Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Milkfish

The milkfish, (Chanos chanos), is an important food fish in Southeast Asia and is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. (About seven extinct species in five additional genera have been reported.)

Milkfish

Milkfish have a generally symmetrical and streamlined appearance, with a sizable forked caudal fin. They can grow to 1.7 m but are most often about 1 meter in length. They have no teeth and generally feed on algae and invertebrates.

They occur in the Indian Ocean and across the Pacific Ocean, tending to school around coasts and islands with reefs. The young fry live at sea for two to three weeks and then migrate to mangrove swamps, estuaries, and sometimes lakes and return to sea to mature sexually and reproduce.

http://www.handsofhopedisasterreliefservices.org/b2b/pics/Milkfish.jpg

The fry are collected from rivers and raised in ponds where they grow very quickly and are then are sold either fresh, frozen, canned, or smoked.

The milkfish is a national symbol of the Philippines, where it is called bangus. Because milkfish is notorious for being much bonier than other food fish in the country, deboned milkfish, or "boneless bangus," has become popular in stores and markets.

Boracay Island to be a climate friendly tourist destination: Greenpeace

Boracay, PHILIPPINES — Greenpeace called on tourists and the tourism industry in Boracay island to join hands to make Boracay the country's model climate-friendly tourist destination.

As part of 'Save the Climate, Save Boracay,' activities, Greenpeace and experts from the Green Architecture Movement of the United Architects, Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO), and Solar, Wind and Electric Power, Inc. (SWEP), conducted a workshop on energy efficiency and what resorts can do to lessen their climate footprint. A Renewable Energy (RE) exhibition demonstrating how solar power can work for resorts as well as tourists was also organized by Solar Generation, Greenpeace's youth movement.

A Paraw or local sailboat with the message "Save the Climate, Save  Boracay" sails by Boracay Island, one of the Philippines' premier  tourist destinations. Greenpeace today called on tourists and the  tourism industry in the island to join hands to make Boracay the  country’s model climate-friendly tourist destination.
A Paraw or local sailboat with the message "Save the Climate, Save Boracay" sails by Boracay Island, one of the Philippines' premier tourist destinations. Greenpeace today called on tourists and the tourism industry in the island to join hands to make Boracay the country’s model climate-friendly tourist destination.

"This is an initiative to focus attention on the climate change issue and the need for all to take assertive action. Mitigating climate change is a matter of our very survival. Tourism that is so dependent on the natural and the socio-cultural environment needs to be in the forefront working with conservationists and all citizens in achieving this," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaigner Beng Reyes-Ong

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the tourism sector has become a non-negligible contributor to climate change through greenhouse-gas emissions largely from the transport and accommodation of tourists, contributing as much as 5% of all carbon dioxide emissions from human activities(1).

But at the same time, the tourism sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. For example, in the Philippines, eight out of twelve provinces of the Department of Tourism's 'Anchor Destinations' are vulnerable to permanent or episodic flooding. These sites include premier beaches, mangrove forests and world-class dive spots.

"Going renewable and becoming energy efficient to address climate change is a win-win situation. Resorts will save money by saving electricity, and at the same time will contribute to mitigating climate change impacts. Through the project, tourists can also learn about climate change solutions from the resorts, and they can go back home or visit other places with the awareness that each of us can make a difference in stopping global warming," Ong added.

'Save the Climate, Save Boracay,' the first project of its kind in the Philippines, was launched last June 2008 during the 'Quit Coal, Save the Climate' Philippine tour of the Greenpeace ship M.Y. Rainbow Warrior. The project is based on a manifesto signed by Boracay's tourism industry stakeholders. Among the points in the manifesto are: the inclusion of energy efficiency measures and promotion of renewable energy use as part of the environmental management plans for the island, particularly in the construction or expansion of establishments and the provision of regular energy audits, skillshares and workshops for establishments to ensure the continuation and replication of successful practices in the areas of energy and water conservation, as well as ecological waste management.

'Save the Climate, Save Boracay' is supported by the Department of Environment & Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the local government of Malay, Aklan, Task Force Boracay, Boracay Foundation, Inc. (BFI), Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Boracay (PCCI-Boracay), Boracay Association of Resorts, Restaurants & Independent Allies (BARRIA). The initiative is made possible through a grant from the Foundation for the Philippine Environment. Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment, and to promote peace.

Greener Electronics – Major companies fail to show climate leadership

Manila, PHILIPPINES — The latest edition of our Guide to Greener Electronics has revealed that very few firms are showing true climate leadership. Despite many green claims, major companies like Dell, Microsoft, Lenovo, LG, Samsung and Apple are failing to support the necessary levels of global cuts in emissions and make the absolute cuts in their own emissions that are required to tackle climate change.

