 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTDear Friends, Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a reflective and peaceful Holy Week. From our end, Team  just got back from a successful trip in Rio Tuba, Palawan where 17 of our employees and dealers spent a gruelling week digging and building with our Gawad Kalinga volunteers. It was a once in a lifetime experience that bonded our people and also brought them closer to the heart of our advocacy. On another note, we just sold our one millionth product after just 16 months in operation! This is an extraordinary milestone; an achievement that was made possible through the support of our loyal dealers and committed partners. Watch out for hot new products coming out next month! We will have all natural deodorant, feminine wash and a new lip balm flavor available to all our customers! Find out more about these exciting news in this month's newsletter. All the best & God bless,  Anna Meloto-Wilk President Gandang Kalikasan Inc. NEW PRODUCT UPDATES: There's a lot to look forward to this May! The new catalogs, featuring a Hollywood celebrity will be released by mid-month, to launch new and exciting products:  1. Feminine Wash 2. Deodorant 3. Strengthening Shampoo in a fresh new scent 4. Choco Vanilla Lip Balm Our exciting new products will all be available in May. All these because you asked for them! We value your feedback. For additional product suggestions, please email us at customer.service@humanheartnature.com IMPORTANT UPDATES: 5th GK1MB Bayani Challenge 2010 The 5th Bayani Challenge was held last 29 March – 1 April, which coincided with the Holy Week. While most people spent this week vacationing with their families, around 600 volunteers opted to take on the Bayani Challenge in the town of Rio Tuba, Bataraza in Palawan. 40-50 teams from various companies and local and international GK teams (Australia and USA) participated in this undertaking. Gandang Kallikasan Inc. sent out a 17-member team comprising of office personnel, warehouse staff, dealers and GKI friends. Headed by Mike Go (Human Nature Business Development Consultant), Team Human Nature went on to have the most exciting and memorable experience of their lives. Most teams flew in Monday morning at Puerto Princesa and converged at Holy Trinity University. A mass was held before the participants’ departure to Rio Tuba.  The first challenge was the bumpy and dusty bus ride. What normally takes 5-6 hours extended to 8 hours due to numerous checkpoints and stopovers. But these were all necessary to ensure the safe trip of the participants.   After a long and tiring trip, the teams were assigned classrooms to stay at. Mosquito nets and use of insect repellents were recommended as precautions for malaria. In line with this, Team Human Nature provided Citronella Bug Sprays for all participants.  Teams were give 2 ½ days to finish building their respective houses.    But this time was also spent building relationships with other teams and with the Netibos (indigenous people).  Team Human Nature, Team Australia, Team UPLB, Team Singapura, Team Bagong Silang – Nueva Ecija  HN dealer Martin Larsen with the Netibo kids Although Team Human Nature was not able to finish building their house, they managed to bag two awards: Most Organized Team and Mabuhay Miles Award for Martin Larsen (the participant who had the farthest origin: Denmark).  Martin being interviewed by one of the program's hosts, Vic Buenaventura. Despite the exhaustion, sunburns and the disappointment in not being able to accomplish the task of building the house, Team Human Nature left Rio Tuba with a sense of fulfilment and contentment in their hearts. As event head Kuya Mari Oquiñena puts it, the Bayani Challenge is about building relationships, not just with co-team members but also with the other teams and most importantly, the Netibos. In the end, they were the ones who helped us realize the more important things in life. There’s always a greater purpose in everything that we do.  With the next Bayani Challenge scheduled to be held at Bantayan Islands in Cebu, GKI wishes to send in more teams, who are ready and armed to take on the challenge.  