Sustainable Living

Bahay Kalipay – a house of healing

Slow Travel Sustainable Living

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Welcome to Bahay Kalipay, a house of healing in Palawan, where I found myself on a quiet inner journey for six days barely a month ago.

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There’s something about going barefoot that invites opening up, a baring of sorts..
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…and this daily habit of having to take off one’s shoes and walk with naked feet on the floor is simple but it does what it is meant to do… which is to disarm, interrupt, like a cymbal clanging in a church, or maybe more like a flute in a library. It is strange but not unpleasant, maybe even friendly…

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Living in a communal setting also disarms– especially for someone who values private space and the comforts of familiar noise or absolute silence.

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I went to Palawan to visit my old friend, Pompet, and still no day passes that I don’t go back to those six days and wonder what really happened there.

When you go to a place expecting to live simply and commune with nature, you prepare yourself by leaving behind your city habits…  As someone who has no attachment to TV, newspapers, radio and magazines, I didn’t expect to have to adjust much.

I went with a passive mindset–I was there to observe, I was just going to watch.

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The days went by quietly, and to a certain extent, uneventful…

There was no novelty to shock or animate something dormant… The Inner Dance meditation was new, but it was very pleasant, and familiar…

Even the raw food aspect of the retreat–nothing but fruits and uncooked vegetables for 6 days–was easy to adapt to, it was a joy for me to eat so healthily.

I felt I had no need for healing, and let myself get comfortable believing that…

Maybe with no expectations, the true healing I needed happened.. quietly, without drama, without external hints.

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Something I’ve been  asking for this whole year–clarity–came to me so quietly soon after my trip, and I now realize that the search for clarity has always been the search for honesty.   To have clarity is to have the path cleared, so that one can see himself wholly and truly, and hear his own voice, follow his own rhythm.

What comes next is the courage to uphold that truth,  to pursue it, not without fear, for fear is part and parcel of life, but to press on in spite of those fears.

I’ve always wanted to be brave, and here it is–my most trying test:  Do I have the courage to be who I truly am, and also to let go of who I am not?


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Pompet is Pi, healer and in more ways than one, father of Bahay Kalipay.

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Bahay Kalipay, as “a self-sustainable community of healers, artists, gardeners, teachers, and earth-conscious people from around the world, some permanent, some in transit,” is a retreat space that offers Healing, Raw Food, Detox, Yoga in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. It is also the main retreat center of an ancient Filipino Spiritual Healing Practice which is today called Inner Dance.

Bahay Kalipay, Lot 38E, Hagedorn Road Extension, San Pedro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines.
* Pi Villaraza: +63 9994512765
* Daniw Arazola: +63 09081391139

Dreams are underway to build a community of healing further north, this time on the mountains of Palawan, which makes my heart leap quietly, especially when I liken it to Tolkien’s Rivendell, The House of Healing which was home to Elrond, Lord of the Elves:
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Frodo was now safe in the Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, “a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.” Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear and sadness.

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Imagine living in a place of abundant healing energy such as this:

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“But it feels impossible, somehow, to feel gloomy or depressed in this place. I feel I could sing, If I knew the right song for the occasion,” said Pippin.

“I feel like singing myself,” laughed Frodo. “Though at the moment I feel more like eating and drinking!”

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Bacungan, Palawan.

What do you see?

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View more photos of Bahay Kalipay on flickr.

(Images of Rivendell and Lord of the Rings quotes are fromThe Rivendell Image Gallery)

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hooray for wooden toys!

Green Art Sustainable Living,

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Don’t you think it’s so hard to find a meaningful toy to give kids these days?

It’s always been a problem for me–I don’t buy into plastic toys and the PS2 generation–and come kiddie birthdays or baptisms, I always get torn between giving something I’d rather not give or just giving nothing.

Was so glad, then, to have met Tes Sobeng, a Waldorf mom who makes wooden toys for children (and children-at-heart!). She had access to wood craftsmen in Paete, Laguna and took it upon herself to make toys that resonated with love and encouraged imagination.

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Do you notice the mini palayok (clay pot) on the shelf? I have so many fond memories playing with clay pots as a child!

Tes has an assortment of toys, but mostly for kids of school age. Most adhere to the Waldorf ideals of age-appropriateness and imaginative play.
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Here’s one toy I took home for myself, inspired by a tansan (bottlecap) spinning wheel usually played in the provinces:
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Hayyyy, what joy in being a child!

