[Business] Boyen Knoxout - Making the Philippines an Easier Place to Breathe

Boysen - the leading paint manufacturer in the Philippines - launched their eco-friendly Knoxout paint last November 2009.

Knoxout is the first air cleaning paint in the world with the ability to break down noxious air pollutants (NOx) into harmless substances. This is done through the use of light energy absorbed by the special paint.

Successful trials and Europe and the Philippines have proven the air purifying capabilities of this product.

 (Photograph taken from Oh-Wheezers Blog)

In order to promote cleaner air in Metro Manila (and their eco-friendly product), Boysen has launched the One Wall One World advocacy.

This advocacy encourages individuals and groups to repaint heavily polluted areas using Knoxout, in order to help lessen air pollution in these areas.

NOx is one of the leading causes of air pollution related deaths in the country. An estimated 13 people in the Philippines die each day due to air pollution. That is 1 out of every 8 deaths in the country.

For much more information, you can watch this video on Boysen Knoxout:




Sources:

• Boysen Official Website

[Green Living] Davao City Smoking Ban Should Serve as an Inspiration to All

Davao City Officials Win Award for Sustained Smoking Ban

The Davao City local government has earned praise and awards for the planning and continued implementation of their city-wide smoking ban in public places and enclosed establishments.

The anti-smoking task force set up by the city continues to do its job as more that 9,000 violators have already been apprehended since the ban's first implementation.

(Photograph taken from Article.Wn Website)

Last 2010, Davao City officials were given the government body category award by the Global Smoke-Free Partnership or GSP.

Hopefully, this will serve as an inspiration for other city's in the Philippines to strictly implement their own smoking bans as well.

An attempt was made to do so in Makati City before, but the smoking ban stopped just as soon as it began.

For inspiration, Australia has the strictest anti-smoking laws in the world.

[Event] Gina Lopez to Give Talk on Mining and Biodiversity on March 7, 2011

Come and Attend this Very Important Talk on Mining in the Philippines

On March 7, 2011 Ms. Gina Lopez - managing director of the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. - will give a talk on mining and biodiversity. The talk is will begin at 6pm and will be held at Cinema One of the Rockwell Powerplant Mall.

 (Photo of Gina Lopez taken from Kulit Runner Blog)

There will be scientists present at this talk to present concrete evidence as to why mining in general, but more specifically in Palawan, will do significantly more harm than good.

There are more than 350 mining applications for Palawan, more than 80 of which want to set up mines in the  Underground River, one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.

Whether or not you support mining in the Philippines, those who care about the environment and the future of the Philippines are invited to attend this talk.

[Personal] Environment Philippines Now Has Its Own Facebook Fan Page

 Creating a Facebook Fan Page for Environment Philippines has been something I've been planning to do for quite some time now.

However, I wanted to wait for this blog to get a stable daily readership before I pushed through with my plan. Now that my blog is getting around 50 unique readers per day, I think it's the right time to encourage you guys to become fans of this blog.

Hopefully, I'll be able to gather a group of like minded individuals who genuinely care for the environment not only in the Philippines, but across the globe as well.

If you want to promote a green business, advocacy, or if you just want to share information, feel free to become a fan and post stuff on our fan page.

You can become a fan easily by checking out the Facebook box on my blog's sidebar. You can also click on this link to the Environment Philippines Facebook Fan Page.

[Green Living] Reusable Grocery Bags in Supermarkets - Does it Work in the Philippines?

The Use of Reusable Grocery Bags Has Yet to Grow in the Philippines

(Photo of Rustan's Reusable Bag Ad taken from Heart 2 Heart Online)

I was browsing through a couple of blogs written by my fellow 20 something bloggers when I came across an interesting article on reusable shopping bags.

The author of the post stressed the importance of using these bags instead of dozens of plastic bags per week during grocery shopping.

The concept may work well in America, but is it actually applicable to us here in the Philippines?

Most of the major supermarket chains seem to agree. SM- the largest mall chain in the country - has already released its own line of reusable grocery bags. So has the Rustan's Supermarkets chain.

We have eco-businesses creating bags from rags, discarded tarpaulin banners, and Zesto tetra packs.

 (Photo of juice tetra pack bag taken from The Female Network Website)

But while the effort is there, us Filipinos are not so easily convinced to use these bags and support the environmentally friendly options already available to us.

Perhaps it's because the bags will be an added expense on our part, or because there are no clear incentives for being pro-green.

Maybe a small discount for reusing recyclable grocery bags, or a small charge for using plastic bags (only in the upscale supermarkets) will give the proper reinforcement needed.

***
This post is written in response to  HoneyB's 2011 February 1 post in her blog Dose of Honey entitled "Paper or Plastic"

[News] Tree Planting World Record Surpassed by Camarines Sur, Philippines

Close to 7,000 persons help Camarines Sur break the Guiness World Record for the most number of trees planted in 15 minutes.

(Photos taken from Skyscraper City forum.)

India was the previous record holder. They planted 50,033 trees in 15 minutes just last 2010. Now, the Philippines has broken this record by planting 64,096 trees in the same amount of time this Wednesday, 2011 February 23.

The province of Camarines Sur is working towards the goal of planting 12 million trees by the end of 2012. The forests of this province have been damaged due to incessant logging in the past.

