It's Carmina's turn to go green

There might have been TV/movie projects or endorsements Carmina Villarroel politely declined in the past for some personal or professional reasons. However, there were projects, too that she gave her go-signal outright. This what she did recently when SM Supermalls asked her along with husband Zoren Legaspi and twins Mavy and Cass to be the celebrity endorsers of the mall’s green bags.

“It’s my first environmental advocacy,” says the host-actress of the eco-friendly project. “It is something new to me. I never had second thoughts of being part of it. I said, ‘Go.’ Right away.”

Carmina is not a newbie in espousing good causes like the SM Supermalls Greenbag. She has participated in charity work. Last year, Carmina opted to celebrate her birthday with the child-patients of the Philippine Orthopedic Center in Quezon City by giving them grocery items and goodies. Helping others is one of the many things motherhood has taught Carmina.

Does she walk the talk? “We reuse some stuff like containers at home,” says Carmina. “We practice segregation, separating dry items from wet ones, and vice versa. We also plant trees in the backyard.”

As a tutor to her kids, she further explains to them the different environmental issues they have learned in school. Carmina exchanges ideas with her young wards about pollution, global warming, floods and prevention they can do. She points out that warm places having colder weather and heavy storms are some of the signs that global warming is upon us. Educating Mavy and Cass is a way for Carmina and Zoren to show their concern about Mother Earth and to save it. The young parents are proud that their twins know how to respect the plants, trees and animals. Their concern for the environment is also extended to people. Zoren says environmental education should start from the parents.

How special is the green bag is compared to the other bags available in the market? The bag is recyclable, non-toxic, allergy free and non-reactive to human skin. It lasts for two years. The green bag prevents one from using plastic bags that cannot be reused when broken and contribute to the pile of garbage people dump every day.

To make the bags extra special, artist Manuel Baldemor created four designs for the green bags. They depict the graces we can get from the energy, air, land or sea.

Using the bag is that one small step we can do in taking care of the environment. As the “going-green” advocates put it, saving the environment means doing something good to ourselves. SM Supermalls want their patrons to consume responsibly. The green bags are available in all SM Supermalls until April 30.

What does the green bag represent? “Nature,” replies Carmina. “And the idea of going back to the basics, of drinking fresh water and smelling fresh air.”