In the case of the public versus Cove Manila, the environment finally takes its win.
It was in late November when the night club first announced their repulsive attempt to break the largest balloon drop record. But it was only when organizers revealed that it would take 130,000 balloons to do so that they were swept by the public’s rage.
Hundreds of Filipinos relied on social media to let event organizers know of their disapproval—they were adamant to not let this New Year’s Eve celebration push through. The comments section of Cove Manila’s pages were filled with sustainability lectures—ones that the establishment apparently still needed to hear.
First came the biodegradable balloons remark—“We assure you we are all one for enjoying a fun, safe, and environmentally sound celebration of the upcoming New Year’s Eve,” an official statement said.
“Whether you’re recycling the balloons or not, the point is you’re adding to the now very high waste production rate in the Philippines,” Jerome Gonzales commented on an Instagram post.
“This is absolutely pointless. The only record you’ll be setting is dumping the most waste in record time before 2018 ends (and maybe helping bump us up in rankings as one of the top countries polluting our oceans). Congratulations,” lifestyle blogger Camie Juan added.
It’s so easy for companies to brand themselves as environmentally responsible—we’ve seen it happen with plastic straw bans in many establishments. But such selective empathy shouldn’t be tolerated and even be allowed to become a marketing strategy. People should be smart enough to identify which companies and organizations are truly in line with the values they try to uphold.
It may just be the global zero-waste trend, but thanks to it Filipinos are not only more open to hearing about environmental issues, but actually recognize the need to take part in climate justice. Or maybe it’s the fact that the Philippines was recently named as the third largest contributor to ocean plastic that made for a brutal wake-up call. But it’s good to know more Filipinos now care.
It’s good to know that social media still does its wonders during a time when most of its platforms have transformed into divisive tools. Comments of concern, both online and offline, moved local government to act on the matter without any delay, and helped cancel the event altogether.
There’s obviously a lot to work on when it comes to sustainability among businesses and in consumerism. But how people foiled this (record-breaking) attempt shows exactly what public demand does—and why we need to do it more.
Demand reinforces responsibility. Demand creates opportunities to educate and require accountability. But demand is only created when enough people care to empathize.
Most of the time, you’ll feel as if your right to speak up will be overruled by the power of big corporations, of well-connected people, of people tasked to run the society. But not this time—this is a victory that you helped make possible. And isn’t that a strong statement to hold onto as we welcome the new year with hope and positivity? We think so.
