Archive for the ‘Green Living’ Category

« Older Entries

Images of a dying ecosystem

by xarki, on Fri, Apr 5 2013 | No Comments

courtesy of www.facebook.comNone of us can dispute the fact that man has done significant damage to the environment.

 

Our dead bodies of water, depleting natural resources and endangered species of flora and fauna are long sought to be addressed not only by concerned environmental groups but by each one of us as well.  We already tried putting up different clean up drives, energy conservation solutions and even passed laws that will keep the earth’s populace aware about the dying planet but it seems that these steps are not enough to match the rate of how fast the ecosystem is deteriorating.

 

As I saw these gruesome images of animals falling prey to the garbage we have been throwing on our waters, I remember a similar scene from the movie “Happy Feet.” Though the story has showcased singing and dancing flightless birds (penguins) and awesome 3D animations of true-to-life ice creatures, the story aimed to tell the world that even the unwary emperor penguins are victims to man’s mindless grabbing of natural resources.

 

We all aim to get as much as we can from our environment in the hopes that we could earn more to satisfy our desires rather than our needs. And all that is left are discarded back to where our trash shouldn’t be.

 

The collection of these images reflects how we care about our planet. As the saying goes, “God made man to take care of all his creations.” But if we won’t act on it and do more drastic measures, our planet will soon get rid of all humans just to sustain its life.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Green Living | No Comments »

Sly campaign ads on the loose

by xarki, on Sat, Feb 2 2013 | No Comments

courtesy of definitelyfilipino.comThe May 2013 elections for senators and barangay officials in the Philippines are almost here. Even though the campaign period hasn’t started yet, one can observe that some of these candidates are already making a head start.

 

I believe Comelec (Commission on Elections) has an implemented rule regarding this matter. Undoubtedly many of these political personas are in clear violation of this rule.

 

Even though they deny the fact that their tarpaulin posters and humongous billboards are indeed promotional campaign tools, the public are well aware of what these people are trying to achieve.

 

It is a bit funny how some of these ads try to conjugate the word (for example) mayor into these posters. Like “Juan dela Cruz ang mayor ng …” putting a lot of emphasis on the word “mayor”. In big bold and striking colored letters that goes together with their monstrously printed names.

 

While most of these banners are ways to show their support to a certain endeavor, communal activity or a certain event, it is still an eye sore. Add to this that even though they have the funds to put up these signs, these insensitive politicians need to be reminded to clean up their mess afterwards!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Green Living | No Comments »

Getting used to the no plastic rule

by Melody Claire, on Thu, Oct 25 2012 | No Comments

courtesy of geeky-guide.comIt has been more than a month since Quezon City implemented the two environment protection ordinances, the SP-2140 and SP-2103, which aims to effectively regulate the use of plastic bags in the city. Yet the people are still not used to of bringing their own cloth bags at the mall and even in the market. Even I tend to forget to bring one. But thanks to the city officials’ tenacity in upholding the city ordinance, the city dwellers are starting to get the hang of it. Yes! It’s all just discipline.

 

While I do hear a lot of grumblings that this situation is being used by business owners especially by the plastic makers to make a lot of money. Since now, you have to pay P 2.00 for each plastic bag should you forget to bring your own. I still believe that the end result which is having the people disciplined to bring their own cloth or plastic bags to help the environment is indeed for the greater good.

 

It is high time for us to be more responsible for the waste we’re generating. This will at least lessen the amount of plastic which normally ends up clogging our drainage or sewerage systems and even takes a lot of years before it can be naturally degraded.

 

Anyway, how hard is it to just leave one weightless cloth bag or even plastic bag inside your own bag? I even successfully convinced one of my office mates to bring her own after hearing her complain of the quality of paper bags they use to pack the things she needs to buy. You can also leave one at the trunk of your car so you’ll have one to use anytime.

 

I just hope that other cities in the metro aside from Quezon City will follow suit and even implement greater environmental acts like waste segregation. After all the bottom line of having a city that’s environmentally friendly are disciplined citizens.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Green Living | No Comments »

Green living implementation in a school in QC

by xarki, on Thu, Sep 20 2012 | 3 Comments

courtesy of buzzle.comAfter having a good year on Mercedarian School (MS) in QC, we decided to continue my son’s education on the same school. We are very much satisfied with the quality of education that MS has provided our son and it is logical that we enrolled him to the present school year.

