Making a Difference…. Online!
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
“That I can change the world
I would be the sunlight in your universe
you will think my love was really something good
Baby if I could change the world”
- From the song “Change the World” ©1996 Reprise Records
By Eric Clapton from the album “Phenomenon”
That song won the Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and was ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of the Songs of the Century. Hearing the words “change the world” could ignite the spark in most people’s heart to go out there and help change the world.
If they could, they would. But most people do not know how to.
People really do want to change the world. Just consider the 5 million supporters from 100 countries for the World Wildlife Fund. Since 1961, WWF has been in the forefront in stopping the degradation of Earth’s natural environment. In this way, people can help build a future for their children where they can live in harmony with nature.
WWF brought its experience as one of the world’s largest independent conservation organizations to the Philippines in 1969 when it helped protect the Philippine Eagle and other indigenous wildlife in this country. In 1988, WWF’s efforts in the Philippines grew when they facilitated the funding of conservation projects through the Debt of Nature Swap. Then in 1997 the Philippines officially became the 26th national organization for WWF and was locally known as Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas. Since then, various conservation projects were implemented to protect the world’s 10th most biologically diversified country. The efforts of WWF-Philippines are not only focused on wildlife preservation but also in addressing the top environmental issues facing the country.
However, the questions that arise include these: Are the citizens of this country aware of these efforts by WWF-Philippines? How can the Pinoy get involved in helping preserve his own environment?
When most Pinoys hear the word WWF, the first thing that comes to mind is professional wrestling. They haven’t had a clue as to the other meaning of the term WWF. While WWF-Philippines work with individuals, government, private companies and institutions for their involvement in biodiversity matters, many Pinoys are not aware that even an organization exists. Oh, some people do see the panda logo in malls and exhibits but would only look at it in passing. Some have probably seen Jackie Chan in some commercials about wildlife preservation saying, “When the buying stops, the killings can too.” Or they have probably heard his new Jacky Chan’s Café planning to open branches here in the Philippines with WWF as one of the main beneficiaries. Aside from that, their knowledge of WWF-Philippines is next to non-existent.
The Philippines is a country where 100% of the population can be found in one of the more than 7000 islands dotting the nation and most are within 100km from the sea. WWF-Philippines realized that all their efforts in helping save the environment will be for naught if the people themselves are not involved in making these changes. As stressed by WWF-Philippines, to save the Philippine environment, the Pinoy must be saved first.
WWF-Philippines is driving efforts to bring environmental awareness to the people. Working and collaborating through partnerships with individuals and organizations, as well as proper communication and environmental education are key components to these conservation efforts. With the globalization of the Filipino and the growing enthusiasm of Pinoys with the World Wide Web, WWF-Philippines is also making use of online strategies in reaching out to the Pinoy.
WWF-Philippines realize the Pinoy’s fascination with Social Networking. With Pinoys taking a huge chunk of the bandwidth operated by various social networks, involvement in such online communities is a powerful way of reaching out to the Filipino. WWF-International is paving the way by inviting visitors to their website to join any of the WWF Online Communities. In Facebook alone, WWF already has more than 145 thousand supporters, with 37 thousand joining the cause (target is 50,000). Still, this is a far cry from the more than 200 million Facebook members. Some rock stars and even porn stars have more fans in Facebook than what they have.
YouTube is another online force to reckon with millions of viewers watching billions of video every month. Still, the number of viewers and subscribers to WWF’s YouTube community pale in comparison with these figures or even to the millions of hits some non-sense flicks get so far. A lot of work is still needed to be done.
To start making a difference and help change the world, WWF-Philippines is inviting Pinoys to start taking action and making their contribution in saving the Philippines’ natural resources. Anyone, whether an individual, a company or an organization can join and all can help the cause of WWF by sharing your resources either in cash or in kind.
In this regard, WWF-Philippines have stepped up their efforts in soliciting donations from various sources to fund their projects and initiatives. Part of this is adding an online donation gateway on their website. People from around the world, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, can send their donations through this gateway and help WWF-Philippines with their conservation efforts. One time donations of P5000, P2000 or any other preferred amount can be given. If you prefer, recurring donations can also be given monthly at P500, P400, P200 denominations or whatever preferred amount you are committing to give. The default currency in the website is Philippine Peso, but anyone can give in any currency that their credit cards support. An XE Personal Currency Assistant is also provided to guide donors in computing the amount to give.
People and organizations can also contribute in kind by offering their time, skills, expertise, products and facilities to assist WWF-Philippines in their projects and initiatives. Volunteer opportunities abound for individuals who want to spend their time in a worthy cause. These opportunities include: Research activities (data accumulation and gathering, etc); Environmental Education; Communications (materials, PR Plans, campaign tools, etc); Membership (information database, trips and activities, recruiting new members, etc); Clerical (catalogs, encoding, library tasks, etc); other opportunities depending on immediate needs.
For companies embracing WWF’s thrusts, engaging in environmental efforts goes beyond philanthropy and shelling out various amounts per project. These environmental issues should also be part of their business strategies - for the environment is part of the core of any business. The environment is the source for products and materials. Protecting and preserving their sources of natural capital is for the company’s best interest. Companies can get involved through the: Conservation Alliance Program (CAP), Partners in Sustainable Growth (PSG) and Friends of WWF-Philippines (FOW).
A good example for corporate involvement in protecting the environment is Cebu Pacific’s (CEB) partnership for Bright Skies, a Carbon Footprint offsetting scheme that is popular in Western countries. In this program, CEB passengers are taking an active part by providing a contribution cost pre-computed from the estimated carbon dioxide emission of their flights, which will be included in the passenger’s overall flight cost. This amount will go to climate change adaptation projects like the Apo Reef in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.
The WWF-Philippines website also outlines other ways for everyday people to make a difference and contribute to the preservation of the environment. Simple acts like buying environmental friendly products during shopping, using energy and waste-saving measures, recycling as well as being responsible for the emissions that our transports are emitting can go a long way. Being responsible in the area we live in is also an important factor including taking immediate action and involving authorities for environmental related issues, simple organic gardening, and taking care not to harm the environment and natural resources during vacations and trips can make big impacts.
Getting involve in environmental consciousness everywhere we are or whatever we do can truly make a difference for our environment. A simple act of telling your “green” story or advocacy to the efforts of WWF-Philippines in blogs, social networks, and emails can be more beneficial in changing the world.
Starting with the Philippines - this country that we call home.
By: Peter Allan Mariano
Posted By: Doreen Malbas - AsiaPay Payment Technology, Corp.
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