Going to the beach has always been a dream of mine. I know I've been to one when I was little, but growing up we never really had time to do that, even on summer vacations. That's why I really envy friends who get to go on beach trips. But since last year, I've had the chance to go on frequent beach trips and couldn't feel any luckier. So happy for the opportunities I've been getting. :) I love the beach! Don't you? 

Bot often times, we have so much fun that we forget what really matters and that's how to care for our environment and marine life after having too much fun splashing around. 
Last April 29, I was invited by Beb Ana and Human Heart Nature on a trip to La Union for the Save Our Seas Coastival event. This is their eco-friendlier version of "La Boracay" because we will actually consider the role of personal care products in marine conservation and what else we can do to help save our seas. :)
The Human Heart Nature SOS Coastival is an initiative of Human Hear Nature in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature, Save Philippine Seas, Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions - Project CURMA, and community-driven eco-tourism movement La Union Soul.

The trip from Manila to La Union took us about 5 hours and we slept in the bus the whole time. We were awaken around 6:45AM cos we arrived at Urbiz Garden for a day packed with activities. :)
To start it off, we got to meet AG Saño a.k.a. Dolphin guy - the artist famous for his street murals in our country. :) He's responsible for the awesome Sand Art that was the highlight of our whole trip there and while he was starting it out, he approached Ana and I and asked if we wanted to try it out. 



Mind you, this wasn't an easy task cos the sun was scorching hot, but we felt really happy to contribute what we can. :)
We also got to hear a few words from Ms. Anna Oposa, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Save Philippine Seas, World Wide Fund for Nature, Save Philippine Seas, and Project CURMA.

"World Wide Fund for Nature is in full agreement as fishers, farmers and tribes folk are often the most attuned to nature. WWF will always empower the underprivileged and marginalized to promote equality and equanimity among all groups. We aim to build a future where Filipinos live in harmony with nature. Human Heart Nature both share a vision of the country where Filipinos love and conserve natural resources like coral reefs, forests, lakes and rivers." Gregg Yan ( Communications & Media Manager of WWF Philippines)
"Without a doubt, poverty alleviation is the key to environment sustainability. Based on my experience, many people turn to illegal an destructive livelihoods such as poaching, wildlife trade, and dynamite fishing because of poverty. As conservationists, our task is to find ways to conserve and restore our resources, and sometimes that creates conflict. But the green agenda isn't owned by conservationists and environmentalists alone - it's everyone's agenda. This has become easier because Human Heart Nature produces local, world-class products that are also kind on the environment." - Anna Oposa.
And few more things that I learned from the talk is that sometimes we're not aware that we are actually harming the marine life. Unconsciously, just by putting on sunblock and swimming in the seas can make the marine life sick or die, because of the harmful chemicals in the sunscreen. So, we should always be mindful if the ingredients in our products are safe. :)


Above all, we should also stop poaching and bothering animals like our turtles. They are beautiful creatures and help a lot in controlling the growth of jellyfishes in our sea. We all know how harmful jellyfishes are and it's actually their food. But when we disturb them during their nesting season by going to them and taking selfies, it scares them and disturbs them and makes them return to the seas, thus not being able to nest properly. Also same when the eggs hatch, don't pick them up and play with the hatchlings. We should allow them to go back to the water and grow. :) Because of them, we can swim in the seas freely without jellyfish hurting you or me.
After the enlightening program, we had a hearty lunch care of Urbiz Garden Bed & Breakfast. 



The place is beautiful and we got to eat in huts! After eating, we did self-bussing and disposed of our trash and food in their respective bins! :)
After our hearty lunch, Beb Ana and I had a bit of time to spare and we decided to look for El Union - a recommended coffee shop of Tracy for us to try!




I love the surfer dude's hangout vibe of the place! Very chill! But of course, the best part is their coffee and food! Love love love! Oh and they also have a co-working space above the coffee shop for people who want to use the internet, have meetings or even yoga!



I believe this place is called "Beach Hub" :) But the landmark is, it's just above El Union Coffee Shop! So you don't miss it!
The great thing about Urbiz Garden and El Union is they're both just walking distance from our little hotel - Chillin! :)


While we were at Chillin, I decided to explore my Human Nature kit and found lots of good stuff! I immediately used the Natural Body Wash and Natural Shampoo to freshen up for the day!
We headed back to Urbiz Garden and was able to refresh with Bayani Brew!



Love their lemongrass flavor! Plus it's locally made! You, guys should try it if you haven't! I believe Family Mart has this! :) 
After all the resting, Beb Ana and I joined a "leave no trace" outdoor activity called POI by Paolo Soler, while others went for Capoeira and Yoga. :)
I realized with this activity that I have no coordination! Haha! But I can learn! I was so terrified of bumping my head with the balls, but more than that happened cos I also dropped my glasses! Haha! >_< Fail! But I did enjoy this!
After the activity, we were rewarded by the MEG booth with some Buko juice and magazines. :) Of course, no straws to lessen the harm on mother nature!



Also made a new friend - Rica who is also part of the Human Nature trip! :)  Enjoy good conversation under the shade of tree, then these kids showed up and demonstrated their awesome climbing skills! Good job, guys! ^_^ Hehe!
Back to final touches for the Sand Art, we went back to the beach and heard a few words from Sir Toby Tamayo, Founder of Project CURMA.

It's from him that I actually learned that turtles eat jellyfish and how they control it. The beach is where the turtles lay their eggs and consider this their home. Project CURMA makes sure that this will remain their home in the years to come. But of course, without our help, this won't happen. What is more touching with what I learned from Sir Toby Tamayo is that the man beside him was a former poacher, but now helps them save turtles. :) People can change!
It is our job to leave the beach clean and leave no traces of plastic, harmful chemicals and anything that can destroy our marine life. It's time to take a stand to make sure the next generation will be able to witness the beauty of our seas. I know, I would want my children to see and enjoy this. :)


The sand art was 180 meters big and we were all asked to come in the big O for the drone to capture us from above!


We all kept chanting "Save our seas!!" and couldn't have been more prouder to be part of this. I know I don't go picking up trashes in the beach or go on trips like this everyday to save the environment, but trying to throw my trash at the proper place and at least teach my kids about how to keep mother nature alive by conserving water and cleaning up after themselves is a few ways for me to contribute little by little. :)
Swimming time with Beb Ana!!



A perfect example of saving our turtles is this event, because while swimming, a jellyfish actually stung my ankle and it made me think deeper that what if we don't have turtles anymore?? :( Our ocean would be infested and we won't be able to swim in the seas. :( But just so you know, I super loved swimming in La Union's beach. It felt calming and peaceful. :)
Like what Ms. Anna Meloto-Wilk, Co-Founder and President of Human Nature said... "Saving our Seas can be as simple as making sure that what goes down our shower drains won't pollute our water ways & affect marine life." ♥


Let's take responsibility of our actions and do our part. :)
Some photos I used here belong to http://www.anagonzales.com. :)
To know more about Human Nature and their endeavors, visit
http://humanheartnature.com https://www.facebook.com/humanheartnature/