A pile of electronic waste on a roadside in Guiyu.

The electronics industry needs to face up to the problem of e-waste and recycling and take on the challenge of climate leadership.

With world governments discussing a vital global deal on emission cuts this December in Poznan and concluding in Copenhagen at the end of 2009, it's time electronics companies showed climate leadership in two vital areas now – giving their high profile support to the levels of global emissions cuts we need to tackle climate change and showing it can be done by making absolute cuts in their own emissions.

Of the 18 market-leading companies included in the Guide, only Sharp, Fujitsu Siemens and Philips show full support for the necessary cuts of 30 percent for industrial nations by 2020. Only HP and Philips have made commitments to make substantial cuts in their own emissions. All the other companies in the Guide make vague or essentially meaningless statements about global emissions reductions and have no plans to make absolute emissions cuts themselves. With the need for deep emission cuts becoming ever more urgent it's vital big companies support a global deal and take effective measures now to reduce their overall emissions.

The Guide to Greener Electronics is our way of getting the electronics industry to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of its products. We want it to face up to the problem of e-waste and take on the challenge of tackling climate change.

First launched in August 2006, the Guide ranks the leaders of the mobile phone, computer, TV and games console markets according to their policies and practices on toxic chemicals, recycling and energy. Since June 2008, the Guide has ranked companies on five climate and energy criteria. In this current edition we're focussing on climate leadership - not only because the global climate needs it but because electronics firms have a big role to play in the low-carbon economy of the future.

Our Toxics Campaigner Beau Baconguis, sees a missed opportunity: "It is disappointing that such innovative and fast-changing companies are moving so slowly, when they could be turning the regulation we need on global emissions into a golden business opportunity."

Shop green!

Filipinos buy more electronic products during the holiday season. Each year-end, malls and shops are flooded with the newest models of laptops, cell-phones, game consoles, televisions sets, etc, at discounted or zero-interest prices. But how do we know if what we’re buying is “green”? Here are some tips:

  1. Research before you buy the product
  2. Check if the product is RoHS compliant
  3. Look for the Energy Star, or TCO certification
  4. Find out if the company has take-back programs in your country
  5. Find out if the company has repair centers in your country
  6. Buy products whose parts are upgradeable and replaceable
  7. Buy products that are durable and made to last
  8. Think twice before buying.

Click here to download Our Holiday Guide to Green Electronics


The low carbon future

To achieve a significant reduction in emissions we'll need measures such as much more efficient transport networks, smarter power grids and home appliances, sweeping improvements to manufacturing efficiency and buildings that use far less energy. In all these areas, electronics are vital in achieving these improvements.

Taking into account all criteria in the Guide, Nokia remains top, Toshiba makes a big improvement to 3rd place and Sharp and Motorola make big jumps up the ranking. The big PC companies such as Dell, HP, Apple and Acer drop down. Dell continues to be overtaken by other companies, with an unchanged score of 4.7. Although Apple drops a place, it improves its overall score slightly to 4.3, with much better reporting on the carbon footprint of its products. Apple has also recently show leadership on removing the worst toxics substances with new iPods free of toxics brominated flame retardants and PVC. All Apple products should be free of these substances by the end of 2008, which will challenge other PC makers to follow their lead.


Global day of action - 2008

International — People across the world took to the streets for a Global Day of Action on Saturday, to tell the governments meeting in Poznan, Poland for crucial UN climate negotiations, that the world is watching them.


A human banner that reads: "Aksi Untuk Iklim" (Action for Climate) is  displayed by activists from Indonesia, during the Global Day of Action  on Climate Change.

A human banner that reads: "Aksi Untuk Iklim" (Action for Climate) is displayed by activists from Indonesia, during the Global Day of Action on Climate Change.


Greenpeace volunteers in 23 countries from Australia to Italy to Mexico to the Philippines to Turkey to the US joined or led a series of protests, demonstrations and outreach events to ensure that Ministers arriving in Poznan listen to the will of their citizens, and get serious about climate action.

"The world is watching governments in Poznan" said Mareike Britten, Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner. "Saturday’s actions clearly show that people across the world recognise that it’s time for governments to get serious about climate action."

From a flash mob of people in swimming gear in Amsterdam, to protests in Red Square, Moscow to banner messages on Aztec pyramids in Mexico, to installing solar panels in Thailand, and giving a solar powered Parol (a Filipino Christmas lantern) to the Philippine senate, to a giant postcards reading "Dear World Leaders, we are ready to save the climate" in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco, to a boat protest on the Ganga River in India, our map below highlights key Greenpeace activities across the world.

Take action! The global day of action is over, but it’s not too late for you tell your government you are watching them. Join activists from around the world by uploading your photo to be projected at the Poznan meetings.