Blog Awards Challenge

Blog Awards Challenge 2 Winner (Excellence): Blog From Cebu To The World

Winning Entry Title: For A Greener Earth [Original Link]

Winning entry is reprinted below.
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Most of us wish for a greener and cooler place to live in. Who would not want that? Who among us would just like to stay in a close building for a week without sunshine and without fresh air to breathe? Or who would like to go out in the streets in the crowded and polluted downtown?

Maybe some of us are in the habit of opening the windows every morning to meet the sunshine and smell the freshness of the early morning dew. For the last 20 years or so, you must have noticed the significant change in the climate. It is now warmer, and the surroundings seem to have lost the luster it once had. We wanted to buy that latest air-conditioner system because we can no longer take the heat.

The problem in global warming is not new to you and me. It is mentioned in schools, in TV, and in the papers. And now, we are informed more about it in blogs of many people. As an individual, what should be my part? For corporate and government entities, what should they do?

Educate Everyone

Education starts at the home. Parents should do their part in training their children in caring for the environment. Parents should lead by example. Since I grew up in a place with scarce water, we were told to conserve it. Imagine I could take a bath then with only a bucket of water.

The government should also lead in this educational drive by going to each barrio and promote awareness among tribes and communities. Schools should include environmental awareness in the curriculum from basic education to college. Companies and its top management should also take the lead in the campaign for greener earth. Recycling, garbage segregation, and anti-pollution efforts should be the top concerns.

Go, Bring Back The Bikes

Imagine the savings in fuel, and the reduction of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere.

A little over three decades ago, my dad used to go to work using his bicycle. He was an office worker at one of the Philippine’s largest conglomerate. Even with his work barong, no one else would care about his outfit and his mode of transport. He had done that for years. I was not embarrassed of him. In fact, I had fun hitching a ride with him when I went to school. I can still picture the parking area of his workplace with hundreds of other bicycles. In those days, most of them ride a bike.

The place I currently live in is only three kilometers away from my workplace. But with the traffic, it will take me 10-15 minutes to reach my daily destination. If I ride a bike, and the others do the same, it will just take me around 15 minutes.

Plant More Trees: See Them Grow

Trees helped in the reduction of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some groups even initiated projects geared towards tree planting. I have been to countless tree-planting activities but it seems that these were all done for publicity. One time I returned to the actual place where we planted trees but I could no longer see those that we planted. And here we are planting trees again.

Where have all those trees gone? Isn’t it just a waste of money and effort? Maybe the fault lies in the government agency and the community who were supposed to take care of those trees. If we plant trees, let’s go back to that same place and see that tree grow. Or else, we will become one of those posers. And if we have vacant lots in the city, let’s plant some trees in there.

Incentives To Manufacturers of Eco-Friendly Vehicles

Green is the theme of the century. And vehicle manufacturers should aim their visions and efforts towards green technology. Both Toyota and Honda are leading the way for this. When should the others follow? But governments should provide incentives to these manufacturers. This could be in the form of lower taxes or tariffs in countries where they are sold, so that the prices of these vehicles lower down.

Now, who would not buy a Prius if its price is more or less similar to that of Vios?

Public Transport That Uses Eco-Friendly Vehicles

Imagine a hybrid train that runs through Roxas Blvd, Edsa or Makati. Isn’t this great? Our government can actually do something like this if they are really serious in the battle against global warming.

An Innovative Idea (somewhat a sci-fi)

When I was in elementary, I imagined creating a laser device that, when pointed at the sky, will break up the carbon and the oxygen from the carbon dioxide that polluted the air. We all know how oxygen is helpful to us. And we can gather those carbon particles and process them to make diamonds. Impossible! It is impossible for me to invent or create that device. But did Jules Verne actually invent the submarine when he mentioned it in his Sci-fi book? Quite weird of me, but I do not know why that idea would not go away from me. It is actually my first time of putting that idea in writing.

I know billions of dollars are spent in man’s search for life outside earth. But it is not really what we need now. We may or may not have neighbors, but right now, our Earth is all we have. Let us take care of it.
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