A family picnic usually ends with overflowing trash bins, disposable food containers scattered across the venue and single-use plastics (SUPs) left behind on the grass. The Lopez Group Kapamilya Picnic Day ended differently.
With more than 200 Kapamilya packing up after a day of sharing meals, listening to stories, learning about nature and spending time with their families, the event generated only 47 kilograms (kg) of waste, or about 0.24 kg per participant. Based on World Bank estimates in its report, “What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050,” this is roughly 44% lower than the average daily waste generated by a Filipino and 73% lower than the global average.
It was a simple yet powerful ending to the Lopez Envi Month Festival 2026, proving that climate action is not always found in grand declarations or ambitious projects. Sometimes, it begins with bringing your own tumbler, refusing SUPs, composting food scraps or teaching a child to care for a tree.
Shared purpose
On July 4 at the Eugenio Lopez Center (ELC) in Antipolo, Kapamilya Picnic Day: PUNO ng Saya sa Kapaligiran gathered employees and their families from across the Lopez Group for the culminating celebration of Philippine Environment Month. It became a day where sustainability was not simply discussed but lived, more than a company gathering.
The celebration carried forward the festival’s theme, “Kapamilya Para sa Kapaligiran: Climate Action Now,” a monthlong campaign that encouraged the Group to turn environmental commitment into everyday action.
The day began with high energy as participating organizations shared the climate initiatives they had carried out throughout the festival, such as tree and mangrove planting, coastal cleanups, biodiversity conservation, coral reef monitoring, recycling programs, climate research, electronic waste collection and policies that reduced SUPs across their workplaces.
But perhaps the most inspiring voices came from young Kapamilya attending the picnic. When asked what they could do for the environment, the children answered with quiet confidence: “Huwag magputol ng puno.” “Mag-segregate ng basura.” “Mag-aral nang mabuti.”
Simple answers, yet powerful reminders that environmental stewardship begins long before adulthood. Oscar R. “Cary” Lopez Jr., president of First Philippine Realty Corporation, welcomed participants to the sprawling grounds of the ELC. He expressed his hope that more gatherings like this would continue to bring Kapamilya together in nature.
Representing the Lopez Group Environment Cluster, Manna Vargas-Morada, programs director of Oscar M. Lopez (OML) Center, thanked everyone for making the festival a shared success. What began in June as a month of learning sessions, exhibits and environmental initiatives had grown into something much larger: a community discovering that climate action is strongest when practiced together.
Stories that take root
That same spirit carried into a conversation with environmental practitioners Sar Agcaoili of ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) and forester Rich Paul Cosio of First Gen Renewables. Together, they shared about restoring forests, propagating Philippine native trees and the importance of protecting ecosystems, one tree at a time.
In many ways, it was highlighted that the Group’s environmental journey is much like a tree. It did not grow overnight. It has taken years of care, countless hands and generations of people who have chosen to protect something larger than themselves.
That thought naturally led into another story. Gathered beneath the trees, children listened to Elian Morada and Elma Anteg of Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) as they read “Tata Oskie and His Magnificent Malabulak,” one of the books from “Tata Oskie’s Collection of Children’s Books on Philippine Native Trees.”
The story celebrated the life of the late Lopez Group chairman emeritus, Oscar M. Lopez, whose love for trees and the environment preceded today’s conversations on climate change. Long before climate resilience became part of everyday vocabulary, he championed environmental protection and established what is now known as OML Center, a testament to his belief that caring for nature
begins with understanding it.
It was a fitting moment, with one generation passing on OML’s love for nature to the next beneath the shade of the very trees he spent his life protecting.
With stories shared and lessons passed on, the morning concluded with a brass quintet performance by the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth, filling the picnic grounds with music as families spread across the wide lawns. Some sat beneath the shade of trees, sharing packed lunches. Others stretched out on picnic mats while children raced across the obstacle course or simply enjoyed the freedom of being outdoors.
Walking the talk
The learning sessions continued after the formal program ended. Children joined Batang Bathala’s Art and Mindfulness Workshop, drawing their own trees after guided mindfulness exercises. Nearby, Tanya Flores of Pi Energy demonstrated how ordinary households can turn kitchen scraps into compost using simple materials, building on the lessons introduced during the festival’s kickoff in June.
Every activity returned to the same message: climate action is something anyone can practice. Perhaps nowhere was that message more visible than in the event’s no single use policy. Participants arrived carrying reusable food containers, tumblers, utensils and lunchboxes. Even food vendors adapted their operations to support the initiative.
By the end of the day, more than 200 participants and seven food concessionaires had generated only 47 kg of waste, leaving the picnic grounds trash-free! It was a simple outcome, but one that spoke volumes.
Taking climate action home
The Kapamilya Picnic Day did more than conclude the Lopez Envi Month Festival 2026. It demonstrated what the festival had encouraged from the very beginning: that meaningful climate action starts with everyday choices, becomes stronger through shared practice and grows into culture when embraced by a community.
The success of the Lopez Envi Month Festival reflects the power of collaboration across the Lopez Group. Participating organizations included AFI, Asian Eye Institute, First Gen Group, Eugenio Lopez Foundation Inc., First Balfour, First Philippine Holdings Corporation, Infopro Business Solutions Inc., First Philippine Industrial Park, INAEC Aviation Corporation, KCFI, LINKED Group, Lopez Holdings Corporation, OML Center and Pi Energy. The culminating activity, the Kapamilya Picnic Day, was organized by Lopez Group Foundation Inc. in collaboration with the Lopez Group Environment Cluster.
In the end, the most lasting memory was not the picnic itself, but the reminder that caring for the environment can be joyful, deeply personal and shared with family.
That is perhaps the greatest lesson of this year’s Lopez Envi Month Festival. Climate action is not only something we organize for a month. It is something we carry home, practice together and pass on to the next generation.
The Lopez Group Foundation Inc. team with president and executive director Cedie Lopez Vargas (3rd from left)
First Philippine Realty Corporation president Cary Lopez welcomes the Kapamilya Picnic Day participants
OML Center programs director Manna Vargas-Morada delivers the opening message, thanking Kapamilya for joining the activity
First Balfour vice president Macky de Lima (right), with host Jerome Gaoiran of Third Gen, takes part in the trivia session held throughout the program
First Gen’s Sealtiel Patiño leads a fun mini-game to energize participants and kick off the picnic
The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth’s brass quintet serenades the picnickers to cap the day
Jerome Gaoiran and cohost Daizelle Angadol of KCFI keep the energy high
AFI’s Sarah Agcaoili and forester Rich Paul Cosio of BINHI share stories about trees and the Lopez Group’s environmental advocacy
The Kapamilya Picnic Day team celebrates a job well done
‘Tata Oskie and His Magnificent Malabulak’ introduced young Kapamilya to Oscar M. Lopez
Kitchen scraps and compostable materials are prepared for the Composting 101 session with Tanya Flores of Pi Energy
Kids enjoy the storytelling session featuring ‘Tata Oskie and His Magnificent Malabulak,’ with OML’s great-grandson Elian Morada and Teacher Em of KCFI
Members of the LINKED Group pose for a photo
By Hajj De Jesus
