5 Simple Ways to Save the Planet While Having Fun
by Mitzi Borromeo
Eco-conscious citizen

When it comes to painting the town red, try not to leave a big mess behind you. The more stuff we consume and collect— food, clothes, gadgets and other unexplainable accessories— we contribute to our city's garbage or solid waste amounting to about 5,350 tons per day. That's about five Mall of Asias full of garbage! (Well, maybe not exactly, but you get the point). Instead of depending on our government leaders, we can take action and be part of the solution. Every little thing counts. Here are a few tips for the urbanite:  

1. Drive smart! Skyrocketing gas prices are taking away from our fun expenses. Save some money and lessen your environmental footprint by going easy on the gas pedal. Car pooling can also save on gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, oil resources, and reduce all the associated nasty environmental impacts associated with driving.  

2. Easy on the plastic. BYOB (bring your own bag) when you shop and say no to the ugly plastic bags at the tiangge or your favorite shops. Ask the counter person to skip the earth-hostile Styrofoam packaging next time you order takeout. Snub that plastic stir stick, coffee junkies! An estimated 138 billion of them wind up in the trash each year.  

3. Kick the habit. Lose the unattractive smoker's pallor, odor, cough, and other nasty side effects of cigarette sucking and keep the air clean. Buy yourself more time on this planet by sparing your body from more damage. The money you save from smoking all those sticks a month will go quite a long way into the fun funds.  

4. Go local! Patronize Philippine-made products instead of scouting out those hard to find imported items that take so much energy to bring into the city. Think about how much more energy it takes to get those imported products to you and your body – from producer to manufacturer to store, and to us.  

5. Beware of greenwash. Organic, green, earth friendly, “eco” this and “enviro” that – all nice buzzwords, but read between the spin and look for the substance – how are these terms applied; what's the justification and context? Do keep in mind that very few products are 100% green. It's amazing how many products that are actually quite earth-friendly are packed in so much plastic that it basically negates any claim to environmental benefit. Look forminimal/recycled packaging wherever possible.

5 Eco-friendly Places to Go to in the City
By Paulo Alcazaren
Columnist Philippine Star, Editor-in-Chief BluPrint Magazine, Principal PGAA Creative Design

1. The Balara Filters [Balara Filter Compound, Katipunan Ave. , Quezon City]. Learn about our earth's water supply and how we can conserve it.

2. La Mesa Dam Eco Park [ East Fairview Quezon City, Luzon , T: 410-9670, www.lamesaecopark.com]. Walk among the foliage, swim, explore, and learn more about our precious water resources.

3. The American Cemetery [Fort Bonifacio, Taguig].
Yes, it's a cemetery, but it's also the best classroom for tropical shrubs and trees (most are identified with latin and common names).

4. The UP campus [University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City ]. It's the greenest campus in Metro Manila although it is deteriorating.

5. Quezon Memorial park and the Ninoy Aquino Park at the Parks and Wildlife [Quezon Ave., Quezon City ]. It's a park where you can commune with nature and check out the wildlife rescue center.

5 Ways to Save Gas
By Enrico de Leon
Caltex

1. Limit the use of your vehicle. Prevention is the best way for conservation.

2. Walk. Its good exercise (It's not bad as you think).

3. Get the excess load out of your vehicle . (Like stuff left in the trunk for months already). The extra weight in the vehicle adds to the work the engine needs to drive the car.

4. Car-pool. It's so high school and college era days I know…but it's making a strong comeback.

5. Plan your trip (What roads to avoid and when to hit the road) . A carefully made journey plan will do you well in saving you from those gas-guzzling-high-irritability situation called traffic.

5 Ecological Organizations to Support

If you can't volunteer your time, you may pay someone else to do it. Recommended are WWF, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund [T: 928-7923/26/31, www.wwf.org.ph], Haribon Foundation [T: 434-4642/ 434-4696, www.haribon.org.ph], Greenpeace [T: 434-7034, www.greenpeace.org/seasia], Bantay Kalikasan [T: 924-4101/ 415-2272 loc. 4551, 7034, www.bantaykalikasan.com] and Conservation International [www.conservation.org].