Million Product Milestone Gandang Kalikasan Inc. is proud to announce that we have sold our 1,000,000th product last March after only 16 months in operation. In a short span of time, the number of branches has increased to 14, the product line has grown to more than 100, the GKI manpower has tripled, and the office has moved to a much larger space. We owe this to our hardworking dealers and loyal consumers who continue to grow with us. We look forward to giving you even more product and ingredient innovations with your needs in mind. We are excited to introduce more dealer training support and programs for you. And we can't wait to sell yet another million products because we know that doing so means we are making sustainable livelihood and a dignified life possible for many Filipino farmers and GK communities. GKI Updates GKI office hours are now from 9:00am – 5:30pm. Please also be advised of the NEW office mobile number: 0917-5965904. All SMS inquiries must be coursed thru this number. The mobile number, 0915-1162956, will be used exclusively for GCash payments and transactions. DANGEROUS CHEMICALS 101: Filipinos have a penchant for cleanliness and hygiene. This is apparent with the numerous personal care cleaning products in the market that promise anti-bacterial benefits. The most common anti-bacterial ingredient is Triclosan. Cosmeticsdatabase.com classifies triclosan as an irritant and possible carcinogen. Overuse of this hormone-disrupting ingredient can result in strains of drug-resistant superbacteria. Studies have also shown that triclosan in tap water can react with residual chlorine to form carcinogens. Countries such as Canada and Japan have already taken steps by restricting use of this ingredient in their cosmetics. The American Medical Association and dozens of academic researchers have determined that commercial antimicrobial soap does not work any better than plain soap and water at preventing the spread of infections or reducing bacteria on the skin. So stop using products containing Triclosan! When the need to wash your hands arise, try Triclosan-free Human Nature Acapulco Anti-Bacterial Hand Soaps. When an instant clean-up is needed and water is nowhere in sight, Human Nature Natural Sugarcane Hand Sanitizers are effective cleansers without the harmful effects.  GOING GREEN: A STEP AT A TIME Going Green doesn't stop with just using products free form harmful chemicals. It only begins there. Living a green lifestyle involves making conscious choices about the food we eat, the products we use for ourselves and our home, our habits towards energy use and waste disposal, and many more. Going Green: A Step at a Time hopes to help you shift to a more environmentally responsible way of life through easy-to-digest, practical information. Cleanliness of our home is very important to the Filipino culture. Unfortunately, most -- if not all -- of commercially available home cleaners contain a lot of harmful chemicals. It is important to realize that there are natural alternatives that are, thankfully, readily available and can be quite economical. Vinegar and baking soda, for instance, can replace your popular brand of surface cleaners, toilet cleaners, window cleaners, etc. Vinegar can be used to remove grease, mildew, odors, stains and wax build-up. Meanwhile, baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces and is an effective deodorizer. To produce an all-natural, affordable and effective all-purpose cleaner, just mix ½ cup vinegar and ¼ cup baking soda into ½ gallon (2 liters) water. So you can still keep a clean home without the compromise of chemicals! DEALER OF THE MONTH: CHIQUI FELIZA FAROLAN MANTILLA  San Fernando, La Union Branch Operators: Mikka Hipol and Chiqui Mantilla It was when a tumor was discovered in her mother's pancreas and a family history of cancer that Chiqui seriously considered adopting a healthier lifestyle for herself and her children. As difficult as the situation was for Chiqui and her family, it also served as a turning point in her life as it paved the way for her encounter with Human Nature. Her conviction to make a difference towards a healthier life and preserving our planet reached an even higher level after watching a documentary on climate change. Suddenly, Chiqui discovered the "missing piece" that she had always been looking for, the opportunity to do good for others beyond the mere act of corporate social responsibility. Being a Human Nature dealer was no longer enough. The passion to live out the Human Nature advocacy and spread the word was so great that it led her to partner with friend Mikka Hipol and put up the very first Human Nature branch in Northern Luzon in San Fernando, La Union. Chiqui admits that operating a branch involved far more work than being a dealer. But the reward of being able to inspire other people to share the Human Nature advocacy was well worth it. Together with Mikka, Chiqui is working hard to build awareness for preserving our environment and helping the Filipino farmer. She finds it important that people become aware of and experience how it is to be a responsible Filipino. Sharing a quote from John Muir, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." please click here. Human Nature Newsletter is the regular newsletter of Gandang Kalikasan Inc.
Contact Details: Tel. No. (02) 931-5787 Fax. (02) 951-3627 Email: customer.service@humanheartnature.com |
