EEK-O-FRIENDLY Ideas: 10 Fun Ways to Go Green this Halloween!

Posted by Jane on October 15, 2014

Just like other holidays, the Halloween season can rake in a hefty amount of carbon footprint and make a huge impact on the environment. Trick-or-treat candies, costumes, decorations, party favors – producing these goods require large amounts of energy, not to mention that all of these end up in landfills worldwide. With the holiday becoming seemingly less spiritual and more and more commercial with each passing year, the Halloween industry is now approximately worth 6 billion US dollars annually, according to experts.

The good news is, you can still celebrate Halloween without spending a lot of cash and wasting resources. With a good dose of imagination, enthusiasm, and a sincere desire to have a GREEN Halloween, you can have an “eek-o-friendly” good time while still being kind to the planet. Here are some tips for you to consider when planning your Halloween event this year.

1. Simplicity is the way to go

You might want to re-think your over-the-top plans for your Halloween event. Remember, less is always more. If you can opt for a simpler decor for your home and a lesser scale party, not only will you help save the planet, you will also be able to impart to your children the value of moderation.

2. Go for digital invitations

Instead of printing your party invites, go digital and send your invitations online. There are several apps and websites (see e-vite.com) that will help you create a personalized invitation for free. But if you’re really into actual invitations and would rather go old school, you can create your own handmade cards from recycled paper products.

3. Activities and games

You know what’s a great way to have a fun-filled green Halloween? Focus on the intangible — games and activities instead of tangible stuff. Remember, laughter and good memories need not cost a thing, and it doesn’t leave a carbon footprint either.

4. Make homemade costumes

What better way to showcase your creativity and style than to make your own Halloween costume? Chances are, there are outfit gems tucked in your closet, waiting for a second breathe of life. It’s about time you rummage into your closet and re-purpose your old clothes. This is easier on the pocket, too!

5. Make your own treats

Skip the individually-wrapped candies and chocolates and choose to make your own treats instead. Surely, you can whip up something even better than the plastic-wrapped, highly-commercialized, conservatives-laden treats you can buy in stores.

6. DIY decorations

Mason jars, plastic gallons, bottles, old books — stir your creative juices a little bit and you can turn these items into fancy Halloween decor. The options are endless!

photo source

7. Natural decor works, too!

Another option is to use natural materials for your decorations. Twigs, plants, pumpkins, or even fruits — tweak it a little and you’ll have your very own artsy-craftsy decorations!

8. Say no to plastic trick-or-treat buckets

Those orange smiley buckets might be a Halloween tradition for kids, but the plastic material is another contributor to environmental degradation. This year, choose organic baskets, non-plastic locally-made buckets or recyclable materials. Explain to your kids, too why this is so much better for Mother Earth!

9. Skip disposable party items

During your Halloween parties, make sure to use regular plates, utensils, and glasses. These reusable items are so much more eco-friendly than plastic cups and paper plates.

10. Store your décors and costumes

Do not dispose decorations and Halloween materials. Make sure to keep them in storage to be used in next year’s Halloween, and in the coming Halloweens to come.

So, are you ready for an EEK-O-FRIENDLY Halloween? This coming October 25, drop by at Primavera Residences for a carnival-style, pre-halloween bash. Win prizes, get discounts and freebies, and join the fun games.

For more information, visit www.primaveraresidences.com or www.facebook.com/condoprimavera. You can also call 088-880-5002.

Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Everyday

Posted by Primavera Residences on April 23, 2014

April 22 is Earth Day, and this year’s theme is “ “Earth Day Everyday, Everywhere, for Everyone”. How exactly can we do that in our own little ways?

See our tips below.

We can never be too grateful for whatever nature has to offer us – from the food that we eat to what we wear to the things that we use and the buildings we are in. The earth is so bountiful it can give us anything we need for survival. So, we celebrate Earth Day every April 22 to recognize the bounties of nature and to always remind ourselves that we must play a big part in keeping our earth a healthy place to live in.

Have you been doing your share in nurturing your environment? I bet you have, and I’d also like to share a few simple eco-friendly tips you might like to try.

