The Seven

Environmental
Principles
1. Everything is connected to everything else.
(Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkakaugnay.)

The intricate relationships of various elements of the ecosystem bind the components together into
one functional unit. The trees in the forest are home to ferns, orchids, birds, insects and mammals.
When these plants and animals die, their products of decomposition contribute to soil fertility. Plants
provide oxygen to animals for aerobic respiration while animals furnish carbon dioxide to plants for
photosynthesis. The quality of the soil determines the type of vegetation that exists while vegetation
contributes to the minerals of the soil when they die. The living component of the ecosystem affects
and is affected by the abiotic components, such as air, temperature, land. Inter-specific relationships
create a dependency with each other so that they both have to co-exist to live. All these relationships
provide dependencies, check and balances that compose the details of our life-support systems.
1. Everything is connected to everything else.
(Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkakaugnay.)
Human interaction with nature oftentimes alters the
ecosystems. The waste we improperly dispose of brings about
the deterioration of land and water quality. This may in turn
reduce their capacity to provide life for other organisms.
Deforestation causes soil erosion and the earth deposited on the
water bodies covers the coral reefs resulting to fishery loss.
Suspended particulates from vehicular and stationary sources
may cause lung problems among city residents. War causes
destruction of wildlife and habitats. There is a cause and effect
chain, even when it is neither always visible nor observable.
1. Everything is connected to everything else.
(Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkakaugnay.)

Global economic systems affect the distribution

of biological goods worldwide. Through the
Galleon trade, spices reached different parts of
the world. Today, oranges and apples from China
have become easily accessible to the Filipino
market. Developing countries argue that
globalization promotes the introduction of
species detrimental to the recipient habitat and
market.
2. All forms of life are important.(Ang
lahat na may buhay ay mahalaga.)
All living organisms were created for a purpose in relation to
humans, other species on earth and global ecosystem in
general. Thus, when a species becomes extinct, it is like
removing a piece of a jigsaw puzzle from the web of life.
The variety of life forms, manifested by the different levels
of biological diversity – community, species and genes –
contributes to the stability of the environment. Food webs,
food chains and ecological relationships link plants and
animals together in the web of life. Even bacteria, insects,
snakes and rats have ecological functions even though
humans perceive them as parasites or pests.
2. All forms of life are important.(Ang
lahat na may buhay ay mahalaga.)
The Philippines ranks high among the biodiversity hotspots –
the richest but the most threatened of terrestrial
ecosystems in the world. The Philippines has rich flora and
fauna: an estimated 13,500 plant species, 80 amphibians,
240 reptiles, 556 birds, 174 mammals, 300 corals, 27
mangrove species. Of these, approximately 75% are
endemic. Some of the threatened species are the Philippine
eagle (Pythecophaga jefferyi), Philippine crocodile
(Crocodylus mindorensis), and Tamaraw (Bubalus
mindorensis).
2. All forms of life are important.(Ang
lahat na may buhay ay mahalaga.)
The composition of biological diversity naturally
changes slowly but the rate of transition has become
faster due to factors such as habitat destruction.
Deforestation may diminish forest species such as
birds that are vulnerable to modification of their
home. Pollution of waters reduces the quantity of
fishes, shells, algae and other aquatic life. Over
harvesting of natural products likewise contributes to
the unsustainable use of food and material resources.
2. All forms of life are important.(Ang
lahat na may buhay ay mahalaga.)
To maintain ecological balance, therefore, the conservation
of genes, species and ecosystems becomes essential to
keep life together. Biodiversity conservation strategies
commence with the protection of both terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems. Land uses, such as protected areas,
ensure that the natural state of these habitats continue to
exist in designated areas. Community-based approaches in
conservation maximize citizens’ participation in protected
areas. Integrity of natural ecosystems can likewise be
guarded through the preservation of indigenous species.
2. All forms of life are important.(Ang
lahat na may buhay ay mahalaga.)
Strategies outside of the protected areas can be adopted. Cities and
human settlements can still keep trees, patches of forests and garden
as home for wildlife like birds, butterflies, and insects. Agricultural
ecosystems sustain the variety of plants and animals through inter-
cropping, multi-cropping and crop rotation. Plant and animal
breeding can increase the population of commercially important
species without directly harvesting from the wild. The captive
breeding of Pag-asa, the Philippine eagle, provided a solution to the
diminishing eagle population. Although it is still recommended that
habitat protection must be the first step to species protection.
3. Everything must go somewhere. (Ang
lahat ng bagay ay may patutunguhan.)
By-products of consumption go back to the environment. Everything that we
throw away – pieces of paper, left-over food, peelings of fruits, plastic wrappers,
used containers – have to go somewhere. Even plants and animals have their own
wastes – feces, urine, dead leaves and branches. It is the law of nature that the
by-products of metabolism return to the soil, acted upon first by worms, bacteria
and fungi, and then converted into minerals, to be again absorbed by plants and
eaten by animals. In short, they enter into a material cycle that is an integral
part of the ecosystem. But what happens if what we throw is an artificial product
such as plastic? Then natural bacteria can not recognize them and may not be
capable of breaking them apart. These non-biodegradable products must enter
another material cycle – the one that goes to the factory to be manufactured into
a new product. Thus the retrieval, collection and recycling of these materials
become necessary so that they do not pollute land and water habitats.
3. Everything must go somewhere. (Ang
lahat ng bagay ay may patutunguhan.)
In our present consumer-oriented, setting up an
ecological solid waste management system
becomes necessary for maximizing the use of
resources. Ecological solid waste management
recommends that solid wastes be reduced,
segregated, re-used and recycled. Biodegradable
materials are either to be eaten again or
composted. Non-biodegradable materials have to
be segregated and collected for recycling.
3. Everything must go somewhere. (Ang
lahat ng bagay ay may patutunguhan.)
Industries have their own responsibility in reducing
their effluents. End-of-the-pipeline technologies are
augmented by clean technologies in raw product
extraction and manufacturing. The “polluters pay”
principle adopted by governments intensifies the
campaign for clean land, water and air. Waste
exchange programs by industry turn wastes of one
industry into raw products of another. In that way,
habitats for organisms are not destroyed or deteriorate.
4. Ours is a finite earth. (Ang kalikasan
ay may hangganan.)
Everything that we need is provided by nature in abundance – food,
water, energy, minerals and air. However, some resources that we
depend upon nowadays are extracted excessively but are slow to
replace. These non-renewable resources experience limits of
supply. For instance, fossil fuels produced over thousands of years
may be exhausted in a hundred years. Some energy sources like
water, and wood may be replaced easier but have become
inaccessible due to pollution and excessive extraction. Diminishing
forest cover have resulted from logging, ineffective reforestation
and continued land conversion. However, food scarcity and poverty
may have resulted from failed distribution systems rather than
inability of the land and water bodies to yield food.
4. Ours is a finite earth. (Ang kalikasan
ay may hangganan.)
It can be argued that increasing population decreases the amount
of resources available to each person. Carrying capacity, or the
ability of the ecosystem to support a number of people, may be
influenced by limit of resources due to an increasing population.
Competition increases as the carrying capacity is reached. Per
capita consumption must also be taken into account because
people in Northern countries generally consume more food,
energy and resources than people in the developing Southern
countries. Carrying capacity may be addressed two ways:
increase resources and reduce population growth. Agricultural
productivity for instance may be increased with better
availability of water and farm inputs.
4. Ours is a finite earth. (Ang kalikasan
ay may hangganan.)
Pollution reduces the absorbing capacity of air and
