It’s time to be more careful in going out in the sun, use umbrellas, wear those caps or hats like Kangol Hats and don’t go out with putting on your sunblock.

Honestly, I am quite apprehensive with how hot this summer is going to be. Last year because of the heat, I developed rashes all over my body and I had to take steroids. It’s alarming how every summer, we record the hottest day especially when we know that we have contributed to this. My son mentioned this line to me when read it in the net:

NASA reports that by the next 10 months, earth gets hotter by 4 degrees from now. Himalayan glaciers are melting @ rapid rate. Our climate is changing drastically & it’s getting worst. Help fight Global Warming by 1.Planting more trees 2.Not wasting water, 3.Using cloth bag, not burning plastic. Tell everyboday! SAVE THE EARTH!

I feel for my kids and the next generation. I just pray that we can still do something to save Mother Earth!

I remember back when I was working, our department have started some processes to start a paperless office. Aside from the fact that it’s healthy for Mother Earth, reducing the amount of paper usage can have a lot of advantages such as minimizing storage and enhance the accessibility to information. Imagine? You can read policies and memorandum through your computer and download forms whenever you want to.

With the help of document imaging and media conversion services, old document forms will be converted to digital form.

Soon, everything will be paperless and Mother Earth will greatly benefit.

Yes, that’s me! I hate to admit it but I am a “pack rat”. I try to save a lot of things for future use only to find out that I will only end up throwing them. However, I also feel that I have gained more benefit from being a pack rat than just ending up in the trash.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. That is the main purpose of why I save things.

Scratch papers – I set aside scratch papers so I can reuse to print my children’s reviewers and I believe I am saving a lot of trees by doing so.

Ribbons – Those ribbons from cakes, wines and other gifts that we receive, I will neatly put it aside and when Christmas comes, I have a lot of ribbons to use.

Toners and cartridges – instead of just throwing them away, I sell them to those Re-inkers and gain some for the kids piggy bank. However, it is interesting to note that I have never used inkjet ink cartridges that are not original since I am afraid to damage our printer.

Plastic Bottles, newspapers and boxes – Every year, my boy participates in their schools recycling drive and this year, we have donated almost 20 kilos of recyclables.

Plastic Bags – although I also have reusable grocery bags. Plastic bags cannot be avoided but instead of just throwing it away, I reuse them as a trash bag.

No matter how small my efforts are, in my own way I will continue to do this in order to help conserve our planet, the only one we have.

Using my SM Advantage (Prestige Card), I get extra points and that’s a great way to entice shoppers to bring their reusable bags and help save the environment.

Sad to say some people still find it hard to adjust to this kind of practice. I have seen people being irate once they find out that they will be bringing home brown paper bags or used cartons instead of plastic bags. But I’m all for it, I guess it’s just a matter of making them aware of the benefits it can bring. Like using hand dryers instead of paper towels inside the comfort rooms, it was something that I had to adjust to being a tissue paper person but it’s all worth the adjustment.

This year, Earth Hour takes place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm (local time). Whether you are an individual, a business enterprise, or a community, you are invited to get involved. Just turn off your lights for 60 minutes and you can make a big difference.

People from all walks of life are one in this global action, because we all have one thing in common – our planet. We need to do this for a sustainable future. This is the second year for my family to participate, and it’s a joy to know that my kids are more excited than me.

You can support Earth Hour by:

1. Turning off your lights at 8.30PM on March 27.
2. Showing your support and adding yourself to our world map.
3. Adding Earth Hour widgets, logos and banners to your blog or website to help us spread the word.
4. Talking about Earth Hour in your social network by updating your Facebook status, grabbing a Twibbon, tweeting about your support, and more..
5. Get together with your friends and family, by hosting an Earth Hour party or holding your own candlelit affair.
6. Rally your local council or community group to run an Earth Hour event for your community.
7. Encourage your employer and workmates to take part in Earth Hour and make energy savings every day
8. Make an Earth Hour Lantern as a symbol of hope for the future.
9. Be creative! Find a new way to mark Earth Hour and email:kkp@wwf.org.ph to let them know all about it.

Typhoon Ondoy

The recent devastation to property and life brought about by Typhoon Ondoy (international name Typhoon Ketsana) and Typhoon Pepeng (international name Typhoon Parma) is just among the many evidences to substantiate that climate change is a phenomenon that is taking place… now.

The photos and videos of those affected by these recent typhoons were tremendously shocking. One cannot help but think that this is truly the wrath of Mother Nature. But why? We can only blame ourselves for not taking care of the beautiful planet that was given to us. Human activities contribute a lot to climate change; it’s a price we are paying for modernization and industrialization.

Typhoon Pepeng

To point out some, we can see that more and more forested areas are converted to agricultural lands to produce food for the growing population, if not, they are transformed to the development of residential properties to give land to the homeless. As a result, there are damming of rivers and ground water is siphoned to counterpart the need of the agricultural fields and the growing population. With that, fossil fuel is used in order to draw water and electricity. .. And the cycle continues.

The burning of fossil fuel causes the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is incidentally the gas responsible for climate change together with the other “greenhouse” gases.

When will we learn? In order to bring the climate change to a standstill, we need significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions not only in our country but globally.

As an individual we can help in our own little, start with your family. We can do our share by doing the 3 R’s of environment conservation.
Reduce the amount of waste you produce.
Reuse old items — use cloth plastic bags, reusable containers, donate to the unfortunate.
Recycle : recycle and buy recycled products to support recycling.
We should not lose hope and do the best we could to help Mother Earth for our children and the next generation. If we stop, we might as well tell our kids that their children will not have a planet to live in.

So act and do your share now!

**Typhoon Ondoy photo is courtesy of danmacarandang
**Typhoon Pepeng photo is courtesy of Ed Gumban of PhilStar