UPDATE to this post:

Assembly Time: 6:00 AM
Assembly Area: Administration Building parking area

Please wear you Varrons 50th anniversary t-shirt.

Also, please bring with you the following: bottled water, raincoat/umbrella, cap, insect repellent, and an extra Varrons shirt.

The UPVAA is happy to announce that it is going to undertake a tree planting activity as part of the Reforestation Program of the UP Sierra Madre Land Grant (Laguna-Quezon Land Grant) starting November of this year. The Program, which is envisioned to create awareness of the significance of planting trees in the rehabilitation of degraded forest, is being implemented in partnership with both private and public institutions.
Green-Minded Ka Ba?
More specifically, the UPVAA intends to sponsor the tree establishment of a one hectare area in the Sinoloan portion (about 2-hour ride from Los Baños) of the Laguna-Quezon Land Grant. The sponsorship will take the form of (1) shouldering the cost of seedling materials, land preparation, and seedling establishment and maintenance, and (2) providing warm bodies to do the actual planting. The estimated cost per hectare given by Mr. Ben Arizala, the head of the Land Grant Management Office, is P69,968. This amount will cover all expenses except the manpower for field planting. A total of 1,832 seedlings will be prepared by Land Grant. These are primarily indigenous forest tree species (plantation crops and fruit trees can also be included but at a higher cost: P15 each for forest trees vs P30 to P50 for the other crops). The total cost estimate already includes the maintenance of the seedlings for 3 years.

[Please note: we expect that we will expand the UPVAA participation beyond this initial one-hectare commitment. More information will be provided later.].

For this year, the initial sponsorship cost of P40,000 is covered by funds donated by some concerned alumni to start the ball rolling. UPVAA will shoulder the expenses for transport and food for the participants. We welcome contributions to cover the remaining maintenance cost.

As per advice of Manager Arizala, planting can be done at the latest this coming November. The planting date is tentatively scheduled on November 17, 2012 (this is a Saturday). More details and updates will be given in this page and will be sent through individual emails and through Facebook and the Varrons Y group.

We need a headcount of at least 50 Varrons to participate in our tree planting activity. We hope you can all (undergrads and alumni) join us. This activity will be another milestone in the celebration of our 50th anniversary, a way of giving “service with excellence beyond the golden years,” a way to ‘plant the talk’ our concern for the environment, and another venue where we can bond, not only with nature, but also with one another.

If you are interested in joining, please fill-up the online form available below. If you have any question/concern, you can send an email to support{AT}upvarrons{DOT}org or you can use the Contact Us page to send us a message.

CHEERS!

Tancho de Guzman (Humane Batch ’74)
UPVAA President

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Last Updated on October 12, 2016 by Tudla_Admin