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Greening Up The Nat Geo Way
By Joel P. Salud
24
SME COMmunity PHilippines
Inasmuch as books on
safeguarding the environment
are a dime a dozen in this
day and age, there is nothing
wrong with adding another one
in the list, if, more than ever, it
can open up worlds on how to
accomplish this in very practical
ways. This is where the book True
Green: 100 everyday ways you can
contribute to a healthier planet
comes as a breath of fresh air to
all greenies and planet lovers.
Published by National Geographic
and authored by Kim Mckay and
Jenny Brown, True Green picks
the problem like a seasoned
locksmith by offering a hundred
practical everyday ways to keep
the planet strong on its toes. It’s
a tough job in view of the planet’s
rapidly changing climate—a
sign, for most, that the Earth is
not what it used to be, that the
planet is in a fit of convulsion
due to humanity’s lifestyle. But,
as the foreword strongly asserts
(written by Ian Kierman, AO,
chairman and founder of Clean
Up the World), “The good news
is that we can do something
about our changing climate”.
The book comes in handcarry,
coffee table form, with
photographic art work that’s more
than soothing to the eyes. Each
page is laid out with a single
entry on how to care for the planet
using everyday things—throwing
of paper, about the baby, “power
shower”, sealing the cracks,
using bright lights, among others.
What is truly interesting about
the book is that it seriously
packs information about the
environment. In The Sky’s the
Limit (entry 92), the books says,
“Probably the single worst thing
you can do for the environment
is to jet around for business and
vacations. Air travel produces
about as much carbon dioxide as
each passenger driving a personal
car with the same distance… A
single, one-way coast-to-coast trip
will dump an additional ton of
CO2 and other greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere. That’s double
the emissions you’d release by
driving cross-country in a carbonproducing
SUV.” Let’s just hope
they don’t mean going back to
the four-horse-drive carriage on
account that the thing produces
not carbon dioxide but lumps of
waste that give out methane.
For Filipinos, however, much
of the book’s practicality may
not work as much as to whom
this volume is really meant: for
Americans. Take for example the
68th entry, Lasting Glory. “Buying
the cheapest toaster, washing
machine, DVD player, light bulb,
or battery is rarely the most costeffective
option for your wallet—
or the environment… Investing
in well-designed, more durable
items that can be repaired,
upgraded, reused, and recycled
saves money in the longer
term…” With little improvement
to cost of living allowance
and per capita income in the
Philippines—weighed on top by
a looming global recession—
much of the products in average
Filipino households will probably
remain cheap till the time the
country gets its act straight.
On the whole, the book is a
shining example of what people
who care for the environment
would do and think of just to
protect the planet. The Earth is
on the throes of a fever, and by
the time most of humanity will
feel the ravaging effects of a
global environmental downturn, it
would all be too late. There is no
doubt to the good intentions of the
authors, and if we were to hoist a
new generation of environmentfriendly
people to take our
place, it would be better off to
have this book in our shelves
for our children to enjoy today.