Learning and Living the Green Life in the Philippines

Our Contract with the Earth

A contract made is a commitment made, guaranteed no less by one’s character. Breaches of contracts are breaches in one’s integrity. One’s moral uprightness upholds contracts--- no, not by the laws of men, which are designed often  faultily to be faulty.  Morality, integrity, and truth are unchanging, immovable, and absolute .  It is when moral fibers are weak that contracts are broken. Breaches, men think, can be hidden from view---no, nothing can be concealed from the eyes of God.

Such were my early morning ruminations as I was about to start reading the book,  A CONTRACT WITH THE EARTH by Newt Gingrich and Terry Maple. “TEN COMMITMENTS YOU CAN MAKE TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT NOW,” the subtitle says. While I, already, can think of a number of things that could be listed inside, I was more intrigued with the thought of who’s going to check on compliance, on conformance. 

Those who believe in a supreme being will have God. Others will say Gaia, the earth itself--- nature. Still others will say the future generations.  Note: all considerations didn’t involve man’s law and man’s government. Having a contract with the earth, clearly then involves a personal commitment--- stronger than legally bound contracts. How many times have we heard that Climate Change is a MORAL issue?

What would happen to the earth if the moral fibers of men are weak? Integrity and character, sadly, are getting less popular compared to wealth and ease. Contracts are often laid aside for these.

My prayer this Sunday, is for personal renewal for all men, for the restoration of values. Check: is it not that most global problems, like war, terrorism, extreme poverty, hunger, diseases, and now, climate change, are rooted in our selfishness, greed, and pride?

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WORD FROM THE SPONSOR

Psalm 15:1-4

  LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
  Who may live on your holy hill?
  He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
  who speaks the truth from his heart
  and has no slander on his tongue,
 who does his neighbor no wrong
 and casts no slur on his fellow man,
    who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD,
 who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
    who lends his money without usury
 and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
 He who does these things will never be shaken.

Nature Hikes and Love Trysts

"Love relationships" start with the getting to know process. Seeing and in many ways "sensing" are musts for one to capture another one's mind or heart. It is also true with nature. One will be clueless about nature-loving if all they've known all their life are the man-made spaces. "Love at first sight" is not rare for man-and-nature trysts. 

 

I encourage you to consider going on nature excursions, treks, hikes, camp-outs. Consider those exercises as "dating. Consider these, thus, as my dating tips:

Legend of Amansinaya II

  

  Was it from a dream or from a whisper of a wind 

  That I first heard this story?
  I thought it melancholy
  Then, now it is just all but lovely

Legend of Amansinaya

I wrote a poem-legend. I was to tell it to kids. It's about a beautiful place in the mountains. God made it so. 

Green Christmas Children's Book

Books as Christmas presents -- I loved them then. Right after tearing away the Christmas wrappers off what obviously is a book present, I'd hunker down the mattress and read. 

Even as a child I loved books. I remember, I was to turn 10  and was promised a bike on my birthday as it was what I wished for; but then some encyclopedia salespeople turned up in our house, and did I cry a bucket to close the sale! Those guys should have shared me some of their commissions. I didn't get my BMX bike until 2 years after, but until now, looking back, I consider that to be the best bargain I made in my life.

I also remember , in my teens, saving up my baon to be able to buy pocket books -- the Classics: among many, I recall Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Miguel de Cervantes, Emily Bronte,  Joseph Conrad, Daniel Defoe, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, Walt Whitman and Hardy Boys [now, they should be classics, right?   =)  ]    It wasn't all high literature--I've often told, they were not for my age--I also collected boxfulls of DC and Marvel comics. I also loved to draw. Schoolbreaks are for drawing/painting, reading and biking around the roads and hills of Marikina. 

I reminisced as I am again in search of books for my daughter. I'll share you what I found which is ideal for the times (Christmas and Climate Change).

From Amazon.com:

A creative holiday story that introduces kids to environmental awareness with ways that they can make a big difference.

 

Boracay's Best Green Restaurant

One of Philippine's best vegetarian restaurant, as adjudged by the PeTA, Prana at the Mandala Spa Boracay, just had to be visited. 3 hours before leaving Boracay, I and my wife decided to have an early lunch, and have a peek of what Mandala has to offer. Maybe, we'll take the more relaxed and quiet Boracay vacation next year, and this could be the place to have it.

 

follow the sign: resort to eating healthy

"Are we in the right place?" We asked when we alighted our vehicle. Aside from the signage, nothing in the street will hint that one of Asia's best spas is located here.

pathway to paradise

flower-strewn steps and rocks 

 

 

Prana's special for the day

S.O.S.

I'd take a blogger's leave for a while. In the meantime, read through the more than 140 posts I've written in the past months. That's not a lot really. Most are short and can be read in seconds.

As a guide, you can do it two ways:

1.) Chronologically - It will walk you through how this site evolved: from conception to this umpteenth post.

2.) Select your favorite category from the left bar and read posts from there; and then the next favorite category, and so on. Better yet, start with my Favorite Posts (favored for different reasons).

Please excuse me as I had to take leave to prepare to go back to earning my keep. For those who've followed this blog, it's already two months since my last job. I quit for health reasons. I rested for a good while, and am ready to go back to getting busy.

Will I leave Pinoy Green Academy? A big NO. Readership of the site has been consistently rising. I am encouraged by that: more and more Filipinos are getting interested in green living and green building. There are already a number who have been contributing posts and writing in their comments. 

I will continue on writing my posts regardless of the number of followers, as this is dedicated to my little girl. Greening is more about preparing a healthier and happier life for our kids and their kids. It's so much better, though, if more do come and read and share for this Pinoy Green Academy then will also be for their kids and their kids' kids, as well.

I am reminded of the boy in the CANVAS book I read to my little girl of 4. It's title is Message in the Sand and it's written by Charmaine Aserappa, with artworks by Roel Obemio. The boy-hero scrawls S.O.S. on the sand every single day, hoping the message to "Save Our Seas" will be seen and heeded. Naturally, the sea will wash ashore, erasing each time the scrawls--- the sign, S.O.S. on the sand. Each day, untiringly the boy will not relent to write again. Some time, some day, somebody will read my call for help, and heed my call, he'd always be encouraged by his young and hopeful thoughts. The little boy kept on, and I am encouraged to do so too. I'll keep on writing and sharing. 

While off duty, I will still check my emails and the comment boxes. If any of you would like to contribute a post do so via those means (dennis@pinoygreenacademy.com). Let's help keep the site alive. S.O.S. Save Our Site (at least, in a few days).

Someday, we'll all write on the sand, Thank You.

A greener, healthier and happier earth to you all,

Dennis
Pinoy Green Blogger

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P.S.

It's a truly wonderful book. I purchased mine from a local bookstore. You can visit the site of CANVAS, though, for a copy of Message in the Sand. They have several other books you would like to look at for your kids and for the kid in you, too =)

Climate Change : Our Worsening Health

The Philippines had a Crash Course on Climate Change and it wasn‘t the desirable kind. We could only wish now that we learned it first in the classroom or from a friend over good coffee. For some of us, we actually might have heard it before but have brushed it aside for some more pressing problems, maybe.

Some are not too inclined to view graphs, charts and chemical formulas -- science to some may best be explained through analogy.