Emma Freedman Photo by Edmund Lee

Emma is only 12 years old, but age is no excuse for the visionary girl from Corralitos, California to champion a cause she ardently believes in – that of saving the orangutans. We were touched and inspired by her passion after from her recent trip to Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia where she presented a US $1000 cheque to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. She had been raising these funds over the last two years, but as she says, this is just the beginning of her journey towards her noble goal.

Emma’s interview shows that the voice of a child can teach us much more about courage, dedication and the impact of human action than weighty tomes and erudite analyses. 

EWTT: Tell us about yourself.

Emma: My name is Emma Freedman. I’m 12 years old. I’m in 7^th Grade and I am home-schooled. I have an unusual education right now, as my family goes on a lot of trips. So 2 years ago, when we were going on a trip to Borneo, I got to visit a rehabilitation centre for orangutans. I learnt about how they are in danger of becoming extinct in a couple of years if they don’t get help. My brother Max and I were so touched by how graceful and human-like they are. We felt that it wasn’t fair that they didn’t have a good chance of survival. We needed to help them. When I came back home, I told all my friends about how we needed to help save the orangutans.

EWTT: Tell us more about your first encounter with orangutans?

Emma: The first time I saw orangutans was two years ago in Borneo. I saw several young orangutans, they played with each other a lot. It was funny because they interacted with each other like human kids interact with each other, like by tumbling around. I also was getting into photography and one of the interesting things was watching them when they came to the feeding platform. It was so much to take in. When I took pictures of them, I realised how much expression they showed on their faces, and how the light catches in their eyes like they do in ours.  They react to each other like humans do. We share so much. Even their name, ‘orang-utan’ means ‘man of the forest’. They really deserve to have their home.

EWTT: What do you think is the biggest threat to the survival of orangutans?

Emma: The biggest issue for them is that their habitat is being destroyed, and they live in the rainforest. The rainforests right now are being destroyed to make way for palm plantations, for palm oil. One of the problems is something that I actually learnt on this trip, that there is what is called a ‘corridor of life.’ Some groups of orangutans that still remain are on these pockets of the jungle.  There are palm plantations built out to the edge on one side, and the Kinabatangan river the other. But the river is eroding the corridor. The habitats of the orangutans are getting smaller and smaller. So the deforestation and river are taking them away. It’s important for groups of orangutans to breed with each other, but right now the jungle is getting cut off into smaller pockets and they can’t connect with each other any more.

EWTT: How did you feel when you learnt about how rainforests and the orangutans are disappearing during that first trip two years ago?

Emma: We got to see the orangutans for one day during our first trip, and I don’t think I had ever thought very much about animals and how their habitats are being destroyed. I was kind of shocked, and also scared for them, especially because they really are depending on us and because we have the power to take their habitat away. We also have the power to save them. I think I felt like I was needed for something;  I was needed to help save them. It wasn’t even specifically me, but I just realised that everyone can help, everyone can do something important for them.

But I was also angry, and now that I think about it, I was even blocking myself from having ideas because I was listening to the anger.  I was so angry at Malaysian people for planting palm plantations, I was angry at chocolate companies for buying palm oil, I was angry at people for buying chocolate.  Then I realised that the anger wasn’t really getting me anywhere.  Once I listened to myself,  I made the decision to step through the door, and accept that saving the orangutans was important to me, I directed my anger on what I could do, and maybe I even felt the best I had ever felt in my whole life.

EWTT: At what point did you feel that anger and transformed into action?

Patty Freedman (Emma’s mom) explained: We were on a 4 day visit at that time. We went up river driving 2 ½ hours in the van and we saw nothing but palm plantations. On the way back, we saw orangutans again, and I think something changed for her. Then later we were staying at a hotel where a lot of the researchers were also having lunch. We felt like we were in the right place at the right time.

Emma: We would see the orangutans in the morning, and the middle part of the day, we would interview researchers. I would sit and write down a whole lot of ideas. They came pouring out of me.  It was such a sudden change. As soon as I saw the orangutans again, I wanted to do something right then. I wanted to help save them.

Max and Emma

All evening, we (my brother Max and I) were writing down ideas and then later while my parents were trying to put us to bed, I was still writing down ideas. And then I had even more ideas, and they kept trying to make us go to sleep. And then just before sleeping I said to my dad, “Just one more thing, thank you for taking me seriously.”

It was really important to me that I knew I found something important, I found an opportunity to help, to make a difference in the world, and I was so happy that they were supporting me.

EWTT: That is lovely. You’ve got really wonderful parents.  Tell us the things you’ve been doing for the orangutans over the last 2 years back home in California?

Emma with handmade crafts

Emma: In the past 2 years, I have raised a thousand dollars –  mostly I’ve done bake sales and lemonade sales with my friends. We’ve also made and sold stuffed animals, of orangutans from recycled sweaters.

Patty: She sold jam as well. Every time there was an opportunity, and this was what was so interesting, the cause was always on top of her mind. She’d keep asking, “what can I do, how could this connect with the orangutans?”

Emma: Another thing is that when I’m working on this project to save the orangutans, since I’m home-schooled, I can focus on one big project and nothing else for a day. Also when I’m working on this project, there are so many things involved in it, such as science and writing and art, and anything I want to weave into it.

Every year I do a science project which has to do with my interests. This year, I thought it would be great if I could involve it with my orangutan project, because I’m always looking for new opportunities to raise awareness about orangutans. I tested the water in the Kinanbatangan river, so when I present my science project, I will raise awareness about how the palm plantations affect the river. Two years ago, at our county fair, I made a public exhibit about the orangutans, and put all the letters I had written to companies and displayed the orangutan stuffed animals I had SEWN, and also lots of  information for people to read about the orangutans. About 10,000 people came to the fair.

It was really exciting for me because I got the highest prize at the county fair, but the important part for me was that even the judges were paying attention, and they learnt about the orangutans.

EWTT: Tell us about your recent trip this week to Borneo where you actually handed in your cheque from the funds you’ve been collecting through all your hard work. Your dad mentioned it was a difficult journey.

Patty : We camped near Kinanbatangan river for four days, there was no running water, no electricity and so it was very challenging – we had very little sleep and very little to eat.

Emma: One of the most important things about the trip was that I paid for us (my mom and my brother Max) to go to Borneo from my pocket money, because I wanted to go back and see the orangutans. I realise now that I was almost a little bit worried that I would be disappointed, but instead it was even better because it was really worth it.  We didn’t even get to go for very many days, but one day that we went, I got to see what success was for this orangutan centre. There were two orang-utans that were orphans, and the centre had raised them and released them in the wild, and now these two orangutans both had babies. They were so cute.

Emma giving a cheque to Orangutan Appeal UK

EWTT: How would you tell other children and grownups for that matter to take action?

Emma: Really, all they need to do is learn about the destruction that’s going on. Right now, a lot of people don’t even know about or think about the orangutans, like I didn’t before I went to see them.

The important thing is to reduce the demand for palm oil, to read labels and avoid products which contain palm oil.

EWTT: What do you plan to do next?

Emma:  I made this new goal. I want to become a child ambassador for the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre that I visited in Borneo. I may be able to write something for their newsletter and inspire other kids. That’s really important because I know that my generation is the tipping point for the orangutans. It’s now more important than ever to teach other kids about how they need our help, because they deserve more of a chance. They are so much like humans, except they can’t speak, so it’s important for me to speak for them, and for all of you to speak for them too.

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To join Emma in her cause of raising awarness for the Orangutans, please contact her through helpborneo[at]gmail.com

You may also check out her website at Jungle Heroes.org 

To help the orangutans that Emma visited in Sepilok, Borneo,  please make donations to the UK based Orangutan Appeal

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About the Interviewer:

Bhavani Prakash is the Founder of Eco WALK the Talk. She discovered her passion and sense of urgency for raising awareness about the environment when she first learnt about the fate of rainforests of the world and vanishing species like the orangutans, as a volunteer guide at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. That led to the creation of this website.

