star.gif (2664 bytes)A Down To Earth Supplement
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             No.11,  January 15, 2000
Gobar means animal dung in Hindi. All of rural India uses it in a variety of ways. Ways that exemplify sustainable existence. That's why we use it, too.

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Contents

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Drop in

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Bright Stars
In July 1994, one thousand kids took part in a program called Aayana 94’ in Chennai. These children actually live in five kinds of landscapes called thinais, in regions of South India: sea, pastoral, paddy land, mountain and desert. This project was organised by the Madras Craft Foundation. The children were asked to draw and write about the work their parents do, their beliefs, festivals, crafts, games and folk tales. Although majority of them were from village schools, they proved to be more knowledgeable than most urban kids. The themes they dealt with were unique and fascinating: water was a common theme throughout. The last episode was focused on the desert - all cities are now becoming urban deserts, as a result of human activities, greed, water problems and violence. The message was clear- there is much work to be done, to renew nature and human beings

Garbologists

 Trash!

This inspired writers at TARA Publishing to present this project in a unique, interesting way as a book called ‘Landscapes’.

TARA is now over five years old. It has produced over twenty books which deal openly and honestly with the harsher realities of life. The real world becomes interesting, raising a lot of niggling questions and doubts about situations around us. These books help us to think about environmental issues and take action.

The book TRASH on ragpicker kids deals with the much-talked-about issue of child labour. It is about street and working children who like you, have the same needs but do not have the same rights. Read about these true life heros.

Discover the critters in the midst of the leaf litter. Learn how to observe leaves in the book ‘Leaf Life’ written by a teenager. It suggests ways for children, to take up activities with their natural environment in a creative way. Another title ‘A Wild Elephant at Camp’ is based on the exciting true-life adventures of a young mahout Tarain a wild-life sanctuary. Ask for these and other titles at your nearest bookstore or contact TARA Publishing at:

20/GA 'Shoreham', 5th Avenue
Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 090
Tel: 0091-44-4903318,
Fax: 0091-44-4911788,
E-mail: tara@vsnl.com

COW PATS
DOWNTHEDRAIN
Nearly Rs 378 crores has been spent in the last five years under the action plan to save the highly polluted river Yamuna. But at the end of it all environmentalists describe it as a “clogged river”. Industrial effluents and sewage from towns in Haryana and the capital Delhi is the major reason for the rivers state.

Down the Drain

Environment, OL' CHAP

 ENVIRONMENT,OL' CHA
It’s official. The UK government has just published its first annual report on the citizens quality of life. Using 150 indicators it concludes that environmental deterioration is a major threat to quality of life. It hopes to keep environmental factors as important indicators to assess quality of life in the future.
Is Mr. Vajpayee listening?

EYE OPENERS

F A C T S   O F   L I F E

Eye1

 Typical weight of a beef steak served at a good restaurant in the US.............................. 0.3 kg
   Amount of animal (livestock) feces and urine, much of it ending up in fresh water supplies, for each serving of meat of that weight.........16 kg!
Half the world’s people, both rich and poor, are medically malnourished, suffering from either obesity or from diets with inadequate calories, vitamin or minerals. A whopping 55 percent of America adults are overweight!

Eye2