Eco group goes 'Gangnam' against littering during Undas

With the All Souls' Days holidays just days away, members of ecological group EcoWaste Coalition on Monday donned zombie outfits and danced to a modified version of "Gangnam Style" as a reminder against "Zombasura” – being a litterbug.

 

“Igalang ang mga patay. Igalang ang kalikasan," read a message on one of their green streamers.

 

Joining the 50 EcoWaste dancers were beauty titlists Miss Earth Philippines 2012, Stephany Dianne Stefanowitz, Miss Philippines Water 2012 Samantha Purvor, Miss Philippines Air 2012 Glennifer Perido, Miss Philippines Fire 2012 Thoreen Halvorsen and Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism 2012 Candice Ramos.

 

“Honoring our loved ones is a Filipino custom that should remain in our hearts and minds. We should manifest deep respect to those who have gone before us by keeping the cemeteries waste-free, toxics free, and trouble-free,” campaigner Christina Vergara said.

 

Stefanowitz reminded the people that “everything we throw away comes back to haunt us in the future.”

 

"Let us avoid using plastic bags, disposable products and wrappers. These are simple ways of preserving our finite earth for ourselves and for future generations,” she said.

 

Also, National Solid Waste Management Commission NGO representative Romeo Hidalgo cautioned cemetery-goers against careless disposal of trash.

 

"Littering, open dumping and open burning are unlawful acts. I appeal to everyone, especially to cemetery visitors and vendors, to be mindful of their discards and not turn the cemeteries into instant stinking dumpsites," he said.

 

The EcoWaste Coalition offered tips to cemetery goers during Undas:

 

1. Choose clean-burning, lead-free candles that do not yield black fumes or soot. Set alight a limited number of candles to reduce heat and pollution.

 

2. Offer local fresh flowers, not plastic ones, or consider bringing potted plants and flowers instead.

 

3. Bring your own water jug to avoid purchasing bottled water. Discarded plastic bottles add up to the country’s garbage problem.

 

4. Go for waste-free meals. Use reusable carriers, containers, and utensils such as lunchboxes and thermos, cloth napkins and silverwares, and not throw-away bags, wraps, foil or Styrofoam, paper napkins, and forks and spoons.

 

5. Buy less or only as much as you can consume in terms of food and beverage to avoid spoilage or wastage. Bring bayong or other reusable bags.

 

6. Cut your waste size by buying products with the least amount of packaging and avoiding single-use plastics.

 

7. Don’t litter, dump or burn trash in the cemetery. Leave the resting place of your loved ones litter-free.

 

8. Put your discards into the recycling bins if available.

 

9. Relieve yourself only in the proper place where one should. Keep the urinal or toilet bowl clean as a courtesy to the next user.

 

10. Refrain from smoking in the cemetery.

 

— DVM, GMA News