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Cartridge World, the world’s leader in ink and toner cartridge remanufacturing, has driven its roots further into its mission to preserve and rehabilitate our environment by being the Crown sponsor in a recently-held tree-planting activity in Bgy. Calawis, Antipolo City dubbed the “Tree 500 Movement”, a project of Ex-Link Events which aims to promote tree planting activities and involve the youth, professionals and environmentalists by donating at least 500 trees per year to save the forest and lives around the Marikina Watershed.

At least 120 volunteers from different companies were transported by PNP buses early in the morning of October 23 to the picturesque Camp Explore in Bgy. Balawis, Antipolo. From there, the volunteers – including Cartridge World’s CEO Babyln Decena-Newfield, Acropolis branch franchisees Ken and Gene Chung and staff – navigated the narrow, slippery, three-kilometer foot trail along the Payaguan River to get to the plant site, where the participants planted bamboo cuttings along the riverbanks.

Bamboo was chosen for its quick growing, erosion-control qualities, enabling them to prosper even in soil damaged by overgrazing and poor agricultural techniques. Its net-like root system is an effective mechanism for watershed protection, stitching the soil together along fragile riverbanks, deforested areas and in places prone to earthquakes and mudslides. Because of its root system, uniquely-shaped leaves and dense litter on the forest floor, bamboo trees greatly reduce rain runoff, preventing massive soil erosion and keep up to twice as much water in the watershed. Lastly, unlike most trees, proper harvesting does not kill the bamboo plant so topsoil stays in place.

Babylyn Decena-Newfield says, “Planting 30 trees for the Marikina Water Shed makes Cartridge World feel, somehow, that we made a humble contribution to save our environment. This may not be big, but in the future when these bamboo tress grow, we can be assured that they will minimize floods and prevent the loss of lives”