Category Archives: Green Initiatives / Environment

Elephants In The Coffee To Be Screened At BNHS

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

The growing coffee industry in India has given rise to conflicts between humans and elephants leading to deaths of both humans and these huge mammals.

Poster of the movie 'Elephants in the Coffee'
Poster of the movie ‘Elephants in the Coffee’

Having a cup of coffee is a routine activity for many. Have you ever thought is your cup of coffee fatal for anyone? The growing coffee industry in India has given rise to conflicts between humans and elephants leading to deaths of both humans and these huge mammals. A documentary by international photographer, author and explorer D. K. Bhaskar and journalist Dr Thomas Grant ‘Elephants in the Coffee’ offers an insight into this topic. The screening of this internationally acclaimed documentary has been organized at BNHS Hornbill House on Friday, 19th January at 6:00 PM followed by a discussion with Mr. Bhaskar.

The Documentary:
Celebrated as the elephant God in India, elephants are now seen as a ‘menace’. ‘A god that became a menace’ reads the tagline of this documentary which is catchy and strong yet could implore an array of ideas. Shot mainly around the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka and surrounding coffee estates, this 58 minute documentary sheds light on the relationship between humans and elephants.

The documentary explores and highlights the views of all involved stakeholders including villagers, coffee estate owners, naturalists, government and even the mahouts or elephant care takers. This documentary has garnered national and international appreciation and multiple awards at film festivals.

‘Elephants in the Coffee’ has been produced by CLIC Aboard, a non-profit organization established by Mr. Bhaskar which works to connect students in US and India through photography.

The team which worked on this documentary included three student associates from CLIC apart from Dr. Grant, Mr. Bhaskar and others. For more details regarding the film, visit http://www.elephantsinthecoffee.com/

The documentary will be screened at BNHS on Friday, 19th January at 6:00 PM. Mr. Bhaskar would later engage in a discussion session to throw light on the film, the human-elephant conflict and related topics. The screening is free and open to everyone.

Details in a nutshell:
What: Screening of ‘Elephants in the Coffee’
When: Friday, 19th January
Time: 6:00 PM
RSVP: Siddhi Shelar – s.shelar@bnhs.org / 022-22821811

source: http://www.mid-day.com / Mid-Day / Home> Mumbai / by mid-day online correspondent / January 10th, 2018

The lure of Nishani Motte

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Sports
Devaragundi Falls
Devaragundi Falls

Travelling to Nishani Motte and hiking there was on our bucket list for a long time. We had heard that the place is also called the ‘Leech Kingdom’ as it is surrounded by a large number of leeches during the Monsoon.

On a Saturday early morning, I left Bengaluru with four of my friends for this interesting journey. We took the Hassan Road which is good to drive during the Monsoon months.

The first stop we planned was the Devarakolli Falls, which is a few km after Madikeri on Madikeri-Mangalore Road.

The Falls lie parallel to the main road and there are some shops for the travellers to have snacks. You can’t take bath in the Falls but it is a great place to shoot some good pictures.

After the short break, we hit the road for beautiful Devaragundi Falls, which is exactly 13 km from Sampaje, and located in a village called Thodikana. You need to park the vehicle two km before the Falls and do a small trek of two km on a flat jeep track to reach the Falls, which is so majestically placed inside the forest and is easily accessible.

To say the least, it was beautiful and gushing at the peak of Monsoon. Until January end, there is water for taking bath in the Falls but it gets dry during the peak of summer.

However, one should keep an eye on the kids as the water gushing area is steep. We were informed about this by the local villagers.

After a refreshing bath, we reached Mayura Cauvery in Bhagamandala to stay the night over.

The rooms were decent enough. We had our dinner in the small village of Bhagamandala.

Next day morning, we visited the forest office in Bhagamandala and got permission from the department to trek to Nishani Motte after paying a nominal entry fee and guide charges.

There was also another group who joined us in the trek. The Nishani Motte trek is around five km in total. One has to hire a jeep or travel in their own vehicle to the base from the forest office. The base is around five to six km from the forest office. We started our trek around 9 am.

The initial trek was a mild climb through estates and huge trees. In 20 minutes, we could see the grasslands and the leeches too. No wonder this place is called the ‘Leech Kingdom’ as thousands of leeches jumped over us.

Two hours through the trek, we reached the peak which was misty and foggy. We enjoyed every minute of the trek exploring the greenery and escaping from the leeches.

It started to rain during the last leg of our trek but it was an amazing experience to completely get drenched and enjoy the walk with friends.

Finally, we reached the other side of the base. We had our jeep waiting for us to drop us back to the Forest Department office. We reached the forest office around 2.30 pm, had a great lunch and finally visited the Thalacauvery Temple which is just a 15-minute-drive from Bhagamandala.

