UP, Are You ECO-Active?

Environmentalism: the advocacy of preservation, restoration, and improvement of the natural environment1. Though the practice has been there for some time, only now do people realize the need to be seriously concerned about the environment. Sadly, it took the melting of glaciers, the rise in sea levels, the heat waves, droughts, severe storms, floods, land slides, food shortage, epidemics and pandemics and other diseases, fast extinction of endangered species, among many others, for environmentalism to prove its point. The good thing is that people have learned, or are starting to learn, as more and more people are swapping their old gas-hustling, mindless wasting and polluting habits for new clean and sustainable practices.

Truly, the world is moving towards an environmental revolution, and UP will not be left behind. The University Student Council, together with AdCore, UP Mountaineers, AISEC, UP Green League and Club Ecotour, is leading the campus to an environmental movement, the ECO-ACTIVE Campaign. The year long campaign is set to prove that everyone can be an environmentalist or environmental activist in their own little but significant way. The line-up of activities that the team has set this year will be the perfect venues to become just that; to release everyone’s inner activist and to join in the efforts of saving our one earth.

The Campaign will start with the Eco-tambayan on November 24 – 28, a one-week exhibit at the AS lobby to introduce the campaigns of the ECO-ACTIVE Program to the UP community. This will also be in preparation for the grand launch of the ECO-ACTIVE Program on December 2, the ECO-ACTIVE Day. Several organizations from all around the country, famous personalities, and other environmentalists are expected to participate in what will be UP’s version of the globally-celebrated Earth Day.

The ECO-ACTIVE Day will start in the morning with a mini program at the Grandstand at the Sunken Garden. It will feature prominent environmentalists as speakers who will share their wisdom to guide UP in this environmental endeavor. Performers are also expected to show up to support the campaign.

In the afternoon, the Academic Oval will be cleared to make way for the March for the Environment. Students, organizations, and other ECO-ACTIVE Day participants will march around, parading their call to promote the use of environment-friendly vehicles and renewable energy. The march will be accompanied by the E-Jeepney, CNG (Compresses Natural Gas) buses, and by UP’s very own padyak, (UP Mountaineers’ bikes for rent). The world’s leading environmental organization, Greenpeace will also be there to make the march even more colorful.

The day will end with the “BAN THE STYRO” Human Formation at the Sunken Garden. The USC, in cooperation with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, is finalizing the comprehensive plan to ban the use of polystyrene (or Styrofoam) in all food establishments in UP. The human formation will signal the start of the implementation of that ban.

The Campaign will not yet end on the ECO-ACTIVE Day as a handful of other ECO-ACTIVE activities are expected afterwards. One project will be the “Dagdag Padyak”, where the USC plans to supplement the bikes by the UP Mountaineers to address the exceedingly growing demand for these bikes.

Another project is the “Adopt a Tree”, where organizations in UP will be given chance to plant trees around the campus. The project will start with the replacement of trees brought down by the destructive typhoon Milenyo. It will also include the installation of identification plates on the different varieties of trees on campus.

Other campaigns include the use of recycled papers in photocopying machines, which is expected to be launched at the Vinzons Hall by the end of November. There will also be AISEC’s Recycled and Organic Bazaar on December and the University-wide Clean-Up early next year.

These activities though, however big and well planned, will not be complete without the one thing ECO-ACTIVE needs: YOU. The University Student Council is encouraging you to join the move towards giving back to our mother earth. Let us all together be ECO-ACTIVE.

Kabuhayan, Karapatan, Katarungan: Forum on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyer ( NUPL ) and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayn ( BAYAN ) with the support of the People’s struggle committee of the University Student Council of University of the Philippines- Diliman invite you to “Kabuhayan, Karapatan, Katarungan”A Forum on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:Violations and Remedies on August 28,2008 from 8: 30 to 11: 30 a.m. at the Malcolm Hall ,College of Law University of the Philippines, Diliman ,Quezon City. The forum will mainly tackle the “access to justice” problems encountered by victims of ESC rights violations and the proposed solutions, including amendments to the Rules of Court.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who recently spearheaded the Supreme Court’s National Workshop on identifying roadblocks to “access to justice” on ESC rights issues, will be the Keynote Speaker.

The different people’s organization representing the poor and marginalized sectors will formally present to the Chief Justice their papers detailing recommended actions towards the protection of economic, social and cultural rights and granting victims of ESC rights violations access to judicial remedies and other mechanism for redress.

The forum is important, not only because it will give the people the opportunity to directly present access to justice proposals to the Chief Justice, but also because it is rare that the various sectors come together to present their sectoral papers and studies on ESC rights violations

ACLE ENLISTMENT NOW ONLINE!

JUAN VS 100 (ACLE)

12nn - 5pm August 14 ‘08

ACLE ENLISTMENT NOW ONLINE!!!!
Choose From a Variety of more than a hundred alternative classes brought to you by different student organizations of UP Diliman and the USC EDRES Committee..

visit..

http://unplug.eee.upd.edu.ph/acres

Manual Enlistment at the AS lobby..

spread the word.

-USC, UNPLUG, USC VolCorps

‘Sangdaan Tungong Vinzons: The Vinzons UPgrade Launch

Dear Isko/ Iska,

Greetings!

You are cordially invited to ‘Sangdaan Tungong Vinzons: The Vinzons UPgrade Launch on 18 June 2008, 10:00 AM at the Vinzons Hall Front Lawn.

We hope that you can be a part of this groundbreaking centennial event. See you there!

In service,
UPD University Student Council Vinzons Hall Committee

For questions/ concerns, please contact Joseph Gutierrez at 0917-8247893