Health

Nalini Shekar: Giving Waste Pickers Dignity and Legitimacy  by Sherma Benosa Homecoming Nalini Shekar saw at once the missing piece in Bangalore’s solid waste management program — the waste pickers. The regrettable non-inclusion of waste pickers in the conversations on, ironically,…

2 March 2023, Quezon City.  As National Women’s Month is celebrated, the EcoWaste Coalition drew attention to the continued sale of illegal cosmetics with high levels of mercury that target Filipino women aspiring for a lighter skin tone. The group…

Mi Hwa Kim: Making Zero Waste a Reality in South Korea by Doun Moon From a country girl to the leader of the largest civil society organization in the zero waste movement in Korea. Born as the second daughter in a…

MAGESWARI SANGARALINGAM: A Journey of Persistence, Dedication, and Grit by Sherma E. Benosa Mageswari Sangaralingam, or simply Mages to her colleagues and friends, has always been close to nature. Growing up in the Malaysian countryside, she would always insist on taking…

Mariyam Hamsha Hussain: Architect, environmental advocate, and feminist by Johanna Poblete Mariyam Hamsha Hussain was “that kid who represented the environment club” in primary school. Now a professional architect with a degree from RMIT University in Australia, Hamsha remains as…

Vaping use has been rising in the Philippines, particularly among teens. With the law allowing the use of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products for 18-year-olds and above, vapes, including disposable or single-use ones, have swamped the market. With the rising…

Liwen Chen: Inspiring Change One Village at a Time by Marlet Salazar As an English major, Liwen Chen initially did not see herself becoming an environmentalist, much less a Zero Waste advocate. But fast forward to the present: her work has…

26 February 2023, Quezon City.  The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition has raised concern over the detection of bromine in some black plastic cutlery and kitchen utensils being sold in retail stores in Metro Manila. “The detection of bromine in…

LAKSHMI NARAYAN: Creating and Strengthening Waste Pickers’ Sense of Dignity by Marco Sumayao “It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice.” Since the late 1960s, Paulo Freire’s words have spurred countless…

The EcoWaste Coalition, an advocate for a zero waste and toxics-free society, has decried the unabated sale of skin-lightening cosmetics containing mercury in online shopping platforms, which goes against the global ban on such products to protect public health and…