Bayer's young environment envoys: Standing up against climate change

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — They came and conquered. One traveled all the way from Bicol and another from Bacolod. Despite the bone-chilling autumn breeze here, four Filipino students successfully stood up to the daunting challenge of representing the Philippines as among the 2009 Bayer Young Environmental Envoys (BYEE), joining a multicultural group of more than 50 students from 19 countries.

These four Filipino envoys are Dandee Bitancor, a third year college student from Bicol University, Philippe Jan de la Cruz, a fourth year student from La Salle-Bacolod, fifth year student Jairus Carmela Josol of the Ateneo de Manila University and Elizabeth Lambino, a second year student from the Philippine Women’s University (PWU).

The study tour here, the culminating activity of the yearly BYEE project which is in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), brought together students from 19 other countries including Chile, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Poland, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. But for each and every envoy who made it here, it was an arduous journey.

And so even as they felt the autumn leaves slipping between their fingers and the penetrating breeze kissing their faces during the study tour here, the four Filipino envoys still had a hard time believing their victory. They still could not believe that they made it as this year’s ambassadors for the environment.

For the Filipino envoys, the challenges started right at home. They are part of the 12 Filipino students chosen by Bayer as environmental envoys. To be chosen as envoys, the students have to demonstrate a keen interest in the environment by submitting a project proposal that would show how they can help safeguard the planet at a time of economic recession.

It is a simple environmental project in the school or in the community that demonstrates that environmental protection and economic growth can go hand in hand.

Every year, more than a thousand students submit project proposals, making the competition a tough one.

Of the applicants, 12 are chosen from the Philippines and the top four in the crop are invited by Bayer to come here for a study tour. During the field trip, they get the chance to find out more about the projects of the company, particularly its appreciation of environmental protection and sustainable development.

For Dandee, Philippe, Jairus and Elizabeth, the study tour is a culmination of their hard work in putting up their respective environmental projects.

“I still can’t believe I’m here,” said Dandee, as he stepped out of the Dusseldorf airport.

Elizabeth, too, said she hardly slept the night before the departure.

For his project, Dandee created 10-meter high and four meter wide trellises for vegetable growing. He aptly called this a “lung wall” to mitigate air pollution and provide urban landscape. Philippe’s project focused on the conversion of used paper into charcoal briquettes. He created 6,200 charcoal briquettes while Jairus produced local information video or communication materials on climate change for Southern Leyte. She also led a signature campaign urging the local government to implement Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act.

Elizabeth created 100 especially designed inorganic trash bins for the PWU campus. She also launched environmental awareness campaign to students through symposium, and eco-art competition.

During the study tour, the four Filipino envoys presented their respective project with the rest of the other Bayer envoys.

Bayer officials welcomed the participants and gave them a tour of their facilities here, particularly those for healthcare, crop science and material science. The envoys also attended Bayer’s sustainability conference held last Nov. 11 here. The program also includes excursions to the North Rhine-Westphalia State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection and to Avea, a waste water processing and disposal facility in Leverkusen.

“The visit gives the young people a wide range of options for expanding their environmental knowledge and making contacts with like-minded contemporaries from all over the world,” said Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, a member of Bayer AG’s Board of Management.

So far, some 9,500 young people have applied for a place in the program and around 450 have been invited to visit Germany.

UNEP for its part, urged the young students to remain committed to environmental protection and climate change.

“They, tomorrow’s leaders, can inspire today’s world leaders — especially in the run up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit. After all, combating climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humankind today. It requires a sense of responsibility, dedication and action shown by all Bayer Young Environmental Envoys,” said Satinder Bindra, UNEP Director of Communications and Public Information.

The BYEE program, launched in Asia in 1998, is a project between Bayer and UNEP which centers on environmental education programs.

The program focuses on emerging economies. It was originally introduced in Thailand and was extended to various other countries. This year, for the first time, the environmental envoys include two students from Chile.

Bayer, based here in Leverkusen, is a global company which has businesses in health care, nutrition and high-technology materials.