HEAL THE BAY

Team Profile

Name: Bemie Joy Dazon
Nickname: Bem
Gender: Female
Bithday: August 20, 1995
Age: 16
Mother: Ben Dazon
Father: Noemi Dazon
No. of Siblings: 3
Address: Marbel
High School: Saravia National High School
Year and Course: 1st Year BSEd Biology
Ambition: To be a Teacher
Motto: God is good all the time.

Name: Dayanara Adtogan
Nickname: Dhai
Gender: Female
Bithday: July 3, 1994
Age: 17
Mother:Josephine Adtogan
Father: Dajaran Adtogan
No. of Siblings: 5
Address: Koronadal Proper, Polomolok, South Cotabato
Elementary: Koronadal Proper Elementary School
High School: Pablo Valencia National High School
Year and Course: 1st Year - BSEd Biology
Motto: There's no loser to those person who keep on trying.

Name: Rahima Udtie
Nickname: Rahima
Gender: Female
Year and Course: 1st Year BSEd Biology
Ambition: To be a Biology Teacher
Motto: Time is gold.

Name: Jane Larida
Nickname: Shoebe
Gender: Female
Bithday: November 1, 1994
Age: 17
Mother: Joy Larida
Father: Joel Larida
No. of Siblings: 1
Tribe: Illonggo
Address: Agreda Subdivision, Koronadal City
Elementary: Bo. 9 Malaya Elementary School
High School: Mindanao Chinese School
Year and Course: 1st Year BSEd Math
Ambition: To be a successful lady someday
Motto: Learn from the past live for today and plan for the future.

Name: Pauline Oftana
Nickname: Paupau
Gender: Female
Bithday: March 29, 1995
Age: 17
Mother: Elsie Oftana
Father: Arsenio Oftana
No. of Siblings: 8
Tribe: Cebuano
Address: Christ the King Village, City Heights General Santos City
Elementary: GSC SPED Integrated School
High School: Alabel National Science High School
Year and Course: 1st Year BSEd Biology
Ambition: To be an Artist
Motto: Luke 1:37

Name: Anthony Lean Alonzo
Nickname: Lean
Gender: Male
Bithday: April 5, 1993
Age: 18
Mother: Elisa Alonzo
Father: Samuel Alonzo
No. of Siblings:2
Tribe: Ilocano/Waray
Address: J.P. Rizal St., Poblacion, Alabel, Sarangani Province
Elementary: Alabel Central Elementary School
High School: Alabel National Science High School
Year and Course: 2nd Year - BSEd Biology
Ambition: To be a teacher
Motto: It's better to be early hour than to be late one minute.

BEFORE

Theme

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Coastal cleaning is an activity wherein a group of individual is gathered to clean the coastal area aiming to promote zero waste into the seashore and to encourage the residents in the locale to help clean the area.

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). This occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. This also affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.
Our planet today is suffering from water pollution that is caused by human beings and so for this reason were the one that is responsible for this matter. Water pollution affects most of the fishes in the sea. They die because of garbage, due to the lack of oxygen that most of us human is at risk because we don't know if what did the fish eat. We might be food poisoned
so we must clean the seashore to at least minimize the amount of polluting waste in the shoreand to inculcate to the minds of the people in the community how important is coastal cleaning.

Coastal clean up isn't just about pollution clean up, it is also pollution prevention. People must be made aware that there will be no trashes to pick if people in the first place will not throw wastes especially the non-biodegradable ones any where much less on the beach where the waves will wash the wastes to the sea. studies show that a plywood that enters the sea decomposes only after three years. A cigarette butt that entered the ocean in 1986, starts to decompose in 1991 which is five years after. A styrofoam cup that enters the ocean decomposes only after eighteen years while it takes fifty years for a tin can to decompose. If one thinks it is shocking to know that it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle that enters the sea to decompose, wait till he is informed that it takes one million years for a glass bottle that enters the ocean to decompose.

The Philippines has 18,000 kilometer coastline that lies in the central tropic marine bio-diversity of the world, thus there is a need for volunteers to clean up along the coast or under sea. Coastal Clean Ups will not only promote recognition and facilitation of volunteerism. More so, it will show that volunteerism activity when properly managed could play a vital role in addressing environmental issues, pollution prevention and human development in general.

