WITH THE CONCLUSION of Zero Waste Month this past January, the Bedan Advocacy and Consciousness Enhancement Society (BACES) launched the “Beda Ang Zero Waste Student Forum” at the Pamanang Bedista last February 2 in pursuit of the “alignment with the concepts of Laudato Si’ and integral ecology.”
The forum saw BACES partnering with professional and non-professional organizations within San Beda University (SBU), as well as Bambuhay, zero-waste company manufacturing products, that “provide solutions” to plastic pollution, deforestation, and “green issues” to the environment. Both are aimed at widening the scope of the Laudato Si’ initiative in the University and to raise awareness of the Bedan community towards a “zero-waste life.”
The student forum’s first speaker was Adrian Lignes, a fourth-year AB Political Science student and the concurrent Student Government President of Adamson University (AdU). He presented AdU’s implementation of the Laudato Si’ initiative with regards to how “important the concept of commitment is” in saving the environment.
One of the highlights of his presentation was breaking the status quo of 3Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. “The 3Rs are no longer viable as these actions are insufficient in taking care of the environment,” he stressed out.
Accordingly, Lignes urged Bedans to follow the “12Rs” instead, an advocacy revamped to keep up with the times that include: reuse, reduce, recycle, repair, refuse, return, refill, restore, repurpose, rot, respect, and remember.
As the current president of AdU’s Student Government, alongside his experience as a student-leader, Lignes implored Bedans to “never stop speaking, after that, you take action.” He added that “because a lot of people speak but there’s a bit lacking in the actions that we make that’s why I’m saying na ‘wag lang tayo magsalita for the voiceless people, but we should act for them.”
As Lignes concluded his keynote presentation, Mr. Mark Sultan took the stage and shared his own zero-waste journey: from a simple advocacy-turned-wide-scale business to Bedans. As the founder of Bambuhay, he put emphasis on his plantable toothbrush products, sharing how after three months of use, “it would be possible for its user to plant it.” This is in line with Bambuhay’s goal to plant one billion bamboo trees by the end of 2030.
Founded in 2017, Mr. Sultan remarked that, throughout Bambuhay’s existence up until the present, the company has been a “livelihood source” to countless families who are in need while also addressing environmental concerns. He also expounded the idea that “by empowering those who are less fortunate, alongside carrying the cross to save the environment, people could make a better world for everybody,” embodying Bambuhay’s goal of “saving the Earth, saving lives.”
Mr. Sultan’s goals for Bambuhay are plenty for the year 2024 as he aimed at entering the export market. “We are targeting to at least reach at least ten million users here in the Philippines. Basically, this year, we are aiming to uplift at least a hundred indigenous people to be out of poverty,” he added.
As SBU declares itself a Laudato Si’ University, Mr. Sultan relayed a few words for the Bedan community in moving forward as a green University, stating that “We only have one planet and it takes one person to take care of it, and it starts with you. Use the power of individuality, use your power as an individual to change the world.”
With “Beda Ang Zero Waste Student Forum” coming to a close, Mari Okol, the activity head and the current president of BACES, shared how the organization, being an advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), wanted to have activities anchored at a specific sustainable framework, “and one of the sustainable frameworks for this academic year is really focused on Laudato Si’,” she said.
Okol further stated that despite these initiatives, this would not immediately change the world. She, however, emphasized that the only thing that could change is the person—to commit to the cause of helping the environment.
“I encourage everyone that to make more of an effort to show up to this kind of events and initiatives, especially in the case of our environment because at the end of the day, we can’t just expect change by simple words, it needs actions to be paired with,” she added.
In line with Laudato Si’ and environmental action, BACES held a product exchange in partnership with Babmbuhay. The product exchange saw Bedans exchanging their plastic toothbrushes for Bambuhay’s bamboo toothbrushes, as well as exchanging plastic bottles and bond papers in exchange for BACES exclusive stickers.
(with Dianne Radel Magallon)