Mother Nature’s Son

You don’t need a picket sign to help the environment, but you do need new ways to pitch in. Help yourself.
Then you get back home and taxi drivers, upon seeing your luggage, each in turn park their cars in the middle of the street, oblivious of the line of vehicles behind them honking, and start offering you the most ridiculous amount of fare to take you home. And once you are home, the tricycles rouse you from slumber as they race each other on the neighborhood’s narrow streets. If that does not bother you, then maybe your neighbor’s loud music will. Or maybe that old man across your house starts burning leaves he just swept off his driveway, and the fumes reach your window. It is like you are being smoked out of a foxhole. Not good.

What is the major difference? Effective urban planning, for one. Singapore government is strict adherence to environmentally-friendly policies makes their streets enjoyable for pedestrians to tread on. The roads are also quiet. Drivers are mostly tolerant of each other. And did I mention they have sidewalks with actual people using them? And we wonder why in other countries are eager to find an exit out of the land.

 This is not a political rant against the inadequacies of other government, nor a cry for the banishment of unnecessary public utility vehicles (through that would be nice.) Rather, this is a wake-up call to everyone (and we don’t mean everyone) to be accountable in saving our environment. Or at the very least, help improve its deteriorating condition. Buckle down, hug a tree, and start treating the environment as you would your body. (Assuming you treat your body right, which is the reason why you are reading this article right?)

PLANT TREES

 We know, we know. Where the heck are we going to plant trees in this time of stacked buildings and 30-square-meter homes? You can start by joining groups of fellow tree-huggers. “We’re now on the next stage – this year, we will concentrate all efforts in rehabilitating the watersheds” Why is it important to reforest our watersheds? “Erosion is a big part of the problem in these watersheds,” says Anabelle Plantilla, Haribon Foundation’s Executive Director. “Soil may contaminate our water sources, and make it harder for service providers to filter out sediments.” Plantilla also warns of a very real impending water crisis. “Do you remember when we had that scare of shortage because of the long dry spell? Can you imagine not being able to take baths? Or importing potable water?

Beyond reforesting watersheds, it is also important to plant trees around the cities. According to Balayon, it takes about 10 trees to clean vehicle emissions from one car. Think of all the vehicles playing urban streets and do the math. Start in your own backyard. Or your living room, indoor plants can ease your neighborhood pollution troubles, as well as help with indoor-air quality.