Youth congress champions post-consumer waste mgmt

MANILA, Philippines - Nothing can be more of an eye opener for Filipinos than the recent flooding that devastated parts of Metro Manila and Northern Luzon.

Emerging from the tripartite partnership of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands (SCPW) and Unilever is the Conservation of Laguna de Bay’s Environment and Resources or CLEAR. The group recently convened over 70 students (in photo) residing from communities that surround Laguna Lake in Tanay, Los Baños, Lumban, Pangil, Lake Bunhi and Nauian for the 4th CLEAR Youth Congress in Tanay, Rizal.

The student participants were very fortunate indeed to have as keynote speaker the late Odette Alcantara who was the lead convenor of Earth Day Network Philippines and was a staunch advocate for the environment. In one of her last acts before she passed away, Tita Odette, as she was fondly called, was able leave an important legacy to the youth when she gave a lecture on Grabology or the art and science of managing wastes as resources so that it does not become garbage.

“This experience really taught us how to think and be more aware of how people have contributed to nature’s destruction, as well as motivated us to be a solution to this problem. The program gave us a clearer perspective that encouraged us to affirm our commitment to care for and protect the environment,” participants said.