Laguna joins eco groups' call for corporate accountability in protecting freshwater sources
Some of the rubbish collected by the eco-volunteers
Calamba, Laguna
The province of Laguna today joined Greenpeace and the EcoWaste Coalition in calling on businesses for full public disclosure of their toxic effluents, especially into our freshwater bodies. The call was made during this year's International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICC) activities at the Calamba Baywalk in Barangay Aplaya.
"Our freshwater bodies are heavily under threat from invisible contaminants coming from industrial discharges," said Beau Baconguis, Toxics Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.??"Currently, there are no systems allowing the public access to information that would help them protect themselves from toxic effluents into water sources.??Greenpeace is therefore recommending the set-up of a Pollution Release and Transfer Register (PRTR), which would provide the public with a database system from which they could check the health of their water sources and identify hotspots.??We are looking forward to working with the whole province of Laguna in refining such practical solutions for water protection."
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Greenpeace added that industries will also benefit from participating in a PRTR, which will provide them with a comprehensive measurement to check, compare and improve their processes, and make their businesses more viable, aside from being able to contribute to the betterment of the situation that our freshwater sources face.
For the last two months, Greenpeace has been at the forefront of an international initiative to get the world's top clothing companies to commit to detoxify their products, production lines and supply lines.??Kicking off the campaign was a two-part report released by Greenpeace, called "Dirty Laundry", detailing results of an investigation into pollution of China's rivers that link clothing giants and tracking back the chain of custody into the Philippines and other markets.??The "Detox" campaign has so far been successful in getting the top three sports apparel companies, Nike, Adidas and Puma, to commit to completely eliminating toxics by 2020.
Fun Run started off the proceedings that end up?with the dirty work
Greenpeace campaigners join the fun run that kicked off the 2011 International Coastal Clean-up Day activities in Calamba, Laguna on September 17, 2011. The province of Laguna today joined Greenpeace and the EcoWaste Coalition in calling on businesses for full public disclosure of their toxic effluents, especially into our freshwater bodies. ?Greenpeace is proposing the adoption of a Pollution Release & Transfer Register (PRTR) to provide the public with a database system from which they could check the health of their water sources and identify hotspots. ??Jimmy A. Domingo/Greenpeace?
According to Emilio Ramon "E.R." Ejercito, Governor of the Province of Laguna, "Laguna de Bay is a source of livelihood, food and freshwater, which is why??Save Laguna de Bay'?is one of the priority projects of the province. Those who will benefit directly from the rehabilitation of the lake will not only be Laguna, but Metro Manila as well.??The lake is the next most important freshwater source for the nation's capital and therefore the responsibility of citizens and businesses alike to protect and nurture.??Government and civil society need the help of individuals and businesses if we are to avert a water crisis, which will affect not just our drinking water, but our agriculture and livelihood as well."
Laguna is among the provinces and towns that have progressive waste management initiatives, which include efforts to ban the use of plastic bags.??Results from the waste audit, conducted at the Manila Bay by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Greenpeace, EcoWaste Coalition and other partners in November 2010, revealed that plastics comprise majority (75.5%) of the trash people discard into the water.
"We are conducting a comprehensive waste audit as the central activity of this year's ICC in Laguna de Bay, where we believe plastics will still be at the top of the list of what we collect.??This is why programmes to curb the use of plastic bags, such as those undertaken by Laguna and other progressive provinces, cities and municipalities, will be a big contribution towards the protection of our freshwater resources," said Rei Panaligan, Coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition. "Schools, barangays, towns and cities would do well to cut down their volume of solid waste and implement ecological waste management programs, while industries should, in addition, make sure that their chemical discharges are kept in check.??Clean-ups are good, but if we protect our waters at the source of pollutions, there would be so much less problems."
The clean-up in Laguna de Bay is in the fourth year of a partnership that was initiated by Greenpeace with the EcoWaste Coalition and the Laguna Youth Development Affairs Office.
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace is campaigning to stop industrial pollution of our water with hazardous, persistent and hormone-disrupting chemicals by demanding that companies and governments take action to "Detox" our future.
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Contact Information:
Beau Baconguis, Toxics Campaigner,?, (632) 3321807 loc 119?
JP Agcaoili, Media Campaigner,?, (632) 3321807 loc 121,?
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Rei Panaligan, Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition,?
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Notes:
[1] Details and updates on the "Detox" campaign are available at?www.greenpeace.org.ph/detox;
The 2-part Dirty Laundry report can be accessed at:?http://www.greenpeace.org/dirtylaundryreport;
Puma committed to the elimination of hazardous chemicals on July 26th:?http://safe.puma.com/us/en/;
Nike committed to the elimination of hazardous chemicals on August 18th:?http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2011/08/17_zero_discharge.html;?
Adidas published an initial statement on August 26th?which was later replaced with a more comprehensive commitment on the evening of August 30th, following lengthy dialogue with Greenpeace International:?http://www.adidas-group.com/en/sustainability/statements/2011/Commitment_to_Zero_Discharge_Aug_2011.aspx;
[2]?http://ptni.tv/index.php/world-news/environment/953-waste-audit-shows-plastic-garbage-as-top-polluter-of-manila-bay
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