Helping mother nature by our own tiny little way and make history are main goals of this project based learning. This activity would greatly influence our future on teaching as our chosen endeavor.

Objectives

This coastal clean up aims

a.) to reach out to the community and make history through coastal clean-up

b.) to convey to the residents the awareness of the environmental issues arising in the locale

c.) to help motivate the young people of the area to also held a hand to their environment even in simple ways

Significance of the Activity

With this activity, people will be aware of the environmental issues arising in their area and motivate them to make a stand in helping promote responsible waste management in the barangay for a cleaner and greener environment.

Methodology

The group planned on what project shall be done for the project-based learning. We first thought of assissting garbage collection on a barangay but we knew that there have been people already paid for doing so. However, the group finally decided to merge with another group who will be having a coastal clean-up at Brgy. Bula.
The merged group inquired in the barangay if we may be permitted to conduct a coastal clean-up on March 17, 2012, Saturday, somewhere at its jurisdiction. Two copies of request letter was then sent for formal approval, one copy for the barangay and the other one for our documentation. After that, the two groups met to establish where the meeting place is, time and what to bring. It was agreed that the meeting place would be at Queen Tuna Park, 9:00 in the morning.

We left the meeting place at 10:30AM and arrived at Barangay Bula Hall at 11:00AM. The group then walked from there to the coastal area. Arriving at the site at 11:30, the group then started to clean the messy 25-meter area. Gathering the trashes and segregating the non-biodegradable from the biodegradable was done. A groupmate is actively taking pictures while the activity is on-going.
Not having the chance to have a picture taking with a barangay official, we turned our way back to the barangay hall to check if there is an official. Unfortunately, there was none. So we took pictures for each group and went back home safely.

Schedule of Activities

March 12, 2012 - Planning of Project
March 15, 2012 - Sending of Request Letter on the Target Barangay
March 17, 2012 - Coastal Clean-up Day

Materials

The material used during the coastal clean up are sacks and brooms.

Topical Content

Alarming Waste Problem in the Philippines

The Philippines is looming with garbage problems despite the passage of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or the Republic Act (RA) 9003.

2007 first quarter data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission shows that there are 677 open dumpsites, 343 controlled dumps, and 21 landfills in the country. An additional 307 dump sites are subject for closure or rehabilitation plans but without definite schedules for enforcement. About 215 additional landfills are being proposed to be set up nationwide.

About 1,000 open and controlled dump sites exist in the country. Prominent dumps all over the country can be found in Antipolo and Montalban in Rizal; Baguio City; Calapan, Mindoro Oriental; Carmen, Cagayan de Oro; Mandurriao, Iloilo City; Obando, Bulacan; and San Pedro, Laguna.

Environmentalists stress that Republic Act 9003 calls for the adoption of the best environmental practices in ecological waste management and explicitly excludes waste incineration as an ecological option. These polluting disposal facilities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere which adds to global warming.

Landfills and open dumps, according to studies, account for 34 percent of human-related methane emissions to the atmosphere, a global warming gas that has 23 times more heat-trapping power than carbon dioxide. These landfills and open dumps are illegal under RA 9003.

Incinerators, on the other hand, have significantly higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions (per kilowatt) than a coal-fired power plant when all of the carbon coming out of an incinerator stack is measured. Such emissions are banned by the country’s Clean Air Act.

Inaction on garbage contributes to the death of at least two persons every minute due to complications from environmental problems, which could be prevented if the country only developed a more efficient environmental management program.

Mismanagement of waste has serious environmental consequences: ground and surface water contamination, local flooding, air pollution, exposure to toxins, and spread of disease. Many of the disposal sites contain infectious material, thus threatening sanitation workers and waste-pickers.

Annual waste generation in the Philippines is expected to grow 40 percent by 2010. Improvements in recycling, collection, and disposal will become even more critical as garbage production continues to increase with population growth and economic development.

Past efforts to promote waste segregation at source have minimal impact despite the presence of Republic Act 9003. Most of these were barangay, city, and municipal ordinances providing for sanctions and penalties for non-compliance. Campaigns, seminars, trainings and other different community activities were implemented with the help of various private groups or NGO’s to pursue the objective of solving the garbage problem.