 

It was my turn to attend the parent’s orientation to which my wife and I have agreed to. I was expecting a rather short event duration since they will just be issuing the school calendar of activities and will be introducing to us the faculty and administrative staff of the school. But I was a bit surprised that it nearly took four hours just because of the issues presented by the implementation of the K-12 (Kinder to Grade 12) program.

 

The introduction of the new education program really did not catch my attention and fairly I am pleased with the explanations made by the teachers about this new program. What really interests me is their concern for practicality, to lessen the educational expenses for their students – rare attribute to be found in majority of private schools in our country today.

 

Among their resolutions were to alternately stage field trips for their students. Since most families can visit nearly every corner of the country nowadays, it is impractical to do a field trip to the same places. Add up the expenses for renting vehicles for transport which can be saved and instead serve as our kid’s “baon” for school.

 

The school also encouraged lessening the usage of plastic bags or even paper wraps for our kid’s snacks or lunches. Better yet, they advise us to put them in reusable and washable plastic containers. It will not only lessen the trash that the school will contribute on their daily operation but also instil among students the value of minimizing our solid wastes. Thus less carbon foot print.

 

Another good news for us parents is the school’s capability to address minimizing the expenses in purchasing school items and rather re-use old notebooks and school things as much as possible –considering being able to save more money by avoiding buying new stuff when old things are still usable and in good condition.

 

I give high marks to the Mercedarian School for the things they have done and are still doing to help us parents make good use of our money and for making our kids environmentally responsible as preparation for being eco-friendly in the future. I hope other schools could follow and initiate the same good deed that MS has graced their clients.

 

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Green Living | 3 Comments »

Finding solutions to restore damaged gadget led to interesting discovery

by xarki, on Thu, Jul 12 2012 | No Comments

courtesy of sammyhub.comSince last week I was so troubled to see one of my personal effects gone bad. My mobile phone – Samsung Star Wifi (S5233W) already got bad scratches on its 3.5” touch panel. Subsequently, its resistive touch screen began failing to perform according to its design. Needless to say, the scratches have worsen since it started a few months ago that I have no other choice but to remove the shedding film-like covering of the touch interface.

 

I was on the verge of buying a replacement but then it came to me that buying another one will just put another tech tool on the trash (which is not earth friendly). Considering that I came to love the features of this phone caused me to find ways to resuscitate it from its dying state.

 

The eroded touch screen panel which made it difficult for me to interact with the on screen buttons has worn so much that the only way to make use of it is for me to remove the peeling plastics and somehow restore its functionality.

 

I successfully removed the bulges and plastic particles by scrubbing with a dish washing sponge and chemical cleaner for plastics (that is usually used for car interiors which by the way I DO NOT RECOMMEND). Somehow, I did restore the touch screen functions despite totally damaging the cosmetics of the phone.

 

Still, being an obsessive-compulsive person, the thought of seeing my phone in this kind of state made me feel an impulse to run to the mall and get a replacement. But then thinking again, my money can be used on other purposes than just to satisfy my personal wants.

 

So, I started to find other cheaper options to restore my phone to as much as its original state. Replacement houses are available but then according to my research the touch screen panel is sold separately (at higher costs) and will require adept skills in disassembling which I do not have. I then concluded my search and eventually resorted to just leave it as it is so I can have more time to prepare for its replacement in the nearest possible future for better gadgets.

 

The incident did not point me in finding a solution to remedy my problem. Nevertheless, I did discover some things about the phone considering that I’ve had this phone for more than 3 years.

 

Samsung Star Wifi and its predecessors (S5230 series) can be modified through custom firmware updates and patches turning your aging phone interface into something unique, personal and an interesting tech toy. This made me happier than I thought.

 

I’ll be working on the firmware updates and see what I can make out of this new find and hope to share it with you on my following article posts.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Green Living | No Comments »

« Older Entries