On April 22, the world will be celebrating the birthday of Planet Earth which according to Smithsonian.com is already about 4.6 billion years old. This old lady, despite its age, has served as our gracious home and it is but fitting that we give it the care it deserves especially at this time when climate change and global warming pose a major challenge and has been giving Planet Earth and its inhabitants a rough time.
SM Supermalls, through its CSR arm SM Cares, is enjoining the public to join its various activities lined up to celebrate Earth Day this Friday, April 22. SM malls all over the country will hold a special Trash to Cash Recycling Market from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The public may bring used plastic and PET bottles, aluminum and tin cans, scrap paper, old wood furniture, and kitchen metal items to any SM mall in exchange for cash or useful household items. All the collected items will be turned over to a waste management facility for recycling. This project is regularly done every first Fridays and Saturdays of every month.
Several SM Malls will also be celebrating with music concerts. SM City Marilao will hold a concert entitled “Green Guitars – A Concert for the Planet” featuring Spongecola, Ebe Dancel, and DJ Arra Pascual. What makes the show unique is the use of renewable energy to provide power during the artists’ performances. The audience will be treated to a short audio-visual presentation that will explain renewable energy and how this system works for the concert. Also part of this project is a chance for customers to sign up as a “Partner of the Planet.”
In lieu of a concert fee, those who want to watch will be asked to make a small donation for the benefit of the Jubilee Shelter Program (JSP) of the Diocese of Malolos, Bulacan. The collected fund will be used to provide a solar energy system for JSP’s livelihood activities.
On April 30, the SM Mall of Asia will be the host venue for the 3rd Pro-Earth Run. This is the second straight time that SM MOA has supported the event organized by Earth Day Network Philippines (EDPI), which is the local counterpart of the global Earth Day Network International and frontrunner of the annual April 22nd Earth Day celebration in the Philippines. Registration for the run is still ongoing through www.earthdayphilippines.org.
Whichever activity the public chooses to celebrate Earth Day, the important thing is that every one is ready to do his share to care for a sustainable future, thanks to places like SM malls that provide the opportunity to help.