Fifty-eight college students from all over the country have learned their important greening mission in EDC’s first Binhi Youth Conference
Zephanie Marie Danieles, a
19-year-old business administration student of St. Paul University of Dumaguete
City, Negros Oriental, was already active in environmental causes. Hailing from
Siaton, she said Dumaguete and the province in general, hailed by many tourists
as a favorable rustic destination, has many environmental problems such as
improper waste disposal. When it floods in the city, trash is everywhere. Air
pollution is also a problem, which is why they encourage walking and biking in
this city said to have the most motorbikes in the country. Outside Dumaguete,
there is a lot of mining, she said. Wanting to disprove the belief that they
are the apathetic generation, she called on people to “act now.” “Time is not
our ally,” she said.
Danieles was one of the 58 student
leaders from universities and colleges all over the Philippines
who participated in the first Binhi Youth Conference (BYC), organized by Energy
Development Corporation (EDC), a company in the Lopez ground involved in developing
geothermal and other renewable energy sources. It was held from November 15 to 17, 2012,
at the Eugenio
Lopez
Center
in Antipolo
City,
Rizal.
With the Binhi conference, Danieles
was able to connect with fellow students who share her passion, and gain more
knowledge and new perspective on environmental issues. She and other students
resolved to do more for the environment.
“Initially, I will educate the
people around me on the importance of biodiversity. Being a biology student of
UPVTC, I would like to serve my purpose and also let my purpose serve me”
stated Carlito Cabo Jr. from the University of the Philippines
in Tacloban
City,
Leyte.
On the other hand, Kristina Vade
Santos of Ateneo de Davao said, “As a student, it’s the simplest way I can
influence others to protect the environment. I will be a good leader and role
model first in my classroom, then in my division, to the whole school, and to the
community. This may be simple but I believe that simple things can have great
impact on a wider scale if we start doing it now.”
Rolan Ben Lorono from Negros
Oriental
State
University
in Dumaguete
City
said he will lead fellow students in reforestation, while Jonathan Bayaton,
also from Dumaguete
City,
said he has already started collecting and planting endemic and indigenous tree
species.
“I will promote waste segregation
and impart to my schoolmates the value of restoring premium native species in
preserving biodiversity, to encourage all of us to be united in protecting
Mother Earth,” said Rhoel Marcelo from Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Jonathan King Janer of Sorsogon
State College pledged to implement Binhi in their organization, the Philippine
Society Mechanical Engineers.
“Now, that I have found my career
path, I will make a positive change by helping to fulfill the conference’s
mission of nurturing a wealthy and healthy environment not only for my own
generation but even for our children’s children,” said Mary Chris Nierves, an
environmental management student of the Visayas State University.
The conference was also a venue
where EDC, the leading geothermal energy company in the Philippines
with five sites around the country, was able to make known one of its primary
corporate responsibilities (CSR), which is environmental conservation.
According to botanist Agnes de Jesus of EDC, EDC, formerly the Philippine
National Oil Company, began its CSR in 1987 with community relations in their
sites. In 2005, the CSR expanded to include health, education, livelihood and
eventually environment programs. Environment remains to be a flagship cause for
EDC. Launched in 2008, Binhi is a nationwide 10-year reforestation and
biodiversity restoration project of the Lopez group, pledging 1,000 hectares of
forests every year. It specifically aims to “restore the Philippine forest
diversity and gene pool of the premium tree species; enhance the country’s
ecological diversity; and support livelihood of the host communities.” The
conference is part of the “Binhi movement” which aims to encourage the youth to
initiate and sustain environmental awareness and protection projects within
their own schools and communities. It gathered the best students from schools
around and near their sites.
The first day of the conference was
dedicated to lectures with Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Undersecretary Annaliza Teh explaining the National Greening Program, which
aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of degraded and denuded
forestlands in six years; and Climate Change Commissioner Naderev Saño talking
about climate change issues and trends.
An important lecture was given by
Dr. Perry Ong, a professor from the University of the Philippines’
Institute
of Biology.
He revealed that the deforestation and exploitation of resources were rapid in
the past century, after the country gained independence. The amount of
deforestation and exploitation are much higher than during the Spanish and
American periods combined. He also deplored the fact that the youth are
ignorant about the country’s native and endemic flora and fauna.
Ong also emphasized knowledge in
environmental efforts. “Hindi porket green, maganda na,” he
said.
The popular activity of tree-planting
can be harmful to the environment if one doesn’t have knowledge of trees. It is
imperative to plant native and endemic trees rather than foreign species that
can wreck havoc on native ecology.
Aside from the lectures,
participants went through a workshop on leadership and public speaking,
conducted by management consultant Rodolfo de los Reyes. They also participated
in tree-planting and team-building activities. EDC’s resident foresters gave
them instructions and tips on proper tree planting methods. Seedlings, which
were purely premium endangered Philippine species such as apitong, dao,
ipil, kamagong, molave and yakal-saplungan, were planted by the
delegates at the Eugenio
Lopez
Center.
They also made project proposals, from which the best was picked, judged based
on their compatibility with Binhi, viability, strategic content, and
replicability. The best proposal was made by the team from the University
of Southeastern Philippines,
a regional state university in Davao
City,
receiving cash prizes and a project support grant from EDC in the form of
budgetary provision and technical assistance from the CSR and watershed
management departments for the implementation of its program. Their proposal is
to design, produce and market T-shirts made from recycled materials. Each
T-shirt will come with a packet of seeds of a Binhi tree that the buyer can
plant. Proceeds from the shirt sales will be for the construction and
maintenance of an on-campus greenhouse for students of their university to be
able to study and culture rare and endangered native tree species.
Runners-up were St. Paul University
of Dumaguete and University
of St. La Salle
in Bacolod
City.
The top three projects will see implementation this year and will be showcased
at road shows that EDC will conduct for the 2013 Binhi Youth Conference.
The participants still keep touch with each other through
the BYC Facebook page and by following EDC’s Twitter account (@edcenergy),
where they discuss environmental issues, share their activities, and inspire
families and friends to care for the environment.
Leadership and public speaking workshop conducted by management consultant Rodolfo de los Reyes
Carlito Cabo Jr. (middle) of UP Tacloban committed to help promote rainforestation to save native flora and fauna. His schoolmates Daniel Licayan and Norlyn Marmita also pledged to participate in various greening programs to promote Binhi
This tire lift challenge was one of the most difficult stages in the Binhi Amazing Race as it required the participants’ team work and shrewdness to lift the tire without touching the pole
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