Video Feature

Several years ago, there was an issue that has somehow stirred the people of our generally sleepy and quiet town into an agitated state. This issue polarized the townfolks not only in our town but in other adjoining towns as well. Coal mine.

The government proposed the establishment of a coal mine in three connecting municipalities, which includes ours. There were those who approved this project because of the financial benefit it would bring to the locals and the local governments. But there were also those who opposed the project for health and environmental reasons.

I for one was opposed to this project. It could have meant the gradual destruction of our town's still pristine environment. Massive opposition and demonstrations from the provincial people and concerned groups defeated the proposed project.

Coal may be the cheapest source of energy, but it is also the dirtiest, most polluting form of fossil fuel. The benefit is not worth the harm it would bring to the local people and the environment.

Watch this video of a coal mine on fire in India and the devastation it has caused through the years to the town where the mine sits.

Video courtesy of Assignment Earth through Mother Nature Network

Video Feature

Just a couple of weeks ago, there was quite a buzz over a news of people in Marikina City, displaced by two typhoons, cooking their meals on the ground where methane gas was oozing from a nearby old dump site. Read Marikina residents turn baseball field into methane gas kitchen for news details.

A few days later, the government closed down the makeshift facility (read Marikina ‘methane kitchen’ shut down) for safety reasons.

If only the local government could find a way to safely exploit this renewable fuel. Rather than let the gas escape into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, maybe they could tap it to good use. Methane, after all, is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Today's video feature comes from Assignment Earth (courtesy of Mother Nature Network) about how a prison in Kenya employs biogas technology rather than using wood chopped from the forests to cook their meals.

Sustainable Prison


One of my future plans for the farm (if the Lord wills it) is to build a small biogas system using manure from the farm animals. This is part of my vision of sustainable "green" living.

Video Feature

In an ever-growing demand for "green living", some Indonesians have gone way too far to feed that need. They have negated the positive effects of living green, and aggravated the problems brought about by human greed.

Today's featured video comes from Time Video.

Indonesia's Green Gamble

Video Feature

As I was searching the web for videos relevant to the current state of our environment, I stumbled upon this three year old video from National Geographic. It may be an old video but its message is even more important today than three years ago.

Our featured video deals with the burden of over population. The first half focuses on illegal logging as it exacts its deadly toll on a small village in the Philippines. The last half talks about carbon offsetting deal between Germany and India during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Population


In 2006, the population of the Philippines was over 88,000,000. In 2009, the population is reaching 92,000,000. In a span of three years over 3 million people were added to the inhabitants of this small island nation whose land area will inevitably shrink due to the rise of sea level.

Blogger's comment:
Population control is a prickly topic in the Philippines. The government program is rendered inutile by its lack of determination and resources. And as long the government remains a marionette of the dominant church, majority of Filipinos will continue to breed uncontrollably like rats and rabbits do on a fine, fine day.

Video Feature

Before we proceed to our featured video, let me tell you about an interesting anecdote...

Several years ago (over fifteen years to be a bit more specific), my father had a foresight to plant several mahogany trees in the farm, thinking that someday we may just have a need for some hardwood. Years later, the trees are majestically standing, neatly lined on the left side of the driveway and a few more are deeply rooted at some other parts of the farm. Back then the farm was way smaller in area than it is today.

As years went by, the farm has grown in size and a new project was eventually conceived. This project will require several timbers for construction. Today, the trees planted way back then are just about ready for the 'need' that father predicted some years ago.

Now on to the featured video for today from Mother Nature Network...

What is a tree farmer?

Video Feature

The plants have arrived and will be transplanted soon so they could start acclimatizing to their new surroundings. I'll let you know about their condition in my future updates.

In the meantime, while there is not much news about the farm to update you with, I've linked a video that tackles news of environmental importance. From here onwards, I'll be posting videos like this and call it "Video Feature". And here is our first featured video.

Today's video from Assignment Earth highlights one man's novel attempt to repair the damage inflicted by man on a rainforest and earns a living in the process.

Re-seeding the Rainforest


For more videos of environmental news stories across the globe, visit Assignment Earth.