Mother Earth and the Inconvenient Truths
By Dulce I. Gozon
Chairman,Foundationfor Resource Linkage and Development
The riches of earth is the basis for agriculture activity. It is also the source of food and security. The connection of one to the other is a necessity just as action causes a reaction. Because nature is now in peril, climate change is reality. The cost of progress and what we all did in putting up industries that emit pollution, using cars, aircons, among others- our world now faces new challenges.
Zero waste is a lifestyle. It will improve the person. It will improve the environment. It is balance. It is perfection. But it is also inconvenient.
One need not to go far to do what needs to be done. In our houses we segregate our wastes- we decompose the organics, recycle the plastics and sell them. I remember “SCORE” a project of Soroptimist, won numerous awards locally and internationally. It is an acronym for S-Segregate, CO for Compost, and RE– Recycle. Remember did you make a SCORE today? S-segregate, CO-compost and RE- reday? S-segregate, CO-compost and RE-recycle. If you apply this acronym to your daily life, you will lessen the waste around you, put to good use waste that add to pollution in the house. It will also make one more efficient. But these are inconvenient truths that all of us are talking about. It is inconvenient but necessary if we want to make this place a better place for all of us.
The recent OSCARS brought to our homes in living color the relevance of climate change. The melting of the ice caps because of global warming. The best documentary presented the reality of climate change hosted by former Vice Pres. Al Gore of United States.
The flooding of low lying areas could possibly erase lands where people live and work. The extreme temperatures could paralyze cities. The seeming end of the world suddenly looms in the horizon. The awareness of a worst case scenario must goad all of us to action to what we can to do inconvenient things that will turn the tide.
Former Vice President Al Gore supports the following practical and doable things like: Change a light- replacing one regular light will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide per year; Drive less– walk, bike, organize a carpool or take metro transit more often. You’ll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive! Recycle more- you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household wastes; Check your tires- keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere; Use less hot water- it takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low-flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year); Avoid products with a lot of packaging-you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%; Adjust your thermostat-moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees winter and up to 2 degrees in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year; Plant a tree- a single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime; Turn off electronic devices- simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo and computer when you’re not using them will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide per year; Be a part of the solution- learn more and get active at ClimateCrises.net.
As an agricultural person, I ask each one of you to do SCORE. Adopt STEMS as a lifestyle. STEM is an acronym for S-Space, T-Time, E-Energy, S-Spirit. Zero waste of STEMS will make a difference in climate change. Zero waste in spirit means love your neighbor as yourself. For love is the everlasting fire that will save the world. Do not waste space, time, energy and spirit.
Internalize SCORE and STEMS. Take to heart the inconvenient truths presented by AL GORE. See how it will change yourself and the world! Remember the IPM. IPM is an acronym for Integrated Pest Management. It is about lowering the use of pesticides that pollute the farms. It is about using organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer. It is about producing organically grown food for the health of our people.
It is about caring for mother earth. Return the fertility of the soil, cleanliness of the water and air- for a better world.
Indeed, the world has come full circle. What belongs to the earth to preserve mankind.
REFERENCE:
Marid Agribusiness Digest
Vol.17 No.11* April 2007