An estimated 11,000 volunteers—students, professionals and members of the community—collected 31,564 kilograms of non-biodegradable waste from the recent International Coastal Cleanup event at the Central Park of SM by the Bay at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
The initiative is in collaboration with the International Coastal Cleanup Philippines, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital Region, the local government of Pasay City and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, Philippine Coast Guard, and SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, Inc.
It aims to raise awareness and foster action in keeping coastlines clean for future generations.
The ICC is one of the biggest events of SM by the Bay, as part of its advocacy in caring for the environment and keeping our bays free of trash.
SM by the Bay and SM Mall of Asia conducts quarterly cleanup drives, and has been supporting this international initiative since 2015. To date, more than 700,000 kilograms of trash has been collected. SM’s regular bay cleanup activities support the Manila Bay rehabilitation program.
“When we see people gathering from all walks of life, from all age groups, doing something with a common goal, it just warms the heart to see that people actually care about the environment and they’re doing it with their loved ones as well, here at SM by the Bay. We at SM remain committed to supporting our communities, by doing our part in caring for the environment,” said Perkin So, senior assistant vice president of SM Mall of Asia.
Despite the rains, thousands of the paired volunteers were assigned to different stations, as one served as the collector and other the tabulator. Data collected was then forwarded to Ocean Conservancy for final tabulation.
The event is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, aimed at the sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution, and safeguarding them from all kinds of harmful land-based activities.
Other environment and sustainability programs of SM include solar panel rooftop installations which promote the use of clean energy; Water recycling treatment for all malls wherein all recycled water is used back for non-potable and industrial needs; Automated Weather Stations; the monthly Trash-to-Cash Recycling Market; and the Green Film Festival, to name a few.
As a responsible member of the community, SM ensures that its CSR programs serve as a catalyst for positive change in the communities that it supports.