What changes can you make in your habits to become more environment-friendly?
Changes to make our habitat more environmental friendly can be done in various ways:-
We must have done the five R’s to protect our environment:- reduce, refuse, recycle, repurpose and reuse.
Refuse means say no to the harmful things that can harm our environment and us like say no to single use plastic like plastic glasses- use paper glasses that is biodegradable, say no to plastic carry bags- use jute bags, do not take polythene for the small things we can carry in our jute bag etc; Reduce means that we should use less amount of things that we are using in our daily lives like we should save lights by switching off necessary lights, bulbs, fans or by not wasting food take the food in limited amount that we can eat; Reuse means we can use things again and again like jars for putting pickle again and again, glass bottles like jam bottle can be used again in the kitchen for the storage. And, this reuse phenomena does not use any energy; Repurpose is the phenomena where the thing cannot be used for the same purpose but we can use this for some purposes like plastic bottles, cracked crockery or cups these can be used for the plantation or for feeding the birds; Recycle means that use of wastes by recycling them like agricultural waste including paddy husks, corn cobs, fibrous coats of coconuts, tobacco waste and used papers can be converted into the usable papers and boards by the paper mills. Recycling of papers is very costly and needs some energy but worthwhile from the conservation of resources point of view recovery or recycling of papers can save many trees. By using these methods we can make our environment friendly and alternatively we our saving our environment from the exploitation because if the natural resources get extinct from the environment we will face the extreme conditions without the resources. If we will use environmental friendly ways we are automatically saving the basic human needs for the future generation and this concept is also known as the sustainable development. This perception for the sustainable development, changes the socio- economic services concept to meet the requirements for the future generation or to make our environment long- ranging by using limited amounts of resources.
Find out about the traditional systems of water harvesting/management in your region.
Suggest some approaches towards the conservation of forests.
We saw in this chapter that there are four main stakeholders when it comes to forests and wildlife. Which among these should have the authority to decide the management of forest produce? Why do you think so?
List five things you have done over the last one week to —
(a) conserve our natural resources.
(b) increase the pressure on our natural resources.
Find out the source of water in your region/locality. Is water from this source available to all people living in that area?
How can you as an individual contribute or make a difference to the management of (a) forests and wildlife, (b) water resources and (c) coal and petroleum?
Why should we conserve forests and wildlife?
Compare the above system with the probable systems in hilly/mountainous areas or plains or plateau regions.
What can you as an individual do to reduce your consumption of the various natural resources?
Why do you think that there should be equitable distribution of resources? What forces would be working against an equitable distribution of our resources?
Did Döbereiner’s triads also exist in the columns of Newlands’ Octaves? Compare and find out.
What is a good source of energy?
Why is diffusion insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of multi-cellular organisms like humans?
What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state the different trophic levels in it.
What is the difference between a reflex action and walking?
What is the importance of DNA copying in reproduction?
If a trait A exists in 10% of a population of an asexually reproducing species and a trait B exists in 60% of the same population, which trait is likely to have arisen earlier?
Why should a magnesium ribbon be cleared before burning in air?
Define the principal focus of a concave mirror.
You have been provided with three test tubes. One of them contains distilled water and the other two contain an acidic solution and a basic solution, respectively. If you are given only red litmus paper, how will you identify the contents of each test tube?
In evolutionary terms, we have more in common with
(a) a Chinese school-boy.
(b) a chimpanzee.
(c) a spider.
(d) a bacterium.
What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state the different trophic levels in it.
If a trait A exists in 10% of a population of an asexually reproducing species and a trait B exists in 60% of the same population, which trait is likely to have arisen earlier?
Why should a magnesium ribbon be cleared before burning in air?
Differentiate between metal and non-metal on the basis of their chemical properties.
Why do stars twinkle?
Define the principal focus of a concave mirror.
Outline a project which aims to find the dominant coat colour in dogs.
What would be the consequences of a deficiency of haemoglobin in our bodies?
What is the role of the brain in reflex action?