STATION OF THE TREE

TO mark the Lenten season this month, government agencies and private sector groups were invited to attend a “Station of the Tree” to be held at the 26-hectare city government owned property in sitio Catives II, barangay Guba, Cebu City.

Councilor Nida Cabrera said the city government-led activity falls on April 22, Good Friday which also happens to be Philippine Earth Day. The councilor said the activity will help Cebu City residents renew their relationship with God through tending his creation.

Various indigenous trees will be planted in the site and will be named after the barangays and other places in Cebu City. The tree-planting activity is also sponsored by Smart Communications, the Sto. Niño Social Center, Philippine Earth Justice and Nature Foundation. It will be participated in by barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation officials in the city.

The Cebu City Council approved a resolution authorizing the conversion of their property into a communal forest area. Cabrera's resolution cited the declining forest cover of Cebu City that was caused by the increase in expansion of upland settlement as well as the conversion of lands to non-forest uses and wood requirements. She said through reforestation, Cebu City can enhance environment stability and sustainability and provide food security as well as poverty alleviation and economic development to the urban poor.

The lot is a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS ACT) of 1992.

http://cebudailynews.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/%E2%80%98station-of-the-tree%E2%80%99-to-open-on-good-friday/

EARTH DAY: BRIEF HISTORY

On April 22, 1970, Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator, founded the first Earth Day in an attempt to bring about a better understanding of the affect we have on our planet, and calling us to take action to make positive environmental changes in our community. The first Earth Day was attended by 20 million Americans nationwide, from college campuses to town halls, and giant teach-ins were organized in New York City and Philadelphia, the latter event turning into a seven-day event known as Earth Week.

This small attempt to start something of this scale on the national level brought millions of people to band together in their neighborhoods, starting grassroots campaigns to help revolutionize the way we handled waste, recycling, power consumption, and conservation in general. That event set a powerful precedent for the rest of the world, eventually inspiring more than 140 nations all around the globe to have their own Earth Days.

By the year 1990, over 200 million people on Earth were participating in the event, making it one of the most-attended organizational activities ever created, even being called “the largest secular holiday in the world” by the Earth Day Network, the nonprofit organization that is in charge of the event on an annual basis since its inception in 1990.

http://earthday2011.org/

TREES FOR TOMORROWS CHILDREN

An old man was planting a tree, then somebody asked him why he plants that which he cannot live long enough to enjoy its fruit. The old man answered; 'just as my grandparents planted a tree to which I've been nourished, so I plant for my grandchildren.'

PERSONAL NOTE: TRIBUTE TO MAMA

Mama, thank you for who I am
Thank you for all the things I'm not
Forgive me for the words unsaid
For the times I forgot.

Mama remember all my life
You showed me love, you sacrificed
Think of those young and early days
How I've changed along the way
[along the way]

And I know you believed
And I know you had dreams
And I'm sorry it took all this time to see
That I am where I am because of your truth
And I miss you, yeah I miss you

Mama forgive the times you cried
Forgive me for not making right
All of the storms I may have caused
And I've been wrong, Dry your eyes
[dry your eyes]

Cause I know you believed
And I know you had dreams
And I'm sorry it took all this time to see
That I am where I am because of your truth
And I miss you, I miss you

Mama I hope this makes you smile
I hope you're happy with my life
At peace with every choice I made
How I've changed along the way
[along the way]

Cause I know you believed in all of my dreams
And I owe it all to you, Mama.

(When I first heard this song by Il Divo, it brought tears of longing for my Mama who left us almost 20 years ago after a brave fight with breast cancer. I still miss her terribly all these years. The song sums up so well what I would say to my Mama if I had just one more chance to tell her how much she meant to me and how much I love and miss her. She would have turned 66 years old today had she stayed on. This video is my humble tribute to the greatest gift God has blessed my life with ... my wonderful mother. I truly hope she is happy and proud of the person that I have become.)

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM CLEAN-UP THE WORLD ORGANIZATION CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER

G’day, I’m Ian Kiernan from Clean Up the World – and it’s great to welcome you to our 2011 campaign.

Over the last 18 years we have seen remarkable activities undertaken all around the world to protect and promote local environments. The estimated 35 million volunteers, who annually take part in Clean Up the World, are taking responsibility for the environment – and the effects are felt not only by your own communities, but right across the planet.

Our campaign theme in 2011 - Our Place… Our Planet… Our Responsibility - captures this sentiment. It highlights how local action – taken by every one of our communities and volunteers – has a global impact. It asks each of us to take responsibility for the wellbeing of our environment at a personal and community level, and in so doing, contribute to the global effort.

Taking action is not always easy. That’s why we’re here to help. We’ll supply you with information and resources to plan, promote and gain support and volunteers for your activity. You’ll also be inspired by Clean Up the World participants in over 120 countries… who are demonstrating leadership in action. Your group might look after a local park, recycle waste, conserve water, or choose to undertake environmental awareness raising or education initiatives.

And with 2011 being the United Nations’ International Year of Forests – we encourage activities focused on forests and biodiversity. There are many ways Clean Up the World communities are continuing to nurture nature and care for the environment. What your group does is up to you - you know best what is needed in your place.

Tell us what you’re doing at activities.cleanuptheworld.org. I look forward to learning about your leadership and ability to inspire your community. By working together, we’ll make 2011 a year of improvement – in our places and our planet.

MORE ABOUT CLEAN UP THE WORLD ORGANIZATION

Clean Up the World inspires and empowers communities to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment. Founded in 1993, the campaign is held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme and mobilises an estimated 35 million people across 130 countries. We're part of a not-for-profit, non-government, apolitical organisation that unites communities with a common focus to protect the environment. Do something positive for the planet - join Clean Up the World!

HOME by GARY VALENCIANO

CLEAN UP THE WORLD ETHOS

Clean Up the World Members agree to honour the spirit of Clean Up the World when participating and conducting campaign Activities. We are:

* Committed to making a positive difference to the community and environment – so your Activities should be inspiring, engaging and respectful of the local community.

* A volunteer movement - so people cannot be charged to be involved in your Activities nor can Activities be conducted for commercial or financial gain.

* Committed to the safety of volunteers – so your Activities must be carried out in accordance with the local laws and regulations relevant to your Activity.

* Uniting communities as part of a global campaign - so participants must respect the presence and activities of other participants in their proximity.

* A non-confrontational and apolitical organisation – so participants and your Activities must be peaceful and without political connection, content or bias.

* Welcoming to communities of all nations, cultures, races and faiths – so participants and your Activities must respect political, cultural, and religious difference and beliefs.

* Non-partisan – so participants and your Activities must not promote partisan, political, cultural or religious viewpoints, or imply endorsement of partisanship by Clean Up the World.

MEMBER LOGO GUIDELINES

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP

Clean Up the World is a global environmental campaign held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP assists Clean Up the World’s international publicity campaign through distribution of media materials and endorsement of the program, as well as encouraging a worldwide network of environment and community groups to participate.

UNEP’s mission is ‘to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.’

Established in 1972, UNEP encourages sustainable development through sound environmental practices. UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with major offices in Paris and Geneva. Six regional offices are located in Bangkok, Geneva, Manama, Nairobi, Panama City and Washington DC. Liaison and other outposted offices exist in Beijing, Bonn, Brasilia, Brussels, Moscow, New York, Osaka, The Hague and Vienna.

UNEP named Clean Up the World founder Ian Kiernan AO a Global 500 Laureate in 1993 for his local and global environmental work and leadership. He was also awarded the prestigious UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize in 1998 for “mobilizing tens of millions of people around the globe to take responsibility for their own environment.”