"It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility." —Rachel Carson

Today, I am celebrating the day I came into existence. On top of that, I am one with people all over the world who observe Earth Day, which started 43 years ago in the United States by Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in that aimed at inspiring more people to be more conscious of the environment.

Now, four decades later, scientists are sounding more and more alarms about the fate of the ice caps, the acidification of our oceans, the loss of our equatorial rainforests and the consequences all these things will have on low-lying countries, on our health, on our ways of raising food, and the foundations of our civilization.

In light of the ecological destruction we have witnessed and are witnessing all over the world, it becomes apparent that merely raising awareness is not enough. Awareness can be translated into change if, and only if, it is backed up by meaningful action.

We live in a world that is desperately in need of real action to ensure the survival of all life in the near future. 

Thinking about this now challenges us to not only gain positive feelings from participating in Earth Day related activities, but also to think larger than our usual “own little way” but to actually focus our attention into channeling popular concern about the environment into direct action, political clout, lifestyle changes, environmental policy and ultimately holistic transformation that brings to life a society that is socially just, environmentally sustainable and spiritually fulfilling.

Celebrating Earth Day 43 years since its inception challenges us to a higher level of consciousness, that translate into tangible actions that would benefit the whole planet, and come to think of it, this is something that shouldn’t just happen on Earth Day, but ultimately every day.

Today, youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths.

Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, Miss Representation uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself. 

In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades, the United States is still 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, women hold only 3% of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have disordered eating behaviors.

Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics, like Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave the audience shaken and armed with a new perspective.

The world's three biggest sportwear brands, Puma, Nike, and Adidas, have already committed to drop all hazardous chemicals across their entire supply chains, and their entire product life-cycle by 2020. They are now up for Detox Action Plans in consultation with Greenpeace.

Now it's time for H&M to come clean, to publicly claim its place as a leading brand in the effort to detox our water, and to commit to its customers, its workers and the communities whose resources it shares that H&M is ready to champion a toxic-free future.

Oh well, toxic is so last season.

What are you waiting for? Click the "tweet it" button to sign our petition and spread the word on Twitter:

Retweet to sign petition ► @HM needs to #Detox! Hazardous chemicals are so last season! #fashion #water http://act.ly/484

... and TAKE ACTION!

Today is our annual chance to celebrate all things marine. World Oceans Day encourages us to do our bit in protecting this precious environment, especially now that the rich marine ecosystem is severely threatened.

Five years ago, Philippines has witnessed the biggest oil spill in history. That time, I had just started getting involved with Greenpeace in the country. It was August 11th, 2006 when a single hull oil tanker chartered by Petron Corporation, the largest oil refiner in the Philippines, sank in rough seas. About 320 km of coastline was covered in thick sludge. Humongous size of coral reefs and mangrove forests have been decimated and more than 1,100 hectares of marine reserve was badly damaged.

Good news: You can do something about it.

A staggering 80 percent of all the life on Earth is found beneath the waves and this vast global oceans around our world driving the natural forces which maintain life on our planet. Without ocean there would be no life on Earth.

The Philippine archipelago is recognized as the world’s center of marine biodiversity, but the country’s rich marine ecosystem is also among the world’s most severely threatened.

Humanity is in overshoot. Every day, without much comment from our 'news' media, we degrade the carrying capacity of the planet, add more humans, and extend ourselves farther out over the edge of the sustainability cliff, with nothing below to stop our fall. ~Rex Weyler

...with nothing below to stop our fall...

We can't deny the fact that most of us are busy making a living, taking care of ourselves and each other, that we can't even have some time to spend thinking about how our actions affect everything around us. Many people now are doing what they can do depending on how much spare time they have from what keeps them busy like armchair activism. It shouldn't just end there.

“In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference” -Rachel Carson

For the last three years, I've witnessed how Greenpeace Water Patrol here in the Philippines worked hard not only to remind us Filipinos about our right to clean water but also to challenge those people in government positions to rise above political dispositions and make a concrete ecological agenda to address water crisis in the country.

It started sometime in 2007 when a broad study of surface, ground, and drinking water sources in the Philippines was carried out by Greenpeace, with a strong message asking "is our water safe?"

After launching the Project: Clean Water with a very successful photo contest which was aimed at documenting the state of Philippine freshwaters, especially looking at the threats, series of investigations and actions were done to some bodies of water in areas of Manila, Bulacan, Angono, Taytay and Laguna.