The Death of a Goan Tiger

Dear Readers,

I’m upset by an incident that came to my notice just a few days ago. It was just a few hours into Easter Sunday when I received a normal looking email into my inbox. It was a notification, asking if this mail could be sent out to the rest of the 375+ members subscribed to the WildGoa online forum. Opening the mail, I was shocked to see a grim picture of a dead tiger found in a forest in Keri, Sattari. This sadly was the only recent photographic proof that tigers did exist in Goa.


It was an odd hour, and as I sent it on to the rest of the members, I felt uneasy. A lot of thoughts came to my mind. That night, I recalled my participation in the wild animal census of 2002. Soon after an orientation course at Cotigao, I was selected to volunteer in the forests of Netravali, in Sanguem. Two other volunteers, Shrinivas Narayan, Shubhir and I made our way to the forest office in Sanguem. There we were introduced to the RFO, a Mr. Mashelkar. Mr. Mashelkar came across as a friendly person, and during an evening chat, mentioned that his ancestors had shot tigers. Apparently in those days it was considered something to boast about. Mr. Mashelkar even went on to bring out an old faded picture of a crowd of people standing behind a huge tiger that had been shot down. That, was the first Goan tiger that I saw.. dead. And now, this was the second… dead too. It’s a pity as we need to prove that Goa has tigers in its forests which give more reasons to ensure proper protection of Goa’s forest areas.

Back in those census days, for an entire week, we’d walk on transact lines through deep forests noting every animal, animal trace, and animal dung we saw. Netravali was full of wildlife. On the very first day we saw quite a lot of wildlife, however, what we also saw was plenty of illegalities. Open cast mines operating by the dozen, right in the middle of a forest sanctuary, small animals poached by miners, sections of the forest cut down for firewood. Months later I learnt later that Mr. Mashelkar was caught in a corruption case involving felling of forest trees.

There have been quite a few instances in Goa where the Forest Department has been blamed for allowing such things to happen, however in most of the cases, the blame cant really be put on the staff working there are helpless. Most illegalities occur with the knowledge of the higher up staff. If there are no proper directions coming from the top, then one can’t expect the ground staff to do much.

What makes this tiger death so disturbing is that while this picture surfaced up only a few days ago, it was actually photographed on a mobile phone in February 2009, when the tiger was killed. Why did it take so long to get out? From recent discussions on and off the WildGoa network, I’ve learnt that a lot of wildlifers, perhaps also including top forest officials in Goa knew about the Tiger’s death way back in February but it appears that the Forest Department tried to keep the matter silent. Why?

It’s really strange that the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) in a recent interview to the press makes it appear that the Forest Department was totally unaware of the Tiger’s death until the picture surfaced. It appears that the Forest Department chose to avoid a proper investigation and ignore the issue so that they could cover up their inefficiencies of improper forest patrols.

If one studies the picture carefully, it might be possible that the tiger was killed accidentally. By the nature of the wound on its rear, it is likely that it unfortunately stepped into a wire trap set for another animal, possibly a wild boar. Traps set this way have been used all over Goa for years now, and the Forest Department has done little to reduce this menace. On the 26th of February 2009, Fiona, a member of the WildGoa network found a total of three such traps after one of her dogs accidentally got caught in one. After photographing them as evidence, she got them destroyed to prevent them from causing more harm.


Tiger populations in India have shrunk and continue to fall at an alarming rate. This death, therefore, is very significant and a proper investigation needs to be conducted and systems are put in place to make sure that this does not happen once again.

Clinton Vaz, 28 lives in Benaulim and works on environment and wildlife issues in Goa. He can be contacted at klintvaz@gmail.com or +91 9890936828 This article appeared in the Goan Local Daily Gomantak Times on Friday, 17th April 2009 Pg. 12

Animal Speak

Fighter Bulls, Stray Dogs & Frogs all have something in common. It’s time we think about their plight says Clinton Vaz

Yesterday afternoon, on a drive to a waste management project at Mollem I almost ran over a dog. The creature ran straight into my path, forcing me to brake, swerve and continue. Shaken, upset and angry by what had just happened I felt like stopping to yell at the dog. That probably would not have made a difference, but as I drove on, I began to think. It wasn't the dog's fault really.

Dogs were brought into human society by us. We have created stray animals by abandoning pets that we can't take care of anymore, or letting our animals breed and then abandoning the pups in a fish market or field. These poor animals are simply trying to exist, and they are bound to cause conflict with humans when they are at a disadvantage. It is our responsibility therefore, to look after these animals, as we collectively as a society have failed to look after our pets and have caused the stray animal menace. There are a few NGO's working in this line, and they need your support. Do donate some money, materials or volunteer some time to their cause.

While we agree that we need to respect one another, would everybody agree that the same applies to animals too? It's pitiful to see an animal that's been run over, yelping in pain, but would you stop by and take care of an injured animal? Fortunately I know a few friends that would. Quite often all one needs to do is call an animal-ambulance and stay by the animal comforting it and providing some water. If it were a human in the same condition, we would see a crowd gather and people rushing to provide assistance. Animals may look different from us, but they too deserve the same treatment and the right to live. They too are living beings.

