4.22.2008 - 09:42am ET

(CSRwire) MANILA, PHILIPPINES - April 22, 2008 - In recognition of Earth Day, Peter Gourlay, President of The Maryland-Asia Environmental Partnership (MD-AEP) presented a $2500 donation to the Water Environment Association of the Philippines (WEAP) for helping preserve the Malabanban Watershed in San Pablo city.

Edwardo B. Principe, Regional IV Director of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources thanked the MD-AEP during an Earth Day ceremony attended by over 50 community stakeholders for the support as 1000 new tree seedlings were planted in the watershed. The tree planting is critical to addressing the void left from illegal logging and slash and burn activities that have occurred in the area and helps to assure preservation of the city's water supply. "This tree planting effort will not only enhance the watershed, but also helps address climate change as part of our national tree planting initiative," said Principe.

At the Earth Day ceremony, MD-AEP also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement for WEAP to work closely with the San Pablo City Water District's efforts to protect the volcanic watershed, a key water resource for San Pablo's 250,000 population. There are six streams that flow down from the volcanic watershed and they feed San Pablo City's water needs.

"We are grateful to play in a role in protecting this watershed area, which is vital to the region's water supply," said Gourlay. "Having been involved U.S-Philippines business activities since 1992, the opportunity to do this in the Philippines on Earth Day is quite special," he said. The MD-AEP galvanized support from Philippines well-wishers in the U.S. including: Maryland's Regional Manufacturing Institute, Zephyr Environmental Corporation, Philippine-American Foundation for Charities, Feed the Hungry, Inc, Bill Jones, Nancy Wallace, Beth Wong, Al Goodman, Mike Galiazzo, Alex Koff, Ador Carreon & Nanette Suyat, Peter & Monica Thieman, Bettina Obias, Joyce and Ron Quejas-Risdon and Ed and Menchit Stull.

About The Maryland-Asia Environmental Partnership

The Maryland-Asia Environmental Partnership (MD-AEP) is a newly formed, private sector initiative which is mobilizing resources and expertise from corporations, Maryland universities, U.S. and Asian government agencies and multilateral banks to address Asia's massive energy and water resource needs. Throughout Asia, government officials are grappling with major environmental management and resource concerns at the national and local level. What is often lacking is a holistic approach to address the gamut of lessons learned and appropriate resources for future sustainable development planning needs. We provide a unique catalyst for sustainable environmental solutions. MD-AEP functions as an environmental research, technology and services hub to connect Maryland's lessons learned, know-how and resources to countries in Asia. MD-AEP takes a sophisticated approach to its business engagement as we look to bridge Maryland-Asia public-private partnerships from a local country standpoint and solve environmental problems with sustainable business outcomes.

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