Saving earth, saving ourselves

IT’S World Environment Month. Who cares? We all should.

And caring means taking concrete actions to help mitigate the abuses that we, the human race, have long been inflicting on dear Mother Earth.

One simple act that every household can carry out is segregating wastes at source. This means separating recyclable items from the rest, then the rest into biodegradable and non-biodegradable trash. Recyclable items include plastic containers, aluminum cans, and glass jars and bottles. All these can be sold to a junkshop – and there is definitely at least one in every town. There is a very minimal financial return from this, but the bigger reward really is knowing that we have helped in reducing trash in our respective areas, and on earth if you come to think about it. As for biodegradable trash, some food wastes could be fed to backyard animals while the non-biodegradable could probably be kept in a pit until such time when our local governments finally wake up to their responsibility of implementing Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

But what’s the use, you may ask, of segregating at the source or at the household level if the city or municipality has no garbage collection system in the first place and for those where there is one, there is no proper sanitary landfill? That is, indeed, a valid point. But sometimes, we cannot just wait for our supposed leaders to lead us.

In fact, we must demand that those whom we have elected and entrusted with public responsibilities live up to their duties. Beginning with our barangay leaders. Section 32 of RA 9003 states that “there shall be established an MRF (MRF) in every barangay or cluster of barangays. The facility shall be established in a barangay-owned or leased land or any suitable open space.”

In May 2008, Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza Jr. issued a six-month ultimatum for non-compliant LGUs regarding the closure of more 1,000 polluting dumps, which was supposedly outlawed by RA 9003. It has been more than a year since, and we have heard of no local government official who has been made accountable for these grave violations. Our mayors have plenty to answer for.

The situation is truly disappointing. But instead of falling into indifference, our frustration must arouse us into pushing our public servants to do their job for the sake of the earth, for our very selves now, and the future generation.

It is our world. We save it, we save ourselves.

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments