ORAS NA, a GMA News and Public Affairs Special this Sunday

Impossible scenarios or glimpses into the near future? This year, GMA News and Public Affairs embarks on its biggest environmental project. ORAS NA, hosted by Richard Gutierrez, takes us to places where there is significant visual evidence to suggest that time may indeed be running out for the resources that provide our most basic needs. An ambitious production that took many months in the making, ORAS NA captures potential clues to what experts believe are crucial deadlines of our generation, and illustrates how each passing moment of human existence can either lead to the planets degradation or to its conservation. Today, only 8% of the countrys original forest cover remains untouched. At the current rate of deforestation, it is not surprising that by the year 2025, local experts say that the countrys old growth forests would be wiped out, twenty five years ahead of the worldwide deadline of 2050. In Surigao del Sur, logging continues despite a moratorium declared in February of this year. An old lauan tree, about 30 feet tall, took decades to grow. But actual footage reveals that the same tree can be cut down by a chainsaw in mere minutes. Freshwater is another valuable yet diminishing resource. By 2025, it is feared that only a fraction of the current clean water supply will be available to each individual. And while the 2025 deadline may seem distant to some, there are communities today that already know what it is like to thirst after this precious human need. In Bohol, time lapse cameras capture a communitys hard work as they manually dig a well which will serve as their towns reservoir. While it takes the villagers five days to break ground with water, up to 50 million liters of water are wasted every day in Metro Manila households alone. The journal Science published a study indicating that by 2050, there will be a fisheries collapse due to over harvesting and destructive fishing. Yet even today, forty years ahead of that deadline, there are places in the country that are already feeling the crunch. General Santos City, once the fourth largest tuna exporter in the world, faces a tuna crisis. Several tuna plants that supply canneries were closed down due to the dwindling fish population.

Many fishermen no longer catch tuna from Philippine seas but from farther boundaries such as Indonesia. And even in Navotas, home to the largest fish port in the country, fishermen and traders admit that the catch is growing smaller and smaller.

A thought-provoking documentary from the same News and Public Affairs team that brought you Signos, Wildlife for Sale and the multi-awarded Planet Philippines, ORAS NA is a documentary that seeks to find the answers to some of the most important questions of our time. Is it possible that everything could run out? And how much time do we really have to avert the deadlines? Dont miss this important television event. ORAS NA, hosted by Richard Gutierrez, premieres November 20, 9:45 p.m. on GMA-7. GMA News

10 things you can do for the environment in less than an hour

Time may be running out, but there are simple things you can do to help reverse the trend. GMA News Online, in partnership with the staff of the new GMA News and Public Affairs environmental documentary Oras Na," has compiled a list of 10 things anyone can do in less than 30 minutes to have a lasting positive impact on the environment.

"Oras Na" will be the fourth environmental documentary hosted by Richard Gutierrez for GMA News and Public Affairs, and will discuss some of the most pressing deadlines facing the planet. It will air this November 20 at 10:30 P.M. on GMA-7

1. Cut shower time by 2 minutes.

Time it takes: None!

Do you find yourself staring at nothing while you take a shower in the morning? Then you are wasting precious gallons of water. Shaving two minutes off your usual shower time can save hundreds of gallons of water every month.

2. Bring your own bag when you shop instead of asking for a plastic bag. Time it takes: None!

Plastic takes years to decompose. The plastic bags we use for our groceries end up clogging sewage systems if theyre not used as building blocks for another Smokey Mountain.

Reduce your plastic consumption by using reusable or biodegradeable bags for shopping. Some stores sell cheap tote bags that are not only environment-friendly, but fashionable.

Don't think it can be done? Some municipalities like Los Baos, Laguna and Muntinlupa have already banned establishments from using non-biodegradable packaging such as styrofoam and plastic bags.

3. Carpool or bike to school or work. Time it takes: 15 minutes to organize a carpool, longer to bike to work or school depending on the distance.

If you and your friends live near each other and work in the same district or go

to the same school, then why not put up a carpool system? Not only do you save on gas, you can also make new friends in the form of carpool-mates. Biking may seem pretty hard to do, given that there are still no bike lanes in the Metros thoroughfares. But if you live a few kilometers away from your office or destination, biking to work can be a great way of saving money, getting exercise, and having fun. 4. Turn off lights or unplug appliances not in use. Time it takes: Less than a minute.

After you turn off your television or computer, do you unplug it as well? Appliances tend to consume standby power" as long as theyre still plugged. The standby power required by appliances can account for as much as 10 percent of a home's residential electricity use, according to the Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory. When you leave a room, make sure to turn off the lights as well. Not sure if turning off the lights can make a difference? In 2009, an estimated 10 million Filipinos participated in Earth Hour, a yearly worldwide event that encourages people to turn off their lights for one hour to raise awareness about climate change. Local organizers estimated that the one hour of darkness saved around 611 MWh of electricity, or the equivalent of a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power-plants. 5. Recycle paper. Time it takes: Less than a minute.

