World Wide Fund for Nature National Ambassadors Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson share their love for the environment by educating kids on the value of marine conservation and waste management.

MANILA, Philippines — A unique class on marine conservation, organized recently by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, seemed more like a children’s party — sans the food, drinks and party décor.

Students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 at the Pembo Elementary School (PES) in Makati have never been livelier and more enthusiastic than in the said two-hour interactive class that featured environmental games, puppets, videos, arts and crafts, and role-playing.

Making it doubly special is the participation of WWF’s National Ambassadors — celebrities/environmentalists Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez — who joined the WWF-Philippines environmental education team for the first time in a campus activity.

A bigger stage

Sports enthusiasts and TV hosts Marc and Rovilson are staunch environmentalists who have been doing their own share in environmental conservation and promotion.

“Rovilson and I have been giving talks (in schools) on our own. I particularly advocate the need to manage trash, to reuse and recycle. With my work, I get to travel almost every week and see a lot more of the Philippines than most people would. But it’s such a shame when you’re on the most beautiful spot and it is ruined by float¬ing trash! And that’s only what we see. What more the stuff that we don’t see that’s affecting the environment, our fishery stocks, our marine life? Since throwing trash indiscriminately has become a habit, I believe it’s important that we get to the kids and teach them to develop that habit of picking things up and throwing them properly. If you teach them as early as possible, I’m sure the kids will grow up being more environmentally aware,” says Marc.

Growing up in Australia, Marc had been exposed to environment educa¬tion since he was a child. He intends to do the same thing for young people in the Philippines. In fact, he is organizing a beach clean-up activity with As-sumption College to teach about waste management.

When the offer to work for WWF-Philippines came, Marc and Rovilson wasted no time in grabbing the op-portunity.

“We accepted the offer to be WWF ambassadors in a beat. It is such an

 honor. We’re not professionals in this but we do what we can because we have a responsibility given the position that we are in and by having wonderful vehicles to show this passion. But with WWF, we have a bigger stage now to share this passion with others. So this is just a wonderful way to give back,” relates Rovilson.

Simplifying lessons

Since 1999, WWF-Philippines has been conducting the marine conservation campaign dubbed “Project Life” in elementary and high schools across the country.

Isobel D. Resurreccion, head of WWF-Phils.’ environmental education team, says they have already reached out to over 200,000 students, even from as far as Tawi-Tawi, Sulu. The results have been overwhelmingly positive for the kids.

“We get enthusiastic reactions from kids all the time. Sometimes their reaction gets rowdy but the team has already mastered handling these kids. We also study their reactions and what strategies will work best on the students,” explains Isobel.

All campaigns are based on an interactive formula. The team simplifies the usually technical lessons on environmental science and combines them with visuals and fun activities such as games, role-playing, and video shows.

“We try to make the information classes as lively as possible. Instead of the recitation, we even do charades. Through these games, we are able to determine if the students are learning,” says Isobel.

With Marc and Rovilson on the team, she says a more striking impact on the kids is expected. “Seeing Marc and Rovilson on TV, the kids will be able to identify with them and hopefully be inspired by their love for the environ-ment,” Isobel adds.

WWF-Phils. has also partnered with Pembo Elementary School and the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) for its “Project Ecokids” in 2005. Once-a-week, lessons on climate change and the simple solutions that could be done to minimize its effects were taught to Grade 3 students for eight months by the WWF team.

Isobel says they also conduct their interactive campaigns to parents, professionals and other people in the communities.

Doing their share

The outcome in one school is particularly encouraging. Isobel says their campaign proved to be really effective as the kids who learned about energy conservation convinced their principal to change all the incandescent bulbs in their auditorium with the preferred energy-saving CFL bulbs. And surprisingly, the principal acceded!

Judith Pichay, a PES teacher says the WWF partnership has inspired them to embark on several programs on waste segregation and manage¬ment; recycling; the Pembo Angels Magic Spots (PAMS), a clean and green campaign that encourages students and residents in their community to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings; a vegetable garden project using recycled pots; and the “Pera sa Panapon” program where the school sell used plastic bottles gathered by its students and use the money for their projects.

Meanwhile, the students who participated in the WWF class were raving about it and eager to share what they learned.

“We may have learned some of these things from our teacher but it was done in a serious and ordinary way, in a regular class. But this class conducted by WWF was fun and interesting. Plus, we have these new celebrity teachers who are really effective and motivating,” shares Grade 4 students Patricia Ina Tanada and Anluver Brandes.

Grade 6 students Jordean Alabado and Patrick Allen Tanada, on the other hand, are already thinking of ways on how to do their share in environmental conservation. Jordean asserts that even if he is still young, he can already make a difference by starting at home.

“I can practice waste segregation and proper disposal at home. Also, I must have self-discipline and lessen my use of the computer and TV. In that way, I can help my parents conserve energy and electricity. I should not wait for my parents to tell me these things, I must do them voluntarily,” says Jordean.

Patrick says he can help WWF in its campaigns by sharing his thoughts on the environment and marine life through a shout out on Facebook and blogs.

“If through WWF, more people, including these kids will become more aware of the need to appreciate, care and protect the environment, especially these kids, then I think we can truly expect a major change to happen within a generation,” ends Marc.