So to talk about beef eating, which is considered sacrilegious by most of the Hindus in the country, the Indian population often misinterprets beef to refer to cows alone, while according to US standards, the meat of buffalo is also termed as beef. India does not officially export cow meat. The country’s beef exports are made of carabeef, which refers to the meat of buffalo only.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, India became the top exporter of beef in 2014 with Brazil in second position. Some of the reasons why India was able to make it to the top of the list of top beef exporting countries are:

• The inferior quality of beef exported by India is cheaper than its competitor, Brazil. Since the meat of the buffalo is tougher, it is sold at a lower price and is used primarily for industrial use, like making sausages and other processed foods.
• The main regions where beef is exported are Asian countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. With most of these regions being close to the country, exporting beef to these countries is easy and more economical. This has helped spur the growth of the beef industry in India.

Leading beef exporting companies of the country are owned by people of non-Hindu origin. While Hindu activists have raised questions on the export of beef in the country, the numbers are yet to reduce because the bans are specifically on the slaughter and export of cows and not on the buffalo meat that is sold by the exporters.

Objections Faced by Beef Exporters in India

Cow Meat May Be Exported Illegally as Buffalo Meat

Ashoo Mongia is the President of Rashtriye Goraksha Sena, which is one of the activist groups in the country. Mongia says, “If you ask for Indian cow-flesh in Dubai, you can get it.” The group campaigns against the export of beef, claiming that cow meat is also illegally sold in the country and exported to other countries under the guise of buffalo meat.

On the other hand, established beef exporting companies say that these claims are baseless, explaining that no one would want to risk their business by exporting cow meat in India since it is illegal.

Reduced Milk Production Because of Exporting Female Buffaloes

According to an article of Business Today India, another fear raised by a popular dairy owner in the state of Uttar Pradesh is that the production of milk may reduce if more buffalo were slaughtered. Mohammad Ali Qureshi, who is the President of Bombay Suburban Beef Dealers Association, explains that beef exporting companies hardly buy milk yielding buffaloes because they cost almost twice the price of a buffalo that has stopped yielding milk. So the buffalo slaughtered for export are usually the ones that have stopped giving milk. The buffalo owner who sells their wares to these exporters is able to use the money to invest in milk yielding buffalo, which means that the export of beef may only be helping to increase milk production and not decrease it.

A majority of the exporters are Muslims and most of them suffer on religious grounds. Activists often stop the vehicles and campaign against them, trying to prove that their business is illegal even though the owners have complete legal rights for the business and the slaughter of the animals. The owners have been ignoring the campaigners and doing their best to increase the export of beef to other countries so that they can stay on the list of top beef exporting countries in the world.

While most of India’s Hindu population chooses to ignore the beef exporting statistics of the country, for the activists who do fight the exporters, there may be a thin line between reality and assumptions with buffalo meat easily being mistaken in the country as cow meat.

The post The Land Where Cows Are Holy Tops the List of Beef Exporting Countries appeared first on Defend Planet.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. oil
• water to knead the dough

For the Stuffing

•  4 – 5 medium size potatoes
• 1 green chilli chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 3 tsp. chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp. chopped mint leaves
• ½ tsp. red chilli powder
• ½ tsp. dried mango powder
• salt to taste
• oil to roast the parathas

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot aloo parathas with a blob of butter, yogurt, or any pickle.

Instructions

Preparation of the Dough

1. In a bowl, take the wheat flour and sprinkle salt and oil on it. Mix and remove lumps caused by oil.
2. Add water slowly and knead the flour into a smooth dough. Cover and set the dough aside for 20 minutes. Resting the dough will give you a soft and smooth dough which will be easy to roll.

Preparation of the Stuffing

1. Boil the potatoes, peel, and mash them. Make sure to leave no lumps while mashing the potatoes; you will have no difficulty in rolling your parathas if they have been mashed smoothly.
2. Add chopped onion, green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, red chilli powder, dried mango powder, salt, and mix evenly and set aside.

