I assume that before taking the decision of starting a website you have thought about who your target audience is, what is your message and how best you can convey it with the resources you have.

Remember, websites are seen and used mainly by english speaking urban audiences. So that limits your target audience. (Though it is a very important section for any environmental message.)

Nowadays there are many portals that offer free hosting of websites. Get the help of a computer geek friend to design it for you.

Surf the net to identify and look at other similar sites. It might give you some ideas.

Though you can keep your site city specific, remember that it will be seen by people from all over the world. Try to explain terms or phrases which someone from outside Pune would not understand.

Since you would not be able to cover all environmental topics, try to have a section where you provide links to some interesting and informative sites.

Contact organisations like Kalpavriksh, active in environmental matters in Pune, for ideas and information.

Don’t keep a static site. Keep updating the information.

Dear Sundariji,
Remember, being environmently friendly is more than few isolated ‘eco-friendly acts’. We have to begin examine our own lifestyles and economies that support it. Nevertheless, here are a few things to get you started:

1. Write: You can develop a handwritten wall magazine or newspaper. Pin it up on the college notice board or circulate it among members of your club.

2. COMPOST WASTE: Try composting the wet waste from your college garden and hostel kitchen. Makes good manure.

3. HARVEST WATER: Monitor water points, put up posters on water conservation. If possible, talk to the administration about setting up a water harvesting system in the college.

4. SAVEPAPER: Go in for two-sided photocopying. Get a paper recycling frame for your hostel and you can perhaps use recycled paper for making cards, etc. (See GT issue No.4, Nov 1998)

Read your last issue on mosquitoes. After doing everything we thought was adequate — larvae eating fish, tying mosquito nets to septic tank — we still got nowhere with our mosquito problems. All because of our rice fields with the stagnant water and leaf litter. We pile up leaf litter away from pathways onto the base of trees and mosquitoes love it. It may retain some moisture for the trees but that's where mosquitoes hide during the day. So to get rid of mosquitos we have to get rid of several tons of nutritious leaf litter. We've given up on that and just use citronella oil mixed with eucalyptus oil (at least the eucy has some use!) and burn the mixture diluted in water in a diffuser. It usually works if lit early in the evening.

Janaki Lenin
Chennai

The more mail I get, the more involved you are!

Being in the capital city of India, we must set good examples for the nation but the story is absolutely opposite. Environment is deteriorating day by day, courtesy industrial pollution, vehicular pollution, use of plastic bags, waste generation, etc. To top it all, we are ready to import junk from other nations. Junk in the form of second hand imported cars, mercury, etc. The question is when will we wake up and start the war against pollution?

Premlata, Salwan Public School
New Delhi

Dear Gobar Times Readers, Hello! I'm an Australian journalist who recently started a worldwide petition to stop animal testing by certain cosmetic companies eg. L'Oreal. This is a non-violent, non-profit campaign, with over 1700 signatures from doctors, animal welfare groups, media groups and lawyers in several countries . Please email me at: cosmeticpetition@hotmail.com with any questions you have.

We are happy to inform you that the children of Little Birds High School, Kurnool, AP, have prepared a project on Indigenous Preservative Methods of Pickles. They presented it in the Children’s Environmental Congress held at Hyderabad. Jan Vikas Society has been collaborating with them in environmental activities.

B N Chetty, Jan Vikas Society
Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh