The Earth is Disposable?

24 December 2012. Few hours from now, it is Christmas. So by now, the streets that lead to Supermarkets, Malls, and Bazaars are jammed with people. Well, we all call it the Christmas rush shopping. Today after breakfast at Mcdo, I changed my plan of going to SM. Instead I will just cross the narrow Luzurriaga St., and will walk a few steps to Gaisano to buy little presents for my friends working at Quick and Easy Laundry.

Few days ago, I passed by Bacolod plaza. My attention focused to a very humongous poster that says: Bacolod No To Plastic. Bring your own bag. I cannot simply ignore what I read for the reason that I am GUILTY. Few years back, I started my journey closer to the environment when I enrolled in UPOU for my Masters in Environmental Management. And I am disturbed again after seeing that poster. Maybe its time again Jay!

I am very happy when Watsons and Booksale started using the brown paper bag. This is already in itself a huge step. Although up to now, when I buy my groceries at SM, I still use the yellow plastic bags. So Jay it is time! ( i am writing this to remind myself). And by the way my Mcdo Pancakes still are contained in a styro plate. This battle will be long and bloody but at least, initiatives are starting to crawl and somehow people are becoming more aware that this is an urgent cause for everybody.

My hands are not clean. I do not speak because I am an all-out champion of protecting nature. In fact I am very far from it. But I think it all should start in recognizing that we can still do more. My hands, your hands, our friends' hands, our family's hands - this will matter. This already is a challenge I embrace. Or to be more radical, a challenge I impose to myself. And hopefully this will be transformed into actions, even the little ones, to create an impact and will eventually influence others.

Day by day, nature has its ways of revealing its wrath. Storms like Sendong and Pablo, 7.2 magnitude earthquakes, a hot december, a cold Summer. These are revelations that nature is in big trouble. Hopefully it only needs first aid. Not an overhaul.

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. We all agree on this one. However, I hope that in this celebration we don't forget that in the midst of the merrymaking, we are not causing more damage to the environment. Remember too that the Earth is DISPOSABLE! Merry Christmas!