Green Options » monsoon

Monsoon Delayed, Two Indian States Declare Drought

Govind Singh — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:00:41 +0000

Monsoon - said to be India’s true Finance Minister and an indicator of the country’s water and livelihood security - has had a delayed arrival this year.

And when it came, it has been more variable than ever before in recent recorded history. Drought and floods have hit the country and put it under a great water stress. The situation is being monitored very closely and the Indian Government is ready with a contingency plan.

Two states have been declared drought hit and the Indian Agriculture Minister has expressed his concern over food production this year. Water wars have already begun in the country that has otherwise been giving a good fight to the global financial crisis. Not sure if its climate change or a result of rapid urbanization, or both, but India certainly needs to do a lot to secure its water resources for today and tomorrow.

The High Price of Rubber & the Devastation of Southeast Asia

Lisa Wojnovich — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:02 +0000

Slash-and-burn agriculture may be bad for the environment, but in southeast Asia, the cure may be worse than the disease. Endorsed by multiple governments, at both the local and national levels, as well as numerous business interests, everyone from individual farmers to massive corporations has been replacing the traditional slash-and-burn, more technically known as swidden, method of farming with rubber plantations managed with European techniques. In the last 20 years, over 1.2 million acres of land in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar have been cleared and replanted with nothing but rubber trees. By 2050, this number is expected to double — possibly even triple.

Coconut Lagoon - An Eco-Friendly Health Spa

Reenita Malhotra — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:59:53 +0000

The monsoon season may not considered to be the ideal time to travel in India but if you are looking for a green spa retreat amidst the chirping of birds around a large lake then try the Coconut Lagoon. Situated on the banks of Lake Vembanad, the largest lake in Kerala, this unique health resort offers ayurveda, yoga, and kalaripayattu (ancient martial arts) in old world Kerala style living. It provides the perfect retreat from fifth gear living and its core values abide by the the name of its owner, the CGHearth group, which stands for Clean, Green, Healthy Earth. In the monsoon season, the air is dense with moisture making the flora of the Kerala backwaters seem greener and even more abundant than the rest of the year.