Did you print a 20-page paper for school only to find glaring typos on each page? Instead of throwing away that paper, use it to print slides of your professors' lectures. Some teachers encourage students to print their school work on recycled paper. Also, try printing on both sides of each page to cut your paper consumption in half. 6. Use Century Gothic font when printing documents. Time it takes: Less than a minute.

How does changing a font help save the environment? The University of WisconsinGreen Bay in the US switched from using Arial to Century Gothic because the latter costs 30% less ink to print. By consuming less ink, you extend the life of your ink cartridge. You also dont have to buy replacement cartridges as often, which can help reduce your non-biodegradable trash. Use recycled paper and you'll have one environment-friendly printing experience.

7. Use a mug or a tumbler instead of a disposable cup. Time it takes: Less than a minute. Make your caffeine fix nature-friendly by using mugs instead of disposable strofoam, paper, or plastic cups. If youre having your warm drink inside a coffee shop, ask for mugs that are allotted for in-store use. If you want to bring your coffee to school or to the office, using your own tumbler is the green way to go. 8. Set up a recycling bin at home or work. Time it takes: Less than 30 minutes.

Make a list of the products you consume and note the items that come in reusable containers. Take the time to segregate your trash into biodegradable and non-biodegradable, and check for non-biodegradable items that can be recycled or reused, such as plastic bottles or aluminum cans. Plant seedlings in cut-up plastic bottles until they grow big enough to be put in pots or plots. 9. Spread the word.

Time it takes: less than five minutes. Share your own environment-friendly ideas with everyone! Use the hashtag #orasna to tweet about the small ways you can change your daily routine to benefit the environment! Your tweets and pictures will appear on our Twitter mosaic here

10. Watch Oras Na! on October 30. Time it takes: one hour.

Of course, catch "Oras Na" on GMA-7 this November 20 for a timely reminder that we have to act soon to save the earth.

ORAS NA: A GMA News and Public Affairs Special Hosted by Richard Gutierrez
For the average human person, indeed for the average Filipino, deadlines are part and parcel of daily life. But in our quest to meet deadlines, the resources that sustain our lives and lifestyles are used, and oftentimes, abused. That is why scientists predict that within the current human lifetime, the most essential resources may be on the verge of running out. In the year 2025, experts predict that the countrys virgin forests will be wiped out. In the same year, a shortage of clean water is foreseen. By 2030, fossil fuels which power cities, homes and industries will be in decline. And by 2050, a collapse of marine resources leading to a seafood crisis is feared. Its about time we take a serious look at these deadlines. This year, GMA News and Public Affairs embarks on its biggest environmental project. ORAS NA, hosted by Richard Gutierrez, takes us to places where there is significant visual evidence to suggest that time may indeed be running out for the resources that provide our most basic needs. Today, only 17% of the countrys original forest cover is left. At the current rate of deforestation, it is not surprising that by the year 2025, local experts say that the countrys old growth forests would be wiped out, twenty five years ahead of the worldwide deadline of 2050. In Surigao del Sur, logging continues despite a moratorium declared in February of this year. An old lauan tree, about 30 feet tall, took decades to grow. But actual footage reveals that the same tree can be cut down by a chainsaw in mere minutes. Time lapse footage also reveals how a forest area the size of four basketball courts can be cleared in a day to meet the needs of people for housing and settlement. Scientists from Canadas Dalhousie University published a report that by the year 2048, there will be a fisheries collapse due to over harvesting and destructive fishing. Yet even today, forty years ahead of that deadline, there are places in the country that are already feeling the crunch. General Santos City, once the fourth largest tuna exporter in the world, faces a tuna crisis. Tuna plants that supply canneries were closed down due to the dwindling fish population. Many fishermen no longer catch tuna from Philippine seas but from farther boundaries such as Indonesia. Today, those in the tuna industry fear their days are numbered. Cannery officials share that their factories could close down in the next three or four years. Freshwater is another valuable yet diminishing resource. By 2025, it is feared that only a fraction of the

current clean water supply will be available to each individual. And while the 2025 deadline may seem distant to some, there are communities today that already know what it is like to thirst after this precious human need. In Bohol, time lapse cameras capture a communitys hard work as they manually dig a well which will serve as their towns reservoir. While it takes the villagers five days to break ground with water, up to 50 million liters of water are wasted every day in Metro Manila households alone. ORAS NA presents these provoking images of stark contrasts in the way people use and treat resources, and in the way people spend time. An ambitious production that took many months in the making, ORAS NA illustrates potential clues to what experts believe may be the most significant deadlines of this generation. By capturing on video the consumption and depletion of resources as they happen by the minute, by the hour, ORAS NA provides a different perspective on how each passing moment of human existence can either lead to the planets degradation or to its conservation. Dont miss this important television event. Sixty minutes that will change the way you look at time. ORAS NA, hosted by Richard Gutierrez, premieres Sunday November 20, 10:30 p.m. on GMA.