TEN FUN THINGS TO DO ON EARTH DAY (April 22)

Let’s face it: saving the Earth is a serious job. But who says it’s all work and no play? Here are 10 ways to help the environment WHILE you’re having fun, brought to you by the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC).

 

1. Go on an ecotour

 

It’ summer and the perfect time to go on a vacation. If you’re still planning one, why not go on a nature trip that helps the environment and marginalized communities while you’re having fun?

 

Ecotourism is a kind of tourism where resident communities themselves entertain tourists and show them around. Who better to give you a fascinating tour of the sights and indigenous customs than the locals themselves? What you pay not only contributes to their income, but also helps them keep the environment clean and beautiful.

 

For starters, try spotting migratory whales and dolphins in Pamilacan Island, Bohol with the Pamilacan Island Dolphin and Whale-Watching Organization (PIDWWO). Since whale sharks and manta rays were declared endangered in the 90’s, these former whale shark hunters now earn their living from tour groups who visit their beautiful island. For bookings, contact Leo Sumalpong at 09179713101.

 

2. Invite your friends to an earth-friendly concert

 

Listen to your favorite bands sing praises for Mother Earth, but to make it more fun, bring your friends along so they’ll know more about earth issues.  Proceeds from these concerts are used to fund campaigns and projects for greening the earth. Otherwise, who will pay for cleaning up the mess humans have made?

 

A FREE concert, though, will be held on April 22 at Kahayag Café, starting at 7 p.m. The Cebu Alliance for Renewable Energy (CARE) and the WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines), along with ELAC, are sponsoring this as part of a campaign on Global Warming.

 

Aside from the music, there will also be a film showing and poetry reading. If you want to read, bring your own earth-friendly poem! Kahayag is an artsy bar on M.J. Cuenco Ave. in Mabolo, Cebu City.

3. Watch a movie

 

Sit back, relax, and turn on your video player as you watch films that make you more aware of what other people have done to protect the Earth, and the people and adorable animals living in it. Some environmental tearjerkers are Free Willy, Erin Brokovich, Congo, and Gorillas in the Mist.

 

For the young and young at heart, some favorite titles are Fern Gully, Pocahontas, Princess Mononoke, and The Great Panda Adventure. If you’re watching Lord of the Rings: Two Towers for the first time, watch out for the grand battle between the trees and the evil wizard who tries to replace the river and forest with machines and fire.

 

4. Go to the beach or on a river trek

 

Beaches are practically synonymous with summer, and Earth Day is a great time to take that refreshing dip. Give the fish and corals a breather, too, by cleaning up the garbage on the beach, or even underwater, while you’re snorkeling or diving.

 

ELAC is holding a coastal clean-up in Barangay Arbor, Boljoon, Cebu with some fisherfolk residents who are members of their community organization, Makugihong Mananagat sa Arbor (MAMSA). Volunteers are welcome to join. The Coastal Conservation Education Foundation (CCEF) will also be cleaning up crown-of-thorns starfish, a species that can eat up vast coral reefs when there are too many of them, in Sumilon Island in Oslob, Cebu.

 

If you’re not into beaches, try going on a river trek instead. River clean-ups are great to do while you’re exploring new trails. You’ll still be doing the corals a big favor because all the garbage in the river will eventually end up in the sea.

 

5. Have a picnic on top of the world

 

When was the last time you breathed fresh air and listened to birds singing? Go on a mountain hike and take a picnic under the trees. While you’re at it, pick up the ugly garbage along the way and—even better—plant some native tree species to make the place greener.

 

Trees not only provide a cooler climate, but also give clean water by making the soil more porous for rainwater. Water is filtered by the soil and stored in the aquifers, where the local water district gets our water supply. Trees also prevent droughts, floods, landslides, and the siltation of coral reefs, so planting them certainly makes a lot of difference!

 

If you want to get to know Cebu’s mountains more, contact Cebu PCEEM (Partners Committed to Environmental and Economic Management) at 3453779 or 4161820 for a watershed tour.

 

6. Take a handicrafts class

 

If you’re the type who likes creating things with your hands, there’s also an environment-friendly way for you to make crafts. Instead of scratch paper, scrap metal, old magazines, and other recyclables ending up in our overflowing landfills, use them to make baskets, bracelets, and necklaces.

 

Waste is everywhere--your creations are limited only by your imagination. Still can’t imagine how tetra packs can be turned into bags and slippers? Call Lihok Filipina at 2548072 to ask how.

 

7. Have a candlelit dinner outdoors

 

Love your sweetheart, love the Earth. Arrange a candlelit dinner under the stars and save energy. Leaving on fluorescent lights and other appliances unnecessarily not only uses up precious energy (and money) but also contributes to global warming and crazy climate changes.

 

To complete the Earth Day experience, serve vegetables grown in organic gardens. Inorganic pesticides and fertilizers are made of chemicals that not only contaminate soil and water sources but also build up in your body over time. Afterward, be sure to recycle the leftovers by feeding them to your pets or composting them (turning them into organic fertilizers for your own garden).

 

8. Fly a kite

 

Or go biking. Or play patintero. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as it’s outdoors and you’re having fun. Not only does it cut down on energy use (lights, airconditioners, TVs, computers, cars, etc.), it’s also better for your health.

 

The more outdoor activities you have, the less dependent you become on machines, electronics, and electrical products that will eventually end up as toxic waste in your backyard or nearby landfill.

 

9. Make art, not war

 

Get in touch with your creative side—paint, write a poem, compose a song, or take photos that show how beautiful creation is. And how it’s now in danger of destruction. In your own artistic way, you can make people more aware of what’s happening and what they can do to help protect the environment.

 

10. Do a good deed

 

First, pass on this post to everyone in your address book (send them a link to this journal entry or copy the text and paste in your email). Second, make sure that communities will always have people to defend their right to healthful food, clean air, and clean water. Donate to ELAC! Visit www.elac.org.ph