The morning event titled C.A.R.E. to Sikad unveiled two projects, namely the Orgs C.A.R.E. (Conscious Awareness of our Responsibilities to the Environment) and the SU Sikad followed by a campus clean up and a bikade/parade around Dumaguete City. Both projects aimed to foster a caring attitude towards the environment.
The campus clean up drive, wherein different student organizations are designated specific areas on campus they will have to keep clean throughout the semester, will function on an incentive-driven system that will be managed and evaluated by the SUSG committees on Student Organizations and Environment.
SUSG President Mahogany Rae Bacon said he hopes that by being responsible for the cleanliness of the campus, participating students will think twice the next time they throw their garbage and consequently, encourage their fellow students to properly dispose of their wastes.
The highlight of the event was the launching of the SU Sikad, a bicycle rental program for Silliman students.
Inspired by the University of the Philippines’ Padyak system, the SU Sikad project seeks to promote a healthy active lifestyle and create a mind shift from use of fuel-driven vehicles to alternative transport means that produce lesser or zero carbon emissions.
The SUSG recently purchased 16 bike units for this project whereby a student can rent a bike for only P250 each month for use on campus and within the City limits.
Students interested in renting a bike under the SU Sikad project are screened through an application process and renters are determined based on their projected average use of a bike, overall health, and living distance from the main campus.
The project has generated much interest from students, faculty, staff and alumni since its announcement on social networking sites earlier in the week.
The event also featured a booth for bike owners and users in Silliman to register their bikes with the SUSG EnviroCom as part of a campus-wide bike census that will help the SUSG lobby for more bicycle parking areas in SU.
Currently, there are too few bike racks visible, and bike users within the Silliman community are commonly observed to lock their bikes to fences and gates.
The SU student body was joined by other eco-warriors, health advocates, and civic organizations such as Friends of the Environment in Negros Oriental headed by Leo Mamicpic, 350.org, the Negros Oriental Bike Association (NOBA) headed by Romualdo Seneris, the SU Association of Biking Enthusiasts (SUABE) led by Dr. Earl Jude Cleope, and Gawad Kalinga.
