Be the change: Think Green

CAGAYAN DE ORO. Proud Liceo HS graduates with their mahogany seedlings—Jennifer Gabatan RN, Dr. Susan Gironella-Camomot, Gloria Cacho entrepreneur, and Atty. Sylvia Jo Sabio (Dean XU Law). [The writer at the back.] (Hannah Victoria Wabe)
CAGAYAN DE ORO. Proud Liceo HS graduates with their mahogany seedlings—Jennifer Gabatan RN, Dr. Susan Gironella-Camomot, Gloria Cacho entrepreneur, and Atty. Sylvia Jo Sabio (Dean XU Law). [The writer at the back.] (Hannah Victoria Wabe)

IT’S high time everyone becomes green minded (not the pervy, kinky kind). We all need to keep the environment in our heads because Mother Earth is decaying at breakneck speed right before our very eyes. It’s really sad because we are all stewards of this planet we call home, but majority don’t care that forests are being wantonly harvested and rapidly replaced by concrete jungles.

Ironically, most people are just skilled at complaining about the excessive heat, flooding, and/or pollution, but there’s a failure to actually address the root cause. Have you ever wondered what kind of planet you are going to leave your children’s children?

With many visuals present in social media of denuded forests, murky rivers, and garbage filled bodies of water, the future seems bleak. What a very scary thought! Thankfully, we all have the power to change the future based on what we do today.

With this advocacy in mind, the Liceo de Cagayan University Alumni Association spearheaded a tree planting activity called, Kinaiyahan, which actually means NATURE. Along the hills of Calacapan, Indahag, CDO, last Ninoy Aquino holiday, participants came in their respective batch shirts ready to get soiled (can’t resist the pun). And touch the soil they did!

The alumni took advantage of their day off from work to commune with nature. It was also a chance to prove that environmental responsibility is not a mere buzz word. The participants were able to plant 300 mahogany seedlings provided by the Cagayan de Oro City Local Environment Resources Office (Clenro). Loving the earth should not be a mere feeling, but it certainly requires concrete action.

We have all been saying for years that our world seems to be getting hotter and hotter. Thus, it makes perfect sense to plant more trees as they soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide. It’s really not rocket science. Ever since we were all in elementary, we’ve been taught more trees equate to more shade and more oxygen. Planting more greens mean a cooler and cleaner environment. It also means preserving the habitat of animals.

Aside from that, trees provide us watersheds where we get our drinking water from. Trees also protect the environment by preventing soil erosion, landslides, siltation, and flooding. Many of us don’t think about this, but erosion of top soil causes us to lose valuable agricultural soil to our dams, rivers, and the sea. Ever wonder why our CDO river is murky brown? The denuded forests and mining practices are the main culprit. Sadly, this also impacts water quality resulting to water pollution, which then affects the robust marine life.

Let’s not wait for another wakeup call in the form of Sendong, Pablo, or Vinta. We need more trees and we need more people that care. One of the things I personally appreciated in the Kinaiyahan tree-planting activity is that children were welcome. My husband and I were able to bring our 3 kids to the event. Granted they were sad to wake up at 5:30 a.m. on a school holiday, but when we got there, they were able to appreciate the sense of community and excitement of the participants doing this noble, but often neglected, task.

We can all talk about caring for the environment until we are blue in the face, but nothing will ever change if we are not conscious of our behavior. Telling our children to be concerned for the environment is never enough. Children hear good advice, but they imitate good example. We have to make our children aware not just through words but thru deeds. They are the biggest stakeholders in the preservation of our environment.

Saving the Earth all depends on our collective efforts. Every little thing we do to contribute daily adds up. We must take care of the environment and treat each day like Earth Day. Plant a tree today!

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