GEOTHERMAL leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and its partners in the 10M in 10 for a Greener Negros movement (10M in 10) recently celebrated Binhi and Arbor Day by planting 3,000 native tree seedlings at Calabnugan, Sibulan, Negros Oriental.
Over 200 volunteers from EDC and its current and potential 10M in 10 partners planted Balite, Tabugay, Taruy, Talo-ot, Pili, and Kube trees in celebration of the two important occasions that are instrumental to the fulfillment of their commitment to grow back the forests in Negros Island.
"The passion for environmental preservation of all our BINHI and 10M in 10 partners is truly admirable," said Norreen Bautista, head of EDC Community Partnerships, External Relations, and Watershed Management Group in Negros Island. "This huge turnout of volunteers indicates the Negrenses' increasing awareness on the need to plant more native trees."
Now on its 10th year, Binhi is EDC's forest restoration program that aims to bring back to abundance premium endangered native trees and to bridge forest gaps through a holistic, scientific, and multi-pronged approach.
To date, the company has already planted over 6.3 million seedlings with the help of its 149 partners from 16 regions all over the country.
More than 2.5 million of these were planted on over 3,000 hectares in Negros Island with the help of EDC's over 30 Binhi local partners.
In 2016, EDC's Binhi team has already identified, located, and collected samples of its 96 targeted threatened native tree species and have sought out to propagate them.
To do this, EDC has put up a state-of-the-art automated nursery called a Vegetative Materials Reproduction (VMR) facility in its 222.5MW geothermal project in Valencia, Negros Oriental that makes use of an automated mist irrigation system to give the right amount of mist and mimic the conditions of a natural forest habitat.
This VMR in Valencia will serve not only the need for native seedlings of EDC's Binhi partners in the Visayas region but even that of its over 140 10M in 10 partners.
"We encourage those who are truly committed to protecting and restoring the forests of Negros Island to partner with us in this green revolution," added Bautista. "All these efforts are crucial in fighting climate change."
EDC is the world's largest vertically integrated geothermal company and the only diversified renewable energy firm in the country. The company has been powering Negros Island for over 35 years with geothermal energy, the only form of RE that can provide baseload power 24/7. (PR)