“With every development we plan, the goals for preserving, improving and protecting the environment are set to exceed what is required.” –Alan Smith
Marinduque State College is having a transition of colors – from maroon to green. The buildings and other structures around the campus is now painted with the shade of lime. New school uniforms will be out with green hues. The layout of tarpaulins and bulletin boards are now of emerald tones.
As we embrace the color green which, according to Pedro Calderon de la Barca, is the prime color of the world and that from which its loveliness arises, it’s as if the College is refreshed…since, after all, green is the color of calmness and relaxation, and provides sense of vitality and renewal. However, as the College has its own ‘Build. Build. Build Program’, the existence of trees and other plants within the campus has been compromised, turning the campus likely…un-green.
Before it became a parking area, the space for motorcycles on the front right side of the MSC’s Main Campus had lines of Talisay trees, giving shade to students and employees of the College walking down the pathway. Before erecting the multi-storey building on the parallel side, there were mango trees where students could stay underneath and shield themselves from the heat of the sun. Right now, as new college buildings and a gymnasium are having their commencement, number of trees are being taken down. Even though such actions are not illegal, are these really necessary? As the proposed plan for growth and development of MSC taken have out of the blueprints and become a reality, is it really a necessity to devour these green oxygen-giving and shade-giving organisms?
MSC has a small land area, and it is honestly not enough to keep up with the development that is happening, especially the need for other infrastructures that would surely address inadequacy to facilities. Yes, MSC is just utilizing the limited land area the college has. However, it is sad and disturbing to see trees going down in the name of progression. There are engineering practices that may be used to refrain us from having un-green campuses. We could actually embrace green engineering, which is the design, commercialization, and the use of processes and products in a way that reduces pollution, promotes sustainability, and minimizes risk to human health and the environment without sacrificing economic viability and efficiency. We could actually adapt processes of regulating the utilization of land and promoting best practices in land use such as environmental conservation.
Within an academic year, MSC conducts numerous bamboo and tree planting activities. This shows one of MSC’s advocacies which is ‘Love Affair with Mother Nature’. But we mostly conduct them outside the campus. With infrastructures rising on the land of MSC and trees wearing out their roots, maybe it’s time for us to start planting seeds at parts of Marinduque State College with lands not to be subjected of concrete works. Maybe it’s time for us to hold ‘Love Affair with Mother Nature in our Mother Institution’.
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