TO celebrate Earth Day, 60 SM Malls nationwide on April 22 spearheaded trash segregation and urged all consumers to collect recyclable materials, including paper, plastic, metal and glass.
Since 2007, SM Malls had been promoting proper household-waste management via the “Trash-to-Cash Recycling Market”, held every first Friday and Saturday of the month.
SM Supermalls, through Trash-to-Cash, was able to turn the waste into cash, with more than a million kilos of paper recycled last year, with the volume equivalent to the pulp of 18,452 seven-year-old trees that could be processed into paper.
In conjunction with the April 22 celebration of Earth Day and as part of the 406th Foundation Anniversary of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the UST College of Education, College of Fine Arts and Design, and UST Museum, in partnership with SM Cares and SM Supermalls, presented Likhang-Bayan Year 9: UST’s SweetART fusing two advocacies—care for the environment and preservation and propagation of pabalat, a traditional Filipino art form.
The exhibit, held on April 22 at the third floor of City Center, SM North Edsa, Quezon City, sought to heighten environmental consciousness and emphasized man’s unique role as “steward of God’s creation”.
It was also aimed at deepening the appreciation of traditional Filipino art as cultural treasures and encouraged people to take part in their preservation and propagation.
Designs featuring flora, fauna, scenery, and environmental mottos were showcased.
Upcycling and photography projects of UST Interior Design, Industrial Design and Advertising Arts students, respectively, were also be included in the exhibit.
Viewers may purchase art work, which can be claimed after the exhibit ends.
All proceeds will go to tree-planting initiatives of the UST Simbahayan and SM Cares.
SM Cares, a division of SM Foundation, is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of SM Prime Holdings.
A collateral activity of the exhibit will be a workshop on“pabalat,” a wrapper made of Japanese paper with intricately-cut tail ends used for traditional Filipino milk candies called “pastillas.”
The workshop will be facilitated by UST Museum assistant director and professional Interior Designer and Associate Prof. Anna Marie H. Bautista.
UST Department of Food Technology faculty members Enelyn King and Essence Jean Logan will prepare flavored pastillas complementing some of the designs.
This workshop will be held on April 30, 2017 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Skygarden at SM North Edsa.
While free to the public, the workshop will be limited to 50 participants.
The exhibit runs until May 1, 2017 as part of the USTCE Foundation Week activities and as CFAD’s contribution to National Interior Design Week and Earth Day celebration.
UST Museum’s contribution is consistent with the declaration of May as Heritage Month and in response to Pope Francis’ papal encyclical “Laudato Si” (Care for Our Common Home.)
It is also consistent with the cultural agenda of the Philippine National Development Plan on Promoting Culture and Preserving the Environment.