Celebrating Earth Day in the Philippines

EARTH DAY JAM

Earth Day Jam Concert held on April 23, 2010 is a music tribute in celebration of the Worldwide Earth Day Movement. Earth Day Jam is a free concert hosted by the Quezon City government and produced by Dimitri Productions that featured more than 20 of the greatest rock bands & musicians in the Philippines.

Special thanks to Ms. Lou Bonnevie, Philippine Pop Rock Musician and Producer of the concert, for allowing the Philippine Youth Climate Movement have a Philippine Youth Climate Movement booth at the concert and more importantly, giving Philippine youth a voice in Climate Change. We'd also like to thank Senator Loren Legarda for giving the youth in the Philippines the opportunity to build an environmental youth movement around the country. Without her, we would not be where we are today.



Lou Bonnevie, Philippine Female Rockstar Legend, Environmentalist and Producer of Earth Day Jam, her son, and Esperanza Garcia


Esperanza Garcia, President & Founder of the Philippine Youth Climate Movement, joins as a speaker representing youth for environment at the Earth Day Jam Concert.

Philippine Youth Climate Movement's Booth for Earth Day Jam 2010:

Our PHILYCM team!

PhilYCM's new member!

Esperanza Garcia Work 2009-2010

Climate Hero Forum, Philippines January '09

Esperanza Garcia is inspired greatly by the youth and believes that we are the generation who can find innovative solutions to avert the global crisis. She is Co-Founder & Director of Climate Change Initiatives for the

International Youth Council,

(IYC). Since 2007, IYC has brought together and supported hundreds of young leaders from around the world in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.

UNFCCC COP15, Copenhagen in Dec '09

She was an official delegate of the Philippines at the UNFCCC COP15 conference in Copenhagen. She served as a Climate Change consultant for the Philippine Senate Oversight Climate Change Committee. During her term at the Senate, she founded the

Philippine Youth Climate Movement,

(PhilYCM), visiting every school and university in the Philippines awarding Climate Heroes and raising climate change awareness. From January - May 2010 PhilYCM engaged 30,000 young Filipinos in the campaign to urge the Filipino youth to take action on Climate Change. In PhilYCM’s commitment to enhance the role of Philippine youth in international climate negotiations, five members of the PhilYCM will be joining the official Philippine delegation to represent the Philippine youth at the Conference of Youth (COY) and the 16th Conference of Parties (COP 16) under the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention on November 26-December 10, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Workshop on MDG's & Youth, UN Headquarters, NY, August '09

She was a Development Associate of Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, where she focused her efforts organizing the 7th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquaters in August of 2010 attended by hundreds of young global leaders from around the world. She was a member of the Millenium Development Goals Awards Committee, who recognizes outstanding achievements being made by individuals, governments and civil society to achieve the UN MDG's. She also worked as design consultant for South-South News, which works with UN agencies to help South-South countries develop programs in the areas of capacity building, bridging the digital divide, transfer of technology, renewable energy and culture and development. She is working in cooperation with the International Youth Climate Movement to empower youth to take their voices in to decision making platforms and focused on having stronger representation in International climate negotiations by the Global South Youth.

She was a journalist for UNICEF's 'Unite for Climate' Campaign & 'Climate Voice' writer for Oxfam covering news from the UN General Assembly & Clinton Global Initiative. In 2010, she was a journalist for South-South news at the Clinton Global Initiative, interviewing heads of states, A-list celebrities, nobel peace prize laureates on their work helping humanity. Esperanza is invited to speak at international conferences, including the UN Headquarters in NY, about the importance and necessity of young people’s engagement in global affairs and environmental sustainability.

Raised in a family of leaders, she is the daughter of Winston Garcia, GSIS President & General Manager, the niece of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and grand-daughter of Deputy Speaker, Congressman Pablo P. Garcia and Judge Fiel Esperanza Garcia. She is a mother of a beautiful 5 year old who is her source of inspiration.

