“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and one another.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Mharfel Milanes was one of the Smartmatic’s
team leaders in an unusual but memorable teambuilding activity of our colleagues
in the Philippines. They had the opportunity to join the Haribon Foundation and plant 200 seedlings; while also
reconnecting with nature, making a lasting contribution to Sierra Madre’s sustainability,
and enjoy a fun trekking day with stunning views of Rizal, Laguna (100 km south
of Manila.)
The idea consolidated after Mharfel started researching
potential teambuilding activities for the staff. “It occurred to me to do
something for the environment. Given that during the elections project there
were millions of paper ballots printed, I thought it would be perfect to pay
back to nature.” However, Mharfel’s environmental consciousness was just the
first step that ignited a significative response from the team.
18 people attended the event (70% of total EEs
in the Philippines), even though it meant jumping very early from the comfort
of their beds. The assembling time on Reforestation Day was 4:30 am since the
venue was outside Manila.
Nevertheless, Mharfel and other participants
assure us that it was worthy, as the activities flowed smoothly during the
whole day. “We received an overview of the natural reserve venue chosen for the
activity, and the representatives of the Foundation taught us how to do the
seedling plantation. We then formed four groups, each one with a leader to
support and guide his/her team. After completing ‘the mission,’ we celebrated
by climbing to the top of the mountain. We truly enjoyed the beautiful views of
the forest and lakes around the area.”
Our partner for this activity -the Haribon Foundation- has been implementing for several years a conservation project in the Sierra Madre, the longest mountain range in the Philippines. According to Birdlife.org “the Sierra Madre supports one of the largest remaining forest blocks and one of the richest wildlife communities known from any forest area in the country. Aside from its rich biodiversity, it also serves as a water catchment for the major urban center of the Philippines – Metro Manila.”
The occasion allowed the Smartmatic volunteers
to do much more than planting trees. It provided an unique opportunity to
practice solidarity, physical exercise and reconnect with people and the
landscape. For Mharfel, the top three highlights of the event were: contributing
to the preservation of the ecosystem in the area, working together as a team to
achieve one common goal, and creating awareness of the damage done to the
environment.
It was the first event of such nature for the
Philippines team. However, a seed of commitment for conservation and
reforestation initiatives was sown in the volunteers. They learned and shared
not only the Haribon Foundation values, but they also reflected upon what
actions can we do at a personal level to promote reforestation and preserve the
environment.
We cannot wait to hear about similar events in
the future!
About Haribon Foundation
The Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Inc.
is a membership organization committed to nature conservation through community
empowerment and scientific excellence. Hatched in 1972, it is the pioneer
environmental organization in the Philippines. It’s natural and social
scientists work with communities and people from all levels governance to
promote biodiversity conservation. It is the current convenor of the Rainforest
Restoration Initiative (RFRI), a network of 14 national and international
organizations that promotes rainforestation. These groups have collectively
restored 22,000 hectares of forest cover throughout the country since 2005. The
RFRI has conducted hundreds of tree-planting activities in provinces, such as
Rizal, Quezon, Zambales, Laguna, and Surigao del Sur.
No comments:
Post a Comment