RA 9003 further calls for the establishment of materials recovery facilities, or ecology centers, in every barangay or cluster of a barangay. To date, only 1,923 ecology centers exist, serving 2,133 barangays of a total 41,975 nationwide. In Quezon City alone, only 52 barangays have established Materials Recovery Facilities out of a total of 142.

People’s Behavior Toward Waste

Behaviour is a key cultural aspect that is embedded in people’s way of life. Studying a community’s behavior and introducing new ones requires intensive, long-term, and creative social marketing. This can be done by studying the demographic and cultural fiber of the community through immersions and capacity building activities.

The Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies, Inc.’s (REECS) 2002 study on household waste management systems and the attitudes and behavior of the communities in two barangays in Metro Manila ( Bennagen, Nepomuceno, Covar, 2002) showed that:

1. Waste management is still perceived by many as the responsibility of government.

2. Public participation in waste management, especially in segregation at source, remains limited.

3. More extensive awareness- raising activities and training on ecological waste management are needed, together with stricter enforcement of the Law and local ordinances must be observed.

4. There is lack of community empowerment and political will to resolve the problem.

Recognizing the importance of the environment’s immediate recovery and effects of improper waste management to the Philippines, there is a need for understanding and reformation of attitudes and concern towards the protection of environment. The impending garbage crisis can be prevented if we only practice waste segregation at source, recycling, and composting as what the law requires. An intensive social marketing program has to be established on a long-term scale within a barangay – the smallest unit of the local government.

Decline of Natural Resources and Biodiversity

The Philippines is suffering from degradation of the natural environment. It has fifty major rivers now polluted due to abuse and neglect. Approximately two-thirds of the country's original mangroves have been lost. A hundred years ago, the Philippines had close to 22 million hectares of old growth forest. At the start of 2000, we had less than 600,000 hectares of old-growth forest left. In one century, we had cut down close to 97 percent of our original forest. A study by the Environmental Scientists for Social Change (ESSC) reveals that we have systematically cut this forest down and that we have not stopped its destruction and that of its core biodiversity.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) estimates that it takes over 4,000 liters of water to produce one kilo of rice. Because of the loss of forests, we have less water since most of our freshwater comes from watersheds found in forests. Therefore, loss of forests means loss of Food.

More than 400 plant and animal species found in the Philippines are currently threatened with extinction, including the Philippine eagle, the tamaraw, and the dugong. In 2001, 49 of the nation's mammal species, 86 bird species, and 320 plant species were threatened with extinction. Endangered species in the Philippines include the monkey-eating eagle, Philippine tarsier, tamaraw, four species of turtle (green sea, hawksbill, olive ridley, and leatherback), Philippines crocodile, sinarapan, and two species of butterflies. The Cebu warty pig, Panay flying fox, and Chapman's fruit bat have become extinct.

Climate Change and the Philippines

Recent scientific studies reveal that human activities have contributed significantly to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that causes climate change.

The Philippines is a hotspot for climate change disasters particularly the risk for agriculture and food security due to extreme El Nino and severe tropical cyclones. The spread of infectious diseases are influenced by fluctuations in climate variables, temperature, relative humidity and rainfall. Sever super typhoons like Reming that pummeled the Bicol region in 2006 destroyed at least $90-million worth of agricultural products and infrastructure.

Diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, cholera have increased throughout the years. Climate change impacts on coastal zones and marine ecosystems caused massive coral bleaching especially in 1998 due to elevated sea temperature and fish kills and red tides like the one that occurred in 1992 which was an El Nino period.

Scientists warned the Philippines could experience famine by 2020, as the adverse impact of global warming takes its toll on natural resources. Thousands will be displaced from their homes especially in low-lying coastal communities.

* Ecological Art (Eco Art)

The entire training program of Imagine Echo Projects will be focused on teaching about ecology through art. The modules help interpret and educate about indigenous Filipino and global worldviews on ecology, and creating art that reflects about nature and its processes including its problems. The teaching modules are founded on principles of deep ecology and integral sustainable development.

The study is concerned in teaching and creating artworks based on natural elements (earth, wind, fire, water) and principles of conscious and integral art. The information delivered will help establish a relationship with nature and develop sustainable ways of co-existence with the environment. It aims to reclaim and restore damaged ecosystems in artistic and aesthetic ways.

