Project 7000: Saving the planet one pledge at a time

“ I pledge to pick up litter.”
“ I pledge to recycle. ”
“ I pledge to tweet everyday about #reefwatchpH ”
“ I pledge to bring reusable canvass bags when I go shopping and limit my use of plastic bags”

Vibrant corals shelter exotic tropical fish in the waters of the Philippines

SEVEN THOUSAND PLEDGES FOR A BETTER TOMORROW: That is the goal of projectseventhousand.org, an advocacy launched on June 15, 2011 in Ocean Park. The project is an initiative of Save Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF) and is powered by Yehey! Digital Corporation. Anna Oposa and myself delivered a few remarks on the protection of our environment and experience in Palawan. The trip to a Pearl Farm in Palawan in March this year inspired me so much to be an “environmentalist”. I was aware of protecting the environment but living in the city alienated me from the marine life for many years.

The exposure to the rich marine life that reside in the waters of Palawan made me appreciate our coral reefs. Without this knowledge, I would have ignored that tweet reporting the wholesale distribution of our corals. I would not have tagged young environmentalist blogger , Anna Oposa to help out with the investigation of this plunder. Just one tweet, passed on, connecting to someone, created action.

Project 7000 welcome page

The Project 7000 is timely due to the revelation of extensive coral poaching that caused a senate investigation of the plunder of our marine life .Social media helped create a small buzz last April before traditional media picked the story up. Just one small voice can cause a ripple to create change.

Schools of fish swim freely in the pristine waters of Palawan, testament to the rich marine life that reside in the waters surrounding the Philippines

“We can do virtually anything online nowadays so why not create positive change in the fight to save the planet?” said Mia Macapagal, project manager of www.projectseventhousand.org. “We believe that environmental stewardship is the responsibility of all and we want to get the message out there in a fun, interactive way.”

“By realizing that each individual can affect the environment the most, we believe that it is everybody’s duty to give back and to stand at the front lines of this initiative,” said YEHEY! General Manager Jay Arellano. “It is with this ideal in mind that we decided to use digital media to collectively enable everyone to deliver the message of Environmental Stewardship to others– children, adults, professionals.”

Conceived as an interactive, social networking site, www.projectseventhousand.org engages everyone to do their part in helping the planet through three simple steps: make pledge an act for the environment , commit to it, and invite friends and family to do the same.

We know we can make a positive difference in the environment before it is too late. One does not need to do big things to save the world but with joint effort of committed group of citizens, it is possible to cause positive change.

SPSF was founded by pearl farmers Manuel Cojuangco and Jacques Branellec. As pearl farmers passionate about their craft, they also have reverence to the environment around them. Each pearl records the environmental trends and changes over the time it grows in the womb of its mother oyster. Oysters are thus the indicators of a healthy environment and the South Sea Pearl is the testament of pristine conditions. Hence the South Sea Pearl has been proclaimed in 1996 as the Philippine National Gem, a natural symbol of environmental stewardship.

Their commitment to the pearl and the environment inspired the partners to start SPSF. The Save the Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF) is a non-profit organization, which aims to provide alternative sources of income in coastal communities, through which people could earn money without hurting the environment. Providing communities with an alternative source of income through organic farming, crafts and seaweed farming will also allow the communities to nurture their environment. The foundation also hoped to help formulate long-term conservation and management strategies for the province’s marine resources, so as to ensure a better life for everyone who depended on the sea to survive.

One Mission. One Planet. Change for the future begins with seven thousand.

Make a pledge at Project 7000. Please join me as we make a pledge to protect our environment. It starts with a single pledge that is lived and shared with others to create a change for a promising future. Our journey begins now.

Photos of the corals, school of fish by Scott “Gutsy” Tuason. Some rights reserved.