There really is none.  In fact, even the organisers said so much (well, not worded like that, but similar sentiments). 

Right, so you might be wondering what exactly is this fast all about?  I signed on last night at www.350.org in their call for a global fast to ‘can send a signal that we as humanity are united across borders, and ready for change–rising above short-sighted interests for a fair and just world for all [Their accenting, not mine].‘   The fast was inspired by young advocates who have fasted for 42 days under appropriate medical supervision.  Their fast coincides with the most crucial talks about climate change to date, the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change organised by the United Nations.  So, the crew over at www.350.0rg, one of the more influential campaign groups of our time headed by Bill McKibbon, also called a last-minute call to fast, timed with a crucial day of the Climate talks.

So, what is this 350 number all about, you wonder?  350 is the number of carbon parts per million that is condusive to a safe environment to live.  Unfortunately we’re now at 387.  Unfortunately, as a result of the climate talks, with many of our leaders not committing to change, and it has been projected that by the end of the century, carbon parts per million will be 770, which means a scorched planet and goodbye to you and me and our families and our next generations and all the things we love so dear.

So, I guess that’s the reason why I’m fasting.  Because, deep down I have a lot of hope for our future. Because I don’t think it’s too late.  Because, I really, truly want to get back to 350.  Because I don’t want to tell my children (if I should even be bringing children into a world that might get to 770 carbon parts per million?? Is that even responsible?), anyway, as I was saying, because I don’t want to tell my children that I didn’t do everything I physically could do to reverse the destructive path our society seems to be on.

Instead of taking planes for vacations, responsible travellers are being encouraged to take vacations closer to home.

Viaje del Sol self-touring map

My fiancé (now, thanks to our little vacation!) and I decided to take a holiday close to home – jumping on a bus in Cubao and alighting approximately 2.5 hours later in San Pablo, Laguna.  We were about to start our magical journey on the Viaje del Sol – a self-guided tour of Laguna and Quezon, otherwise known as the “Journey of the Sun”. 

Casa San Pablo boasts quaint alcoves like this one in the dining room

 

The owners and staff at Casa San Pablo were committed to environmental protection, with small details such as asking guests to turn off electricity when not in use, to providing coolers for in-room cold drinks – rather than running refrigerators, and even not providing toiletries – asking guests instead to bring their own.  Hopefully other guests, like us, bring shampoos and conditioners in bottles, rather than use small single use sachets.  But what really impressed me was the lack of junk food on offer – in fact, none of the Viaje del Sol participants offered junk food, just healthy and freshly cooked food from the locality.

After a quiet and refreshing overnight stay, we headed over to Jay Herrera at Kinabuhayan Café.  This was not my first experience with Jay (honestly, a sojourn to Kinabuhayan is nothing less than an experience) as I’d already had the wonderful privilege of spending 3 days at the café in May.  So, I already knew Jay’s commitment to the environment, his commitment to treating guests to local foods, plants, culture, nature with a special twist as only Jay can pull off.  After being reunited with Jay’s pet pot-belly pig, Onion and his dogs Muning and Quarry, we were ferried over to his property called “Kubli Springs”. 

An example of Jay's gastronomic artistry at Kubli Springs

This is where Jay’s magic comes to life and he sets up lunch ala nature!  Jay is quite the chef, using simple local flavors in elaborate dishes fit for a king.  He serves the food on the riverbed rocks or on a table set in the creek (when the water isn’t too high) where guests can eat, drink and be merry with their feet dangling carelessly in the water.

The highlight, at least for me, was being able to wash after lunch in the cold-water springs using “gugo” that Jay had bought in San Pablo’s local market.  It was quite the experience, being able to wash my hair and scrub my body using a traditional herbal treatment that has been used throughout Filipino history.  This natural alternative to soap, shampoo and conditioner is safe to use in fresh mountain springs, and thus an eco-friendly but historical and cultural experience for tourists to enjoy.

Ready to take a bath with Gugo, a traditional Filipino herbal treatment.

On our way to the next stop of the Viaje del Sol, however, even more magic of the rural Philippine countryside was about to present itself – traditional transportation.  On a backroad leading out of Kubli Springs back towards Dolores, Quezon, we passed by a man transporting Dalandan by traditional means – with the old wooden cart pulled by a carabao (which when I inquired upon the animal’s name, I was given a strange look and a simple answer, “Carabao’).  We bought a kilogram of dalandan, and moved on to our next location.