* * *
You can look at Tes’s toy catalog on her website, toys and stuff, or contact her through
0908-492-3953 / 912-4056 or tesmsobeng@yahoo.com

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what it really means to go green

Everyday Life Sustainable Living

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Was so happy to read The Burden of Stuff: Why Less Could Make You Happier from the Huffington Post.

This is exactly what I’m (quietly) advocating–a purging of our consumerist lifestyles, which, in essence, is what it means to go green!  Not just changing our kitchen, bathroom, or library, but more so our own mindset.  To be able to go green for the long haul (i.e. be consistent in it enough for it to become a part of who we are), step one is to live simply.   It is a gentle, quiet call for basic living, which does not necessarily mean a frugal lifestyle, but living with only what’s enough.  It’s catching ourselves whenever we say “I want…” and really asking the whys behind that want…

Going-green has gotten on the “uso” bandwagon for a while now, which is good for the awareness it creates, but not for its message.  The internet is literally swamped with go-green blogs now, our local bookstores have a new section just for the green lifestyle, and “green” products are just everywhere, with more popping up everyday and adding to the clutter!!

Author Kirsten Dirksen shares:

Our stuff has weight (something George Clooney’s character understood in Up In the Air with his How Heavy Is Your Backpack speech), whether because it simply blocks our view of the more important things in our lives, or because like some parasite, it begins to suck up our time and attention. Almost everything we have in our lives affects us in some way: the extra clothes in our closets just get in the way of what we really want to wear; the extra furniture takes up space; it’s extra stuff to dust, to rearrange, to store, to lose things in.

She did a video interview of Brad and Andy, a couple from Texas who literally uprooted themselves from the city and chose a leaner, cleaner lifestyle with just the bare essentials: a good bed, good table, good sofa, and some modern comforts like a good kitchen and the internet:

The good news is going-green is by no means an “absolute no” to material things! Brad adds:

I don’t want to own nice things, but I want to use nice things. For example I like the idea of going and renting, although Anda makes fun of me on this, a Porsche and driving up US Highway 1 from San Francisco to Portland. I think that would be great, but I don’t want to own a Porsche.

And for this “luxury”, Kirsten says there are new amazing communities that actually have communal ownership of  “shareable” things like cars, bikes or tools.  She also shares a link to Inconspicuous Consumption, which lists references on shared libraries of useful things.  Have you heard of movements like this in the Philippines?

In any case, this is it, friends–the lamppost along the tunnel!  To go green is to travel light and purge the excesses from our lives.  It’s to sign up for “voluntary simplicity“, which is hard and frustrating, but as with all purges, promising and refreshing.  \":)\"

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it’s almost been a year since Ondoy…

Sustainable Living

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My thoughts on October  1, 2009:

Typhoon Ondoy brought with it so much loss, fear, anger.  Galit lahat, finger-pointing has begun, and will only get worse.  My brother told me he doesn’t want to watch the news anymore, he just gets depressed.

Ordinary citizens are rallying behind something though, something that’s mobilizing them and getting them on the streets.  Everywhere people are helping–rescuing, donating, packing, cleaning, coordinating, passing on critical information.  In one weekend, we have begun talking again, and talking about things that matter–the people around us, our people, us.

First saw this during Cory’s wake–Pinoys came out to honor a great woman, a hero to the Filipino nation.  Strangers rubbing elbows in the rain, waiting in line for long hours to pay tribute and say goodbye.  It seemed that Filipino apathy was finally taking a turn for the better, but I think real motives of people were still hazy then.  It wasn’t clear why we really took to the streets.  Usiseros aside, how many of those who came with good intentions knew what those intentions were, really? Na kinilatis, pinag-isipan, binuo? Why mourn Cory? Who was she to them? What about her and her life did they connect with, that was relevant to them? Some friends who went said they wanted to be part of history… what does that mean?

I’d like to think we went to the streets to mourn Cory because despite our pronunciations that our country is hopeless, that Filipinos don’t care anymore, the truth is we do care.  We want to care. We were out there looking for hope, and Cory gave us that.

In the aftermath of Ondoy, what happened?

They say that when you take a step towards God, he comes running to you.  Maybe the Cory magic was our first step, collectively as a people, towards hope (and love). And here it is now in our midst, in abundance. Hope came running to us.

Let’s dwell on hope.  The Philippines will need more than material healing from this tragedy, and there will be a time for demanding accountability, but let it be anchored on hope.

