How much water are you using?
It’s in food production that water is most critical. “The link between water and food is strong,” says Lester R. Brown, president of Washington, D.C.-based Earth Policy Institute. “We drink, in one form or another,…
Sagay seahorses repopulate
In the past, the waters of the Philippines were teeming with seahorses. But today, the areas where they used to swim are now almost devoid of this marine creature. They have been overharvested. But the…
Philippine tarsier on the verge of extinction
The natural forests of Bohol may be the most known habitat of the Philippine tarsier, but the world’s smallest primate can also be found in Davao Region. Some years back, a Philippine tarsier was seen…
Converting rice straw into clean fuel
For every kilo of rice Filipinos eat, about the same amount of rice straw is produced. The estimated 11.3 million tons of rice straw produced yearly in the country are considered by farmers as waste…
The importance of reef gleaning in coastal communities
Carolina Pading, who lives in Tubajon, a coastal barangay in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, has been reef gleaning for about 43 years now. These days, she collects mostly sea cucumbers, which are common in the area. Sliced…
Why it’s vital to save our wetlands
Most people think wetlands are wastelands. But they are not. “Wetlands matter in the fight against climate change,” said the Biodiversity Management Bureau, a line agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “When they are…
Coral reefs: Going, going, gone?
The country’s ecologically fragile coral reefs are on the verge of extinction. But despite this, they are not getting the attention they deserve. Right now, there is a lack of updated information on the present…
Why wastewater may not be ‘waste’ at all
What happens to the water you use to take a bath? Where does the water go after you use it to wash your clothes, or clean vegetables, fish and meat? The used water is called…
The hazards of single-use plastic bottles
When people talk of single-use plastics, they always think of plastic bags and sachets. But single-use plastics also include plastic bottles, which are typically used to store liquids such as water and soft drinks. Plastic…
‘Taj Mahal’ of Negros Occidental
“Ancient ruins,” said Mary Jo Arnoldi, chair of the anthropology department at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, “give us a connection to the past that’s visceral. This was a real place, and you…