* Project Learning Tree

Project Learning Tree is an award winning, multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in PreK-grade 12. PLT, a program of the American Forest Foundation, is one of the most widely used environmental education programs in the United States and abroad. PLT uses the forest as a "window" on the world to increase students' understanding of our environment; stimulate students' critical and creative thinking; develop students' ability to make informed decisions on environmental issues; and instill in students the commitment to take responsible action on behalf of the environment.

* Project WET - Water Education for Teachers

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an award-winning, nonprofit water education program and publisher. The program facilitates and promotes awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and the establishment of internationally sponsored Project WET programs. Project WET is committed to global water education that is implemented at the community level. The mission of Project WET is to reach children, parents, educators, and communities of the world with water education. The goal of Project WET is to facilitate and promote the awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the development and dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and through the establishment of state and internationally sponsored Project WET programs.

* Moonrise Films

Films from the first environmental film festival in the Philippines have brought communities as far as Babuyan Islands to Mindanao, and all the way to Toronto Canada to witness pressing environmental issues in the Philippines. Bringing the issues directly in front of the community’s eyes, right on their location will significantly affect and bridge their understanding about the environmental realities the rest of the country faces.

Environmental Communication and Advocacy and Development of IEC Programs and Materials

Teaching environmental communication and advocacy tools will enhance the participating community members’ delivery and application of the principles they learned about the ecology and the environment.

* Ecological Solid Waste Management Trainings

Hands-on ESWM trainings educate householders – mothers, housekeepers, school management, and Baranggay officials on proper ecological solid waste management in a zero-waste framework, by teaching how to establish a waste segregation system, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), and development of a community garden for the use of compost from the eco-sheds.

General Santos City: “Adopt an Island” Program

There are numerous creative ways of taking on the task of beautifying the city extending beyond garbage management and the conventional activity of keeping and maintaining ornamental plants and trees around the city. General Santos City’s simple but creative project provides such example. Historically, General Santos City experienced the same fate as Central Luzon area with the eruption of a volcano 90 years ago. Many years have passed and the sight of lahar ashes are still evident especially along the uncemented roads of the city, making the place dusty. Planting and maintaining trees around the city help screen dust from the air. Thus as early as 1959, tree-planting as part of cleanliness and beautification project has been part of the major programs of the city. Considering the city’s economic boom in recent years resulting from the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the area and with the city’s vision to attract more investments and to make a mark in the international trade scene, the task of cleaning and greening the city has elevated to the level of aesthetics. With the big support of the city mayor, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) embarked on a program that would call for the development and maintenance of parks and road islands in the city. The city has two major parks and seven road islands which have to be developed and maintained. Recognizing the meager resources of the city and the need to instill responsibility of managing the environment with its people, a program was launched based on a concept called “Adopt An Island”.16 Basically, the program enjoins business establishments, academic institutions and NGOs to adopt (i.e. develop and maintain) a park or a road island. The city government formulated a landscape design of the parks and road islands. Then it forged an agreement with any of the aforecited groups to execute the plan and which shall then be in-charge of the maintenance as a partner of the city. The city’s role is to provide planting materials/seedlings needed in the specific area of adoption and to assist in daily watering activities. The city has forged agreement with the following groups: Cutflower Vendors Association, Plaza Photographers Association, Coca-Cola Bottling Philippines, Inc., Rotary Club of Dadiangas, RFM Corporation, Notre Dame Dadiangas College, Mindanao State University-CETD, and the General Santos City Garden Club, among others. A mark with the name of their group or association is placed in each island for people to know the original developer and the one which maintains the island. The city government has also enjoined the cooperation of the media particularly the Bombo Radio to monitor the performance of these partner groups in terms of how well they are maintaining their respective islands or section of the park by airing praises and/or complaints from people through their radio program. Recently, the Bombo Radio has also joined the program and adopted a road island to develop and continuously maintain.

The city government spent at least about P25,000 for each road island as initial funding for landscape design and purchase of planting materials. Thereafter, the government spends only a small amount for watering assistance as major maintenance cost is shouldered by the adopter or partner group. Other maintenance activities include weeding of the island’s peripheries, pruning or trimming as may be needed, insect spraying, painting of island fence etc. The sight of the road islands in the inner core of the city and the city parks have brought beauty to the city. It has also increased the people’s awareness and concern over the environment and provided them an opportunity to substantially contribute to the city government’s program which in the end will be to their benefit and interest.

