A Green Mind
January 14, 2003 | 12:00am
It‘s not easy being green, once crooned Kermit the Frog on the color of his skin. Or he may have just as well been talking about the trials and tribulations of an environmental activist like Trixie Concepcion.
Trixie is national coordinator of the international non-government organization Earth Island Institute and secretary general of AGHAM (Samahan ng Tumataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan), a 100 percent volunteer association. For Earth Island, she spearheads projects concerning the protection of marine mammals (specifically dolphins), while at AGHAM she does fieldwork on environmental impacts in grassroots communities. Up against huge corporations, giant fishers, powerful politicians, and a lack of awareness on the art of the general public, her career has been a continuing uphill struggle.
Trained as a scientist, she took up B.S. Geology at U.P. Diliman and upon graduation decided that it was in environment issues that she found her calling. She relates, "Many of my classmates ended up in mining companies. But after joining environmental orgs in college I knew that caring for the environment was my real passion. I made that choice 10 years ago, and I’m still at it to this day!"
And probably for the rest of her life. Trixie’s work is not only giving her generation a good name, but leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. Whether she’s picketing at protest rallies, inspecting tuna fishing boats and factories, or pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Science, she has found her cause and is fighting for it. That makes her, without a doubt, a Bright Young Thing.
What’s the best thing about your generation?
We’ve managed to break away from the old school ideas of our parents and found our own. We, women especially, are enjoying that. Old school ideas on gender have given way to new ones, so now we can be more aggressive in pursuing our careers. For example, 50 years ago there was only one woman in B.S. Geology; during my time we comprised 40 percent; now, I’ve heard, women make up more than half!
What’s the worst thing?
I guess, we’re more materialistic. An issue I’m particularly interested in is the impact of consumerism on the environment.
And then, they say that we’re apathetic. But I’m still optimistic about that. I find a lot of young people who just need enlightenment. Once you’ve enlightened them, they really change. And they act on it.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your parents?
They had it a lot harder than we ever did, and that was made them better people. Everything comes so easy to younger people now.
What advice would you give the older generation?
That perhaps they should have been more questioning about things during their time.
What’s it like to be a scientist?
It’s heavy! Especially when you’re out there in the field, explaining to grassroots communities environmental issues. When they know that you’re a scientist, they take what you say as gospel truth. It’s a big responsibility.
Here in our country, being a scientist means having to be active in social issues. Most of our policy decisions regarding the environment are not based on scientific facts but on political interests.
What are the biggest challenges an aspiring scientist must face?
It starts in school. There’s an international survey that came out wherein 13-year-old Filipino high school students ranked 37th out of 39 in math, and then 40th out of 41 in science; and that among all the Physics teachers in the country, only eight percent are qualified! And then in college they’ll have to deal with substandard equipment, laboratories, learning tools.
And when they get out in the real world...
Well, we’re not yet a fully industrialized country, so we don’t really have basic industries to support scientists. We don’t really have a steel industry or a cement industry. What we have are cottage industries that are export-oriented  you know, peanut brittle, that sort of thing. So if you’re a scientist, you’re likely to end up developing products like dried mangoes.
There aren’t a lot of incentives. Inventors have not manufacture their own prototypes with their own money, and then find funding for marketing. At AGHAM, we try to help in that aspect.
AGHAM is made up of scientists who are concerned with how science and technology affect society. We could use science and technology progressively, for national development.
What’s the biggest challenge of the environment in the Philippines today?
We’re in a bad state. One hundred years ago we had 30 million hectares of forest cover; now we have only 800,000 hectares. Seventy percent of our coral reefs are damaged or semi-damaged. We used to have 16 million hectares in arable land, but because of pesticides we only have less than eight million.
Further destruction of the environment leads to further poverty. And poverty leads to ignorance. And lack of awareness is one of the environment’s biggest enemies.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
My work at Earth Island, when we protested against Ocean Adventure in Subic. We are completely against dolphin shows. By picketing against them, we got media mileage, and people became aware that it’s wrong and it’s cruel to take dolphins out of the wild  it lessens their lifespan from 80 years to a mere 20. The thing is, you don’t have to take dolphins out of captivity to watch them. Here in the country you can watch dolphins in Dumaguete, Bohol, Batangas, Mindoro, and then in Bicol you can watch whale sharks. And when people go out of their way to watch dolphins in the wild, it teaches them more to care for nature.
Just like in Free Willy...
Yes! The producers of Free Willy are actually avid supporters of Earth Island.
What’s the most fun part of your job?
When you do something and you see the results. There’s no such thing as an armchair environmentalist  you really have to go out there!
And at international conferences, we Filipinos do get a lot of respect. Many Filipino environmentalists have done a good job and are known for it.
Are you a vegetarian?
Yes. I eat only greens; no fish. With the work I do I don’t think I can ever eat fish again! Hopefully, I’m on my way to being a vegan.
Has money been a problem?
I’m basically not materialistic. I earn enough for a single person.
Will you ever have to choose between career and love?
Because of the demands of my job I’ve chosen to stay unmarried for now. Having children might present too much of a conflict.
Were your parents ever against your career?
