Marc, Rovilson teach kids about saving environment

MANILA, Philippines - One of the best ways to get to a kid’s heart is to tell a story – which is exactly what the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) did. Only this time, they let the puppets do the talking.

WWF national ambassadors Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez and the WWF environmental education team entertained a mix of Grade 4 to 6 students of Pembo Elementary School with a puppet show on biodiversity conservation and the importance of waste management. Interactive lectures composed of videos, environmental games, arts and crafts featured marine animals such as the humpback whale, dugong, whale shark and sea turtle in puppets that engaged the kids’ curiosity on how they can contribute to saving the environment like practicing the 3Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle.

WWF has been proactively implementing their awareness programs that have taught over 270,000 kids from 1,427 schools nationwide. The organization believes in building a future where humans can live in harmony with nature which entails a collective response from everyone - including the youth.

“We aim to empower the youth to become stewards of the environment. We want them to realize that climate change and biodiversity conservation are issues they can act on,” said Environmental Education team leader Obel Resurreccion.

“Teaching kids that proper waste management at home can help save dolphins and whales stresses their contributions make a difference. No matter how many protected areas or experts you have, waste will always be a problem unless everyone literally cleans up their act,” said Marc.

Added Rovilson, “The youth need to be equipped with the knowledge and passion to prepare for inheriting our planet.”

With education tours, clean up drives and other activities lined up for 2011, WWF extends the invitation to be proactive in making the Philippines a greener environment.