A Google search has a strong impact on the environment .One search generates approximately 7g of carbon dioxide(co2)i.e half of what a kettle of boiling water generates (About 15g).When a person searches a particular item in Google,his request goes to several servers which compete against each other.The request may sent to servers that are very far from one another There are servers of Google search in the US,Europe,Japan and China.Each server generates as answer and the one that is produced the fastest is sent to the person by Google .Though this system is efficient it amounts to high energy consumption .Also each of these servers or data centres consumes a lot of power.Google claims that it is in the forefront of green computing but it is nevertheless,leaving a large carbon footprint.
HYDERABAD: Remember Popeye and his famous can of spinach? Well, all
green leafy vegetables are not exactly Popeye’s power-giving spinach.
And the old adage ‘green is gold’ certainly doesn’t apply to this green
leafy vegetable called ‘seema thotakura’ or ‘alligator weed’.
Known
with different local names such as ‘seema ponnaganti’ or ‘silvan
bacchal’, the hollow stemmed weed with pointed leaves is increasingly
gaining popularity among city dwellers. Available for Rs. 2 or Rs.3 per
bundle, the weed is being sold in many vegetable markets. So what’s so
dangerous about it? The innocent-looking green leafy vegetable is not
rich in iron or vitamins but is instead, a storehouse of toxic heavy
metals, point scientists in the city.Carcinogenic
Picked up from
polluted water bodies in the city such as Hussainsagar and Musi River,
it is in fact an indicator of pollution, says M.V.S. Prasad, Professor,
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad. Prof. Prasad,
who has carried out extensive research, says consumption of the weed
has ‘carcinogenic and mutagenic’ effects on human health. However, an
official of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) says
consumption of this weed is unheard of and not yet brought to their
notice. “Alligator weed is an invasive alien species which spreads
automaticallyAny alien leafy vegetable is referred to as ‘seema
thotakura’ or ‘seema ponaganti’ in the local jargon. So we need to
first confirm if what is being sold is Alligator Weed and then analyse
it,” said the official.
Prof. Prasad agrees about the jargon but
says that the weed is being sold widely. “During the course of my
research I found the weed being widely sold with different local names
in many markets such as Uppal, Nallakunta and Monda etc,” he said
adding that consumers don’t question the origin of their food. Prod the
vendors a little and they will tell you that the weed grows in ‘water’.
“We get it from water bodies close to Madanpet, Dilshuknagar and
Nagole,” says a vendor at Monda.
Native to South America, it is
considered as one of the worst weeds in the world, says Chintala
Sudhakar Reddy, Scientist, Forest and Ecology Division, National Remote
Sensing Agency (NRSA). “It is commonly found in urban water ways,
drainages and sewage sludge and has the ability to absorb several heavy
metals such as mercury, cadmium, chromium and copper,” he says.