SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT ONE STRAW AT A TIME

Written by:

JCI Surigao Nickel

Urgent times call for urgent solutions. Looking around us, what we see are endless plastics littering our environment. People throw their litter everywhere, what’s worse is that these do not degrade and will be polluting our environment for years and years to come. They will greatly affect our environment and the communities that depend and live in it. Plastics are also ingested by wildlife contributing to their death. These not only affect the flora and fauna around us, but our communities as well. These micro plastics may also enter our bodies when we ingest food from animals who have ingested plastics. This is a web of danger and destruction which must be halted and solved. Our actions, be small or great, create impact. What matters is that our actions make an impact to ourselves, our community, and the world. The impact that creates ripples and waves is what matters the most, making everyone aware of the problems and solutions that can address them. It all starts with us.

Making a difference, a stride, crosses the mind as we live our daily lives. To combat plastic pollution, JCI Surigao Nickel headed by its 2020 Local Organization President Henry Ace M. Kang thought of an innovative alternative. When the stars aligned, the fated meeting had to happen between Pres. Ace and the Rice Straws. Seeing the opportunity to create a lasting and meaningful impact that leads to positive change for the individual, the community, and the nation as a whole – STRAWnger We RICE – was born. Acknowledging the impact this has for all, as one JCI Philippines family, collaboration and connection with other chapters were inevitable to make a wider impact for everyone.

Rice Straws are natural and biodegradable making them the best alternative to plastic straws. This will hopefully eliminate single use plastics, one straw at a time. By adopting and introducing Rice Straws to our friends and community, we are making them aware of alternatives that bring us closer to a zero waste lifestyle.

More and more individuals and chapters are taking action for sustainable development. As JCI promotes and supports free enterprise, it must be coupled with taking care of the venvironment and our communities through sustainable business practices. We are revitalizing partnerships for sustainable development by engaging JCI chapters throughout the country. We connect everyone in creating a positive impact that leads to an engaging future for all. By supporting these activities, we also support the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all – the United Nations Development Goals. We support our communities’ good health and well-being by eliminating plastics from the food chain and the risk of animals and ourselves ingesting micro plastics. From eliminating single use plastics, we promote cleanliness, sanitation, and a healthy ecosystem on land and below water. Being natural and biodegradable, we support innovation in searching and providing solutions in combating plastic pollution in our communities. Rice straws also make us aware of the responsible consumption and production by ensuring that supplies and raw materials must be sustainable in the long term. All these help us create sustainable communities for all.

We can all be part of the solution in creating a more sustainable future for all.