The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently concluded its Search for Solid Waste Management Champion with an awarding ceremony led by DENR Secretary, Hon. Ramon Paje, at the lobby of Bulwagang Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Bureau, DENR North Ave, in Quezon City last August 2, 2013.
In the shopping malls category, four SM malls were awarded as champions namely SM City Molino, SM City Dasmariñas, SM City Baliwag and SM City Tarlac, while SM City Rosario and SM Pampanga were given special recognition for their unparalleled participation in the program. Being a responsible mall developer, SM Supermalls takes deep pride for this special recognition by the government’s lead environmental agency as they continue to initiate and implement environment centered programs for their communities.
Present at the ceremony to receive the awards for SM Supermalls were Ms. Annie S. Garcia, President of SM Supermalls, Ms. Liza Silerio, VP for Operations, and the respective managers of the malls declared as SWM Champions.
The Search for Solid Waste Management Champion is a program by the DENR, initiated through the directives of the Supreme Court, to clean up Manila Bay and restore its water quality to SB classification, which will allow other forms of water recreation such as swimming. Composed of the members of the Environment Management Bureau (EMB), the validation team evaluated thirty malls in regions 3 and 4 based on a strict criteria set by the DENR in compliance with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
Apart from their participation in the program, SM Supermalls has undertaken other environmental initiatives to show the company’s commitment in helping preserve the environment. All SM malls recycle 100 percent of their water totaling to about 3.3 million cubic meters. The company has also signed a Memorandum of Agreement last May with the DENR to ‘Grow One Million Trees’ in five years. After three months, about 300,000 trees have already been planted accounting to thirty-percent of its commitment. Additionally, SM’s “Trash to Cash” recycling market has already saved an equivalent of 37,000 7-year-old trees from its recycling efforts, resulting in the exchange of over 45 million pesos worth of recyclable goods since its inception in 2007. It happens every first Friday and Saturday of the month across all SM malls.
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