Environment
OFFSETTING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
DPWH 6 joins tree planting, coastal clean up By ANNA PHILIPPA G. NAVA
Climate change is perhaps the deadliest and the most relevant environmental problem that humanity is currently facing. We experience climate change every day in the most palpable and salient of ways. I’m writing this article in the middle of November, the time when the weather is usually cool, and yet it is overwhelmingly hot outside. The undeniable fact is: days are getting hotter while typhoons are getting stronger and more erratic. When faced with the problem of climate change, we tend to feel small and in our fear, anxiously ask ourselves what we can do to save our planet. However, the problem is not just about what we do but also how we go about it.
International Coastal Clean-up
Last September 20, 2019 DPWH Region VI joined in the annual International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) held along the coast of Brgy. Calaparan, Arevalo, Iloilo City. Dedicated employees from each and every division participated in the activity, eager to help the environment in any way they can. Through the clean-up, the ICCD aims to instill in the people an environmental awareness—which is currently becoming more necessary especially in the midst of our planet’s worsening climate crisis. The ICCD seeks to promote the health of our oceans by educating the people of the behaviors that cause pollution. With the Philippines being an archipelago, it is important that the surrounding waters are clean and healthy. As Iloilo becomes more urbanized, it’s easy to get caught up in the new developments around the city. The quick pace in urbanization tends to make people forget about the environment. This makes holding activities like tree planting and clean-ups all the more important. Great leaps are bound to inspire change and the Department of Public Works and Highways Region VI aims to do just that. By participating in tree planting and cleanup activities, DPWH is taking giant leaps to help the environment in every way that they can.
Tree Planting and Clean-up Drive
On July 13, 2019, 80 employees and officials from the DPWH Regional Office VI, along with other participating agencies, joined in the tree planting and clean-up activity led by Mayor Jerry Treñas in Jaro, Iloilo City. At least 3,000 saplings of Neem, Fire, and Caballero trees were planted during the activity, marking the event a success. Tree planting is always cited as one of the simplest ways people can mitigate the effects of climate change and to an extent, it is. As we all know, trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, hence, it is important to conduct such rehabilitation efforts. Along with the tree planting activity, a clean-up was also conducted in order to promote proper waste management.
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Volume I • Number 1
