"We know how long it takes most kinds of leavings to decay. Organic material goes quickly: cardboard in three months; wood is up to three years, a pair of wool socks is up to five. A plastic shopping bag may take 20 years; a plastic cup, 50. Major industrials will be there for much longer. An aluminium can is with us for 200 years, a glass bottle for 500, a plastic bottle for 700, and a styrofoam container for a millennium (1,000 years).” This was written in NYT by William Bryant Logan, an arborist and author. Last week I wrote a column : “Stop Using Plastics”. My main message was that plastic pollution was not just an environmental issue; but had become a global crisis causing physical harm to both humans and animals and especially marine life. Millions of animals are killed by plastic pollution, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Microplastics have been found in more than 100 aquatic species including fish, shrimp and mussels. … [Read more...] about No to plastic
Creative plastic bags
Tela tale
Fashion in modern times has put the spotlight on the value of artisanal creations and sustainability. This is proven by the endless trade and trunk shows that showcase a plethora of outstanding creations that are currently challenging fast fashion. Tela, the new David in the local landscape of retail Goliaths, is not just another brand that offers RTWs. The refreshing brand exemplifies the essence of modern fashion — style with relevance — as it focuses on imperative issues like sustainability. Tela is all about a collective effort of collaborations. It has three collections: Revive, Renew and Refresh. Revive honors the tradition of weaving by using up-cycled fabrics (woven by the Argao community in Cebu, through the assistance of Anthill fabric gallery) from the Bayo Foundation. Basically, clothing company Bayo donates its scraps to its foundation, which sends these to the Argao community for weaving. Tela is the first brand to purchase fabrics from Bayo Foundation. … [Read more...] about Tela tale
Stop using plastic products
Plastic pollution has become a worldwide crisis, now one of the most pressing environmental issues harming human and animal health. Plastic trash is beginning to literally overwhelm the earth’s oceans and rivers it has prompted the United Nations to start negotiating a treaty on plastic pollution. In spite of this crisis, most of the population has remained impervious to it. Walk into most restaurants and stores and you will find plastic products all over. This is true in almost every home and school in this country. What are the harmful effects of plastic pollution? Laura Parker, a freelance writer specializing on covering climate change and marine environments, wrote: “Millions of animals are killed by plastic every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. “Most of deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles and other … [Read more...] about Stop using plastic products
Inana
Woven bags or bayongs have experienced a resurgence. Among the throngs of products posted on local social media markets, Inana stands out for being well-crafted, sturdy, whimsically designed and reasonably priced. Inana means grandmother in Luisiana, Laguna, the hometown of the father-in-law of Inana proprietor, Dr. Caryl Hombrebueno-Robel. In Luisiana, her father-in-law started a small balulang (native bayong) business in the ‘60s. His relatives and neighbors used to weave the balulangs for him to sell in Quezon and Pampanga. At that time, the balulangs were made of pandan. Though fairly successful, Caryl’s father-in-law discontinued the business and went into farming in the 1980s. Caryl’s interest in balulangs started when she ordered them as gift packaging. Very soon, relatives and friends looked at the woven product not as a package but as an end-product in itself. People started to order from Caryl for their give-aways and personal use. The … [Read more...] about Inana
The dead whale spread out on the front lawn of CCP is award-winning
Last year, the Philippine agency Dentsu Jayme Syfu married art and advocacy and won big at Cannes. This was for their large installation of a dead mammal that they constructed on the shores of Naic, Cavite in 2017. Done in partnership with Greenpeace Philippines, it was meant to communicate the adverse effects of single-use plastics. More on messages made through art: Lynyrd Paras breaks his 13 Artists award—and finally tells his side of last year’s Art Fair heartbreak story Dranreb Belleza on demons, poltergeists, and his real-life ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ scare John Lloyd Cruz’s first solo photography show, Kawayan de Guia’s latest mixed media works Review: Things fall apart at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design’s latest show For its efforts, it won a Gold Lion and a Silver Lion at the 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The campaign, led by creative director Biboy Royong, also won at several other festivals around the … [Read more...] about The dead whale spread out on the front lawn of CCP is award-winning