She writes and conducts talks and workshops on sustainability and can be contacted at bhavani[at]ecowalkthetalk.com. Do follow Eco WALK the Talk on Facebook, Twitter, Linked IN and YouTube

Further links you may be interested in:

EWTT: How to find hidden palm oil in supermarkets

Red Suitcase: Kinabatangan Tribulations

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by Bhavani Prakash

The Earth Charter

We are proud to officially endorse the Earth Charter, (through the website Earth Charter in Action) though in spirit, we have done so since our inception.

Just as our response as individuals to situations and those around us are guided by our inner values and principles, there are some fundamental principles that should guide our civilisation.

The Earth Charter is an initiative to articulate the principles that apply to human beings on this planet – the relationship of people to the earth and of people to each other. It applies to the whole of humanity – as individuals , organisations and nations.

Though it began as an UN initiative, it was carried forward and completed by global civil society. It was finalised in 2000 and launched as a people’s charter by the Earth Charter Commission, an independent international entity which was co-chaired by Maurice Strong and Mikhail Gorbachev and said to have consulted more than 100,000 world citizens. It is now endorsed by over 4,500 organisations all over the world.

It has a Preamble which outlines where we are at this critical juncture of human history, 16 overarching principles or covenants to guide humanity and the Way Forward which summarises the charter and looks ahead.

Please read the Earth Charter in detail below.  The Earth Charter is meant to be a grassroots global movement with individuals and organisations voluntarily committing to its ideals and principles.  The idea is to bring about societal transformation through commitment to the covenant that will guide personal change.

You may endorse the Earth Charter at the website here.

Preamble

We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

Earth, Our Home

Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has provided the conditions essential to life’s evolution. The resilience of the community of life and the well-being of humanity depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecological systems, a rich variety of plants and animals, fertile soils, pure waters, and clean air. The global environment with its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples. The protection of Earth’s vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.

The Global Situation

The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive extinction of species. Communities are being undermined. The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Injustice, poverty, ignorance, and violent conflict are widespread and the cause of great suffering. An unprecedented rise in human population has overburdened ecological and social systems. The foundations of global security are threatened. These trends are perilous—but not inevitable.

The Challenges Ahead

The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one another or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life. Fundamental changes are needed in our values, institutions, and ways of living. We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development is primarily about being more, not having more. We have the knowledge and technology to provide for all and to reduce our impacts on the environment. The emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities to build a democratic and humane world. Our environmental, economic, political, social, and spiritual challenges are interconnected, and together we can forge inclusive solutions.

Universal Responsibility

To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities. We are at once citizens of different nations and of one world in which the local and global are linked. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being of the human family and the larger living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in nature.

We urgently need a shared vision of basic values to provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community. Therefore, together in hope we affirm the following interdependent principles for a sustainable way of life as a common standard by which the conduct of all individuals, organizations, businesses, governments, and transnational institutions is to be guided and assessed.

Principles

I. RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LIFE

1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity. 
a. Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings.
b. Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity.

2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
a. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people.
b. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.

3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
a. Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
b. Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible.

4. Secure Earth’s bounty and beauty for present and future generations. 
a. Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation is qualified by the needs of future generations.
b. Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth’s human and ecological communities.

In order to fulfill these four broad commitments, it is necessary to:

II. ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY

5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.

a. Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations that make environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all development initiatives.
b. Establish and safeguard viable nature and biosphere reserves, including wild lands and marine areas, to protect Earth’s life support systems, maintain biodiversity, and preserve our natural heritage.
c. Promote the recovery of endangered species and ecosystems.
d. Control and eradicate non-native or genetically modified organisms harmful to native species and the environment, and prevent introduction of such harmful organisms.
e. Manage the use of renewable resources such as water, soil, forest products, and marine life in ways that do not exceed rates of regeneration and that protect the health of ecosystems.
f. Manage the extraction and use of non-renewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels in ways that minimize depletion and cause no serious environmental damage.

6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach. 
a. Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible environmental harm even when scientific knowledge is incomplete or inconclusive.
b. Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed activity will not cause significant harm, and make the responsible parties liable for environmental harm.
c. Ensure that decision making addresses the cumulative, long-term, indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities.
d. Prevent pollution of any part of the environment and allow no build-up of radioactive, toxic, or other hazardous substances.
e. Avoid military activities damaging to the environment.

7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard Earth’s regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being. 
a. Reduce, reuse, and recycle the materials used in production and consumption systems, and ensure that residual waste can be assimilated by ecological systems.
b. Act with restraint and efficiency when using energy, and rely increasingly on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
c. Promote the development, adoption, and equitable transfer of environmentally sound technologies.
d. Internalize the full environmental and social costs of goods and services in the selling price, and enable consumers to identify products that meet the highest social and environmental standards.
e. Ensure universal access to health care that fosters reproductive health and responsible reproduction.
f. Adopt lifestyles that emphasize the quality of life and material sufficiency in a finite world.

8. Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired. 
a. Support international scientific and technical cooperation on sustainability, with special attention to the needs of developing nations.
b. Recognize and preserve the traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom in all cultures that contribute to environmental protection and human well-being.
c. Ensure that information of vital importance to human health and environmental protection, including genetic information, remains available in the public domain.

III. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE

9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative. 
a. Guarantee the right to potable water, clean air, food security, uncontaminated soil, shelter, and safe sanitation, allocating the national and international resources required.
b. Empower every human being with the education and resources to secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.
c. Recognize the ignored, protect the vulnerable, serve those who suffer, and enable them to develop their capacities and to pursue their aspirations.

10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner. 
a. Promote the equitable distribution of wealth within nations and among nations.
b. Enhance the intellectual, financial, technical, and social resources of developing nations, and relieve them of onerous international debt.
c. Ensure that all trade supports sustainable resource use, environmental protection, and progressive labor standards.
d. Require multinational corporations and international financial organizations to act transparently in the public good, and hold them accountable for the consequences of their activities.

11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.
a. Secure the human rights of women and girls and end all violence against them.
b. Promote the active participation of women in all aspects of economic, political, civil, social, and cultural life as full and equal partners, decision makers, leaders, and beneficiaries.
c. Strengthen families and ensure the safety and loving nurture of all family members.

12. Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities. 
a. Eliminate discrimination in all its forms, such as that based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, language, and national, ethnic or social origin.
b. Affirm the right of indigenous peoples to their spirituality, knowledge, lands and resources and to their related practice of sustainable livelihoods.
c. Honor and support the young people of our communities, enabling them to fulfill their essential role in creating sustainable societies.
d. Protect and restore outstanding places of cultural and spiritual significance.

IV. DEMOCRACY, NONVIOLENCE, AND PEACE

13. Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, and access to justice. 
a. Uphold the right of everyone to receive clear and timely information on environmental matters and all development plans and activities which are likely to affect them or in which they have an interest.
b. Support local, regional and global civil society, and promote the meaningful participation of all interested individuals and organizations in decision making.
c. Protect the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, association, and dissent.
d. Institute effective and efficient access to administrative and independent judicial procedures, including remedies and redress for environmental harm and the threat of such harm.
e. Eliminate corruption in all public and private institutions.
f. Strengthen local communities, enabling them to care for their environments, and assign environmental responsibilities to the levels of government where they can be carried out most effectively.

14. Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge, values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life.
a. Provide all, especially children and youth, with educational opportunities that empower them to contribute actively to sustainable development.
b. Promote the contribution of the arts and humanities as well as the sciences in sustainability education.
c. Enhance the role of the mass media in raising awareness of ecological and social challenges.
d. Recognize the importance of moral and spiritual education for sustainable living.

15. Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.
a. Prevent cruelty to animals kept in human societies and protect them from suffering.
b. Protect wild animals from methods of hunting, trapping, and fishing that cause extreme, prolonged, or avoidable suffering.
c. Avoid or eliminate to the full extent possible the taking or destruction of non-targeted species.

16. Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace. 
a. Encourage and support mutual understanding, solidarity, and cooperation among all peoples and within and among nations.
b. Implement comprehensive strategies to prevent violent conflict and use collaborative problem solving to manage and resolve environmental conflicts and other disputes.
c. Demilitarize national security systems to the level of a non-provocative defense posture, and convert military resources to peaceful purposes, including ecological restoration.
d. Eliminate nuclear, biological, and toxic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
e. Ensure that the use of orbital and outer space supports environmental protection and peace.
f. Recognize that peace is the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are a part.

