(EID-015) “TOWARDS A GREENER LIFESTYLE”

Creating livelihood and protecting the environment are two important national development objectives that could actually be achieve in tandem, in a way shooting two birds with one stone. Since we have tried to implement environment programs over the years with little or no result, perhaps it is about time that we turn it into a business, so that the profit motive could drive the implementation.

On the subject of waste segregation, we obviously have a very serious problem because we are now totally dependent on dumpsites, simply because we are unable to build real landfills that are fully compliant with international standards. As we speak about this, I wonder when the government will ever realize that the only solution is total segregation, and is neither dumpsites nor landfills.

The garbage problem is very serious indeed, because we are headed towards a direction wherein we will be surrounded by garbage without any way of getting rid of it, and hopefully not without a way of preventing the spread of diseases that are borne by it.

At the same time that we are polluting our land with solid wastes, we are also polluting our waterways and soils with liquid wastes, due to the fact that most of our cities and towns don’t have compliant sewerage and drainage systems. Is it beyond our collective capacity as a people to build these facilities?

I may sound like a broken record as I keep on saying it, but there is actually now a proven method of effectively segregating solid wastes, while at the same time reducing the volume of liquid wastes that go into our canals and whatever is there that poorly takes the place of drainage systems.

Again I will say that the key to a successful garbage segregation program is to reward all participating segregators with something of value. Sad to say, we could no longer rely on the sense of civic duty of our people, after all, to be practical about it, everyone needs an extra source of income in these difficult times.

I could not go into details right now, but I am willing to meet with any local government unit (LGU) to present not only the method of waste segregation, but also the program that would make the reward system work. There is no other choice but for all of us to adopt a greener lifestyle, because the threat to our survival is here now, and not in the future.