A state of calamity has been declared in Metro Manila as rains brought by Ondoy caused the worst flooding in the capital in more than 20 years. The Extensive flooding in the metropolis that forced thousands out of their homes and turned many areas into virtual lakes drew comparison with hurricane “Katrina” which devastated the southern United States city of New Orleans in August 2005. As Katrina pounded New Orleans, levees broke and about 80 percent of the city was flooded, killing over 1,800 people and leaving damage estimated at more than $100 billion. This must be a very scary tragedy. I wonder why it says that it’s like Katrina? I don’t believe so. During the Katrina rescue, there were allegations that the white were given priority and placed in better rescue centers than the black.

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All rivers follow a gently winding path, regardless of the terrain. Now Physicists at the University of Cambridge have produced a mathematical model that explain a river’s winding, or meandering, habits.

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Beach trips, swimming parties, and out-of-town sprees are typical summer essentials. But there’s bound to be a lull in your vacation, leaving you with absolutely nothing to do. Well, make this season of sun even better by bonding with your barkada while building houses for the needy.

Make your summer vacation worthwhile and help build houses for those who lost their homes after typhoons, floods, and mudslides ravaged their provinces. They, too, are getting more than their fair share of sun and heat — in stifling, overcrowded evacuation camps where they are seeking shelter while awaiting new homes.

Habitat for Humanity Philippines embarks on a Summer Build, an activity that will help raise funds for homeless, affected by calamities, and help cut costs on house-building. Get your barkada to join the blitz build and challenge each other on who can make the best concrete interlocking blocks, tie, and fabricate the most rebars, and lay the neatest bricks. Not only do you get to spend time with your BFFs, you also get to meet new friends who care about change the way you do.

Habitat Youth Ambassador Alex Eduque gives enough reasons why you should get on the house-building wagon:

•Be a volunteer. Volunteerism is fun because you see the immediate results of your efforts. “I’ve found my passion in service, and it’s what fuels me despite the grueling heat and laborious construction tasks,” Alex shares.

•Don’t be afraid to try new things. Volunteering is not for everyone — people have different passions and different outlets to relieve stress. “I’ve found my personal outlet to be volunteerism. However, I do encourage everyone to try volunteering at least once because it really is an experience that opens your eyes to reality. It made me realize how everyone in this world should be granted equal chances and opportunities to live a comfortable life, and thus, as the ones who come from a more privileged background, it is our duty as global citizens to make sure we contribute our share in giving them the chance to achieve this,” explains Alex.

•Have fun while helping others. Volunteerism can be as exciting as any other summer activity because the most effective kind of volunteerism is when there is teamwork. It can be an alternative venue to get a tan, and to bond with friends and family. The best part is, not only are you able to burn calories and bond with friends in the process, you are also able to help others live a better life. You are given a chance to meet people and families you would not ordinarily meet and interact with, and that’s what makes the whole process worthwhile.

For more information, visit www.habitat.org.ph.

No one can say exactly what it looks like when a planet takes ill, but it probably looks a lot like Earth. Never mind what you’ve heard about global warming as a slow-motion emergency that would take decades to play out. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the crisis is upon us.

Environmentalists and lawmakers spent years shouting at one another about whether the grim forecasts were true, but in the past five years or so, the serious debate has quietly ended. Global warming, even most skeptics have concluded, is the real deal, and human activity has been causing it. If there was any consolation, it was that the glacial pace of nature would give us decades or even centuries to sort out the problem.

Global warming is a typical global phenomenon, where the causer of the emission does not automatically suffer from it himself. Cause and effect are separated both in time as well as with regard to geography.

In the past, there was a more or less direct relation between the energy consumption (mainly fossil fuels) and the welfare of a country.

This makes it very difficult to reach consensus between the countries about the required steps to solve the problem. The Kyoto protocol shows that the following of the agreement will be doubtful at best if no automatic sanctions take into effect for countries violating it.

Given the severe consequences of global warming, the above sounds quite hopeless for our future. Read on to see how we all are involved in this and how we can benefit from taking our personal responsibility.

One of the things climate scientists worry about is feedback mechanisms. Some feedbacks are positive- they amplify warming, and some are negative they suppress warming. Let’s take a quick look at a graphic showing how cold air is made. Basically, what this graphic is showing us is that at this time of the year, when the Arctic is receiving little sunlight, the radiative input is less than the radioactive output. In other words, more energy leaves the Earth than is added by the sun and cooling occurs.

Undertaking a viable waste-recycling project for communities will go a long way toward solving the solid waste or garbage problem in Metro Manila and the regions.

One of the more serious problems facing the country today is pollution due to the improper handling and disposal and solid wastes.

Uncollected garbage is left on the streets, dumped into storm drains, esteros, canals, creeks or rivers.

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Has anybody ever thought that a plant which was only seen on the back of our houses could be our new “weapon” against poverty, and even climate change? Well, better believe it because studies show that it is true. Proving that it is indeed a super vegetable, Malacañang has tapped “malunggay” (moringa) in the fight against poverty and climate change.

We all know that large scale flooding in our country can be attributed to the also large scale deforestation being illegally practiced on our country. And this brings enormous damages to us people. We also know that because of the global financial crisis, a lot of our workers are experiencing being workless. And our government is expected to do actions to lessen the “damages” of these complex problems….and they found another help they can tap. Not a person or not even an agency. It is a plant-Moringa, known to many of us as malunggay.

