Connected Women-Puerto Princesa Chapter celebrated its first anniversary during the 1st Connected Women Global Meetup for 2020 in the city on January 22.
While the group usually holds meetups in local cafés or other similar establishments within Puerto Princesa, this time they opted for a hotel setting for their anniversary to highlight the need to protect the environment.
Garbed in floral and nature-inspired dresses, the members of Connected Women-Puerto Princesa celebrated their first-anniversary playing games, discussing community news, engaging in new learnings, and strengthening connections, as well as friendships that have developed over the course of several meetups, held every six weeks since January 16, 2019.
The anniversary theme was “Mother Nature – Keep her Enchanting”.
Charity Apale of the Zoological Society of London-Philippines was the resource speaker at the meetup.
Apale serves as project manager for efforts at safeguarding the Philippine pangolin, which is endemic to Palawan. She touched on the recent proclamation of the pangolin (balintong) as a critically-endangered animal that is considered the most trafficked wildlife.
She also touched on how land use has significantly reduced the nation’s forest cover. The loss of forest cover has caused the degradation of a very large percentage, 83 percent according to UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, of all wild mammals and half of the plants, while nearly 90 percent of marine fish stocks are over-exploited worldwide.
Participants were encouraged to take an active role in protecting Mother Nature by being vigilant about what is going on around them.
In conclusion, Apale called on members “to collectively and proactively protect what still is left.
“Never let Mother Nature die because everything is connected,” she said.
In line with the theme, edible straws were made available and souvenirs came in the form of succulents.
Connected Women is a global organization of women entrepreneurs and freelancers formed to help women all over the world live the best life possible by tapping into each other’s strengths and creating opportunities for other women to help themselves.
To learn more about Connected Women, you may click on the link https://www.connectedwomen.co/.
You may also reach out to the local group of empowered women through the Connected Women – Puerto Princesa Facebook group.
The next Connected Women meetup will be on March 4, 2020.
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