no. 87

This is a very special post, because

1. the number 87 is one of my favorites.

2. It's Friendship Day. 

There will be no long-winded philosphising about the nature of friendships and how they evolve and grow (or diminish) and what they can bring to your life, etc. etc.

These little guys have nothing to do with my flesh-and-blood/ disembodied friends. 

Instead, we have an excerpt from a book I'm currently reading, A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson:

"So what keeps the planet stable and cool? Life does. Trillions upon trillions of tiny marine organisms that most of us have never heard of - foraminiferans and coccoliths and calcareous algae -  capture atmospheric carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, when it falls as rain and use it (in combination with other things) to make their tiny shells. By locking the carbon up in their shells, they keep it from being re-evaporated into the atmosphere where it would build up dangerously as a greenhouse gas. Eventually all the tiny foraminiferans and coccoliths and so on die and fall to the bottom of the sea, where they are compressed into limestone. It is remarkable, when you behold an extraordinary natural feature like the White Cliffs of Dover in England, to reflect that it is made up almost entirely of tiny deceased marine organisms, but even more remarkable when you realize how much carbon they cumulatively sequester."

Thank you, wee creatures.

Happy Friendship Day, Earth. May we be better to you.

being a well rounded individual

Since Klout * informs me that I must choose to be known for either my career or my hobby, I suppose it is time to move on to something else.

OR...

It's time to protest. 

Honestly, what's wrong with being a Renaissance person? Interested in many things, striving to be an expert in some at least?

Isn't the planet rounded? (Actually, she's an ellipsoid)

Well, doesn't she do so many things at once? And excel at them? Is any other planet quite so good at sustaining life? (Maybe... we don't know yet.) 

I think I might start another blog (yes, ANOTHER) for all the bits of me that need a creative outlet but are not linked to eco-friendliness.

I signed up for a Coursera course titled How to Change the World. I haven't done a single week's coursework yet. Urk. There's a section on climate change in the syllabus. 

And I'm reading about the world.

Quite enjoying this!

Oh right. And there's work.

Ramadan Kareem!

*I've recently started using Klout to measure how socially influential I am- a fairly respectable 52 last time I checked 

find a job!

So after a year among regular people (that is not meant as an insult), I know what it is like to prefer convenience over my planet, and principles.

[Just to clarify, in case any of the lovely people I've befriended in this Expo-worthy city take offence: I use 'regular' to mean people who do not claim protecting the earth as one of their passions]

In the spirit of Lent, let me make a full confession: I have chosen to use plastic cups rather than wash glasses. I got family members to drop me to work rather than take public transport. I have stayed up late into the night, watching serials, or reading. I have wasted food. I have not segregated my garbage. I have not stood up for my beliefs, instead letting people take plastic bag upon plastic bag to carry food to a table ten meters away.

On the positive side, I have a chance to redeem myself. Hoorah!

So, I am about to embark on an experiment: to go job-hunting (once again), but this time without a printed CV.

from openclipart.org
http://openclipart.org/detail/155107/job-interview-by-mazeo

Trivial? Perhaps. But if I've emailed my CV to a prospective employer already, and have it on my phone, do I really need to carry a hard copy to the interview?

Methinks not.

And that is today's shade of green,
The first for twenty fourteen.

(*Alexander Pope turns over in his grave*)

Nothing wrong with a little segregation

I've said a couple of times that the apartment I live in now is a little too small to allow me to segregate easily, or compost the compostable.
Well, I'm happy to announce  that the decision to segregate came not from me but my sister.
We use a really simple method, seen below

Plastics (clean) on the left, everything else on the right

Shade of green, for today and everyday: Segregate (your garbage, not people) Even the malls here are going to have to start sorting through their waste. About time!

Also, I look forward to the 2nd of November. It's Free Public Transport Day! Woo hoo!

