My Green Philippines

Breathing Hope into Our Land

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:25:32 +0000

Even as it is getting harder and harder to keep our lungs clean in the mega city of Manila- the little towns are also not doing so well with all the tricycles out there that are spewing diesel fumes into the air.

Walking up and down the small streets of Naga where I didn’t expect so much traffic and fumes killed my lungs for the hike the following day. I was literally heaving- as I had asthma as a kid and had one attack as an adult so my lungs are not in the best of conditions.

Hopefully, this electrical tricycle proposed and funded by ADB will make the difference. Saving money and our health.

Steel is Green?

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:59:15 +0000

I never really thought about steel being “green” since images of smoke stacks always come to mind. But this article on the advantages of steel over wood makes a lot of sense.

Steel is in fact 100% recyclable- every bit of it, unlike paper (especially when it has been treated), plastic, fabrics, concrete and others. Also, aside from the smelting of the steel, it actually doesn’t produce any air pollution to roll the steel bars into the shapes that we need for construction. It just requires heat to melt the steel into a malleable state and then the by product is steam and recent innovations are making it more and more sustainable for the industry.

Steel also lasts a lot longer than wood, especially when it comes to places like the Philippines where there are a lot of termites.

Lastly, no matter how old a building or structure is, if it has metal, it can be recycled 100%. So steel is actually multi-recycled, again and again and again and again.

So, yeah, maybe we should consider steel over wood whenever we can. It can look quite industrial but there is such a thing as industrial chic now.

Cagayan de Oro needs our Help

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:12:16 +0000

Everyone by now knows of the devastating floods that hit Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao late in the evening while everyone was fast asleep. Although there was much warning of the monsoon rains, no one had expected the downpour to be so much and so fast. Lots of little children died as a result and the death toll is now 650 with many without shelter and food or dry clothes.

Two institutions that are helping and are reliable are the following:

Account Name: Xavier University
Bank: BPI- Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City
Account Number: 9331-0133-63
To claim receipt, email: finance@xu.edu.ph (email/scan/fax remittance receipt)

Account Name: Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Bank: BPI-Katipunan Loyola Heights
Account Number: 3081-1111-61
To claim receipt, email: information@slb.ph (email/scan/fax remittance receipt)

Both are Jesuit networks and are working directly with the victims. Other donations in kind (water, food, clothing) may also be brought to these offices (Xavier in Cagayan, and Simbahang Lingkod in ADMU Campus, Quezon City).

UPDATE: Over 1,000 now confirmed dead by Typhoon Washi

True Solar Energy

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:06:58 +0000

Solar bottle lights- as simple as putting water in a bottle and onto your roof creates a light source that diffuses to fill an entire room instead of coming down as a single shaft to illuminate only one portion. A brilliant “third world solution for third world problems.”

Iliac Diaz hopes to be able to light one (1) million homes all over the Philippines using this simple technology.

Solar Chargers

Philippines Long History

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:23:03 +0000

Some people don’t realize how long and rich of a trading history the Philippines actually has, not only with Asian countries, but also with countries across the pacific like Mexico.

Many a Chinese junk was sunk by the treacherous waters … lives were lost to move goods. We don’t think about it now, shipping stuff here and there with ease, and with speed. But back in the 16th century, it took a lot of guts to be a seaman (either that or you were forced into it.)

Let’s Continue to Pray for Japan

admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:39:52 +0000

It will take a long time to rebuild what nature has destroyed in a few minutes. The double catastrophe of the earthquake and tsunami wiped out entire villages in minutes. From the video taken from the sky, the water looks slow moving but as they zoom in you can see just how swift and strong the water is as it engulfs houses and moved cars, including destroying fishing vessels in a matter of minutes.

This event, coupled with the nuclear meltdown will surely make the world revisit the safety of these power plants. But with an estimated 9.5 billion people on the planet earth by 2050, an alternative needs to be found now.

Diving in Anilao

admin — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:14:39 +0000

Great diving and the Philippines go hand it hand. One of the closest dive sites to Manila that is spectacular is in Anilao, Batangas. Surprisingly, local divers say that part of the beauty of the coral reefs found here is actually due to the trash. You’ll see how nature has engulfed and used the trash to form part of the reefs, much like it has taken over sunken ships.

Kindle E-Books: Truly Pencil Thin

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:14:35 +0000

I had recommended these before … and now at these bargain basement prices, I want to get another one. Seriously, look how cheap these are getting thanks to Apple’s iPad that had Amazon running scared.

It’s a lot lighter than the iPad so you don’t have to strain your wrists. You can read it outdoors- there is no glare. And it is seriously thin- look at that, you can put it into the smallest of bags and get away with it. Thousands of books in a single device. Green products don’t come better than this.

White Peacocks

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 04:34:41 +0000

I forgot I had a photo of this white peacock taken while on a tour in Hangzhou, China. It’s beautiful isn’t it? Peafowl (the correct term, as only the male are supposed to be peacocks while the female are peahens) are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians.

You cannot sweet talk Mother Nature

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:13:04 +0000

As the environmentalist Rob Watson likes to say: “Mother Nature is just chemistry, biology and physics. That’s all she is. You cannot sweet-talk her. You cannot spin her. You cannot tell her that the oil companies say climate change is a hoax. No, Mother Nature is going to do whatever chemistry, biology and physics dictate. Lastly, Mother Nature always bats last, and she always bats 1.000.”

Do not mess with Mother Nature.

But that is just what we’re doing.