MINA’s 3rd Green Gala draws a sold-out crowd

For the third year in a row, Mother Nature had a ball Friday night with the 3rd Green Gala drawing 250 people to the Hibiscus Hall of the Fiesta Resort and Spa Saipan and host Marianas Islands Nature Alliance selling over $12,000 worth of tickets.

Echoing the sentiment of many in attendance, Sarah Fryling said she is happy to support the cause as a member of the business community. “I think like everyone else here, I am happy to be here and support the efforts of MINA. I consider it essential to keep up our island and our island’s resources. I am here to support our island and our businesses.”

Tickets to MINA’s “night of elegance” were sold out three days before it took place.

Board member and MINA co-founder Fran Castro said the two previous galas were not as well-known as last weekend’s fundraiser.

“This year we did not have to do much work because people knew about us and were very supportive throughout the entire process of planning and coordinating the event,” she said. “For this fundraiser we are raising funds for our staff and operations. We have a lot of projects. The funds are unrestricted funds because we get a lot of grants but those are restricted and we can’t use it to pay rent and services like telephone and Internet. We have to raise outside funds that can pay for those things. It also goes to some salaries for our Tasi Watch rangers that are our eyes and ears of the enforcement we are lacking here in the CNMI.”

Mina’s Green Gala in 2012 raised over $12,000 in cash and in-kind contributions.

MINA board chair Frankie Eliptico told Saipan Tribune the event also supports the non-profit organization’s various projects.

A new project under MINA, known as the Managaha Pride Campaign, raises awareness and builds support of regulations regarding illegal activities near Managaha. The organizations’ Teacher Environmental Camp, according to Eliptico, helps teachers incorporate environmental lessons into their school’s curriculum.

He said Joeten stores will soon be joining them in their “Taya Plastic” campaign, which aims to ban the use of plastic bags in the CNMI. When initiated, Joeten stores will not be using plastic bags on Tuesdays.

Eliptico expressed his gratitude to Friday night’s attendees and said the organization sold only 250 tickets in order to ensure an elegant, comfortable night.

Eliptico also announced the merger of MINA with the Pacific Marine Resources Institute on Saipan. The organization, effective immediately, is now the Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance. (See related story)

The evening also featured a silent auction and music by DJ Davey G.

MINA received $20,000 worth of contributions that were used for the silent auction. Eliptico said the final profit amount will be released later this week after his team crunches the numbers.

Environmental Green Awards

Continuing its tradition of presenting awards to the community’s environmental leaders, MINA recognized one individual, school, and business that demonstrated extraordinary commitment and dedication to the environment over the past year.

The Environmental Hero Award, an individual award, was presented to San Vicente Elementary School. The school has worked hard to implement erosion control and prevent stormwater runoff from polluting the ocean water. By installing a rain garden, SVES has helped keep coral reefs and fish healthy by reducing storm water runoff in their village. The elementary school’s group of 50 students, known as the Young Farmer’s Club, built a rain garden in an effort to demonstrate how vegetation can be used to collect and slow the flow of rainwater for greater absorption into the soil.

School librarian Rick Gramlich said he started the club five years ago. “Since then we have supported ourselves by growing different crops in the garden as well as using hydroponics. Every year we have to turn down kids because there are a lot of people who want to help and join the club.”

Jose M. Kaipat received the Environmental Champion Award, an individual award. Kaipat, for the past 16 years, has joined the cleanup brigade every first Saturday of the month to enhance the beauty of the island. He volunteers his personal time to ensure that the cleanup occurs when scheduled and provides support for the volunteers. On some occasions, Kaipat even purchases supplies for the cleanups with his own money.

Kaipat hopes to continue his efforts with more members of the community on a consistent basis. “What I gain from doing what I do is the satisfaction that we have a clean environment,” he said.

Brabu Health and Wellness received the Green Business of the Year award. The award pays tribute to a business that incorporates a “green business culture” through its entire organization.

The business, which is composed of eight employees, does not distribute single-use plastic bags and collected over 1 ton of recyclable material last year. Brabu Pharmacy also distributes seedlings for tree planting and offers organic over-the-counter products such as skin care products.

Raena Celis, the customer service department supervisor, said the company is honored to receive the award. “We are just one branch and a fairly new pharmacy and it really means a lot knowing that a lot of our regular customers and patients recognize the message we are trying to send. That is, to live green as much as you can.”