Renewing the faith, keeping the energy

I'm in the middle of a job search, which means I'm at home of an  afternoon. I spend the less active days sending out applications, watching tv, writing, and listening to the radio.
I'd mentioned this earlier: Dubai Eye 103.8 and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce have initiated an Ecopreneur award. People nominated businesses through September and four finalists were chosen from the nominees. From this week on, the finalists get to come on the show to make their case. The audience votes for whomever they think should win
the title and a year's worth of advertising on the channel.
On Tuesday, Mr Prabissh Thomas of PTL Solar Systems answered a few questions about his business on Siobhan Live.
Solar. That brings me to a new #shadeofgreen: Renewable energy. My family uses solar panels to heat water in Goa. Some hotels do too (Good on them!)  I don't need a solar panel in the ME.  Metal pipes conduct heat quite well, and keep water warm. Wait- did I say warm? Try having a bath at 3 in the afternoon and HOT won't describe it. Can you incorporate renewable energy into your life in some way?
Water, Wind, Sun- acceptable. I don't fully support raising crops to produce biodiesel, because I think hungry people would be better served by access to food than my car would by virgin whatever-plant-oil

More news regarding renewable energy in the Middle East: from Green Prophet  
And this is an interesting piece about India from Green Techling. Maybe Modi gets some things right? (I'm too far away for there to be any repercussions for that statement/question! HA HA!)

Baby, you can clean my car...

Don't we love it when things are clean? I know my dad does. And he hounds my sister and me to scrub, shine and polish. Needless to say, we are less than enthusiastic about that routine. We are more the leave-my-crap-where-it-is-so-I-can-find-it-later kind.
Dad has always looked after all his stuff. When they made him, he cleaned the mold. Ok, enough with the cleaning jibes. Dad and Mum are environmentalists without meaning to be.  In fact when I read this article from Huff Post, I thought of them.
One thing Dad has complete control over is how clean his car is. He gets it washed twice a week. No, this isn't your automatic, water-guzzling car wash. It's someone with a little soapy water wiping the dirt off the gleaming beauty my sister christened Noor, meaning light. (Note: our other cars have names too. Yes, carS. I'm not proud, but a girl's gotta drive if a girl's gotta drive. For the record, I use public transport more than a private vehicle.)
Here's the next of my #50shadesofgreen: When washing your car, use a bucket, not a hose. That way you see how much water you're using. (Just when you thought this was a paean to my parents...)
A tip I picked up from Two Minutes a Day for a Greener Planet- instead of washing your car every week, wash it every 8 days. That way, instead of washing it 52 times a year, you'll wash it just 45 times. It's a reduction that adds to your bottom line and the planet's.
Also, try and use an eco-friendly car shampoo. Or get your car washed by one of the guys in the parking lot of the mall you frequent. I've seen a lot of them with "ECO-FRIENDLY" painted across their barrows.
People in the UAE, beware: you aren't allowed to wash your car in front of your house in Abu Dhabi, probably because people are wasting water. No, I am not making this up. Read the article in Gulf News.

Energy Conservation

Sighted today at Khalid bin al Walid station: escalators switched off and the following sign placed at the foot and top of them

Turned off for Energy Conservation

(not in quotes because I did not take it down word for word. And since I was in a bit of a hurry, I didn't get a picture either.)

It wasn't peak hours, so nobody was forced to huff and puff up a flight of stairs.
Yay for energy conservation!

(also posted on http://metroscrapbook.blogspot.com/)

Sidewalk smiles

Thank God Cassy hasn't trademarked her blog name yet. (I promise I'm not infringing on your rights anyway :D)

Here's something I saw on the sidewalk that made me smile

In case you can't make out what it says, the blue one is for recyclable stuff like metals and plastics; the yellow is for non-recyclables like food, peels, leaves.
These bins are all over Business Bay (Executive Towers). I've seen them in JLT too.
I hope people are using them. The most common excuse I've heard to not use bins is how far away they are. I don't think that'd fly here.  They're everywhere!

Other things I've seen on the sidewalk: mynah eggshell (pastel blue), the leg of a doll, dates...

Sustained in Dubai

OMG!!!!
(Yes, I do realize how ridiculous I sound.)
But this is the kind of thing that makes you sit up and take notice (I was standing, but you know what I mean).
Dubai has a store that sells eco-friendly products! It's called The Change Initiative and was founded by a man named Gundeep Singh (must be Indian origin). Guess who else is on the board of directors? Robert Kennedy Jr. That's right, nephew of JFK.
The 'facility' is located in Al Barsha. 4,000 sq. metres!
I must find this place and check it out!
And when I do, I WILL write about it!
(I suppose you can tell by all the exclamation marks in here how very excited I am!)
For more information, click here