In 2012, Random Act of Kindness – RAK Ph Mountaineers was formed by individuals from different ethnic and regional backgrounds, professions and affiliations with one goal: to climb the Philippines’ most beautiful mountains.
In every climb, RAK Ph Mountaineers developed not just the sense of adventure but also the love for nature.
As we walk along the forested trails, we have seen wildlife up close, we embraced towering trees, we became witness to the most beautiful rising and setting of the sun, we were amazed by the sight of ranges upon ranges of mountains from the summit, and we became grateful for all the beauty Mother Earth offers us. And we know it is not just for beauty that nature exists, but also for necessity because we humans depend on it for our survival. Mother Earth is the great provider of the water we drink, of the air we breathe, of the food we eat. She nurtures and sustains us.
However, we are destroying Mother Earth, and we fear of the day when her destruction may be inevitable. Hence, RAK Ph Mountaineers has taken on the challenge of protecting Mother Earth, the very mountains and forests we love and explore, as well as the rivers and the seas we also value.
At the core of the group is environmental activism which we practice in many ways. The most crucial is our commitment to break free from single-use plastic. Single-use plastic is one of the main polluters of our planet. We encounter it along trails and shorelines, deep inside the forests and in the waters.
During any of our outdoor activities, we strictly impose not to leave our plastic trash and dispose these properly. We also encourage our members and participants to bring reusable food containers, utensils and tumblers.
And most importantly, we conduct beach and mountain clean-ups annually. Through the years, our mountains have accumulated plastic waste the most.
For example, last year, in just one coastal clean-up activity, we collected from a 150-square meter mangrove area: 30kg assorted plastics; 8kg fishing materials; 5.5kg industrial materials; 6kg linoleum; 14kg food wrappers; 3.5 kg sack; 4.5kg mixed plastics; 36pcs gloves; 56pcs shoes; 24pcs plastic bags; 67pcs plastic cups; 20pcs plastic bottles; 85pcs cans; 39pcs straws; 27pcs plastic utensils; 21pcs glass bottles and 60 kg diapers/napkins.
With this, we hope to do our part in reducing plastic waste in our environment, in raising awareness of its effects within the RAK community, and, ultimately, in encouraging more people to drop single-use plastic in their lives.
