It’s one of those rare times that I get to watch early morning TV programs . Umagang Kay Ganda featured Lolita Carbon, a member of the singing group Asin and she sang Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran. I often hear this song back in the seventies, but I never felt its importance before. It was more of a song with very good lyrics and acoustics and listening to it now made me realize how we have abused mother Earth. My family and I were victims of typhoon Ondoy. It was not only the amount of rain that befell Metro Manila that caused the destructive flood we have experienced before but also it was because we were not so careful about the garbage we disposed of. I want to share with you the lyrics of the song, it is very touching and full of lessons that we should apply daily in our lives. Tomorrow, we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and just like what we did for an hour last March 27, 2010, let us open our eyes to the gargantuan task of saving our planet, let us do our share in making Mother Earth a place which we could truly be proud of.
Wala ka bang napapansin sa iyong mga kapaligiran?
Kay dumi na ng hangin, pati na ang mga ilog natin.
Refrain 1:
Hindi na masama ang pag-unlad
At malayu-layo na rin ang ating narating
Ngunit masdan mo ang tubig sa dagat
Dati’y kulay asul ngayo’y naging itim
Ang mga duming ating ikinalat sa hangin
Sa langit huwag na nating paabutin
Upang kung tayo’y pumanaw man, sariwang hangin
Sa langit natin matitikman
Refrain 2:
Mayron lang akong hinihiling
Sa aking pagpanaw sana ay tag-ulan
Gitara ko ay aking dadalhin
Upang sa ulap na lang tayo magkantahan
Ang mga batang ngayon lang isinilang
May hangin pa kayang matitikman?
May mga puno pa kaya silang aakyatin
May mga ilog pa kayang lalanguyan ?
Refrain 3:
Bakit di natin pagisipan
Ang nangyayari sa ating kapaligiran
Hindi na masama ang pag-unlad
Kung hindi nakakasira ng kalikasan
Darating ang panahon mga ibong gala
Ay wala nang madadapuan
Masdan mo ang mga punong dati ay kay tatag
Ngayo’y namamatay dahil sa ‘ting kalokohan
Refrain 4:
Lahat ng bagay na narito sa lupa
Biyayang galing sa Diyos kahit nong ika’y wala pa
Ingatan natin at ‘wag nang sirain pa
Pagkat pag Kanyang binawi, tayo’y mawawala na.
We celebrate Earth Day to honor mother Earth and all living things that inhibit it. Reuse. Recycle. Reduce. There are practical energy saving tips that we could observe and do to help. How often are we told to always turn off the light when not in use? If possible, we should use natural daylight since a few hours saved on electricity means a few pesos less on our monthly bills. I remember my mom often telling us not to open the refrigerator door more than we need to, it’s one way of saving electricity too. Read books instead of watching TV or playing electronic games. Some of you may not agree specially those who can’t do without TV in front of them. I know of some people who use TV to lull them to sleep. Electronic games? Online games? Most of us are probably guilty spending hours on the net playing Farmville or what not. It’s good I am not a fan of those online games. I remember an article written by Wilson Lee Flores a few weeks ago. He said, “Farmville is fun, but go plant real vegetables in your backyard. Facebook is fun but go out too and meet people”. Gardening is such an engaging hobby, why not plant your own and be rewarded with fresh produce and blooms?
I am glad that most supermarkets now encourage bringing one’s own shopping bags instead of using plastics. I have several shopping bags made of cloth, some from the lowly “katsa” and they are more handy to use than plastic bags. Reuse! If it is possible, during grocery shopping, we should buy in large quantities to save on gas for future trips to the store. Let’s buy products with the least amount of packaging. Don’t buy disposable items like plates, cups, diapers, batteries, they add up to the waste we accumulate daily. Come to think of it, it is so inconvenient using plastic spoons and fork, right? During parties, I always try to avoid using disposable items, it’s better to invest in good old china plates, drinking glasses etc. Styrofoam which is often used by food chains contains polystyrene which is the most difficult material to break down. If we can’t avoid buying disposable items, we should at least limit their use. Reduce!
There are one thousand and one ways which we could do to help save our planet. It is not yet too late, let us start now!
Dreams And Escapes 
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