We’ve already started talking to each other again as Filipinos.  We’re looking each other in the eye, regardless of family, school, occupation, religion, socio-economic class.  Let’s keep talking to each other.   I hope this blog can help safeguard and continue this dialogue for healing–one that is fueled by hope and at the same time channels it.

– Excerpt from Ondoy Heroes

They do say all things pass–the best and the worst–and the storm that was Ondoy has passed. I pray that its lessons (and demands) have not been lost on us though….and that the dialogue for healing among ourselves lives on…Or better yet, that it has been translated into living hope, that is fueled by consistent action.

What have you done since September 26, 2009, or what have you done differently since then?

For me, the hoping (and seeking) continues in manilarat, where I still insist on finding beauty in the city (and country!) that we love to hate, and in finding the people who can help make it all happen…go go go tourism development!  The green brigade lives on too, which is above all, a shift inside…

Various friends have helped campaign for their candidates for the recent elections; some actually ran (and won, yay!) for government.  Others keep on fighting the good fight in NGO’s like Gawad Kalinga, and still others wave the Philippine banner in their own smaller circles of friends and families…

Wherever we are, we carry our best intentions for this country with us, so whatever it is you’re doing, whether you’re primed for the bida role or part of the supporting cast, fight on! You are not alone.

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Para sa bayan!

We have a new president!

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a market-to-plate cooking day using organic food!

Life in Nuvali Philippines,

My friend Jhoey Hernandez of PinoyOrganics.com is holding a unique culinary tour in Alabang on Saturday, May 22, for sustainable cooking! Hope you and your green-minded friends can support her project:

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Are you a cooking mama, a foodie, an urban gardener wannabe or simply love learning new things? Dust off your basket and join us as Pinoy Organics launch its Market-to-Plate Tours in the South!

Pinoy Organics in partnership with Feed 5000

present

Market-to-Plate Tour Launch

MAY 22, 2010, SATURDAY

8AM – 2PM


  • Know your local producers in nearby weekend markets
    • Help us purchase our ingredients for our cooking demo
    • Meet the only certified organic local produce seller in the South
    • Meet a 70 year old woman who sells local produce from Batangas on weekends only
    • Know where to buy organic brown rice at market price in the South
    • Enjoy a local drink with more electrolytes than commercial sports drink
    • Visit Mom-Turn-Farmer who sells her sustainable foods from Cavite
    • and more!

  • Learn “How To Grow Your Own Herbs”
    • Kitchen Herbs 101
    • Growing Herbs
    • Propagation
    • And more practical tips about herbs!
  • Watch and learn from Chef Len Santos of Feed 5000 as she shows us how to use herbs via Cooking Demo, “Cooking with Herbs”. Bonus treat: we get to taste everything she’ll cook!
  1. Watermelon, Mint and Kesong Puti Salad
  2. Penne Vongole (with Flat Parsley and Dill)
  3. Grilled Chicken and Mushroom Bruschetta
  4. Pineapple Basil Shake
  5. Lavender Flan
FEE: P 1,000/person only (inclusive of all materials and light lunch)

SCHEDULE

8:00 – 10:00   Market Tour
10:00 – 1:00   “Cooking with Herbs”, a cooking demo cum lunch by Chef Len of Feed 5000
1:00 – 2:00   “How to Grow Your Own Herbs”, an urban gardening workshop
The cooking demo and gardening workshop will be held at Feed 5000 Studio, 186 Luzon Drive, Ayala Alabang Village
To book your reservations, call +632 347 3975, text +63922 895 3975

or email us at pinoyorganics@gmail.com.

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manilarat turns green

Sustainable Living

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I started a green blog last year as a response to the stirrings I began to feel inside– a need to declutter, to simplify, to stay still and let go of excesses, and to be practical about it. I wrote:

Early September 2009, I sat through a movie that changed my life: Home, a quiet documentary on the state of the Earth by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Couldn’t get Glenn Close’s voice out of my head: faster and faster we humans moved from the reign of agriculture to the industrial age. Faster and faster our cities grew, with mega-buildings hailing the triumph of human intelligence and resourcefulness. Faster and faster we used up the pockets of sunlight deep inside the earth, and faster and faster our earth lost its resources–it is now dying.

My brother told me the Earth won’t really die– it will continue in whatever form it takes to survive. Whether we humans survive this new form or transition is another matter.

My big resounding story now, especially given the parallel shift inside to live, think, and act more simply, is to move towards simplifying my everyday environment. In other words, I wanna green! I wanna greenify!