Of late, we’ve had a spurt in animals in ‘sport’. Bullfighting is outlawed in most places in the world because of the cruelty to animals in the sport. The animals may be pampered at the stables, but they lead a lonely existence, often chained to a post in isolation for the entire day. When it’s time for a fight, the amounts of money bet on each side run into lakhs of rupees. With so much at stake, the bulls are goaded by their keepers to charge at the opponent. This induced fight often results in both the animals being gored and injured badly, and while I’ve seen distressing scenes of bleeding animals fleeing the fighting area, death due to bullfighting injuries have occurred both to the bulls, as well as spectators. Any politician that support’s such acts of barbaric cruelty in the name of traditional culture is foolish and bound not to get any vote from me or anybody that thinks likewise.

We should never take animals for granted. Followed by the sweltering heat, comes the monsoons, and to herald the monsoons come the frogs. For the frog, it's finally the season to wake up to after months of hibernation, to sing, eat and breed. But instead, their croaks invite trouble. Goan's have traditionally hunted frogs for a delicacy known as 'frog legs'. While the hunting and killing of frogs might have been sustainable before, today, it's merciless. Frogs are no longer caught just for the hunter’s family. They are now delicacies for rogue restaurants. Restaurants pay hunters to catch hundreds of frogs at a time, decimating the populations of frogs all over Goa. For the frog it's a horrible way to die. Yanked out of the field after being blinded by a torch, the frog is then stuffed into a gunny bag that's packed-full of unfortunate frogs. At the restaurant, the frog is held by its waist and its legs are chopped off, and skinned. The frog, still alive is thrown into the bin, allowing it to die slowly out of blood loss. It's hard to imagine that humans are capable of such cruel acts to animals. All this, to a species that's protected by law. However we’ve managed to right a few wrongs. In the past few years, the campaign to save frogs has been picking up steadily, and least year, besides the media focusing on the issue, the forest department actually arrested 10 people that were caught hunting. This Thursday, 16^th April, we will informally meet for an hour at the lawns of Kala Academy in Panaji at 5.30pm to chalk out the course for the 2009 Save the Frog campaign. Everybody that’s interested in the cause is welcome. See you there!

Clinton Vaz, 28 lives in Benaulim and works on environment and wildlife issues in Goa. He can be contacted at klintvaz@gmail.com or +91 9890936828 This article appeared in the Goan Local Daily Gomantak Times on Friday, 10th April 2009 Pg. 12

Get on the Recycling Cycle

Summer sun down on my back and slurping away some vanilla ice cream, I found myself laying in a green meadow, engaged in a deep conversation on the subject of ‘recycling’ with Sorella, a close friend in Sweden. We were just back from an environmental discussion about consumerism and we were both upset about the continual increasing quantum of waste being produced by us humans world over. While I still think that we ought to first reduce our unnecessary consumption and reuse stuff as far as possible, the concept of recycling makes sustainable sense rather than disposing non organic waste in any other way.

“Here in Sweden, we try to recycle as much as we can.” explained my friend. She continued, “We put in our waste into different bins, and the municipality comes by and picks it away. Even bigger items like furniture and electronic appliances get recycled, but then we need to take it to a recycling center instead.” I’ve always tried to find out what happens to inorganic waste in every country that I visit and so, during my travels, I had seen many of these systems operate. In the city of Gothenburg in western Sweden, citizens pay a fixed fee to the municipality for recycling. Similarly, in Zurich, Switzerland, citizens pay as per the quantum of recyclable waste that they individually generate and the city authorities recycle waste for their citizens. In all cases, including in Portugal and Germany, the system worked only if people separated their waste into different categories. Countries similar to ours like Nepal and Egypt may seem years away from catching up, however this is where a lot of interesting developments by concerned individuals seem to take place in the field of recycling.

My friends there were surprised to know that here in India, it’s the other way around. Here, we don’t have any recycling system supported or set up by the government. And while we wait for that to happen, a few concerned citizens have already setup informal recycling systems that work better than the west. My friend however, was most interested to learn that we actually get paid to get rid of most of our recyclable waste!!

The difference is that recycling is not some new trend or some kind of activity that is imposed by law, as in the west. Here in India, it is a way of life. Recycling seems to be embedded in our Indian genes! Here everybody recycles our newspapers to the nearby grocer, and ensure that old clothes are reused by the less fortunate. In the villages, we sell our plastics, metals and glass to waste pickers.

But there have been problems. City dwellers have long disregarded these practices, and rather dispose everything in one big bag, citing lack of time. The recycling industry is blacklisted, and often blamed for causing local environmental pollution. Those interested in recycling usually do not know how to go about it. The fact is that there is a vast informal recycling industry in India that needs to be supported, improved and upgraded.

