By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

IF you’re tired of reading about the fertilizer fund scam issue, then maybe it’s time to turn the leaf and make your own organic fertilizer in the backyard.

During a walk at the La Mesa Ecopark, I noticed vermiculturist Rogelio Moreno mixing soil with worms, which they called Vermicompost, an organic fertilizer. The worms were digging holes and gliding in the soil. While some people would feel icky about worms, Moreno considers them as “angels of the Earth.”

“Ang kagandahan ng mga bulate, ang kanyang pupu, malaking katulungan sa mga farmers. Binubuhay nito ang lupa. [The worms’ feces are a big help to farmers because it enriches and enlivens the soil.],” says Moreno.

Moreno willingly taught me how to make vermicompost.

First, you should collect biodegradable garbage like dried leaves, fruit and vegetable peelings and animal feces. Then place them in an empty bed or container. Cover the garbage with dried leaves and straw. You can use all kinds of leaves except for mahogany, eucalyptus and nymph leaves, says Moreno.

To avoid the foul smell, add coco dust. Then water the bed everyday. Add the worms on top of the compost. After five days, you will notice that the worms have gone down. Cover it with a net. You will know that you have a fertilizer when the feces are fine. After two months, you can collect the fertilizer.

Moreno says a farmer can earn P 9,000 from one fertilizer bed.

Organic fertilizer will not only make your plants healthy but will make your pockets wealthy.

By Anna Valmero

Environmental group Greenpeace Philippines brought and lit a solar-powered lantern at the Senate of the Philippines in celebration of the passage of the Renewable Energy Bill.

Senator Miguel Zubiri received the six-foot tall (six-meter in diameter) lantern from Greenpeace members.

“This is a parol that is totally off-the-grid as it spearheads the use of renewable energy for it to be lit,” said Zubiri, as he lauded the effort of Greenpeace to design and bring the lantern to their office.

He said the lantern shows people can have power coming from green energy sources.

Zubiri said the lantern would be placed outside the canopy side of the Senate building until end of December.

The lantern is made of rattan and is adorned with over 60 meters of yellow and green light emitting diodes (LEDS).

Amalie Obusan, climate campaigner of Greenpeace Philippines, said they used LEDS because they are more power-efficient light sources than ordinary Christmas light bulbs.

Two solar panels are used to run the LEDs installed in the lantern. The panels are attached to four batteries, which stores a total of 100 amperes of electricity. The batteries are then attached to a 1,000 -watt inverter which converts the stored energy to 12V of power, which lights the lantern.

“The lantern is a reminder to our senators that renewable energy is the clear answer, the true hope, for a secure future free from severe impacts of climate change,” Obusan said.

She said the passage of the renewable energy bill is laudable but stressed the need for the government to commit to climate change mitigation efforts.

This activity is part of the official Global Day of Action for the Climate celebration slated on December 6. This year, the celebration coincides with the United Nations climate meeting in Poland.

By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

PASAY City, Philippines — Green colors local inventions and research in this year’s National Inventors’ Week, which happens every third week of November.

“Going green is not a choice,” said Jean Lao, chief operating officer of Chemrez Technologies, which launched an award that will identify scientists, inventors, professionals, industry practitioners and members of the academe who have developed eco-friendly products and processes.

“Normally in the country they use green products if it is less costly and does what it promises. But today we are seeing more informed consumers who are beginning to see the benefits of green products and are ready to pay the premium for it,” Lao said.

The Chemrez Green Chemistry Awards aims to highlight Filipino inventions — product or process — that can help reduce or eliminate the use or generation of substances that are hazardous to the environment.

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