As a political scientist, I have spent 4 years studying about perception and power. And two of the most hotly debated perceptions are that of Idealism vs Realism.

Realists profuse that they see the world as it is, in tangible realities, in circumstances that have quantitative results. Idealists, perceive the worlds potential, what it has yet to become, but has the capabilities to be should the right set of circumstances prevail.

When it comes the environment, we seem to have mixed up these definitions, and therefore come to a standstill on how to proceed. So I would like to spend some time listing some of the idealist and realist notions of the world we live in.

Realism

As mentioned about, the world we live in accord to tangible facts and observable results sees that anthropomorphic climate change is the leading cause of our problem. In other words, of all the bickering we seem to be doing about whether cows produce more green house gases (GHG) or the automobile industry, whether air travel or pet food is worse on the environment. The fine line that is un-debatable is that everything is a result of human activity on earth. With rising populations and rising affluence, the inherent demand for environmentally unfriendly consumptions rise. In the same world, with limited resources, we are seeing a hastening decline of materials output.

In our dogmatic faith in modern technology we are corrupting the one technology that has lasted the longest! Mother nature’s life cycle and bio-sphere. Single crop industrial farms may feed a few now, but in 10 years when the land is no longer arable, it will be no better than a desert. Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, the thing that was hailed as a solution to world hunger in the 60′s is now killing people, entire species of fish and marine life and creating dead zones in our oceans where no life can grow.

We have mutated our vegetables and fruits to be fit for air travel, but unfit for a proper balanced diet. We have pumped hormones into animals which has resulted in a steady rise in obesity in humans.

Our urban centers which are hubs of the new world, the fashion zeitgeist model of globalization and the desire of all 3rd world peasants who can no longer compete economically with industrial farmers. People want to live in cities, but from a realist lens, people are saying that they want to live in conditions of dense living, breath toxic air from mostly burning coal, gas and petrol, live in conditions where social status is now defined by your online savvyness and ability to speak english. Yet we claim our idealist friends fancy the country house, with wide open spaces, animals, clear skies and a nice breeze.

Idealism

Idealists see the world as it should be, what it has the potential to become given the right set of conditions to achieve it, and it is our job to set those structures up. It is idealistic that our educational institutions train people to believe that growth is indefinitely achievable, and that the existences of business and free markets can only operate under these ideal situations. It is idealistic to believe that if only we start recycling our pop cans and paper, that we can some how fix the worlds problems and therefore carry on our consumptive live styles with a business as usual attitude.

Many believe it is impossible to just give up our petrol based life styles where cars and accessibility and leisure take priority, this is an idealistic perception, because in a matter of 20 years we built the infrastructure for the worlds largest cross communication platform called the internet. No, it does not take long to shift our behaviours given the same excitement, opportunity and unified direction as that of the internet boom. Corporate lobby groups would have you believe differently, but that is the idealism we are talking about.

Now the thing about idealism that realism lacks is vision. Vision of a future that is better and more prosperous than the one we are in currently. So if our vision of the world is this misguided direction based on false notions, then we can only meet our end as so many fear mongers are instilling in our hearts.

However, if we can accept the realist stance of the world we live in, and form a new vision of the world, one where 1000s are already waking up to on a daily basis, and who are saying “we need to do more than just recycle”. Then the ingenuity and human spirit that makes us an incredibly gifted species will overcome some of the hardest challenges we as a species have ever fought in the years to come.

Keep an eye out for their next event in your city.

My Choice! is a project that aims to raise awareness among Indian young generation about Sustainability Issues.
We offer to deliver a holistic understanding of Sustainability seen as People, Society and Environment. For us, Environment is impacted by human footprint; human footprint is the results of community interactions in Society (economy, leisure, family) , Society activism is the expression of embedded values in the people that are part of the society. It is vital for Youth to grab this inclusive picture if we call on more responsibility from them.

The projects will have a 3 step learning approach. 1. Classroom presentations to inspire youth to get active. 2. Simulation and learning activities about sustainability. 3. A project competition on sustainability, where students get mentors and are awarded prizes based on creativity, sustainability of design, and general youth choice.

It has been a pleasure to settle down and work with this team and helping to see their passion become a reality.The output of this project has the opportunity to be a part of a best case practise, I will be sure to share the output afterwards with you all.

Looking forward to hitting the road soon again!

As of October 2nd 2008, all public establishment shall be smoke free zones, thus ending the majority of the threat caused by second hand smoke. In their campaign they targeted schools colleges and restaurants with signs that not only read no-smoking, but also “It is an offence here” just to drill home the point that there will be no tolerance.