Provided you separate your waste into a minimum of two fractions, recyclers will pay citizens (per kg.) about Rs. 3-5 for Paper/Newspaper, Rs. 4-6 for Cardboard, Rs. 0.50-1.20 for Coloured/Uncoloured Glass, Rs. 8-10 for hard plastics & general metals, Rs. 8-10 for PET Bottles, and higher values for specific metals. Rs. 70-75 for Aluminum, Rs. 150-170 for Brass and Rs. 230-250 for Copper!! Recyclers in Goa are even willing to pick up these fractions from your doorstep provided you (or your community) have accumulated a cycle load or rickshaw load of waste before calling them.

While some might argue that the focus of recycling ought to be more on reducing waste rather than making money, demanding this minimum amount of monetary refund for your waste is a very important step in supporting this recycling industry. Firstly, recyclable fractions anyway have higher monetary values attached; therefore you are simply taking advantage of a small fraction of this value. Fixing values for each recyclable fraction also prevents unscrupulous recyclers from picking up mixed waste altogether and then dumping the non recyclable fractions in the open environment. This therefore, reduces environmental pollution by the recycling industry as waste is more streamlined. Source separated waste is more profitable and less hazardous for the rag picker as opposed to rummaging through mixed waste in communitiy bins that might contain sharps or disease. Finally, this additional money, obtained from recycling can also go towards your own households waste management infrastructure such as waste bins or a compost bin. Thus, in this way, everybody benefits, and recycling pays for itself to become a sustainable system.

Recycling also can happen with the assistance of Green Manufacturers & Producers. In Goa we have quite a few examples. Beer manufacturers in Goa take back empty bottles, providing a refund of Rs. 4-5 per bottle. The Goa Dairy offers to take back used milk bags in exchange for a pack of milk. 100 washed clean milk bags can be bundled and handed over to any Goa Dairy milk booth in Goa in exchange for a free milk packet. A joint collaboration by a few NGOs, Pepsi, CocaCola and Bisleri offer to take back used PET Bottles and clean plastic bags in exchange for a monetary refund. PET Bottles over 1Lt. fetch Rs. 0.30 each. PET Bottles under 1Lt. fetch Rs. 0.15 each while a kg of clean plastic bags fetch Rs. 6 per kg at the collection centers established in Colva, Margao, Panjim and Calangute. While both these initiatives have started since 2001, most Goans remain unaware as publicity has been poor. Since 2006, TetraPak takes back their drink carton waste at a collection center in Panjim while Titan takes back its watch batteries at all their service centers in Goa since 2007.

Recycling centers exist all over Goa, with most of them located around bigger cities. Visit one such recycler and give him your recyclable waste. Please contact me if you need specific details or if you need any assistance while using any of the services mentioned above.

Let's hear from you! Email klintvaz@gmail.com or arati05@gmail.com You can even post a letter to us at 'Goa Going Green' C/o Arati Das, Gomanatak Times, Gomantak Bhavan, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa

Photocredit: Clinton for 1, 2 & 3. This is the 5th article in the eco-talk series that appears on a weekly column on Gomantak Times. This article appeared on GT, 9th October, 2008 Pg. A10

Learn the Art of Separation

Slowly but surely we seem to be making a difference. In the past few weeks, we’ve had a few proactive citizens call us up and let us know that they are interested in putting a waste management system into place on their own. Proactive citizens such as a few residents of the Nagali Hills Colony at Taleigao have already started to recycle their dry waste generated from their households. All I had helped them do was link them to a recycler in that area that would take the recyclable fractions of their dry waste, and they took it forward from there. On the other side of the Zuari, I recently got 3 months of my stockpiled dry waste recycled by a recycler that actually came to my home in Benaulim, weighed each fraction and paid me Rs. 260 for it all.

When I was researching the aspect of financial recovery by recycling, I had come to the conclusion that an average Goan household of 4-5 persons would be able to generate roughly Rs. 100 per month by recycling their waste. Recycling your waste is simple, if you know how to do it, and know who takes it for reuse. Unfortunately, not all your recyclable waste is taken by the same recycler. Therefore it’s important to know recycling details about each type of waste fraction.

After Separation At Source (SAS) is done, you need to get rid of your dry waste by recycling. Classifying your recyclable waste into different categories such as plastic, metal and glass is known as separating by waste ‘fractions’. While the most simple methods of waste SAS would require one to separate one’s waste into just 2 waste fractions (such as dry & wet waste), most of Europe ask’s its citizens to separate their household waste into 6-10 different fractions, and in Japan, certain municipalities ask citizens to separate it into as much as 38 different fractions!

While it is true that having more waste fractions help in better financial recovery, having more fractions need not necessarily be better, as it can sometimes lead to confusion in the minds of the household members. Imagine a small middle class family in Goa with 38 different waste bins, all colour coded for each category!

In Goa, due to an absence in any official system, it’s possible to set your own number of fractions that you want to separate your dry waste into. However, it is usually better to work from the bottom-up approach. Speak to a recycler in your neighborhood and ask him about the fractions he accepts. Then, accordingly choose the number of fractions you would use in your own Waste Management System at home. You also need to consider the amount of space required for placing a number of bins at your home.

