Photo by Adlin Joey Almencion
Not long after the University’s Pakighinabi Conversation on Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ last July 24, the Philippine Nursing Students Association (PNSA) of the School of Nursing (SoN) initiated an environmental awareness forum last July 27 at the University’s Nursing Fundamentals Laboratory.
With the theme, “Blooming Green is Life—Creating Heaven on Earth,” guest speaker Ma. Socorro Mallare, the executive assistant of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region XI, presented to around 40 attendees from the SoN and few participants from other divisions the two main environmental issues, which are global warming as the cause and climate change as its effect.
“Global warming and climate change are not new to us. But we still have to strengthen environmental awareness and action among our colleagues by initiating an innovative and creative information and education campaigns,” she said.
As presented by Mallare, the average temperature around the world has risen for about 0.8?C over the last 100 years, according to the analysis of the scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975, at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20?C per decade.
She also discussed human-induced sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which include deforestation, increasing industrial activity, motor vehicle emission, to name a few, as the main causes of increasing global temperature.
“Young people like you have plenty of time to engage more on ecological issues. But I hope na hindi lang hanggang dito magtatapos ‘yung environmental awareness na sinisimulan ninyo. It is better if you also explore more on the other areas of concern like how are we going to take care of our water bodies and how are we going to act to have a cleaner air,” she stated.
Mallare also highlighted that locals still have the opportunity to protect the underground water sources and watersheds in Davao City, since it still tops as one of the cities in the world with the cleanest sources of drinking water.
“Marami tayong mga bagay dito sa Davao City like clean water sources at malinis na kapaligiran na talagang ikatutuwa natin. But let us also be reminded that the demands of environmental awareness to Davaoeños need to be maintained, especially when it comes to proper segregation of solid waste materials,” she said.
“There are still rising issues on solid waste management, and this is not the fault of the city. The problem mainly comes from us. Thus, we need extensive information dissemination and effective campaigns to keep people’s awareness on environmental matters always intact,” Mrs. Mallare added, emphasizing of the importance of R.A. 9003 or the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Meanwhile, PNSA President Joan Audrey Faith Odi, a fourth year nursing student, initiated the event together with other nursing students in line with the demands of environmental awareness.
“As people in an organization involved in caring as a profession, we do not limit our efforts to clinical and academic, but we also want to extend our care to our environment,” Odi stressed.
On behalf of the SoN, Odi also wants not just the nursing students to be involved in ecological forums like this, but she also invites other divisions and the whole AdDU community as well, to take a stand in doing our part, individually or collectively.
“All we have to do is to go out from our small bubbles. Then let us create earth a bigger bubble that is ideal for us to live in,” Odi concluded.