Green Unlimited

Green mosque opens in Manchester

2008-07-18T02:57:00.001-04:00

How inspiring is it to see that despite differences in religious beliefs, people can agree that protecting the environment is important? Everywhere, people are taking measures to be more eco-friendly, such as a mosque in Manchester, England that was built specifically to be environmentally friendly.

The mosque features solar panels, under-floor heating and low energy bulbs and is built with woods and Indian pink stone. It fuses Eastern and Western architecture, and peach-coloured deep pile carpets, a huge chandelier and plasma TVs.

Green gathering in Manila on July 28th!

2008-07-17T03:28:00.002-04:00

This year, July 28 is the date of the Philippine president's State of the Nation address, an event that draws much criticism from political opponents, casual observers, and militant groups alike. Partido Kalikasan--literally, Nature Party, but is known as the Philippine Green Party--is holding a similar event on the same day.

Partido Kalikasan (www.partidokalikasan.org), Philippines Greens, KAALAGAD and PEPE agreed earlier that they will issue a "Greens SONA-State of the Nation Address" statement and organize a "SONA ALL Greens Rally" on July 28, SONA Day.

This event will publicly launch the ALLIANCE GREEN or ALL GREENS political movement that will act as a common platform for all groups forming a national green party.

For more inquiries, please email roy@partidokalikasan.org or send us a
txt at 0916 4755004 or 0929 4418247.

Mass transit to improve in the Philippines?

2008-07-16T03:13:00.002-04:00

Eventually. There are reports that the government is starting to take the idea of mass transit more seriously, paying special attention to Manila's train system in particular. Efficient mass transit would be godsend to Manila, but I'm not entirely sure that buses and jeepneys, pollution- and traffic-causing as they are, would go away without a fight. Jeepneys are especially convenient, especially as a way for those along smaller roads to access the larger thoroughfares. It's a really good thing that electric jeepneys are starting to ply more routes. I certainly hope they'll soon be used all over Metro Manila instead of simply in a few areas in a handful of cities.

Mobile Edge's Casual Tote

2008-07-16T01:43:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago, I fell in love with a backpack offered by Mobile Edge, which is why I constantly visit their website to view their latest offerings. Today, I discovered the Casual Tote, which touts itself as an eco-friendly product. It flaunts an "eco-friendly natural cotton exterior," but I wish they'd gone into greater detail about what makes the bag green, where they get the cotton, and the manufacturing process as well.

Down with vague environmental claims!

2008-07-15T03:52:00.002-04:00

Of all the dirty things big corporations do to turn a profit and boost their image, greenwashing has to be one of the activities at the top of the list. Canada isn't taking it sitting down, however. The country is currently working to ban vague claims of eco-friendliness and ensuring that companies provide clear-cut details about their environmental efforts and also the green qualities of their products.

"Businesses should not make environmental claims unless they can back them up," says Sheridan Scott, Commissioner of Competition. "In the end, this will benefit legitimate businesses and consumers by bringing greater accuracy in advertising to the marketplace."

Yes, it's really very easy to paint a greener picture, which is why consumers should also stay on their toes.

Water-powered clock introduced

2008-07-15T03:06:00.003-04:00

Well, that gives you great savings on batteries, I have to say. Bedol International specializes in creative consumer products and their water-powered clock is their latest offering.

The Bedol Water-Powered Clock, with its stylish circular design and bright attractive colors, makes it a fun, versatile and environmentally friendly product for everyday use. A dash of salt in the water is all that's needed for the clock to harvest energy and operate.

There aren't any details about this item on their website so far, so right now, all we can do is wonder about is how exactly the clock works, how much water it takes to get it to work, and how long the clock can run on a single infusion of water.

Philippine senators feel the pinch at the pump, too

2008-07-14T01:26:00.001-04:00

They may be some of the country's wealthiest people, but with gas prices currently going for P61/liter in the Philippines, the senators and other government officials are looking into other alternatives, with some of them even going as far as installing LPG tanks in their vehicles. Senator Francis Escudero has been pleased with the change he's made so far, and even says that it's a perfectly safe and inexpensive option.

It's great of them to be paving the way for other fuel options, but I think it would be a lot better if they all supported other measures, such as exploring alternative fuels and sources of energy (never nuclear energy, though; I heard it was an idea recently being bandied about) and working to improve mass transit in the Philippines.

Sunchips - a snack tries to be good

2008-07-13T08:22:00.000-04:00

Did you know that of the many snacks in your grocery aisle, SunChips is one of the do-gooders for the environment?

True to its name, SunChips' Modesto, California plant uses the sun's energy to produce SunChips. They buy green energy credits. Better yet, SunChips has less salt and 30% less fat than the other potato chips out there. It even has whole grains and fiber thrown in for good measure. Not a bad thing to eat when the craving for a snack kicks in.

