June 5 is World Environment Day!

The 6th month of the year greets us with timely reminders to take care of ourselves and our planet Earth!

June 3 is World Bicycle Day!

People are encouraged to bike to work to celebrate the 2nd World Bike Day. Biking is good for the environment. It is also good for one’s health. In Manila, free bicycle checks and free coffee have been prepared by World Bike Day advocates and partners to celebrate this happy event.

Everyone is also reminded that June 5 is World Environment Day.

Help save our planet! All of us have to do our share to protect Mother Earth.

How? Please visit and like our website: Regional Center of Expertise-Cebu where positive initiatives to save our earth have been posted.

For example, the World Economic Forum posts carry inspiring information and advice about how we can all protect our planet, like this one:.

“Personally, there are 5 steps you can do to act on climate change: One, change the way you eat - by eating 50% less meat, you cut your carbon footprint by half. If you and more stop food waste, this act can convert into 1 car taken out of the street.

“Two, change the way you get around - walk or cycle instead of driving, and enjoy the health benefits too!

“Third, help nature near you - support projects that protect your local wildlife and forest and grow whatever food, flowers and trees you can yourself- planting greenery in urban areas help mitigate rising summer temperatures!

“Four, shop less – buy fewer items, buy second hand, and re-use what you buy. Donate items you do not need instead of throwing these into landfills. Do you know that 120 million trees are cut down to make clothes, reducing the amount of CO2 absorbed?

“Five, ask your leaders to protect nature and preserve more of our planet by 2030. The science is clear - our planet is in danger. Rising global temperatures will cause sea level rise which increases risk to people’s lives. There will be more frequent heat waves, droughts, flooding, and loss of precious wildlife. All of us, including government, businesses and government need to unite together for a global movement to pressure leaders and countries to protect our planet.”

Businesses can adopt strategies that can help in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 for a more peaceful, protected, prosperous people and planet.

Have you heard, for example, of an organic sock company that sets aside a portion of their sales for various causes like provision of safe water, food packs for impoverished families, protection of oceans (see https://wef.ch/2RJdB2w).

Or do you know that if “we covered 9% of the ocean with seaweed farms, we could capture 53 billion tons of CO2 each year?”

Our country may want to look at the laudable environmental initiatives of other countries. India, which is the third largest producer of greenhouse gases after China and the US, is now investing more on solar power than coal.

The Philippines may wish to study how Sweden has mastered its waste management and recycling. Sweden imports rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going because less than 1% of Swedish household waste was sent to landfill last year or any year since 2011!

Back home, congratulations to Nida Cabrera, CENRO, and volunteers for their river cleanup drive. Thank you also to the Coast Guard, with volunteers from the Apostleship of the Sea-Cebu and other groups for their coastal cleanup activity last week!

Please act to save and protect our planet!