Eight reasons to date a treehugger - Let's hug trees together

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What do Leo DiCaprio, Ian Somerhalder, Lily Allen and Gisele Bundchen have in common? Of course, apart from being incredibly gorgeous, they’re also treehuggers! And if their advocacies are not enough to convince you, here are eight really good reasons why you should look for these passionate individuals:

1. They’re caring. They’re definitely not afraid to show their soft side. Just like their mission to nurture the trees and protect the forests, they know how to care for those that have been hurt and taken for granted. Parang ikaw.

2. They’re passionate and they fight for what they believe in. They are outspoken and opinionated. When push comes to shove, they will fight for what’s right. Whether it’s protecting the forests or fixing relationship troubles, hinding hindi ka nila bibitawan.

3. They are socially responsible. They always like to give back to those in need, living a life of mindfulness and sensitivity towards social issues, and staunchly advocating the causes they support. In other words, bigay lang sila ng bigay kahit hindi sila nage-expect ng kapalit.

4. They will take you on meaningful adventures. To them, Palawan is not just a summer getaway, it’s a landscape that has ecological significance and is rich in biodiversity. They don’t just travel for the sake of taking pretty selfies, they travel with a purpose -- willing to travel far and wide to grow trees and help forest-dependent communities. In short, hindi sila takot sa LDR.

5. They’re more than willing to go the extra mile. They’re the type who would volunteer for eco-friendly activities or participate in forest conservation movements. They’re always willing to share their time, effort, and commitment for something they’re passionate about, whether it’s for protecting the forests or spending time with you. Effort, bes, effort.

6. Life with them is never boring. Of course, part of being socially responsible also means that they’re in the loop with the latest rumblings around the world. They will be the first to know of any issues affecting you or the environment. That’s why life with them is always filled with excitement and a sense of purpose. For sure, mas exciting sa ex mo.

7. They’re a great source of comfort. We all know that it is scientifically proven that hugging has a lot of health benefits. But did you also know that hugging trees is also scientifically proven to improve your health? So, why not hug trees together? May excuse ka na rin para i-hug si crush!

8. They’re making the world a better place. Through all their personal advocacies, forest conservation activities, and even those quirky eco-friendly initiatives they ascribe to -- everything they do and work for is ultimately so we can have a clean, green, and sustainable future. Parang yung future niyo lang.

That’s why a group of treehuggers have banded together to start the Best Friends of the Forest Movement (BFF Movement), a community driven by youth advocates that aim to inspire people to protect and conserve the Philippines’ forests. Think you’re a treehugger? Join the movement on March 21, 2018! Malay mo, makasama mo pa si crush.

About the BFF Movement

Organized by Forest Foundation Philippines, the Best Friends of the Forest Movement is a community of environmentalists, travel enthusiasts, artists and social entrepreneurs who aim to inspire people to protect the forests.

What started with a mutual love for the trees and a willingness to take action among millennials and millennial-mindsetted individuals turned into a movement that champions the protection and conservation of the forests. For more information, log on to http://www.forestfoundation.ph/be-a-bff/.

About Forest Foundation Philippines

Established in 2002, under two bilateral agreements between the governments of the United States of America and the Philippines, the Forest Foundation Philippines is a non-profit organization that provides grants to organizations that empower the people to protect the forests. 

PTT plants 10k trees in 3 months and expects to breach 3-year target

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“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second-best time is now.” -  (Proverb)

“Gas Up for a Tree”, PTT’s corporate social responsibility project that aims to reforest 50 hectares of denuded forest, the ancestral lands of the Magbukun tribe within the Bataan National Park (BNP), had planted 10,000 trees and expects more trees to grow.

Barely three months after its first tree-planting activity, PTT Philippines Corp.'s environmental campaign has achieved its goal to plant 10,000 trees for this year with the third leg of its “Gas Up for a Tree” planting activity Friday at the denuded portion of the Bataan Natural Park (BNP) in Morong town.

PTT president and chief executive officer Wisarn Chawalitanon led volunteers and various sectoral leaders in the tree-planting activity, reaching the targeted 10,000 trees for this year.

“We didn’t expect to achieve our target as this early. And we owe it to all volunteers, partners and supporters,” Chawalitanon said. “With the turnout, we expect that we could breach our 30,000 trees target by year 2015.”

“Gas Up for a Tree” is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project of PTT through PTT Philippines Foundation, Inc. (PTTPFI) under its president Paul Patricio Senador. The Foundation’s thrust is focused on the environment protection and preservation, community development, educational and sports development, and outreach program.

The Foundation launched the tree planting project in May this year and conducted the first tree-planting activity in late June and was immediately followed by the second leg of the activity in August.

“We are fortunate enough to get an active support from government and non-governmental organizations as well as those coming from the academe, the church, and other partners from the private sector,” Chawalitanon said.

“We cannot claim credit for this success. It is the cause or our call to stand for the environment per se that led these people to support this project. It shows as well the level of public awareness on how each one of us should get our acts together to protect Mother Earth,” he averred.

Environment Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio, former BCDA chairman Felicito Payumo and Col. Jeff Tamayo of Philippine Olympic Committee were among those who participated in the third leg of tree-planting activity.

The tree-planting activity also coincided with the tribal games organized by the POC.

Aetas from Magbukun Tribe serve as PTT’s partner in taking care of the trees planted in the area. More than 100 Aeta families from Magbukun tribe were given livelihood as managers of a nursery of seedlings and caretaker of the trees that have been planted.

Sec. Neric Acosta, from the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection (OPAEP), earlier  lauded this environmental activity of PTT “for taking action on the reforestation of the BNP.”

Acosta  took part in the first two treeplanting activities. “The OPAEP was very honored to have taken part in this very inspiring initiative to heighten not only awareness of ecosystems’ protection but in the greater convergence of private and public engagement for conservation and sustainable development,” he said during the tree planting event.

According to Chawalitanon, PTT is set to embark on another environmental campaign next year, the details of which he said would be announced soon.

PTT Philippines is the local subsidiary of Thailand’s biggest oil company, the PTT Public Company Limited that was ranked 81st in Top 500 Corporations in Fortune’s Global 500 for 2013.

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PTT reviives denuded forest in Bataan