OLONGAPO CITY – SM Olongapo has continued its efforts to intensify its environmental protection program by planting 1,000 more seedlings of narra in Sitio Banca Banca, Brgy. Gordon Heights in this city.
Some 2,000 narra trees have already been planted in that same area last June; 2,000 in Sitio Redondo , Brgy. Cawag; and 5,000 trees in San Antonio, Zambales during the last quarter of 2014 as part of SM’s Grow A Million Trees (GAMT) project in support to the government’s National Greening program.
To be able to help the community and restore the forest as a way of reducing threats to natural disasters, the mall has vowed to conduct massive tree-planting activities in the city in coordination with the DENR-CENRO, Local Government Unit and Non-government Organizations.
Volunteers and the Peoples’ Organizations (POs) who were involved in GAMT activities are guided on how to properly plant and care for the saplings. In addition to this, GAMT also generates jobs for POs by tapping them to help care, maintain and protect the trees for the next three years.
An initiative of the SM Supermarket (SuperValue, Inc.), the GAMT was launched in 2013 in support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Forest Management Bureau’s National Greening Program’s goal of planting 1.5 billion trees from 2011-2016.
As a responsible mall developer, SM ensures that its CSR programs serve as catalyst for positive change for the community it serves. The SM Cares, the group that handles the corporate social responsibility programs of SM Prime Holdings, practices a combination of communication campaigns through its Green Retail Agenda and the Green Film Festival.
SM Supermalls environment programs encourage tenants, patrons, employees, partners and other companies to be one with their advocacy. (PR-SMOL)•
