The year 2005 ended with communities across central Philippines still carrying on the fight against those who dare violate their right to a clean and life-giving environment.

In Leyte, different towns have taken major strides to keep mining from destroying their farms again. Near the tourist paradise of El Nido in Palawan, vigilant law enforcers were rewarded for their efforts with the confiscation of yet another chainsaw. Korean engineers came to Cebu bringing incriminating data against the anomalous coal-fired power plant project of the Korean Power Corporation (KEPCO), while fisherfolk were educated on how to file cases against unscrupulous public officials.

If you haven't started putting your Earth-friendly new year's resolutions to action yet, you can begin on February 2, World Wetlands Day (no,Valentine's isn't the only red-letter day in February). Free your local wetlands--mangroves, marshes, rivers, lakes, coral reefs--from garbage and destructive projects. Tell all your neighbors how protecting wetlands is crucial to the food supply of billions of fish-eaters (that's practically the whole human population!), and to the safety of communities against tsunamis, floods, droughts, and water-related illnesses (now THAT'S the whole human race).

Though the world is still full of threats of deforestation, pollution, disappearing wildlife, and climate change, we at ELAC remain ever hopeful that the new year is also 365 more opportunities to make our Earth a better place to live in.