Today is a time for BAD (Blog Action Day)!

I have a new blog badge about today’s environmental advocacy called “BAD” which stands for Blog Action Day.  Here is the badge:

After my previous post about saving our forests, now we save our seas.  Not only do our lands get exploitation threats but also our great bodies of water.

Considering that the Philippines is an archipelagic country, it has been blessed with diverse and amazing underwater natural resources.  There is no doubt that tourists would want to visit and see its beauty.  However, there are also people who take advantage of these resources by earning from them.  That is through harvesting, exporting, and selling corals, shells, turtles, and other marine life species that belong to the Philippine seas.

I have read a blog post from Anna Oposa.  This is where I found out how critical the current situation is.  There are really a lot of marine resources being removed from our seas to sell them online.  Add up this article from Philippine Daily Inquirer about the great number of smuggled shells and corals that could not fit into two 20-foot container vans.  Corals are considered as the “rainforests” of the seas.  They serve as breeding grounds and natural habitat for different fish species.  If the harvesting continues, soon enough our waters would be dead.  For sure, none of us would like that to happen.

This is the call of Blog Action Day.  We need to save and preserve the Philippine seas so that the dreaded situation of losing our underwater natural resources would not happen.  This is also for future generations so that they may enjoy and appreciate our waters.

I invite you to join this advocacy by spreading their website link and liking their Facebook page.  This is just a simple way to show our support in saving our natural marine resources before it’s too late.

Today is World Environment Day!

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) website,

“World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere.”

For this year’s WED event, the theme is FORESTS: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE.

In relation to this day’s event, I would like to share with you some forest-related issues currently faced by the Philippines.

True enough, the Philippine forests has been blessed with a rich biodiversity.  As stated by Conservation International, the Philippines has been a natural habitat for a great number of unique flora and fauna that could only be found in this country.  Unfortunately, exploitation threatens our forests mainly due to commercial logging and mining.  This made the Philippines to be considered as one of the world’s most threatened ecological hotspots.

To address this environmental problem, President Noynoy Aquino issued Executive Order 23 (log ban all over the Philippines) and Executive Order 26 (nationwide tree planting and regreening program).  This has received a lot of cheers from environmentalists and conservationists considering the serious effort for the restoration of our forests.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River needs your vote!

There is an ongoing global campaign in search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature.  This aims to promote different natural places all over the world that signify the beauty of our planet.  This campaign started in 2007 and it is now in its third and final phase.

The Three Phases of the New 7 Wonders of Nature Global Campaign

Currently, there are 28 finalists that have been chosen to take the place of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.  One of the finalists is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (or also known as Puerto Princesa Underground River) of Palawan, Philippines.

“The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.” — description stated in the New 7 Wonders of Nature website

I haven’t gone here yet but I would definitely visit this place.  Though, I am not sure when.  For now, pictures can suffice that intent.  Haha!

The official declaration of the New 7 Wonders of Nature will be on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11).  Take part in this campaign by voting for the Puerto Princesa Underground River.  You could also vote for your other 6 wonders of nature among the 28 finalists.  Click on this link to cast your votes.

*all photos in this post are courtesy of the New 7 Wonders website*

Greenpeace calls on Facebook to “Unfriend Coal”

If you want to take part in a Guinness World Record for an environmental cause, now is your chance!  Greenpeace, a well-known international organization that deals with environmental solutions for our world’s greener future, calls on Facebook to drop the use of coal in running their new data centers in Oregon and North Carolina.  Facebook has stated their claim regarding the efficiency of their system which would help in lessening energy consumption and thus, reducing the use of electricity.  Apparently, they still believe that coal, being their source of energy, should not be the issue.  Here is the news from SFGate and Environmental Leader.

Greenpeace still points out that for Facebook to be a true green company, it should run on a renewable source of energy.  Greenpeace made a campaign video to encourage people to join the call for Facebook to “Unfriend Coal”.  Here is their Facebook TV Ad.

Another video that they produced is about the dirty effects of coal in our environment.

Let us all join our efforts in convincing all the staff of Facebook to run on clean energy.  Like this page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnfriendCoal.  Tomorrow, April 13, a world record of 50,000+ comments in 24 hours should be set for this campaign.  Greenpeace would deliver all our comments to Facebook’s office to show them that we really do care for our environment.

Greenpeace has set a deadline for Facebook’s answer which is on Earth Day, April 22.  A social networking giant running on clean energy would set as a good example for other IT industries as well.  Let us all hope that Facebook would get to choose the right decision.

Earth Hour 2011 (Going Beyond the Hour)

It is Earth Hour once again this Saturday, March 26, 2011.  Let us all join this event by switching off our lights for one hour.  This is from 8:30 – 9:30 pm.  For this one hour, we could greatly help in lessening our carbon emission in the atmosphere.

For this year’s event, the slogan is “This Year, Go Beyond the Hour”.  We should do more than just turn off our lights.  World Wide Fund for Nature (the organizer of Earth Hour) encourages all of us to think of ways on how to help in saving our environment.

As a response to this call, I also suggest that we include turning off some electrical appliances  like computers, television sets, and air conditioning units.  Also, if it possible for you not to use your vehicles during this time, it will also provide a big contribution in this event so as to lessen the release of incomplete combustion of fuel that causes air pollution.

I would like to post this special accomplishment from the Philippines that I have read in an article written by Michael Punongbayan for The Philippine Star.

“The Philippines topped last year’s participation with 15 million Filipinos in 1,076 towns and cities voluntarily plunged into darkness for love of the planet.”

Wouldn’t we Filipinos like to top again this year’s event?

Let us unite once again and work our way towards our fight against global warming.   This should not stop after an hour of turning off our lights.  What matters most is how we contribute our own ways to protect our planet in our daily living.

Your blog + Ixpo = Less Carbon in our Atmosphere

An Internet connection is of utmost importance in today’s Information Age. One of the things that we could do with the use of the Internet is to be able to communicate with other people. An example of this is through blogging. Definitely, as you are currently reading my blog post, you are connected to the Internet.

However, whenever we visit a blog or a website, carbon emission takes place due to the electrical usage of our computers and the server systems of the websites. If you try to imagine how many people around the world connect to the Internet, that’s definitely a lot of carbon being released in the atmosphere.

Good thing Ixpo launched a project wherein they will plant a tree if you add the “Carbon Positive Blog” badge in your blog page. You don’t need to pay anything for this project. You just have to add their badge and Ixpo will plant a tree for you. It’s that easy!

Here’s my “Carbon Positive Blog” badge:

Go to this link to get your own badge.

To know more about issues on carbon emission, please go to Ixpo’s carbon neutral blog.