Ms. Monnette Ituralde Hamlin President, Team Asia

In 2006, environment lawyer Alexandra York sought the help of The Events and Awards Managers of Asia (TeamAsia) to help save some 500 11-year-old mahogany trees to be cut down by a real estate developer to make way for a condominium project in Mandaluyong City. Agreeing to help, TeamAsia approached Tito Encarnacion of The Radio Partners Inc. (TRPI), who, in turn, agreed to support a joint corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to save the trees – the two groups developed a strategic communication campaign that involved radio announcements (TRPI runs such radio stations as Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, Hit FM 99.5, 103.5 MAX FM in Metro Manila and Killer Bee in key provincial cities Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Gen. Santos, Zamboanga, Dumaguete) and public relations (PR) calling for interested parties to adopt the trees, and donate resources to ball, transport, and replant the trees in the donor sites.

Because of the effort, Adopt- A-Mahogany, as the program was subsequently called, managed to elicit enough positive responses so that the trees were saved when listeners adopted them. This, for TeamAsia, is a great success because the campaign helped save, if not increase, the number of globally extinct mahogany trees that are living and growing all over Metro Manila because of the advocacy. In the same year, TeamAsia was given a Gold Quill Excellence Award in Communication Management (Economic, Social and Environmental Development Category) for Adopt-AMahogany.

“Green is not a phase anymore. Forty years ago, people who were green were considered different or extreme. We have moved on now to a (living an environmentally conscious) lifestyle, and increasing numbers of people are changing the way they live, myself included, to adapt to changes in the environment,” says Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, TeamAsia president.

Therefore, for TeamAsia, “Our current efforts are all part of my personal goal of increasing environmental awareness, and TeamAsia’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. We use all of the tools available in the company, from our public relations to our creative to our events management  services to bring the message out. Our partnerships with radio stations, broadcasting campaigns such as Revive Pasig River, Earth Day Lights Off, and Earth Day Ten Tips also promote different issues that matter to the environment, reaching wider audiences.”

Iturralde-Hamlin – who attended the Asian Institute of Management on full scholarship from Dole Philippines, graduating with a Master in Business Management degree in 1982, and was one of three who graduated with distinction in the class of over 100 – founded TeamAsia in 1992 as an events management company to a strategic marketing communications firm offering creative services, editorial and media relations services, and event management.

“Like everything and everybody, I wish that we could make changes faster, that we could do more. But focus more on the individual efforts instead of disappointments as I believe that I can make a change in my own way, and hope I can influence others as well through the way I live, or the way TeamAsia does business,” Iturralde-Hamlin says.

TeamAsia has constantly been rendering green services, of course. In the early part of 2007, its people planted over 8,000 mahogany seedlings in Alfonso, Cavite; and in the early part of the year, it participated in the Green House Gas Accounting initiative of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), and has since been tracking its carbon footprint.

“We hope to serve as an example to other small organizations that taking care of the environment is not the sole responsibility of large organizations and that everyone can do their share,” Iturralde-Hamlin says.

Iturralde-Hamlin believes that, as far as caring for the environment, “the more I do for the environment, the more I want to increase my efforts. It seems to be a cycle of giving and taking with nature – as the more I give back – by recycling, planting, or by just changing light bulbs – the more I get in return, like fresh vegetables and fresher water from the farm.” Thus, TeamAsia’s push is always to be involved in green advocacies.

“Contribute what you can, then ask if you can do more. Every effort counts when it comes to advocacies as big as saving nature, and putting a
price or limiting effort because of size or scope means we will not progress. I apply this in how I personally make an effort within the household and the farm, as well as with TeamAsia and our clients,” Iturralde-Hamlin ends.