(from left) Rovilson Fernandez, Janine Gutierez, Earth Hour Philippines National Director Atty. Gia Ibay, WWF-Philippines President and CEO Joel Palma, Iza Calzado and Mark Nelson. Photo by Clarizel Abanilla
As the countdown for the countrywide hour-long energy shut down draws near, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) encouraged Filipinos to join the Earth Hour 2018 with the theme #ConnectToEarth.
This year, Earth Hour Manila’s staging will come home to the iconic Cultural Center of the Philippines, the venue of the first Earth Hour switch-off event ten years ago, on March 24.
Annually, Earth Hour attracts millions of people around the world to converge at major world landmarks, cities and communities to hold switch-off events for 60 minutes starting 8:30 p.m. as a sign of commitment to address the plight of the planet and its inhabiting people.
As ambassadors of WWF, actresses Iza Calzado and Janine Gutierrez believe that saving the planet does not necessarily require huge efforts. In fact, for them, simple disciplinary actions are humankind’s greatest contribution to conserving and saving what’s left of mother Earth.
For Iza, the problem on plastics is among the most destructive environmental concerns. Seeing plastic materials everywhere is a disappointing illustration of lack of discipline among Filipinos.
“Wala ‘yung mindfulness sa pagtapon ng basura (There is no mindfulness when it comes to disposing trash). Actually one thing also sometimes I can’t find basurahan (trash bin) so there also has to be proper disposal. Especially us living in the city, when you’re walking, it takes you forever to find a garbage bin. Kaya nagtatapon kasi ‘yung iba nawalan na rin ng pasensya (Others just litter because they run out of patience looking for a bin). We also have to make sure that we have all the tools to help people become more mindful of their garbage disposal,” she said at the recently held press conference of WWF for Earth Hour 2018.
Citing for an example is the use of straws for drinking, especially on the beach where tourists are mostly welcomed with refreshing beverages with plastic straws. What she does is she brings her own jug to ease on the use of plastic containers in her own little way.
Although there were times she was guilty of using plastics because there was no other choice, she still strives hard as much as possible to discipline herself because she cares for the environment.
At home, the award-winning actress strictly instructs her house help to turn off all lights and unplug appliances that are not in use. More than saving on electric consumption, she is at least putting in a sincere personal effort to conserve on the supplies of mother Earth.
“Small ways, like I said, turning off the faucet, I really have faith for tumutulong tubig (saving dripping water). Meron din naman akong guilt (Sometimes I’m guilty) of letting the water run until it gets hot, eh kasi naman hindi ko talaga kaya ‘yung malamig (because I can’t handle cold water). Kaya nagsasacrifice na lang ako sa ibang bagay (That’s why I sacrifice in other ways). Turning off lights and saving on energy consumption. People don’t get it, feeling nila nagtitipid ka lang sa pera hindi lang ‘yun eh (they think they’re just saving money but that’s not all it is),” she added.
Janine also echoed the same sentiments. She said she has been avoiding plastics as much as she could, but since becoming an ambassador for WWF, she became even more concerned and conscious about what she does for the environment.
“It’s really I think about awareness. Katulad ng sinabi ko ‘yung pagiging ate ko medyo ginamit ko din ‘yung pagka ambassador ko sa bahay kasi I try to be an example to my siblings sa pagdala ng steel straw kahit bibili ka ng kape sa labas; kung pwede ka magdala ng sarili mong baso to avoid excess waste, ganon,” she said.
(Like what I said, I use my position as an ambassador in my being an older sister at home because I try to be an example to my siblings in bringing a steel straw when buying coffee and bringing my own glass to avoid excess waste.)
Citing traveling as one of the favorite pastimes of her fellow millennials, she’s more conscious now of thoroughly researching about the places she’ll go to and the activities there to find out if any sort of human intervention will cause harm to the place’s flora and fauna.
“Kung pupunta ka sa zoo, or you’ll go see the butandings kung may gagawin kang makaka-harm sa kanila doon sa ecosystem, or sa environment or sa animals. Malaking bagay din talaga to be a responsible and green traveler,” she said.
(If you’re going to the zoo or you’ll see the whale shark, find out if your actions could harm their ecosystem or their environment or even on the animals. It’s important to be a responsible and green traveler
WWF call to action to Filipinos
Using the official hashtag, #Connect2Earth, WWF-Philippines encourages everyone to harness the power of social media and help share the commitment to a “one planet lifestyle” by sharing stories and photos of their sustainable living actions to care for the planet’s biodiversity via the Earth Hour Philippines event page that will go live by March 1.
Other WWF-Philippines ambassadors include “Ang Pinaka” host Rovilson Fernandez and host/model Mark Nelson. /je