Michelle Baldicanas, 7, wears a gown out of recycled materials and parades with a banner that has environmental message for encouraging other kids like her to preserve the environment.

Bantay-Kalikasan’s Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig project and the Estero de Pandacan communities recently conducted Flores de Mayo wearing gowns made of recyclable materials.

Participants age five to 17 ramped on the streets as they showcased their not – so – typical, yet environment – friendly outfits.

“Masaya po akong naiparada ko po itong gown na ‘to. Na nakatulong po ako sa bayan gamit ang recyclables dahil po iyong iba pong tao nagkakasakit dahil sa dumi ng ating hangin na nalalanghap,” Nathalie Sanchez, 7, shared. (I am grateful that I was able to use this gown made of recyclable materials. I know that some people get sick because of the pollution around us especially from the air we breathe.)

Twenty-one participants from five different barangays in Pandacan, Manila namely Brgys. 831, 832, 843, 844, 845, and 847 joined the event. Through the arcs of the muses, environmental messages were written to remind people that our environment should be taken care of since we are the ones benefitting from it.

The day before the parade, kids attended seminar about the Pasig River and learned about the importance of community participation, especially the youth’s involvement, in reviving the tributaries connected to the river. They also learned about proper waste segregation.

“Nakikipagtulungan tayo sa barangay para maibaba natin sa community o sa residente iyong pagtuturo nga ng tamang paghihiwalay at pagtatapon ng basura,” Melvic Cabasag, Bantay Kalikasan’s Site Specialist said. (The Barangay helped us teach the community on the proper way of waste segregation).

After the seminar, kids went to the estero to perform “plogging” – a Swedish eco – fitness trend in which participants jog and pick up random litters they will encounter using wooden thongs.

Bantay Kalikasan encourages everyone to join and createadvocacies like this in the community to help promote the importance of environmental stewardship, in their own little ways, for BK believes that everyone can be an Earth Warrior.