Taking steps to ensure a healthier environment

I couldn’t help but notice that these past few weeks — months even — have been dominated by bad news. Problems at the port, traffic that lasts for hours and hours, rain, floods, and the usual politics, corruption, and crime thrown in the mix. Sometimes it’s enough to make you wonder if there’s any good news out there at all. I can definitely understand that. Just the other day, it rained for less than an hour and immediately the roads were flooded and I heard stories about people taking over three hours to get home.

What does this mean? Is this traffic the “sign of a progressive economy” as we’ve been told? I don’t think so. Perhaps the economy is progressing, but all that the worsening traffic situation is proving is that we don’t know how to progress with the times. As I always say, we are far too reactionary and we don’t plan ahead. It’s no wonder we can’t keep up with how the times are changing. We can’t or just don’t predict what the future will hold so there is no way for us to plan ahead. Instead, we react when a situation has already reached a breaking point.

I definitely think it’s time the government change the way they do things. After all, they can’t keep doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results. That is, after all, the very definition of insanity. We all see how fast the world is changing and can get a glimpse of what we need to do to keep up with the times, and it’s time we start doing it instead of waiting for the day to arrive when it’s too late.

One of the things I think we need to truly start on today is focusing much-needed attention on green initiatives and finding ways to conserve energy and preserve the environment. We’ve all heard it before, of course. Being environmentally conscious is not new to us, however we have yet to really make hard and concrete plans that can effect change. People are complaining about freak storms, like Yolanda that devastated us, and the fact that even the regular monsoon season rains seem to get more and more powerful each year. We complain about the intense heat beating down on us, and the fact that instead of cooling down during rainy season it remains as hot and humid as it did during the summer. We all know why — the weather is going crazy because of climate change. The way we’ve ravaged the planet and our natural resources is taking its toll on the earth and the planet is starting to hit back.

Being more proactively conscious of the impact we have on the environment is a big step to helping address climate change before it’s too late. Again, we should not be reactionary but already take small steps to make things better. Using eco-friendly bags instead of plastic can help and choosing green and earth-friendly products whenever possible will make a difference, even if we don’t see it immediately. Plus, turning off appliances when not in use and unplugging them to save even more on electricity can make a huge impact.

Energy conservation is something that I think we have to be particularly mindful of. After all, we don’t have an unlimited supply. We all experienced that just a few months ago when unscheduled power plant shutdowns caused a shortage in electricity and we had no choice but to endure rotational blackouts to make sure everyone had power. The fact of the matter is that the demand is too high and the supply can’t always meet it. This will only get worse as the years progress if steps aren’t taken now.

A good step to take in the battle for energy efficiency is the use of LED lighting. We’ve been hearing about this for years now, but now more than ever, the importance of this technology is becoming clear. In fact, just recently, LED technology won Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura the 2014 Nobel Physics Prize and a host of accolades for providing the globe with a great tool in the battle against global warming.

LED lamps and the energy efficient technology behind them can save millions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2 - the greenhouse gas) emissions. LED lights last for about 100,000 hours, lasting much longer than their incandescent bulb and fluorescent light counterparts. They also use 10 times less energy compared to traditional light bulbs. In fact, research has shown that the maximum use of LED lighting can cut electricity used for lighting by as much as 80%. This can have a great impact on helping protect the environment. Indeed the savings in electricity expenses alone would be enough of a reason to make the switch.

Though it might be initially costly to change to LED lighting, the benefits in the long run more than make up for the amount. It’s just a matter of doing it and taking similar steps to ensure the survival of the planet.

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Another exciting piece of news I came across last week was the arrival of the world’s largest passenger airplane at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The Airbus A380 of Emirates Airlines carried a whooping 517 passengers and what made the arrival even more personal was that a Filipino captain was at the helm when the airplane made her grand entrance.

Captain Franklin Mallari Desiderio has been with Emirates for the last five years and was with Philippine Airlines (PAL) before that. He said that the large aircraft could very well be heralding in a new way of traveling. Despite being so large, it is easy to maneuver, very roomy, and extremely comfortable. Plus it is equipped to fly non-stop from Dubai to Los Angeles, a 16-hour flight with passengers still feeling good by the time they reach their journey’s end.

This is good news considering the recent string of bad news we’ve been hearing about unsafe flying situations and trouble that airlines, like the beleaguered Malaysian Airlines, have been facing. I hope this is just one of many steps the aviation industry is taking to improve flying conditions for passengers all over the world. Hopefully, traveling to different spots around the globe will continue to get easier as the years go by. And here’s hoping the improvements in airlines also trigger an improvement in our airport situation as well. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that.