Green lifestyle goes trending

SAN PEDRO CITY, LAGUNA, Philippines — Call it “zero waste” or “low impact,” the idea of producing as little ecological footprint as possible has gotten people talking online.

Social media comes in handy, connecting individuals of different ages and backgrounds to exchange ideas and share practical tips to manage everyday waste.

Low Impact Filipina (LIF), a blog started by high school teacher Angel Mata, 23, in 2017, has three focal points: low purchase, low waste and low environmental impact.

Another is the online support group Buhay Zero-Waste (BZW) for Filipinos “at any stage” of their journey to reduce waste.

BARK PACK A Cavite-based store, The Organic Minds, uses bark as packaging for its shampoo bars.

Everyday ‘win’

Whatever means, no matter how small, “counts,” says Jia Rubio-Monserrat, 30, a BZW founder.

Since March 2017, when it started as a “closed group” of 350 people, the now public Facebook page has 36,553 members (as of May 8).

Monserrat, a full-time mother of two from Calamba City, Laguna province, said she was inspired by Breastfeeding Pinays, an online support group for new parents that advocates breastfeeding.

She was also impressed by the waste segregation program pioneered by the local government of Los Baños, also in Laguna, where she finished agriculture at the University of the Philippines.

BZW members share ideas on how to upcycle household stuff, like turning old shirts into reusable bags or repurposing a broken plastic hanger into a napkin holder. They praise each other’s everyday “win,” such as bringing their own tumblers to a coffee shop or choosing refillable containers over single-use plastics in groceries.

BZW has launched a subgroup called Buhay Zero-Waste Tindahan (store) for vendors of eco-friendly products, like bamboo toothbrush or native baskets. Others simply give away their preloved items, like discarded wine bottles, to members.

Think of it as an “online dumpster dive, for free,” Monserrat said.

WAR ON TRASH Even on a holiday, Alma Funk and her husband live by the lessons of Buhay Zero-Waste by picking up litter during a stroll on the beach. —PHOTOS BY DEAN FUNK

Wider scope

Going completely zero-waste is a long shot, but Monserrat said the members were hoping the “little difference [we] make will have an impact to our grandchildren and their children.”

In January, BZW members were among those who petitioned and stopped a large casino resort in Metro Manila from releasing 130,000 balloons on New Year’s Eve.

To Mata, though, the fight for Mother Earth requires a little more than “reusing” things.

“[The idea of] ‘low impact’ tends to have a wider scope,” she said.

Mata’s blog used to be called Zero Waste Filipina. Last year, she was leading a zero-waste lifestyle but ended up still producing 1,500 grams of plastic trash by December.

Drawing inspiration from Low Impact Movement by blogger Immy Lucas, Mata went on to cut down on items she was buying and, correspondingly, on waste produced.

LIF currently has an online reach of more than a million.

While consumers play a big part of the problem, it’s not entirely their “fault,” Mata says. Rather, she faults a “system” that includes policymakers and corporations responsible for the plastic, and people who produce waste.

CARING FOR ENVIRONMENT Discarded toys are made into a “parol” (Christmas lantern) presented during the annual lantern parade at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. —KIMMY BARAOIDAN AND CHRIS QUINTANA/CONTRIBUTOR

Filcon “Tatay Dagsa” Rivera travels around the country on a modified wooden longboard to preach environmental awareness.

WASTE REDUCTION Reusable eco bags are sold in Los Baños’ public market as stall owners and residents minimize waste and avoid plastic packaging. —KIMMY BARAOIDAN