Gardening For Freedom

In this episode, Dr.Arun Bansal and Mr. Puneet Arora discuss how to handle waste with an approach Known as "BioChar" 

In laymen language “char” is a word that is used when some material gets burned and you are left with the remains of the material referred to as  “char”. Basically, it is a type of carbonaceous, solid, and recalcitrant solid which is typically extracted from the pyrolysis of waste biomass. In nature, when the fire broke out in jungles lot of char is produced and a large proportion of it can be classified as “BioChar” or black carbon. A material that burns at a low level of oxygen and in absence of oxygen transforms into Biochar. This process is known as pyrolysis or thermal decomposition. Using homemade or industrial-grade equipment pyrolysis can be used for making biochar. In fact, it can be engineered to suit many applications in agriculture, building material, wellness and many more.

Pyrolysis creates an intermediate fuel by decomposition of plant biomass. Biochar is primarily developed at temperatures ranging from 300 to 1000 degrees Celsius. The absence of oxygen enables a partial burning of organic matter thus producing more waste products such as biochar. Cold temperatures (300°C–600°C) yield a larger amount of char, with higher temperatures creating a more syrupy liquid. The best-known technology applied in waste-to-energy products is high-temperature pyrolysis of biomass materials yielding approximately 20 per cent syngas, a combustible gas used in internal combustion engines, consisting of mainly carbon monoxide and hydrogen, along with bio-oil and biochar.

The process of Making Vedic/Cow Dung/Tiles is discussed here : 

Host ": Dr. Arun Bansal 

Guest : Puneet Arora , Ecologic Corporation. 

Synopsis :

Houses that  are heat resistant both in winter and Summer are rare these days. As we grow the socio-economic  ladder  , we want to live in a pucca  house made of cement.

In-fact , We want every thing "Permanent ", "Ever Lasting"  things in life. Forgetting that  Every thing in this world is transient. We want to make a pucca house that the next generation does not like and they want to change the design of house , buy new furniture , buy new bed sheets curtains and in-fact the new generation keep coming back  and ask was  change in house itself. Some even go beyond  They want to move to new better places not just for jobs but for better life. Yet ,we want to make a pucca houses . A house that lasts generations..

Mobility is key factor in remaining employable these days. You find thousands of houses vacant just because the residents have moved away to make better living. Yet we want have house that lasts for ever.

We never buy a Car , we the thought that it will last for ever, because we know at the back of our mind the life of the Car is limited and it will not last decades. And then , we want to change it every few years .. but we want a pacca house that lasts forever and ever. 

Education has made us aware of the ill impact of climate change , pollution and plundering of all natural resources , Yet we want to have a solid house that can even bear the blunt of nuclear bomb.

Gypsum and lime have been used extensively in the construction of the building for centuries. Yet,we love to trust the cement that comes in a bag.

Mud and Animal dung have been mixed together since years, But , lot of the modern formally educated lot will ask for references . Unless there is a published work on, not student from any standard university can work on such materials or products for their PhD or M tech Studies.

Any , if a person have some kind of entrepreneurial sense, He or she can  work in this field to make decent living.  Let's begin with the advantages of starting such business .

1) There is no need to take environmental clearances.
2) Cow/buffalo dung is available in abundance ,in fact it is getting wasted .
3) No highly skilled labour is required .
4) No sophisticated machinery or technology is required.
5) The process of making vedic/cow dung cakes making  is all-ready well known , you only need to add lime to the gobar .
6) No sophisticated brick-kiln or Drying is required
7) Does not require high investment.in terms of land and machinery
8) Low Cost/ Affordable housing is possible using such material

Advantages of Vedic/Cow Dung/Natural Bricks

1) It is natural building material that due not require curing once build like cement based material
2) It is natural building material that helps to maintain comfortable humidity levels in the room
3) It is natural building material that helps to maintain comfortable temperature in the room.






     

In this episode, Dr Arun Bansal interacts with Puneet Arora to get answers on how to utilize common things that become waste in due course of time while cooking e,g as Vegetable Oils, Jackfruit Peels,Pine Apple Peels  etc 

There is no such thing Called Kitchen Waste for Gardners 

Kitchen Waste cannot be avoided. But considering it as Waste is sin for a Gardener. In this episode, we move ahead after identifying different kinds of Kitchen Waste for Gardeners from the last episode. 

In this episode E1S4, Dr Arun Bansal questions Mr Puneet Arora on how to use the kinds of Kitchen Waste. How can we make Bio Repellents, Bio-Fertilizers from Kitchen Waste?  

Kitchen is not just a place where food is cooked. It is a place where our health is determined. This is what most of many of us think. So,  we bring a lot of things in our kitchen that would add health and life in our life to our Kitchen and we forget about, what comes out of Kitchen.

