Are there schools that accept plastic as fees?

           Does your school accept plastic as fees? There is a unique school in the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam which does. If a student brings 25 pieces of plastic, it is accepted as fees in Akshar School. The plastic waste that they bring is recycled to make eco-friendly bricks that can be used for construction.



          When Parmita Sarma and Mazin Mukhtar started this school in June 2016, their aim was to provide free education to poor kids. Their plan took a slight twist when they saw the villagers making bonfires of plastic to beat the cold.



           They wanted to educate the villagers about the harmful effects of plastic and hence modified the fee structure from having no fees to plastic waste as fees. A practical lesson in recycling! The school provides socially and environmentally relevant education.



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Which is the first Indian state to ban disposable plastic bags?

           Sikkim, a tiny state in the foothills of the Himalayas is famous not only for its natural beauty and biodiversity, but also for its eco-friendly stands.



           In 1998, Sikkim became the first Indian state to ban disposable plastic bags. They were eliminated from both rural and urban areas and labelled as hazardous. 2016 is an environmentally important year for Sikkim as the state took two landmark decisions. The first was to ban packaged drinking water in government offices and at government events.



           The state has also banned the use of disposable styro-foam and thermocol plates and cutlery.



           It now targets single-use plastic bottles.



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Why is Modbury important?

            Modbury was a not so famous village in England which came to the spotlight in 2007. It secured a place in history with a life-changing decision to ban plastic carry bags forever. Thanks to the efforts of Rebecca Hosking, Modbury is the world’s first ever plastic bag free zone.



           Rebecca screened her documentary Message in the Waves for the local shop owners of her hometown who were stunned to see the disastrous effect of plastic on marine environment. Crushed by the impact of the film, the shopkeepers decided to stop giving plastic bags. After a successful trial run for six months, plastic bags permanently disappeared from Modbury. They now use biodegradable cornstarch bags and reusable cotton, jute or paper bags.



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What are the advantages of bioplastics?







            The production of bioplastics is eco-friendly, as they use renewable sources rather than the non-renewable sources, thus saving a lot of energy. They also make use of agricultural waste material. It produces less non-biodegradable waste than other plastics. It is therefore less contaminating.



            They do not change the scent or taste of the packed food. No harmful substance would leach out of bioplastics and they do not use additives that may affect health like phthalates and bisphenol-A. They give out less greenhouse gases as well. They are decomposable and cause no harm while blending with soil.



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Do we have an eco-friendly alternative to plastics?





           It is ironic that the food items that last less than a week are packed using plastics that stay intact for centuries. Scientists had worked hard to find eco-friendly alternatives and by the 1990s, bioplastic was brought into the markets.



           Plastics are derived from non-renewable sources like petroleum or natural gas. Unlike them, bioplastics are made from renewable sources of biomass like bacteria, food waste, vegetable oils and corn starch. Bioplastics are mainly used for packaging and making disposable cutlery, straws and bowls.



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Why is the documentary Albatross important?



           The documentary Albatross took shape in 2008 after a discussion between Chris Jordan and his friend Manuel Maqueda about the issue of ocean plastic pollution. They studied about young albatrosses dying of indigestion after eating plastic. They recorded what they witnessed in Midway Island in the north of the Pacific Ocean. They worked for more than four hundred hours and the footages were made into a film showcasing the plight of the species. The documentary was released in 2017.



           Albatross projected the devastating effect of plastic on marine ecosystems. It was found that nine in ten birds have traces of plastic debris in them. It helped in understanding the drawbacks of our lifestyle and the severity of the problem.



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Are animals harmed by polymers?



           People in the south coast of Spain woke up to a huge dead sperm whale on a March morning in 2013. After careful examination, it was found out that the whale had died of severe indigestion. About 17 kilograms of plastic was found inside its body which had led to its death.



           This sperm whale is not the first animal to die because of our waste and it is not the last. Plastic poses a threat to the animals around us. Have you observed cows and buffaloes eating plastic from the garbage? These poor animals mistake plastic for food and end up eating it. This is known as food imitation; it leads to severe indigestion and they eventually die.



           Plastic has been found in the bellies of many types of fish and stray animals.



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Is the packaging of Chips eco-friendly?



          Most of us love packaged chips. Let us now take a look at the journey of its packaging. These attractive packages are made of a kind of polypropylene known as BOPP.



          Lead and cadmium-based additives are used in the production of BOPP. This packaging material catches fire easily. To reduce its inflammability, some flame retardants are also used.



          The burning of this packaging material releases harmful substances like formaldehyde which is capable of causing respiratory diseases. Toxic substances are also released while this material is recycled. Workers in the recycling plants have often reported to suffer from health issues like headaches, asthma, skin and nasal irritation due to their exposure to harmful chemicals.



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How does polyurethane affect our environment?



