The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Atul Kamble
Catching a break
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A man and his four-legged companion take a quick nap at Five Gardens on Friday.
Making a case for mahua
Mahua might be infamous for alcohol, but once upon a time, nearly 30 per cent of the nutritional requirements of the Warli tribe of Aarey used to come from the tree, photographer and environment enthusiast Sanjiv Valsan told this diarist ahead of a plantation drive at the urban forest this Sunday. “It gave them sugar, jaggery, cooking oil, fertilisers and edible foods,” he informed. However, of the five lakh trees in Aarey today, hardly 20 are mahua. Its disappearance is linked to colonisation. “The British did systematic eradication of mahua as they found many people making alcohol out of it for free, and hence not opting for western, factory-made alcohol.” To revive this tree, which takes a decade to flower, as well as other native species including wild jamun, kanchan and pangara, the CII Young India Mumbai Chapter is hosting the green drive in collaboration with Aarey residents and tribal farmers. To lend them a hand, call 9892212133.
Govt should green fashion
According to recent estimates, the fashion industry is responsible for two per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions. A new report, co-authored by Fashion for Good, a platform for sustainable innovation, and Apparel Impact Institute identifies solutions the industry can undertake to meet the net-zero ambition. Titled Unlocking the Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonisation Opportunity, the report estimates that 47 per cent of CO2 reductions comes from implementing existing solutions, while 39 per cent comes from scaling innovative solutions. Further, upon evaluating seven solutions, including a shift to renewable energy, sustainable materials and processes, accelerating the development of next generation materials, and phasing out coal, the total cost of implementation comes up to $1.04 trillion. This includes $639 billion towards existing solutions and $405 billion towards innovative solutions. While philanthropic and government grants represent $50 billion (only five per cent of the total cost), they are critical for catalysing change in the industry and as financial capital.
An international step up for Bandra
The Steps at Bandra and Alan and Anca Florescu Abraham
One of Bandra’s most popular public spaces, The Steps, has been named the winner of the 2021 Great Places Award. Designed by Alan Abraham and Anca Florescu Abraham of Abraham John Architects, the project beat 104 submissions from the US, UK, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Japan, China, India, New Zealand and Canada. “We are very excited for the win. This is a very prestigious international award and we are especially grateful to the BMC and Bandra’s municipal councillor Asif Zakaria, who wholeheartedly supported us in this endeavour to convert what was a derelict dump yard for more than 40 years,” Anca said. “While it’s always nice to receive recognition for our work, what makes this award special is that it was granted to a public, pedestrian space that is open, accessible and welcoming to everyone. Because the steps are not classified as a park, they continued to be used by residents throughout the lockdown for exercise and recreation, even as parks and the seafront were closed off. In many ways, such spaces function as the living room of a city, where people can come together, interact and enjoy themselves. We hope that this recognition encourages the creation of other such spaces within the city,” Alan told this diarist.
Mumbai’s first taco takeover
Mexican food-loving gourmands across the city can now challenge each other in true foodie fashion, with the city’s first taco-eating competition. The contest is being hosted by New York Burrito Company at their Kala Ghoda outlet on November 26. Contenders will have three minutes to complete each task and will be divided into groups of 10. “I have always marvelled at how Adam Richman [of Man v Food fame] travels all across America to win various tournaments set up by restaurants, to become a food champion. We wanted to recreate the same experience for our Mumbai diners,” said its founder Senil Shah. To participate in the contest, you can register online at @newyorkburritocompany on Instagram or Facebook.
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