Legarda Shares Tips To Protect Environment Through Daily Practice

On her birthday yesterday, Senator Loren Legarda shared how she has been incorporating her advocacies on environmental protection and climate change mitigation in her daily practice, hoping that more people would be inspired to do the same.

“I wish to share how each individual can be part of the effective implementation of our laws. These practices do not demand much from us. In fact, many of these can immediately be practiced as soon as today. It has every bit of potential to become second nature to us. We just have to take that first crucial step of actually taking action,” said Legarda.

The Senator said that people should eat more local, plant-based food, noting that food that comes from distant places utilizes more energy for transportation and preservation, therefore resulting to greater carbon emission.

“I plant vegetables in my garden so I am able to eat them fresh. We should encourage families to plant vegetables in their backyards or community vacant lots, or to cultivate pinakbet gardens to provide food on the table and address the needs of growing numbers of malnourished children,” she said.

She also said that traditional energy and water conservation measures remain relevant–use low-wattage appliances, turn off and unplug electronics when not in use, turn off lights when leaving a room, open curtains for natural lighting, gather and store rainwater for daily chores, turn off faucets properly, repair leaking pipes and running toilets immediately, and other similar practices.

Moreover, energy- and cost-efficient transport modes, like walking, biking, taking public transport, and carpooling, should be considered whenever possible.

Legarda is among the supporters of the Bayanihan sa Daan Movement, which promotes a multi-modal transport system, wherein people can choose different modes of transportation depending on their needs–walking or biking for short distances, and safe, reliable, inexpensive and convenient public transportation system for long distance trips.

She also said that in building, designing or refurbishing our homes, recycled and indigenous building materials should be used instead of buying new and expensive ones.

She likewise stressed the importance of practicing ecological solid waste management, starting with segregation at source.

Every household should have separate trash cans for biodegradable and food waste, recyclables or residual waste, and special or hazardous waste, including busted lamps, radio and cellphone batteries; while paper that can be recycled should be placed flat in a box or in a paper bag.

Bring containers when going to market or the grocery to avoid using plastic bags. Reusable containers can be used in purchasing fish, meat and other poultry products; while bayong and reusable cloth bags can be used for other items.

Legarda is the Chair of the Senate Committees on Environment and Natural Resources, and Climate Change. She has authored several environmental laws including the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Clean Air Act, Renewable Energy Act, Environmental Awareness and Education Act, Climate Change Act, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, and the Act Creating the People’s Survival Fund.