That blog is now the new green section of manilarat, a catch basin for whatever information I find on going green or living greener everydays.  Also hope to share it with whoever is on the same journey.   Info is filtered for the Filipino,  relevant most to those living in Metro Manila.

Would be glad for any tips or insights from you–please don’t be shy to send me an email or use and abuse the comment forms on every post \":)\"

Let’s do our part and create new habits that will manifest our greener selves!

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green and politics– what’s the latest?

Life in Nuvali Philippines,

\"\"I’ve made no secret about my support for Nicanor Perlas, who is neither my relative, family friend, nor ninong.

Glad to see others are recognizing the same:

Perlas best bet to solve water woes, survey shows (Inquirer, 23 March 2010) — Environmental groups EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace show the results of their “Green Electoral Initiative” (GEI) survey, which ranks the presidential candidates’ green value based on their platforms on clean water.  Highest mark of  8.7 points (out of 10) goes to Nick Perlas.  Sen. Jamby Madrigal is second with 7.8 points, followed by Gordon with 7.2 points.

P30,000 water system solution–Perlas (Inquirer Visayas, 16 March 2010) — Nick Perlas gives a solution to water problem for farms that costs P30,000, can be set up in three days, and can irrigate three to five hectares of farms.

Other news on politics and the green agenda:

Madrigal is ‘greenest’ presidential bet (Inquirer, 22 March 2010)  — another question-based ranking of the presidential candidates, conducted by Agham-Youth, Earth Island Institute, Takder, Katribu, Lakbay-Cagayan Valley, and Computer Professionals Union.  Basis for the rankings: green beans cadre or how pro-people and pro-environment their answers are to questions such as the re-commissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, commercial logging, Mining Act of 1995, coal power plant, Visiting Forces Agreement, Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, cleanup of toxic wastes, and commercialization of genetically modified organisms.


WHY I’M SUPPORTING NICK:

Long before I knew of his decision to run for president, I’ve heard stellar things about Nick from my friend Jason Gonzales, who knows Nicky personally and who is also running for a government position in Iloilo City.  Nicky, says Jason, is a renaissance man (who never sleeps because of everything he’s busy with!), brilliant at everything he does, which include farming, microfinance, meeting with global leaders and thinktanks, etc.. His website is www.nicanorperlas.com.  Also visit Nick’s facebook page.  Medyo mabigat, and you need to set aside time for the long texts, but well-worth the read. I’m sure you’ll find his writings engaging, or inspiring at the very least. He won an Alternative Nobel in 2003.

Last June, I met him for the first time during the Pag-asa workshop on creativity and love of country, and I decided right then and there that wow, I want him as my president, and not just that–I want to help campaign for him.  I’ve always wanted to do something good for the Philippines, but Nicky and this window we’ve been given to help him have made me want to do not just good but GREAT things! He’s such a capable man– finally we have someone with real qualifications running for office!

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Everyone on Nick’s team is a volunteer! Just volunteer!  Or spread the word about this brilliant and growing pulse among Pinoys called New Politics.

Nick is also raising funds, here’s a message from Gil Alonzo, a volunteer fundraiser:

Dear All,

We are happy to inform you that we have been steadily gathering funds to match the P500T Challenge Donation that would, in total, raise P1M in campaign funds.

As a result of all our efforts, we now have P128,039.10 Just today, we added P20T by selling a rundown car to the junk shop. If you have any old car beyond repair, or any other major recyclable/saleable items that you would like to donate, please do so. Nothing is so small that we wouldn’t accept. Remember 3-year old Lareessa, who was our first donor of a 1-peso donation!

New Politics is about new approaches to getting the best candidate into power. Although we de-emphasize money in our campaign to have Nick Perlas elected, we also need minimal resources for operations, rentals, food, transportation, communication and production of campaign materials.

If we raise the P500T, we will will be able to get the other P500T challenge donation. This might be so small compared to the campaign funds of other presidential candidates, but this will go a long way for us, as this will add more mobile ads, more tarps, more flyers in recycled paper using soya ink, and another month of electric jeepney rental.

We can make this happen. Donate now!

With love and gratitude,

GIL ALONZO
Nick Perlas Volunteer Fundraiser
Meet the Challenge Within: The 500T Challenge Fund

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bamboo jeepneys in leyte

Life in Nuvali Philippines,

NOTE: This site got hacked last month and boo that my back-up didn’t include the latest 4 posts (lesson learned: back-up everyday!).  I’m resurrecting this third of four posts (original publish date: January 2010) from loose emails and saved drafts.

