On Tuesday, City Mayor Joy Belmonte led the official launching ceremony of the sustainability initiative award, where she highlighted the importance of community participation in achieving a climate resilient future for Quezon City and its residents.
“The collaboration and cooperation of the community and various stakeholders play a big role in disaster preparedness and addressing the adverse impact of the climate crisis. The city’s resiliency and climate action will not come into fruition without the support of every QCitizen,” Belmonte said.
The QC Green Awards will recognize and incentivize barangay units, corporate institutions, the Sangguniang Kabataan, and other youth-based organizations that implement best practices in the green road, particularly their inclusive programs on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Action.
The award is divided into three categories namely, the Green Award, Resiliency Award, and the Green and Resilient Champion.
In particular, the Green Award will be conferred to institutions that were able to put forward relevant contributions in alleviating the impacts of climate change by advancing sustainable practices. Meanwhile, the Resiliency Award will be given to honor the sustainability initiatives that demonstrate the qualities of resilience, preparedness, and efficient response in the event of natural or man-made disasters.
On the other hand, the Green and Resilient Champion citation will be granted to barangay units and businesses who have initiated ecologically responsible practices to mitigate the effects of climate variability during the conduct of their functions.
Interested participants are requested to register in the developed microsite for QC Green Awards (greenawards.quezoncity.gov.ph) and submit all the required documents through its official email address, greenawards@quezoncity.gov.ph.
Each entry will be assessed based on the field validation process of the concerned city departments led by the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department (CCESD), City Administrator’s Office, QC Youth Development Office (YDO), Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD), and Barangay and Community Relations Department (BCRD).
A total of sixteen exemplary organizations and organizations will be selected for the awarding ceremony in October. The incentive for their environmental initiatives is composed of a trophy and a cash grant that they can utilize to fund existing and upcoming climate action projects.
According to the local government, a series of training sessions will also be provided for prospective participants to familiarize themselves with the mechanics and assessment process of the city’s Green Awards.
The submission of entries will start on June 1 until July 15, 2023.
In 2019, the local government of Quezon City declared a state of climate emergency to actively push for climate justice. It is also the lone city from the Philippines that has forged membership to the C40 Cities, a global network of mayors who stand in the forefront of climate crisis action.
“With the QC Green Awards, we hope to engage more QCitizens in our efforts towards our vision of establishing a liveable, green, sustainable, climate and disaster resilient future for all,” Mayor Joy added. (PIA-NCR)