After visiting the Thalacauvery Temple, which is interestingly the birthplace of river Cauvery, we started our drive back to Bengaluru with lovely memories to cherish forever.

(The author can be contacted at kavinkishore85@gmail.com)

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Kavin Kishore/ January 03rd, 2018

‘Preserve the sanctity of Brahmagiri’

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Coffee planter Manavattira Dore Somanna warned the district administration of locking up the entrance of Brahmagiri if the entry of public is not banned within a week.

He further added that the Brahmagiri, the birthplace of river Cauvery has been converted into an abode of illegal activities. “Tourists have been spoiling the sanctity of the place by littering it with garbage. This will affect the purity of river Cauvery.”

He said that the district administration should also ban the illegal shops near Talacauvery. Tourists should be banned from discarding the food leftovers at the Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala. CCTV camera should be installed to monitor the activities of people. Additional staff should be deployed at the spiritual destination to perform the religious rituals smoothly. Also, the temple should conduct the ‘Ashtamangala Prashne’, he added.

Badumanda Muttappa, Padiyammanda Yogish Monnammaiah, Manavattira Papu Changappa and Manavattira Harish Biddappa were present in the press meet.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Napoklu – January 01st, 2018

River Cauvery safe in Karnataka, say experts

About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All
The backwater of the KRS dam. According to a KSPCB official, Cauvery river water in Karnataka falls under 'C' grade, which means it is safe for drinking after treatment. DH FILE PHOTO
The backwater of the KRS dam. According to a KSPCB official, Cauvery river water in Karnataka falls under ‘C’ grade, which means it is safe for drinking after treatment. DH FILE PHOTO

Environment experts claim that the report on River Cauvery published by Anna University, Tamil Nadu, may be partially true, but, the river water is safe for consumption in Karnataka.

S Srikantaswamy, professor in Environmental Science, University of Mysore (UoM), said, the pollution level at River Cauvery will be high during summer as water flow is less. The professor, who had conducted a study on River Cauvery two years back, said, “We cannot ignore the report, but, the pollution level in the river varies at different points in time.”

“It is true that the river, which has its origin at Talacauvery, in Kodagu district, receives wastewater from the starting point itself. The river flows amidst coffee plantations and the coffee pulped water is directly let into the river without any treatment. Similarly, the industries located along the river discharge wastewater (including toxic effluents) without treatment,” he said.

An official of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) said that he is unaware about the parameters of the study conducted by Anna University.

“The water in Karnataka comes under ‘C’ grade, which means it is safe for drinking after treatment. The report might be true as the river might be more polluted in TN,” he said.

In TN, a large number of small and medium textile dyeing industries, paper and sugar mills are located besides the river, and this could be the reason for high pollution levels. The pollution level during summer will be high as self-purification is low due to less volume of water flow, he said.

In Mysuru district, except sewage water in a few places, no industry releases wastewater into the river directly. The authorities monitor the quality of water every month at various places, commencing from Kodagu district up to the border of Karnataka, and the river water quality is good, he claimed.

Claiming that the River Cauvery in Karnataka is not polluted as much as River Ganga, he said, as per the physical appearance itself, the river is not much polluted.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Ranjith Kandya / Mysuru – DH News Service / December 25th, 2017

Coffee holidays: Unwind in nature’s lap with a hot cuppa

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

Karnataka, which accounts for over 70% of India’s total coffee production, is betting big on tourism around its coffee.

The last chunk of rainforest coffee on this planet is in India and grows along the Western Ghats covering Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. (Photo: DC)
The last chunk of rainforest coffee on this planet is in India and grows along the Western Ghats covering Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. (Photo: DC)

Bengaluru :

Karnataka, which accounts for over 70% of India’s total coffee production, is betting big on tourism around its coffee.

The last chunk of rainforest coffee on this planet is in India and grows along the Western Ghats covering Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Karnataka’s coffee gardens are a haven for wildlife, dozens of rare bird species, some 50 different types of tress apart from natural flora and fauna.
State Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge said a wide variety of farm and home stay options are available across coffee areas of Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Hassan, Sakleshpur and Baba Budan Giri (a mountain where first ever coffee in the country was grown in 1670), and Mullayanagiri (the highest coffee growing peek in Chikkamagaluru).

Kharge said, “We’ve recently eased a lot of restrictions around farm tourism and home stays, by decreasing the home stay registration fee to Rs 500 from Rs 10,000. We have also introduced additional incentives to encourage entrepreneurship in coffee tourism. We received home-stay registration requests from over 700 coffee farmers and estates in the last two months.”

Some of the activities promoted under coffee tourism include nature trails, trekking, pulping, bean plucking, drying, curing, roasting and grinding the coffee.

In addition, coffee lands offer amazing landscapes with unique culture and cuisines, he said.