At my home, I find it best to separate my dry waste bin into the following categories:
Bin 1 – Newspapers
Bin 2 – Mixed Paper & Magazines
Bin 3 – Cardboard & Cartons
Bin 4 – TetraPak Cartons
Bin 5 – Soft Plastics (Plastic Carry Bags)
Bin 6 – P.E.T. Bottles
Bin 7 – Hard Plastics (All grades & varieties)
Bin 8 – Metal (All types & metals)
Bin 9 – White / Uncoloured Glass
Bin 10 – Coloured Glass
Bin 11 – Electronic Waste, Batteries & Inkjet Cartridges
Bin 12 – Non Recyclable Waste

Based on the above separations, its possible for my recycler to come by and take the waste from bins 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,&10. He pays me a fixed price per kilo per assigned category. I then take waste from bins 5 & 6 to the Pet Bottle collection centers (located at two locations in Goa at Colva and Below the Mandovi Bridge) where I get refunded for both fractions. Whenever I visit Panjim, I usually take waste from bin 4 to the TetraPak bailing center at St. Inez. This leaves me with waste from bin 11, that I hand over to consumer forums that are campaigning for roper management of hazardous waste and I dispose contents of bin 12 in the nearest municipal bin, as that’s the most responsible thing to do rather than throwing it into the environment.

At times, it can be difficult to know what waste ought to be put in what fraction bin. It could also be dangerous or hazardous to put items in the wrong fraction. This is when sorting lists become useful. Sorting lists can be made on your own by first doing a household waste inventory, and then simply classifying what waste goes into what fraction with the help of a recycler or a waste management expert. Many progressive municipalities around the world have now developed their own sorting lists for their citizens. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that certain municipalities in cities such as Stockholm, Toronto, Auckland have actually come out with picture and info filled booklets devoted to helping their citizens sort their own waste!! I’d be glad to share my own household waste sorting list next week, and perhaps my list will help you separate your own waste easily. Until next week, happy recycling!

Let's hear from you! Email klintvaz@gmail.com or arati05@gmail.com You can even post a letter to us at 'Goa Going Green' C/o Arati Das, Gomanatak Times, Gomantak Bhavan, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa

Photocredit: Clinton for 1 & 2. This is the 4th article in the eco-talk series that appears on a weekly column on Gomantak Times. This article appeared on GT, 3rd October, 2008 Pg. A10

A Little Less Conversation, More Action

When I was five, I wanted to be the captain of a multicolored ship. I pictured myself on a rainbow coloured ship sailing all over the world. Even the phone on my ship would have rainbow colours, I decided. It seemed pretty straightforward and simple. As I grew older, my fantasy changed to that of a Marine Engineer, and I even started to draw pictures of my container ship at sea. Unfortunately all that came to a full stop when I realized I absolutely hated math, a subject that’s very important if I wanted to be an engineer. With all those childhood dreams going to pieces, what would I do? In time, school was finished with and like a lot of 14 year olds, I didn’t know what path to choose, but eventually, I was advised to study engineering, and so I did.

The course was interesting, and practical, and 4½ years later, I was an engineer, working in an Industrial estate. The job was interesting, but after a while, I felt undervalued and frustrated. I didn’t seem to have enough time to work on things that I really liked doing… spending time outdoors, and learning more about the environment. I began getting upset, stressed and frustrated as I saw no real way out. Seems that our society only accepts engineers and doctors as the most respected professions, so could I find a respectable job by running after butterflies or recycling some pots and pans from home?

But strange as it might sound, I quit my 9-5 job, and that was the best thing I did for myself. At first, I didn’t know if I did the right thing, as I was homebound, and quite frankly a bit confused. I began pursuing my environmental thoughts quite randomly. I remembered that a school friend and I had once picked up junk from our own homes and cycled to a scrap yard to sell it for some pocket-money. We made 26 Rupees each, and it was an interesting experience too. I learnt that a lot of things could be recycled and later on that made me wonder if there were possibilities to recycle materials such as plastic carry bags. I had also attended a composting workshop organized by the Goa Foundation, and like most participants, I would have forgotten putting into practice the newly learnt skills of composting. Fortunately, I had saved all my notes in a folder.

Why not simply start just like that? I wondered. And so I did. Pulling in experiences from here and info from there, I began my first environmental steps amateurishly and on my own, I began working with a crude waste management model. My grandmother told me that difficult days had taught them to be thrifty. She reused what she could, and sold what she did not need like old tins, bottles, plastics and newspapers to household scrap dealers for financial incentives. I learnt that this system still functioned in villages and was an excellent way to recycle, earn some money and ensure that resources were reused rather than thrown into a heap of garbage. Jotting notes on what could be recycled and what got composted, I took some ideas from a visit to Sweden, and made my own sorting list. Once done, I began visiting scrap yards, and talking to recyclers who offered to buy my waste. My father helped me start our own compost station that cost just 500 rupees to make! Along the way, I found out that I was not alone, and I have to acknowledge a number of individuals, NGOs and networks mostly based in Goa for increasing my knowledge base. Most of this is done by comparing notes, or sharing information for improving waste management models.