A breath of fresh air amongst rapid urbanisation - traditional farming transportation still at play

Kusina Salud is heaven for the art-lover -even the bathroom was filled with cultural details.

Next stop for the day was Kusina Salud, located in Barangay Sta Cruz, between Dolores and San Pablo.  This was an exquisite café run by artist Patis Tesoro, who incidentally was also the brainchild behind the Viaje del Sol tour.  Kusina Salud offers delectable Filipino dishes, on a menu created by Chef Paul Poblador.   We got there a bit early for dinner, at around 4.30pm, however it allowed us time to enjoy the rainforest feel of the café, admire the birds in the DENR-approved aviary and take in the art and architecture of the café.  Being an advocate of fair trade and sustainable livelihood initiatives, I was delighted by the little giftshop that contained community-made crafts and health products.

We stayed overnight again at Casa San Pablo.  Our last day was definitely the most memorable.  Like the previous days, we commuted (like good little responsible tourists) to Pandin Lake, apparently the cleanest and most charming of the seven lakes of San Pablo.  We met members of the lake-side community at our jump-off point on the mainroad, and walked approximately 15 minutes to reach the lakeside.  Apparently the distance of the lake from the roadside is one of the reasons for the cleanliness of the lake, but we were soon to find out the other main reason.  This was, of course, the lake-side fishing community, who have worked very hard to clean up the lake and take ownership of keeping the natural beauty that is the drawcard for their alternative livelihood of sustainable tourism.

Nanay bringing us soy sauce to go with our grilled tilapia

Catching tilapia for lunch. The tilapia was prepared two ways: grilled over eco-friendly charcoal and ginataang

We had heard from Boots from Casa San Pablo that the lake was beautiful.  However, no one could have prepared us for how beautiful the lake was and also the experience as provided by the community.  The good thing about tourism, is that it allows for women’s participation and this short bamboo raft tour was a prime example.   We had about 6 women and just one man looking after us for the few hours – and they didn’t put on any show, they didn’t try to commodify their culture, they simply went about their daily survival catching tilapia from the fish pens, and gathered snails from the lakes edge.  We were merely observers and could only marvel at the sustainability in their simplicity. 

The whole experience was based on sustainability, on the community’s resourcefulness and innovation.  We feasted on food caught from the lake, drank from coconuts cut down from the trees by the shore, bought souvenirs hand-crafted by the women from sustainably-gathered materials along the lakeside.  Remember my blog entry about eco-friendly charcoal?  Well, the ladies were well ahead of me in that department! They prepared food and cooked it over a coconut-husk grill, again, using the resources abundantly available to them.

Eco-friendly charcoal: no trees chopped down in the making of this charcoal!

 There was no fancy entertainment, just the openness of the women who delighted conversing, laughing at my child-like tagalog.  For some reason, I really felt at peace here, as did my fiancé, who happened to pop the question, building an unforgettable bond with this delightful lake.

Soon, we were paddling back across the lake, conversing in earnest and breaking down barriers between people of different backgrounds and cultures.  Little did we know, that for all these years, the Viaje del Sol was right on our doorstep, just a bus-ride away but offering such richness in Filipino gastronomy, culture, history and nature.

Leland giving a helping hand and learning more about the community

I hope you too can make this roadtrip, but remember, travel responsibly and keep the places clean so that others may experience the Viaje del Sol magic for years to come.

But wait, here’s what makes the toys unbelievably good for our karma, our country and our environment.  The toys are made by disabled people – in fact, the workshop is a shelter that provides opportunity, work, a home and a future to disabled people.  An equal opportunity employer, they offer placements for both genders.

The paint used on the toys is non-toxic, the wood is recycled or ‘soft’ wood – so our virgin forests aren’t being cut down to make these toys.  No plastic is used in the creation – making the toys safe for your kids and safe for your kid’s future environment.

Oh, and did I mention they are fair trade?

Mums and Dad’s this is your chance to make a real difference to the futures of your kids and a group of inspiring and hardworking disabled people – who give us hope and strength with their work.