Look at these ingenious jeepneys spotted in Leyte!

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Got these pics in the email last January 2010 from Dorothy Llariza, who said they were passed along by an acquaintance from India.  At first glance, friends and I were quick to dismiss these jeepneys as “surface green”–they use bamboo and other indigenous materials, but still have the same constitution as their CO2-guzzling cousin…. or so we thought.

An online search just now led me to the site of TOTI Eco,  which as it turns out is another ingenious project by a local government official (and also the source of the pics doing the email circuit)!

Feeling the need for a low-cost, fuel-efficient, safe, and environmentally-friendly alternative mode of transportation (versus the accident-prone habal-habal, a motorbike usually overloaded with passengers),  Tabontabon mayor Dr. Rustico Balderian created the Tabontabon Organic Transport Industry (TOTI) Eco cars, which proudly claim to be a revolution in transportation:

Important Points to Keep in Mind About a Bamboo Car vs. Vehicles of Steel
-Our bamboo cars run 100% on coco-biodiesel.
-90% made of bamboo.
-Bamboo is indigenous & renewable.
-Bamboo is stronger in tensile strength than steel.
-It takes 5 tons of ore to make 1 ton of steel plate.
-Consider the heat needed to process 5 tons of ore.
-Made by Tabontabon’s Out-of-School Youth

ECO 1
ECO1 can seat 20 people including the driver. It can run on ONE gallon of Biodiesel fuel for 8 hours. It can climb more than 20% grade. It is covered in banig the Filipino woven mat.

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ECO 2
ECO2 is made of bamboo, seats 8 passengers, and has a stereo with sound system. It also runs on one gallon of biodiesel fuel for 8 hours.

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Future Models
Other models in production include another vehicle made of bamboo…including the chassis.

Estimated cost of Eco1 amounts to P200,000.   Not sure how this compares to the steel Sarao…

Other projects by Mayor Balderian include the production of shredders, boilers and bio-reactors for solid waste management (package cost is at P650,000) and livelihood projects that reuse plastic waste into slippers, bags and bricks.

More pictures can be seen on the TOTI Eco website.

Related reading:

Biodiesel Bamboo Cabs: Philippines Town Turns Taxis Green (March 19, 2010)
Small Leyte town assembles bamboo car (Inquirer, Sept. 2009)
The Bamboo Jeep from Bangued, Abra (featured on Lakbay TV before 2006. NOTE: according to the people at Kawayantech, this bamboo jeepney was built by government worker Chris Adriatico in 1992 ):

Bamboo Bikes by Kawayan Tech (Oct 2009).  Video below shows clips of the bamboo bike building workshop by Craig Calfee held in the Yap Farm, San Jose, Tarlac last July 6-11, 2009:

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a real eco house in cebu city!

Green Design and Architecture

NOTE: This site got hacked last month and boo that my back-up didn’t include the latest 4 posts (lesson learned: back-up everyday!).  I’m resurrecting this second of four posts (original publish date: January 2010) from loose emails and saved drafts.

Check out this Eco house made by Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival (cost him around Php7M!).  Dubbed “the house close to nature”, it occupies 400sqm (in a 7,000 sqm property), is self-sustaining, and uses lots of recycled materials.  It has facilities for vermicomposting (30 wormbeds!) and wastewater treatment, and a pig farm with a biodigester (which harvests gas that can be used for cooking).

The artist community I want to build in Tagaytay will be something like this, but with a bigger open space in the middle that’s open to the public, and (hopefully) a lively, creative mix of residents surrounding it..

In any case, I’m glad to see the green-home concept is being implemented already, and by government people at that!

UPDATE: Councilor Archival was recognized just this month (March 2010) as one of the country’s top 10 councilors, and yes, for his environmental efforts!

Colleagues pick Archival among RP’s 10 outstanding councilors

Out of 10 national awardees, Archival is the only one from the Visayas. Archival attributed his win to his advocacy on mixing environmental awareness with livelihood.

He said Cebu City’s “Kwarta sa Basura” program not only promoted clean surroundings through garbage segregation, but also provided livelihood.

Another program Archival initiated was the Metro Cebu Air Shed Board (MCASB), the first of its kind in the country.

The MCASB is composed of local chief executives in Metro Cebu who agreed to take part in efforts to improve the quality of air in their communities.