1. Recycle Office Supplies

Papers, notebooks, and boxes in your office are very useful recyclable materials. Call yourself a hoarder, but keeping scratches of papers, empty boxes and used notebooks can go a long way in saving trees from being cut down. Save blank back portions of scratch papers for printing documents or you can cut them to post-it or notepad sizes for scribbling. Empty boxes can be used for stocking paper files. Smaller cartons can be used for gift packing.

In Japan, many offices already follow the paperless policy where documents are disseminated over the internet or saved in flash drives. Well, if we can’t attain a paperless workplace for now, maybe we’ll have to go with recycling first.

2. Grow Your Own Garden

Try gardening as a hobby and you will probably appreciate the dirt works after seeing your plants grow or grasses grow green and thick on your front lawn. Try planting small trees on the corner lot or at your backyard. Trees provide good supply of oxygen and shade during hot weather. Grow some flower-bearing plants on your front lawn. If you have a bigger lot space, try growing fruit trees. Just learn tips in nurturing them from the internet.

3. Segregate Waste Properly

Here is a very simple yet ironically difficult tip to follow – separating waste accordingly. We have been used to throwing all kinds of trash in a single trash bin, but we don’t realize that by doing so, we make it difficult to help in recycling these garbage. Segregating them properly according to biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste makes it easier to identify which to recycle and reuse.

If you want to try more eco-friendly tips and share them with family or friends, visit and follow the official Primavera Residences Facebook page. The page regularly posts tips that are very doable and easy to follow. You can try them in your own homes. Your own little ways in saving the earth can go a long way in keeping Mother Earth a better place to live in.

Here are some tips from the Primavera Residences Facebook page.

Being the premier eco-friendly high-rise condominium in CDO, Primavera Residences has its full support in caring for our environment by joining the Earth Day Eco Fair at SM City Cagayan de Oro Atrium last April 22, 2014. The exhibit showcased the green and sustainable features of Primavera Residences.

Interested to know more about the first and only eco-friendly property in Cagayan de Oro and its green architectural design? Click here.

Green Photography Tips

Posted by Primavera Residences on March 11, 2014

Green Photography Tips from Mr. Ranke Lim of Oro Photographic Society

Going green is the new thing. From the use of recyclable materials in homes and in offices to renewable energy sources and even with photography, green is not only in, but it is slowly becoming a standard.

Photography is a popular hobby with many enthusiasts of all ages, but the term green photography may be non-standard to your ears. It may refer to taking images of nature, but it is not just about that.

What is green photography then?

The application of green photography refers to the responsible use of environmentally sustainable resources and showing environmental awareness in your photographs. Professional photographers and amateurs alike practice the value of being eco-friendly by being conscious and sensitive to the changes going on in their environment such as climate or weather change, increased global warming and pollution of different sorts, incorporating these factors in what they do.

The goal of green photography is to create positive impact to the environment by illustrating it in the images they take. This can be a challenge to many photographers out there as going green is still not commonly practiced by a lot us these days, or it is something that still overwhelms us.

How can you be a green photographer?

Here are a few simple tips:

1. Nature Always Makes a Perfect Subject

According to Mr. Ranke Lim, president of Oro Photography Club in Cagayan De Oro, in order to create stunning images of nature, the picture should tell a story. From macro to landscape, a photographer must employ the value of patience to be able to capture a perfect shoot at the right moment. Patience is what you need, even if takes waking up as early as 3am to capture the perfect sunrise or staying up all night so you won’t miss the star trail.

With green photography, the story in your picture must convey the message of taking care of the environment in ways you know how.

2. Application of Technical Know-How

As mentioned at the start of this article, green photography is not just about taking pictures of nature and eco-friendly subjects. More importantly, you must be equipped with basic photography knowledge and the use of your camera. Learn the importance of ISO, aperture, shutter speed and the use of filters to take your photos to the next level and to clearly portray your story.

3. Composition Makes or Breaks a Photo

Mr. Lim stressed that composition is one of the major essentials that makes or breaks a photo. You have to be able to let viewers appreciate nature by bringing them inside the image and invoke environmental awareness. As much as possible, a two-dimensional picture should create a three-dimensional effect. The foreground, middle ground and background with leading lines or S-curves should be able to guide the viewer to the story of your picture.

