Pamper your dad!

Father’s Day is here and there is no better time to shower him with gifts and show how much you love him

Father's Day is all about dad. Make him feel special, loved and appreciated, for it is not easy being a father. From do-it-yourself cards to saying-it-with-flowers, children are going all out to make their dads feel special. Here are a few options to choose from:

      Whip up a good brunch
This Father’s Day, exhibit your culinary skills with a good brunch. ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’ holds true here. Cook his favourite dish and watch the smile spread across his face as he relishes it to the last bite. Remember to set the table well with her favourite crockeries and keep the recipes simple and minimal.

Father's day out
It’s the perfect day for a family outing to your dad's favourite place. Plan in advance so there are no last minute tensions. Go fishing, play his favourite sport and don’t forget to liven up his spirits with his most preferred food. Gift him a day that is truly his.

Gift of fitness
One of the most rewarding gift you can give on Father’s Day is the gift of fitness. Sign him up for yoga or at the gym and make him feel special. This personalised gift will go a long way to improve her health and well-being.

Paint him blue
Those good at painting, let your imagination run wild. Sketch a portrait or caricature of dad and watch the smile spread on his face. He will surely frame it for memory’s sake. Better still, Dig out some old pictures of your dad and make a collage he will treasure forever.

Gadgets power
Surprise him with a small or big, expensive or cheap, a gift is a gift. While the common options are cards, flowers, clothing, gadgets, etc., homemade gifts are more appreciated for it is the best way to shower your affection. 

      Spend time with dad
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of life, we hardly find time to spend with family, least of all fathers. Make it a point to spend quality time with him, watching a movie together, playing his favourite sport etc. He will cherish and treasure them more than material gifts. 

sherene.joseph@timesgroup.com

 

Science of life

Dr Sheelamma Jacob, head, department of Home Science, St Teresa's College, Kochi, on the changing trends in Home Science

Home science is a unique course that focuses upon every phase of human life and touches every segment of the population. It is a perfect blend of arts and science. The subject integrates areas of nutrition education, effective child rearing practices, geriatric care, ecological conservation, wise consumerism, prevention of childhood diseases, design and care of fabrics, interior and exterior space designing etc. with extension education which makes it highly practical oriented.

Contrary to the popular belief that home science as a subject teaches only cooking and stitching, the course is reconstructed to be more job oriented one, which makes it trendy and interesting for the younger generation. The home science curriculum at UG and PG level is made multi-dimensional and skill oriented.

Students who have completed their plus two in any stream can opt for a degree in home science, and graduates in home science or any science stream with open course in related areas, can apply for a post-graduation in home science. Apart from this, an artistic inclination and finer skills, creative outlook, communication and organisational skills, humane approach towards concerns of the society, etc., are an added advantage for home science students. Specialisations in home science include courses in human development and behaviour science; resource management and interior designing; and food science and nutrition.

Home science offer interesting career options in the field of education and administration; production and service sector; marketing and sales; hospitality, teaching or in research, production and service sector; product design and development, etc. Based on the specialisation, one can work as a dietician/diet consultants, child and family counsellor, food quality controller, research coordinator, government welfare programme coordinators and so on. Besides pursuing a teaching career in teaching home science, one can also work as a fashion designer, interior designer, apparel merchandisers, etc.

Home science is not mere home management anymore. With a post-graduation in home science, one can choose from plenty of varied fields or even start their own entrepreneurial ventures in food business, consultancy services or garment manufacturing to carve a successful career.

As told to Sherene Joseph

 

On a green shopping spree!

This World Environment Day, it is time to switch over to environment friendly bags

Gone are the days of plastic carry bags and shopping bags. Almost every day we do grocery shopping or make some purchases and many have shunned plastic while shopping and switched to paper bags today.

According to Nivil Xavier, self- marketer of paper products, “Paper bags are more hygienic than plastic ones. It may be a little costly but is the safe for the environment. And now with innovations like customization, it would be a good shift to an environment friendly concept.”

The government rule to avoid the use of plastic bags has also triggered the adoption of a new packaging system. The recycled paper bags are stronger than the normal brown paper bags. Besides, there are facilities available today to print designs and logos on the paper bags which helps to create a brand identity.

Sunil T P, proprietor, Onyx Vision, promotes paper bags made from various materials like art paper, duplex, maplisto, craft etc. “They are bio-degradable, can be re-cycled and re-used with no pollution to the environment. We make customised paper bags based on the requirement of the client,” he says.

With many nature enthusiasts starting home-based businesses selling eco-friendly products online and otherwise, it is becoming a trend now and is being promoted in a big way.

Lighting the eco way!