(Image from the SunChips Advertising page)

Flatscreen TVs may not be so green after all

2008-07-13T03:01:00.003-04:00

Flatscreen TVs and monitors are the ones that get all the love from people not just because of their sleek looks, but also because they use less energy. That practically makes them perfect, right? Er, maybe not so much. Listen in on a talk about how chemicals used in flatscreens could actually speed up global warming.

Horizon Organic chocolate milk

2008-07-12T18:00:00.000-04:00

I've always loved chocolate milk, even when I was younger. But now I drink Horizon Organic's chocolate milk. According to the nutrition information, the ingredients are "Organic Grade A reduced fat milk, organic sugar, organic cocoa, natural vanilla flavor, carrageenan, salt, vitamin A palmitate and Vitamin D3". They all sound familiar to me.

What's more, I also saw in their website that "Horizon Organic® is committed to expanding organic agriculture to ensure everyone is able to buy high-quality, great-tasting products that are produced without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones and dangerous pesticides."

Chocolate milk never tasted so good!

(Logo and text from the Horizon Organic website.)

Thoughts on ice cream

2008-07-11T23:24:00.002-04:00

Choosing to eat locally grown, organic food is a healthful and eco-friendly thing to do. Now ice cream may not be the best type of food item for you, but you can do the right thing by buying organic ice cream. Apart from going organic, however, I realized that you can eat ice cream in a greener way by having them in cones rather than in cups. Edible containers that you don't have to throw away = win. Of course, cones do add more calories, but you can always walk those off, as opposed to plastic cups that will take ages to go away.

Eleven Times Square

2008-07-10T22:47:00.001-04:00

Spotted this evening: the ongoing construction of LEED gold-certified Eleven Times Square.

ReJAVAnate

2008-07-09T22:36:00.003-04:00

Reusable bags are a favorite of mine, and we just received information about the ReJAVAnate reusable bag program. ReJAVAnate works with coffee roasters in the Northeast who obtain burlap from around the world. It also works with the ARC and allows people with developmental disabilities to create the bags. If you're part of an organization or a company that aims to promote reusable bags, consider getting in touch with ReJAVAnate.

A greener way to wash your car

2008-07-08T17:52:00.002-04:00

Which do you think is the greener alternative, washing your car at home or taking it to a car wash? You might say that doing all your own car washing is greener because you can control the amount of water you use and you won't be using any other equipment apart from a hose, rags, and brushes to clean your car. But actually, you might be harming rivers and oceans because of the run-off from your home car washing. Car washes, on the other hand, are required to treat their wastewater, plus they actually use less water! If you still want to home wash though, Earth 911 has a list of ways that you can make it more water-saving and eco-friendly.

Life Goggles asks "How Many Phonebooks Do you Get?"

2008-07-08T08:01:00.003-04:00

A good question was raised by Life Goggles in its blog post "How Many PhoneBooks Do you Get?" post.

So yeah, how many phonebooks do you get? In my case, we get two - one covers our county, another one covers our city. Do we use it? Hardly. Once we get the new ones, do the old ones get recycled? I sure hope so!

Phonebooks should really be phased out gradually. Or at least, let it be something that people can request for, if needed, instead of giving everyone phonebooks. I go online when I need to look for a phone number. I still let the fingers do the walking, but it heads straight to the keyboard now, instead of the phonebook.

What about you?

(Logo from Life Goggles website.)

Google Store's Green Initiative

2008-07-07T08:51:00.005-04:00

Life Goggles post "Google's Products Go Green" led me to the Google Store's "The Green Initiative".

What IS "The Green Initiative"?

"The Google Store is going green. We only have one Earth and we want to do our best to take care of her, so we've worked hard to make our store more eco-friendly. From organic cotton T-shirts to pencils made of recycled blue jeans, you'll find that most (though not all) Google products are now made of recycled material or other stuff that goes easy on our planet. We are also using more environmentally sound, recycled polybags, to individually package your items and to protect your items during transit."

You go Google!

(Logo and text from the Google Store website.)

Poland Spring's Eco-Shape

2008-07-06T07:35:00.001-04:00

Here's another water bottle-related post from me.

With all the traveling this 4th of July long weekend, I acknowledge that sometimes, we can't bring our water bottles with us when we travel so we are forced to buy bottled water.

In these situations, do consider Poland Spring. With their new Eco-Shape Bottle, at least they are trying to lessen their impact on the environment.

Just remember to bring along a trash bag, collect all your empty plastic water bottles and then take them on a recycling center as you travel.

Of course, I'd still vote for simply bringing along your water bottles.

(Photo taken from the Poland Spring website.)

50 Ways to Help the Planet

2008-07-05T20:06:00.002-04:00

Wire and Twine is a group of designers, artists, and photographers who make some really good products like t-shirts and always keep the environment in mind. They have a list of 50 easy things you can do to protect the environment--and you can really see that it doesn't take a lot of complicated changes to make it possible!

