BREAKING
THE CHAINS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IGNORANCE
by
Antonio C. Antonio
July
10, 2014
Ten
months ago, Michelle de Leon, Jabez Flores and I opened a Facebook Community
Page called “Landscape Ecology UPOU” where we started posting pro-environment
photos, articles and reports with the aim of popularizing landscape ecology
principles as viable alternatives in solving our environmental malaise. A month after, we also created another
Facebook group called “UPOU ENRM UPlanders” as a venue to network
environment-related information from our other colleagues who equally shared
our passion in protecting Mother Earth.
These Facebook accounts are very active up to the present as we
discovered that social media is the most cost-efficient means to popularize an
environmental advocacy. (“Social Media”,
antonantonio.blogspot.com)
I
should mention that before we embarked on this pro-environment journey, we (a
select group of pro-environment advocates who bonded themselves in a group
commonly called The UPlanders) conducted two extensive surveys to answer the
questions: (1) “What is the level of awareness and understanding of
Environmental Management?” and (2) “How do you popularize Landscape Ecology to
the illiterate and ignorant?” (“Masdan ang Bukas Ko”,
antonantonio.blogspot.com) Guided by our
survey’s dismal results on the aspects of awareness and knowledge on
environmental matters, we now were better equipped to formulate cost-effective
undertakings to popularize our chosen advocacy.
Seemingly
restless and raring to do more, I personally segued to organizing to another
Facebook community page known as “Pro EARTH Crusaders” as another means to
expand the coverage of the advocacy. The
same posts were also made in two other Facebook groups, (1) ANTONIO Tribe of
Tarlac and (2) Magallanes… not to mention other environment advocacy groups
that have linked-up with Pro EARTH Crusaders.
A
little over three months ago, on the suggestion of Jacqueline Baula (my niece),
I also started posting pro-environment materials on Blogger under the blogsite:
antonantonio.blogspot.com described as: "This blogsite contains articles, papers and reports on the subject
of environment and natural resources management together with economic
development and human interest stories every now and then. This blogsite
intends to provide thought-provoking perspectives to increase the level of
awareness on environmental issues and concerns aimed at inspiring individual
and/or collective action towards protecting Mother Earth." (Antonio,
2014) With this, I found myself
communicating to a worldwide audience in about two dozen countries. It’s amazing to note that environmental
concerns are basically the same in all parts of the world although there are varying
levels of awareness and knowledge of environmental matters. But this certainly gives me the feeling that
we (Filipinos) are not alone in this pro-earth crusade.
Now, after ten long months of posting and
blogging, the reach and coverage has improved substantially. Todate, using the above-mentioned Facebook
pages plus the blogsite, I could effectively reach and spread the good word about
Mother Earth to close to five thousand people.
I feel confident that the coverage will increase further in the coming
months. Well, five thousand may not be
much to make a difference but if the ripple effect (“The Ripple Principle”,
antonantonio.blogspot.com) is applied, the net effective reach will be 320,000
people (for now). While there is more to
learn and work to be done, I sincerely feel that this will be a fair start in
breaking the chains of environmental ignorance.
Just my little thoughts…
REFERENCES:
(Please
visit, like and share Pro EARTH Crusaders and Landscape Ecology UPOU on
Facebook or follow me at antonantonio.blogspot.com)
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