But shhh, it’s a secret… but don’t we all know secrets are often shared, so I don’t mind if you leak the news to a friend.. or two.. or three.. or maybe a toy distributor… a school.. decision makers of SM.. ToysRUs… you know, just your closest friends…

Contact Bahay Pangarap:

#31 Paraiso St., Brgy. San Agustin, Novaliches,
Quezon City, Philippines
+63.2.939.2139
+63.2.938.8101 (telefax)
mail@pangarphome.com
www.pangaraphome.com

But, in the process, you find yourself more knowledgeable about where a product is made, how it is made, and WHY you really should be going for the more responsible option.  After the wild goose chase is over, and you’re holding the coveted item in your hands, you feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment for your small eco-victory.

With the recent Ondoy flooding, climate change has really hit the headlines – which is one positive that can be gleaned from such loss and sadness.  I’ve been reading the posts by our friends over at UP Mountaineers Environmental Committee who have been very active in rehabilitating Ipo Watershed.  Those who felled the trees in the Ipo Watershed, predominantly for charcoal, did their fellow countryfolk no favors.  Not that it’s their fault per se – they are just mere victims themselves in a vicious cycle of poverty. 

And we, consumers of inihaw, are also to blame.  I must admit since moving here in 2007, I’ve never once bought charcoal – I couldn’t bring myself to do so.  But, that hasn’t stopped me eating inihaw, albeit with pangs of guilt.  So, when I purchased a small grill last week for Leland‘s birthday, I jumped on the net to research alternatives to charcoal.

Of course, it came back with what I already knew – spend lots of money and buy a kick-@rse Weber powered by natural gas.  This was problematic on two levels – 1) I had already bought the grill – so buying another one wasn’t going to happen; 2) Natural gas at our disposal is non-renewable.

So, I kept looking.  I googled “Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Charcoal Recipes” and found a recipe wherein you can make your own charcoal from used newspaper.  Some of the comments to the posting raised concerns over the burning of toxic ink – but I checked and Philippine Daily Inquirer uses soy-based ink – so it should be OK.  However, some niggling doubt made me continue my search.  I just wasn’t convinced that burning paper to cook my eggplants was the best option.

Being in the fair trade business, I go to a lot of trade fairs and innovative trade competitions.  So I remembered about charcoal made from coconut waste products.  I found two options online, but typically, there was no information on those particular websites about how to contact them or where to buy their products.

So, that left Leland and I to spend our Sunday going from one place to the next in the hopes that someone sold coconut charcoal.  It was a fruitless search for almost 3 hours – we covered many corners of Quezon City.  Finally I admitted defeat, and was on the MRT back to North Avenue from Cubao when I saw the strip of nurseries cornering EDSA and Quezon Avenue.   So I jumped off the MRT, walked to the nurseries and started asking around.

At the third nursery I tried, Green 2000 Garden Centre – I found it – well, the salesman did – he led me on a wild-goose-chase until he suddenly realised what I wanted.  EUREKA!  I don’t think he quite understood my joy, and if I was back home in Australia, I probably would have hugged the guy!  So, I bought 6kg, at approximately P34.75 a kilogram.  If memory serves me correctly, 1 kilogram has 16 pieces of charcoal.

The charcoal was called “Cocogreen Charcoal Briquettes”, manufactured by CocogreenTM.  According to Cocogreen, the charcoal ‘reduces the need for cutting trees for charcoal’ and ‘burns longer & hotter than ordinary charcoal’.  It is also apparently smokeless. 

Even the dog approves of eco-friendly charcoal options

We haven’t tried it yet, given the rain and other dinner commitments during the week.  Tonight is the night.  But, as you can see in the photo, the dog seems happy about it – so it must be a winner.

If this blog had a point, except for the wildgoose-chase we had to go on, it’s that now you have the information at hand – now you know to go to Green 2000, just off Quezon Avenue and EDSA and can pay just P34.75 for one kilogram of eco-friendly, wood-alternative charcoal that helps address climate change.

It means that if enough of us act and buy these eco-friendly alternatives, creating alternative jobs for the poor, the watersheds don’t need to be felled.  This means that the watersheds can do their job which is to protect against erosion of the mountains, stop silt from entering the dams and can ensure that future flooding, fingers crossed, will never be as damaging as Ondoy and Pepeng.

Happy grilling everyone with Cocogreen’s ecofriendly charcoal!