General Santos City launches waste management campaign

General Santos City has taken a giant step in addressing its solid waste problem after a multi-sectoral initiative was launched last March 2, 2009 to promote the message of proper waste management.

Gracing the launch were US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, GenSan Mayor Pedro Acharon, Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, US Agency for International Development (USAID) country director Jon Lindborg, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Manage-ment Bureau Director Datu Tungko Saikol, business leaders, and local executives

The “Kampanya Kontra Basura” (campaign against waste) is a private-public sector information and communication initiative supported by stake-holders that include the city government of GenSan, the GenSan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GSCCCII), DENR-EMB, barangays, schools, and USAID through its Philippine Environmental Governance Project Phase 2 (EcoGov).

The project was fittingly launched in Barangay Lagao, the city’s largest barangay that hosts big business establishments including two malls, and a public market. The campaign will later cover other barangays in the city.

The information campaign aims to encourage business establishments to practice segregation, composting, and other sound waste management activities. GenSan’s businesses — food establishments, general stores, malls, industries, recreation centers, and service centers — contribute about 18 percent to the city’s estimated 300 tons of waste generated daily.

“The city’s waste problem is not the problem of one sector alone — it is our problem. That’s why everyone — may he belong to the public or private sector — has to pitch in and contribute to the solution,” said GSCCCII president Jan Ced.

GSCCCII’s role in promoting proper waste management in the city is crucial to long-term efforts to address GenSan’s waste concerns. The chamber is mobilizing all its 151 members to actively promote the campaign. EcoGov provided a $10,000-grant to the GSCCCII for the development and production of information materials such as posters, flyers, billboards and “green” shopping bags for the campaign.

“We in the private sector realize this. That’s why we are here to signify our commitment to support the city’s solid waste management program, and work with the barangays, the schools, the markets and other sectors,” Ced said. GSCCCII will also work closely with junkshops and consolidators in the city to make waste recovery more organized.

GenSan has already completed its 10-year integrated solid waste management plan with assistance from EcoGov. A special unit under the Office of the City Mayor has likewise been created to implement the plan.

For his part, Mayor Acharon called for unity among GenSan stakeholders, saying an 80-percent waste diversion level for biodegradable and recyclable waste can be achieved.

GenSan is projected to generate more than 300 tons of waste daily this year. Studies show that 66 percent of this is biodegradable — which can be turned into compost — and 16 percent are recyclable.

Much of GenSan’s wastes find their way into Sarangani Bay, thus threatening a major source of livelihood for the city’s residents and revenues for fishery and tourism related businesses.

Conclusion

We people must be essentially aware and concerned of the environmental issues going around especially in our local areas. The purity of nature must not be taken granted for we will never know how this purity could punish us if we would not take the responsibility of taking care of the environment. We people are the only existing creatures in this world who could ensure of our nature's good wellness for it is one of the most precious gifts that our Creator has endowed us.

WE MUST ACT NOW! Not tomorrow, not next month, not next year but TODAY. Even just simple things like segregation of biodegradable from the non-biodegradable wastes and proper disposal must be observed among us. Though little, but at least we could pay her for her great accommodation. Discipline is a virtue. All of us want to live on a clean and green surroundings and a healthy lifestyle, right? Change do not only start with letter C but also with 'I'.

AFTER

Did You Know?

(Amazing Facts About Nature)

> Bubble gum contains rubber.
> Bamboo plants can grow up to 90 cm in one day.
> Coca cola was originally green.
> Coca cola contains neither coca nor cola.
> The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.> Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite
.> Tomatoes and cucumbers are fruits.
> Lemons have more sugar than oranges.
> Honey is the only food that does not spoil.
> The speed of a typical raindrop is 27.4km per hour.
> Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.
> Killer whale is not species of whale but a type of dolphin.
> The ant can lift things 10 times its own weigh.
> Oysters can change from one gender to another and back again.
> Ocean waves can travel as fast as a JET Plane.
> To melt away 1 pound of fat you will need to walk 54.7km.> An elephant trunk has no bone but 40,000 muscles.
> A person will die from total lack of sleep sooner than from starvation.
> Polar Bears are nearly undetectable by infrared cameras, due to their transparent fur.
> A whale can swim for 3 months without eating.