As a green photographer, your main contribution to becoming eco-friendly is to capture images with a message telling a photo viewer to make use of the three major R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle. With this, you are sure to make a difference in promoting a greener environment!

Mr. Ranke Lim is also one of the judges in the ongoing Earth Day Photography Contest by Primavera Residences. Make sure to incorporate these tips in your entries!

Get to know the premiere eco-friendly condo in Mindanao! Click here for more of going green tips.

How climate change is affecting lifestyle

Posted by Primavera Residences on November 19, 2013

Throughout the world landscapes are rapidly changing. The carving of mountains and the shaping of beaches have become abrupt, overnight miracles – or nightmares. This change has been brought about by the global change in temperature which has caused the weather patterns to be erratic, and recently, severe.

The island of Mindanao had seen better days when most of its areas were considered typhoon-free, experiencing mild, amicable weather. The tragedy of Sendong jarred not only Northern Mindanao but the rest of the island as well with torrential floods swallowing up communities. Just recently, typhoonYolanda with international name Haiyan slammed into the Visayan islands, decimating trees, homes and people’s lives. It packed winds of 235 kph (147 mph), gusts of up to 275 kph (170 mph), and a storm surge of 6 meters (20 feet).

The people started to be aware of the environment, of the depleting natural resources that have protected the land from devastation for so long.

It is not enough that we try to prevent further loss of our resources by preserving what is left. First, it is not practical as these are the sources of many of our basic needs. Second, preserving is different from conserving – the former being static, the latter being more active, enhancing.

It is therefore necessary that our lifestyles be molded to the advantage of the environment. For example, our basic need for shelter need not be too resource-extractive. Globally, there is already a move of opting for houses with an eco-friendly design.

In Cagayan de Oro, for example, a ‘green’ building had been put up which utilizes renewable energy and is structured with careful details based on the characteristics of nature. It utilized solar panels for its roofing and took note of the shades created by the different positions of the sun throughout the day to help maintain coolness in its interiors.

Another lifestyle change could be avoiding plastic bags when doing groceries or having take-away meals in Styrofoam. It adds to the pile of garbage, which, when not disposed properly, clogs the drainage system and adds to the problem of flooding.

There are several other things we can do to adapt to the changes and even mitigate the damage brought on by climate change. We only have to look closely at our natural environment and align our activities to its characteristics and movements.

Do you know that Cagayan de Oro is a pioneer in designing lifestyle with climate change? Click here to find out more.

Energy-Saving Tips for Kagay-anons

Posted by Primavera Residences on November 12, 2013

Many of us were born with a flood of light beaming down the fluorescent bulbs of emergency rooms. From then on, the magic of electricity has been with us, a part of our lives – so much so that we have taken it for granted.

But then we started experiencing power shortages – and in the middle of summer at that – and we realize that electricity is a limited resource after all. While varied groups are busy looking for more sources of energy, we can do our part by conserving this very valuable resource at home, in school, or at the office.

Here are some energy saving tips we can easily do:

Minimize the use of fans or air conditioning units at home. When you leave for school or office, draw in your curtains at the windows where you are sure the midday sun will be hitting the most. You will be able to keep a cooler temperature inside your house if you don’t allow the heat to come it. Have some of the beneficial sunshine early in the morning while you are preparing to leave.
Have plants inside and around your house. This may sound geeky but remember biology class? The transpiration activities of the plants around actually help keep your environment cooler. So bring in those green and leafy beings into your life.
Don’t charge your electronic gadgets overnight. This was a personal lesson I learned when I was younger and more careless. By doing so, you also save your gadgets from damage. This reminder, I am sure, has been run through us by our parents for a zillion times already and yet we don’t pay attention to it.
Check the wattage of your lamps. My father is very keen on this. Because he knows I always leave a light on at night, he checks if my bed lamp wouldn’t cost him bucks when the bill arrives.
Read books. You don’t only add to your knowledge but you also allow the television set or your computer to rest as you flip through those pages of make-believe.

With the environmental changes that we are experiencing now, our energy-saving acts should hopefully become habits of conservation.

Love Energy Saving Tips for Kagay-anons? Click here for more eco-friendly tips!

Tag: green tips