This environment day, let us turn to eco lighting in an effort to conserve energy as well as protect the environment

Lighting plays a very important role in the interior of a house or building. How we light up the places we live and work creates a big impact on the environment as well. While natural lighting is the best form of lighting a home or workspace, it is imperative to save energy and in turn the environment that we live in.

LED (light-emitting diode) lamps are the new in-thing in the world of lighting and offer a great amount of energy savings. The advantages of using LED lighting in homes are many. “It helps to save upto 90% of energy compared to incandescent lamps and 60% energy compared to fluorescent lights. This helps households to reduce their electricity bill considerably. Also, LEDs are estimated to last for 25000 to 35000 hours whereas CFLs lamps usually last for upto 6000 hours,” says Byju Chacko, managing partner, Ecolight.

As per the recent study by Department of Energy, LED lamps have a slight environmental edge over compact fluorescent lamps and a significantly lower environmental impact than incandescent lighting over the lifetime of the products. It is a fact that conventional radiant bulb converts only around five to ten percent of its consumed energy into light, the rest goes out as heat.

Apart from household, LED lighting offers wide scope in the industrial landscape from factory lighting to office lighting as well. “LED high-bay lights are now available from 50watts to 200watts to replace ubiquitous MH lamps and similar ones.  When it comes to LED flood-lights, a 100watt LED flood-light can easily replace a 500watts traditional type flood-light. LED outdoor lights come in waterproof assemblies which meets IP65 and IP68 standards and therefor can be used conveniently for playgrounds, parks and other outdoor applications,” adds Chacko.

LED lighting has revolutionised the world of lighting today. “It is a great product in terms of energy conservation, heat emission and appearance too. Though it is slightly expensive compared to CFL lamps, it is a great way to contribute to a eco-friendly environment,” says Kochi-based sales professional, Liby Zacharia. Similarly, LED light sources are flicker-free and therefore easy on the eyes, contributing to the feel good factor in a room with proper LED lighting.

To conclude, LED lights can brighten up your home and workspace with more natural light, thereby conserving energy, at the same time, saving environment. When it comes to how green your lighting can be, sky is the limit.


sherene.joseph@timesgroup.com

Wake up to a green day!

Today is World Environment Day. Let us pledge to protect and sustain our environment and create awareness about the goodness of eco-friendly products

05 June is celebrated as the World Environment Day (WED) the world over, reminding us of our duty to preserve the environment around us. It is also an opportunity to promote the use of environment friendly products in an effort to conserve nature.

Many media houses today are strongly advocating the need to protect the environment with campaigns like ‘Greenathon’ and ‘My Earth, My Duty’. These national campaigns have been eye-opener for many, who were unaware about the green concept and have found their way into the Limca Book of world records. Similarly, educational institutions are also taking up against environment conservation with many schools in the city, converting their premises into a plastic-free zone, banning the use of
plastic completely.

Build it up!

Eco-friendly being the need of the hour, even builders and realtors have become environment conscious today.  Abhay Kumar, managing director, Trium Marketing and Consultants (P) Ltd, is very particular about the products used in building construction and swears by eco-friendly building materials that uses limited energy. Besides, the manufacturing process and the building, therefore, is energy efficient as well. 

“For example, one of our products, Onduline, a roofing material made a waste material, does not emit heat and there is no drumming sound when it rains. Similarly, Terreal, clay panels used in the façade of a building, is energy efficient and provides good insulation. Clipso, a fabric false ceiling used in the interior of a building is light, can be recycled and needs no maintenance,” says Kumar.

Similarly, Rohit Babu, partner, Yashoram Builders, believes in converting the bio-degradable food waste into organic manure and using it for vegetable cultivation. “The organic vegetables produced in our own home garden give a mental satisfaction and is a great way to contribute to the conservation of environment,” adds Babu.  

Conserve Energy!

Switching to solar power is a great way to preserve energy. Shabu Khan, managing director, Falcon SAS agrees. “Solar power plants produce zero emissions. It does not cause pollution, it does not emit any greenhouse gases. Beyond initial installation and maintenance, solar energy is free. Depending on the size of the solar system you choose to install, you can save an average of 30% to 80% of your electricity bill. Or you can go 100% standalone with solar system,” he says. Thomson Thomas, proprietor, Saffron Sun Energy, also feels the same. “Nature is a god given gift and it is our duty to sustain it from environment pollution. And usage of solar energy is the best way to safeguard the nature for our future generation,” says Thomas.

When it comes to environment conservation, always remember the 3 R’s - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  One need to reduce consumption of plastic, reuse the products as much as possible and recycle the waste. 

Inculcating certain eco-friendly habits like saving natural sources of energy like water and electricity could make a difference to the earth. Let us begin with individual contributions to conserve the environment. It is never too late for a new beginning. Go Green!

                                                                                                                                      sherene.joseph@timesgroup.com