SustainPh Issue 1 Vol 1

Upcycled Pots

I have been divided whether to buy locally-made pots we call burnay or create my own continuing the upcycled tradition...
The latter won.

So, here are my initial projects from 3-liter water (plastic) bottles.
The HOW-TO:
1. Cut out the upper portion retaining the bigger lower portion.
2. Wash the empty bottles.
3. Let dry by turning them upside-down.
4. Paint the inside with desired color combos (I used acrylic paint). Remember to let dry the first color before starting with another color, else, the colors will mix!
5. If you want to accentuate further, I decoupaged the outer part with vintage-style die-cut butterflies. Just make sure to seal them properly so as not to ruin in first watering!

The pots lined up...

If you know how to control your watering the plants you are going to place in them, you may leave them hole-less. Otherwise, heat a 3-4 inch nail over a candle then pierce through at the lower side at least 1-2 inches above the bottom.

You want the paint design to last longer? Use plastic bag pottings to protect the upcycled pot from  the soil, plants & elements.

You can use them as thrash cans as well!

Upcycled Drums

We've seen upcyced drums before, but these drums as settee are as cool as ever - in a food park!

Airy Tropical Home

 A tropical hut made of bamboo walls, palm leaves roofs, and racks on its wooden posts in organic shape. Above hinge used upcycled rubber tire, covered with twine rope.

 The wood beams are upcycled from old basketbal board.

The tiles are broken and retrofitted to fill the floor spaces.

Wood interior furniture...

Onion flowers fill a white vase in one corner of the house with an upcycled shell & wood window as divider.

Blogging on Urban Jungle

For a while, I have been quite interested about urban greening... And I stumbled on Urban Jungle Bloggers. I am on a current mission to influence Metro Manila (hah!) people to green their environment, so, here I am, trying, trying, trying...

A few (recycled tire) pots does not constitute a jungle but my sissy says so!

On the process of spreading these seeds that expanded, in the neighborhood. And I believe this blog will focus on that subject matter onwards.

Will post more pics, soon!

Upcycled Wood Vintage Furniture

Eco and green are the words to live by if we must sustain humanity. At least that is what many experts now believe.

One simple but amazing way to upcycle vintage furniture that has been practiced by this resilient ethnic group in the Philippines is to use old, salvaged wood from torn down homes that are decades old. A wisdom gained from their ancestors who knew which type of wood they would use for certain purposes - like a staircase, or door and window frames. These are the woods used at ToyKalapawMi furniture.

For instance, one of the unique products they have is a bench (above) with arado or soil tiller as backrest? And the rest are also made of salvaged old wood, not only to lend but provide an authentic green furniture for Philippine residents. They deliver at most parts of Luzon with minimal fees.

Waiting for the rain (Philippine Sustainability)

The temperature's 31 degrees centigrade at 63% humidity... It's unbearably hot. I've started gathering seedlings and planting in containers - this time I have tamarind (Tamarindus indica or salamagi) Adonidia merrillii (bua china), Fabaceae peas (kamantiris / camachile), calamansi, and neem tree.

I am hopefully waiting for the rain as free ground water is becoming scarce from our handpump faucet.

And decided to start blogging about Sustainability.

What is sustainability in the Philippines?

I've checked online, and what we have is the Philippine Agenda 21 summarizing or echoing the UN action plan on sustainable development. I've checked again, and we also have the Philippine Sustainable Development Status, providing a summary below:

We can all feel the heat going up, and eco-rants are everywhere. (Indication: If US media has it, Philippine has it). How I wish we plant and sustain trees instead of the many noise and hypes perpetrated through media. Yes, greenwashing is criminal. It's killing biodiversity, and soon, mankind. Unless we actually do something about global warming (oh how everybody speaks of it, like they mean it).

What can you actually do to arrest or delay the problem called environmental destruction?

• plant trees and make sure they live
• walk or bike instead of riding a fuel-powered vehicle
• consume local products, use local services
• reduce, reuse, recycle
• turn-off and unplug sockets of unused electric equipment
• go solar (o reliable photovoltaic panels, when can I afford you?)
• share all your excess (yes, including money... this last one is a 75% guarantee of less burglar or robbery attack of your home / business enterprise. No Pulse Asia study about this has been undertaken, but based on 108-years study of a hermit - me - experience in other words).  

I will post more as I learn more. Keep cool. One last...