Increasing Marine Litters: Everyone is Responsible

Saving one plastic a day may help stop the growing global problem on marine litters.

The United Nation Environment Program (UNEP)heads "calls for worldwide ban on pointless thin film plastic bags" on June 8, 2009 in celebration of World Ocean Day. This was after a report brought out the growing global problem on marine litters. This is the "first-ever attempt to take stock of the marine litter situation in the 12 major regional seas around the world

"This report is a reminder that carelessness and indifference is proving deadly for our oceans and its inhabitants," says Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International and Ocean Conservancy board member. "Offered here are more than mere facts and figures. The time for action is now, and true change will require taking a bold and courageous stand. There are solutions that everyone, everywhere in the world, can adopt to make a positive difference for our water planet."

"From discarded fishing gear to plastic bags to cigarette butts, a growing tide of marine litters is harming oceans and beaches worldwide," said the report.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Marine litter is symptomatic of a wider malaise: namely the wasteful use and persistent poor management of natural resources. The plastic bags, bottles and other debris piling up in the oceans and seas could be dramatically reduced by improved waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives".

"Some of the litter, like thin film single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased-out rapidly everywhere-there is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere. Other waste can be cut by boosting public awareness, and proposing an array of economic incentives and smart market mechanisms that tip the balance in favor of recycling, reducing or re-use rather than dumping into the sea," he said.

Generation of Plastic and Styrofor

The desire for convenience gave birth to the generation of plastic bag and styrofor. Business and corporate areas are the big consumers of plastic bag and styrofor. People are too busy most of them rely to ready-to-eat, microwaveable foods packed in styrofor or plastic, sold in convenience stores.

In Makati,thousands of employees buy foods from jolli jeeps which pack foods in styrofor and plastic bags. I can emagine tons of plastic and styrofor consumed in Makati, alone, everyday. It is sad to think that those plastic and styrofor end as marine litters, contributing to marine pollution, increasing the rubbish thrown out to the seas and endagering "people's safety and health, entrap wildlife, damage nautical equipment and deface coastal areas around the world."

Let us Give Our Share to Save the Oceans

We can do simple, yet powerful things to save our oceans. We can start by just saving one plastic or styrofor a day.

When shopping for groceries I always bring reusable cloth bag. You can buy reusable bags at SM or Rustans Supermarkets. They have this program that when you use the reusable bag for shopping, you can earn points in their loyalty cards. Nakatulong ka pa sa environment.

When I have to buy stuff from drugstores or convenience stores I always ask the cashier/bagger not to put the stuffs I bought in plastic bag. I always carry a bigger bag so that I can just put the things I bought inside. Just don't forget to always ask for your receipt for security.

I always try to pack my lunch so that I can save one plastic bag and one styrofor a day. That way, I am also sure that the food I eat is clean (and delicious). I cannot emagine how the foods packed in plastic and styrofor are prepared.

We are always part of any environmental problem, and accordingly, we should always be part of the solutions. Everyone of us is responsible. Every simple thing that we can do for the planet can make a difference.

Celebrating World Earth Day

The world Earth Day was established by the United Nations in 1972. It aimed to confront environmental issues.

Today, realities hit the developing conutries as it "suffer the worst effects of waste and pollution" as they often cater the waste and trash of the rich countries.

The Guardian created this astonishing slideshow of garbage.

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Please see GPSEA blog in celebration of World Earth Day here.

Holy Week Vacation: You Can Do Simple Things for Boracay

Hello readers!

We have a long holy week vacation. Most of us are going to the provinces to relax and rejuvenate.And as always, Boracay remains the number one tourist destination in the country.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia started - last June 19, 2008 - the "Save the Climate, Save Boracay Project." It is part of GPSEA's Climate and Energy Campaign.The project "aims to enlist Boracay resorts and tourists to decrease their carbon footprint and promote awareness about climate change and the solutions that can be implemented by the tourism industry. The objective is to transform Boracay into a climate-friendly destination through the implementation of energy-efficiency measures, zero waste management, and responsible tourism."

I want to share to you Greenpeace Southeast Asia's simple things that we can do as responsible tourists of Boracay or any destination in the country:

1. Unplug appliances at home: Save energy by switching off and unplugging all electrical appliances you before you leave your home.

2. Reduce waste: bring your own bag when you go out, say no to plastic – straws, bags and sachets.

3. Bottle your own water. Bring your own refillable container instead of buying plastic bottles that will go straight to a landfill when you're finished.

