As a synergy of the green movement in the Philippines, Green Convergence will build a critical mass of citizens that understand the interconnectedness of the issues of food, environment, and economy to achieve sustainable development and work toward this end.
Green Convergence for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy is a coalition of networks, organizations and individuals working for a development paradigm that addresses the need for social and economic upliftment, while preserving life-supporting water, air and land for generations to come.
It began with environmentalists drawn together by related interests and advocacies, forming an alliance to hold a yearly State of Nature Assessment (Green SONA) begun in 2007. The group decided to formally incorporate and register its coalition with Securities and Exchange Commission in 2011.
OUR VISION
A synergy of multi-sectoral organizations, communities, and individuals who constantly work for safe food, healthy environment and equitable economy as the cornerstones of sustainable development.
OUR MISSION
OUR DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM
Safe Food
Access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food is a right that Filipinos must possess. A big challenge to this right is the current agricultural system that extensively uses chemical inputs as fertilizers and pesticides. This has not only produced unsafe food but the long years of chemical use have also led to decreasing soil fertility and compromising the country’s water ecosystems.
Healthy Environment
A healthy environment sustains the integrity of the land, air, and water. Originally blessed with rich soil and ecosystems containing abundant and diverse natural resources, the Philippines has become a poor, devastated land.
Sustainable Economy
A sustainable or green economy promotes sustainable consumption and production that supports continued economic growth, which creates opportunities for employment and decent work for all. Such a paradigm contributes to eradicating poverty and improving human welfare, while maintaining the healthy functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems.
OUR PRINCIPLES OF UNITYTo achieve our vision we pledge adherence to the following Principles of Unity:
That, to ensure food safety, security and sovereignty, the country’s food production be based on organic farming, shift away from conventional chemical agriculture and reject genetically engineered crops; that agriculture prioritize food security for Filipinos above the global market;
That use of land and waterways be assigned along ecological principles, that soil be protected from degradation and exportation, that our marine environment be safeguarded to ensure sustainability of our aquatic resources, that our cities be made more livable by the elimination of air pollution;
That we strive for 50% forest cover that maintains our watersheds, while yielding products which contribute to the national economy; that we return to the use of Philippine native trees in order to revive the biodiversity that they nurture;
That the energy needs of the country be obtained from renewable sources, phasing out extreme dependence on fossil fuels and totally rejecting nuclear power;
That waste be managed ecologically to maximally turn waste into resources, that dumpsites & giant landfills be closed and the ban on incinerators be upheld;
That use, importation and manufacture of toxic substances be banned in household, industrial and agricultural products;
That mining be accorded least priority among the options for land use and revenue generation, with a minerals management regime that prioritizes local community development and ensures appropriate income for the government, equitable distribution of benefits and shared responsibility among all stakeholders;
That indigenous peoples be given due recognition of their stewardship of nature, appreciation of their knowledge in caring for the earth, and accorded their right to preserve their ancestral domains, languages and cultures which actually are the roots of the Filipino race;
That economic progress not sacrifice environmental quality, that the national industrialization program be directed at stimulating local enterprises and generating of jobs for Filipinos;
That we recognize the reality of climate change endangering biodiversity and the gains of cultural evolution, that its root causes be addressed with resolve on the global, national and local levels, that our country’s developmental goals include not only adaptation for survival but also mitigation as we are a member of the family of nations and among the most vulnerable to this crisis.
Whenever science is unable to fully explain or predict the impact of human activities on the environment, we follow the precautionary principle with bias for the environment in order to prevent unintended long-term damage.
Green Convergence
Board Of Trustees
Sr. Marvelous L. Misolas, MM
President
Representing Miriam College Environmental Studies Institute
Clarissa R. Magsarili
Secretary
Representing Zero Waste Philippines, Inc.
Leonor G. Berroya
Treasurer
Representing Earthday Network Philippines-ENP
Angelina P. Galang, Ph.D.
Board Member
Representing Consumer Rights for Safe Food
Mark T. Tinao
Board Member
Representing Lasallian Institute for the Environment (LIFE)
Rodne R. Galicha
Board Member
Representing Living Laudato Si
Victoria M. Segovia
Board Member
Representing Philippine Women’s University, Environmental Program
Sr. Marcelita P. Catarina, DC
Board Member
Representing Hospicio De San Jose
David D. D'Angelo
Board Member
Representing Bayanihan Para sa Kalikasan Movement Inc.