Today, I still believe that actions speak louder than words. It’s always easy to talk about wanting to do stuff, but walking the talk is more challenging. There are ways to help you start though, make a timetable or set a deadline that you could stick to. Don’t bite more than you can chew. Perhaps it might be easier to take on a major project in smaller phases so that your waste management project does not overwhelm you. Ask for advice and information. We have a number of people in Goa that have practical experience in waste management. Finally, instead of waiting for the final push from somebody, surprise everybody and make a start on your own...

You still have a week more to send in your quantifying lists and receive an award as a token of encouragement. We then will move on to making your own sorting list.

Let's hear from you! Email klintvaz@gmail.com or arati05@gmail.com You can even post a letter to us at 'Goa Going Green' C/o Arati Das, Gomanatak Times, Gomantak Bhavan, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa

Photocredit: Internet for 1 and Clinton Vaz for 2. This is the 3rd article in the eco-talk series that appears on a weekly column on Gomantak Times. This article appeared on GT, 25th September, 2008 Pg. A10

Time to Quantify Your Waste

Most people interested in sorting out their own garbage problem often say that they don’t know where to begin. Most of the common questions I have heard people ask are: Will it take a lot of my time? Should I buy a compost bin first? Where do I dispose the plastics? What about batteries? Can I burn some of my waste if I take care of the rest? Who are the people that I ought to contact for all of the above?

Waste Management basically has four main aspects: Proper Awareness, Collection, Transportation & Treatment/Disposal. And when planning to put an environment- friendly and sustainable waste management system in place, you need to first look at both ends of this chain first before you get to the middle. You can’t do much if you don’t have responsible places for the waste to go to. At the same time, you can’t do all of this, if you and those living with you don’t understand how to do it.

Per capita waste generation is on the rise because of our current lifestyles. As per today’s figures, an average Goan generates 200-500gms of garbage per person per day. We are fortunate not to live in American or European lifestyles, where the figures are much higher at 3,500 to 5,000gms per day. But we now know that we are responsible for the waste generated, but average figures aside, do we know how much we individually generate ourselves? After all, nobody can plan any infrastructure without the right figures. It’s also interesting to re-assess ourselves once in a while, to check if we still are on the right path to sustainability.

Waste Characteristics, Quality of Waste or Waste Inventories are all fancy words for looking into your bin to see what makes up your waste. In late 2005, while I worked in Panjim, a team of 180 sanitation workers helped me individually weigh and empty each of the city’s garbage bins and then to cross check, we weighed the garbage trucks too, to get fairly accurate quantities of separated waste over a three-week period. With smaller quantities, you should be better off, and quicker in doing the same in your own home.

Quantify your Household waste
Now here’s an activity that can be done by everybody in your household. More participation will lead to more understanding of your own waste problem, so involve the kids and maid too. All you need is a pencil & a paper and 5-10minutes per day of study.

Start with making a list of the various rooms and open spaces in your home. Next, walk around and list and count items in each of these rooms and spaces that can potentially be waste within the same year. As an example, the bathroom list would contain things like shampoo bottles, toothpaste tubes, and tooth brushes. You would add perfume bottles, toilet rolls and perhaps used soap wrappers. Make a note of them all and the quantity of generation in that room. You may mention common fixtures like light bulbs that are in all rooms once for the entire household.

In the kitchen, make note of the type of waste going into the bin. Roughly quantify the amount of vegetable waste, fish waste, meat, bones etc. Note the number of milk bags/cartons thrown away, the number of plastic carry bags thrown away, then number of other food item containers/bags thrown away as well.

If you have a garden or some household plants, include the leaves and plant cuttings into this list as well.

Sorting Lists
Once you have done that over a minimum of three separate days, you will have a comprehensive list of what waste you generate and the quantity of it generated at your home. Next week I shall help you classify these waste categories or fractions into a list as per local systems of treatment and disposal. This also helps you plan your waste management infrastructure such as the number of bins, and size of compost bin to use. This list, abroad is known as a sorting list. Sorting lists help households recognize the right fraction of waste when disposing their waste. A sorting list might seem unnecessary at first… we all know that a used pen would be placed in the hard plastic fraction, or an empty can be placed in the metal fraction. However, with more and more complex products coming out, the list can be useful. Examples of difficult to classify objects are items such as mobile phones, lighting bulbs and tubes or paper packaging with plastic or aluminum linings.

Get down to making your own quantifying list today. Sit down over your family dinner and discuss the makings of this list. Remember, there is a reward for this too. Every sorting list emailed or posted to us in the next 15 days, will receive a free usable wallet or purse made from recycled material as a token of encouragement. If you need any help in making this list, call me at 9890936828.

