No one is too young to protect the environment

Children will be among the most vulnerable to climate change and its associated disasters. But that does not mean that because of their age they cannot do anything to protect themselves and help prevent natural calamities.

This was highlighted in the 2nd Asian Children’s Museum Conference organized by Museo Pambata Foundation Inc. at the Manila Hotel. Theme of the conference was “Children and Climate Change.”

Supported by a grant from the Japan Foundation Manila, the three-day event served as a platform for educators, students, parents and adults involved in children’s welfare to discuss ways to address pressing environmental issues and let young people play a strong role in facing climate change.

“Everyone has a role to play… All of us should be part of the solution,” said Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, chief executive officer and vice chairman of the board of trustees of World Wide Fund (WWF) Philippines.

“Our greatest resource is human resource,” he said.

From local and international speakers, who talked about the different facets of climate change, participants learned the importance of awareness as an initial step in dealing with environmental hazards caused consciously or unconsciously by humans.

Adults were made to understand that, before telling kids to save water, plant more trees, conserve energy or walk instead of using a car, they should be made to understand the issues involved and why these actions were necessary.

Froilan Grate, president of Mother Earth Foundation (MEF), stressed the need to “mainstream environmental education” so people would be more involved in protecting nature. “It all starts with awareness,” he said.

Knowing our riches

Grate said many Filipinos did not know what natural resources they had. “How can we take care of something that we’re not aware of?” he said. He segued to a pop quiz on the country’s endemic plant and animal species.

One of the initiatives of MEF is Project Learning Tree, where students learn the value of trees through fun activities like role-playing. Grate said a tree was worth P8 million. “So if you have a tree in your backyard, you’re a millionaire,” he said.

Visual artist and illustrator Alma Quinto also stressed the importance of trees in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.

Quinto talked about how child survivors of the recent flash floods in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro drew trees in some of her art workshops. When asked why they drew a tree, Quinto learned that many of them survived by clinging to a tree. “So I told them, plant more trees,” she said.

Quinto uses the arts to help rehabilitate victims of disasters or calamities. She said her workshops “explore the link between art and healing” and she looked for ways to use art to tell stories or experiences and to comfort victims.

To better understand the connection between art and healing, participants did an exercise on the use of art in educating people about climate change.

With thread, needle and pieces of cloth, everyone sewed a picture showing what could be done to reduce his/her carbon footprint. The artworks were later displayed on the wall at the back of the hall. The effect was quilt-like, and one made for love of the planet.

In another unique application of the arts to teach about environmental protection, James Sharman, director and cofounder of Gamot Cogon Institute (GCI), discussed initiatives taken for a poor rural community in Iloilo.

‘Nature’ school

GCI opened a school from kindergarten to Grade 9, teacher training center and “biodynamic farm.” The school is surrounded by bamboo groves, pasture and forest, providing children a natural setting for a “curriculum” that taught them about their relationship with nature.

“We’re trying to create a beautiful garden where children can learn and play,” said Sharman.

At Gamot Cogon School, children learn to balance thinking, feeling and doing by learning the three H’s: head, heart and hand. The children plant rice in the school farm and watch it grow, letting them appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature.

Arriane C. Salangsang, who was among the selected students from Manila Science High School (MSHS) who participated in the conference, said she was excited about the conference but wondered if the information they received would reach the grassroots.

The graduating MSHS student said, “Can the information presented in this conference reach those poor people who really are the ones most affected by calamities? I’m wondering about how to disseminate this information to them.”

Another graduating MSHS student, Mark David E. Stehmeier, was pleasantly surprised by some of the knowledge he got from guest speakers. “It was only now that I learned that, of all the plants, mangroves were the most effective in terms of reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”

He said he would initiate a tree-planting project for his school’s science club, of which he was vice president, that would include mangroves.

Museo Pambata is on Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive, Manila (tel. 5231797, fax 5221246). E-mail [email protected].