THERE will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. This is according to projections based on a study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British registered charity which works to inspire generations to re-think, redesign and build a positive future circular economy.
This could be our future, and it does not look good.
If this is unacceptable to you, the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc. (PRRCFI), in partnership with SM City Bacolod, invites the community to join SweepWalk this Saturday, July 7, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The walk will start at 21st Lacson Streets all the way to the north wing of the SM mall, a distance of approximately three kilometers.
Sweep is also an acronym for Sea Waste Education to Eradicate Plastic and the SweepWalk is a timely campaign for #PlasticFreeJuly.
What is SweepWalk? It’s simply just walking and picking up litter along the way. One activity is good for your health, the other is good for the planet’s health. What makes it impactful is the community banding together for a fun and friendly activity to clean up a section of the city.
For PRRFCI executive director Dave Albao, the SweepWalk builds and strengthens the community. “We are coming together to face our shared challenges; one challenge we have in Bacolod is our solid waste management and as a community, we have to ask ourselves, what can we do?”
This is the PRRFCI’s biggest SweepWalk yet. “We want to engage more people in Bacolod to be aware of our solid waste management, and to act and reduce the flow of plastic to the ocean,” added Albao.
The PRRFCI also welcomes SM City Bacolod as a collaborating partner for more concrete solutions to plastic waste. “SweepWalk is a campaign SM is wholeheartedly supporting,” said Nep Grandea, mall marketing manager. “As a corporate citizen, we are glad that our mall can be the connection that would encourage our community of mallgoers and tenants to reduce and recycle plastic.”
It’s free to join SweepWalk. Let’s all raise awareness of how much litter lines our streets and parks – waste that ultimately ends up in the ocean. If you agree that #MoreFishNotPlastic belongs in our seas, this is the perfect low-impact exercise that will give you that high-impact feeling of doing your share for the environment.
Here’s a SweepWalk bonus: make new friends along the way.
To join, head over to Facebook and search for the event SweepWalk! Bacolod, or visit the PRRFCI-Sweep page @sweep.ph to register. Need more information? Contact Sweep Project Officer Gisselle Guillermo at 09173200483 or SM City Bacolod marketing department at 4680168. (PR)