Delhi is the first city to adapt such laws in India and the subcontinent, and can only hope that others will follow suit. This action was put forward by Dr Ramadoss from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a series of city wide pollution clean up efforts leading up to the commonwealth games in 2010.

Along with this campaign, Delhi University has seen a massive transition as the students union (DUSU) who speaks on behalf of the 40,000 plus students has also enacted a non-smoking rule in and around the campus. They have made it illegal for cigarette vendors to sell cigarettes within 100 meters of any college establishment, and for staff students and visitors that don’t comply, there is a fine up to Rs. 500.

This example just goes to show that tobacco companies don’t have the developing countries fooled any longer, that awareness is building, and there is only hope that other institutions will follow close behind. Recently, I had a chance to visit LUMS campus, one of the top universities in Pakistan, and it appalled me the sheer amount of smokers, both male and female, smoking all over campus. Whether it’s an act of poor enforcement or lack of policy, the students of LUMS should be encouraged to take action to make their campus a smoke free environment, with the hope that other institutions will also follow suit.

The religion boasts a very humanitarian approach to life; to serve humanity is to serve God, as some signs around the compound will tell you. This feat is proven in its entirety on the sheer volume of travelers, pilgrims and devotees that come through the gates. All throughout the day and night volunteers are working to sweep the premise, to clean the temple, and enacting their duty to service the people of this sanctuary.

Most noteworthy are the eating grounds provided here. The Langar Khanna (Blessed Food) is a completely systematized wheel of food for the people. No cost for entrance and all are welcome. Everyone eats together in lines on the floor so there is no distinction in class here. Thousands of people come through these gates everyday, and everyday they provide this service. It is all funded by the amount of donations and volunteers provided.

First, you get your metal dish, a metal bowl for drinking and a spoon. Then you, like hundreds others like you at this time, enter the large hall where everyone will sit in lines, cross legged. Volunteers then come by with spoonfuls of daal (lentils), rice, curd, or halva (a sweet flour mixture) in the mornings. All vegetarian options. Water is poured into the bowls for drinking and the food is eaten with small rotis (similar to pita bread). After you are done, you carry your plate outside, hand over the spoon to these men sitting in chairs, and then you pass your dish and bowl down an assembly line of volunteers who take the dirty plates in large trolleys over to the dish washing area where even more volunteers are ready to clean all the dishes that come their way. Then you move along to the side of the Langar Khanna and take another metal bowl for chai (tea with milk) and enjoy it amongst a crowd.

The real magic is in the process and the speed with which they can get you in, fed and out without having to wait in any queues longer than a minute . The food is another miracle in the making. Behind the Langar you will find enormous vats bigger than the biggest cauldrons you’ve ever seen, with, you guessed it, a volunteer at the ladle. A group of women are rolling the rotis and cooking them in light vegetable oil. All of this is then brought up to the main hall and given to the hungry guests. It is truly a mechanism of wonder how it works so effortlessly and so accurately without any hang ups. One feels so overjoyed with the system afterwards, you can’t help but be so impressed that you end up donating a fair amount!

That is not all the magic of this place, for people also sleep on the tiles in the hundreds, families huddled together, rich, poor, travelers, you name it.

This whole system really got me thinking about how such a system can be, and to some extent is, being implemented in Canada and other countries. The problem with the soup kitchens in Canada is that they are for the poor only, and thus get little support to sustain themselves. Imaging having such an impressive device in your home city. How would you get everyone to sit, rich and poor, pilgrim and traveler? Is this kind of system only imaginable in a religious context? One wonders if the hymns of the Langar Khannas walls are right: To serve humanity, is to serve God.

I, for one, see a huge benefit to even spending tax payers money on such a system, for what else do we spend our taxes for if not to help those in need. What if there was a large enough soup kitchen-cum-dormitory for travelers and poor people alike, powered by volunteers that use the service. Imagine driving down the street and a beggar at your window asking for money for food, and you proudly being able to point him in the direction of the Langar Khanna. If the poor people are given food, accommodation, and a clean space, then what then would they beg for? They can spend their free time learning a trade, getting off their feet. Special needs cases can be involved in addressing the poor who suffer from mental illness. I believe such a design could exist, and would love to work with anyone passionate enough about this to make it exist.

The best part in my eyes, is that such a system can also be 100% environmentally friendly. The structure can be build in such a way that it uses organic food grown from the compost of its own waste, electricity can be powered through solar panels, static absorption technology, biomass gasification, heat from the cauldrons can become thermal heaters to dry laundry and bring heat into the building.

One can only dream of such a perfect design and its possibility. There are probably hundreds of factors to consider in such a design, and those can be overcome. That’s enough excitement for one night.

Cheers