water. Pollution likewise reduces the availability of
land and water to produce food for human
consumption. A river classified a Class IV means that
it becomes fit only for only for navigation and can
no longer sustain life forms. Likewise, oil spills from
accidents or war destroy bays and rivers. Waterways
that have become cesspool of domestic wastes
cannot contain fishes and shells or if they do might
transmit toxins and harmful bacteria to consumers.
4. Ours is a finite earth. (Ang kalikasan
ay may hangganan.)
Several solutions have been suggested to solve this problem:
reduction of consumption, increased use of renewable energy,
emissions trading, and pollution control. The conservation ethic and
technological solutions have become viable strategies to address
finiteness of resources. Biodiversity conservation is anchored on the
principle that lost species are irreplaceable. Thus, extinct species
have acquired a greater value – more effort has to be exerted to
protect and save endangered species. The conservation ethic supports
the belief that we should tread lightly on the earth by using only what
we need. The philosophy of “sapat”, meaning “enough” suggests that
we should buy and consume only what we need and leave some for
the less privileged and the next generation.
5. Nature knows best. (Ang kalikasan
ang mas nakakaalam.)
Nature manifests certain processes that enable it to maintain
balance and remain in a state of equilibrium. The nutrient
cycling of nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and phosphorous in the air,
water and land indicates that minerals are utilized within the
confines of the earth. The flow of energy from the sun enables
light to be converted into sugar in plants through photosynthesis,
and later for consumer organisms to obtain energy from plant
starch. Food chains and food webs allow transfer of energy from
producers and consumers and provide the means for all living
organisms to acquire nutrition. Population control also occurs
naturally through predator – prey relationships.
5. Nature knows best. (Ang kalikasan
ang mas nakakaalam.)
The equilibrium in the ecosystem is maintained,
thus if humans intervene, unforeseen negative
impacts known as ecological backlash, may arise.
Floods are often times backlashes of excessive
felling of trees. The importation of golden kuhol,
that became a pest, reminds us that biological
organisms may not acclimatize in a new
environment or may cause harm to indigenous
species.
5. Nature knows best. (Ang kalikasan
ang mas nakakaalam.)
The environmental ethics promote that we conform to
ecological principles and stay close to natural products and
processes. We should patronize natural food and consumable
materials. Organically grown vegetables provide healthy food
without the side effects that may arise from pesticides.
Ecological technology offers an option for us to choose, that
which is closest to nature. The extent to which Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs) affect health remains debatable and
the formidable task of providing adequate safe food for a
growing population continues to challenge agricultural scientists
and environmental managers worldwide.
6. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of
God’s creation. (Ang kalikasan ay maganda at tayo
ang tagapangasiwa ng lahat na nilikha ng Diyos.)
Creation presupposes the existence of a Creator. The beautiful
nature around us, perfect by itself, has deteriorated due to the
negative impacts of human use. This principle suggests how a
Human-Creator relationship is translated in our attitude towards
creation. Theologians explain that there are different levels of
this relationship. First is a relationship determined by dominion
of humans over creation, that humans can do as they wish
because this was given by God. The book of Genesis says “have
dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air…”
6. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of
God’s creation. (Ang kalikasan ay maganda at tayo
ang tagapangasiwa ng lahat na nilikha ng Diyos.)
The second level is one of stewardship, that of a caretaker
where humans are not owners but guardians of the integrity
of nature. The third level promotes a kinship relationship
postulated by St. Francis de Assisi in the famous verse “Bother
sun, Sister moon”, where humans are no higher than the birds
and fishes of the sea. Fourth is one of sacrament, where
nature becomes a testimony of God’s love. Fifth is a covenant
relationship, where protection of the earth is a life mission
manifested in the things that we do and say.
6. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of
God’s creation. (Ang kalikasan ay maganda at tayo
ang tagapangasiwa ng lahat na nilikha ng Diyos.)
Different religions from Islam to Buddhism to Judeo-
Christian to indigenous people’s animism express the belief
of caring for the earth, including all creatures. Thus it is the
goal of environmental education and biodiversity
conservation education to motivate target audiences
towards developing an eco-spirituality that moves them into
a more meaningful relationship with nature and a greater
participation in the biophysical economic processes that
make this world a better place to live in.
7. Everything changes. (Ang lahat ay
nagbabago.)
Changes in the biophysical world occur naturally. As they say,
there is nothing more permanent in this world than change.
Consider the following examples. Metamorphosis of caterpillars
to butterflies illustrates morphological changes that occur in
living forms. The increase of vegetation on earth augmented
the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere through time. Seasons
are cyclic changes that contribute to the diversity of flowers,
fruits, vegetables and other crops during the year. Random
changes manifested by natural catastrophe such as typhoons
destroy forests, coral reefs and mangroves. Volcanic eruptions
annihilate surface flora and submerge rivers.
7. Everything changes. (Ang lahat ay
nagbabago.)
Human-induced alteration such as climate change may cause
more massive repercussions. Land use change – from forests to
agricultural land to human settlements – change the composition
of vegetation and animals. Human-induced changes can be
managed so that the negative impacts are minimized and
positive changes accentuated. Environmental impact assessment
(EIA) provides a tool for the projection, planning and
management of change brought about by industrialization and
human settlement expansion. Effluents can be managed through
policy and pollution control techniques by both industry and
government to achieve clean air and water.
7. Everything changes. (Ang lahat ay
nagbabago.)
Sustainable development presents a paradigm of change for
the 21st Century. Sustainable development promotes
ecological integrity, equitable sharing of resources and people
empowerment as pillars of growth. Biodiversity conservation
contributes to ecological integrity, through both in-situ and
ex-situ techniques. Biodiversity conservation becomes
successful only if coupled with poverty alleviation, improving
equity of access to resources and instituting social change.
Environmental education facilitates social transformation by
modifying attitudes and behavior of people towards an
ecological ethic.
Thank You
*Adapted from Barry Commoner, as compiled by Miriam College.

Presented in presentation by Sir Jack