Sustainable Living

When I was a kid, I’d pass by the Meralco plant in Sucat on my way to school, and the ugly fumes from its big chimneys would greet me everyday. This bothered me considerably, and with my then dream of becoming a scientist, I thought of inventing a chimney cover that would convert bad air into good air before it was let loose in the atmosphere. Come Environmental Class in college, I discovered that my cover had in fact been invented, and was already being used worldwide.

On a more recent note, this article on cleaning big cities in National Geographic made me a little more hopeful in the restoration of Manila air. Excerpts below:

Cleaning Big Cities’ Air “Not Rocket Science,” Expert Says
John Roach
for National Geographic News
October 27, 2005

Large metropolises have some of the dirtiest air in the world. But experts say technologies that have existed for decades could help solve the problem—if utility companies are willing to use them.

The high altitude and ample sunlight of Mexico City create an ideal environment for pollutants to accumulate and linger, Molina said.

One major culprit, ground-level ozone, forms due to a sunlight-fueled chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Commonly called smog, ground-level ozone causes a host of respiratory ailments, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Particulate matter is the term applied to the tiny bits of dust, soot, dirt, smoke, and liquid droplets that accumulate in the air and give smog its color.

Breathing particulate matter also causes respiratory ailments. In addition, it adversely affects the environment by changing the acidity of lakes, streams, and forests.

According to Walke, existing pollution-control technologies include:
• So-called scrubbers, which typically use chemicals or water to remove sulfur from gases produced in coal-fired power plants.

• A process known as selective catalytic reduction, which relies on the use of chemicals like ammonia to start a reaction that removes nitrogen oxides from tailpipes and smokestacks.

• Baghouses—cloth bags used to filter gas streams, which can remove particulate emissions from smokestacks.

• High-temperature incinerators that can destroy toxic pollutants.

“Merely requiring uncontrolled [coal-fired power] plants to adopt technologies that have been around for 10 to 20 years would solve air-pollution problems in this country, at least as far as smog and soot are concerned,” he said.

Greenmeadows Ave., QC

Also along C-5, Pasig

One of the many (about 40?) full grown trees in Julia Vargas and Greenmeadows Ave., Quezon City that have fallen ill. A friend told me that it is a phenomena not limited to the Philippines, also happening in Hawaii..suspected culprit is a wasp that migrated from Africa, and they’re hoping its natural predator will come to the rescue. Soon please.

More on the Erythina Gall Wasp (thanks to mads for the link)

American Cemetery and Memorial
3:00-5:30pm, June 19, Sunday.
Free Entrance.

First time to go birdwatching (also birding) today. Was a quiet afternoon, good slow way to start paying attention to detail–one of the essentials of a meaningful life!

Birding is “the activity of observing wild birds in their habitat,” and it’s a nice alternative to spending your weekends, even in the city.
Time to allocate: 2-3 hours.

Do you know what are Golden-bellied Flyeaters,Yellow-vented Bulbuls and Pied Fantails?

These are some of the most common birds found in Metro Manila.

Join the members of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines on a guided bird watching trip at one of Metro Manila’s best kept parks this Sunday, June 19 and discover the wonderful world of birds.

Assemble at the visitor’s parking lot of the American War Memorial in Fort Bonifacio at 3:00 pm. We will start with an orientation for first-timers and walk past the green lawns to look for Zebra Doves (Bato-bato)and Barred Rails (Tikling). Walk under the shade of the acacias to look for Collared Kingfishers (Kasaykasay), Lowland White-eyes (Matang Dulong) and perhaps a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (Karpintero).

Participants are advised to wear rubber or walking shoes. Please bring water, snacks, sunblock, umbrella (in case it rains) and/or insect repellant.

The guided trip for first-timers is free, however the club rents out binoculars at P50.00/pair. If you bring your own pair of binoculars, no other charges apply. Slots are limited and interested parties need to sign up and indicate the number of slots to be reserved, binoculars needed and contact numbers for confirmation. Please get in touch with Mike Lu via email at myckle@thenet.ph or text 0917-3350325.