In celebration of the National Zero-Waste Month, about 500 individuals from different organizations, local barangays, universities and schools walked through the streets of Dumaguete on Jan. 18 to demand that the local government, with the local businesses, make the waste crisis and climate emergency as top priorities.
They also urged the general public to shift to a Zero-Waste lifestyle.
One of the main rationales of the peaceful walk was to call for full implementation by the government of RA9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act), and strict enforcement of Ordinance No. 231 regulating the offering and selling of plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam packaging by establishments and vendors, and patronizing the use of reusable alternatives.
“We walk to celebrate Zero-Waste Month as we also celebrate the hard work that barangays Bantayan, Looc, Piapi, Calindagan, and Banilad are doing to be zero-waste communities,” said Merci Ferrer, convenor of War on Waste-Break Free from Plastic-Negros Oriental. As project manager of Zero-Waste Cities Project- Dumaguete, Ferrer also urged the public to take part in the movement to make Dumaguete a Zero-Waste City.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Gary Rosales of BPI Bayan and Kinaiyahan Inc., last week’s walk coordinator, explained that Zero-Waste does not actually mean not producing any bit of garbage each day, but making effective use of all possible resources economically to avoid wastage and scrap.
Zero Waste Youth advocate Mark Paitan also emphasized their role as prime movers in the acceleration and demand for change, as climate emergency has become defining issue of this generation.
The walk was also organized by the Friends of the Environment of Negros Oriental (FENOr), the SU Fine Arts department, Lipay Mundo Co., and the SU Student Government Environment Committee. It was supported by the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, ADUNA, Colegio de Sta. Catalina de Alejandria, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Boy Scouts of the Philippines, SU ROTC-Rover Scouts, SU CWTS, and Foundation University. (Wayne Banaybanay)
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});