A Volunteer's Story

By: Charity Joyce Santos

Four weeks. Eight volunteers. A number of barangays. One advocacy: Zero Waste. As part of the volunteerism for Mother Earth Foundation, we were able to immerse in a community work that involves interacting with people (lots and lots) and collaborating with LGUs. Concisely, we were to impart in barangays and subdivisions in San Fernando, Pampanga a Zero Waste lifestyle. “What does that mean?” you may ask. Technically, it just means the literal sense of it but not the idea that we won’t be producing any garbage. That would be impossible! But that in the garbage we produce, there would be right treatment for each particular type of discards. Tagalog translation: walang nasasayang.



Wasted wastes

 

 

So how were we able to push through this advocacy in SF (San Fernando)? It’s just like eating a large chocolate cake, if you want to enjoy it, you can’t just gorge it, rather, take a piece and savor it. Sooner or later you’ll realize, you have consumed it all. The key for making Zero Waste implementation possible: start simple and work your way up. We began by doing information and education campaigns per barangay- house-to-house; knocking on their doors just like how Anna does inviting Elsa to build a snowman.  There is great pleasure in sharing knowledge to  people especially when it concerns where we live: this Earth. We do not want people to make excuses why they have problems managing their trash just because they do not know. We want to eliminate the factor that that they are not informed. It must come to their consciousness about Zero Waste and deliberately be involved in it.

L: Coordinating with the collector in one of subdivisions in SF
R: Erica (MEF volunteer) talking with kids about proper waste segregation

  

Fieldwork is no joke. It involves the heart of service and belief on good change. And the enemies we have faced while we were on the field are- heat, yes, summer has brought the sun seem closer; physical limitations, walking probably more than the prescription of 10,000 steps a day; and people’s indifference. The last one probably is the paramount. They say, from what I heard, that the opposite of love is not hate but rather, indifference. It is when they choose to ignore, when they opt not to listen. Our main challenge is to get people be really involved in the community. Some people justify that their lifestyle does not much affect the neighborhood. In that case, throwing or dumping garbage afar would make their area clean. Some believe that when they burn the garbage far from residential area would not affect them. False. Some don’t mind at all having dumpsites in their community. Some don’t know, some don’t care. Everything we do affects someone somehow, somewhere, sometime. It is indeed pleasing  that when we tell people the proper way of segregation as a step to Zero Waste lifestyle they ask further questions to clear things or when they seem to be encouraged with the idea of it.  It uplifts the physical exhaustion when people we encounter say simple “Thank you for the info!”  because it could mean they appreciate good change and are eager to learn. We can make Zero Waste possible if we first accept the need to change. Through the many doors we have knocked and gates we  tapped, we met many households who block us out with excuses. “I don’t have enough containers to segregate.”, “They (collectors) mix it all up anyway” or, “I’ll just burn them” which is by the way, against the laws. Change of lifestyle can be challenging, but if we really try to discipline ourselves, we can have cleaner homes, cleaner communities, and cleaner Earth.

En route to our respective community

 

 

 

San Fernando is really an impressive city. We have encountered a number of households in different barangays who already segregate their garbage. And we as well have visited various MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) which are functional and very efficient.

MRF in Pilar Village (They have their own garden!)

MRF in Maimpis

 

A political will is very vital. The LGUs should also see the need and the significance of Zero Waste. That is why they should not settle for a system that tolerates the community members with garbage mismanagement. A good leadership can as well be manifested by how constituents in a respective baranggay are organized with its waste. Zero Waste would be made achievable headed by a good leader by educating its people regarding ecological laws and supplying them with facilities.

Volunteers coordinating with different LGUs

 

 

Our internship had enabled us practice our being social scientists. We indeed had used the community as our laboratory waiting for extravagant results. Thank you for Mother Earth Foundation for letting us being part of a great advocacy and letting us experience how it is like to do something for the love of Mother Earth. Much gratitude as well to the waste workers and collectors who have the guts to do what others cannot. We salute you. Sometimes they know better about saving Mother Earth and have more empathy. I do hope that with every sweat every volunteer and everyone pushing through Zero Waste advocacy has put into this work will sooner or later bear its fruit. I’d like to take confidence that our labor is not in vain. We are not just saving Mother Earth but ourselves as well.
 

Waste workers/collectors who worked and taught us

 

 

Us volunteers and MEF Pampanga staff