National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) chief Secretary Domingo Panganiban pledged the full cooperation and their full support to the local malunggay farmers to provide more works for those who doesn’t have any means of living. Also, malunggay tress can help make the quality of our air and can significantly reduce flooding, as he stressed this during the induction of the newly elected officers of the Moringa Growers Federation of the Philippines.

These are but only few bases why moringa or malunggay was eyed as a weapon by the Malacañang against the growing problem of poverty and possibly against also the global warming.

As you get together with friends and family for holidays or birthdays, why not celebrate the environment too? Here are some simple ideas for greening up your festivities. As an added bonus, many of them are as kind to your wallet as they are to the planet!

1. Choose eco-friendly gifts. Look for gifts made with the environment in mind (such as shade-grown chocolate or coffee; or items made with recycled glass, metal, plastic, or paper). Or give gifts that get used up, like soap, food, or candles.

You could also give gifts that help people cut down on waste. Reusable grocery or produce bags and refillable water bottles do more than just save landfill space — they also save the resources used in making and transporting the disposable versions.

There’s nothing to wrap or throw away when you donate to a person’s favorite cause. Making a gift donation in someone’s name is a good choice for parents or grandparents who don’t need more “stuff.” Or give the gift of your time, such as coupons for babysitting or computer help.

2. Green up your gift wrap. Instead of spending money on store-bought wrapping paper that ends up in a landfill, make your own wrapping from newspaper, magazines, or catalogs. Or use fabric items to wrap gifts, such as wrapping a cookbook in a dishtowel, or clothing in a scarf. Reusable gift bags are another eco-conscious way to present gifts — they’re also easier to use than wrapping paper!

3. Decorate with the planet in mind. Holiday lighting can be a big energy user, so try to find efficient lighting (such as LED lights). Turn outdoor lighting displays off when you go to bed or if you’re not at home. If you light candles, choose natural ones made with beeswax or soy instead of petroleum-based ingredients.

If you buy a Christmas tree, consider a live tree that can be replanted after the holidays. Decorate it the old-fashioned way, with popcorn and cranberry strings — then hang these out for hungry birds to enjoy when the holiday is over. Decorate your table or home with biodegradable natural items, such as pinecones.

4. Send greetings that really care. Create your own holiday cards using your computer or art supplies and recycled paper. Some people cut the pictures out of holiday cards they received the year before and use these to make new cards or gift tags. Better still, go paperless with e-cards.

5. Reuse and recycle. As you plan your holiday celebrations, keep in mind ways to reduce waste, such as using rechargeable batteries in electronic items. If you receive gifts you can’t return or use, pass them on to someone who can — or donate them to a charity resale shop. (You can also do this with any old items that this year’s gifts replace.) After Christmas, use a chipper to turn your cut tree into mulch for the garden.

Tips to save mother earth:

1. 

   Implement the 3Rs: Re-use, Reduce and Recycle -

   1. Use environment-friendly items.
   2. It must start in our homes. Learn to segregate your waste and start composting our biodegradable trash.
   3. Recycle and sell or give away old newspapers, cans, bottles properly.
   4. Buy products in their largest size
   5. Reduce use of disposable packaging and plastic bags
   6. Avoid products that have CFC.

2. Conserve energy -
   

   1. Use electricity and water judiciously.
   2. Replace incandescent bulbs with Fluorescent bulbs
   3. Plan your trips; multitask
   4. Keep burners and air conditioner filters clean
   5. Dry your laundry outside
   6. Turn your cell phones off whenever possible. It would reduce carbon fumes from the fossil fuel requirements of your power consumptions

3. Utilize Technology-

   1. Pay bills online
   2. Like in the Philippines in which surrounded by water, Filipinos must invest in desalination plants for the coming droughts.

4. Plant more trees -
   

   1. 

      We should plant more trees! Apart from being the source of medicine, trees prevent soil erosion and landslides. They also help protect our underground water reserves.

   2. Plant assorted plants, like ornamentals and other varieties. It cushions the blow of the summer heat. It also invites birds.
   3. Let’s not cut down trees.
   4. It can reduce cooling cost; Rural Folk should replace trees they felled from firewood.

5. Information Dissemination -
   

   1. Educate the perennial garbage throwers in our waterways will certainly rejuvenate our environment.
   2. Awareness of earth destruction will move us to restrategize our local and universal concerns on environmental crisis.
   3. Speak up! Support actions on Green living.
   4. Raise funds for Mother Earth
   5. Join or volunteer for the events on Earth Hour.

6. Go Vegetarian-

   1. Go Vegetarian, save the earth, save yourself.
   2. Eating meat produces more carbon footprints. And look at the bodies of vegetarians WOW!

7. Control the population growth -
   

   1. We should stop at two kids, Imagine seven billion people exhaling 10 grams of carbon dioxide each into the air. That’s 70 million kilos of carbon dioxide.

8. Be responsible motorists-

   1. The destruction consequences of global warming were already illustrated by Al Gore, Let’s Stops using our smoke-belching cars.
   2. Ride a bike once a week when going to the office. It will save you at least 250 liters of gas in a year. That’s 250 liters less of gas population.
   3. We should maintain the proper emission levels of our motor vehicles.
   4. Have our cars checked and tuned-up at least twice a year.
   5. Use unleaded gasoline.

1. 

   Let’s discipline ourselves-

   1. We should have self-discipline. We should also be responsible, beginning with our own garbage. Impede others from throwing their garbage just anywhere.

2. Go Back to Basics -
   

   1. To help arrest Global warming: live in a simple lifestyle like the Amish of Pennsylvania
   2. Reduce the use of the earth-s resources to a sustainable level. This means returning to a level of development equal to what it was in 1898. Are we welling to do this?