Not a single dry leaf should be burnt in India
Brown Leaf began with this vision in February 2016. This forum connects people who have dry leaves to the people who want them. This leaf exchange has solved leaf-litter problem to some extent.
What is Brown Leaf?
Brown Leaf is the forum for a nature-friendly solution for the management of dry leaves.
Vision: “Not a single dry leaf should be burnt in India”
Why Brown Leaf?
Around November to March is the time when deciduous trees shed leaves. A large quantity of leaf litter is generated. Trees lose water through the leaves by the process of evapotranspiration. Leaf fall is the adaptation by trees to conserve water during the summer months.
The ground remains covered with these fallen leaves. They form a layer over the soil, protecting it from harsh sun during summer. Due to this, soil retains moisture. Various insects find shelter under these leaves.
Some of the nutrients a tree absorbs are in the fallen leaves. In the monsoon, leaves decompose, and nutrients are returned to the soil, thus completing the cycle.
This natural, essential process has become a nightmare in an urban setup.
In cities, most soils are capped with buildings, roads, pavements, etc. Even when open soil is available, heaps of leaf litter do not fit into our idea of aesthetics. There is just no scope for natural decomposition of leaf litter.
Burning seems a convenient way to get rid of the leaf litter.
Burning of dry leaves is banned in many countries. It leads to air pollution. It is a major health and fire hazard. The smoke contains several toxic particles and gases
Burning of dry leaves generates a large quantity of particulates that can reach deep into lung tissue and cause
· Coughing
· Wheezing
· Chest pain
· Shortness of breath
· Long-term respiratory problems
For people with asthma or other breathing disorders, leaf burning is extremely hazardous.
Complete burning results in Carbon dioxide, while Carbon monoxide is released from incomplete burning like smoldering leaf piles. Carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Long-term exposure to it is hazardous to our health. It also is one of the greenhouse gases.
Fallen leaves contain some nutrients the trees extract from the soil during the growing season. When we burn dry leaves, we create pollution and destroy the valuable nutrients that should go to the soil.
How did Brown Leaf start?
I, Aditi Deodhar, started Brown Leaf in Pune in February 2016.
The sight of burning leaves always bothered me. I decided to stop this practice in my building. We have a large tree in the building premises. I instructed the lady who sweeps the building premises, not to burn those leaves.
Then one day she came to me and told me it is a large heap now, what to do with it. I was clueless about what to do with such a large heap of leaves. I realized that telling somebody not to burn leaves is not enough. We need to provide an option. I started inquiring on various WhatsApp groups. One lady, Sujata Naphade, replied to me. She cultivates vegetables for 3 families in a patch of land near her house. She said she could accommodate all the leaves from my tree in her plot.
I collected leaves in gunny bags. She came in her car and took 5-6 gunny bags on the first trip. I got curious. What is commonly perceived as waste, was wanted by somebody. And that person took the trouble to collect it.
I visited her plot to see what she does with dry leaves. What I saw was amazing.
Her plot used to be a dumping site for construction debris and hence lacked necessary organic matter. She needed to create a soil layer on all that concrete. Buying that quantity of soil is very expensive and not viable. She is creating this missing organic matter using dry leaves. She needed dry leaves in large quantity and did not know where to get them.
Discussing this matter with other gardeners, I realised this was a challenge for many. In Pune city, there is a trend towards "Grow Your Own Food". Many people are utilizing their terraces to cultivate vegetables, medicinal herbs, and other plants. Not all of them have large trees that shed leaves. Getting dry leaves is a major problem for them.
This was an eye-opener. There are people who have dry leaves and there are people who want dry leaves. Availability and requirement, both exist in the same city. The necessity is to connect the two. If they both connect, then this major problem is solved.
Since we live in such a connected world, thanks to the Internet, this can be achieved through an online forum. That is how I decided to create the Brown Leaf website, Facebook page, and WhatsApp group where people with availability and requirements can communicate and help each other.
How exactly Brown Leaf works?
At Brown Leaf, we advise these 3 options for management of dry leaves. Options are mentioned in the order of their priority.
MULCH
COMPOST
DONATE
We advise people to practice mulching and composting. If composting is not possible for some reason, or there is a surplus quantity of dry leaves, then there is the option of donation. The person who has dry leaves donates them to the person who wants them.
MULCH
In the forest, dry leaves fall to the ground during winter. Whole of summer, they remain on the ground, which reduces evaporation and helps retain soil moisture. In rainy season, these leaves decompose and returned to the soil, adding nutrients to it.
COMPOST
Fallen leaves contain some proportion of the nutrients that trees extract from the soil during a growing season. When these leaves are thrown away or burnt, those nutrients lost by the soil are never returned to it.
DONATE
As there are people who have dry leaves, there are people who want dry leaves. People who have gardens/ terrace gardens are always in need of dry leaves.
Availability and Requirement exist in the same city. The need is to connect the two.
We have a WhatsApp group where both leaf donors and leaf-takers are present. The person who has dry leaves collects them in gunny bags and drops a message on the group providing quantity and address. The person who wants dry leaves and for whom the mentioned area is convenient responds and arranges for the pick-up.
The Brown Leaf community in the first year exchanged 10,000 gunny bags of leaves. This number kept increasing each year. Now, the community has prevented lacs of gunny bags of dry leaves from getting burnt in Pune city.
Does Brown Leaf arrange for the pick-up and drop of dry leaves?
No. The objective of Brown Leaf is to bring about a change in the attitude towards dry leaves. When a facility for pick-up and transportation is provided, the mentality that perceives dry leaves as waste does not change. The facility becomes a convenient way ‘to get rid of the waste’. If for some reason, leaves are not picked up as scheduled, people go back to burning the leaves because their mindset is not changed.
At Brown Leaf, we attempt to change the perception and view dry leaves as a “resource” and not “waste”. It is a lengthy process, but it is the only sustainable way.
The fact that somebody wants the dry leaves which otherwise are perceived as waste, helps change the attitude. When donors and takers communicate with each other, it results in the exchange of ideas and knowledge. Many former leaf donors now utilize their dry leaves for composting. Some societies, previous donors, have started compost projects. Drawing inspiration from the expert gardeners in the group, they have started gardening.
Brown Leaf Forum is now an active, vibrant community with the singular objective “Not a single dry leaf should be burnt in India”.
Copy and Replicate
Do you like the concept? then go ahead, and copy. This project is on the idea shelf for everybody.
Start a Brown Leaf-like initiative at your place. It can be a leaf exchange on an individual level, at the society level, or a city-wide forum like Brown Leaf in Pune city.
We have created this step-by-step guide to help you out. If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, download it for free.