The Way Forward

As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning. Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles. To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter.

This requires a change of mind and heart. It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility. We must imaginatively develop and apply the vision of a sustainable way of life locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. Our cultural diversity is a precious heritage and different cultures will find their own distinctive ways to realize the vision. We must deepen and expand the global dialogue that generated the Earth Charter, for we have much to learn from the ongoing collaborative search for truth and wisdom.

Life often involves tensions between important values. This can mean difficult choices. However, we must find ways to harmonize diversity with unity, the exercise of freedom with the common good, short-term objectives with long-term goals. Every individual, family, organization, and community has a vital role to play. The arts, sciences, religions, educational institutions, media, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and governments are all called to offer creative leadership. The partnership of government, civil society, and business is essential for effective governance.

In order to build a sustainable global community, the nations of the world must renew their commitment to the United Nations, fulfill their obligations under existing international agreements, and support the implementation of Earth Charter principles with an international legally binding instrument on environment and development.

Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.

Video link here
EWTT: Bolivia Climate Change Conference and the Rights of Mother Earth

EWTT: Why We Need a Law on Ecocide by Polly Higgins

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Chipko women hugging trees : Wikipedia

Much has been said and written about the Chipko Movement. It continues to be one of the most prominent and analysed of environmental movements emanating from India. Long before ‘treehugging’ became a fashionable word in the west, women villagers of the Garhwal region on the foothills of the Himalayas (Uttarakhand District in Northern India) were practising it by becoming brave champions of the forests. To resist commercial felling of trees, they hugged them, giving rise to the term ‘Chipko’ which means ‘to stick‘ in Hindi.

The modern day Chipko movement is now nearly 40 years old.  On March 26, 1974, a group of peasant women in Reni village, Hemwalghati, Uttarakhand, India, prevented the cutting of trees by contractors of the state Forest Department.

Vimla Bahuguna

Vimla Bahugana, a Gandhian social worker became one of the prominent women leaders of the movement. Women bore most of the consequences of tree felling. They had to travel long distances to collect firewood. Water sources were drying up, and the soil was getting eroded as their trees were cut for cricket bats and other commercial products. Women were at the forefront of the movement.

Vimla’s husband Sunderlal Bahuguna , 84 years of age, has been a prominent leader of Chipko. Having taken to heart Gandhi’s message that “India is in her villages”, he has walked from Kashmir to Kohima, from the western side of the Himalayas to the eastern side -a distance of 4,870 kilometers to spread the message of the movement. He often says, “We are the runners and messengers. The real leaders are the women‘. According to him:

“Whenever the forest trees were marked for felling, women went to protect them. They camped in huts in the forest. Labourers were brought from Nepal, but women prevented their work by hugging the trees, when they sought a chance to cut the trees at night.  The authorities kept women in jails.  Vimla went with her six-year old child to jail in the movement. Many women went to jail. But they did not yield.  One think I should say from our own experience is that when women are in firm determination, when they decide, they will do it.  They will not leave in the middle. They will do it.  Once women decided that we have to stop tree-felling, they did not yield.  In spite of all the hardships and atrocities they continued the movement.”

The non-violent protests in the Gandhian tradition went on from 1973 to 1981 which led to a ban on tree felling for commerical purposes above 1,000 metres in Uttarakhand, and in the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh.  Chipko has renewed itself by spreading to other parts of the country such as the Appiko movement in Karnataka, India. It has also found a voice through the agitation by Sunderlal Bahuguna against the Tehri Dam project to dam two Himalayan rivers and more recently by the ‘Beej Bachao Andolan‘ or the efforts to save seeds against the onslaught of genetically modified ones.

Not all writers share the ‘ecofeminist’ narrative, even though it is a very important one. Two other major perspectives represent Chipko as a ‘peasant‘ movement or alternatively a broader ‘ecological’ one. Some analysts and activists question its relevance in the modern day context, especially those who seem to think conservation comes at the cost of development.  Others have argued that over-protection of the forests has deprived villagers of even basic and rightful access to the resources and wealth that are theirs.

Rather than give an intellectual analysis of the movement, of which there are abundant available in books such as  Chipko: India’s Civilisational Response to the Forest Crisis by J. Bandopadhyay and Vandana Shiva:. Forest Futures by Antje Linkenbach , The Unquiet Woods by Ramachandra Guha (to name just three) and articles such as the excellent one in Uttarakhand.org by Amit Mitra from Down to Earth called Chipko: An Unfinished Mission,  I prefer to write here what I have personally gathered from my meeting with Vimla and Sunderlal Bahugana recently at Dehradun, India. It is their core message that I wish to share.

Vimla Bahuguna briefly talks of her experiences in this video:

Vimla Bahuguna told those who were present at Navdanya, Dehradun on 14th March, 2011 how she got her inspiration for the Chipko movement. When I caught a personal moment with her, she asked me if I knew about Sarla Behn (Miss Catherine Heilman), Gandhi’s disciple and advised me to read more about her. Her own activism was groomed under the tutelage of Sarla Behn with whom she had shared 8 years. It was in the Kumaon Himalayas that Sarla Behn had started an ashram for hill women, and her “full-time commitment was to make them realise that they were not beasts of burden, but goddesses of wealth, since they rear cattle and produce food, producing 98% of all labour in farming and animal husbandry.” [1]

Sunderlal Bahuguna

Sarla Behn’s ideas of women’s emancipation influenced Vimla to ask Sunderlal Bahuguna to leave the Congress Party and politics forever as a precondition to marriage, in order for them to settle down in the hills and awaken the women there.

Sunderlal Bahugana passed us a copy of his lecture delivered in Tokyo (presumably in 2009 – the publication date of the pamphlet) called, ” Environment Protection: The Way To Peace, Happiness and Contentment” I share here a few of the passages that I found powerful:

* The revival of our dying planet is a challenge to young people to come forward.  Our society should be replaced by one standing on four pillars: service instead of authority, sacrifice or restraint instead of wealth, peace instead of weapons, and good behaviour instead of high learning.

* So far as diversity is concerned, we are poorer than the primitive man.  This is due to the exploitative character of civilisation. The crisis which civilisation has created can only be solved by the message of culture. Culture prospered in the forests. In India, we have inherited an Aranya (forests) culture.  (And later)… There is a special thing about the culture of the East: we believe in the power of the soul. There are two different things. One is the body.  Another is the soul inside.  And if there is a confrontation between armies, a small army can be defeated by a strong army.  But even if there is one single person with a strong soul and firm determination, all the armies of the world cannot defeat him.

* These movements spread through folk songs. In a people’s movement the appeal is not to the head but to the heart. The message should reach the hearts of people. The beginning of our movement was thus from folk songs to awaken people. There were no speeches. There were no books. There were no newspapers. But there were folk songs. And people immediately came forward and joined the movement. Once an idea becomes implanted in the hearts of the people, it becomes their own thing. I do not think that when we make a good speech that people will repeat it. But they repeated folk songs.  And they go on repeating it.  The songs of the Chipko movement echoed in the hills and dales in the forest everywhere. Children, uneducated people, or women working in the forests and hills while cutting the grass and collecting the firewood, were singing these songs.  This is one special thing about the Chipko movement.

* Do not forget that you have been bestowed with three gifts. The first is the head to think, the second is the heart to feel, and the third is hands to construct.  Whatever is in your head, take it to your heart first and then act with your hands.

Vimla and Sunderlal Bahuguna at Navdanya, Dehradun sharing their experiences

I end with Vimla Bahuguna’s words that day that I hope will reverberate in humanity’s hearts:

” My husband and I have come a long, long way to share this message. The old are not redundant. The young are often inspired by elders in most social movements. The message of the elders is the voice of experience. We have learnt that power and money are not indicators of a good life, nor do they form the road to a meaningful life. Lead a simple life for the benefit of everyone. The hard won freedom (Indian Independence) is in danger of being lost, if we don’t understand the environment. Our model of development is totally skewed. Don’t spoil the environment, treat it is as your friend, so all of life can live in harmony. This is the challenge that we appeal to the young to take up.”

