Green Office

How do you start eco-friendly practices in the work place?  It doesn't involve making major revisions in the infrastructure that entails a big capital expenditure for the company.  It could start with simple things that we take for granted.

1.  Use the telephone if a call will do instead of seeing the person using the company vehicle.  That way, the company saves on fuel that is regarded as the biggest pollutant of the environment. 

2.  If you need to send correspondences to anyone, use email to save on paper.

3.  Recycle used paper for printing everyday-use office documents.

4.  Provide a sink in the office pantry so employees can wash their dish plates thereby eliminating styrofor food containers.

5.  Employ green marketing campaigns by using the internet as channels.  By using the internet as the portal for launching marketing campaigns, companies eliminate the use of paper, wood and plastic for marketing collaterals.  Less collaterals translate to big savings in the advertising budget and less number of trees to be fell.  Moreover, online marketing costs a fraction of the amount spent on traditional methods of marketing.  

6.  Use teleconferencing via Skype instead of physical meetings.  You will be surprised that a lot can also be accomplished through a virtual meeting and the good news is Skype is free.

The six tips stated above do not require a big adjustment or investment.  Practicing all of them is the first step into the right direction.

Taking a Second Look at the Bahay Kubo

Is the lowly bahay kubo or Philippine native house our answer to the ever growing clamor for clean living? When you think about it, it just might be.  

The bahay kubo is considered the national shelter of the Philippines and is made of light, indigenous materials like bamboo, nipa, wood and large logs.  It is so designed to adapt to the tropical climate of the country and could easily be repaired should it be damaged by typhoon.  The walls are made of nipa, a kind of palm, cogon leaves or wooven bamboo.  It has large windows that allow for air to circulate freely and is erected with a cellar underneath where most household chores are done.  Nipa is also used for the roofing. 

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Because of the design and use of light materials of the bahay kubo, it is cheaper to maintain it as an aircon is not necessary.  Bamboo, nipa, and cogon are available at cheap prices and the good news is that they are renewable.  Bamboo and nipa grow abundantly in this part of the world while cogon is a kind of grass that can be found anywhere.

Years ago, I was able to sleep in a bahay kubo though it is big compared to the typical one found in the countryside.  Our family went to a beach resort in Lobo, Batangas and our accommodations for the night was a modern bahay kubo.  Though the windows had screens to ward off mosquitoes, flies and other insects, and somehow block the easy flow of air, we still didn't have the need for an airconditioning unit.  We had a very sound sleep that night.

There will be others who would argue about the bahay kubo in the face of typhoons.  I agree that there might be problems with the kind of typhoons that visit the Philippines regularly.  They had become fierce of late and it might not stand against the wrath of nature.  It just have to be reinforced where needed so it will stand erect and proud even in the middle of a supertyphoon.

Alternative and Renewable Energy

One of the ways that we can show that we care about the environment is by supporting the use of alternative fuel.  Since carbon emission from vehicles using petroleum-based diesel and gasoline accounts as the main cause of pollution, it is but logical that something be done with regards to its use.  

One option is to use petroleum-based fuel efficiently.  From 8-cylinder cars, newer cars are being made with mileage in mind.  The vehicle that comes out more efficient is not wanting in customers.  But fossil fuels are irreplaceable and scientists are saying that there might not have enough supply for the next generation.  

This scenario led to finding alternatives to petroleum based fuels which are of similar quality.  Scientists now turned to plants as a possible source of fuel.  Fortunately for all of us, several plants are suitable sources.  The best argument for plant-based fuel is its renewability.  Coconuts, palm, corn, soya, sunflower, rapeseed, and jatropha have been proven to be perfect substitutes.  Since these are all plants, it follows that they can be replaced or renewed through replanting.

Coconut Tree

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Oil Palm Tree

Corn

http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/photogallery/cornsorghum+/images/corn%20ears.jpg

Jatropha

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Now we can rest in the thought that the supply problem has been solved.  Aside from this leverage that plant-based fuels have over  fossil fuels, the former have been found to approximate the latter if not surpass them.  Combustibility is another aspect that plant-based fuels is superior over the petroleum-based fuels.  Better combustibility leads to minimal or no emission that makes the vehicles more efficient hence more value for money.  Less fuel will be needed as the machines become more efficient.

