Do Your Share: Be a Responsible Car Owner

Nobody is spared from committing to do his share in making this planet clean.  The good news is it doesn't take a lot from us to do our part.  Take the case of the ordinary car owner.  CAMPI, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, said that new car owners will breach the 170,000 mark at yearend way beyond their projection of 145,000.  This piece of news is both boon and bane.  It is a boon because old cars might be replaced with newer fuel-efficient models but could be a bane if the car owners act irresponsibly.

What does it take to be responsible?  First and foremost, new car owners must follow regularly the periodic maintenance schedule to ensure engine efficiency.  Fuel mileage is improved with regular tune ups which translates to savings on fuel.  Make sure that the right engine oil is used.  Tire pressure should be checked regularly specially if one is going on long trips.  It would pose a big problem if a flat tire happens in the middle of nowhere.  Plan your trips.  Careful planning spares one the unnecessary turns and trips.  Be familiar with the traffic situations of unfamiliar destinations.  Constant driving, sudden stops and turns eat up a lot of fuel.  When driving to the countryside, turn off the air-conditioning and by all means roll down the windows to let the fresh breeze in.  Lastly, always drive with a smile.  Unnecessary braking, brought about by a foul mood, consumes more fuel.

It is to everyone's advantage to be responsible.  Not only will there be savings on fuel costs, it also benefits the environment.

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How big is your carbon footprint?

Image via Wikipedia

Do you know that one doesn't have to be a rabid green advocate to be able to contribute something to the preservation of Mother Earth? One just have to know the concept of what carbon footprint is.  It shows one's impact on the planet. Carbon footprint is what scientists call for the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to support human activities, whether directly or indirectly, and is expressed in tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide).  Greenhouses gases trap energy from the sun and prevent the trapped energy from escaping back to space.  As a result, surface temperatures rise and gave birth to the climate change/global warming phenomenon.  Carbon footprints are of two types – primary and secondary. When one drives his car or uses his appliances, carbon dioxide or other green house gases released directly affect the environment thus the primary carbon foot print. On the other hand, whenever one buys food and stuff, manufacturing and transporting these goods entail the use of electricity as well as vehicles that emit carbon dioxide.  This process 

releases greenhouse gases which are measured as secondary carbon foot print. Though 

you may not be directly releasing these gases, the indirect use of these products adds to the carbon foot print.

It is interesting to note that the average Filipino has a smaller carbon footprint compared to his First World counterpart.  This doesn't mean though that he is more environment-conscious than the Westerner rather his lifestyle is less energy dependent.  The most common appliances that can be found in a typical Filipino household are radio and TV.  These do not emit a significant amount of carbon emission.  Refrigerators on the other hand eat up a lot of energy as these have to be plugged in 24/7.  Air-conditioners, water heaters, flat irons and microwave ovens suck up tremendous amount of energy but these amenities are not yet staples in Filipino homes.

The challenge to all of us nowadays is to shrink the size of our carbon footprint.  How big is big?  Here is a link to a Carbon Footprint Calculator: http://www.earthlab.com/ecp.aspx.  Sheer awareness of how big one's carbon footprint is the first step to effect a positive change.  It also pays to use resources (electricity, natural resources and water) wisely, support cleaner technologies, practice public transport and carpooling, and switching to renewable alternatives when available.  To cite an example,  there are already available renewable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels (biodiesel, ethanol) and lubricants (ester-based  lubricants).   Going green is not a fad, it is a commitment.  A commitment of love.  As the saying goes,  "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/72761.aspx

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/03/08/pinoy-carbon-footprint
http://www.wwf.org.ph/newsfacts.php?pg=det&id=58

An Afternoon with Aileen

Last week, I had the privilege of meeting with Aileen Apolo, Philippine Country Consultant of Google, Inc.  I picked her as my mentor for the Integrated Marketing Campaign (IMC) that I will be submitting for the Digital Marketing Diploma Program. Between sips of my coffee and Aileen's green tea, we were able to plan a strategy for my IMC plan.  The meeting was not your usual stiff exchange of ideas but rather a casual tete a tete. 

Making an IMC plan doesn’t necessarily mean that all offline and online channels should be used.  Just choose the channels that are relevant to the brand.  Another revelation is that an IMC or any marketing campaign is only for the big brands.  Aileen explained to me that there are ways or channels that are affordable to SMEs.  Do you know that you can run paid ads in Google for as low as P50 a day?  That you can do directory advertising for free?  Why pay when you can have it for free though there are advantages if you pay. 

On a lighter note, Aileen and I share one common passion. We both love to blog.  She found her calling, her love for writing, when she was only 8 years old.  At that age I buried myself in reading books that girls older than me by 5 to 10 years would usually read.  I was ahead of my time in terms of my reading materials.  I started my love affair with blogging in 2008 but I only took it seriously this year.  Nowadays, I don’t find it hard for things to write for my blog.  It is a challenge though putting all those ideas in my blogs as I attend to family, business and school as well. 


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