The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will launch the "Earth Day Every Day" project on 22 April, aiming to mobilize youth participation in curbing plastic pollution and bolstering efforts against plastic usage.
The "Earth Day Every Day" project is a plastic collection competition among students nationwide. It aims to engage the youth on the importance of recycling plastics and to foster a culture of environmental responsibilities in line with the values of scouting.
DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga will be joined by SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, SM Prime Holdings Inc. Assistant Vice President Jessica Bianca Sy-Bell, Nestle’ Philippines Inc. Corporate Affairs Head Senior Vice President Joey Uy, Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) Secretary General Kim Robert de Leon, and Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) National President Cristina Lim-Yuson in signing the Pledge of Commitment for the project which will be held in Pasay City.
“The 'Earth Day Every Day' project advocates the promotion of feasible methods to reduce waste and foster a culture of sustainability among the youth and communities; and motivates participation through incentives. For this, we thank Nestle, SM Supermalls, and the Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines for their invaluable support and collaboration. Their robust presence and proactive engagement will serve as a multiplier effect in our advocacy efforts,” Loyzaga said.
To combat plastic pollution in the country, the DENR advocates for a circular economy where all plastic applications are reused, recycled, and responsibly managed during and after use while enabling a lower greenhouse gas emissions plastic economy.
“Regenerating our planet has long been our advocacy at SM — through our many initiatives in recycling water and repurposing solid waste as well as the use of renewable energy. With this program where students will be motivated to collect plastics within their communities and bring them to our collection facilities at the nearest SM mall — active participation and a sense of friendly competition among the students will make this activity not only relevant but fun,” SM Prime Holdings Inc. Assistant Vice-President Jessica Sy-Bell said.
"At Nestlé Philippines, we recognize that partnerships are essential in urgently and effectively tackling the plastic waste crisis. And so we work closely with our partners in implementing environmental sustainability initiatives. These include solid waste management education for 11 million public school students and capacity building for over two thousand community leaders nationwide. In collaborating with the DENR, we will be able to build greater synergies to fulfill our shared responsibility to nurture the health of the planet which we call our home,” Nestle’ Philippines Inc. Corporate Affairs Head Senior Vice President Joey Uy said.
On 22 April, student scouts from the BSP and GSP from various schools will bring the plastic items they collected including plastic bottles and plastic bags for a weigh-in at SM Mall of Asia. The class with the highest volume of plastic items will win a prize.
Students may bring the plastics they have collected to designated SM Supermalls collection facilities in the cities of Pasay, Marikina, Pasig, Manila and Quezon City for the National Capital Region; and in Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Cebu, and Davao.
Points will be assigned according to the type of plastic collected. Every month, prizes will be awarded to the class with the highest points, and at the end of the year, to the school with the highest-pointer classes.
The project is in line with this year’s Earth Day celebration theme, "Planet vs Plastic," which “calls to advocate for widespread awareness on the health risk of plastics, rapidly phase out all single use plastics, urgently push for a strong UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, and demand an end to fast fashion, and build a plastic-free planet for generations to come.”