Further Links you may be interested in:

[1]Google Books: Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development

YouTube: An Account of Chipko

Outlook India:  Green Jappi (Chipko in Japan)

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Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. – Oscar Wilde

Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) has submitted a proposal,The Green Corridor: A Proposal to Keep the Railway Lands as a Continous Green Corridor, to the Singapore government on 21 October 2010. NSS proposes to retain the current KTM Railway Land as a Green Corridor after the train operations cease.

Background on the Railway Lands

On 24 May 2010, Singapore and Malaysia leaders agreed on the issue of the Malayan Railway Land in Singapore. Malaysia will move the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB station) to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint by 1 July 2011, and will co-locate its railway Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facility there. Both leaders also agreed that the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Passenger Terminal building would be conserved given its historical significance, and that the old Bukit Timah Railway Station building at Blackmore Drive can also be conserved.

Both countries will also set up a company, M-S Pte Ltd, by 31 December 2010, with Malaysia having a 60% share under Khazanah Nasional Berhard and Singapore having a 40% share under Temasek Holdings. The company will handle the joint development of the three parcels of KTM land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji and Woodlands, and another three pieces of land in Bukit Timah.

On 20 September 2010, Malaysia agreed to accept the land swap offer by Singapore for four land parcels in Marina South and two pieces in Orphir-Rochor in exchange for the land parcels of KTM land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji, Woodlands and Bukit Timah. This means that all the railway land would be available to the Singapore government for development after 1 July 2011. There is no announcement yet on how the government would develop the land.

The Green Corridor Proposal

The least challenging and most unimaginative “solution” would be for policy makers, planners and developers to parcel the land out as real estate, dismantle the line, erase the railway and its memory from the public domain and relegate it to textbook history. That would be a costly mistake. – Dr Geh Min

In The Green Corridor proposal, NSS refers to the Railway Lands as “several plots of land, at Tanjong Pagar, Kranji, Woodlands and Bukit Timah, the two main lines of track, the Woodlands – Tanjong Pagar and Jurong lines and other small disconnected stretches. The combined area for the Railway Land is 173.7 hectares, almost three times the size of the Botanical Gardens (63.7 hectares), and 0.24% the land mass of Singapore.”

It Connects Many Green Spaces Together

The Railway Land connects many green spaces together and is “already like a nature park; much of it a mix of secondary forest growth, grasslands, and small scale fruit and vegetable farms. Open areas are interspersed with canals, streams and marshland on both sides of the tracks.” There are 6 main green areas that the Railway Lands connect:

1. Southern Sector
2. Clementi Woodlands
3. Jurong Line
4. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
5. Bukit Panjang / Chua Chu Kang / Pang Sua
6. Kranji / Mandai Mangrove & Mudflats

NSS emphasised that preserving the Railway Land as a Green Corridor “will not only make it possible for Singaporeans to hike from the wetlands in Kranji to Rainforests in Bukit Timah and the hilltops of Henderson through a continuous nature trail; the Green Corridor is also important for preserving our Natural Heritage by acting as a connector for flora and fauna movement across the island, to some extent mitigating the effects of the fragmentation of our Nature Reserves.”

It Connects Many People Together

The Green Corridor has the potential to serve 1.2 million people living in estates along the entire stretch of the railway by transforming the areas into parks, recreational areas, or for community gardening and farming. NSS explains that there are “currently scenic vistas of forests and rivers, canals and wetlands right at our doorstep. The construction of simple walking trails, lighting, resting points and directional signage would make all of this accessible and inviting to hundreds of communities nearby. A pedestrian link between communities could also enhance neighbourliness and a sense of “kampong” atmosphere along the Green Corridor.”

A Clean and Green Transport Route

NSS proposes that the Railway Land can be converted, with creative planning and without a high level of investment, into a transport route through the heart of Singapore from North to South. The transport route could include the following:

• A cycling and pedestrian path can be built on either side of the railway tracks
• The existing railway tracks could accommodate low speed forms of trams powered by clean energy sources or even human power
• The continuous length of the Green Corridor can host all forms of Sports and Recreational Activities including long distance running or cycling activities

NSS explains that: “With increasing numbers of Singaporeans adopting a healthy and active lifestyle, there is an urgent need to provide spaces conducive to such activities. The Green Corridor allows not just a place to play sports and exercise, it also opens up spaces for gardening, fishing and camping. Increasing the amount of greens spaces for recreation is imperative if we seek to increase our population and improve our standards of living at the same time.”

Preserving History

The railway line serves as a reminder and a physical historical record of the relationship between Singapore and Malaysia. NSS proposes that “the whole stretch of the railway line can be turned into an outdoor ‘museum’ with ‘walking commentary’. Because of its linearity, points of historical interests can be planned along the route to educate the public about life in the 50s, 60s and up to the 70s.” The Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, the Bukit Timah Railway Station, and the cast iron railway bridges across Bukit Timah Road, Upper Bukit Timah Road and Ulu Pandan Canal should be preserved. The Railway Land also has the potential to be an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

NSS concludes with:

There are so many compelling reasons to preserve the Railway Land as a Green Corridor. It is readymade Nature Corridor, Recreational Space, Eco-friendly transport route all rolled into one. It is a valuable piece of ecological and historical heritage that should be preserved for future generations of Singaporeans.

Why We Should Have The Green Corridor

The NSS proposal has eloquently stated the need to keep the Railway Lands as a green corridor based on environmental, social, recreational, and historical benefits. Others have also made good comments on theeconomic benefits of having a green corridor, that it is “a key competitive advantage that helps attract or retain top talent and brings more economic development to Singapore. It could well bring other financial benefits, too, including increased property value for nearby residents.”

We support the proposal by NSS and feel strongly that we should have the Green Corridor because it will improve Singapore’s long-term survival and resilience. The biggest threat to Singapore is not terrorism or slow economic growth. The biggest threat to Singapore is apathy, or you could call it indifference, bochap, can’t be bothered, or none of my business. When Singaporeans do not feel a sense of belonging and are not bothered with what goes on here, then Singapore is in trouble.

At a recent forum, the following discussion took place between a young Singaporean and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong:

“This is your country,” SM Goh replied. “What do you want me to do to make you feel you belong?”

“For my part, don’t worry about me,” Mr Lim said. “I will definitely do something, if I can, for Singapore. But I can tell you honestly that the sentiment on the ground is a bit different.”

“If this is happening, it is very serious,” said SM Goh.

“If the majority feel they don’t belong here, then we have a fundamental problem. Then I would ask myself: What am I doing here? Why should I be working for people who don’t feel they belong over here?” asked SM Goh.

We think that the government can make Singaporeans feel they belong here by preserving our shared memories and creating our shared vision.

Preserving Our Shared Memories

The Green Corridor will strengthen our shared memories by preserving our past with Malaysia, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, the railway bridges, and also creating opportunities for history education and discovery. This is necessary and urgent as the pace of erosion of our memories quicken in our urban city.

When we talk about our shared memories, it brings a smile to us and brings us closer together, knowing we have experienced the same history. Without shared memories across different generations and between different immigrant groups, we would feel like strangers and find it harder to understand each other.

We remember watching Royston Tan’s Old Places and discussing it with friends, and how it brought back shared memories and how we feel a sense of belonging and connection even though we may not be familiar with all the old places.

We should have the Green Corridor because it helps us to preserve our shared memories.

Creating Our Shared Vision

The Green Corridor will strengthen our shared vision by creating opportunities for different groups, sectors and communities to come together, plan and work towards a common vision of a Singapore where nature and our economic activities can co-exist. The long stretch of the Railway Lands connect communities and spaces, and allows greater cooperation and collaborative partnerships from North to South. This is something new and not seen before, and if a bottom-up approach is adopted, it would allow Singaporeans to have a shared vision and to actually turn it to life, with creativity and innovation.

When we talk about our shared vision, it excites us and motivates everyone to work together for a common good. When we work with our own hands and sweat together,  we are building bonds and resilience. Without a shared vision, everyone does things on their own and are not bothered with what the others are doing.

