure can lead to high blood pressure, memory disturbance, vision disturbance, tremors and personality changes. Mercury can cross the blood brain barrier and affect the brain development in the child in the pregnant or lactating women.
 

Lt. Gen. Bakshi showed concern that in past few years, Delhi is experiencing differentiable shift in the climate like winters are squeezing with each passing year and temperatures staying over 45 degrees C for most part of the year. This scientists world over are attributing to increase in global temperatures. Unless the general public is sensitized and convinced to take measures/adopt environment friendly actions at their work places, in their homes; this trend of global warming cannot be arrested. 

Mr. M.I. Hussain, Principal, DPS Mathura Road, said that unless preventive strategies are taken in this area, situation may worsen in the coming years.

Members of Management Committee of DPS Society and Parent Reps: from Nursery to Class XII were also present to celebrate the World Earth Day.

Over 500 school children participated in the walk and on-the-spot competition which included:

Children displayed the following placards and slogans:

1. Do not burn leaves and let them decompose.

2. Walking is the best medicine

3. The least amount of electricity one uses the better it is.

4. Plant trees to save the mother earth.

In addition inter school competitions (Painting, Poetry recitation, AD Mad) were also held.