Editor's Note: This article is in partnership with Federation of Environmental Journalists of India.

Why its holiday time for locals
“What do you feel about the UN Earth Summit returning to Rio after 20 years,” I ask a 20-something Brazilian seated next to me on the flight to Rio. He was helping me fill the landing form that was in Portugese. “It will be holiday time for many of us in Rio,” he grins, as most offices and educational establishments would simply shut down during the summit days as the streets would overflow with demonstrators, protestors and of course, more traffic. “And what do you think world leaders will discuss here, would it interest him?” “I guess it will be about energy and renewables and all that. In Brazil we have plenty of hydro power, and renewables too, mainly ethanol, so we don’t really have to worry.” He was going home after a holiday with friends in London and looking forward to a few more days off during the Rio+20 summit to be held June

By Joydeep Gupta

The largest international gathering of them all got underway in Rio de Janeiro this Wednesday June 13 with no agreement on how the world could be made more liveable and sustainable at the same time. Delegates from 193 countries are still divided over key issues – development financing, capacity building especially in least developed countries, technology transfer, the “green” economy and the framework of action to implement all these ideas.

But as the first lot of 50,000-odd politicians, officials, NGO representatives and media descended on this fabled city on Brazil’s Atlantic coast and jammed up the streets, Sha Zukang, head of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), was confident that the differences would be resolved. The last preparatory committee meeting of officials started on Wednesday, and by Friday they are supposed to finalise a declaration on “the future we want”. There was agreement on only 20% of the declaration and many developing

The new Rodeo is not just another facelift, but an attempt to incrementally improve an already very good product. The 125cc Z series engine got better with the Dual Curve Digital Ignition System (DCDI), which marginally increases the performance while not compromising mileage. Do not expect jaw-dropping acceleration since the power delivery is very linear and smooth, however, the RZ is zippier than its predecessor and rides seamlessly even with pillion on board. Moreover, Mahindra claims best in class 0-60 acceleration of 9.35 seconds, which is better than the Suzuki Swish's 9.4 seconds record.

I rode the Rodeo RZ on various terrains of

Who said Bengalis love fish and sweets over everything else? Neither Sourav the tragic hero nor SRK the new poster boy tops the list. The one thing that all Bengalis adore, sometimes subconsciously, is self-criticism.

Let's check out some pet peeves:

• It's true that Rabindranath Tagore had won the Nobel prize, but it has been stolen.
•  Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was a great patriot, but no one knows exactly how he died.
• Presidency College has lost its glory, though it's now a University.
• Young Bengalis — that's anyone between 2 to 45 — don't know enough about Ram Mohan Roy or Swami Vivekananda or Vidyasagar or just about any illustrious Bengali, except, of course, Sourav again.
• Jyoti Basu and the CPI(M) had made the state a shamsaan, and now Mamata is adding bits of wood to the pyre. 
• Basically, it's Kaliyug, and the best thing to do is talk about it over tea and a generous helping of oily snacks.

When one proves conclusively that all Indian states and everyone else in the world too has

By Kavita Kanan Chandra
     
Y! Editor’s note: Anil Joshi, an Ayurveda doctor in Fatehgarh village in Madhya Pradesh- collected one rupee each from one lakh people and constructed a check dam across a local seasonal river called Somli. Going on to repeat it across eleven locations, he is now a full-time water conservationist. With a dream to build 100 such check dams in nearby villages, constantly experiencing drought conditions.One premise of the green economy (World Environment Day 2012 theme) is social inclusion and here is an economically inventive version of that possibility, where the initiative remains human.

The story of  Re 1 and a dam ‘doctor’
 
In Fatehgarh, a check dam, constructed in 2010, permanently altered the face of this  village – from a drought stricken - a well-irrigated one. And in that little dash sits this unsung story.

Anil Joshi, (39) with wife and two daughters. He went on to sell his wife’s jewellery? Why? Read on.Anil Joshi had a clinic here since 1994 and knew most of the gaonwallahs. “Some of my patients were farmers who obtained 100-200 quintals of food

By Rina Mukherji

Editor's note: In the Yahoo voices on the World Environment Day theme of 2012 - Green Economy, hear the sound of green solutions coming from municipal corners of our big cities and towns. Where the term ECO travels seamlessly between its economic and ecological meaning. Dr.Rina Mukherji, a senior environmental journalist tracks Pune's green strides that tie up India's biggest bane — garbage, with a greener local economy too. (This series is in partnership with FEJI, Federation of Environmental Journalists of India).

Pune's green strides

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat —three states with more than 40 per cent of their population in urban areas are likely to turn into full blown urban majority states by 2021. India's urban population across tier 2 and tier 3 towns is on its way to matching the predictions of The Census Commissioner and the Registrar General of India .In 2001 285 million were urbanites; in 2012 - 360 million. Meanwhile, infrastructural problems like

By Mahazareen Dastur

Editor's note:In the Yahoo voices on the World Environment Day theme of 2012 - the Green Economy, first up, a conversation with eco-think tanks on what a green economy actually means. The UNEP suggests, it's an economy which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Mahazareen Dastur, a Mumbai based environmental researcher-writer probes further on what this could mean for India. This series is in partnership with FEJI (Federation of Environmental Journalists of India)

Imagine a world where human well-being, social equity and protection of our natural environment are the primary considerations for making business decisions. Sounds too utopian? Not if you go by what some of today's foremost environmental think-tanks call the Green Economy. Environmental circles are buzzing with the term, much like the well-bandied sustainability. But what exactly does it mean? To understand it, we need to first look at India's track record in economic terms.

The GDP

Do Fuel Quality/Types/Additives Help Mileage?

Petrol pump attendants often try to convince you to go for 'Speed petrol' or 'X-tra Mile diesel'. But this need not necessarily help improve your vehicle's fuel efficiency. Always use the grade recommended for the vehicle by the manufacturer. Higher octane fuel may not only be a waste of money but may harm the vehicle, as well. However sticking to one brand of fuel is always good for the engine. Know more about Octane Ratings

Keep the Windows Closed

Driving with your windows open considerably reduces mileage, far more than keeping the AC on