SM Seaside City calls for climate action—cycle, clean, conserve

CEBU CITY – The SM Seaside City Cebu called for communities in the Philippines to take action to champion climate change advocacy through its “Cycle, Clean, Conserve” initiatives by bringing together passionate individuals and organizations for two back-to-back events in June that echoed a powerful message — that caring for the Earth starts with each of us.

The month of June is annually celebrated as Environment Month, World Bicycle Day and World Oceans Day when people from all walks life and organizations celebrate, create, observe and engage themselves to clean the Earth, and SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls initiated the movement for a better and greener world.

SM Seaside City Cebu once again celebrated World Bicycle Day on June 6 and World Oceans Day on June 7 where nearly 500 bicycle riders and volunteers joined in the celebration with the theme, "Let’s unite towards an SM Waste-Free Future.”

SM Seaside City Cebu initiated the Pedal Power, a vibrant cycling event that championed sustainability, health, and eco-friendly transport every year on June 6 that features a wide, circular ground that’s ideal for cycling.

Riders completed five laps of a 1-kilometer loop, covering a full 5 kilometers. The event formed part of a nationwide initiative led by SM Cares, celebrating World Bicycle Day in over 20 SM malls across the country.

The cycling event embraced biking not just as a form of recreation, but as a real step toward climate action. By reducing reliance on motor vehicles, cycling helps cut down greenhouse gas emissions and lessens traffic congestion — making cities cleaner, quieter, and more livable, SM Cares media release reads.

June 7 of every year is another community engaging event where SM Seaside City Cebu honors the ocean.  This year, the Mall brought together 406 volunteers, including SM employees, personnel, security staff, and affiliates for a Coastal Cleanup Drive at Kinalumsan River, Barangay Mambaling in Cebu City, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7).

The cleanup yielded 165 sacks of collected waste, weighing a total of 817.75 kilograms.  Among the most commonly gathered items were food packaging, single-use plastics, styrofoam, and various unusual debris such as an air conditioning unit case and even a motorcycle helmet.

“Every pedal pushed and every piece of trash collected marked a step forward in building a future where sustainability is a shared responsibility,” SM Cares stated. (Photos: SM Seaside City Cebu/Rosemarie Rodriguez)