In this PodCast, Dr Arun Bansal interacts with Puneet Arora to understand different categories of Kitchen Waste and how this Kitchen Waste is useful for building a Healthy Kitchen Garden that can make your immune system strong enough to fight all kinds ailments.

Key Take-Aways

The Kitchen Waste can be categorised in many ways :

 Waste based on Wet/Dry

 Waste based on Veg  /Non-Veg

 Waste based on Taste

 Waste based on Time to Decompose/BioDegrade

Can, we image a world where nothing is waste and there is nothing to waste !!

Can, we image ...........

It is hard, too hard a problem to image also. But remember the world created by nature was link this only. There was nothing to waste and Nothing was wasted.

What to do when you do not have garden soil to start a garden in lockdown

Lockdown word has been added to our daily vocabulary ever since we learned about it from media for the first time. Many people have taken lockdown as an opportunity for getting started in gardening, especially urban kitchen gardening.

But, the first challenge they face is about getting garden soil. People are living in a concrete jungle. Most of us are living in concrete blocks and access to the soil is limited.

I certainly feel this current crisis of covid is a tiny simulation of a nuclear war or the crises such as radioactive leakage.

A situation, that prohibits people of free movement and limits their civil liberties. In this podcast, Dr Arun Bansal from social substance interacts with Mr Puneet Arora to find solutions for getting started with Gardening with sophisticated equipment and material.

Key Take-Aways :

One can adopt Deep Mulch System for growing vegetables. In this summer season,  one can start growing ginger, turmeric and taro. All these crops are easy to grow and can be grown in deep mulch systems Deep Mulch System is a method of constructing beds that are made of organic  material such as jute bags, waste cotton cloths etc,

Starting Container Gardening in Lockdown needs some degree of creativity. Especially, when

resources for making pots or containers are not available in the lockdown period. In this episode

Dr Arun Bansal interacts with Puneet Arora to find out simple ways of making pots for growing veggies of the season. 

This podcast is about the nesting behaviour and photography ethics of birds. Dr Arun Bansal is interacting with Dr.Charn Kumar. 

Both Dr Arun Bansal and Dr Charn have keen interest in Birds and Biodiversity Issues.

The following is a summary of the contents of the podcast.

While doing nesting photography there is no need to go near the nest. We should go near the nest only if

necessary that is for scientific study purposes and even then follow specific and standard procedures

It is not morally or ethically right to disturb someone’s home, therefore, we should not go near any nest

just for entertainment.  

If we go near the natural nest/artificial nest it disturbs the incubating parent or the hatching processor the hatchlings and creates a hidden threat for them. Even if we are doing a systematic study then also hidden cameras can be used and can be installed at a distance from the nest. We should avoid going manually to the nest When we have to do periodic observation or would like to see the nest contents then we should click our photographs in seconds and should prefer to visit the nest only when the parent is not there

In India which has so much diversity in bird species and wildlife, there is huge scope for research purposes.

We should keep in mind that we use proper equipment and no harm should come to the bird or the nest.

With the advent of technology and modernisation of cameras, it has led widening of the fields of research

on birds and nesting because observations are more accurate and detailed now.

There is a lack of research in this field in India but change is there and now more and more people have

started taking up this as their hobby.

We should not remove nests from our home, surroundings etc. Many people consider nests as filthy or dirty. This is a myth actually birds take care of sanitation and hygiene while making the nest as they include components such as medicinal and aromatic plants so that their chicks are saved from infection.

When we remove nests from our home it has numerous unintended effects on the birds-Firstly they have to rebuild their nest, Secondly, they have to find another safe nesting territory and thirdly nesting takes a huge energy toll on the birds, as a result, a lot of time is wasted and their breeding process gets disturbed. So when we allow birds to make their nests at our homes we are promoting conservation of birds.

We should also avoid pruning and cutting bushes because birds feel safe and ideal in thick vegetation. Birds make their nests strategically so that they can avoid predators, excessive sunlight, rain etc. Therefore while placing nest boxes one should always keep in mind the requirements of nest-building of the local birds so that birds are comfortable making their nest in nest boxes.

There are enormous opportunities in India for research about birds. One should start locally, in his/her surroundings. Birds are a large part of our life and we should study and respect them.

If you did not stop eating in  Lock-Down, No one should stop you from gardening..

In this podcast, Dr Arun Bansal interacts with Puneet Arora to discuss tips and ideas that be used during the lockdown period in the context of Gardening. 

Key Take-Aways

 1) Grow Micro-Greens

 2) Use Water to Grow something that you can eat, in case you do not have prepared pots.

 3) These days you may grow creepers, brinjal, tomatoes, peppers & mint, for more info Click here 

 4) Use/Harvest seeds from the vegetables you buy every day to grow.

5) Soil profile for creeper should have more sandy component and plants that love water must have high clay component. 

6) If you have an existing container garden, then identify those pots that have fertile soil from your experience.  Use these pots for sprouting next generation of vegetation.