Archival proposed the creation of MCASB last year. It is supposed to help the Department of Environment and Natural Resources check air quality, set emission standards, determine penalties for violators in a particular air shed, as well as draw up anti-pollution programs suited for a given area.

Archival is also responsible for the formation of the Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (Ceset), which allows the strict implementation of environmental laws, such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law.

As of yesterday, about 20,000 violators have been formally charged through the help of the local police, and about P2 million have been collected as violation fees.

Aside from Archival, other winners of this year’s PCL 10 Outstanding Councilors of the Philippines were Edwin Piano of Olongapo City, Abigael Sable of Santiago City, Ellen Reyes of San Pablo City, Raul Rivera of Cabancalan City, Gedo Jarbin Jr. of Legazpi City, Roman Melliza of General Santos City, Lourdes Tabanda of Baguio City, Aurelio Paolo Bartolome of Taguig City and Maria Belen Acosta of Davao City.

(Source: Sunstar Cebu)

Hurrah! Spread the green please!

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seminar and field trip to a biodynamic farm in lubao, pampanga

Farming and Gardening

NOTE: This site got hacked last month and boo that my back-up didn’t include the latest 4 posts (lesson learned: back-up everyday!).  I’m resurrecting this first of four posts (original publish date: January 2010) from loose emails and saved drafts.


I really want to go visit this biodynamic farm owned by the Gutierrez family in Lubao, Pampanga.

My friend Cris sent me pictures taken by Issa Manalo Lopez on a recent visit– REALLY interesting what they’ve done there.. and they integrated a Waldorf school into the farm. so cool!

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More pics of the farm, the school, and the food (yumm!) on Issa’s page.

Info on the seminar below:

Managing Abundance! A Forum on the Living Ideas of Bio-dynamic Agriculture

Learn how Bio-dynamic practices keep Nature in balance!
Get practical suggestions and tips from farmers themselves on keeping farms sustainable!

ISIP Philippines and the Philippine Bio-dynamic Agriculture Research Foundation (PhilBio) presents
MANAGING ABUNDANCE!
A Forum on the Living Ideas of Bio-dynamic Agriculture
Feb 26 at ISIP Makati
Forum fee: P1,000 including lunch

Optional field trip, PRACTICAL ABUNDANCE!, Feb 27, to Prado Farms, Lubao, Pampanga (see http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=269920643682 )

What is Bio-dynamic Agriculture?
Bio-dynamic Agriculture revitalizes the life forces of the soil, stimulating root growth, microorganism production, and humus formation. Fundamental to the method are the activating sprays and soil starter preparations derived from cow manure, herbs and mineral substances applied to soil and plants. BD soils absorb and hold back large amounts of water, and assist in lessening the severity of floods.

Topics include:
• What Bio-dynamic farming is and how it heals the earth
• Beyond Organic: Farms transitioning from traditional to bio-dynamic
• Positive impact of BD practices on the community and environment
• Case studies and panel discussions from farmers on what works and what doesn’t
• Thinking Locally: How to make Bio-dynamic Preparations for Philippine farms

The Forum is for
• Farm or lot owners who wish to introduce the bio-dynamic agricultural process in their lands and know more about the benefits of the system
• Farmers who want to learn about implementation of the bio-dynamic process
• Agricultural students, professors, and NGO professionals that wish to learn more about bio-dynamic farming
• Anyone that wants to know more about this earth-friendly alternative of food production

For reservations, inquiries and full forum program:
Call 899 4675, text 0920 983 1329 or email ISIP.philippines@yahoo.com
Web site: isipphilippines.multiply.com
Facebook: Look up ‘ISIP Manila’

Pass on this email to your contacts! Farm owners, agricultural colleges, farming associations and cooperatives, and relevant e-groups …Thank you!

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No Impact Week: one month after

Sustainable Living

It’s been over a month since I joined the Huffington Post’s No Impact Week project, a group experiment on carbon-cleansing for one whole week.  Participation from all over the world was very encouraging to say the least! A girl named Rachel from Holland, for example, shared a cool new transportation option for the green mommy:

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Holland's new pride, the modern bakfiets! (image source)

Other interesting ideas shared:  a sharing cooperative among neighbors for common household tools, natural alternatives to shampoo, geocaching (treasure hunting using GPS).

Visit the post-experiment insights page and the No Impact Project Ning site for worldwide participants (those outside Canada and the US) to take a look for yourself or join in the discussion \":)\"

A new batch of carbon cleanse participants started on November 15.  Click here to check if you can still participate (better late than never!).

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