Penguin Summit draws attention to fragile ecosystem

Japan-based Ecos Environmental Foundation Inc. has launched last week a global environmental advocacy in the Philippines with an educational campaign using six young penguins from Korea in a Japanese machine-made snow setting and pool sat at the annex building of Harrizon Plaza in Pasay City.

At the grand launch last Jan.7 with media, NGOs and government groups and some school children, Ecos was able to make a strong point that unless people stopped polluting the water, air and ecosystems, rare breeds (and many of them reaching extinction by now) will soon be gone from the face of the earth.

"After these species, man would be next to face extinction and this can be stopped if there is general consciousness among people that the fragile ecosystem needs to be cared for," said Cindy Jingco, project coordinator of Ecos.

Timi Abad, corporate secretary of Ecos, said the group invested P20 million to put up the Penguin Summit, including importing the machines to make the snow, the lease of penguins from Korea, the machines that are being shown at the exhibit grounds to reduce engine pollution in automobiles and a two – month lease on the mall, which is renewable thereafter.

"Ecos is not really concerned about recouping its investments. Rather it would base its success more on the impact of the campaign in changing the lives of people and bringing their awareness to the point where they would really do something to protect the planet Earth from further pollution and preserving the ecosystem," Abad said.

For the first two weeks since the launch, visitors will be charged P100 per person and after that promo period, the entrance fee is P150. For this amount, the viewers will be treated to 30 minutes lecture of why environmental protection is very urgent and they get to play for as long they want (and provided there is no long line of visitors waiting to get in) from the 200 square meter snow-filled ground. They can make and throw snowballs from the machine-made snow and pose with the life-sized snowman in the center.

Actually, Ecos made a soft launch of the summit after Christmas 2004 and it had drawn crowds, mostly children with their parents who have spread the word in their schools, which is why the summit has been getting inquiries and reservations from schools.

"We actually have schoolchildren from exclusive schools who are willing to chip in extra amounts so that kids from public schools will also be able to experience being with a penguin and playing with snowballs,’ Jingco said.

Should the campaign succeed in making vehicle owners conscious about their duties to have their engines cleaned using the engine cleaning machines that Ecos will put up in the Land Transportation Office and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Ecos intends to lease these machines to these entities for a sustainable Clean Air campaign (in keeping with the Clean Air Act of the Philippines), Abad said.

The cost of having the engines cleaned is P2,500 per vehicle with a one year guarantee of clean vehicle emission, Abad said.