Let's hear from you! Email klintvaz@gmail.com or arati05@gmail.com You can even post a letter to us at 'Goa Going Green' C/o Arati Das, Gomanatak Times, Gomantak Bhavan, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa

Photocredit: Internet for 1, Pune Municipal Council & Clinton Vaz for 2 and Clinton Vaz for 3. This is the 2nd article in the eco-talk series that appears on a weekly column on Gomantak Times. This article appeared on GT, 19th September, 2008 Pg. A10

Goa Going Green

'Environment' just seems to be the latest buzzword. Pick up any newspaper, and I can promise you that there will be at least three or four news or info articles on the environment with at least one of them focusing on a garbage disposal problem. And this welcome trend seems to be only increasing. Unfortunately, most of what you learn about is the one sided negative side. Starting today, I plan a weekly interactive forum where you and I discuss environmental issues. To get a balanced view, lets talk about the good, the bad and the in-between's too. Besides just reading this series, I'd suggest that you cut and archive it for yourself, as I'll give out useful tips, detailed instructions, and local information for you to go green too.

Goans, living in a smaller state, with higher than national education levels, are already aware about the biggest environmental problems facing Goa today. Thanks to higher awareness levels of emerging problems, we now see Goan's immediately reporting, stopping further degradation, dumping or pollution. This has often been noticed by others in India looking at Goa when finding solutions to their own state problems. We are fortunate to have cleaner cities and countryside's, (only when compared to the rest of India) however, the question is, will we follow the rest of India as we seem to be doing today, or can we collectively set our state as an example for the rest of India and beyond?

Back in 1999, I was just an engineering student when I started to notice stirrings of environmentalism in Goa. There were a handful of NGOs and problems were beginning to be noticed. Today, almost 10 years later, those very same environmental problems have only grown to almost unmanageable proportions and led to other imbalances, which will result in further environmental degradation. While some now claim that we are at the tipping point, a few like me believe that we've already gone beyond.

When confronted with such problems, we blame, condemn and point at people we think that are responsible such as the local authorities, builders, industrialists, and the Government. But rarely do we include ourselves as society in this responsibility failure.

While most of these environmental problems crept up, due to apathy by the concerned authorities and stakeholders, it was also worsened by the failure of collective society such as you and me that passed by, and did nothing to make things better or report any violations. In certain situations, such as garbage problems, we don't realize that we are the ones that generate garbage, and therefore should share some of the blame, but more importantly some of the responsibility in managing the same.

In June-July 2008, I was attending an international conference on Climate Change in Sweden when I was told by a fellow delegate that we humans as a collective species really do care about the environment, but it's our lack of awareness that causes these problems. An aware citizen he told me, would do as much as he could to save the environment. The key to change therefore is combination of mindset change as well as proper awareness. Take the very relevant subject of Garbage as an example: Very few Goans know that we already have the potential to reduce our own garbage going to disposal by 85% or more by simple waste reduction techniques such as waste separation, organic waste disposal, recycling and changing our purchase patterns. Imagine, if Panjim and Margao's waste (together estimated to be 90-100 Metric Tonnes per day) was reduced by 85%, we'd just have to worry about disposing 10-15 Tonnes per day.

Instable governments, red tape, and misguided decisions are the main reasons that nothing seems to happen in Goa. Past and present politicians, irrespective of their political parties have proved to be ineffective in choosing the right technology for managing of waste. This has been seen by the failure of a lot of waste treatment facilities that were either improperly selected or chosen by the amount of monetary kickbacks. Projects or plants selected in the past have often utilized foreign technology that's highly mechanized which is good in the west but not necessarily here, or not localized to Goan climate and waste characteristics. Worldwide, most waste management technologies came into being after the 1960s, and continue to improve with experimental plants set up at various places in the world even today. However, history has proved that the ideal solutions for managing waste in Goa are tried and tested technology that's low cost, low tech, and localized to treat waste with Goan waste characteristics. It appears that civic authorities and politicians only look at environmental problems as ways to obtain money, rather than find solutions, and until then, working with the government is difficult.

There is light at the end of the tunnel however. Concerned citizens need not wait for civic authorities or the Government to put infrastructure and systems in place to make a difference as we already have solutions in Goa for waste reduction that function without Government assistance. Infrastructure as well as expertise is available locally, and next week, we shall discuss practical aspects to be taken into account of waste management in Goa, and even how YOU can begin putting a waste management system in place at your own home.

Do let me know your own opinions about local environmental problems in Goa. As mentioned earlier, this series hopes to be interactive, with do-it-yourself projects, informal workshops at a few locations in Goa and even an odd environmental crossword or quiz. You can join some 170+ GreenGoans on a free online forum called GreenGoa similar discussions and information.

Let's hear from you! Email klintvaz@gmail.com or arati05@gmail.com You can even post a letter to us at 'Goa Going Green' C/o Arati Das, Gomanatak Times, Gomantak Bhavan, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa

Photocredit: Clinton Vaz for 1&2 and GBA for 3. This is the 1st article in the eco-talk series that appears on a weekly column on Gomantak Times. This article appeared on GT, 11th September, 2008 Pg. A10

Jiri

We are back in Kathmadu again!