We should have the Green Corridor because it helps us to create our shared vision.

Support the Green Corridor

For Singapore to survive and prosper in the long term, it is necessary to have more opportunities in preserving our shared memories and creating our shared vision. And keeping the Railway Lands as a Green Corridor is one opportunity not to be wasted.

Show your support:

1. Read the NSS proposal – The Green Corridor: A Proposal to Keep the Railway Lands as a Continous Green Corridor

2. Send your feedback and suggestions to Nature Society (Singapore)

3. Share the proposal with everyone

4. Like the Facebook page “We support The Green Corridor in Singapore” and share it with your friends. You can share your memories, stories and photos of the railway lands, and share your vision for The Green Corridor. What types of environmental, social, cultural and historical activities do you wish to see happening there?

5. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/greencorridorsg and share our tweets with your friends.

In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy. – John C. Sawhill

This article originally appeared in AsiaIsGreen.com founded by Eugene Tay. He administers the Facebook Page: We Support the Green Corridor in Singapore where you’ll be able to follow the progress of this campaign. He can be contacted at Eugene@GreenFuture.sg

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Shores of Kanyakumari District

In a previous blog, we had featured Madavi Nathan Oliver’s observations on the Plastics Free Kanyakumari (PFKK) campaign in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. The campaign spearheaded by the District Collector (DC), Rajendra Ratnoo includes banning of single use plastic bags, and is progressing towards a Zero Waste Kanyakumari through a responsible handling of solid household waste as a next step. The DC is an office comparable to the Mayor of a city or a group of towns/villages.

When DC Rajendra Ratnoo invited me to participate in the campaign during my recent trip to India, I was more than keen to see this with my own eyes and contribute in any way possible. Though many parts of India such as Ooty, Sikkim, Mysore, Dharmasala, Mumbai and Delhi have a ban on the handing out of single use plastic bags, litter on the streets and solid waste management continue to be major issues in India. A ban on single use plastic bags is only the first step. Behaviour change can only be brought about by a well thought out waste management strategy and crucially in its implementation.

A VISIBLY NEATER DISTRICT

Kanyakumari is about a twelve hour train ride away from Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu. One of the most glaring sights from compartments as trains meander in and out of railway stations in India, is the plastic litter heaped up in towns. Even bushes and grasses in the otherwise picturesque countryside can’t seem to escape from the ubiquitous plastic.

Nagercoil (the district headquarters of Kanyakumari) was a pleasant surprise with neatly swept platforms and the near absence of litter. But for the odd plastic or paper cup on the tracks, the cleanliness was indeed a stark contrast to the rest of the train journey. As we inched forward towards the last stop of Kanyakumari (the southernmost town of India which shares the same name as the district), I was literally counting the odd litter lying around. Clearly the stoppage of plastic bags had made a difference.

Traversing through many parts of Kanyakumari over the next couple of days however, one can’t say that the district is entirely litter free. I found a lot of it in the form of paper cups and random paper and plastic waste along the busier commercial streets of Nagercoil, but the quantum of visible waste on the streets was considerably less compared to many parts of Chennai and its outskirts with similar populations, where there is no ban on plastic bags or any waste management campaign in place. The beautiful countryside beyond the towns of Kanyakumari district was much cleaner. It was an utter delight to travel through the pastoral landscape carved by lush paddy fields, banana plantations and palm and coconut groves.

ENFORCEMENT

It is against the law in the district to use any single use or throw-away plastic items like carry bags and cups.  Anyone found carrying a plastic bag can be slapped a fine of Rs 100 by the authorities.  Shops that provided or sold plastic bags or disposable plastic cups can be made to pay higher fines, have their materials seized and even be shut down for non-compliance.

Shops at Kanyakumari town wrap things in old newspaper and jute string

I tested a few shopkeepers in Kanyakumari town. “Who wants to pay Rs 5000 as fine?” said one near the famous Kanyakumari Amman temple which is built close to the spot where the three great seas merge – the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.  I bought a shirt from another shop and it was promptly packed in newspaper and jute string. Likewise, a statue carved on a coconut shell which I picked up in the town. Enforcement was certainly showing positive effects. As for measurable results, the DC told me that the production of single use plastic bags in the district had come down to near zero.

Will litter on the streets reduce with enforcement?

 
As of September 1, 2010, the fines are going to be stricter. Anyone found littering will be fined Rs 100 for the first offence, Rs 1000 for the second and Rs 10,000 for the third time. Subsequent offences are liable for prosecution and imprisonment. With this it is hoped that the visible litter on the streets will considerably reduce too.

EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT AND ENERGISING

Enforcement though critical, cannot by itself ensure the success of a behaviour change program. It requires strong leadership, clear objectives, sustained education and training of local leaders and the masses to make a big difference.

After spending several hours with the DC, accompanying him to meetings and talking to him, I could definitely perceive sincerity, focus and passion towards the cause of achieving zero waste – the kind of energy that one normally doesn’t associate with Indian bureaucracy.

Kanyakumari consists of 1,057 rural habitations, 56 Town Panchayats or Councils and 4 municipalities. The DC has scheduled regular awareness building and training programmes with local leaders on an ongoing basis.

DC Rajendra Ratnoo at Erachakulam

I had the opportunity to take part in two such meetings. One was with women leaders at Thovalai Taluk and the other at Erachakulam with town and village Panchayat or council leaders. At both meetings, the DC thanked the participants for the success of the plastic bag free program so far, and asked for continued support. The meetings served as an introduction to solid waste management which will be the next major leg of the campaign. I talked about simple methods for composting of kitchen waste and Kowsalya Devi, a key resource volunteer with the PFKK team spoke about separation of hazardous waste, such as paints, batteries, compact fluorescent bulbs, medicines, cosmetics and pesticides which tend to contaminate water and soils.

Each meeting ended with the DC asking the participants to visualize a clean and green Kanyakumari followed by affirmations for being a responsible and conscious citizen of the district, by avowing to abstain from plastic bag usage and committing to segregrating household waste.

Ongoing grassroot level training will continue at regular intervals to ensure that this reaches every single household. The next leg of the campaign involves educating trainers – one each for about 200 households and master trainers to train the trainers.

A clearly written guide or pamphlet will be circulated to each household in the district on how to segregate waste into Makkum Kuppai (degradable waste such as vegetable and fruit waste, cooked food, paper, eggshells, coffee and tea grinds) and Makkadha Kuppai( non-degradable waste such as plastics, metals, e-waste, glass, and hazardous waste). Households will be trained to compost the degradable waste. Maximum efforts will be made to recycle the non-degradable waste collected from households. Only the remainder will be sent to the landfill or the incinerator. Proper waste manangement will have a long term positive impact on the soil and water of the region.

GARNERNING VISIBILITY AND RESOURCES

The campaign has a very visible face. It is very easy to spot the various placards throughout the district, particularly in Kanyakumari town, exhorting the public to say, “No to Plastic.” The campaign is attracting media attention from regional and national dailies like “The Hindu” and Kumudam, a popular Tamil magazine among others. Overseas websites such as Lokvani.com and ours are featuring the ongoing campaign.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam , the former President of India visited Nagercoil recently and he acknowledged the PFKK campaign in his speech at a local school.

This is the first time a sustained and comprehensive campaign for a waste management program in India is using multiple platforms – radio, television, newspapers and social media. In particular, social media such as the Facebook Fan Page, “Plastic Free Kanyakumari” (PFKK) has been an excellent way to build up the knowledge base for the campaign, as well as to connect volunteers.
 

PFKK logo

Why is visibility important?

 PLASTICS FREE TO ZERO WASTE KANYAKUMARI – Opportunites and Challenges 

Training for recycling paper

The district wide encouragement of composting will create a demand for composting pots from terracotta or earthenware, an eco-friendly and biodegradable container for the purpose. Economic opportunities will arise for self-help groups who choose to collect compost from households to consolidate and market the compost.

Opportunities for creating a new recycled paper industry can be explored for papers such as newspapers invoices, used school notebooks and diaries, used calendars, which are not otherwise used for packaging. New crafts from papier mache using recycled paper has the potential to create new jobs.

