A few months back, we were too focused on achieving the life we wanted. COVID-19 taught us that there is more to life than success. It made us all overly-worried about our health and our future. On the flip side, the pandemic made us survivors, resourceful, and disciplined. As we now transition to the "new normal, my challenge for everyone is to think beyond our personal goals and imagine what a better planet ought to be.

If we can imagine it, we can make it happen. A better normal–one where no Filipino will be vulnerable to pandemics, disasters, and climate impacts–is possible. And each of us can contribute to this transition in our own unique way!

It took the current health crisis to unmask the cracks that keep our society uneven and unequal, with the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of the impacts. Yet we’ve also seen a glimpse of how concerted efforts from front-liners, youth, artists, and ordinary citizens can benefit everyone.

The crisis exposed our undeniable connection to the environment. Our continuous destructive activities and exploitation of wildlife have deteriorated the natural barriers that prevent pathogen transmissions from animals to humans.

We are now experiencing environmental and health crises as the consequences of our accumulated actions, and not all are equally affected. We are seeing that the people hardest hit by environmental crises are the same people who are most affected by the pandemic.

While some urban centers are reported to have improvements due to lesser pollution, experts agree that there is still a lot of work to be done. This is the perfect time to do it! The permanency of the improvements that we are experiencing cannot be ensured without follow-through.

The pandemic has shown us what needs to be changed and how we should change. More than ever, Greenpeace Philippines will continue to work in the midst of the pandemic to call on partners and stakeholders to reimagine a better normal post-COVID-19.          

We need government and collective action that’s inspired by community-based solutions we see now. We need a transformative recovery plan that puts us–the people and the environment–at the center.

We each have a role in this too because of any lasting change we want to see in our cities and municipalities should start with ourselves. Only together can we shape a #BetterNormal towards #GreenRecovery.

We can do this together! Support and donate today.