GREEN Craftivist

Surfing is the only interesting thing about Siargao, or so I thought. With my one-and-a-half-year-old Viennese grandson in tow, we flew to Butuan City to visit some amazing tourist spots in Surigao del Sur. From Butuan, we took a ferry to Siargao Island and then a short van ride to Siargao Island Villas, our home for four fun-filled days.  COASTAL GARDENING Located along the main road but a bit farther away from the vibrant shopping area, the Siargao Island Villas is a sanctuary of beautifully landscaped, colorful tropical plants that thrive healthily even with sea water just a few feet away.   The gardener informed me that rain showers come at least once a week and the sandy soil is not mixed with any other soil nor fed with fertilizers. I had some doubts, but this brought back memories of my childhood years in Lubang Island where my mother grew beautiful, healthy plants in her garden despite scanty water supply, sandy soil and the salty ai...

Is there a better way to dispose of garbage and other items we do not need any more than just unmindfully dumping them in the trash bins? Many often look upon garbage disposal as a menial task that doesn't need any thinking, creative or otherwise, and meant only to be done by helpers and cleaners. Yet our current pollution and climate concerns lead us back to the manner by which we accumulate and dispose of garbage or things we do not anymore find useful. GARBAGE DISPOSAL AT HOME LEVEL Vienna has been voted as the Best City to Live in the World for 2023. In this city, good waste management practices start in the homes.  Every house has a dedicated garbage bin for each type of waste material into which children as young as toddlers are trained to properly throw plastic wrappers or containers, paper waste, glass bottles and things that rot.   This is reinforced by an educational system that teaches love of and respect for nature and the importance of...

Hallo! Wie Geht es Ihnen? It’s been a while since I posted my last blog, and I thought that my first placenta tree planting experience will be an interesting and unique topic to write about. Before anything else, please join me in raising a toast for being a proud grandmother to a beautiful and healthy baby boy - our first grandchild - who was born in late summer this year.   In keeping with family tradition, I flew to Austria - the land of Edelweiss - to assist my daughter with childcare and house concerns until she has fully recovered from childbirth. Thus, the brief hiatus from my monthly blogs. What is a Placenta? Based on medical references, the placenta is a pancake-shaped organ that develops inside the uterus during pregnancy. It is made up of blood vessels and provides a developing baby with nutrients, water, oxygen, antibodies against diseases along with a waste removal system. It attaches to the uterine wall and connects to the baby via the umbilical cord. The pla...

Did you know that the Sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine?  Ukraine is known for being one of the world's top producers of sunflower oil and sunflower seeds. Its  commercial production started after the Russian Orthodox Church allowed sunflower oil to be used during Lent - a period of fasting and abstinence. As a result, the country became famous for yellow fields with flowers facing the direction of the sun.  To the people of Ukraine, the sunflower symbolizes warmth and the power of the sun.  How Sunflowers Grow SUNFLOWERS grow from seeds and every flower contains a thousand or more sunflower seeds to grow. They need 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight and some varieties can grow up to six feet. In cold countries like Ukraine, seeds are planted in late spring and harvested before autumn at the latest.  At the University Avenue of the  University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City where sunflowers are usually in full bloom by March marking the g...