Making the Aloo Paratha

1. Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls.
2. Take a rolling pin and dust the surface with dry flour, then take one ball and roll it on the powdered surface to about 4 to 5 inches.
3. Take some potato stuffing and place it in the center of the rolled dough. Make sure you leave some gap on the sides.
4. Gather all the edges to the center and seal tight. Ensure the stuffing is sealed completely and then flatten the stuffed dough lightly with your hands.
5. Dust some more flour on the surface and roll the paratha to about 6 inches. Sprinkle more flour if required while rolling.
6. On a heated griddle, put the rolled paratha.
7. Flip when bubbles show up and it is half-cooked.
8. Spread some oil on this cooked part and when the lower portion of the paratha is half-cooked, flip the paratha once again and apply oil to this side too.
9. Cook the paratha by flipping once or twice while pressing slowly it with a spatula. Once the paratha gets a nice brown colour and is crispy, remove it from the griddle.
10. Repeat for all of the rolls.
11. Serve the parathas hot with butter, pickle, and yogurt, or simply enjoy an aloo paratha without any condiments.

The post Recipe: How to Make Aloo Paratha? appeared first on Defend Planet.

An integral part of Indian culture is to lead a life that helps sustain nature and live in harmony with the ecological system. It is reflected abundantly in the traditional beliefs and practices, which are born out of the Indian culture. At this time, global concerns regarding a sustainable development is on the rise. The long borne traditions and cultural ethos of nature conservation in the country of India has, in many ways, enlightened the path towards a balanced ecological system.

Almost every culture around the world has a rich tradition that embeds the value of preserving nature in it. Ancient cultures, like the one in India, talks about the importance of leading a life that values our ecological system and embraces the biodiversity of nature. As we progress towards new technology and modern ways, we leave behind these values and look down upon the culture, thinking of it as primitive and superstitious.

However, there was a time when Indian culture looked upon life as a gift which must be celebrated and Earth as the benevolent Mother who should be worshipped and praised. The worship of trees, animals, plants, rivers, and the sun have been a part of the Indian tradition since time unknown. 10,000 year old cave paintings in Central India depict birds, animals, and humans living in harmony.

Many texts and folklore are replete with similes of man living in unison with nature. One such practice, which is seen even today, is the maintenance of sacred groves which are dedicated to the village deity. The Western region of India and the state of Kerala have many such sacred groves even now. This practice helps in the conservation of nature by maintaining patches of forest which are used as the sacred grove.

The reverence of plants in the Indian culture has supported nature by protecting and propagating plants and trees that are important for the ecological system. Trees like the Banyan tree, Pipal tree, and Sandalwood tree are revered in present Indian culture. The tulsi plant, which is known for innumerable medicinal properties, is also worshipped by many Indians. Such a traditional cultural attitude helps in saving nature and nurturing the growth and development of important plants and trees.

In the same way, many animals are considered important in Indian culture, too. The peafowl are not hunted because they are considered sacred to one of the Hindu Lords. Even the tiger and the cobra are protected on religious grounds by many people in India, even though they are greatly feared by others. Buddhism and Jainism also bear innumerable references to the conservation of nature and the importance of animals in our lives.

Even Indian art and scriptures have many references to the preservation of nature. The concepts may seem old, primitive, and superstitious. Many may even shy away from these practices now, but the concept of tree gods, sacred animals, sacred plants, worshipping Mother Earth, the nine planets, and living a life in complete harmony with these can only help us progress towards a better ecological system. The idea may seem far flung, but that is how people once led their lives.

The post How Environmentally Conscious are Indians? appeared first on Defend Planet.

A famous sociobiologist, Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University, highlighted in one of his books how even if all the food-grain would be used to feed the human beings (leaving the livestock), there would still be a certain boundary to how far the amounts could expand. He also explains how only 10 billion people would be able to live on Earth and not more if Earth produces around 2 billion tons of food-grains every year.

John Cohen of Columbia University, a population biologist, enlightens on the many other factors which limit the Earth’s capacity to support many people; the carbon concentrations, nitrogen cycle, and available amounts of phosphorus.

We are already nearing the 9 billion count, and according to the calculations, we might reach the mark by 2050. By 2100, the Earth will have around 10 billion people on its surface. However, the scientists think there could be a change in this prediction as some families are delaying parenthood and now have two kids or less.

The United Nations assessed the trend of global population which clearly reflects how families are becoming smaller.  The UN chief of population estimates and projections section, Gerald Heilig, speaks about the experiential data of 230 countries since 1950 which show how there has been an immense fall in fertility rates. He explains that the fertility rate is going down to ‘replacement level’, which is 2.1 kids for every woman; it is the rate at which the next generation replace the earlier ones, making up for those who die at an early age. If the global fertility rate does go down to reach the replacement level by the end of 21^st century, then the human population might steady at 9 to 10 billion. But for the time being, population keeps increasing as you could see on this daily updated Population Clock.

