RESORTS World Manila (RWM) delivered big wins for Mother Earth with activities that aim to promote and protect environmental sustainability in the recent celebration of Earth Day.
RWM employees volunteered their free time to take part in the company’s first corporate social responsibility (CSR) day event this year, dubbed “LOVE-tanim ay ’di biro.” Participants went to the La Mesa Nature Reserve in Quezon City and participated in eco-awareness activities, in cooperation with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc.’s Bantay Kalikasan Program. Through this, RWM supports the national government’s campaign for tree planting to address the country’s dwindling urban forest.
“The La Mesa Watershed is very important in our lives, particularly those living in Manila. That is why having Resorts World Manila employees here is a big help to us,” Bantay Kalikasan Program Project Manager Dave Azurin said.
Volunteer employees joined in the 6-kilometer trek through the watershed, a lecture on local environmental efforts, and hands-on soil potting and germinant planting. The efforts produced 200 germinant plants of endemic tree species, which will be transferred later within the year during a tree-planting activity on a hectare of land the company will adopt and help grow.
“The germinants planted will be grown and transferred to an area within the watershed once the rainy season comes. Even if only half of those plants survive, that’s already a significant contribution,” Azurin added. The initiative is part of RWM’s League of Volunteer Employees (LOVE) Program designed to create a culture of volunteerism aligned with the company’s CSR thrusts of promoting Philippine tourism and the arts, social development and environmental sustainability.
“It’s our second time doing this activity here at the La Mesa Nature Reserve and we’re thrilled to be part of such as significant initiative,” said Owen Cammayo, director for Corporate Communications of RWM. “Saving the environment is a big challenge, but it only takes small steps to make a difference. That’s why we encourage our employees by providing them with avenues to do their part and help preserve the environment through eco-friendly practices.”
RWM continues its green initiatives with its monthly “Live and Love Green” recycling-day activity, in partnership with Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines. The company has been able to collect 18 tons of recyclable materials in 2015 and has so far collected over 6 tons of recyclables this year alone. The recovered materials will be made into clothing, thermal blankets and other useful items for disaster-relief operations around the country.