Leorenz Jamias – A Transient Life

Today WWF launches its first ever emoji-based fundraising campaign to help support the organisation’s work to protect precious species and their habitats. The launch of the campaign, which will be run on Twitter, comes just ahead of Endangered Species Day on Friday 15 May.

FL Philippines -Earth Hour Celebrations - By Gregg Yan  WWF  EH2015 Global (Earth Hour) As nations and individuals around the globe gear up to participate in the world’s largest grassroots environmental movement, WWF’s Earth Hour kickstarted the countdown to the 2015 event with the release of the official campaign video today. Set to the international hit song ‘Pompeii’ by British rock band Bastille, the two-minute video demonstrates how Earth Hour is empowering individuals and organisations around the world to take action on climate change.

It’s More Sun in the Philippines – As the world’s second-largest archipelago, the Philippines is composed of 7107 isles – making it difficult to connect all islands to the grid through power transmission and distribution lines. Installing solar panels will make many small islands energy self-sufficient. (Gregg Yan / WWF ) With the Department of Energy’s warning that an impending power shortage will befall the Luzon grid next year, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) reiterates its call for the Philippine government to more actively mainstream renewable energy (RE) solutions to meet the growing demand for electricity. Especially if we aim for enhanced national competitiveness through increased control over the supply and cost of power, RE must be integrated as the primary solution to the power development plan of the Philippines.

A boat braves an armada of plastic bags in Manila Bay, the Philippines. Plastic accounts for half the world’s marine debris. Reducing our reliance on plastics will save marine life. (Jürgen Freund / WWF ) In fully-furnished homes, you’ll usually find television sets, tables, chairs, coffee tables, desk lamps, sofa sets, refrigerators, rugs, plus curtains. These same items – even the proverbial kitchen sink – have all been retrieved from the sea. Because of improper waste disposal, untold amounts of garbage end up in our oceans to harm marine life.

WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS - Typhoon Glenda snapped the bough or trunk of this tree in Parañaque City. (Arturo Dedace) An Acacia tree that stood proudly for over a century at the Malacañang Palace grounds in Manila has witnessed the transition of more than 14 Philippine Presidents – from Manuel L. Quezon to Benigno S. Aquino III. Located at the country’s seat of power, the tree has been a strong fixture, able to withstand wars, coup d’etat attempts, and the passage of time. Today, that tree is no more.

International Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn addresses the crowd at Hamilo Coast in Batangas. “As seafood consumers, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the fish we eat comes from sustainable sources." Coral Triangle Day is celebrated every 9th of June and highlights the need to conserve the region's marine resources. (Gregg Yan / WWF-Philippines )

Typhoon Yolanda destroyed about 30,000 bancas, depriving some 145,000 artisanal and commercial fisherfolk of their livelihoods. WWF promotes the evolution pf boat-making technology to ensure that tomorrow’s bancas are ready to weather the waves of the future. (Gregg Yan / WWF-Philippines)

In a first of its kind partnership, Spider-Man will be the first Super Hero ambassador for Earth Hour, the global movement organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), with a message to inspire individuals to use their power to become Super Heroes for the planet.

I experienced Earth Hour this year through Greenpeace Philippines along with the Great Work Movement and Care for the Earth Ministry of Malate Catholic Church. We celebrated at the fronting grounds of the Remedios Jubilee Mission Center, Our Lady of Remedies Parish Malate Church. At 8:30PM this Saturday 26th March 2011, we switched off the lights with the rest of the world for Earth Hour while committing to actions that go beyond the hour. Why do I get involved? Earth Hour has done and continues to do a lot to raise awareness of sustainability issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It is a celebration about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet I'd like to share with you some memorable scenes from the event through a quick recap and a gallery of the photos I took. I'm not a professional photographer, mind you. I'm not even a good casual photographer, so please bear with me o...

From my previous post regarding the challenge on Facebook to unfriend coal and to start using renewable energy sources for their data centres, we find an ally to help us voice out our concerns. Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, is taking up the charge. Greenpeace had previously started their Cool IT Challenge , which focuses on Climate leadership and that encourages IT companies to apply their technological know-how and innovative spirit to solving the climate crisis. The campaign urges IT companies to put forth solutions, mitigate their own carbon footprint, and advocate for significant policy changes in the mutual interest of business and the climate. In Kumi's open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, he asks him to take responsibility for the company's growing energy footprint and show some climate leadership.

Anthony Burrill, in conjunction with Purple Monkey Design in New Orleans, Louisiana created a limited edition of 200 posters, screen printed with oil from the Gulf of Mexico disaster. The oil was picked up on the beaches of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The posters were then printed at Purple Monkey Design in New Orleans, Louisiana. Inspiration can definitely sprout through taking from disaster and turning it into a piece of art. The message here is indicative of the issues on corporate and environmental responsibility. And, given the disaster's impact to the surrounding area and to the people living there, the combined art and message themselves are truly invaluable. It is simply ingenious. I'm also reminded of how some Filipino artists made use of the volcanic ash fall from Mt. Pinatubo as a medium for their artistic creations. Though we would rather favor these events to never have happened; however, we still can derive a measure of positive and uplifting assertion by means ...

Last February, Facebook announced it was building its first data center, in Prineville, Oregon, in the northwest of the US. It will be a massive data centre, which is packed full of the latest energy efficient computers to serve the hundreds of millions of friends connecting on their near-addictive social networking website. Unfortunately, it was soon found out that they plan to operate the place with energy from Pacific Power, a utility fueled primarily by coal.

As the image appeared on my screen from clicking on a site link, I had to laugh from the sheer candidness and truism of this. Now, if only we actually could take heed and follow through with the fascinating guerrilla stenciling by artist Peter Drew, we'd all be a bit healthier and the environment would be much cleaner. Peter Drew's street art focuses on the politics of climate change and touches base on individual responsibilities and lifestyle adjustments. This particular piece comes from his love of bikes. He believes the world would work better if more people used theirs. I concur. Share the message across about your love for the environment, your concern for climate change, or your yearning for better health and fitness. You can print out the image as a poster or plaster it on a t-shirt. Peter Drew gave the image a Creative Commons license so feel free to download it in a hi-res version through Carlton Reid. Of course, using your bike more would even be better. ...