SM Group leads ‘Grow A Million Trees’ mission in Bulacan
Motivated by the same goal, linked by a common threat, more than a hundred employees from different companies under the SM Group and its affiliates joined hands in making their pledges for the environment through the “Grow A Million Trees” tree planting activity held on June 5, 2013.
The project led by SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI), the company’s socio civic arm, is aimed to contribute to the national greening efforts through tree planting, nurturing and development initiatives in specified areas nationwide.
It also highlights the public and private partnership between the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) and SM in being catalysts for environment sustainability and protection.
SMFI likewise partnered with the local group, the Suklib Kalawakan DRT Upland Farmers Association, Inc. to help during the three-year program development of the plantation area in Bulacan.
Coinciding with the celebration of the World Environment Day, volunteers braved the heat as they trekked the steep hill of the vast 20-hectare land in Sitio Kamalig, Barangay Kalawakan, Doña Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan. This area was adopted as one of the seven identified sites for the tree growing project.
The area became the home of 2,500 saplings of narra trees planted by the participants. These seedlings amounted to the 25 percent of the target 10,000 for the Bulacan site alone.
Meanwhile, every employee who came from SM malls in Baliwag and Marilao, SM Hypermarket, Supermarket, SM Department Store and Ace Hardware were armed not only with planting tools but also with their desire to save the environment amidst climate crisis.
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| ONE TEAM FOR ONE GREEN GOAL. A unified team of different companies under the SM Group and affiliates renew their alliance to protect the environment during the Grow A Million Trees Tree Planting activity in Bulacan. |
During the activity, it was SMFI Assistant Vice President for livelihood and outreach, Ms. Cristie Angeles who led the group together with project partners head DENR Central Office’s Romeo Fiecas, Community Environment and Natural Resources’ Forester III Juanito Pascual and People’s Organization’s Juanito Polka.
The SM Grow A Million Trees project in Bulacan is the first leg of the many tree planting activities for the year. To date, 270,207 seedlings have been planted by the SM Group and affiliates.
The project will also be carried out in the provinces of Benguet, Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, Davao, Nasugbu and Calatagan in Batangas.
