Ateneo de Manila Universtiy and its Green Revolution

May 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Ateneo de Manila University: An Advocate of the Environment

The Ateneo de Manila University has always been an advocate for environmental protection as can be seen from the wide-open spaces and limited number of air-conditioned rooms on-campus. They have also been implementing a waste segregation system, so both student and faculty will be trained to throw recyclables in one trash bin and non-recyclables in another.

Also, the Clean as You Go (CLAYGO) system was implemented in school cafeterias to ensure Ateneans had the discipline and courtesy to clean their tables, so that they can be readily used by others. Last school year 2008-2009, a new rule was implemented on-campus, in favor of ADMU’s support for the environment.

The Continued Green Revolution

In conjunction with the CLAYGO system a new system called Bring Your Own Baunan (BYOB) was implemented by the school administration with the help of the Student Council and the Environmental Science Society.

The premise of the BYOB is as follows:
• Cafeteria concessionaires will no longer be allowed to use any Styrofoam products in packaging their food. Instead, only paper products will be allowed.

• Concessionaires will also be provided with plastic plates, and metal spoon and forks, which students who dine-in the cafeteria or in nearby eating areas will use. Thus, the amount of trash will be lessened significantly

• Furthermore, students, faculty, and staff now have the option of bringing their own food containers such as reusable Tupperware. When they provide their own containers, they will receive a discount from any food concessionaire they buy from.

• Thus, not only will the amount of trash be reduced, but Ateneans will learn the value of reusing food containers as well.

On the other hand, students and teachers seem to disagree as to whether Styrofoam or paper is a bigger environmental hazard, and others also complain of the inconvenience that the BYOB system brings.

After all, you cannot take-out food unless you bring your own container. Also, the supposed discount is nullified by some concessionaires who just raised their prices in response to the project.

Nevertheless, the project was a success overall, and is a sign of the efforts the Ateneo de Manila University is making in its green revolution.

Filed Under: environmental hazards, Everyday Green, green revolution, Green Tips, Non-biodegradable Waste, Recycling, waste segregation Tagged With: , , , , ,

Top New Year Resolutions for Greener 2009

December 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

green 2009
A new year brings with it new beginnings. It is a good opportunity to start all over again. Isn’t it great? Whatever we did this year, however bad we did them, there’s always the time to start all over again when the New Year comes. The New Year brings with it hope that this will be a better year and that everything we did badly last year, we can always put them correctly again. It gives us the gift of a fresh start and build from there.

So here are my New Year Resolutions for Greener 2009:

1. As much as I can, I will try to reduce my use of materials made of plastics and styrofoam. They are non-biodegradable materials and when they are torn and we don’t need them, they’ll be clogging the rivers and killing fishes and polluting the soil for thousands of years. Plastic bags and styrofoam food keepers are very convenient in the house but as much as I can, I’ll use the more earth-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable bags and ceramic plates.

2. I will conserve water and electricity around the house. I’ll turn off the lights and unplug electronic appliances before I go to sleep. I’ll shut down my computer even if I’ll be gone for only an hour. I’ll turn off the faucet when I’m not using the water. These are all little things but I believe they can make a difference.

3. I’ll continue on learning more and sharing more the little things that we can do to put our share in saving our seas, air and earth.

That’s it. It’s a short list but it’s a start. They’re simple, little ways but I believe that they will count. Welcome Greener 2009!

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy Saving, Everyday Green, Green Homes, Non-biodegradable Waste, Water Conservation, Water Resources Tagged With: ,

Empty Mineral Water Bottles

December 10, 2008 By Leave a Comment

What Happens to Mineral Water Bottles

empty mineral bottles

When I was in college a few years back, every corner of the school has a drinking fountain. The water has a good taste, it’s cool and it’s accessible. Every 5 minutes of walk, you’ll find that stainless steel drinking fountain nearby.

Today, it seems they are doing away with these drinking fountains even in mall food courts. The only food court in Manila that I saw a drinking fountain is in Robinson’s Galleria. All the rest of the malls force you to buy softdrinks or mineral water.

Before I used to recycle mineral water bottles. I’ll put water into the bottle in the morning and use it again the next day. But my sister-in-law says that I shouldn’t recycle mineral water bottles. The plastic materials in the container leach to the water especially when the bottles were exposed to high temperatures. She said that the chemicals can cause cancer. O-oh, I have been using that bottle for months now. Scary.

So, if we are not to recycle the mineral water bottles, what happens to the empty plastic bottles? They’ll be thrown to the trashcans and landfills. In the case of the Philippines, they’ll be thrown to the roadside.

Since mineral water bottles are made of non-biodegradable materials, they will be in our landfills for thousands of years. Even if we bury them, they will stay under the ground for thousand of years.

What can we do about it? If you can do away with bottled mineral water, do so. You can buy a stainless steel drinking container as use that everyday for your drinking water. This is what I do. You can buy those in supermarkets and they can be as cheap as P150. You can use them for years and you’ll be sure that no chemicals will contaminate the water that you’re drinking.

Filed Under: Non-biodegradable Waste, Toxic Wastes, Water Resources Tagged With:

Shopping the green way

November 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Yearly there are tons and tons of plastic bags that go to the open dump sites in the Philippines. Most of them are used shopping bags from Manila’s groceries, supermarkets and department stores. Plastic bags are non-biodegradable trash. When they go to the dump sites, they cannot be recycled or converted into another form just like the paper or the intestines of the fish.

How many plastic bags can one factory produce in one minute? One thousand? Ten thousand? We keep on producing plastic bags, we use it once or twice and then we throw them all away? Where do they go when we are finished with them?

Aside from the dump sites, others go to our seas. They trap the fishes and make it harder for them to breathe under the water.

What shall we do with the used plastic bags that will remain plastic bags in our dump sites forever? There is nothing else to do but to slowly turn to other kinds of materials for our shopping bags. We can use brown paper bags. We can use the rattan basket our lolos and lolas used when they were doing their marketing. There are chains of supermarkets in Manila that are already selling “green” bags which are made from recyclable non-plastic materials. I bought one from the chain nearest my place the first time I did my shopping here. I’ve been using this “green” bag ever since.

Shopping demands responsibility not only in our finances but also in our environment-consciousness. Little things like reducing our use of plastic shopping bags can mean a big acres of land without plastic wastes hundreds of years from now. No one is too small to contribute to our earth.

Filed Under: Non-biodegradable Waste, Pollution Tagged With: ,