How do you become an active steward of nature?

“The biodiversity and reforestation volunteering project in Mt. Balagbag Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines on September 2023 has been my first action in becoming a more responsible stewardess of nature.”

This was the first path we’d taken on our way to the campsite. The road was muddy and steep but it’s just the beginning of this adventure.

This Voiij by community member Cyrill documents her first steps in becoming an active steward of nature and pursuing opportunities to serve the environment. Experience the full Voiij on the app here.

The first step in becoming an active steward of nature is to look for opportunities to serve the environment. Opportunity comes in many forms, it could be as crude as minimizing the use of electricity or as sophisticated as putting 500-watt solar panels on the entirety of your roof.

In my case, since l am a Bachelor of Science in Biology graduate, I volunteered for a project where I can contribute the expertise l learned in school. This project is a biodiversity and reforestation project in Mt. Balagbag in Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines. Just a short description of our role, we helped in the collection and identification of all flora and fauna found in the area.

I haven’t really had any similar experiences with this project. I had not volunteered much in the past, and our nature-related subjects were bounded by the four walls of our classrooms, so during the hike and even at the start of the project planning, I was hesitant if I would be able to do it. It was tiring, it was painful, and very far from the comfort of studying this type of activity in our classrooms. It was different from my usual actions for the environment, but nonetheless, it was a better experience.

l am not saying that you should hike a mountain or plant trees in balding forests just so you can have a significant impact on our environment. The best way to start becoming an active steward of nature is simply to start an ‘action’, whether be it in your home recycling wastes or in the wild collecting species.

Just keep your intentions pure and good things will follow.

The next steps would be yours and mine to figure out.