BAYBAY, Leyte — Green Convergence, in collaboration with Visayas State University (VSU), will host the State of Nature Assessment 2025 (Green SONA 2025) on September 3–4, 2025, at the RDE Hall of VSU in Baybay City, Leyte. This year’s theme is “Ecosystems Integrity: A Must for Philippine Sustainability.”
Green SONA 2025 will focus on Region 8, highlighting how local communities are confronting the impacts of climate change and addressing pressing environmental issues such as flooding, landslides, quarrying, logging, and waste management—challenges that reflect national trends.
Victoria Segovia, President of Green Convergence, emphasized the significance of holding this year’s event in Leyte.
“This is an opportune time to visit the beautiful island of Leyte and witness firsthand how its people have risen from the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. We hope to learn from their resilience, as well as their adaptation and mitigation efforts—and applaud them with all sincerity,” Segovia said.
A diverse panel of resource speakers will enrich the two-day event, including representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 8 (DENR-VIII), Department of Science and Technology Region 8 (DOST-VIII), the Baybay City Local Government, Baybay City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Alpha Distinct Development Solutions Inc. (Alpha DDSI), and Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), among other national and regional stakeholders in environmental sustainability.
On the second day, participants will engage in a seminar-workshop on climate change and carbon footprint calculation, facilitated through the Ako Ang Bukas (AAB) Advocacy Program, followed by a tree-planting activity.
Held annually since 2007, the Green SONA provides a platform to review and reflect on the country’s most pressing environmental events and challenges from the past year. Each edition offers a regional lens through which national concerns are understood—previous hosts have included Dumaguete, Baguio, Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, General Santos, and Tarlac.
The event draws participants from across all sectors of society: academe, civil society, grassroots communities, religious groups, indigenous peoples (IPs), business, media, and government—united in the shared goal of environmental stewardship.
Green SONA 2025 is made possible through the support of First Philippine Holdings (FPH) and the Lasallian Institute for the Environment (LIFE).
