Green Convergence (GC) for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy will hold its 3rd Philippine Environment Summit on February 26-28, 2020 at the Grand Caprice Convention Center in the “City of Golden Friendship,” Cagayan de Oro. As with the first two summits, it will be conducted with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as co-convener, with further support from the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), Forest Foundation Philippines, and other partners in government, business, academe and other sectors.
While most fora on the environment present the dire state of our planet as well they should, GC recognizes the countless efforts of many Filipinos who are taking positive steps to counteract the destruction. The biennial GC summits proclaim the good news. They are a celebration of the Philippine environmental movement, a showcase of programs and projects that contribute to the country’s social and economic advancement while protecting the environment, and a call to the Filipino people to unite in accelerating the drive towards sustainable development.
As before, Summit 2020 will be a 3-day event that will carry the themes of Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy. Each day will have plenary sessions in the morning and breakout sessions in the afternoon. A simultaneous three-day exhibit will highlight the themes as well as other inspiring programs of government, LGUs, communities, CSOs, business, academe and other sectors.
“Paradigm (re)Shift: Heeding Nature” is the working title of the 3rd Philippine Environment Summit 2020. It is anchored on the premise that the technologies, as well as the social and economic systems humankind has developed through the ages, have brought about the compromised planetary environment we have today. Nature’s systems are cyclical, i.e., materials flow into and out of organisms and the environment in closed loops; thus, resource use is maximized and waste minimized. The use of fossil fuels and their derivatives has promoted a predominantly linear paradigm — we extract, we use, we throw away. This mindset has affected not only our patterns of production and consumption but other spheres of human activity as well – business, economics, governance.
Global warming and its flip side, climate change, has starkly revealed that this way of thinking and doing is unsustainable. It is now undeniable that we must respect and return to nature’s principles if we are to continue the gains of cultural evolution and to save the environment on which our lives depend. PES 2020 is a platform that will show how this principle can be applied and its benefits manifested in sustainable development.
Research is ongoing to search for outstanding breakthroughs and innovations that manifest the circular paradigm as they contribute to social and economic advancement, while protecting the environment. These projects and programs will be featured in the breakout sessions, traditionally a rich mine of exciting information and success stories. The exhibit will likewise feature innovations that are already mainstreamed as commercial ventures. As well, a souvenir program will be prepared with articles that will capture the spirit of the summit and with details about GC, its members and allies.
Around 50% of the participants composed of students, indigenous peoples, GC members and partners will participate in the summit for free. However, because there will be expenses not covered by the major sponsors, funds will be raised from registration for other sectors as well as from exhibit fees and souvenir program advertisements.