IT was Al Gore’s doing. Just ask Alexandra Beatrice Cancio, 24, a corporate-sustainability analyst in First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Corp. and a management graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University. Cancio said her turning point on becoming an environmentalist was when she watched US Vice President Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. In an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror, Cancio shares her thoughts and perception on how her comillennials view environmentalism, among others.
BusinessMirror (BM): Ateneo has this “man/woman for others” as its motto. As an Atenean, how does your Alma Mater’s motto jive with your environmental advocacy?
Alexandra Beatrice Cancio (ABC): Being a woman for others is very apt for this journey that I’ve been on for over eight years since this advocacy constantly teaches me to look at the bigger picture and think beyond myself. I believe that this is one of the best philosophies I’ve learned and one of the difficult beliefs to manage, as well.
Thriving as a college student in Ateneo inculcates this duty to serve others. Yet, at the same time, it also had me believe that I was an unstoppable force with the capacity to accomplish outstanding things. I find there is no shame in strongly believing in one’s capabilities, but the choice to be in service of others, regardless of which social issue you choose to help out in, can be demanding and admittedly discouraging—after all, you don’t always get the support you hope for. Getting into this line of work and maintaining this as a philosophy is, therefore, not a decision to be taken lightly.
However, I’ve found solace in the realization that, with the hope of creating big impacts, being in service of others means working with others who share the same philosophy. Service is not simply an individual act, but a collaborative one that has the amazing capacity to create significant change when working hand-in-hand with others.
I believe this is a reality that reaches out to us more than ever as we work locally and globally to #ChangeClimateChange and fight for the survival of our planet.
BM: What inspired you to be an environmentalist?
ABC: My interest with environmentalism began with climate change. It was Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth that initially caught my attention on the global environmental crisis. Our high-school science teacher had us watch this documentary.
I was completely floored because I did not realize, at the young age of 14, how bad the situation was and could potentially become. From there, I took small steps to educate myself on climate change to understand the impact of human activity on the world.
While An Inconvenient Truth was my introduction to environmentalism, it was my exposure to African wildlife that led me toward conservation and kept me in this line of work. Before I started college, I was privileged to visit the Okavango Delta in Botswana, a place bountiful in wildlife and unique simply because it was more untouched than most places in the world.
At the same time, I was bothered that the world already lost so many extraordinary ecosystems, and I could not fathom us losing any more of the few natural places we have left. As Nelson Mandela once said, “There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” I felt that if I was called to do anything in this life, it was to help in a cause bigger than myself. It has then been my life commitment to help save and restore our environment.
BM: How do you find your current job as a corporate sustainability analyst in FPH?
ABC: Working in FPH as a corporate-sustainability analyst is an enriching experience; there are always new things to learn and exciting initiatives to implement or participate in. The conglomerate itself is involved in a variety of industries—energy, property, manufacturing, construction and energy services—and this gives fantastic opportunities to extend the range of impact in sustainability. If there is one thing I’ve taken away from working in this conglomerate, it is that every community, team, company and sector has the opportunity to contribute toward a more sustainable world. This is exactly what our team, the Corporate Sustainability Group, has been doing for the past two years. If anything, I consider myself very fortunate to work in FPH because the Lopezes have been practicing sustainability in its subsidiaries for a long time. We are able to accomplish more things with greater positive environment, social and economic impact because sustainability has been long valued in the conglomerate. Now it is a matter of finding more opportunities to create value with our stakeholders and extending the sustainability mind-set to our partners.
BM: What are your expectations as one of the members of the World Wild Fund for Nature?
ABC: Being the only NYC member that is in the sweet spot between the students and the young professionals, I have a perspective that can help WWF reach out to a wider group of people.
On a bigger perspective, I believe that the NYC will strongly impact the way WWF approaches its audiences, and it will be our responsibility to work closely with our fellow millennials so that we can create the most effective programs and campaigns important to our generation.
If we want to the youth to inculcate sustainability in their lives, it is our first duty to first listen to their concerns. From there we can only build initiatives that establish behavior and lifestyle change.
BM: What are the challenges in promoting environmentalism to your fellow millennials?
ABC: Interacting with those in my generation has shown me that millennials have a definite consciousness about social and environmental concerns.
We criticize when companies misbehave. We express our admiration for people who work for the greater good. We cry out when people are mistreated or when the environment is abused. We are outwardly expressive about the matters of life that we value and there is genuine concern for the various social issues we encounter.
Herein lies the challenge: to know how to help. Since millennials are exposed to so many controversies taking place around the world, it is not difficult to be paralyzed with shock. There are so many issues to internalize that we often don’t know where to begin and how to help out.
The WWF NYC should be able to help address this challenge by providing millennials with information whilst creating venues for the youth to that will empower and encourage them to help build a sustainable country.
BM: Moving forward, do you think environmentalism will have a big role in your career path?
ABC: Environmentalism has been my guiding principle in the decisions I’ve made from high school up to this day. I have no doubt that this will continue to be my mission in life regardless of who I work with and what I do.
Often times, people tend to separate the environment with their course, interest, or line of work. However, many of the choices we make, even something as simple as choosing what we eat or drink, impact our environment.
In truth, we are highly dependent on nature, that to continue exploiting it will leave us as the most vulnerable species of all. With environmentalism as my main focus, I only hope to encourage this lifestyle in others.