We can do more for the environment

This refers to the editorial titled “Gut realities” (Inquirer, 6/20/12).

The phrase, “state of the planet,” was a most apt catchphrase which we hope would ring long in the minds and memory of us all. The staggering speed with which the population of this planet increases and the equally fast destruction of the earth’s surface and its resources spell a sure recipe for a catastrophe of indescribable disaster that can happen if we do not act—now.

While we cannot hope to change the way other countries manage their affairs, we can do our own share in stopping this double-edged scourge of population explosion and environmental destruction—at least in our own country. The Reproductive Health bill which the present administration wants passed is a step in the right direction.

A growing number of our countrymen have awakened to the importance of environmental protection measures. But much still has to be done to save our environment, and the leadership of government institutions, with the cooperation of the citizenry at large, should see this pursuit through. With the late Odette Alcantara, (may her soul rest in peace), who aggressively advocated the Mother Earth Movement, the Zero Basura Olympics and the Ramon Forests project up to her untimely demise, we shared the idea that “… it is us human beings who produce waste. Nature can take care of itself if left to her own will, but we are the ones who disturb and destroy her resources.”

We do not have to go far to do our share. We can do it in our own household by procuring only the things which produce lesser waste. If these materials are essential to our daily needs we can segregate the recyclable, biodegradable and those that are not, and put them in the right places for disposal. If every household in the country does this, then we have already done a lot without much effort but with great benefit.

In our visit to Metro Manila, we observed the rise of towering skyscrapers all over the place—“concrete evidence” of “progress.” With us was my wife’s nephew who was a fresh interior design graduate from a New York university. We observed that the building trend in the Philippines still focuses on concrete, unlike those in the United States and Europe where the emphasis is on glass and steel which, in my amateur opinion and the nephew’s educated analysis, require lesser expenses and lesser energy needs.

We have seen the rise of residential areas peopled by the few newly rich in erstwhile fertile agricultural lands south of Manila, which helped the fast recession of food producing areas that could have supplied nourishment for the rising number of mouths that need to be fed.

The only consolation we had along the way were the verdant, beautiful trees that have been planted along the South Luzon Expressway and the acacia trees, with the beauty of their crowns. In our own Taal Lake, we enjoyed a wholesome communion with Nature and we were glad that something has been done to preserve at least about half of its pristine beauty.

If we can do it, why can we not do it more and sustain it?

—RAMON MAYUGA,

germayuga@aol.com