2010- the year of living green again

What is it about the onset of the New Year that makes one feels so upbeat about life and the future? Is it the festive air teeming with laughter, dance and gaiety? Sharing moments with dear ones in turning another meaningful page in our life story contributes in no small measure to the pervading vibrant mood.

Decades back, in the glorious era of “hand-me-downs”, New Year meant that time of the year when something brand new was in store for each member of the family - a dress, pair of shoes, socks and toys. A hand-me-down story it is that hand-me-downs make siblings closer. It did work – for most of us, at least.

We actually did not have much of a choice but to accept the contention – hook, line and sinker. Maybe it was a rationalization concocted to sustain the prudent and green practices of our parents. But, the seeds of proper resource management took deep roots in our psyche. For some families, including ours, with our Mama Coring as the original “Recycling Queen”, the tradition of re-use and recycling is still being carried out and is indeed something to be proud of, amid the pervasiveness of the “use and toss” mindset of this generation.

We look back to the marvelously green period where wastes such as the perilous plastic bags and styropors were still not invented and carbon footprints, climate change, global warming and sustainable development were unknown concepts.

Then, our veggies like malungay and fruits such as banana, guavas, atis, santol and star apple or caimito were not commodities that could be bought in the market, as they are now, but were happily plucked from the backyard. We were responsible for our “wastes”, without inflicting harm on our planet. Biodegradables went back to the soil. Recyclables such as bayong and banig were common reusable household items. There were no carbon-emitting garbage trucks to collect society’s junk. There was no need for electric fan or air-conditioner unit. The temperature then was cooler, and chilly in December.

Yes, we did live green as a way of life. We did not damage the then-lush-and-now-dwindling-and–threatened resources as much as we now do, each second, each minute, and each day of our existence.

Can we bring back the hands of time to that golden era of sustainability? There is undoubtedly no reason why we cannot. But, with carbon dioxide now present in the atmosphere beyond 350 parts per million, there is not much time left. The time for action is now.

Despite the odds, this writer’s fearless forecast is this: 2010 is going to be the year of living green again. Civil society stakeholders are now taking unprecedented leadership in protecting God’s creations and are more responsible stewards of this ailing planet.

Climate Justice Resource Speaker Larry Lohman aptly pointed out in November that our political leaders are not climate leaders. The climate crisis shows that political decisions made are harmful to our life-support system. There is no culture of science in arriving at decisions and worse, there is a policy of exclusion for our subsistence fisherfolk, farmers and indigenous peoples who are already feeling the consequences of climate change.

The good news is - 2010 unfolded with a welcome green bang. Pope Benedict exhorted his flock to protect the planet and respect divergence. The Catholic Church hierarchy in Cebu now commits to nurture God’s creations. Parishes are expected to be visible in the environmental programs of each community, in collaboration with the local government units (LGUs). This development is a tremendous boost for LGUs and the constituents to craft, implement and monitor environmental projects and adapt to the climate crisis in a participatory and transparent manner.

This year, a Green Sinulog is in the offing with a Mass for Mother Earth on January 11, 7 in the evening at the Sto. Niño Church. Environmental groups led by Knights-Stewards of the Sea (Sea Knights) leader, Fr. Tito Soquino of the Order of St. Augustine and the Fisheries for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) US-AID Program officers, had their hands full days before the holidays planning for a high-impact Green Sinulog.

2010 being an election year, candidates for elective national and local offices will be asked to present their environmental agenda. On January 12, a forum on Eco-Governance will be held at the University of San Carlos, at its main campus. Those who confirmed to be present are presidential candidate Nicky Perlas (hopefully, COMELEC will already decide on his motion for reconsideration), senatorial aspirants Alex Lacson (author of Twelve Little Things Filipinos Can do for the Country) and Sonia Roco, a scuba diving enthusiast and women advocacy campaigner and local Cebu City SP member candidate, Ms. Nida Cabrera, the much-admired proponent of participatory brand of political leadership.

The youth from the University of the Philippines led by Kristian Abad, in partnership with the Visayas Climate Action Network, will soon work with a barangay in Cebu City to help the constituents work out their waste management program.

The eco-crusaders are also set to carry their advocacy to new grounds. An innovation is a monthly draw to choose recipient barangays whose officials will be asked to account for their compliance of our environmental laws (or lack of). This project jives well with the plan of the church to be more involved in programs that are in harmony with nature.

We must now realize that if there is to be hope in changing our wasteful and destructive lifestyle and practices, we have to show the way. The leaders are us – the people from the grass roots who must now move our political leaders into a sustainable frame of mind.

Cheers to another year of golden opportunity to do right – for our planet, our children and the generations yet unborn. Let us start living green again. Mabuhay!