Yes, for a while they are. They were also afraid for my safety. But after I showed them that I was committed to what I was doing, that I stuck by my decision, they’ve changed their minds. In the end, they even respect me more for it.
Trixie is national coordinator of the international non-government organization Earth Island Institute and secretary general of AGHAM (Samahan ng Tumataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan), a 100 percent volunteer association. For Earth Island, she spearheads projects concerning the protection of marine mammals (specifically dolphins), while at AGHAM she does fieldwork on environmental impacts in grassroots communities. Up against huge corporations, giant fishers, powerful politicians, and a lack of awareness on the art of the general public, her career has been a continuing uphill struggle.
Trained as a scientist, she took up B.S. Geology at U.P. Diliman and upon graduation decided that it was in environment issues that she found her calling. She relates, "Many of my classmates ended up in mining companies. But after joining environmental orgs in college I knew that caring for the environment was my real passion. I made that choice 10 years ago, and I’m still at it to this day!"
And probably for the rest of her life. Trixie’s work is not only giving her generation a good name, but leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. Whether she’s picketing at protest rallies, inspecting tuna fishing boats and factories, or pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Science, she has found her cause and is fighting for it. That makes her, without a doubt, a Bright Young Thing.
What’s the best thing about your generation?
We’ve managed to break away from the old school ideas of our parents and found our own. We, women especially, are enjoying that. Old school ideas on gender have given way to new ones, so now we can be more aggressive in pursuing our careers. For example, 50 years ago there was only one woman in B.S. Geology; during my time we comprised 40 percent; now, I’ve heard, women make up more than half!
What’s the worst thing?
I guess, we’re more materialistic. An issue I’m particularly interested in is the impact of consumerism on the environment.
And then, they say that we’re apathetic. But I’m still optimistic about that. I find a lot of young people who just need enlightenment. Once you’ve enlightened them, they really change. And they act on it.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your parents?
They had it a lot harder than we ever did, and that was made them better people. Everything comes so easy to younger people now.
What advice would you give the older generation?
That perhaps they should have been more questioning about things during their time.
What’s it like to be a scientist?
It’s heavy! Especially when you’re out there in the field, explaining to grassroots communities environmental issues. When they know that you’re a scientist, they take what you say as gospel truth. It’s a big responsibility.
Here in our country, being a scientist means having to be active in social issues. Most of our policy decisions regarding the environment are not based on scientific facts but on political interests.
What are the biggest challenges an aspiring scientist must face?
It starts in school. There’s an international survey that came out wherein 13-year-old Filipino high school students ranked 37th out of 39 in math, and then 40th out of 41 in science; and that among all the Physics teachers in the country, only eight percent are qualified! And then in college they’ll have to deal with substandard equipment, laboratories, learning tools.
And when they get out in the real world...
Well, we’re not yet a fully industrialized country, so we don’t really have basic industries to support scientists. We don’t really have a steel industry or a cement industry. What we have are cottage industries that are export-oriented  you know, peanut brittle, that sort of thing. So if you’re a scientist, you’re likely to end up developing products like dried mangoes.
There aren’t a lot of incentives. Inventors have not manufacture their own prototypes with their own money, and then find funding for marketing. At AGHAM, we try to help in that aspect.
AGHAM is made up of scientists who are concerned with how science and technology affect society. We could use science and technology progressively, for national development.
What’s the biggest challenge of the environment in the Philippines today?
We’re in a bad state. One hundred years ago we had 30 million hectares of forest cover; now we have only 800,000 hectares. Seventy percent of our coral reefs are damaged or semi-damaged. We used to have 16 million hectares in arable land, but because of pesticides we only have less than eight million.
Further destruction of the environment leads to further poverty. And poverty leads to ignorance. And lack of awareness is one of the environment’s biggest enemies.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
My work at Earth Island, when we protested against Ocean Adventure in Subic. We are completely against dolphin shows. By picketing against them, we got media mileage, and people became aware that it’s wrong and it’s cruel to take dolphins out of the wild  it lessens their lifespan from 80 years to a mere 20. The thing is, you don’t have to take dolphins out of captivity to watch them. Here in the country you can watch dolphins in Dumaguete, Bohol, Batangas, Mindoro, and then in Bicol you can watch whale sharks. And when people go out of their way to watch dolphins in the wild, it teaches them more to care for nature.
Just like in Free Willy...
Yes! The producers of Free Willy are actually avid supporters of Earth Island.
What’s the most fun part of your job?
When you do something and you see the results. There’s no such thing as an armchair environmentalist  you really have to go out there!
And at international conferences, we Filipinos do get a lot of respect. Many Filipino environmentalists have done a good job and are known for it.
Are you a vegetarian?
Yes. I eat only greens; no fish. With the work I do I don’t think I can ever eat fish again! Hopefully, I’m on my way to being a vegan.
Has money been a problem?
I’m basically not materialistic. I earn enough for a single person.
Will you ever have to choose between career and love?
Because of the demands of my job I’ve chosen to stay unmarried for now. Having children might present too much of a conflict.
Were your parents ever against your career?
Yes, for a while they are. They were also afraid for my safety. But after I showed them that I was committed to what I was doing, that I stuck by my decision, they’ve changed their minds. In the end, they even respect me more for it.
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