SACSI celebrates February with a “Love Affair with Nature”
Love is in the air – with Mother Nature, that is – as the Social Awareness and Community Service Involvement (SACSI), through its Environment Program, leads a Green School Campaign dubbed “A Love Affair with Nature”. A series of activities focused on sustainable environmental care are slated all through February 2016.
“The ‘Love Affair with Nature’ is our simple way to demonstrate how Ateneans can come together as one as we continue with our advocacy to care for the environment and give back to nature,” says SACSI Environment Program Officer Welma Laurente-Omboy.
A highlight of this month-long project was the official launching of the bamboo nursery center last February 15 at the backyard of the University Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Salvador Campus. Assistant to the President for Formation Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ, graced the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a blessing. This was followed by the opening of the Bamboo Propagation Seminar Workshop participated in by 130 representatives from selected river-bank barangays in Zamboanga City.
The following day, February 16, participants witnessed an on-site hands-on demonstration of bamboo cuttings propagation at the bamboo nursery. The barangay representatives also discussed plans on how to cultivate a bamboo nursery in their own communities, and turn it into a source of sustainable livelihood.
The “Love Affair with Nature” project aims to propagate bamboo cuttings at a rate of at least 6,500 seedlings in an effort to address the landslides, floods, and soil erosions brought about by heavy rains and river overflow. These bamboos are to be planted later in adopted barangay communities such as Ayala, Sinunuc, Guiwan, and Manicaan, which were found to be among other places, at risk to hazardous natural disasters, based on the research conducted by the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources (OCENR).
Previous activities include mangrove planting at the preserved area near the Bird Sanctuary of the Zamboanga State College of Marine Science and Technology (ZSCMST) last February 6, in line with the celebration of World Wetlands Day. Last February 13, simultaneous events were held in various places: a coastal clean-up at the RT Lim Boulevard; Scubasurero at Barangay Cawa-Cawa; and Adopt-an-estero at Barangay Upper Calarian and San Roque.
This project is spearheaded by SACSI in cooperation with Ecowatch student volunteers, faculty and staff of AdZU, local government units, as well as partner institutions like the Climate Change Alliance, the American Corner, and Zamboanga-Basilan Integrated Development Alliance (ZABIDA).
