I’ve always wanted to lead a more eco-conscious life, but it wasn’t until 2018 that I resolved to use my blog and social media accounts to create more awareness and encourage other people to do the same, among my more concrete efforts to help save the environment in my own little way. What’s a blog for if I can’t use it to post more content that informs and that I’m 100% certain will do some good?
That said, I fully support organizations with the advocacy to do this, like Hineleban Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit organization based in Bukidnon, Mindanao. “Hineleban” (He-ne-leu-ban) is a Sacred Binukid term literally meaning “Mother Tree of the rainforest that sustains the cycle of all life.” Their vision is to ensure the nation’s water, food, and human security by reforesting the mountain ranges of Mindanao, home to the country’s last watersheds. These ranges are inhabited by Indigenous People (IP) and Bangsamoro communities. Hineleban Foundation partnered with Globe in this enormous task by entering into a Sacred Customary Compact with the IPs and a Peace and Development role with the Bangsamoro people, agreeing to join efforts by identifying steps to fulfil this dream.
All Globe Prepaid, Postpaid, and TM customers have a chance to be part of this “rain-forestation” advocacy and help restore the Philippines’ primary rainforest cover when we donate our Globe Rewards points to Hineleban Foundation starting now up to March 31, 2019.
We can even name our own trees!
Every 100 Rewards points donation is equivalent to one tree. To donate, just download the Globe Rewards app on your mobile device and click the “Donate” banner. Tap “Help100” and press “Redeem.” Upon receiving the confirmation message, tap on the Hineleban site to name your tree. Enter your name, email, mobile number, and tree name, then wait for a confirmation prompt that you have successfully named your tree.
Globe and Hineleban Foundation’s partnership began in December 2016, whose combined efforts are currently reforesting 300 hectares of denuded primary rainforests, a fraction of the 44,000 hectares surveyed and targeted by Hineleban Foundation in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur. The program borne from the Globe-Hineleban partnership is structured into five phases over a five-year period, lasting until December 2021.
The reforestation process begins with the planting of calliandra to quell acidic cogonal grass. This is followed by the planting of tree species that are ideal for agroforestry, including Brazilian fire trees and Caribbean pine trees. Intercropping then becomes the objective, with 600 indigenous tree species per hectare planted to secure the area as a permanent watershed. Some of the species grown are almon, bagtikan, mayapis, apitong, red lauan, palosapis, white lauan, olayan, katii, and nato. Hineleban Foundation’s reforestation methodology is internationally recognized, having received the Grand Prize Award for best project in the forestry sector from the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development and the French Development Agency in 2015.
Aligned with a sustainable lifestyle
As a Globe subscriber, I’m glad the brand I choose to support pursues other environmental sustainability advocacies, too, like its paperless billing campaign to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of Life on Land, allowing customers the option to simply receive monthly billings via email. In 2018, Globe also spearheaded two Marine Biodiversity Conservation Workshops for Sustainable Business Practices in Boracay Island and Siargao, in partnership with Save Philippine Seas. Globe makes it easier to practice a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle in small, simple ways.
So spread the word and be an advocate. Visit hineleban.org to know more about Hineleban Foundation. For more information about Globe and its #GlobeOfGood stories, follow Globe Bridging Communities on Facebook.