It is unfortunate that majority of the Filipinos haven't embraced this alternative technology.  Though there is a law that supports the use of alternative and renewable energy, compliance by the majority is an elusive dream.  Supply problems make for higher pump prices.  It is my fervent wish that the government lead the initiative in easing these supply problems for the law to be widely implemented.  Perhaps we should first replace those aging coconut trees with new productive varieties. 

Related articles

• Biodiesel Moves from Backyard to Mainstream (thinkup.waldenu.edu)

Observing World Earth Day

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April 22 is World Earth Day.  This day was launched in 1970 by Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, USA to remind each one of us the many things that our planet has provided us: clean air and environment and pure water, and the responsibility that is upon us to make sure that the future generations will experience the same quality of air, environment and water.  To date, this day is being observed in more than 175 countries.

The Philippines started joining other nations in observing Earth Day since 2008.  This year, however, it will be celebrated tomorrow, April 25 as April 22 coincides with Good Friday, a major holiday in the Philippines.  The government has scheduled tree and mangrove-planting to mark the occasion.

Aside from tree planting, we can repay Mother Earth for the things that it has provided us by starting to practice Waste Segregation, recycling and substituting non-biodegradable things with biodegradable alternatives.  Let's start going Green.

Related articles

• Earth Day (minimonosexpress.wordpress.com)
• Earth Day 2011 (socyberty.com)

DIY: Portuguese Sardines

One of businesses that a new entrepreneur can venture into is the making of Portuguese and Spanish sardines.  It doesn't require a big capital to start with and it is fairly easy to do.  For this article, I will be presenting how to make Portuguese sardines. I chose this because I have already mastered making this kind of sardines and I don't like the taste of the sardines with tomato sauce for the Spanish variety.  By the way, let me thank my good friend, Timmie Bernaldez, my co-parent at Ateneo de Manila University for teaching me how make sardines.

For 9 bottles of sardines, make ready the following:

2 kilos of either tawilis or tamban
brine solution
1 medium size carrot
pickle slices
laurel leaves
peppercorn
siling labuyo or bird's eye pepper
olive oil
salt
pressure cooker
9 240-ml glass bottles

Procedure:

1.  Buy tawilis or tamban that are 5 1/2 inches long.  Cut the head and the tail of the fish.  If the fish is shorter than 5 1/2 inches, the finished product will not look good as there will be a space at the top.  Your customer may think you have shortchanged him.  Hehehe.

2.  Sterilize the bottles for twenty minutes.  Wipe the bottles dry.

3.  Gut the fish and wash it very well making sure that no part of the internal organs and entrails is left.  Put the fish in the brine solution for thirty minutes.  With a colander, separate the fish from the brine solution.  Put the fish in a basin big enough to accomodate the fish.

4.  Put two thin slices of carrot shaped like a flower, two pickle slices, two laurel leaves,  and two pieces of bird's eye peppers inside the bottle.  Arrange them around the bottle.  Put seven to nine pieces of the fish arranging them alternately.  

5.  Pour olive oil up to the neck of the bottle.  Add five pieces of peppercorn and a dash of salt.  Cover the bottle tightly and invert to make sure the salt and peppercorns are absorbed up to the bottom of the bottle.

6.  Put the bottles with the fish inside a pressure cooker.  Add water to the pressure cooker up to the level of the neck of the bottle.  Cook for one and a half hours after it starts to "whistles" or rocks.  Cooking time starts when the pressure cooker rocks.

7.  Turn off the fire after reaching desired time.  Let cool for at least fifteen minutes before opening the pressure cooker.  Remove the bottles from the pressure cooker.

Note:  The sardines will be ready for sale after two weeks from the date of cooking.  By that time the sardines have already absorbed all the flavors of the spices.  Store on shelves at room temperature.

Try this recipe on your family first before venturing into business.  It is in trying that you would be able to learn from the initial mistakes that will be committed.  When you have gained enough confidence with the good reviews from your family (they are the worst critics),  by all means start your dream business.  With this article I hope I have been instrumental in your plunge to business. Good luck.