The D Spot

Despite Ondoy, despite Haiti, and despite Chile which lately experienced an earthquake with an 8.8 intensity in the Richter scale and the upcoming tsunamis in Hawaii and the Pacific basin…life has to go on.

We commiserate with our brothers and sisters in Chile (and still with them in Haiti), and  maybe send our national contingent, our donations, and our prayers. Again, we can learn our lessons, and  as President Barack Obama said, “We can’t control nature, but again, we can prepare for disaster when it strikes.”

Earthquakes are natural calamities which most people do not consider an environmental issue. But are they not the direct results of the world’s ecological woes?

We have not been kind to Mother Earth–what have been developed over millions of years like coal, and the wonderful trees over thousands and hundreds of years, we have destroyed and continue to destroy in an instant to suit our needs. We have abused Mother Earth to the very core. Our rivers are dead, mountains denuded, etc., etc.

The realities of global warming have become more and more real as the years go by. It is not too late, though it will take a long long time before we can bring back the glory of Mother Earth, perhaps in hundreds or thousands of years–which our generation and the next can pursue. The fact is–if we have not started yet, we should. It is never too late, even if the reality that Mother Earth is in a big crisis dangles in our very faces. We must not have listened to what the environmentalists have been telling us–they fell on dead ears. As Atty. Tony Oposa, an award winning world renowned environmentalist has shared, he had spent most of his years talking to mature citizens about caring for the environment, to no avail. The situation has gone worse. Now he is using his time in educating the youth through his Save Our Seas Program hoping that the youth would make a difference.

In our individual way, no matter how small, we can create a tiny impact, which when put together could make a difference.

• Reduce, reuse, recycle. There is a lot into this. To the extent possible, use reusables rather than disposables, buy economy sizes if this suits you, join recycling projects in your school or community. There are companies like Ayala that buy recyclables. Dispose of our wastes properly.
• Find ways to conserve water (we could not believe that water will one day be deplete–look what’s happening now, the water level in our dams is becoming critical, and it is just the beginning of summer). Check for leaks. Educate each family member on the use of water. Our water bill is down from almost P2th a month to P700.
• Find ways to conserve energy. Insulate your walls and your attics (we did just that–and you could find ways of not spending a lot of money for that), replace your light bulbs, from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light (CFL). Use energy efficient products–check the labels and get those that use less energy. Schedule ironing of clothes, learn to use less hot water for bathing (most of us in the family now don’t use hot water), learn to use OFF–turn off lights when not in use, turn the water dispenser off in the evening, open the windows to let the air in, turn off the TV when you’re not watching (yes–most times the TV is just on and no one’s watching), etc. We have also installed double switches in the stairways. You can even get out of your comfort zone, like working in a cooler place in the house rather than turning on the air conditioning. It’s amazing how our electric bill has been down from P10th+ to less than P5th over the past 5 months.
• Start planting–trees, plants, flowers. Add chimes and functional chairs–you not only help save the environment, as trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, but they also de-stress and soothe the mind and the body. Try it.
• Share the experience with others, with your parents, friends, colleagues and neighbors, even with taxi drivers if you take a cab.

It is never too late! There are lots of things to do…

“I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?”
– Robert Redford

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