The trip to Jiri is 8 hours long, but the scenes outside the window make it totally worth it. Getting on a bus at 6.30 am at Ratna Bus Park, Sorella and I are asleep when the bus moves out of the city. Soon we are climbing hills, mountains and we wake up to sights of mountains, green paddy fields and clouds floating in between. Life outside is on as usual, military police manning checkposts, women collecting corn from their fields, men busy with cattle, goats and field work. We spot a rainbow and then the bus climbs...we actually are somewhere over the rainbow! After a couple of chai stops, we are in Jiri. Jiri is the last town connected by road to so called 'civilization'. Its also the town from where Edmund Hillary started out his expedition to Mt. Everest. We however are less ambitious, settling in only for nearby Bhandar or Shivalaya.

We settle in at a lodge, and go out for a walk in the countryside. After taking in the scenes, lots of pictures later, we find ourselves sitting down for some chai. Sorella suddenly notices that my foot was dripping with blood...a juga (leech) bite!

Soon we discover that i've been bitten in 5 places, and she in 2. We laugh about it, and find three jugas prancing about. We let them out back into the street. Dawa, the lodge manager is puzzled.... 'why don't you kill it?' he asks!

After some rest, we wake up lazily at 11am. The next door Canadian trekker probably has reached halfway to Everest, but we are not 'trekkers'. We get going, armed with umbrellas, a daybag and our cameras. The trek provides some great views of the hills, step farming and life going by at a slow pace.

We stop after an hour at a chai shop for some lemon tea. Beautiful children ask for chocolates but seemed very content with a pencil that i give them. The rain keeps us at the shop for a little longer and we are in the company of some more beautiful children, a sherpa and a wood cutter with a huge kukuri. They have some county liquor called 'Roxy' & 'Chang' to pass away the time.
We are taking in the sights, stopping to look at butterflies, flowers and more and soon its 6.30. W e stop by a home in a place called Mali. The household has allowed us to stop over for the night, and we are provided comfortable beds in the store filled with potatoes and corn. Our dinner is dal bhat....simple and delicious. Mamita, the wife is my age and she is fascinated by the pictures in out camera. she makes us take pictures of us together before we are again asleep with the smoky smells of tea, and some delicacies that she sells to passerbys...

We wake up to the sounds of goats bleating, and we are soon in Shivalaya. Shivalaya is a small town by a river. We walk around, skipping all the commercial lodges and make friends with the locals. Sorella gets a Nepali blouse called a choli stitched. We walk to the river and back, and it's already ready. After some more dal bhat, and some discussions with an English teacher, a shop owner and an old man that just knows to say 'don't mind'.

We leave back for Jiri, wishing we could take another route back, but its not bad as we still find it interesting. Rain comes and goes, and its no problem. We've both slipped more than a couple of times, much to the amusement of the many Sherpas and Nepalis that overtake us along the way.

Going back, we see something on a ridge that looks like a gompha. We go there and look at the mountains in the distance when an old woman herding her cattle appears. She tells us in a mix of Nepali and sign language that this is actually graves of two of her little children that died. There's a lot of silence after that.

It does not take us so long to get back to Jiri. We are there a day ahead. Fortunately for us, we also find out that there are no night buses to Kathmandu, so arriving a day early was good. After yet another Dal Bhat, we play dice and cards over some 'Nepali' Tuborg Beer. The night has some unpleasant experiences, but its not too bad.

Early in the morning, we collect our backpacks and are in a cramped bus to Kathmandu. After a tyre puncture, we realize that we have some people stalking us. We are't too afraid, and we term them 'Robin and Backman'. Robin & Backman have an accident on their bike along the way, but they still manage to follow our bus that makes a lot of stops.

Finally, a landslide causes our bus to stop. We manage to loose the dynamic duo in the mess of people and traffic at the landslide spot. Realizing that our bus is stranded and there's no earthmovers coming to clear the landslide, we ditch our bus, and join the crowd that's crossing over to the other side. The buses there are crowded, so we climb atop a mini bus and get a birds eye view of the valleys passing by. Another tyre puncture does not deter us. its fun to be ontop of a bus and we make friend with the locals.

Bus prices are flexible. I pay 80, Sorella manages 60 and the locals pay just 40! By 7pm we are in Kathmandu again and our sweet new found friend Changu helps us find a microvan to Lainchaur where we walk 'home' to Chinans place.

Until next...

Clinton..

Day of the Departure...

Day 01
Margao, Goa

The day is running perfectly on schedule. I'm not tired though I hardly slept 2 hours last night. I'm a little anxious though, as im unaware of what lies ahead in Delhi. as I've left for the train station, I remeber that i've forgotten to say bye to the dogs....well i'll see them soon anyway.

The train departs 20 mins late, and as soon as I'm out of Goa, I'm already missing people. The scene outside my window is green and still feels like i'm in Goa. I start work on writing the environmental book concept note, make a few calls and stare into the blankness outside the train. I'm finally falling asleep at Roha at 9pm and dreaming by the time Panvel comes around midnight...

