text by Prime Sarmiento
photo by Rhaydz Barcia

 

I spent one weekend planting trees.
 
  Ok that’s a bit of an exaggeration. What I actually did was join fellow members of the Philippine Network on Environmental Journalists, Inc. celebrate our first year anniversary by planting a sapling at a mangrove area in Bacacay town, Albay province.
 
  Albay is about 500 kilometers south of the Philippine capital. The province is renown for being home to Mayon Volcano – celebrated for its perfect cone. But for us PNEJ members, Albay is the ideal site to celebrate our first year as a group. As Albay’s provincial government, led by Governor Joey Salceda, has been recognized worldwide for its climate adaptation and mitigation efforts which include mangrove reforestation.
 
  The actual planting took about five minutes – what I did was just to take a sapling that was handed to me and buried its roots deeply in then ground while having my photo taken by photojournalists Rhaydz and EV.
 
  I know I look like a politico campaigning on the green platform. One PNEJ member, Jun, even joked that he can now run as President of the Philippines because he has a photo taken while planting a sapling.
 
  The difference of course is that a campaigning politico looks clean and stylish in his polo and jeans while planting a tree. But me, I was wearing old pair of shorts and t-shirt, ankle-deep in mud, sweaty and having a bad hair day.
 
  Some environmentalists may dismiss this one-off tree planting activity as tokenism. That this is nothing more than a symbolic gesture that won’t solve the planet’s environmental problems (the hottest environmental issue now is “climate change”).
 
  Well, I agree with them. But let me qualify that. I agree that tree planting alone won’t solve anything (for all I know that sapling died hours after I planted it). There are so many problems and only long-term sustained action can make a huge impact. And I’m soo not returning to Bacacay to take care of that sapling – I swore off tree planting after trekking for about an hour in a muddy terrain full of big, sharp rocks, one hot afternoon. With my flat feet, broad hips and innate klutziness (I almost slipped several times), trekking will literally kill me.
 
  Having said that, I still maintain the importance holding tree planting activities because I believe in the power of symbols.
Tree planting is a symbolic act. And a symbol evokes such intense feelings on any human being that we often throw logic and rationality out of the window so that we can follow and act upon on our emotions.
 
If you think that’s another woo-woo statement from a New Age gypsygal (if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, I can’t blame you for making that conclusion) then better think again.
 
  Because that statement was informed by an in-depth study on environmental protection.
I will channel my inner Temperance Brennan here and discuss emotions within the context of rationality. For this, I will encourage you to read “Loving Nature”, a book published in 2002 and authored by Kay Milton, professor of social anthropology at Queen’s University in Belfast.
In her book, Milton argued the primacy of emotions, of how this – and not rationality – which will spur us homo sapiens to protect nature.
“Whatever we find most emotionally-compelling – most exciting, most interesting, most tragic, most satisfying, most awe-inspiring, most guilt-provoking, most enjoyable -becomes what matters most, what we hold most sacred. It creates nature lovers who value natural beauty more highly than prosperity, and who fear for the future of life on earth,” Milton said.
 
  Milton’s thesis was drawn from findings in cognitive science, anthropology, philosophy and psychology. She cited several studies done in Europe and the U.S. which showed how nature trips like hiking, bird watching and trekking inspired people to work for nature protection and conservation. One study that was cited in the book was done in 1990s. A survey among environmental educators in the U.K. revealed more than 40 percent of the respondents said a childhood spent in the “outdoors” – living in rural areas, camping, hiking, gardening – influenced their commitment to environmental concerns.
 
  Planting a tree in Bacacay has given me a chance to see and feel what I’m reporting about. I ‘ve been covering climate change to the past few years, but I do so by attending conferences, interviewing experts and poring on studies ad nauseaum. From there, I’ll analyze the data, e-mail some people to clarify things and write a report inside my air-conditioned newsroom. There was no time for reflection – the pressure of daily deadlines doesn’t allow such luxury.
But after trekking for about an hour, after I realized how hard it is just to go to the mangrove area (much less, take care of the sapling so that it will grow up as a tree), I realized that I can never take any tree for granted again.
 
  I also got to know farmers and fishermen in Bacacay whose life and livelihood depend on these mangrove trees. I will never see that mangrove sapling again, but for the residents of Bacacay these mangrove trees protect their coastal town from tsunami and storms.
 
  Mangroves also provide protected nursery areas for fishes,crustaceans, and shellfish. These trees also protect biodiversity as they serve as nesting areas for birds.
So here’s to more tree planting activity and a toast to another year of environmental reportage with PNEJ!
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What are the symbols that evoked intense emotions in you? How did you act on it? Please share your thoughts here. 🙂
This article is cross posted in website of the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists, Inc.