Saving Our Rivers One Mile at a Time

Running is the new hit sport among Filipinos and the sight of joggers and runners out on the streets in the morning and evening is becoming all too common. Participation in running events has also increased, making them an effective avenue for gathering people to increase awareness and raise funds for various advocacies.

“Lifestyle change is almost always the key to improvement of life. The health benefits are obvious and we believe that it is also a key instrument in saving our planet,” says Rommel Juan, CEO and President of Binalot Fiesta Foods, one of the sponsors of the upcoming The Green Miles:  Run for an Eco-Smart Lifestyle – a project of Juan’s high school batch (UST High School’88).

According to Juan, Binalot is known for being an environment-friendly fast food which is why it supports projects and campaigns that are geared towards environmental awareness. “Since we began operations, we have always valued environment-friendliness. Our environmental efforts do not end with our products and packaging; we also try to support as many environmental campaigns that we feel are suited to our advocacies.” he explains.

Binalot is supporting The Green Miles by providing meals during the event. “Our products are perfect for environmental awareness events such as this. We use banana leaves instead of non-biodegradable packaging for our food,” Juan shares.

The event will benefit the Meycauayan-Marilao-Obando (MMO) River System, listed in 2007 as one of the 30 most polluted areas in the world by New York-based environmental watchdog Blacksmith Institute. “It’s both embarrassing and disheartening to know that one of our rivers is among the dirtiest in the world. We’d like to do what we can to help fix it,” says Juan.

But “fixing” it requires more than just throwing money at the problem. “The ultimate solution is a lifestyle change, hence the idea of promoting physical fitness and environmental awareness,” shares Juan adding that “lifestyle management” will help ease pressure on our planet.

The Green Miles: Run for an Eco-Smart Lifestyle was held on March 21, 2010 at SM Mall of Asia Grounds. For more information, visit www.thegreemilesrun.ph.