Planting mangroves has been universally acknowledged as a worthwhile undertaking as these shrubs, when properly planted along coastlines serve as frontline defense for people and property against the raging forces of tides, storm surges, waves, and volatile currents that could potentially create devastating erosion inland.
In tandem with mangrove planting, the International Coastal Cleanup Day, designated every third Saturday of September each year (for more than three decades now), came into being thanks to the efforts of Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara, who worked at the nonprofit environmental agency Ocean Conservancy. They noted how the rising amount of garbage being dumped into oceans and major bodies of water were creating an adverse impact on the environment and sought to address with a simple solution: have people go to the beach to collect trash to scale back the chances of these materials being swept into the water and wreaking havoc on nature.
It is in these two significantly converging points that the Rotaract Club of Cebu Fuente in tandem with all other Rotary and Rotaract clubs in Cebu, conducted a massive mangrove planting and coastal cleanup campaign last September 17, 2022 along the coastlines of Barangay Poblacion, City of Naga, Cebu. To prep the volunteers physically for the arduous task ahead, a Zumba session was held to kick things off. Afterward, the volunteers traversed to the venue and wasted no time lining up in droves to plant mangrove shrubs along their respective designated coastlines. Other volunteers were provided eco-friendly trash bags and they picked up the trash found along the shores that could potentially make their way into the water.
With District Governor Lilu Alino at the helm of the operation, the coordinated efforts to preserve Mother Nature by planting some of her own and picking up waste would certainly go a long way toward neutralizing the unpredictable, and oftentimes, devastating effects of an environmental situation gone awry. We are overwhelmingly grateful to all volunteers who lent their time and hands in making this campaign an unquestioned success and we look forward to having more individuals and more opportunities to seize the moment to help continue making this planet a beautiful and worthy place to live in. With profoundly worthwhile endeavors as mangrove planting, TOGETHER WE TRANSFORM lives.
