A mad dash to save the environment

Last Sunday, Sept. 13, a whole lot of carbon footprints were offset as 3,100 runners participated in Ayala Malls’ Eco Dash, a run for environment awareness.

Despite the rain — or perhaps because of it — the run was made so much more memorable. Runners who have been training under punishing heat loved the cool weather and the instant hydration they got from the rain. It was, as one put it, “like being a child again and being allowed to play out in the rain.”

Tents were set up the night before for the family members of runners who wanted to keep out of the rain, but everybody seemed to welcome the respite from the morning heat. Participants were encouraged to donate recyclable materials which went to Eco Dash partners, the environmental group Bantay Kalikasan and Children’s Hour. Those who donated recyclables — paper, aluminum cans, plastics, and pet bottles — got a P50 discount on the registration fees.

For the first time, the 10K course took runners from Bonifacio Global City to Makati’s Ayala Center, a route that was used last July in Globe’s Run for Home but only for the half marathon. For Eco Dash, both the 10K and 21K runners went from BGC to Ayala Center, with the latter running the extra 11K in BGC’s 5th Avenue, Bayani Road and turning around at C5. Though a bulk of the registered runners were in the 5K, the longer events also drew almost a thousand participants.

The new route was something a lot of runners had been looking forward to — and for many of them, it was a very familiar one as Ayala Center is their favorite shopping place.

“Ayala Malls has successfully been doing fun runs for the past two years,” says Rowena Tomeldan, Ayala Malls Group vice president and COO. “With the growing popularity of the sport, we felt that this would be the best way to invite and encourage everyone to support a cause. And what better way to appreciate the outdoors or the environment than through running? We partnered as well with Bantay Kalikasan, whose thrust is geared toward environmental awareness, and Children’s Hour, which has redirected their efforts towards educating their beneficiaries and donors about the importance of loving and saving our environment.”

Marivic Añonuevo, Ayala Malls Group senior vice president and group head, adds, “Long before the term ‘green’ became popular, we already put in place important environmental programs in our malls because it was the right thing to do, and it has always been the way the Ayala Group does things. We pioneered environmental programs in Philippine malls, which have now become models in the industry. Now we’re affirming our commitment to Mother Nature by responding to the global call for sustainable living and sustainable environment.”

Ayala Malls regularly holds recycling weekends where shoppers are invited to bring in materials that can be recycled and reused. It also has recycling boxes scattered in the malls for things like cell phone batteries and chargers.  

In a perfect world, every shopper would be carrying her own bag when she goes out to do her groceries, she is conscious of manufacturing practices when she shops, she would be tossing garbage in the proper recycling bins, and she would be walking instead of driving short distances. But we’re not there — yet.

Eco Dash, as part of Ayala Malls’ green campaign, brought these messages home — both to their consumers and their partner tenants. “As green consumerism continues to grow, we are happy to see many of our tenants going green with us,” says Rowena. “They stand to reap the benefits of increased sales and lower operating costs as a result of their own green initiatives. This year, we introduced the Green Merchant Awards at our annual Merchant Rewards Night as a way of giving recognition to the most eco-friendly merchants in each of the Ayala Malls. Through the Green Merchant Awards, we encourage more of our merchants to join the green movement and realize that it’s not only the right thing to do — it’s also good for their business.”

Consumers have also taken a proactive role in programs they have introduced, starting with the designer Eco Tote, which promotes re-use and makes “sustainable lifestyle” not just an alternative but a viable (and quite fashionable) way of living.

At the end of the race, it wasn’t just about the personal fun and health benefits the run brought — or runners breaking their PRs — it was also about the direct contribution of each runner to the projects of Bantay Kalikasan and Children’s Hour.

“We expect that the run made more people aware of how each of us affects his or her immediate surroundings,” says Marivic. “That each person does have a significant role on making the environment a better place to live in and through a combined effort, we will eventually achieve what was originally a green earth.”

The mad dash to reverse, or at least halt, the damages our practices have brought to our environment is on.

Ayala Malls Eco Art competition winners

1ST PRIZE: WASTE TO

School: University of Santo Tomas, College of Fine Arts & Design

Students: Jan Brion, Francis Corporal, Francisco de Leon, Blane Rosales

Advisors: Danil Santiago, Ken Torres, Romeo Castro, Mailah Balde

2ND PRIZE: BOMB

School: Philippine Women’s University, School of Fine Arts and Design

Students: Jobe Hernandez, Christian Verayo, Maki Liwanag, Russel Balajadia

Advisor: Bob Nuestro

3RD PRIZE: CO-EXISTENCE 1

School: University of the East, College of Fine Arts, Architecture, and Design

Students: Sculpture Class 3-A

Advisor: Dean Celino Santiago, Alex de Jesus