Time to 'tap' to help the planet

As reported by the Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines is witnessing a distressing annual loss of 47,000 hectares of its precious forest cover.

Let’s face it — when we think of environmental work, our minds often conjure images of planting trees, engaging in cleanup projects, and undertaking physical tasks to picture a greener world. This can be daunting, especially for those new to eco-consciousness.

But in today’s tech-driven world, advancements offer alternatives to traditional outdoor environmental actions. In fact, you can now create an environmental impact without leaving your space — even planting trees through virtual means!

With that said, here are some tips to help the environment virtually:

GForest

GForest, a feature within the GCash app, enables users to actively participate in reforesting the Philippines, tree by tree. Each time you engage in a Globe transaction, conduct transactions via the app, consistently log in, and undertake eco-conscious activities, you accumulate green energy points within the dedicated GForest section.

These green energy points can then be redeemed to plant trees, which represent real trees to be planted in Philippine reforestation zones.

“Our environmental conservation and awareness efforts extend toward giving back further with GForest. This also doubles as a reward system influencing our users to practice more green habits,” said GCash president and CEO Martha Sazon.

The app has already planted over two million trees nationwide, aiming to reach five million in 2025 — and it’s never too late for you to join the movement of virtual planting.

Ecosia

Ecosia is an eco-friendly search engine that funds global tree-planting projects with its ad revenue. This green search engine promotes transparency by regularly publishing financial reports, displaying revenue and trees planted from user searches.

Additionally, they employ renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies to reduce their carbon impact.

“We need to plant billions more trees. If we don’t do it, we won’t be able to stop climate change, but fortunately, it’s something very concrete that we can already get started on,” shared Ecosia CEO Christian Kroll, highlighting the imperative role of tree planting.

It stands out by dedicating 80-85% of its profits to global tree planting, focusing on ecosystem restoration, deforestation prevention, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Ultimately, over 181 million trees have been planted since its inception.

Oroeco

Oroeco is a sustainability platform that empowers users to track and reduce their carbon footprint and adopt eco-conscious lifestyles by offering tools and minimizing environmental impact — even through gamification.

Here, users can also set personal sustainability goals and get guidance for reducing emissions and adopting eco-friendly behaviors.

“I believe the combination of life cycle sustainability science, information technology, climate-positive finance, corporate responsibility, and citizen engagement has tremendous potential to reengineer our global economy for sustainability,” said Oroeco CEO and Standford University lecturer on renewable energy and climate change Ian Monroe.

For more than a decade, Oroeco has pioneered technology tools that transform climate action into an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

All in all, to tackle the Philippines' environmental challenges like deforestation and climate change, we need innovation and collective action. The digital era provides accessible alternatives, such as virtual tree planting and online sustainability efforts.

These tech-driven initiatives prove that eco-actions can be effective and engaging, with each little effort contributing to a greener, secure future.