Earth Day Run starts today

MANILA, Philippines - A three-leg marathon called the “Earth Day Run” will kick off at the SM Mall of Asia today to begin the weeklong celebration of Earth Day 2010.

The activity to be participated by at least 6,000 runners is expected to drum up awareness against the danger posed by climate change to the people. Co-sponsored by the newly-formed Climate Change Commission (CCC), the National Geographic has organized a 10-kilometer, five-kilometer and three-kilometer run, respectively.

The CCC will also launch a photography and art exhibit on the same day to highlight the significance of water and its protection, as well as climate change.

“The Commission prepared a weeklong celebration for the Earth Day to inform the public that the world is in great peril because of global warming and climate change,” said Climate Change Secretary Heherson Alvarez. “The fun run hopes to boost the movement against global warming, and strike a broader commitment of the people to support the global fight against climate change,” he said.

National Geographic advertised the fun run as a “high profile” event that is seen to stress and register the Philippines’ decisive action in the worldwide effort against global warming and climate change.

World-renowned independent film director Brillante Mendoza will be at the event as he prepares a documentary on climate change.

Freebies and prizes await winners and participants of the Earth Day Run, which is set to begin at 5 a.m.

Alvarez, who authored the resolution declaring April 22 as Earth Day, said proceeds from the activity will benefit the “Design Against the Elements of Global Challenge” launched in March by the CCC and MyShelter Foundation. DAtE is a global architectural design competition to establish the first climate change resilient community of the Philippines.

Time to fight climate change

Runners will be wearing a scarf or bandana, conveying the message “My time to fight climate change.” The scarf shall be worn as headbands or armbands. Participants may also have their pictures taken with sign boards carrying climate change-relevant slogans, which will then be printed on site as souvenirs.

The photo and art exhibit at the lobby of the IMAX Theater inside the SM Mall of Asia will focus on water, as the nation reels from the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, which already has affected the country’s food production. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will provide the photos for the exhibit, which will be opened for public viewing following the fun run. The photo and art exhibit will be on display from April 18-25.

Other activities for Earth Day 2010 include: Photo News Contest on Climate Change, Short Film Contest on Climate Change, and the Fr. Neri Satur Award for Environmental Heroism, among other events.