'PAWI-CAN' pushes for plastic-free, sustainable tourism
Plastic pollution — from land to deep sea or oceans — has become a pressing issue in the Philippines. Even the World Bank has described the plastic pollution situation in the country as "staggering," attributable to insufficient waste management system and skyrocketing plastic waste generation, amounting to 2.7 million tons annually.
This year, a major call to environmental conservation and sustainability is demanding a reduction of plastics. It also became the theme of Earth Day 2024, “Planet vs. Plastics,” aiming to reduce plastic production by up to 60 percent by 2040.
Despite the staggering problem of plastic pollution in the country, communities and some companies are joining together to lead recycling efforts. Executive assistant company Athena launched its initial “PAWI-CAN” sustainability project in San Juan, La Union, on April 22, to contribute to curbing plastic waste through grassroots movements.
Prior to the launch, various activities were conducted, hosted by the San Juan Resort and Hotel Association Inc (SJRRHASS), including a coral reefs course facilitated by and in partnership with Ecosurf, an environmental group consisting of certified surf instructors who also lead beach cleanups, beach yoga, and environmental workshops.
Environmentalist Celso Jucutan reported that marine-based pollution, such as garbage and solid waste dumping, has been a significant threat to coral reefs. Without immediate actions taken to minimize local stressors, "the percent of threatened coral reefs worldwide will rise to 90 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050." With this, Ecosurf led coral reef planting in San Juan after the discussion on coral reefs worldwide.
Athena's “PAWI-CAN” was designed by local artist John Parmisano, inspired by the community as
La Union actively hosts a sea turtle conservation program. Made out of bamboo, the “PAWI-CAN” serves as a plastic disposal unit as well as a tourist attraction, aiming to boost local tourism in San Juan. This is in collaboration with local environmental groups and the government.
The installation emphasizes Athena’s commitment to responsible plastic disposal and recycling, while also serving as a call for individuals to join the cause.
Athena Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Alcachupas explained that La Union has always been a home for a sustainable future through tourism and environmental protection. "We are honored to work with the locals of La Union to promote proper waste management, as this initiative aligns with Athena’s aim to improve the quality of life through maintaining a clean environment,” said Alcachupas.
Believing in the "pawican" philosophy, where a culture of teamwork and achieving more is fostered, Athena and the local government strive for environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism. "We hope that with these efforts, locals and beachgoers alike will develop a greater awareness of their waste disposal habits, keeping our precious waters clean,” expressed San Juan Mayor Arturo Valdriz.
The “PAWI-CAN” will be monitored for five months; afterward, the collected plastic will be used to craft another installation, placed within the shore of San Juan beach.
Athena is an executive assistant company that fosters long-term relationships between its assistants and clients, "to work smarter, live better, and achieve more."
Believing in the "pawican" philosophy, Athena and the local government strive for environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's economy slowed sharply last quarter to a 1.6% annual pace in the face of high interest rates, but consumers — the main driver of economic growth — kept spending at a solid pace.
Thursday's report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy's total output of goods and services — decelerated in the January-march quarter from its brisk 3.4% growth rate in the final three months of 2023.
A surge in imports, which are subtracted from GDP, reduced first-quarter growth by nearly 1 percentage point. Growth was also held back by businesses reducing their inventories. Both those categories tend to fluctuate sharply from quarter to quarter.
By contrast, the core components of the economy still appear sturdy. Along with households, businesses helped drive the economy last quarter with a strong pace of investment.
The import and inventory numbers can be volatile, so "there is still a lot of positive underlying momentum,'' said Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics.
The economy, though, is still creating price pressures, a continuing source of concern for the Federal Reserve. A measure of inflation in Friday's report accelerated to a 3.4% annual rate from January through March, up from 1.8% in the last three months of 2023 and the biggest increase in a year. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation rose at a 3.7% rate, up from 2% in fourth-quarter 2023.
From January through March, consumer spending rose at a 2.5% annual rate, a solid pace though down from a rate of more than 3% in each of the previous two quarters. Americans' spending on services — everything from movie tickets and restaurant meals to airline fares and doctors' visits — rose 4%, the fastest such pace since mid-2021.
But they cut back spending on goods such as appliances and furniture. Spending on that category fell 0.1%, the first such drop since the summer of 2022.
Gregory Daco, chief economist at the tax and consulting firm EY, noted that the underlying economy looks solid, though it's slowing from last year's unexpectedly fast pace. The rise in imports that accounted for much of the drop in first-quarter growth, he noted, is "a sign of solid demand" by American consumers for foreign goods.
Still, Daco said that the economy's "momentum is cooling."
"It's unlikely to be a major retrenchment," he said, "but we are likely to see cooler economic momentum as a result of consumers exercising more scrutiny with their outlays.''
The state of the U.S. economy has seized Americans' attention as the election season has intensified. Although inflation has slowed sharply from a peak of 9.1% in 2022, prices remain well above their prepandemic levels.
Republican critics of President Joe Biden have sought to pin responsibility for high prices on Biden and use it as a cudgel to derail his re-election bid. And polls show that despite the healthy job market, a nearrecord-high stock market and the sharp pullback in inflation, many Americans still hold dim views of Biden's handling of the economy.
Last quarter's GDP snapped a streak of six straight quarters of at least 2% annual growth. The 1.6% rate of expansion was also the slowest since the economy actually shrank in the first and second quarters of 2022.
The economy's gradual slowdown reflects, in large part, the much higher borrowing rates for home and auto loans, credit cards and many business loans that have resulted from the 11 interest rate hikes the Fed imposed in its drive to tame inflation.