The Philippines is known for attempts to break world records. It came close to breaking the record for the number of runners participating during a single race during last year's Run for Pasig River.


Sources:

• "CamSur sets world tree-planting record" AFP article in The Freeman

[News] Events Against Mining and the Killing of Journalists Mark Dr. Gerry Ortega's 1 Month Death Anniversary

One Month After the Death of Dr. Gerry Ortega

There are three events - 2 in Manila and 1 in Palawan - that will be held on 24 February 2011. The events are being organized by separate groups, all against mining in the Philippines and the widespread assassination of journalists in the Philippines.

(Photograph taken from Ely's Planet)

The events in Manila are:

1. A protest by Defend Patrimony in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) starting 9:30am.
2. A protest led by Fr. Robert Reyes and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) starting at 4:30pm

The event in Palawan is entitled

"Unang Buwan ni Dok Gerry: Isang Pagbabalik-tanaw sa Buhay ng Isang Martyr"
The First Month of Dr.Gerry: Looking Back on the Life of a Martyr

To silence his outspoken views and efforts against mining in Palawan, Dr. Gerry Ortega was  killed on 24 January 2011 by a hired gunman. Tomorrow marks one month since the environmental hero lost his life.

Tomorrow's event will be held at the Holy Trinity University in Palawan.

Visitors can attend:

• the holy mass to be presided by Fr. Felipe Torecampo
• a photo exhibit at the university lobby (starting 9am)
• a forum at the school gym/auditorium (at 3pm)
• a candle lighting ceremony at the university and the crime scene  

For all those who cannot attend, please offer your prayers for Dr. Gerry, his family, and the future of our country.

[News] Volunteer Fire Brigade to Hold Cebu City Fire Run 2011

In order to promote fire and burn prevention in the province, the Cebu Filipino-Chinese Volunteers Fire Brigade (CFCVFB) will be holding a Fire Run this March 6, 2011.

Assembly will be at 4:30am at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu. The run which starts at 5am, will be managed by Runcheck - a professional race organizing group.

There are three adult categories for the race: (1) 15 kilometers (300 Pesos registration fee), (2) 7.5 kilometers (250 Pesos registration fee), and (3) 3 kilometers (250 Pesos registration fee).

Join and get a chance to win 7,000 Pesos, 5,000 Pesos, or 3,000 Pesos, for the first, second, and third placers in each category. Medals will also be awarded to the winners in all categories.

This race will be a good opportunity to have fun with family and friends, while supporting fire prevention programs in Cebu.

You can register for the Fire Run at Runnr (in Ayala Center Cebu), the Philippines Sports Commission Office (in the Cebu City Sports Center), the CFCV Fire Brigade Office, or any Fitness First outlet in Cebu.

[Technology] Pepsi Philippines is Investing in 8 Million Dollars Worth of Biomass Power Plants in the Philippines

Pepsi Philippines Invests in the Future of Their Company and the Country 

(Photo taken from the Financial Times Website)

In an effort to reduce the energy consumption of  producing soft drinks in the country, Pepsi Philippines (PCPPI) is investing 8 million dollars on biomass powerplants.

Around eleven powerplants all-in-all are scheduled to be built in key locations across the country, where Pepsi has its manufacturing plants.

This will not only help the softdrinks manufacturer save money, it will also lessen the demand for the building of new coal power plants. Furthermore, it will help provide more jobs for Filipinos.

Biomass Power Plants are Greener Than Their Oil Powered Counterparts

(Concept Photo of a Biomass Power Plant taken from Alyxjm)

Biomass power plants use stocks of agricultural feeds as power. While the fumes it releases are cleaner than those released by coal and oil powered plants, the fumes are still toxic.

Nevertheless, Pespi has made a step in the right direction, and studies are currently being made on how to lessen the toxicity of the fumes.

Hopefully, more companies will try to invest on greener methods of producing power for their businesses as well.

Sources:

• "Pepsi to Build $8-M Biomass Power Plants in Philippines" at abs-cbn News Website
• "Pepsi-Cola Set to Build 2 Biomass Facilities" by Myrna M. Velasco from The Manila Bulletin

[News] Illegal Fishing - Bantay Dagat Member Alvin Galeos Killed by Fisherman

February 17, 2011 - Alvin Galeos, a member of Bantay Dagat, lost his life in the fight against illegal fishing in Cebu City. He and four other members of the civilian group were doing their routine patrols that night when they noticed a small boat.

 (A photo of compression fishing taken from dgales@flickr.com)

The fishermen were using a compressor for fishing (a device used by divers to breathe underwater), which is illegal in the province of Cebu. The group began reprimanding the fishermen when one of them brought out a gun and began firing. Only Alvin was unable to escape. Instead, he died from a bullet hitting his chest.

The fishermen were repeat offenders.

This most recent death has deeply angered Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who has promised to engage in a war against illegal fishing in the province. Perhaps that would mean arming the Bantay Dagat members with guns of their own, although less violent means may be a better option.

Sources: 

• "Cebu Gov declares war against illegal fishing practice" by Carine Asutilla from ABS-CBN News Online
• "Editorial - Fight vs Illegal Fishing Takes Another Toll" from The Freeman