           Commonly known as PU, polyurethane is a polymer that is used to make cushions and mattresses. It is also used as enamel for paints. Though it provides us a comfortable night’s sleep without disturbances, it disturbs our environment. Sad, but true.



           PU cannot be recycled. Sometimes it is burned or simply dumped in landfills. Toxic substances like dioxins are released when PU is burned. You already know what this toxic chemical can do to us. Besides dioxins, other harmful substances like isocyanides and hydrogen cyanides are also produced.



          When PU degrades, it gives out chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that depletes the ozone layer.



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How safe are our feeding bottles?



           Most babies are fed using feeding bottles. A plastic called polycarbonate is used to make feeding bottles because it is strong, durable and heat resistant to an extent. It can be sterilized easily and would not soak up odours. When it was first introduced, it was commonly accepted as a suitable substitute for glass and ceramic. Polycarbonate is preferred for making the inner linings of food containers and reusable plastic bottles as well.



           Though polycarbonate is a preferred material, it is not essentially safe. A harmful substance known as bisphenol-A leaches out of the polymer and gets mixed with food. This chemical can cause health issues. It changes the level of oestrogen in our bodies.




How bad are polyethylene bags for us?



           Polyethylene bags have multiple applications in our daily life. Though we use polyethylene products at least five times a day, they are not entirely safe.



           Lead and cadmium are used as additives in polyethylene. These metals are toxic and are known to leach out.



           Lead affects the nervous system; it is capable of causing unconsciousness, heart attacks, respiratory diseases and even death.



           Cadmium affects the cells and tissues of the kidneys and causes inflammation. It can also lead to diabetes. If these metals leach into the soil, it will result in soil and groundwater contamination.



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Are toys made of PVC safe?

           Most of the toys that our kids play with are made of plastic; from dancing dells to race cars and from kitchen sets to building blocks. Most often, children bite and chew on them. Some of them would even try to swallow them. What happens when these toys are made of PVC?



           When the child chews on these toys, harmful substances called phthalates leak out of these toys which in turn enters the child’s body. This can eventually lead to several diseases like malfunctioning of liver and kidneys and even cancers. Many of the toys produced in India have at least ten per cent phthalate content in them.



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What happens when PVC is burned?


           PVC is one of the world’s most toxic plastic. It causes severe harm when it is being burned, because it releases toxic gases and a substance called dioxin.



           Chlorine is released when PVC is burned. The smoke produced while burning PVC contains hydrogen chloride. When inhaled, it combines with the moisture in our body and can cause severe burns. In fact, burning one kilogram of PVC can cause cancer to about 50,000 animals. PVC is an unstable material. Heavy metals like lead and tin are used to stabilize PVC. These materials too cause harm to the ecosystem.




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Which is the longest distance travelled bird?



The Arctic tern flies 71,000 km (44,000 miles) between the Arctic and Antarctica and back every year, for up to 30 years. Arctic terns migrate to follow the summer sun. Seasons happen because Earth is tilted on its axis while it revolves around the sun. During winter, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun’s warming rays. This is why it’s colder during the winter in places north of the Equator, like the United States. 



When it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, experiencing summer. In December, when people in the United States are putting on sweaters and jackets, people in Argentina are getting out their sunscreen.



Polar Regions experience less noticeable temperature changes than other parts of the globe. However, these regions experience a great difference in the amount of daylight hours. During summer, the Arctic and the Antarctic get almost 24 hours of sunlight. During winter, it is almost entirely dark. 



The arctic tern, going from Arctic summer to Antarctic summer, may experience more daylight than any other animal. Terns migrate in search of summer sunlight. Sunlight illuminates the ground and the ocean surface, so the birds can see fish or insects more clearly. Summer weather is also usually calmer at sea, allowing the birds to fly more easily. 



 



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Which is the largest animal?



The blue whale is 33 m (108 ft) long and weighs 150 tonnes (165 tons). It is roughly as big as a jumbo jet, and its heart is the size of a small car. Blue whales reach these mind-boggling dimensions on a diet composed nearly exclusively of tiny shrimplike animals called krill. During certain times of the year, a single adult blue whale consumes about 4 tons of krill a day.



Blue whales are baleen whales, which mean they have fringed plates of fingernail-like material, called baleen, attached to their upper jaws. The giant animals feed by first gulping an enormous mouthful of water, expanding the pleated skin on their throat and belly to take it in. Then the whale's massive tongue forces the water out through the thin, overlapping baleen plates. Thousands of krill are left behind—and then swallowed.



Blue whales look true blue underwater, but on the surface their coloring is more a mottled blue-gray. Their underbellies take on a yellowish hue from the millions of microorganisms that take up residence in their skin. The blue whale has a broad, flat head and a long, tapered body that ends in wide, triangular flukes.



 



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