Some of the challenges observed are outlined here. Efforts are being made to address them:

* Non-recyclable and non-degradable waste continue to be partially landfilled and partially incinerated. The DC acknowledges this is not the ideal solution but it is a necessary transition phase. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has approved co-incineration in Cement Kilns at more than 1,400 degree Celsius to get rid of toxins

*  The details of waste segregation have yet to be ironed out – to find an economical way to help waste collectors pick up households’ segregated waste. One option is through self help groups or waste collectors who pay households for the recylable waste, and ensure the wet waste reaches a more centralised biogas unit.

*  The alternatives to plastic entail continuous monitoring and feedback. Some shops are working around the system by giving thin polypropylene bags that look similar to the old carry bags. Even though they are not “plastic,” these bags are petroleum based, and are not designed for multiple number of uses, and may tear after one or two usages. Going forward a minimum thickness should be specified for polypropylene bags, so they may be used for several times, before sent for recycling

* Paper cups are seen as alternatives, but as the DC pointed out, there is a thin non-separable waterproof plastic coating, making the cups non-biodegradable. Also single use cups tend to be thrown away and littered outside shops, so behaviour change in terms of littering is important, and this may come about with the new regulations against littering

Perhaps the most important challenge is the institutionalisation of this campaign which the DC himself is working hard at accomplishing. DCs cannot continue in their roles perpetually in any district and will have to move on to new roles. The momentum that has been created has to be sustained for the coming years if the vision of Zero Waste Kanyakumari is to be achieved.  This is critical for the district and if it has to serve as a role model for the rest of the nation.

FUTURE STEPS:

The campaign has been moving quickly focussing on one key step at a time – first the ban of single use plastic and next the segregation of household waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable matter. If the entire waste cycle is to be closed, the campaign will one day have to encompass all kinds of upstream industry and commercial wastes in addition to household waste.

The campaign is currently supporting the spread of organic farming as well and this is an area where a lot of future attention will be directed. I attended a meeting with the Organic Farmers Association and Vermicomposting Association in Nagercoil, where it was useful to listen to the feedback given by the farmers about the methods they use and challenges they face. The DC has pencilled in regular interaction with them – something that will give them a sense of being listened to, and offer them a forum to find solutions to their various problems.

In this context, I also had the opportunity to visit the Nagercoil branch of the Vivekananda Kendra, a non-profit organisation which among other activities, has been doing several decades of research on organic farming and renewable energies in a local context. NARDEP, Vivekananda Kendra’s arm involved in sustainable development have been training farmers all over the country on organic farming techniques. It was very heartening to see a movement towards relearning and rediscovering ancient and inherited knowledge of the lands, while incorporating new, sustainable technologies.
 

CONCLUSION:

Local leaders being trained in Zero Waste Management

What is commendable is that a remote district of Southern India has been able to accomplish far more than the bigger metropolitan cities of the country in terms of taking concrete action on waste management. If I had to talk of one impressionable moment from the visit, it was when a local panchayat (council) leader came up to me and Kowsalya Devi after the meeting. With great enthusiasm, he invited us to come to his village to teach his people how to manage their waste.  There is much eagerness to learn, and local leadership to be nurtured.

Effective leadership is critical for any behaviour change program – we are seeing the positive effects of this already.  If this permeates to create and unite leaders throughout the district at all levels, the common objective of a cleaner and greener Kanyakumari has the potential of being realised speedily – for the wellbeing of the population and for future generations.

EWTT: Kanyakumari: The Plastic Bag Free District in India

Photo courtesy:  The beautiful photos of Kanyakumari’s landscapes have been taken by Ramesh Amala Srinivasan.

The paddy fields of Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is a rustic and beautiful place, with a variety of magnificient landscapes - rolling mountains, verdant plains and serene beaches. At the southern tip of the Western Ghats range  - one of the two major biological hotspots in India other than the Himalayas, it is also a place of historical interest.

I have been fortunate to visit areas of immense natural beauty that have simply taken my breath away. May this wonderful district remain pristine and clean for all.

Many thanks to all those who made this trip really memorable and friends I’ve connected with. My personal wishes for a successful campaign:

DC Rajendra Ratnoo, Kowsalya Devi, Samson Edwards (and his intrepid 5 year old, Smith), Kumar Mullakkal, Suhithar Baus, Madavi Nathan Oliver, Gaugarin Oliver, Swaroop Thampy, Ramesh Amala Srinivasan, Joe Winston, Timothy Charles, Dr. Devaprasath Jeyasekharan, Parveen Mathew, Mr. Jeyaperimbakumar, Muthukumar Isha, Kumaran Appuchami and Mr. Kirupananda Rajan (And sincere apologies if I’ve missed out anyone)

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According to Greenpeace International’s Press release:

Pat Venditti, Greenpeace International Forest Campaign Head said “We are delighted that Nestlé plans to give orang-utans a break and we call on other international retailers, such as Carrefour and Wal-mart, to do the same. Since the beginning of our campaign, hundreds of thousands of people have contacted Nestlé  to say that they will not buy products linked to rainforest destruction.”

Under its new policy, Nestlé commits to identify and exclude companies from its supply chain that own or manage ‘high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation’. This exclusion would apply to companies such as Sinar Mas, Indonesia’s most notorious palm oil and pulp and paper supplier,if it fails to meet the criteria set out in the policy. It also has implications for palm oil traders, such as Cargill, which continue to buy from Sinar Mas.

“Nestlé’s move sends a clear message to Sinar Mas and to the rest of the palm oil and paper industries that rainforest destruction is not acceptable in the global marketplace. They need to clean up their act and move to implement a moratorium on rainforest destruction and full peatland protection. Greenpeace will closely monitor and push for the rapid implementation of Nestlé’s plan,” said Venditti.

Global demand for both palm oil and paper is increasing, with the Sinar Mas corporation expanding into Indonesia’s forests and peatlands. As a result, the country has one of the fastest rates of forest destruction on the planet and is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, after China and the United States.  Palm oil is used in a huge range of products – from chocolate, toothpaste and cosmetics to so-called ‘climate friendly’ biofuels.

As the note also said, “Sinar Mas has a long history of breaking its environmental promises, both in the palm oil and the pulp and paper sectors. It currently has 406,000 hectares of oil palm plantations and plans to develop another 1.3 million hectares for plantations in Papua and Kalimantan.”

Rainforests are one of the most rapidly disappearing ecosystems in the world. South East Asian rainforests are home to many endangered species, such as the Sumatran rhinoceros and the orangutans which are found in pockets of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia.

According to Mongabay, “ Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world due largely to deforestation. Between 1990 and 2005, Indonesia lost more than 28 million hectares of forest, including 21.7 hectares of virgin forest. The country’s forest cover has declined from 82 percent in the 1960s to less than fifty percent today.”

Greenpeace’s campaign success shows what new media is capable of. It started off with this YouTube video showing Nestlé’s use of palm oil in its products and its contribution to rainforest deforestation. Nestlé removed this for copyright infringement for use of its logo, and that’s when it all boomeranged.

The campaign went viral on facebook and twitter, with Nestlé’s facebook page turning quite nasty due to an explosion of user comments. To make matters worse, Nestlé’s facebook administrators handled the situation quite tactlessly in their replies. It was a PR fiasco for Nestle.

All this goes to show that with social media tools and online campaigns, concerned consumers can indeed make a dent on even the biggest of multinationals to make them improve their environmental behaviour.

Photo courtesy: Orangutan : Marina & Enrique on Flickr

Further links you may be interested in:

EWTT: How to find Hidden Palm Oil in Supermarkets

EWTT: Engaging local communities in S.E.Asian Peat Swamp Regeneration 

EWTT: Social Media and Climate Change Activism

Mongabay: A new world? Social media protest against Nestle may have long standing ramifications

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2009 is a year of some very meaningful anniversaries. It’s been 150 years since the publication of Charles Darwin’s revolutionary book, “The Origin of Species”  It’s also his 200th bicentennial year. And it’s  the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ 150th year of existence, so the exhibition ties in quite neatly.

