On April 27, 2014,
National Geographic Channel (NGC) renews its commitment to the environment by celebrating
this year’s Earth Day (which falls on April 22 globally) with another round of
its wildly successful Earth Day Run. Now on its fifth year, Earth Day Run is
expected to attract 12,000 running enthusiasts of all ages and fitness levels
to participate for the good of the environment.
Earth Day Run has
consistently been besting its record for number of participants, with last
year’s expected number of 10,000 runners demolished by an actual registered
12,000 participants. NGC hopes to replicate that success for Earth Day Run 2014
by registering 12,000 runners in the 3K, 5K, 10K and 21K categories, including
a new fifth category of 42K designed to draw the most physically fit and expert
runners in the country. The event itself is considered one of the biggest runs
in the Philippines.
This year, NGC is
working once again with its environmental partner, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), to make a solid difference in the Philippines’ environmental
footprint and give sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities.
Last year, the two organizations used proceeds of the Earth Day Run to plant P1
million worth of fruit-bearing trees in the Abuan watershed in Isabela, in the
Sierra Madre region. Besides partial reforestation of this important resource,
local farmers were given the privilege to own and care for the trees as well as
harvest their fruits for their income. In 2014, NGC promises to raise
money for WWF’s Bancas For The
Philippines project, which aims to train fishermen affected by Typhoon Haiyan
(Yolanda) last November 2013 in the making and use of fiberglass boats for
artisanal fishing. These boats are designed to withstand the onslaught of
typhoons to ensure that the fishermen can continue with their livelihood in any
event.
WWF’s experts will
train fishermen on site and help them build the fiberglass boats while reducing
the use of sawn timber and plywood, in the hopes that the communities can
produce one boat per day. Many fishermen were left with no sources of income
when their boats were destroyed by Haiyan, and so this project is a significant
step toward the rehabilitation of communities in Palawan, which was ravaged by
the typhoon last November but slow to receive relief due to the sheer number of
islands in central Philippines that needed to recover from the devastation.
Earth Day Run 2014 aims to help these fishermen directly with the sharing of
climate-smart technology that will help them recover their livelihood, as well
as decrease the fishing pressure on our seas that have been heavily exploited
by commercial fishing by promoting artisanal fishing for small-scale fishermen.
Earth Day Run uses
recyclable materials for its race bibs and a “Zero Paper” registration process
in the form of a Centralized Registration System, which National Geographic
pioneered in the country. Participants can support the Haiyan rehabilitation
efforts of NGC and WWF by signing up on www.natgeorun.com or visiting the sign-up booth at the
Lower Ground floor of SM Aura from March 1 to April 20. Finishers of the longer
races of 21K and 42K can not only take pride in their physical victory and
willingness to help Haiyan survivors and the environment, but they will also
each be getting a medal and finisher’s shirt to commemorate their triumph.
Nearly four months
after Typhoon Haiyan, those affected by it still need so much help, and it has
become important to sustain the public’s interest in their rehabilitation.
Earth Day Run 2014 invites all runners to register and do their part while
enjoying the health benefits of good exercise and unity in supporting the
survivors of one of the most devastating natural disasters in the country’s
history.
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