A lie to say,"Oh, my forest has shade that block the sun
And when I cut them down I don't answer to anyone."
He'll take his gold to where he's lying cold, six feet in the grave.
—————————————————————————————————
10,000 Maniacs, A CAMPFIRE SONG
7. BATHROOM HABITS
Do not leave the water running while brushing your teeth. Better yet, use a basin while shaving, or washing the dishes. Using the “tabo” and “balde” are still one of the most efficient Pinoy ways to conserve water when taking a bath.
40% of the pure water you use in your house is flushed down the toilet. Put plastic bottle in your toilet tanks, soak off the label, fill the bottle with water, put on the cap, and place it in the tank. You can put stones in the bottle to weight it down.
Use cloth diapers. This is a tough one. Better to alternate between cloth and disposables than to use disposables exclusively. Americans throw away 18 billion disposable diapers a year—enough to stretch to the moon and back seven times.
8. CFCs
Don’t buy aerosol cans containing CFCs. Better yet: don’t use aerosols at all. If you’re still buying aerosols, always try to check the labels. Don’t buy anything if the following CFCs or halons are listed: CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114, And CFC-115.
9. RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES
Use rechargeable batteries. Although they do contain cadmium, a highly toxic substance, they last much longer than the alkaline batteries—thus they contribute a little less to our hazardous waste problem. Do not buy batteries that have mercury added to it.
10. ATTENTION SHOPPERS
Plastic bags are not biodegradable and often wind up in the ocean and kill marine animals that get entangled up in them or swallow them. The ink used on plastic bags contains cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. So when printed plastic bags are incinerated, heavy metals are spread into the air. Think twice before taking any bag if your purchase is small. Even better, bring cloth bag when you shop. Always re-use plastic bags.
11. STAMP OUT “STYROFOAM
What we think of, as “Styrofoam” is actually polystyrene foam, which is completely non-biodegradable; it just won’t go away. Even 500 years from now, that foam cup that held your coffee this morning might be sitting on the Earth’s surface. Because of its very structure—containing large amounts of air—it wastes enormous amounts of precious space at already-bulging landfills. It floats on the ocean surfaces, breaks up into pellets resembling food to marine life, and is consumed.
There is no such thing as “safe” polystyrene foam. Don’t use it. Avoid foam packaging in egg cartons, disposable picnic goods, etc. If you eat at fast food restaurants, ask for paper cups and plates. Better yet, don’t eat at a place that uses them.
12. IT’S A BEACH
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey of albatross babies found 90% with plastic in their digestive system.
Our ocean provides most of the planet’s oxygen, moisture, and weather patterns—yet we treated them as if they were expendable. You can’t save the ocean by yourself…but you can get involved, help focus attention on the problem, and clean up a little part of the planet that needs some loving care. You can even adopt a beach. Next time you go to the beach, bring a trash bag. Then spend a few minutes picking up any litter you find.