If Earth can’t effectively sustain more than 10 billion people, our time is running out, so we need to start changing our habits and live more sustainable lives now while decreasing our fertility rate. Planet Earth is our home and we don’t have anywhere else to go, so we need to take care of it now and start showing some small gestures of love before it is too late – and for love, I meant having fewer children; our planet will thank us!

The post How Many People Can the Earth Sustain? appeared first on Defend Planet.

1. Do your own research and help raise awareness of the environment problems where you live.
2. Eat less red meat; cows are the main cause of environmental degradation because of methane emissions, deforestation, and biodiversity loss.
3. Press your government representative to implement renewable energy sources. If you can, generate your own renewable electricity by installing a solar panel or wind turbine.
4. If you can work from home, that’s probably the best way to go. If you still need to commute, try to use ecological friendly transportation, like a bicycle, electric car, or share your vehicle with other people.
5. We love our cats and dogs, but introducing invasive species could harm biodiversity in a significant way – so always be responsible with your pets and don’t release them in a protected environment.
6. Stop buying plastic bottled water; use a vacuum flask instead.
7. Remember the old 3R’s motto: “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”, before throwing anything into the dumpster.
8. Turn off lights you are not using and unplug all your electric devices and chargers when they are not in use.
9. Replace traditional light bulbs with LED light bulbs; they have a longer lifespan and are more efficient than fluorescent bulbs.
10. Avoid overconsumption; consumerism seriously affects our environment.
11. Don’t use aerosol sprays; chlorofluorocarbon compounds (CFC) are not only toxic, but have destructive effects on the ozone layer, increasing the greenhouse effect.
12. When shopping, take a cloth bag with you and avoid plastic bags; remember that a plastic bag could require 150 years before degrading.
13. Segregate organic waste from inorganic waste and recyclable materials like glass, aluminum, paper, and cardboard.
14. Plant trees and plants; they are not only going to embellish your neighborhood, but are going to make you healthier, producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2).
15. Install a composting toilet, or if you can’t use a waiter toilet, make sure you are using a high-efficiency flush toilet; remember to save water as much as you can.
16. Consume seasonal food and buy locally grown food whenever it’s possible.
17. Use biodegradable cleaners and soaps.
18. Avoid using products made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as manufacturing is highly toxic due to phthalates and dioxin compounds that negatively impact the environment.
19. If a drug has expired, don’t throw it in the toilet or the dumpster; dispose of it in an authorized collector location. If you are in the U.S., you could find more information here.
20. Avoid using petroleum-derived beauty products – look out for nature ingredients instead.
21. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, shave, soap your body, or wash your hair; you will save this precious fluid.
22. Stop using zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries; use rechargeable batteries instead, and remember to dispose of those in the appropriate battery recycling bins.

Do you think we are missing an important ecological tip here? Please let us know so we can include it on this list.

The post Useful Tips to Save and Defend the Planet appeared first on Defend Planet.

To make compost in home, we first need to choose a place to pile organic waste, and then we have to decide if it’s going to be on soil or on an enclosed compost bin.

If we are going to pile organic waste directly into the soil it has to be unpaved and include an inclination for water drain. We can also use a compost bin made with wooden pallets or an enclosed compost bin.

* If you make a compost pile on bare earth:

Required tools and supplies:

– A shovel.

– Rocks.

– Branches.

– Wet and dry waste that CAN be composted: fruits, vegetables, fruit juice, shredded bark, leaves and dry flowers from trees, green or dry plants, green or dry grass, ashes, sawdust, eggshells, rice, farm animal manure, paper towel, egg cartons, tea bags, coffee residue, wine and beer.

Waste that CAN’T be composted: dry or wet weed plants, ashes from coal or from treated items, sawdust from treated wood (like agglomerate), farm animal manure from animals on antibiotics, human feces or pet feces (because disease-causing pathogens could be transmitted), decomposing dairy and grease (can be used but produce bad odors), cooked meals, food grains, fish, meat and bones (attract rodents).

– Soil.

– Water.

– Compost needs to be implemented in a wide area of at least 40 inches of length and width so weather can ferment waste.

– Crossed branches need to be placed first and then some rocks need to be spread over soil in order to insure proper ventilation.

– Layers of 6 to 8 inches with dry waste need to be placed (sawdust, leaves, shredded bark).

– Over dry layer wet waste should be placed (vegetables, fruits, grass).

