EVENTS buzzing with the word “sustainability” have been happening in Negros Island left and right these past few weeks.
For a visitor looking from the outside, it is phenomenal, how the people of Negros are “woke” or enlightened with the concept of a sustainable society, in terms of its programs for biodiversity conservation, organic agriculture, responsible tourism, and the like.
This is especially true this past November as we have not run out of events on the island to raise more awareness on sustainability. We have been asked, are we truly sustainable? We are yet to present statistics or technical specifications to gauge if we are indeed heading to a sustainable future. Do we – the people of Negros in all walks of life – have a collective understanding of what it really takes for our island to be sustainable?
Often, we would see persisting problems and have doubts about whether Negros is sustainable. A few of these issues are declining fish catch, inadequate health care, floods, power outages, and improper solid waste management. Some of these problems are deeply rooted in our consciousness and culture, that we may just surrender and declare we cannot change.
We do not surrender. This is to me the first thing about sustainability – that there is enough critical mass and inter-generational effort to strive for a society that develops and “meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Bruntland Report for the World Commission on Environment and Development, Rio Earth Summit, 1992)
As a people, Negrosanons have displayed resilience over centuries. To me, this has nurtured our spirit of being resourceful and forward-thinking about what is “sustainable.”
And this spirit lives on, not just with seasoned Negrosanons but with the millennials and an even younger movement. This mindset for learning and unlearning supports our passion for a sustainable island economy and facilitates social change we need.
The changes we seek for a sustainable society are coming from long-term, continuous conditioning that may span decades. This is what I believe what’s happening in Negros: All these events to celebrate sustainability are being ingrained in Negrosanon’s consciousness, so we develop a sustainable way of life as a standard for the future. (Or present!)
This November 2018 was the 14th Provincial Wildlife Month and everywhere in Negros Occidental, we see multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure that habitats and species are protected.
From November 27 to 29 the Provincial Environment Management Office of Negros Occidental sponsored a Marine Mammal and Whale Shark Stranding Response and Rescue Training for technical personnel and focal persons from 25 local government units, agencies, and non-government organizations in Mambukal. Through these events, we have expressed how wildlife is important to us.
The fourth Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival last November 28 to December 1 was a beautiful testament of how we prioritize food supply being sustainably produced. The festival is on the radar of national and international interest as Negros Island has been a strong advocate of organic agriculture for some time now. One international partner this year is Rei Yoon, CEO of Soil and Organic Movement Inc. Korea, who led a natural farming training for local farmers and agriculture scholars, from November 28 to 30, in CICM Talisay. From the looks of these events, we are already seeing the next-in-line for sustainable agriculture and for “Greening Negros Island.”
Greening was a running theme for Negros as it also prioritizes sustainable tourism. We use “green” to indicate actions, policies, and programs to ensure our tourism industry contributes positively to the triple bottom line of economic growth, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability. With the current and potential market, it is important that local government units (LGUs), the private sector, and communities work together to aim for indicators of a successful and equitable tourism industry in Negros.
Through the Provincial Tourism Office, a workshop was held on November 29 at the Capitol Social Hall for “Greening the Tourism Value Chain,” with a follow-up on December 21 at Capitol Central. This event series speaks volumes about how Negros positions itself as a sustainable travel destination through an action plan crafted in 2014 and updated this year.
It is also a wonderful coincidence that the Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions or Events (Mice) Convention 2018 was simultaneously held in Bacolod City on November 27 to 29 with the theme, “Towards a Connected and Sustainable Community.”
We also appreciate efforts from LGUs such as in the City of Sipalay. I have written in my previous columns about my admiration for this city as it is very serious about good environmental governance, building on its strengths on marine conservation and solid waste management. On November 27 to 28, and on December 12 to 13, Sipalay City Government is training stakeholders from the ground for ethical and safe wildlife interaction as part of its campaign for responsible tourism practices.
While we are celebrating these milestones of environmental consciousness in Negros Island, we still have to pay attention to developments threatening our island’s sustainability. We should keep remembering the Irrawaddy dolphins in Bago-Pulupandan waters are symbols of what could be lost forever if we are not wise about constructing a bridge right at their habitat. The mangroves in Hinoba-an, they are not voiceless, they speak to us about what could go wrong if we break ships instead of them supporting life.
Talk of a coal-powered energy facility in San Carlos is spreading again like wildfire and we need to look at this devil in the eye. We want clean energy. Also, the energy that does not encroach in our protected areas. There is technology for renewables and we will be the generation to make renewable energy the standard. This generation will gather in Bacolod, Negros for Kampo Klima on December 21 to even have a deeper understanding of what it takes for Negros not only to be sustainable but to address climate change with the rest of the world.
For Negros to be truly sustainable, we use these annual or seasonal events to remind us, to condition us, and to train us in our path to sustainability. Now that we’re awakened, let’s walk the talk.