4. No natural souvenirs: Do not disturb the natural ecosystem by bringing home sand, rocks or shells for decoration.

5. Be green even if the hotel isn’t - Turn off lights and air conditioning when you leave the room.

Happy Green Vacation Guys!

You can see some GPSEA's work in Boracay here.

Doing Simple Things for the Planet

“Wastes segregation begins at home.”

Practicing proper waste segregation reduced our household waste to 20% - the rest being recycled.

Metro Manila disposes tons of garbage everyday and time will come that its landfills can no longer accommodate all its wastes.

Our household trash is ordinarily composed of old news papers and scrap papers; cartoons and card boards; plastic bottles and plastic scraps; Styrofoam and the inedible parts of fruits and vegetables that we consume. Instead that those trashes end up to the garbage collectors we managed to segregate and recycle. We piled the scrap papers and card boards in a big cartoon then we allocated a separate sack for our plastic bottles and plastic scraps. Our lifestyle here sometimes demands for the consumption of plastic bottled drinks. Nevertheless, we are trying to be responsible consumer by properly disposing our plastic trash.

I persuaded my siblings to put our biodegradable trash in a used plastic container. Some of it is now completely decomposed and I am planning to use it as an organic fertilizer. We are going to plant our vegetable here in the city. I believe it is possible though we have a limited space in our house. I can utilize our used plastic containers as pots.

Talk of doing simple things for the planet, huh.

Trash to Cash

Last month, my sister Inkgs sold our accumulated non-biodegradable, recyclable household trashes. She just turned our trash into cash.

SM Supermalls have launched their Trash to Cash Recycling Market every first Friday and Saturday of the month. They buy scrap papers and card boards; empty ink and toner cartridges; plastic bottles and plastic scraps; used lead batteries (for cars, UPS/Voltage Regulators); Aluminum; tin cans; busted rechargeable lamps; polystyrene; Styrofoam; junk cell phones and cell phone batteries (not for buying/recycling).

Even big businesses are exerting efforts to save this planet.

Possibly, we can change from being a “throw-away society” to a saving, protecting, and caring society by simply being responsible to our trash.

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Disclosure: This article was one of the entries to 2009 Philippine Blog Awards and is also posted at AsiaIsGreen and has inspired many to do simple things for the planet

Senate Ratified JPEPA: Only 4 Stand for the Environment and for the People

Just a day after the Renewable Energy Bill was approved, 16 of the Philippine’s senators have voted for the ratification of the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

Beau Baconguis – Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaign Manager in the Philippines sent out the statement below on the ratification of the JPEPA on the night of Wednesday, October 8, 2008.

" "The sneaky and seemingly last-minute maneuvering to have the JPEPA ratified by the Senate betrays the unbearable shame that senators must have faced when they voted for the treaty. It is deplorable that despite the inability of treaty proponents to explain how provisions in the JPEPA which are detrimental to the interest of Filipinos could be corrected, the JPEPA pushers blindly plowed ahead, unmindful of the profound consequences that the treaty would have on the lives of Filipinos.

"With the treaty ratified, there is now an even bigger incentive for Japanese hazardous waste generators and traders to ship their dangerous materials to the Philippines so long as an economic justification for 'recycling' these toxic substances could be made. When you recycle a hazard, you will always be left with a hazard, and JPEPA's ratification has just reinforced and provided additional institutional incentive to promote this practice. In the end, Filipino communities and workers in dirty 'recycling' or waste processing facilities will be the ones who will bear the brunt of toxics pollution and contamination caused by what essentially is a case of hazardous waste dumping from a rich to a poor country.

"It is imperative that the Philippine government now act swiftly to ratify the Amendment to the Basel Convention which would categorically prevent the dumping of toxic and hazardous waste from richer to poorer countries under the guise of recycling, a dastardly practice that has been reinforced with the Senate's ratification of the JPEPA.

"We commend the four senators, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Noynoy Aquino, Sen. Jamby Madrigal, and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel for standing up for the environment and for the Filipino people by voting against the JPEPA."


Meanwhile, members of the JPEPA Coalition have agreed "to close this chapter with a condemnation march from Liwasang Bonifacio to the Supreme Court on Monday,October 13.

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Reference:

Beau Baconguis
Toxic Campaigner,
Greenpeace Southeast Asia