Giving Back What has Given Us
Green for Life: One Million Trees and Beyond
For the past several decades, the world has been a witness to the wanton destruction of the environment brought about by man’s greed and pride. Many a time, reports hog the broadsheets and newscasts about floods, landslides, global warming, and the like due to the progression of the imbalance of the earth’s ecosystem. In the Philippines alone, less than a quarter remains of our old-growth forests. Deforestation seems to have taken its toll and Filipinos at large are faced with a tall order of saving whatever is left and of reviving the existing, haply depleting, terrestrial and coastal ecosystems.

Faced with these environmental issues, the Philippine Lasallian Family has identified the need to respond to the calling as stewards of the earth. One of the concrete responses to the Lasallian Ministry Action Plan (LS MAP) #7 of Stewardship of God’s Creation, and to the Philippine Lasallian Family Convocation Resolution 2.4 on Environmental Concerns and Advocacy is the birth of Green for Life: One Million Trees and Beyond under the auspices of the Lasallian Institute For the Environment (LIFE). With the Green for Life: One Million Trees and Beyond Project, De La Salle Philippines, with the eventual collaboration of the 18 different schools in the District, endeavors to plant One Million trees by the year 2011 in celebration of 100 years of Lasallian presence in the Philippines.

Mount Palay-palay was a fitting choice to launch this noteworthy venture on 23 September 2006. The sprawling view of lush greenery can still house seedlings to benefit the next generation of Filipinos. Br. Armin Luistro FSC, President of the De La Salle Philippines, led the entire delegation which numbered close to 400 volunteers consisting of students, employees, family and friends of La Salle schools in Luzon. Very notable was the participation of non-Lasallian volunteers. Indeed, the gathering was a definite proof that every good motive partnered with good deeds produces good results.

The Green for Life: One Million Trees and Beyond Project serves to provide a venue for more pro-active responses to environmental issues through tree-planting activities and reforestation programs that promote the propagation and caring for indigenous species. It also draws out mechanisms that will systematically involve the Lasallian Family in sustainable reforestation and greening efforts in close partnership and coordination with local communities. The project likewise aims to educate and raise the awareness of the Lasallian community as well as the members of their partner communities on the importance of natural ecosystems through a more practical learning-by-doing approach. Hence, the movers of this project make it a point to underscore the need to care for every single seedling planted to ensure its growth into a tree of life, both literally and figuratively. This concern is always echoed to the local partner communities by way of drafting and signing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the host community and the team of OMT.

Green for Life: One Million Trees and Beyond has successfully identified several campus sites for this project to be carried out. These are De La Salle Canlubang, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas, De La Salle Araneta University, De La Salle Lipa and the other Lasallian schools in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. Off-campus sites are also eyed, such as: Mt. Palay-palay, Calatagan Mangrove in Batangas, LSVP mission areas, Agos River in Quezon, Angat Watershed in Bulacan and Pagsanjan sub-basins.

As envisioned by Mr. Jorge Buenaventura, OMT Project Director, LIFE hopes to form a team for the development of educational materials, map out identified sites, and develop GIS layering to better identify the area in the sites where planting is conducive. In addition, LIFE aims to design monitoring and tracking procedures that will allow the Institute to serve as a hub to all the data concerning tree planting and reforestation activities. To achieve this, digitized forms will have to be utilized to keep a record of essential aspects, like tree code, name of planter, when and where the tree was planted, and the like in carrying out related activities and programs.

As stated in the project’s mission-vision, LIFE endeavors to see one million trees planted by the year 2011. A big project to many, but LIFE believes that through sheer dedicated service and the strong will to preserve and safeguard God’s creation, they know that this project is worth all the time and effort unceasingly shared by people of the same firm conviction and faith.

The work has commenced. A tall order to the pessimist but a flicker of light to the optimist. The Founder had done the same – given back what his community needed that time, an education for the poor. This time, as part of the need to educate the marginalized, the Philippine Lasallian Family saw the need to give back what Mother Earth has been entrusted to our care. May the flicker of light turn into a blazing flame of celebration. A resounding YES! to take part in this advocacy to give back what we have so long enjoyed, albeit abused and taken for granted.

One institution started it. The rest will follow. One tree. One person. One LIFE.