Weeding and Tree Planting: The Nature’s Chemistry to Man

August 27, 2019 Educator's Corner

One mission of the Department of Education (DepEd) is to ensure an enabling and supportive environment for effective learning to happen. That’s why the different clubs of Pines City National High School (PCNHS) had the weeding and tree planting at Buyog Watershed, Baguio City.

This is an application of what the students learned from the classroom setting wherein the removal of weeds is useful because these unwanted plants compete with the crop for space, water and nutrients. Like grasses are designed to hold soil in place with their many fine root hairs, and a tap rooted plant is designated to break up compacted soil. Through weeding, it leads us to appreciate the importance of our existence.

As one author said, “Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds. Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them. Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow.”

Weeding and tree planting activity encourage the students to understand the importance of trees in the community especially in the City of Baguio. Students are hands on to learn that trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, conserving water, and preserving soil.

The PCNHS Science teachers and Youth Environmental Science Organization (YESO)officers taught how to hold and plant the samplings got from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Such activity raises awareness to the students in the importance of saving and planting trees, diminish the unfavorable effects of climate change, and express our concern to the environment.

This also helps to build a strong relationship and camaraderie with each other by helping hand in hand to the preservation of the ecology. Verily, weeding and tree planting are the nature’s chemistry to man.

Above all, this is in support to the government’s efforts to mitigate climate change and global warming. Henceforth, the PCNHS in collaboration with the DENR embarks into a tree planting activity. This undertaking is also in support of the Executive Order (EO) No. 26, s. 2015 entitled “Declaring Interdepartmental Convergence Initiative for a National Greening Program”.

May our youth continue to have the passion to the environment because according to David Attenborough, “The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.”

This relates to what Donald Worster said that it would now seem clear that if we want to stop the devastation of the earth, the growing threats to our food, water, air, and fellow creatures, we must find some way to limit our unlimited freedom and unlimited power. Ecological harmony is a non-market value that takes a collective will to achieve!

 
Mary Grace D. Payad
Pines City National High School