Pack, Pack, Packin away!

I'm ready! all done and for the first time...i'm not going to be hurrying till the last minute! :) Got it all stuffed in my backpack and there's plenty of space for more.

All i need to do is now weight the bag.

Now for some sleep!

Clinton..

Lame excuses and chikrypot!

Now I really ment to blog all along since Feb 2006, but it was only because Rodney asked me to today, that I actually am.

Lots of things happned in my life since then, but i'm not in the mood to make this a big rant. A few months ago, i discovered flickr, and have realized that it is an easy way to preserve some of the pictures i take.

Last May-June, I had an accident with my camera at a Tivoli. Now what's a tivoli you ask... Its what Swede's call an amusement park. So back to the Tivoli story. Grönalund (Greenland in engleska!) was where i was meeting my young friends for a evening of fun and frolic. I have to admit, that some of the rides i took were downright kiddish...but there were some like the tilt that would scare anybody (besides me!). The rush you get when you come hurtling down makes you unable to even scream in fright!

Unfortunatly, one of those rides was one too many for my camera. The bag i was holding swung out, and smassed to the floor. The camera survived, but the lcd screen did not. Back in India, I was politely told that my camera was outdated and i could perhaps buy a new one. :_(

Well, the latest additon to the vaz family is a cheaper Canon Powershot A-430, which is excellent value for its price. Check out some of the pics that I've taken at my flickr account.

Until next,

Clinton..

And Then It Was Over

After almost 2 weeks of planning, hectic trips to Panjim and back, 7am wakey ups and 1.30am crash to the beds, it's finally over.The Gagged by the Bag exhibition was finally over and all in all, it was a job well done.

This monday was my sunday, and i spent most of it sleeping away and catching up on my missed sleep. Woke up late, checked my mail, and had a nice relaxing evening by the beach with a Swede friend. Tomorrow's another day and I will be back to normal work tomorrow.

A Wedding On The Beach

Last night, I was at Charlie and Nicole's wedding. Charlie’s a Goan from Kananguinim, while Nicole from Basel, Switzerland and they live close to my place in Benaulim. It was a refreshing change from the usual weddings I've attended. For starters; I was dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and sandals! The entrance was lit up with candles in paper bags...hundreds of them formed the driveway to the shack called Zeebop at Utorda beach. The atmosphere was multicultural and uncrowded and most of all uniquely fun!

We had the customary toast, but no silly wedding march. We had a ‘wedding special’ newspaper for sale which was filled with info about the bride and groom, funny pictures and cartoons too. The money from the sale was given to a home for special children. For entertainment we some of the foreign guests double up as performers and had cross dressers perform an Abba song in costume, a typically Swiss ‘Heidi-Dance’, and a martial arts demonstration.

At one side was a huge canvas and some paint for all the guests to leave their comments and cartoons and I put my palm impressions on and left a message ‘I had so much fun! C&N, do get married more often –Clinton’ Also met a few friends, Prashant Maurya and Sanjit (who talked to me about the Chaka-Chak Campaign much to his wife’s displeasure). Food was great and I went for a second helping.

We ended by going to the beach and setting gas balloons free. The gas balloons had sparklers attached to them so as they went up they also sparkled into the sky. What a nice way to end a perfect wedding!

2.54am, 130kmph, and 13 turtle hatchlings

Thought i'd pass the blog phase in my life but i guess i was wrong. Got persuaded by a friend that blogs were worth trying out. Perhaps that it is 2.54 am in the morning and i don't know if i'm sleepy or not, but i won't put too much thought into that...

I've just returned home speedily from a beach in North Goa, called Morjim. So what was a benaulikar doing 70 kms away from his hometown at that ungodly hour you ask? Watching turtles hatch and crawl to the sea ofcourse!

Well it's not everyday that you see such a happening, so armed with a camera and a 4 wheeler, i made my way to Panjim for dinner and then to Morjim where i would witness this for the first time in my life. Sujeet, one of those in charge had informed me earlier that i would be just one of the 5-6 people that night, and you can perobably imagine my horror when i saw over 150 people at a desolate beach close to midnight.

It's a sad sight to see people jostling with each other trying to get a better view perhaps, a better camera angle and this special moment becomes just another touristic sideshow. At birth, hatchlings make their way upwards, crawling through the sand with their flippers. Instinct tells them to follow the moonlight towards the sea. But with so many meddilng tourists, and flashing cameras, they get disoriented and move in circles, wearing themselves out even before they enter the sea. It was a disa pointing experience as I could not get a picture in a natural setting with the crowds milling about, nor could i enjoy the sight.

At times like this I wish we ddin't have so many tourists or perhaps these hatchings should be kept secret, at least for the sake of the turtles. This night just 13 turtles made it into the sea. I wonder how many will survive till they return back to Morjim to lay some more eggs. Probably none, but by then i guess Morjim would probably be another Calangute.

Clinton..
klintvaz at gmail.com