Greening the Philippines with RAFI and GCash Partnership: Virtual to Actual Tree Planting
Back when I was still part of a company where environmental protection is part of its Sustainability Development Goals commitment, I was the first one to really get excited whenever there were volunteerism opportunities looming. I was so active in tree planting that I was awarded the “Volunteer of the Year Award” during the company’s year-end recognition night. How I wished I could partake to such amazing initiative again. Well, what do you know? My interest has been rekindled lately when I saw some posts of my friends on social media about virtual tree planting. Yes, I’m talking about GCash Forest, one of the products of GCash.
GCash, the leading e-purse application in the country, has forged a partnership with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) to help preseve forest lands in the Visayas through GCash Forest, an initiative originated last 2018 and has since drawn the attention of users to environmental challenges faced by the nation, while promoting digital transactions through the mobile wallet app.
GCash and RAFI are both committed to supporting sustainable development in a balanced and integrated manner, with climate change as a primary concern since it affects the entire world and has a direct impact on the environment and biodiversity.
Both GCash and RAFI believe that this situation can be reversed, if appropriate approaches and strategies are implemented in a collaborative and collective manner. The partnership will support environmentally conscious and civic-minded communities genuinely concerned for the environment.
RAFI, through its One to Tree Program Unit which encourages communities to help protect and rehabilitate the environment, is involved in establishing native tree nurseries and tree plantations in the Province of Cebu.
“RAFI is committed to our environmental thrust of ‘greening’ the Philippines through this partnership. The use of green technology is the way to go in supporting the country’s environmental sustainability efforts, one tree at a time, through our program and we are proud to partner with GCash in this GCash Forest campaign,” said Riella Mae Guiogio, President and CEO of RAFI.
“We are very happy to welcome RAFI as our distinguished partner for GCash Forest. This is a very important partnership as it helps us act on the eminent environmental concern of deforestation. With the help of RAFI and our GCash Forest supporters, we aim to continue utilizing the technology to promote reforestation of vital forest lands in the Visayas and in critical areas across the Philippines as well,” said Martha Sazon, President and CEO of GCash.
Through the partnership, GCash users will be able to earn ‘green energy’ points by doing everyday actions that reduce carbon consumption in the real world. This includes activities like using personal tumblers in partner cafes and opting for reusable utensils when ordering food for delivery.
More importantly, they get to participate in the campaign by adopting a tree through earning energy points by frequently using the GCash app for your everyday transactions such as bank transfers, buying load, paying bills, sending money, and by simply walking. Once enough energy points are acquired, users can then select a tree through the app. A myriad of native trees are offered through the app and all users need to do is acquire the needed energy points to be able to pick a tree to adopt.
If you earn 8,520 energy points, you can get avocado as your adoptive tree, while narra can be yours when you receive a total of 9,411 energy points. Molave, meanwhile, can be planted in your name when you earn 8,410 points and jackfruit can be your own tree when you acquire 6,305 energy points.
Other native trees that you will be able to adopt are guyabano (6,890 energy points) and mamalis (7,324 energy points). These trees can be adopted on your own or with other GCash Forest users. Once a tree is selected for adoption, it will get planted by the RAFI team at either Ipo Dam or Cebu.
Forests, which are an integral part of our ecosystem, are crucial in protecting watersheds, regulating water supply and providing natural habitat to a number of species, in order to help mitigate climate change. RAFI has been working hard to make this happen for their adopted forests in the Visayas specifically in the province of Cebu.
With over 33 million GCash users in the country, RAFI believes in the positive impact this new app feature could bring in the protection and restoration of the Cebu forests through sustainability initiatives like this. Both partners are positive everyone can work together to make a more sustainable future a possibility.
For more information on this eco-conscious initiative and a complete list of actions GCash users can take to earn green energy points, visit www.gcash.com/gforest/
