Okada Manila teams up with Miss Earth for sustainability-focused talk

Okada Manila and the Miss Earth Pageant hosted a program entitled “Environmental Awareness Talk” last Nov. 14, at the property’s Employee Dining Room. In line with Okada Manila’s ongoing community engagement efforts, the integrated resort focused on its very own team members, giving them the opportunity to learn how they can be agents for positive change. 

Miss Earth, which has a long partnership with Okada Manila, is known to advocate environmental awareness, conservation, and social responsibility. The joint program was designed so that Okada Manila team members would personally get to know the environmental advocates and hear their stories firsthand. 

Speakers for the event included reigning Miss Earth 2021 Destiny Wagner and 2022 delegates namely Miss Colombia Andrea Aguilera, Miss Nigeria Esther Oluwatosin Ajayi, Miss Netherlands Merel Hendriksen and Miss Philippines Jenny Ramp. 

The beauty queens and staunch environmental advocates gave Okada Manila team members a glimpse of how they play an active part in caring for our earth by detailing the activities of the organizations they support such as Bottles of Love (Colombia), Vouch for Vultures (Nigeria), Voice For Animals (Netherlands) and local farmers (Philippines). 

During the program, the Miss Earth delegates encouraged Okada Manila team members to find a cause that resonates with them, so they can be more involved in their chosen advocacies. Reigning queen Destiny Wagner talked about something very close to her heart, marine conservation. “Our reefs are in danger right now, our corals are in danger right now, and our animals are in danger right now. And they protect small countries such as mine [Belize], so we all have to do our part to protect our oceans.” She emphasized to the audience that everyone can be involved in caring for the environment.

Okada Manila team member Saulough Mild shared that the talk was insightful and refreshing. “It was a great opportunity for us team members not just to meet the Miss Earth delegates in person but also to learn more about their causes and advocacies. Having the environmental awareness talk with them personally reminded me of how we all should be conscious of our actions that may affect our environment and start a change even in the simplest things that we do in our daily lives.”

Manila’s iconic integrated resort is no stranger to caring for the environment, people, and the community. In 2021, the property committed to significantly reducing plastic waste by replacing all in-room amenities with eco-friendly aluminum packaging. It also continued its partnerships with ABS-CBN Foundation for calamity relief and tree planting. Recently, Okada Manila supported the Paranaque LGU by helping with the construction of a SPED center, the first of its kind in the district. 

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Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Okada Manila.