Reducing airconditioning and water use are the initial steps and initiated measures designed to address climate change.

"These are initial initiatives which are being carried out by our agency as far as advocating and mitigating the effects of climate change is concerned," said Benjamin Tumaliuan, DENR regional executive director before the start of their two-day command conference and assessment at the New Tribes Mission in barangay Darapidap here Thursday.

The DENR last month launched the Green Multipliers 351 national program in Bayombong town which coincided with the Search For Mr. Earth competition.

The program involves the transformation of every men and women of DENR to become practicing enviornmentalists.

The program also seeks to convert 1,378 DENR personnel and their families to become green multipliers or environmentalists, encourage the planting of more trees in their respective communities and to encourage them to recruit others to become one too.

It will also carry out the planting of some targeted 137,800 forest and fruit trees in backyards and other areas in the community.

But even before the GM 351 was laucnhed, small efforts have been started within the agency early this year with a cost of at least P350,000.00, according to Tumaliuan.

It Involves the construction of a Rain Harvesting Technology (RHT) which will be operational next month.

The project, Tumaliuan said is expected to l reduce their monthly water consumption by 70 percent.

The RHT which serves as rain water catchment collects water during rainy season and storedinside a water tank which will be used for other purposes like toilet water, watering of plants and cleaning the office floors among others.

"Our programs now are all geared towards mitigating climate change so we are already starting with simple things within ourselves and premises," he stressed.

Tumaliuan also added that they have started to practice "No Aircon" day every Fridays within the DENR offices in the region which also pose health risks among their personnel.

"We have started this but we need to restudy this because a few of our personnel suffered from heat stroke," he said.

The regional executive said these initiatives will also be carried out and implemented by their provincial environment and natural resources offices (PENROs) in the region along with their community environment and natural resources offices (CENROs).

"In fact, we are encouraging them to make their own initiatives and contributions towards mitigating climate change in their respective areas so that we can become role models where we can also get support from the community," Tumaliuan said.