With effect from 1st September 2007, the ban on polythene bags commonly known as "Kavera" in Uganda took effect. Uganda joined her neighbours in the East African community in banning a material that has wreaked havoc on the environment. It has now become illegal to import these polythene bags and its use is being phased out. The polythene bags have been a major environmental hazard and a menace for many years especially in both urban and rural settings where mushrooming commercial activities increased the demand for "kaveera" for packaging among other uses.   Read more...

For our October submission we Bloggers have been requested to write a piece about the Environment. So much press about that timely topic is concerned with correcting human-caused disasters. That is crucially important, of course, but I have decided to focus on the topic from a different angle: the Environment and how it affects our soul. Since I live in Japan, I will write about how things manifest here.   Read more...

I have recently joined the moderation team of an online community by the global project dropping knowledge (http://www.droppingknowledge.org). What is dropping knowledge? “dropping knowledge encourages social change. Using advanced web technologies, the initiative with offices in Berlin, Germany and Cambridge, MA, USA, links the voices of individuals and organizations. The web-platform enables the global public to ask and answer questions, exchange ideas, and start initiatives around the most pressing issues of our time. Events like the Table of Free Voices, campaigns like "ask yourself" and projects in cooperation with different partners create a meaningful bridge between the on and offline worlds.”   Read more...

Today bloggers all around the world are going to write about nature, conservation, the need for a more sustainable environment. I don’t need to explain to you that this is necessary, because you read and hear the sad news each day. You see things that might make you angry, sad or helpless. But life goes just the way it’s supposed to be, we are always in the situation that we are supposed to be in. There is always something to be learned and an almost immediate solution. Doesn’t mean that when we go for the solution all the done damage will turn itself around in a second, but the way to sustainability is here, it can be instant ...   Read more...

Although I am a member of the English Department in my college, I also teach in the other departments as well. I always try to have my English lessons tie in with my students’ majors. So of course, for the Environment Department I recently assigned a project dealing with that theme.   Read more...

I live in a rural community where there is little to no overt emphasis on caring for the environment; it

Is there room in your home for peace? I’m really asking.

How can we expect to create peace on this blessed orb if we don’t or won’t work to create peace in our own homes?   Read more...

I am an optimist, but in writing a blog about the environment I found myself dubious about the value of small progressive steps. I just don't see buying a Prius or hydrogen fuels happening in time. So I've written about what I see as the obstacles instead. We need to look at environmental rights as fundamental human rights, but won't. Here you go.....

This blog is influenced by The Rambler, by Samuel Johnson. I suggest that environmental rights are human rights, and like all human rights, they should be enforceable in the courts of all countries. It may be, however,that although an International Convention on Human Rights is capable of broadly protecting our environment, it may pass without notice, huddled in a variety of things, and thrown into the general miscellany of life. Even though our natural environment is comprised of individual parts comprising a whole, our environmental community does not operate that way. Admittedly, the hardest work is done by the valiant efforts of those who struggle to protect every forest, river, and species. I have done this by arguing many lawsuits in state and federal courts. But the law which is the will of the people and the guardian of the environment is inadequate to the task.   Read more...

I had a great experience yesterday. I went to a one day retreat where we did mostly tantric yoga exercises. Your thought; “that’s sex, right?” My thought; “More like sex between your and the others soul”. It’s about celebrating life and learning to open up to and love people just because they are people. You don’t need to really know them, don’t even need to know their names and you can still feel a strong love and openness for them (when you do tantric exercises together).

The exercises that we did can seem weird at first. But don’t worry; you don’t take of your clothes and there’s no nipple biting (as far as I have seen). The big advantage of this weirdness is that you are more or less forced to look at your thoughts and feelings when you are in a vulnerable situation, so close to a person you don’t know. You get all kinds of negative ideas about the other person, yourself and the situation, even if one of your usual values is respecting (and loving) all people you can see all the prejudices you’re still stuck with and live with in daily life. It took me a few hours to let go of those thoughts. Thank god we started at 10 in the morning and ended at 3 that night, I had plenty of time to realize and change important things.   Read more...

Once again, I am inspired to write. I do so to introduce you to a young man who is both extraordinary and ordinary. Before I share his story, I want you to know some of my own philosophy and observations of what I call the realized expressions of life. One is born with the ability to seize and manipulate the experiences of ones realities and create expressions and outcomes that are a lot more than just mundane. Seizing opportunities, perhaps with or perhaps without fear, yet seizing opportunities that others do not notice or are not inspired by.

A case in point is the young man I am writing about, Roni, born in Northern India in a home/sanctuary created for those whose parents and grand parents were affected with leprosy.   Read more...