Seemingly ordinary days turn to out to be special ones. I still remember vividly those days spent planting under the very warm sun and how one afternoon led us to an eco-friendly area in Bantayan which I never knew existed.
An encounter that deeply rooted my love for mother Earth began with meeting the no-holds barred environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa whose house we visited.
His home turned School of the SEAs (an acronym which stands for Sea and Earth Advocates) is an Experiential Learning Center which holds environment classes by the sea.
Before beginning the tour of his school, Atty. Oposa asked us to spend 5 minutes looking at the body of water in front of his house, which was simply breathtaking. Seeing only the surface, one wonders more about the beauty it holds underneath since it has been cared for as a marine sanctuary.
The five minute silence offered to the sea reminded me of the phrase in one of my favorite songs, "I hope you dance" by LeeAnn Womack.
"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean," she sings.
It is always awe inspiring to watch the sea, to observe its ebb and flow, and check out the many wonders it holds in its bossom. I felt blessed to realize that such beauty was free for us to enjoy if we take the time in our hurried world to go back to the countryside and smell the ocean breeze. Sadly, we have neglected nature's beauty and some have abused it, which may mean that future generations will no longer be able to enjoy what we have now.
Still, it's never to late to prevent that from happening. We need to take time to enjoy true beauty and in becoming inspired, act responsibly to preserve it for others so that they can experience what we have been privileged to experience.
Another AHA moment for me was realizing the truth of Atty. Oposa's words when he says, we learn by Example and Experience.
I remember one precious moment during the GK Bayani Challenge when we were doing a coastal cleanup along the shores of one town. My companions and I were walking along the shore line, picking up rubbish on the way.
Families were there watching us from a distance. Then suddenly their children came one by one. And as one kid picked a piece of trash, the rest of the children were pushing him to give it to my friends who were standing by with an open sack.
Like a scene from a movie, the child finds the courage to put it into the sack and when he finally did it, all the kids suddenly and simultaneously started picking up the trash! Children do learn by example and us from experience.
Meantime, back at the School of the Seas which Atty. Oposa built from local materials, we discovered the power of renewable energy. The house's electricity is supplied by the sun and the wind. At night, the whole area becomes dark and electricity is used minimally so as to conserve energy and to let nature take its natural course. Amidst the darkness, you could see the stars shining brightly in all its grandeur. Oh, what a sight!
The good lawyer also showed us how his house recycles water from bathing to flushing. I realized then how used we have been to flushing water without giving it a second thought, we forget that it is actually precious fresh water that we are using. A Filipino inventor once said that water will be the next scarce resource we will face if we don't take care of it. Perhaps, we can think twice about flushing fresh water until it's absolutely necessary to do so or better yet use recycled water if we can.
But what truly opened my mind was the definition of Atty. Oposa of the Environment as a Life Source, or life-giving sources. He compared the human body to the environment and it struck me how true it was. Rivers and oceans are very much like our blood, water runs through us since we are mostly composed of water. Our lungs are like the trees that breathe in air and provide oxygen that help us live. The soil of the earth is like our skin that covers our bodies. The environment is not just a place we live in, it gives us life.
When we do not care for them, we risk our own death. Think about that for a moment.
I've also discovered through Atty. Oposa that in the Philippines, 4 out of 10 people who reside along the coastlines live below the poverty line, which is approximately 22 million Filipinos.
With the global climate change and rising water levels, their lives are placed more and more in danger. Also their source of livelihood, fishing, is threatened, which also results from the use of destructive fishing methods that destroys corals and disrupts the ecosystem.
It is most unfortunate because our waters is one of the richest on earth. There are 500 to 700 coral species in the world and the Philippines has 488, more than those found in the Carribean Sea and the Great Barrier Reef.
The Indo-Malay-Philippine Archipelago has long been considered the area of highest marine biodiversity in a study made by renowned scientists Kent E. Carpenter and Victor G. Springer of the World Conservation Union and the US National Museum Smithsonian Institution.
They discovered that the Philippines is at the center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity.
Atty. Oposa's advocacy is to restore and save the Philippine seas which is the wealth of our people. This May will be the maiden voyage of the sailing ship docked at the School of the SEAs which will help restore coral reefs in the Visayan seas starting with Bantayan Island.
Atty. Oposa hopes to transform sailboats into informal classrooms which will go around several islands to teach the youth on how to protect the marine environment.
Restoration begins with coral planting and there will be scuba diving operations for volunteer divers who will work with local fishermen to set up marine protected areas and restore coral reefs.
Let us support this noble quest and hope many more will be able to join the journey of healing Mother Earth and caring for our environment. Leaving you now with Atty. Oposa's favorite quote:
"Let it be said that during our watch...while gifted with intelligence and insight, with privilege and position, with the wealth of wisdom, and with the freedom and power of the human will. Let it be said that in our time, and during our watch, we did our share. And maybe, just maybe...we will make a little difference."
May God bless the School of the Seas' journey. Her maiden voyage begins on May 2 at Bantayan Island, Cebu.
2 comments:
Beautifully written and imagery (both text and pictures) really brought out the story. Lots to think about from this one.
Cheers Adam for taking the time to read this entry. The experience itself was beautiful, albeit the kind that moves you quietly and stirs your heart to disquiet until you are able to share it. Blessed to be a storyteller. Hope we can join this journey one day.
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