NEW YORK: Receiving an FAF Youth Leadership award from Dr. Arun Gandhi


SAN FRANCISCO June '09: Raising funds for Diabates and biking at Tour de Cure


NEW YORK Aug '09: At the UN headquarters with inspiring youth leaders, colleagues and team of the International Youth Council, Asha Castleberry, James Ansorge, Angela Jhanji, and Miguel Toro (l to r)


NEW YORK September '09: at the World Trade Center interview with 'CHOOSING GREEN'


NEW YORK September '09: As journalist at the Clinton Global Initiative


NEW YORK September '09: As a youth journalist for 'Unite for Climate' campaign at the Age of Stupid Global Premiere


NEW YORK September '09: with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Earth Institute of Columbia University, as journalist at the UN General Assembly


NEW YORK October '09: With mentor, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, IPCC Chairman and recipient of Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore


NEW YORK October '09: Bill Mc Kibben, Founder of 350.org, at Times Square with our 350 Philippines picture behind him



COPENHAGEN December '09: With mentor, Dr./Atty. Antonio La Vina, Dean of School of Government of Ateneo de Manila University and Chairman of the REDD negotations at UNFCCC COP, as Philippines delegate at the UNFCCC COP15 conference



COPENHAGEN Dec '09: Global South Youth at the Climate March, the biggest Climate demonstration in history


PHILIPPINES: Celebrating New Year's Eve with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo


PHILIPPINES January '10: with Senator Loren Legarda, Regional Champion of UNISDR & Philippine Senator running for Vice President in the Philippine election


PHILIPPINES February '10: Mobilizing Philippine Youth to take action on Climate Change

PHILIPPINES: Planting 1-Milion trees with the Philippine Youth

Climate Change work in the Philippines 2010

http://philycm.wordpress.com/

Change? You start where it matters, at home. 

WHEW What a month!! Recently, I have had the opportunity to work for the Philippine Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change, formed by Senator Loren Legarda. It has been an honor to travel around my beautiful country to visit schools, universities, & barangays to run 'Climate Hero' forums. We award 'Climate Hero's,' stewards of Climate Change in my country, and help educate the youth on Climate Change. I was greatly inspired by the International Youth Climate Movement that I had the fortune to experience in Copenhagen at the UNFCCC conference last December. Since then I have been able to build the Philippine Youth Climate Movement. Our goal is to mobilize all the youth in the Philippines to take action on Climate Change. 

So far, in the past month, Climate Hero Forum has accomplished:

1. Visit of 25 Schools in Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao

2. Engaged 30,000++ students

3. 1,000++ members who have signed up with Philippine Youth Climate Movement

4. Awarding of 20 Climate Hero's 

5. 100,000 trees commitment to join our World Forest Day launching of 1-M tree Challenge! 

Create Your Own

At the 'Suroy-Suroy' Sugbo event in Cebu, a project by Governor Gwen Garcia. Esperanza Garcia with Senator Loren Legarda, Regional Champion of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction & Philippine Senator running for Vice President in the Philippines election 2010. 

'Climate Hero' Forum in Western Visayas State University in Ilo-Ilo City on January 16, 2010. 

Climate Hero: Senator Loren Legarda awarding Climate Heroes: Mark Popioco, Nestor Necesito, Jemuel Garcia & Camille Potato

The launching of the Philippine Youth Climate Movement at Bohol State University with 4,000++ students.

The happy faces of University of Cebu students during our workshop, as they gather to plan activities for the Philippine Youth Climate Movement. 

Climate Heroes from Cebu: Emmanuel Albano of the University of the Philippines Ecological Society (Cebu) and the NSTP class students of STI College Cebu with Climate Leaders Rafa Abubakar & Karen Gatus.

Climate Change spiel during 'Forum on Women and Children: A Discussion on the Laws and Bills sponsored by Sen. Loren Legarda' arranged by Christina Garcia Frasco on February 21, 2010 in Liloan, Cebu City.

Tree Planting activity in Barili, Cebu City

"For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever." - Henry David Thoreau

I would like to thank Sen. Legarda, Atty. Antonio La Vina, Karen Gatus, Rafi Abubakar, Jessie James Marcellones, Bek Evangelista, Joy Aquino, Loraine Tala, Zyon Aquino, Jella Villanueva, Arch. Chris de la Cruz, Nestor Necesito, Edgar Geguiento, Ernie Rojo & ATTY Tony Oposa, amongst many other people, who helped in building this team & integral movement! We have grown so much in a month- which only goes to say how dire this movement is in our country! I arrived in the Philippines two months ago without any environmental networks- YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN! SALAMAT PO SA INYONG LAHAT for all your hard work & time!