Darwin, a well off scholar from Cambridge, came to his conclusions about the biodiversity of nature and its evolutionary reasons, based mostly on his research in the Galapagos islands.

Russell’s background was humbler, and his work was largely drawn from his travels in the Malay archipelago including our very own Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore. He was astounded by the variety of beetles on the hill and found that the number of plant and animal species on a small patch of primary rainforest exceeded that of the entire North American continent.
 
Darwin was the first to come up with the theory of evolution of species by natural selection but he dragged his feet to get his theory in print, probably fearful of the consequences of what would be considered at the time a heretical theory.

Needless to say, it came as a huge shock to Darwin when Wallace wrote to him about the evolutionary theories that the latter had arrived at independently. But the gentleman than Darwin was, he stayed true to the scientific code of conduct. Darwin jointly published a paper with Wallace entitled “On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties”  which was presented to the Linnean Society  in 1858, which unfortunately for Wallace, nobody really noticed.

Darwin published  “The Origin of Species” a year later in 1859, and the rest, needless to say is history. 

The exhibition is especially significant as it brings out the depth and range of Wallace’s experiences here in this region, something that has been obscured by history. Much of this is captured in his book,  “The Malay Archipelago” and his theories in  “Natural Selection of Tropical Nature.”

Wallace’s travels are full of delightful insights.  Take for example, his journal entry about the  Durian, a tropical fruit which normally evokes extreme reactions, to say the least.  His oft-repeated quote on the Durian:

“The five cells are silky-white within, and are filled with a mass of firm, cream-coloured pulp, containing about three seeds each. This pulp is the edible part, and its consistence and flavour are indescribable. A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. … as producing a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed.”

I wonder what Wallace would have to say if he were to travel through the Malay archipelago 150 years later. How would he react to the rampant destruction of the rich and teeming rainforests that captured his imagination? How would he react to the rapid disappearance of the multitude of species that he studied with wonder and delight? I wish both Darwin and Wallace were alive to offer perhaps an explanation of why the human mind has evolved to allow all this to happen.

The free exhibition is on from 1st August to 31st August 2009 at the Library of Botany and Horticulture, Botany Centre at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

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March 21st 2009 brought in about 1000 volunteers to the area on the occasion of World Forestry Day when they planted about 10000 trees. The objective of the initiative is to rehabilitate 670Ha of deforested area, which would require about 4 million trees.

Why Peat swamps are so important for Global Climate Change

Peat swamps are tropical rainforests which are perennially waterlogged, creating depths of acidic peat soils caused by insufficiently decomposed organic matter. The layers of peat form over thousands of years and can even reach up to 20 metres thickness. Peat swamps exist between tropical lowland rainforests and mangrove forests along the coast. Here are some quick facts about peat swamps:

• About 62% of the world’s tropical peat lands (of about 400 million hectares) occur in the Indo-Malayan region (80% in Indonesia, 11% in Malaysia and 6% in Papua New Guinea) (Wikipedia)
• Although tropical peat lands cover only about 0.26% of the Earth’s land area (Wikipedia), they are the largest store of carbon close to the surface of the earth. According to Wetlands International, South Asian peat lands alone contain a carbon pool of 42 billion metric tonnes of carbon. Burning of peat lands has very important repercussions for global warming and climate change. They are what Greenpeace call “Ticking Climate Bombs” as these massive carbon stores become ready sources of emissions.
• When peat swamps are drained of water through canals, the process releases carbon dioxide as peat is exposed to air and rapidly decomposes. When the dry peat lands are further cleared by fires to make way for timber or oil palm plantations, massive amounts of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere making a dense haze that often envelopes the region. Much of the demand for oil palm comes from food, cosmetics and biofuel industries.
• In the dry season, illegal burning of peat swamps is a cheap way to clear land for plantations. In 1997-98, for example, particularly dry conditions made it really easy for illegal plantation companies to ignite peat swamp fires from Borneo, Indonesia. These fires released 2.57 billion tonnes (Gt) of greenhouse gases(GHG), which was more than the carbon emissions for the whole of Europe in one year. This also contributed 40% to the mean annual global carbon emissions from fossil fuels and the single largest increase since records began in 1957 (Opinionasia.org and Greenpeace).  It affected 70 million people in the region.
• According to Wetlands International, the current total peat land CO2 emission from deforested and drained peat lands in SE Asia of 2 billion metric tonnes annually equals almost 8% of global emissions from fossil fuel burning.
• Peat swamps are also home to several endangered species including the orangutans and the Sumatran tiger, and contain many rare species of fish and crustaceans. Clearing peat swams also affects the self-sustaining livelihoods of millions of indigenous peoples, as their ancestral communal claim to land is swept aside by government concessions to plantation companies.

How Local Communities traditionally use Peat Swamps
For many generations, peat swamps have been used by the local people to lead a simple and sustainable life. Introducing large scale plantations severely damage the peat swamp ecosystem. The self-sufficiency of locals is hampered as they depend upon the entire peat swamp ecosystem for sustenance. In all indigenous communities, the non-monetary value from NTFP or non-timber forest products (animals, fish, insects, plants, trees and tree products) that provide subsistence food and medicinal products is too important to be discounted. We take a brief look at the traditional ways by which indigenous communities sustain themselves.

• Peninsular Malaysia : South Pahang
  The Jakun people (who belong to the Orang Asli tribe), like all indigenous tribes possess invaluable local knowledge of their forests, fruiting seasons and animal behavioral patterns, which are passed down through oral traditions. The Jakuns practice hunting, fishing and small scale agriculture. They gather forest products like rattan, bamboo, wood, resin, medicinal plants and root. Handicrafts like baskets, mats and pouches are weaved using Mengkuang and Rasau (Pandanus spp.) In recent times, they also supplement their income by trading with middlemen in wildlife and exotic species, for which they earn very little and consequently encouraged to over-exploit wildlife resources.
• Indonesia: Kalimantan and Sumatra
  Local products of agro-forestry include construction timber, especially Jelutang (Dyera Costulata), wooden roofing, fuel woods, mixed timber, bamboo, rattan, resin(Sumatra in particular), paddy, sago, medicinal plants, roots, leaves and berries, deer, pig, singing birds, birds’ nest and fish.
• Thailand: Phru Kuan Kreng, Southern Thailand
  Rice farming is the main occupation. Reed (Lepironia articulate) farming is also carried out for the purposes of weaving into baskets as containers for locally made shrimp paste, or as handicrafts. Cattle rearing is also popular. Commercial plant species include rubber, vegetables and fruit trees like mango and coconut. Malaleuca cajeputi or the paper bark tree is well suited to grow in peat swamps, and its timber is used in making houses and fences. Honey is also from the beehives of this tree. Modern methods of electro fishing and cyanide poisoning, however have led to degraded fisheries.

Why local community involvement is important for peat swamp regeneration
For any programme of peat swamp revival to succeed, the local communities need to become active stakeholders in implementing ecosystem regeneration as well as in sustainable livelihood schemes. Local communities help by:

• providing invaluable indigenous knowledge about genetic resources, traditional methods of agro-forestry and fisheries and livestock
• providing “inside” local knowledge of ecosystems, which can then be supplemented by “outside” technical expertise and applied through a process of participation and consensus
• becoming stewards of peat swamp resources, they will have a stronger incentive to ensure the long-term regeneration of the ecosystem, especially when they perceive the linkage between their own sustenance and that of the ecosystem

Regenerating dilapidated peat swamps with local community involvement

We look at two projects in Indonesia and understand the mechanisms and approaches the NGOs have used to revive degraded peat swamps, with active local community involvement.

PROJECT 1 : Samboja Lestari by Borneo Orangutan Society (BOS), Indonesia
In 2001, BOS Indonesia started purchasing and obtaining clear legal titles to a dilapidated peat swamp land near Wanariset, for the purpose of conversion into a 2,000 ha reserve called Samboja Lestari. The objective of this project headed by Dr. Willie Smit, was to rehabilitate orangutans as well as provide a sustainable livelihood for the local populations.