Climate Change. 

Two little words being used with increasing intensity and frequency of late.  Just like the typhoons hitting our shores – with increasing intensity and frequency – leaving communities reeling and bracing themselves for the next one.

Climate Change. 

Seemingly innocent words that when thrown together cause disaster and trauma. 

Climate Change. 

An alliteration. Changing the course of communities who carry the consequences.

Climate Change.

In the Philippines, this term is one that we know only too well, and unfortunately not in the academic sense.  Filipinos are suffering as a result of climate change and environmental damage on all fronts.  Coral reefs are dying = lower fishing catches = increased poverty.  Typhoons are hitting our shores = loss of lives and assets = hard-earned savings going to reconstructing lives instead of progressing lives.  Mountains stripped bare = short-term financial gain causing long-term soil infertility = increased poverty.

Filipinos know about Climate Change.  Filipinos know the issue, just as well, if not better than anyone.  So, let’s not talk about the issue, let’s talk about solutions.

Fair Trade.

Environmental crisis is largely not just about the environment. In order to address environmental issues, consideration needs to be taken to the underlying causes – for example poverty, growing populations, lack of livelihood.  Therefore, to address the environment, one needs to address these issues – finding sustainable sources of livelihood that give valued humans (we’re all valued humans) – who otherwise might damage the environment – an alternative that allows him/her to respect it.

This is where Fair Trade comes in.  Fair Trade is a global social movement surrounding doing business in a way that is fair.  It’s a multi-faceted approach that looks at the relationship of human rights, workers rights, environmental protection in the workplace – and how these can uplift lives and address some of those underlying causes of poverty and climate change.  The target of fair trade assistance are the micro and small marginalised producers – who are often the very people who know their land and environment better than anyone and given the chance, can make positive change.

Fair Trade: Countering Big Business

We know that big business is largely driven by market forces that are unaccountable – and unfortunately extract and exploit natural resources at alarming rate.  We know that this is contributing to climate change, but we feel helpless to stop it. 

This is where Fair Trade comes in.  By targeting small and micro producers, who have a face and a name and actively live in communities, we find that business becomes accountable and transparent.  Fair Trade is changing the rules of business from the grassroots up.  Fair Trade producers use raw materials that are sustainably harvested and gathered, natural resources that are renewable.  Some fair trade producers rescue waste before they hit the landfill, creating beautiful pieces of craft and artwork. 

Fair Trade:  Sustaining the Environment

Fair Trade producers consider their impact on the earth.  They use non-toxic paints and dyes.  They don’t use harsh chemicals in producing their goods.  Food items are made from organically grown plants, fruits and vegetables.

Fair Trade worker in Bicol, creating beautiful products out of abundant grasses and vines.

Fair Trade producers are our country’s unsung heroes of climate change.  They are silently toiling, working with sustainable materials available to them.  They are silently implementing business practices that empower their staff – for example gender equity, no child labor, safe and healthy working conditions, payment of fair price.

Fair Trade:  Let’s Get Loud

The Philippines boasts thousands of producers who are striving for fair trade – they are scattered across all regions of the country.  These producers provide us with hope and inspiration.  In their small, silent way, they are quietly addressing the big issues of the moment.

Let us all support these fair trade producers, and in doing so, play our part in also becoming the solution rather than the issue.  But, we, as consumers, don’t need to be silent.  Let’s be loud.  Let’s shout out the benefits of Fair Trade and how it can be the solution to the important issues of our day.

Fair Trade.  It’s a solution to Climate Change, not the issue.

– This blog entry is part of Blog Action Day – a global day of social media action where thousands of people across the globe are blogging about this year’s theme of Climate Change.

– Learn more about Fair Trade from the Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade, Inc (www.apfti.org.ph) a non profit social development organisation who have been spearheading fair trade in the Philippines since 1994.

– Buy Fair Trade:  The Fair Trade Shop Philippines has two branches:

The Fair Trade Shop, Cebu – 102 Jose R Martinez Building, Osmena Blvd, Cebu City. Opening Hours – 10am-7pm, Mon to Sat.

The Fair Trade Shop, Cagayan de Oro – Door 108 Ground Floor, De Leon Plaza Bldg, Yacapin cor Velez Sts, CDO. Opening hours – 9.00am-6pm, Mon to Sat