Marikina relaunches ‘Eco-Savers’ program
MANILA, July 29 — The city government of Marikina, through the City Environmental Management Office (CEMO), relaunched recently its award-winning “Eco-Savers” program.
Eco-Savers is an environmental awareness advocacy of the city government that aims to inculcate the importance of waste segregation among residents and recycling among the students.
Since its inception in 2004, the program has already tapped some 180,000 students from 17 public elementary schools in Marikina. In 2007, it won the national government's prestigious Gawad Galing Pook Award.
Mayor Del De Guzman described the advocacy as a potent tool for encouraging people’s participation to create an educated, proactive, and environmentally sound community.
“Eco-Savers has been an integral part of the environmental awareness campaign of Marikina, and we recognize the valuable contribution of the schools in helping the local government facilitate waste segregation and recycling,” De Guzman said.
Under the program, students are encouraged to bring recyclable wastes to their respective schools during Eco-Savers Day. On the event, the recyclable wastes are weighed and corresponding points are earned and recorded in the students’ Eco-Savers Passbook.
Points earned will be totaled in March and December, when the students can get their incentives in exchange for the points earned. Incentives such as school supplies and grocery items can be claimed at the Eco-Savers Bus which visits the schools in the aforementioned months.
“Through this advocacy, the students are taught at an early age how to be conscious of their day-to-day activities such as proper disposal of garbage at home that greatly affects the environment,” De Guzman said.
He noted that the plan to tap the city’s private elementary schools is now underway. (PNA) scs/HCT