http://www.kidsahoy.net/ KidsAhoy.net: Your one-stop online portal for the Filipino Global child! en-us 2012-01-30T00:00:00+01:00 Rizal's naturalist faith http://www.kidsahoy.net/content.asp?ContentId=1113 For UN Day, I was asked to talk to the kids at the Catholic Filipino Academy about respect for nature.  It was the last activity and the kids were restless and everywhere so I called them in for a horror story - the one about breaking the cycle of nature and getting a curse thereby.  Helped a lot that I used some theater background to demonstrate the natural cycles -- round and round and back we come.  I asked the kids if they talk to God and how.  Hands shot up - through prayer!  through love!!  our family!!  etc. etc.  I kept asking and finally, from the back of the group, someone whispered tentatively "through nature?"


She didn't know it but she was echoing Rizal. My husband Howie, who is a history major and has an environmental policy masters degree,  tells me it was during Rizal's  exile in Dapitan that Rizal had written exchanges on the subject of faith with the Father Superior of Jesuit Mission, Fr. Pablo Pastells, his former spiritual director at the Ateneo de Manila when Rizal was still a young student. In one letter he wrote:


"I believe in revelation, but in the living revelation of nature which surrounds us everywhere, in the voice speaking out through nature – powerful, eternal, incorruptible, clear, distinct, and universal as the Being from which it comes. It is this revelation that I believe in, which speaks to us and penetrates our being from the day we are born to the day we die.


"Can any other books reveal to us more faithfully God's work, his goodness, his love, his providence, his eternity, his glory, his wisdom? 'The heavens tell the glory of the Lord, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Ps 19:1' Must humanity look for other gospels in order to love God? Do you not believe that men did wrong when they looked for God'd will in scrolls and temples instead of the wonders of

nature under the majestic canopy of the skies?


"Instead of interpreting obscure passages or phrases which provoked hatreds, wars, and dissensions, would it not have been preferable to interpret the facts of nature the better to shape our lives according to its inviolable laws and utilize its resources for our perfection?"


And this was no idle talk for him.  During his four-year exile in Dapitan, his curiosity about nature prompted him to collect species with the help of his students and send some specimens to the Antrhopological and Ethnographical Museum of Dresdan.  He discovered three species not previously known to science - a reptile Draco rizali, an amphibian Rhacophorus rizali and a beetle Apogania rizali.  In return, the museum sent him surgical instruments, microscopes, books and journals.  I

tried to get photos of these on the web but no luck so far.


One might think it was easy then as not many animals had yet been named. But today, new species are still discovered in the Philippines.  Just this year, 50 new nudibranchs were brought to California for naming.  Every year for the past ten years, a new mammal is discovered in our dwindling forests.


It is all there and if we only get outside, God will show us the way to him.

]]> NATURE 101 Ipat Luna-Severino 2008-11-16T17:18:41+01:00 10 unexpected tips to an environmentally friendly home (and psst, they will save you money!!) http://www.kidsahoy.net/content.asp?ContentId=1098 Environmental sustainability is important to ensure our children and grandchildren have a quality-filled life.  The good news is that transitioning the family home to becoming environmentally friendly can be both easy and money-saving.  Find out how with these unexpected tips:

 

Tip 1:  Unplug your appliances.  Did you know that phone chargers left plugged into the socket use up to 90% more energy?  The same goes for our televisions, DVDs and stereos that have stand-by facilities.  Whilst stand-by is convenient, it is eating away at your savings – so turn off and unplug your appliances at the wall.  

 

Tip 2:  Buy in bulk.  The Philippines has nailed the micro-market, with most things available in small plastic packages.  Whilst this is convenient, it is also detrimental to the environment.  Try buying all of your needs in bigger packages – for example 2kg bags of laundry powder, 425g cans of sardines.  Whilst the initial outlay might be more expensive, over the course of your pay period you will have more disposable income left in your bank account.  The transition will require some budgeting, to adjust to our “just top up” behaviour – but the effort will save the environment and save you money.   (This also applies to children’s school meriendas and lunches – buy snacks in bulk and transfer to small, airtight containers.)