LG's green monitor

2008-07-05T08:04:00.001-04:00

Hear ye! Hear ye! LG unveils the world's most eco-friendly monitor! Check out LG's FLATRON W2252TE.

Hands down, it's the winner in the green monitoring category. Right now anyway.

p.s. I nearly forgot to post about this. How can that be? The monitor was unveiled in the middle of June.

Lumeneo unveils Smera concept car

2008-07-04T19:20:00.000-04:00

French company Lumeneo has come out with their concept electric car, Smera. It's a tiny vehicle that looks more like a covered four-wheeled motorcycle, reaching a maximum speed of 80 mph. It's a pretty cute little car, although it could only seat the driver and a passenger, if no one's bringing with them any big bags. It's supposed to go on sale for $31,000 to $46,000 later this year, although we think the passenger capacity of the Smera could make some people hesitate. Not a bad idea for those who usually drive alone, though!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T07:49:00.000-04:00

Hope you'll all have a fun 4th of July! Happy birthday, USA!

Vegetable oil-powered car being developed in the Philippines

2008-07-03T18:59:00.001-04:00

In more Philippine-related news, a man named Ricky Nuñez has put the finishing touches on his pick-up truck that was modified to run on vegetable oil.

With the help of his auto mechanic friends in Lipa, Batangas, Nuñez installed an engine converter kit from United States to his car. This enables his truck’s engine to use the vegetable oil as fuel.

Nuñez said a liter of used cooking oil can power his car from six to eight kilometers.

Compared to the price of diesel that cost almost P50 a liter, Nuñez buys used cooking oil for P18.50 per liter, and sometimes for free.

Hopefully, more people can take these developments seriously and not just see them as some curious novelty. It's really inspiring to see our fellow Filipinos looking for a better way to handle rising fuel prices and curb pollution.

Let your 4th of July be red, white, blue...and green!

2008-07-03T08:20:00.008-04:00

According to Wikipedia's entry on Independence Day:

"Families often celebrate Independence Day with a picnic or barbecue, and take advantage of the day off and in some years, long weekend to gather with relatives. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Parades often are in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares."

I also wrote "Perfect time for cookouts, picnics and barbecue", while my sister Lani wrote about toxic fireworks before. In addition, if you're thinking of hosting a 4th of July picnic or barbeque while being green, here are some tips you can consider:

Send out e-vites for your 4th of July celebration.
Buy organic produce and organic meat.
Use cloth napkins. Wash and reuse after your party.
Use your casual dinnerware.
Use flowers and plants as party decorations.
Set up a recycling bin.
Use an electric grill, instead of a charcoal grill.
Watch the fireworks display in your town or nearby city, instead of having your own backyard fireworks.
Lastly, pack the leftovers and give to your guests.

Enjoy!

Waste collection failure

2008-07-02T13:53:00.000-04:00

The Philippines has plenty of great, detailed laws in place. The problem is enforcing and following them. One of the biggest problems we have is the waste collection service provided by the government. A letter from the EcoWaste Coalition's coordinator Rei A. Panaligan opened up the flaws in local government's waste collection.

Some communities in Metro Manila are segregating their waste but the trucks continue to collect and dump everything together in sites like those in Payatas and Rodriguez, which should have already been closed since 2006. Segregating waste at source and composting biodegradable waste will lessen emission of methane gas and help mitigate global warming.

Right now, all of Metro Manila's waste is being taken to certain dumpsites for disposal, but other methods of managing the waste aren't being practiced, recycling and composting least of all. I wonder when the government will realize the importance of taking real, concrete action and quit paying lip service to the environment.

WaterWeek, a Reduce product from Base Brands

2008-07-02T08:34:00.010-04:00

I confess, I'm frequently on the lookout for great-looking water bottles. I love drinking water, especially now that the temperature's been so hot. What's more, when I go out to buy groceries and see people buying 6-, 12- or 24-pack bottled water, I cringe and get horrified at all the waste, aiming all the more NOT to buy bottled water.

Anyway, here's another brand of water bottles that caught my eye lately - WaterWeek, a Reduce product from Base Brands. It costs $19.95. You can buy it here, which describes the bottles this way:

"Set of five reusable, BPA-free bottles fit in a specially-designed tray that slides neatly into your fridge. Dishwasher safe, eco-friendly water bottles are ideal for a variety of indoor/outdoor activities."

Sure it costs $19.95. And a 12-pack of bottled water costs $4-$6. But remember, you'd still have to factor in the recycling required for those disposable plastic.

What makes WaterWeek an even better option? It's dishwasher-safe. Even if you'll be using 5 bottles every week, at least you can just load it in your dishwasher. I do wish they'd offer other designs in the same way SIGG does.

(Photo from the Reduce website.)