DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY - D' GREEN UNIVERSITY

One day I woke up and decided to attend graduate school. Perhaps, boredom of industrial world had crawled up my spine and I terribly miss being student again. Scrambling into my backpack, I reached for my laptop and started scouting for possible school. I eliminated universities at Intramuros, Manila for I practically completed academic years in those great historic walls. I wanted a new environment, something like Hogwarts – extraordinary and enchanting.

            A colleague from San Miguel Corporation taking Master in Arts Teaching English (MATE) demanded to accompany him at De La Salle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite to settle school matters. On road, it was a long boring sight of fields as if I am in a set of Jeepers Creepers part 2. I questioned him why choose a remote place to study when DLSU Manila is much accessible? He just simply replied, “You’ll see why.”

  

Occupying a sprawling 27-hectare campus in Dasmariñas, Cavite, De La Salle University - Dasmariñas is about 30 kilometers south of Manila via the Manila-Cavite Coastal Road and the Emilio Aguinaldo Highway. Entering gate 3 of DLSU-D was an archway with great remnant of brick walls of yet another Intramuros historic genre. I was expecting horse-driven carriages and “guirellas” marching to appear any minute; to my surprise an eco-friendly jeepney in green harmonically honk behind us, which later I learned charges 5php/ student ride to any point within campus.

The buildings on campus are located within two geographical areas - The East Campus and the West Campus designed in contemporary architecture to colonial. Spaces not left idle but an opportunity to live up as so-called “Green University”. Despite summer, I never complained walking from east to west for a long stretch of over-lapping branches created shaded walkway with scenery like of my pc wallpaper. Man made lake spread in very heart of campus and a botanical garden both serve purposes for scientific research, conservation, aesthetic and recreational function brought delight to my senses.

I learned DLSU-D’s strong commitment in environmental preservation with its projects and initiatives. The university had established The Environmental Resource Management and Campus Development Office responsible for the initiation, implementation, supervision and evaluation of all the university’s programs and policies together with its compliance to national government standards related to environmental management and safety, pollution control and disaster risk reduction.  Best examples were (1) Strict implementation of no-entry policy of all kinds of Styrofoam materials (2) Green for Life: One Million Trees and Beyond Project - serves as venue for more pro-active responses to environmental issues. It draws out mechanisms that systematically involve the La Sallian Family in sustainable reforestation and greening efforts in close partnership and coordination with local communities. 

I am now on my second semester taking MS Environmental Science at De La Salle University – Dasmariñas. The campus breathing with life had awakened my senses and encouraged me to step a notch. Every Saturday with my backpack inspired to be educated and be part of the “Black Out! Green In! – Project Carbon Neutral - An initiative of DLSU-D in response to the impending threat of climate change.