Love Earth.

1. Hold that straw! Plastic straws are among the most abundant debris found on beaches. Marine animals nibble on these, thinking they’re food. Remember: you are fully capable of drinking without the help of a plastic appendage.
(During the International Coastal Clean-Up and UP Clean-Up, we found so many of these. KADIRE.)

2. Donate those tarps! Tarpaulins are made of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable stuff. Instead of throwing them away, donate them to Earth Day Network, an environmental NGO that turns them into schoolbags for less fortunate children around the Philippines. Contact Ms. Binggirl Clemente at earthday_village@yahoo.com for more details.
(Tita Binggirl is AWESOME. She inspires me everyday.)

3. Chuck those (disposable) chopsticks: when dining at any Asian restaurant, bring your own reusable chopsticks. Though wooden chopsticks are biodegradable, they take a long time to decay and just add to the volume of solid waste in dumpsites. The annual production of chopsticks uses up to 90, 000 tons of wood, which comes from trees—climax of the plant kingdom and lungs of the earth.
(I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT MY FRIENDS AND I BRING CHOPSTICKS EVERY TIME WE EAT IN OMAKASE. WHICH IS AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH. Or else Ms. Fernandez goes into a bitch fit with matching hampas sa lamesa.)

4. Think big, buy big. We Filipinos have a tingi-tingi culture where everything must come small. Imagine the amount of waste we’d reduce if we bought in bulk! Instead of buying in sachets, reach for the big bottle. When traveling, just put the contents in smaller, refillable bottles that you can buy in any department store.

5. BamBOO YEAH: instead of planting a tree, plant bamboo—it’s a kind of grass, which means it grows faster. Other bamboo bonuses: it doesn’t need fertilizer, generates 35% more oxygen than a tree, and stores more CO2.
(My dad and I planted bamboos to celebrate his 55th birthday.)

6. When buying ice cream, choose cones over cups. Note: cones are edible, cups are disposable.
(Besides, hindi ba mas fun kumain from a cone?! Mas feel mo ang pagiging bata debah?)

7. Be a botante and not a bobotante: in the upcoming 2010 elections, read up on your candidates. See if there’s any green platform behind the yellow, the orange, and the hand symbols.
(Uuuuy ALAM NA.)

8. Spread the word: one person can make difference if she reduces her waste. But if she tells others, then those others tell even more others, then we can begin to effect change. It may be important to practice what you preach, but it’s equally important to preach what you practice.

9. Paper or plastic? One ton of paper bags is equivalent to 17 trees and generates five times as much solid waste as plastic. One ton of plastic bags consumes 11 barrels of crude oil and takes 1000 years to decompose. The answer: neither - bring your own!
(Last time my mom and I went to the grocery, we were busy talking so mamang bagger put them in plastic bags. Then we freaked out and said we had an ecobag with us. So the mamang bagger put the plastic bags in the ecobag. FAIL. Tinanggal namin malamang!)

10. You can carry an eco-bag or just put your purchase in your own bag. While you’re at it, tell the cashier that you don’t need a plastic bag ‘cause you want to save the world. Trust us, it’ll make her smile.
(And it always does. I do this all the time.)

11. Bring your own water bottle! 2.7 million tons of plastic are used for bottled water annually, about 90% of which end up in landfills. An average mineral water bottle costs about P20. If you stop buying one or two bottles a day, you can save up to P1120 a month. While you're at it, bring your own tumbler too! When you’re going to meet your friends for coffee, hand the barista your own tumbler or ask for your drink in a mug. Starbucks Philippines even gives a P5 discount for those who bring their own!
(Anyone who knows me has seen my huge ass water bottle na mukhang pang dispenser. My Japan Starbucks tumbler is from Bun-Chan, from Japan talaga haha!)

12. Need to reload? Go to your nearest e-load or autoload suki! Those prepaid cards are made from and individually wrapped in plastic.
(I realized this when Ma said she doesn't like buying cards.)

13. Learn to love refillables! When buying pens and highlighters, choose those that are refillable, like Stabilo. That way, when the ink runs out, you no longer have to buy new ones. Just walk to your nearest bookstore and ask for a refill.

14. Eliminate phantom drain: Believe your charger when it says BATTERY FULL - it does not lie. Plugged chargers still consume energy.
(This is my pet peeve. I walk around the house unplugging stuff. I've turned into my father :| )

14. Give me the “green” light: Replace those incandescent bulbs into Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs). They may cost a bit more, but think long-term: CFLs consume ¼ of the electricity and last several years longer. Plus, they look like vanilla swirl ice cream!

15. Tara na, biyahe tayo! Have you trekked the Banaue Rice Terraces, chased after whale sharks in Donsol, and viewed the Chocolate Hills of Bohol? Explore your country’s natural resources to remind yourself what it is you are saving. After all, you can only protect what you love, and love what you experience.
(This is like, my personal mission. 2010 will be Cam Sur, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Camiguin. PROMISE. I need to step foot on Mindanao soil!)

The late Ninoy Aquino said that the Filipino is worth dying for. Echos. Allow me to rephrase: the Filipino is worth living for and most definitely worth greening for. Now go forth and greenify :)

I got this from Anna Oposa's blog. And I feel like sharing this one because it made me realize some things. I hope it makes an impact on you too.


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