The approach BOS followed was to divide the area into three zones with different uses:

• an outer zone in a 100 meter ring is planted with sugar palms to act as a buffer zone and as a fire break. Each family gets harvest rights to one plot of about 3,000 square metres. The sugar palms get refined in a BOS built factory. Sugar palms provide 60 different useful products and ethanol for electricity. There are mixed teak and sugar palms towards the back, and mixed rubber, fruits and medicinal plants towards the front of the ring, all to provide income generation for about 650 families
• a second zone, inside the outer ring, is the largest area being a reforestation zone for conservation and water harvesting. It is used for planting a variety of fruit trees, both slow and fast growing that will support Borneon wildlife. Till such time that the trees are mature, the locals will be allowed to plant and harvest their own fruit crops amongst the 1 million trees required to be planted for the reserve, which will also keep the newly planted trees free of weeds. Once the trees are tall enough, the area will become a permanent Nature Reserve, with no further crops allowed. The end result will be to obtain a multi-layered forest of biodiverse biomass
• the third zone comprises of a small inner core of about 300 hectares for regenerating permanent plant cover. These include the establishment of a large arboretum, smaller forest sanctuaries for specific animals that cannot be rehabilitated, areas for forestry research, and a facility for protection of the area. This facility will be used for environmental education facilities for schools and special groups to learn more about conservation. More than 1700 different species of tree will be planted, using original tree species from the rainforest.

This is how local communities are involved and are benefited. The project:

• enables the local population to become independent and self-sufficient through creation of local industries. This is the best incentive for them to preserve their forests and protect them in case of fire
• enables people to receive income from the sale of the land, salaries by working in the rehabilitation area, money from sugar palm activities, income from sale of fruits and vegetables grown amidst the planted trees, and salaries for protecting the area
• assists local people to learn technical skills such as aquaculture, rice cultivation, agro forestry and integrated farm management
• provides education to children to learn about their environment and its conservation through community awareness and conservation programmes
• enhances their health condition, as well as offers a perennial supply of better water for irrigating rice fields, with less flooding during wet seasons, and less shortages during dry seasons

As Dr Willie Smit says “In this way the people are given an alternative and so they do not need to destroy the forest any more. This means you can show the world that nature and people can live together and do not need to exclude one another.”

PROJECT 2: The Central Kalimantan Peatland Projects (CKPP) by Wetlands International, Indonesia

The ex-Mega Rice project in Central Kalimantan in Indonesia was a major agricultural disaster, turning vast swathes of biodiverse peatswamp rainforests into degraded areas. With the joint efforts of Wetlands International and other NGOs, this severely dilapidated area is being regenerated with local community involvement. They have restored about 50,000 ha of degraded peatland in Central Kalimantan reducing CO2 emissions by 4 million tons. Another 12 million ha of peatland are in urgent need of restoration. Such restoration would be a very effective way to reduce carbon emissions and global warming.

The approach

Bio-rights is an innovative financing mechanism for providing micro-credits to local communities. This approach is applied to areas of great biological diversity and importance, where the local population is poor and where the land is severely degraded. Under the Central Kalimantan project, the locals were paid Rp 1000 (roughly US$0.10) per tree planted. A micro-credit of Rp 1,000,000(or US$100) invested in poultry farming, for example, would be given on the condition that the farmer plants 1000 trees. The contract also stipulates that if 70% of the trees survive the first 3 years, then loan would become a grant. Funding is by international donors, who gain from environmental services derived from protecting natural resources.

The local communities are benefited as:

• they are provided seed capital for their alternative agricultural/animal husbandry businesses like chicken and goat farms in return for peat swamp restoration, and in the process become self-sufficient
• they are encouraged to stop logging and have the incentive to protect the remaining forests from illegal logging. They can plant valuable gum and rubber trees to provide further income
• they are provided with technical help to restore their environment, by digging canals and dams to prevent peat swamps from draining out. They are increasingly supportive of this work once they see the positive impact
• they have the incentive to provide after care for the forests and this is critical to preserving peat swamps. Locals are taught to dig deep wells and are trained to be firemen so that they can control fires that may arise in the area

As these two case studies have shown, engaging local communities is one of the most important parts of the jigsaw puzzle in regenerating peat swamp forests. These projects have also shown that it is possible to create a win-win for all, for local communities to gain sustainable livelihoods, for the environment as the peat swamp ecology is regenerated and preserved, and for the global community as greenhouse gas emissions are reduced at minimal costs.

References:

1. Borneo Orangutan Society http://savetheorangutan.org/bos-projects/samboja-lestari/

2. Wetlands International http://www.wetlands.org/

3. Information on Bio Rights http://www.bio-rights.org/

4. Local community use of peat swamps in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia
http://www.peatsociety.org/user_files/files/ramakrishna.doc

5. Greenpeace Report : “How the palm oil industry is cooking the climate” http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/cooking-the-climate-full.pdf

6. Friends of the Earth Report : “Malaysian palm oil – green gold or green wash?” http://www.foei.org/en/publications/pdfs/malaysian-palm-oil-report

7. http://www.opinionasia.org/PeatlandsClimateCrisis

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To make sense of the specific reasons for the loss of biodiversity, this is one programme (“The State of the Planet”, part of BBC’s “Earth” DVD series) that hit the nail on the head. It’s always a pleasure to watch Sir David Attenborough, and of course get inspired by his passion and energy. I’ve only seen this increase over the last few decades as a sense of urgency comes into play, while he personally sees the deterioration in the state of the planet over his lifetime.

78% of oceans are being fished to the limit. 170,000 square kilometeres of rainforest are destroyed every year, nearly 200,000 square kilometeres of land are made desert every year. There is no doubt we are in the midst of a crisis of epic proportions. Why is this happening? According to Sir David, there are 5 main human activities that can be attributed to this biodiversity crisis.

1. Overharvesting- Every growing population coupled with more efficient technology makes harvesting quicker than ecosystems can reproduce and regenerate. Trees are being felled 10 times faster than they are being replaced by new growth ones. 70% of fish species are being harvested above the rate they can reproduce. It should not take long to understand if we continue at this rate, entire fish species will vanish and forests will disappear. Where will we go then?

2. Introduction of alien species-  This can often decimate populations of native animal species. For all the illusion of greenery in the island of Hawaii, it is impoverished in terms of the native species which have all but vanished. One example is the beautiful and exotic snail species which have disappeared due to introduction of rats, pigs, and West African killer snails.

3. Destruction of habits- Sir David talks of Cape Town, which is a biological hotspot with about 5,500 types of plants. This area is endangered as 40% of the area is destroyed by agriculture and the spread of the town. There are thousands of hotspots the world over. Orangutans and other species in Indonesia are endangered because of the rapid clearance of rainforests due to oil palm plantations. A similar fate awaits the mountain gorillas of East Africa.  Most of the IUCN list of endangered animals are those which are mainly affected by habitat loss.

4. Islandisation of habitats- With the spread of agriculture, urbanisation and deforestation, what inevitably happens is that undisturbed pockets of nature become islands. Even nature reserves are islands. Unique species may be localised to these islands, and even if they are located across islands, they may not be able to move between islands. If anything were to happen to these islands, for example due to further infringement, or drought, these species are very vulnerable to extinction.

5. Pollution – Humans are so dependent on air and water, and yet we indiscrimately use these precious resources like an open and free sewer, dumpling all effluents, emissions from industries. One kind of pollution, that of pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, is causing severe changes in the earth’s temperature, leading to endangering of species from the polar bears to coral reefs.

Habitat destruction and climate change are key reasons for extinction of species, 20% all species is expected to disappear in just three decades. We may well lose over 2/3rds  of all life species in a century’s time.

Change is an intrinsic part of the natural cycle, but it is the unprecedented speed with which all these five factors are happening is leading to a historical rate of extinction, what is being called the 6th wave of extinction (which I’d talked about in the previous blog).

If we look at history, civilisations such as Easter Island, Indus valley, Great Zimbabwe and so on collapsed because they reached a point where the trees, water resources and other natural resources had all been over-exploited, leaving nothing for the humans to survive on. A similar fate awaits us, unless we learn to use our natural resources in a way that is sustainable.

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