Anil Kumar Bhandari president of Indian Coffee Trust said, “Corporates and real estate firms are eager to swallow huge chunks of coffee lands to build resorts, but coffee farmers with the help of the tourism department are trying to keep such elements out.”

Only individuals and families who are living in Karnataka for a minimum period of 15 years will be eligible for home stay licences.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> In Other News / by Mini Tejaswi / December 23rd, 2017

Karnataka : ‘ Tax tourists to preserve Kodagu’s green ’

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

CoorgGreenKF22dec2017

District wants to follow on Nilgiris’ footsteps, urges Payment for Ecological Services fund for the benefit of farmers and region’s ecology

Worried about the increasing tourism activity in Kodagu district, greens have urged the government to follow the Niligiris district administration and impose a green tax on tourist vehicles entering the district.

Recently, the Nilgiris district administration announced that tourist vehicles entering the district via the Burliar, Kakkanallah and Nambiar Kunnu checkposts will be charged a green tax of Rs. 20, which will be used for the maintenance of the district’s ecology. It is expected that the fee will be used by the administration to carry out restoration works and maintain the fragile Nilgiris landscape.

Sundar Muthanna, Bengaluru Co-ordinator for Coorg Wildlife Society, welcomed the move by the Nilgiris district administration and said this should be implemented at all entry points to Kodagu district too.

“Collecting a cess or tax from tourist vehicles is important at the entry points because tourism has a very negative foot print on the ecology. Some of the damage can be undone by the tourism industry itself. They cannot go on exploiting the land endlessly and they have to give back,” he said.

He said the money generated should be used for tree planting and rejuvenating the existing water sources. “The money thus collected must go to the Payment for Ecological Services (PES) fund. The idea for PES comes from the belief that a rich and diverse ecology is equal to economic capital for the state and the nation.

Through PES we can help the people of Malnad preserve the ecology they live in. A well-preserved ecology will encourage rainfall locally in the Malnad and in the neighbouring regions,” he said. The fund could be used to provide subsidies for Malnad’s planters and farmers, he said.

Paddy cultivation could be encouraged with this fund, as rice fields contribute richly to the streams and rivers, and help to make them perennial, or flow through the year. Cottage industries such as pepper processing, canning, coffee processing can be set up in each taluk of the districts of Malnad.

The entry point to Kodagu district is from Hassan, Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada and Kerala.

Dinesh Holla, convener Sahyadri Sanchaya, said uncontrollable damage has already taken place in the Western Ghats region of Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru. “Rainfall has reduced. The government talks about only development, but when environmentalists approach the minister requesting him to procure helicopters so that in case of forest fire, quick action can be initiated, we are told that we are not living in a foreign country. It is time that the youth come forward, raise their voice and protect whatever little is left behind in the fragile Western Ghats,” he said.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 21st, 2017

CNC observes Huthari in traditional fervour

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Nature
CNC President N U Nachappa and CNC members observed Huthari festival by cutting paddy sheaves in the filed of Uthappa at Chikkabettageri near Kushalnagar on Sunday.
CNC President N U Nachappa and CNC members observed Huthari festival by cutting paddy sheaves in the filed of Uthappa at Chikkabettageri near Kushalnagar on Sunday.

The Codava National Council (CNC) led by its president N U Nachappa celebrated Huthari, the harvest festival of Kodagu, at a paddy field of Nandineravanda Uthappa, in Chikkabettageri village near Kushalnagar in Kodagu on Sunday.

By cutting paddy sheaves in the paddy field of Uthappa, the members celebrated the festival in a traditional manner.

The members offered prayers to the gods and began the Huthari celebrations with ‘Nere Kattuvo’ ritual. The leaves of mango, jackfruit, “Arali”, “Kumbali” and cashew nut trees were used in the ritual.

After the ritual, the participants walked in a procession to paddy fields accompanied by the ‘Dudikottpat’ (Dudi is a small drum of Kodavas).

After firing thrice in the air, the paddy sheaves were cut and brought home in a procession.

The CNC members performed traditional Kolata, Pareya Kali and Chowkata on the occasion. People relished Payasa, “Thambittu,” “Kadubu”, “Pandikari” and other delicacies on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the CNC President urged the government to include Kodava language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

He said that the government should accord tribal status to Kodavas.

The central government should declare a holiday for Huthari festival.

The CNC is continuing its struggle for an autonomous Kodava land and Kodava land should be declared a union territory. The culture and tradition of Kodavas should be included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Unesco, he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by DH News Service, Kushalnagar / December 03rd, 2017

Karnataka : To save River Cauvery, Kodagu students send a scroll to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

A group of children in Kodagu have written — rather drawn — to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to protect river Cauvery which is under threat because of unplanned development activities. Instead of the usual way of writing a letter, the children opted for a scroll which has a series of paintings which depict the current state of the river.
ScrollKF25nov2017

Meena Cariappa, a social worker associated with the Opportunity School in Madikeri and wife of Air Marshal Cariappa (rtd), told Bangalore Mirror, “it is a scary situation the way river Cauvery is facing. While environment activists are working towards protecting the river, the children of Kodagu have joined hands in this mission and have attempted to draw the attention of the prime minister himself.”