 

Tip 3:  Put a brick in your water closet.  If your toilet doesn’t have a water-saving function that allows half-flush, try putting a brick in the water closet (toilet console) to reduce unnecessary water usage.  This will preserve a rare commodity and save you money on your water bill. 

 

Tip 4:  Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, soaping your body and washing your hair.  Sure, we’ve all heard of turning off the tap whilst brushing our teeth, but why not turn off the taps whilst soaping up in the shower and washing your hair.  Start this early with your children, so it becomes a life-long habit.  Again, this will help preserve our precious water and will save you money on your water bill.  

 

Tip 5:  Open your windows.  Instead of closing your windows and operating an air-conditioner, try opening windows in each room of your house and let nature take care of your cooling requirements through natural air flow.  Supplement with strategically placed fans. It works remarkably well and saves you considerably on your energy bill.

 

Tip 6:  Use non-toxic cleaners.  Many of the typical cleaning products found in grocery stores contain toxic chemicals which we breathe in and make us sick, not to mention pollutes our waterways.  However, local Filipino brands, such as Mt Mayon Laundry Powder is non-toxic and environmentally friendly.  Don’t be discouraged by the term ‘laundry powder’ as it works wonders on floors and in bathrooms too.  Otherwise, for a very simple, inexpensive and effective natural cleaner, mix one part vinegar, with one part water and a spoonful of bicarb of soda.  Cleans, deodorises and kills germs with ease.

 

Tip 7:  Reuse your paper.  Forget buying notebooks for your children to draw in, or for your own note-taking, shopping-lists, doodling and phone messages; instead dedicate a cupboard/tin/container for storing old bills, letters, flyers and other paper that accumulates in your house.  Use these instead for your kids’ artwork and your home-organising.  This will save our forests and won’t cost you a peso.

 

Tip 8:  Use toilet paper made from recycled paper.  This is a very good way to save our forests.  For the same price as buying toilet paper made from virgin forests (a.k.a the gorgeous and historic Sierra Madres mountain range), you can buy toilet paper made from post-consumer waste content.  It is comparable in softness too!  Look out for the toilet paper sold in all major supermarkets that is in green and clear packaging bearing Japanese text.  It is actually made in the Philippines out of recycled paper.  The mighty Philippine Eagles need their home in virgin forests more than our bottom needs it.

 

Tip 9:  Make your own gift tags.  Ever go to a networking meeting and come home with a stack of business cards you don’t need but accepted out of politeness?   Well, here’s a good use for them.  Find two cards of the same size and glue them together.  Once dry, fold in half and punch a hole in the corner.  Ask your child to draw something sweet on the front, and you have a personalised gift tag.  It didn’t cost you a penny and helped save a tree.

 

Tip 10:  Grow herbs and medicinal plants.  Plants in the house have remarkable effects on the atmosphere, as they are naturally cleansing.  They withdraw the toxins in the air and convert to oxygen – purifying the house.  Why not grow edible plants?  It will save money on buying packets of herbs and other medicinal plant matter.  You don’t even need to buy containers for them, just keep some tin cans from juice and vegetables, making a few holes in the base for drainage – and plant away.  This is also a great way to introduce gardening with your children. 

 

Have fun exploring ways to reduce your ecological footprint whilst saving money – these were only 10 tips, yet the opportunities are endless.

 

~Tread the earth lightly, tread with a barefootprint ~
 

Cherie McCosker is passionate about green and ethical living, striving towards a world that is founded in sustainable development.  As such, Cherie is a steadfast advocate of wholefoods and slowfood, responsible travel, fair trade and environmental sustainability.  Cherie can be contacted at barefootprintoutdoors@gmail.com or at http://barefootprint.multiply.com

]]> NATURE 101 by Cherie McCosker 2008-11-12T20:07:16+01:00