CEBU CITY – Top education officials in Central Visayas have raised the importance of environmental preservation and conservation efforts in school campuses here as a way to inculcate care for the environment among students.
Salustiano
Jimenez, regional director of the Department of Education in Central Visayas,
said school campuses are implementing various environmental programs to
actualize school-based biodiversity development.
“Nowadays,
DepEd in Central Visayas intensifies further our effort in restoring our
environment and biodiversity restoration and conservation through forestation,
gulayan sa paaralan at tahanan, integrated school nutrition model, information
and education advocacy, integration of climate mitigation and reduction at the
basic curriculum, biodiversity conservation program in collaboration with
non-government organizations, like Soil and Water Conservation Foundation,”
Jimenez said during the recent Regional Climate Change Caravan.
Jimenez
said the education sector believes that if various types of plants are planted
within the school campuses, it will increase biodiversity development in the
future.
He
said they have initiated an advocacy program called the “SAL on ECO-BIKER”,
which stands for sustainable program for the environment, advocate Republic Act
9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the love of
nature.
The
program, according to Jimenez, also encourages environmental projects and
promotion of bicycles as means of transportation. “Rhe program also promotes
conservation of natural resources as well as biodiversity conservation through
outreach and interactive activities as well as educating people on the concept
of reduce, reuse, and recycle and reforestation,” he said.
Jimenez
said many species of the country’s flora and fauna are now threatened because
of some people’s apathy and irresponsibility towards the environment.
Cindylyn
Pepito, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Management Bureau, -Region 7 spokesperson, said the concept of
preservation and conservation must be taught to the young generation, stressing
their future responsibility in taking care of the environment.
Pepito
also noted that health is inter-related with the environment as the latter has
a great influence over the people’s well-being. “You cannot detach health from environment,
so as environment from health. How we manage the so-called environment will
greatly affect our health. Your health does not depend on your lifestyle or
food intake alone but it is greatly affected by the quality of environment
where you are in,” she said.
Pepito
said the environmental caravan is also part of the celebration of the 14th
Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week from November 19-25. (John
Rey Saavdera)