She says if PM can look into the issue, the river can be a role model for the entire country itself.

She said, “Apart from a tweet to the Prime Minister’s Office, we have sent a six-ft–long scroll to the Prime Minister’s residence, hoping that he would look at it and there could be some change. There are many things happening in the name of development which is destroying the river, the lifeline of South India.”

The scroll reads: Respected Prime Minister, Please Save the Cauvery. We can see it dying and it won’t be there when we grow up. Only you can save it. There is a photograph of the Cauvery flowing in the centre. There are two photographs of the river on either side — one stating ‘what you had’ and another ‘what we get’. The entire text is handwritten on a recycled paper. It has pictures of about 100 students, though nearly 1,000 kids participated.”

“We have sent this scroll to the Prime Minister’s residence as part of Children’s Day celebration. We are hopeful that that he will respond to the students’ request. We are waiting,” Meena said.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 23rd, 2017

Full of beans: Coffee grounds to help power London’s buses

Coffee News, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

A new biofuel, which contains part coffee oil, is being added to the London bus fuel supply chain where it can be used without the need for modification.

Transport for London has been turning to biofuels to curb carbon emissions, trialling a fuel made with used cooking oil from the catering industry.(Shutterstock)
Transport for London has been turning to biofuels to curb carbon emissions, trialling a fuel made with used cooking oil from the catering industry.(Shutterstock)

Waste coffee grounds will be used to help fuel some of London’s buses, Royal Dutch Shell and clean technology company bio-bean said on Monday.

A new biofuel, which contains part coffee oil, is being added to the London bus fuel supply chain where it can be used without the need for modification, the companies said in a statement.

Bio-bean and partner Argent Energy have so far produced enough coffee oil to power one bus for a year, if used as a pure-blend for the 20 percent bio component and mixed with mineral diesel to form a B20 fuel, they said.

Transport for London has been turning to biofuels to curb carbon emissions, trialling a fuel made with used cooking oil from the catering industry, the transport operator said on its website.

Bio-bean said the average Londoner drinks 2.3 cups of coffee a day, producing over 200,000 tonnes of waste a year. It collects waste grounds from high street chains and factories, which are dried and processed to extract coffee oil.

“It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource,” bio-bean founder Arthur Kay said.

The coffee fuel technology has been supported by Shell.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> World / by Reuters, London / November 20th, 2017

Need to protect Kannada stressed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Sthree Shakthi members take out a procession.
Sthree Shakthi members take out a procession.

There was a festive atmosphere at Ponnampete on the border of Kodagu district in Virajpet taluk, which is hosting a two-day district-level Kannada Sahitya Sammelan. A large number of students participated in the Kannada literary meet, which commenced on Saturday.

Inaugurating the meet, writer Dr Siddalingaiah said that there is a need to protect Kannada in Kodagu. “A few Malayalam name boards are found in the district. Kannadigas should be awake in the district.

There is no need for a Malayalam name board in Kannada land,” he said.

Stating that there are ample opportunities for promotion of tourism in the district, he said that the state government should chalk out programmes to safeguard the culture and uniqueness of the district along with the promotion of tourism.

Highlighting the importance of Kannada in the district, he said Kodagu Commissioner Cubbon had removed Lakshminarayanayya from the post of Diwan of Kodagu in 1838. He had written a letter to Governor General in Kolkatta highlighting the injustice met on him in pure Kannada.

Siddalingaiah said, “there is a need to restrict the purchase of land in the district by people from outside the district to protect the culture of the land.”

“Field Marshal Cariappa, General Thimmaiah not only brought fame to Kodagu but also the entire country. The people of the district not only guard the border but also protect the language.”

Kaveri nadi pradhikara
In her presidential address, Kechamada Subbamma Thimmaiah demanded the setting up of Kaveri nadi pradhikara.

She said “the test reports have confirmed that the water from river Cauvery at several places is not potable. The garbage and sewage from various places enter the river and pollute it. Cauvery is the lifeline of the state. There is a need to check dumping of garbage into the river. If left untreated, it could choke the river flow, ” she warned.

“The Kodagu district is the land of warriors and culture. There is a need to protect the culture of the land.”, she added.

Arameri Kalancheri Mutt seer Shantha Mallikarjuna Swami, Ponnampete Ramakrishna Sharadhashrama Swaroopanandaji Maharaj were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Ponnampete – DH News Service / November 18th, 2017