– In another layer farm animal manure should be placed.

– Next step is to add a thin layer of soil.

– Egg shells could be added with soil.

– Mix waste very thoroughly after first month – or before if there is a lot of moisture.

– Keep alternating layers of compost, watering if it’s too dry and finishing with an extra bit of soil.

– During the following months, compost should be watered once in a while to keep moisture and it should be mixed in order to accelerate decomposition.

– Mature compost is obtained after 5-6 months on average, and it should look and smell like dark soil. After that you are ready to use this organic fertilizer on your garden.

* If you are making your own compost box from pallets:

Required tools and supplies:

– Wooden pallets.

– A hammer.

– Nails.

– Remember to assemble all sides of your compost box; it is advisable that the base touches the ground and one of the sides should be open in order to mix compost and provide good ventilation.

– Technique for your compost here is pretty much the same we described before; it’s important to insert layers between organic waste, and then do some proper watering and mixing, in order to obtain a good organic fertilizer after a few months (5-6 months).

* If you are using a compost bin:

– Choose the container that best fits your area; there are also some compost bins with doors that make easier the process of mixing waste.

– Technique is the same as described before.

The post DIY: How to Make Compost? appeared first on Defend Planet.

With cancer being considered one of the most feared diseases around the world, it is very important that we understand the manner in which red meat can affect our lives. It has been established long back that red meat is related to a number of health issues, but knowing that it can be the reason for cancer changes things a lot.

The WHO report has two details which create most of our worries:

1. The report has classified processed meat as Group I carcinogen. This means that it lies in the same group as cigarettes. This can be reason enough for us to change our ways, because smoking is responsible for 90% of all lung cancer causes and smoking leads to a high mortality rate in the U.S.

However, keep this in mind that every single item which belongs to this category does not carry the same amount of risk. It only means that processed meat is carcinogenic.

2. The other part of the report which sounded terrifying was that consuming 50 grams of processed meat daily can increase the possibility of colorectal cancer by 18%. The keyword here is ‘risk’. It does not directly lead to an 18% total chance of developing cancer. Instead, we are looking at a higher risk when consuming red meat.

WHO has tried to clarify a lot of concerns regarding this report through FAQs and Twitter posts.

This report shook the world and everyone began to worry about their consumption of red meat. Suggestions regarding the way in which it should be cooked and what could ensure that its carcinogenic content remains in check began showing up everywhere from newspapers to blogs. But we slowly sank back into our comfort zone as the report began to reach a state of oblivion.

Last year’s dietary recommendations in the U.S. did not cover much of the reduction of meat. However, many countries around the world have been in the process of changing the amount of consumption of red meat. People’s Republic of China announced their updated dietary recommendations which suggested that people should cut down their intake of red meat by almost half. Even the Danish council of Ethics suggested the introduction of a new tax on red meat.

While these are the countries that have started taking steps recently, India is one of those countries where red meat has been avoided since ancient times. Hinduism has prohibited the eating of red meat for a long time and one of the most common sources of red meat, cows, are known to be sacred to the religion. We may be proving how red meat affects us now, but India is one of those countries that seems to have known the importance of avoiding red meat for long a long time.

The post What WHO Says About Red Meat and Cancer? appeared first on Defend Planet.

When the World Health Organization announced that processed meat can be a reason for cancer, it crushed every red meat lover in the country and we hoped that science and research would have a ray of hope for us by proving things otherwise. So as we reduced our consumption of processed meats waiting for new research that puts everything back in place, researchers in Mayo Clinic decided to douse every ray of hope that shone through the bleak darkness of an end to the consumption of processed meats.

The researchers decided to find out whether meat was really killing us. They reviewed six previous studies based on meat and vegetarian diets and the effects of these diets on mortality. The studies collectively involved over 1.5 million people and the research aimed at providing the physicians with guidance based on evidence whether they should stop people from following a diet based on meat or not.

Quite averse to our hopes, they came to a conclusion that the consumption of red meat, processed red meat to be more specific, is the cause of increased all-cause mortality. These studies that took place in the Western World are an eye opener for avid meat eaters. While vegans can continue to bask in the glory of their vegan lifestyle, red meat lovers have reason to reduce consumption if not remove it from their diet completely.

While we all may consider this to be old news because the World Health Organization had already talked about it, Hindus in India seem to be aware of this since ancient times, which explains why they prohibit the consumption of red meat.

