More than 700,000
GCash users have joined the movement to plant trees through GCash Forest, an
important carbon tracking feature of GCash, to help save the watershed that supplies
water to Metro Manila.
Ney Villaseñor,
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Mynt, which runs the country’s leading
mobile wallet, said 756,370 people have signed up to collect green energy
through GCash Forest as of August 19. That translates to almost 400,000 people
using the new feature every month since its launch on June 25.
GCash Forest is a
personal carbon account that tracks how much emission people have avoided by
living more consciously. “Green” activities—such as walking, bringing eco-bags
and own utensils, going cashless, reducing paper use—earn users energy points.
When they have enough points, they get to plant a virtual tree in GCash Forest,
which GCash will match with a real, native tree planted at the Ipo
watershed.
“GCash Forest is
the easiest way to help the environment; you don’t even have to go out of the
city or to make time outside of work/school to plant a tree. You simply need to
make daily choices that will lessen your carbon footprint, such as going
cashless when you send money, buy load or pay bills, or walking instead of
taking your car. GCash will turn these actions into reforestation efforts,”
Villaseñor said.
GCash, in
partnership with WWF Philippines, has adopted 300 hectares for rehabilitation
and reforestation inside the Ipo watershed. WWF will monitor and report the
growth of trees sponsored by GCash for three years, which is usually how long
it takes to see any changes in a reforestation or rehabilitation site.
The 7,236-ha Ipo
watershed, which spans the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal, is part of the
Angat-Umiray-Ipo watershed system that supplies 98% of Metro Manila’s water. It
has been declared a protected area by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources but forest cover in the watershed is now only at 40%, a drastic drop
from 85% several years ago.
“Planting a tree
not only helps with carbon reduction but also results in water security and
biodiversity conservation. Every decision we make has an impact, whether
positive or negative. In helping GCash users to adopt a more
environment-conscious lifestyle, we are raising a generation of green heroes,”
Villaseñor said.
Post a Comment