Many ancient texts of India have proved what Science is able to establish now. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and numerous texts in the religion talk about sages and ascetics who have established some very strong scientific facts.

Why cows are sacred to Hindus?

Cows are sacred to the religion and Hindus are prohibited to eat the meat of cows. They are revered during many of the festivals and are seen as an important part of the religion. One of the beliefs for their reverence of cows sprouts from the fact that the cow is seen as a benevolent animal that provides the society with numerous benefits. It is seen as the symbol of the Earth which nourishes the people, and provides for them without demanding anything in return. Cows are one of the primary sources of all dairy products which are used around the world.

This is one of the reasons why Hindus respect the animal and abstain from eating the meat of cows. In the light of the latest WHO declaration and research conducted by the researchers of Mayo Clinic, there is reason to believe that the Hindu way of life is after all better in numerous ways.

Hindu sages and ascetics excelled in Science and many of the Hindu beliefs have scientific roots. Their knowledge of the nine planets was established centuries ago when the many other people in the world believed that the world was flat and felt that we were the only ones in the universe. This is only one of the examples of the vastness of their knowledge and beliefs based on Science which we have been able to prove to be true in the modern world.

The ideology behind the religion has been ridiculed and criticized by many people who think that India is not a progressive world because of its beliefs; however, progress is the last thing that the country may have to worry about if it had established current scientific facts eons ago.

With faith and science being considered poles apart in most of the religions, where miracles and science do not match up and where many Gods and Goddesses are considered to be a figment of imagination, Hinduism is one of those religions that puts the two together. Science is used as the base on which the religion balances itself. For a religion that is almost as old as civilization itself and has science at its core, the numerous followers of Hinduism are undoubtedly heading the right way.

What we see today as cancerous and life threatening has been known by the Hindus all along who have ensured that cows are not slaughtered for meat. Talking about progress, we may have a long way to go.

The post Is Red Meat Killing Us? appeared first on Defend Planet.

However, the United States Food and Drug Administration released a report in February 2014 that puts a magnifying glass to the problem that Americans have with wasting food. Their report concluded that 31 percent of all food available at both the consumer and retail level was wasted.

Now, when this writer began to read these facts assumed that retail businesses must have been responsible for the majority of that 31 percent. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The USDA further split the data to find out how much each sector was wasting, and concluded that the U.S. consumers were wasting 21 of the 31 percent. That means that out of all of the food produced in the United States, the consumer is throwing away 1/5 of it without eating it.

While this data is only focused on the United States, it speaks volumes to all countries that have similar food purchasing practices. If this type of waste and overconsumption can be defeated, then it will help the planet in several ways, from fewer landfills to a better use of the funds and foods involved.

If people can consciously purchase and eat only the food they need, they will begin to see those positive changes. Again, it is only something that will work if everyone makes an effort. It might not seem like much if you, the reader, is the only one making the decision to cut back, but movements start with one person at a time. Choose to stop your own food waste, and soon the results will show.

The post Few Thoughts About Food Waste in the United States appeared first on Defend Planet.

At a time when countries have been worrying about clean energy and encourage the use of renewable energy sources, Germany has been basking in the light of excessive renewable energy. The keyword here is ‘excessive’ because on Sunday, May 8, the country reached a point where the powerful sources of sun and wind created so much energy that power prices plummeted into the negative for a substantial number of hours.

At approximately 1 pm, Germany’s solar, wind, hydro and biomass plants were collectively supplying almost 55GW of the 63GW that was being consumed. That makes it almost 87 percent of the energy required by the country. So to say, Germany’s commercial customers were being paid for the consumption of electricity.

This awe-inspiring feat has left every country around the world impressed. After all, the entire world has been looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint and move towards the consumption of renewable energy.

This also proves how successful a system of large amounts of renewable energy can be. Renewable energy is often seen as an unreliable source of energy by critics because of the dependence on sun and wind, which are unpredictable. Germany’s recent accomplishment proves how wrong we can be about renewable energy. By the year 2050, Germany plans to move to renewable energy for 100 percent of its energy consumption.

While the future looks bright for renewable energy, the change may spell doom for power plants that provide energy through renewable sources. Sunday gave the power suppliers a glimpse of what the future holds for them. With renewable energy handling most of the power consumption, gas plants were taken offline. But coal and nuclear plants couldn’t be shut down as quickly, so they continued generating unsaleable energy, which they had to pay for.

The post Germany Paid Users for Excess of Renewable Energy appeared first on Defend Planet.