Showing posts with label Climate Change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Climate Change. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

UNDRR, SM Prime laud women leaders in disaster resilience

11:43:00 PM

 


SM Prime Holdings (SMPHI) recently announced its support for the global search for women leaders in disaster resilience.

For the second consecutive year, SMPHI is sponsoring Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards, a flagship program of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

SMPHI Vice President for Corporate Compliance Liza B. Silerio said that the support is aligned with the company’s drive to recognize women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction. “This is important in inspiring other women to fully and effectively participate in promoting gender equality and empowerment while building our collective resilience.”

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori expressed gratitude for the support, stating, “The awards highlight the key role of women as leaders and agents of change in building resilience and actively participating in the creation and implementation of DRR strategies, policies, plans and programs in their regions. Their stories reflect the diversity of solutions required to meet the converging challenges of accelerating climate change and disasters in the region.”

“We look forward to continued collaboration with SM in our DRR agenda,” Secretary General Mizutori added. 

The WIN DRR Excellence Awards 2022 sponsored by SM Prime has 15 finalists shortlisted from 420 nominations received from across 24 countries in the Asia-Pacific. The winner will be announced at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brisbane on 21 September 2022. US$10,000 will be awarded to an individual woman who has achieved exceptional professional success in DRR. 

The WIN DRR partnership is consistent with SM Prime Holdings’ social commitment towards women empowerment, resilience, good health and well-being of women. The company’s corporate social responsibility arm, SM Cares, supports programs that advance these causes.

The Women's International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) is a professional network to support women working in disaster risk reduction, in all their diversity. Its overall goal is to empower women to attain leadership and enhance their role in decision-making in disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific. The WIN DRR Philippine Network is powered by SM Prime and Asia Pacific College.

Earlier this year, SM Prime through its SM CARES, partnered with UNDRR in celebrating women empowerment through a webinar on the role of women in disaster resilience. In her keynote message, Mizutori emphasized “women’s equal participation and leadership in public life including disaster risk reduction is important and it is also essential to reducing disaster risk in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals.”

Friday, October 4, 2019

Lamudi in the Phlippine Setting Highlights Sustainability and Resiliency

3:09:00 PM

In just a span of one month, I have been to a few events that tackled the issues concerning the environment and more particularly with Climate change. It is a global issue, or rather it is now considered a crisis that everyone needs to react to and do something about it. Environmental organizations today are pushing for immediate solutions.

Just recently, I find myself rushing and coursing through the traffic of EDSA. It's really becoming a problem and one of the causes of carbon emissions. The government should really find ways to control this. Anyway, I was late but still was able to grasp what was Lamudi is pushing through with the talk.

The issue of Climate Change is one that is pushing the Philippines to act upon its weak spots and harness its strengths. “It’s inevitable,” Lamudi CEO Bhavna Suresh says during the media roundtable. This is in partnership weth Holcim Philippines and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA). Though the country may be facing a dire situation, there is plenty to be done in response to climate change, from big, industrial efforts to small, household changes.


Lamudi's first panel of discussion is about Sustainability Efforts for the Philippines of NGOs and Private Organizations. NGOs, private organizations, and green developers were represented in the discussion, which tackled the roadblocks to green development in the Philippines and determined the efforts already in place to steer the country into a greener future.

Highlighting Resilience

“Most of our coastal municipalities want to be cities eventually. How do we push them towards not just sustainability but also push them to also look at measures that will make them resilient as well?” Atty. Angela Ibay, Head of the Climate and Energy Program of the World Wide Fund for Nature, posed an important question at the roundtable, steering right into the thick of the important topic of sustainability and climate change.

Angela Ibay, Head, Climate and Energy Program of the World Wide Fund for Nature

In a country that is dotted with high-rise mixed-use buildings and humble coastal homes, the effort to save the environment is tightly coupled with the measures developers can take to safeguard the value of their legacy. One solution, something as simple as planting trees, encourages the growth of foliage and relieves some of the urban heat island effects our cities are experiencing right now. However, it is not enough.

“It’s not a question anymore of whether you can control climate change or not. It’s about adapting to the effects of climate change. It’s here. We are experiencing it now,” says Wesley Caballa, Senior Manager for Sustainability of Costa Del Hamilo Inc. According to Caballa, Hamilo is actively pursuing efforts to protect mangrove forests to do their part as a company.

Hamilo is one of many companies that have started making changes in keeping with a more climate-conscious business ethos. Climate change has not spared the Philippines with its onslaught, and with lives at stake, developers cannot sit around and wait.
Wesley Caballa, Senior Manager for Sustainability of Costa Del Hamilo Inc.

“We are already in an area of the world that is highly, highly susceptible to all these natural disasters, and climate change made us more vulnerable to that,” adds Justine Santos-Sugay, Director for Resource Development and Communications of Habitat for Humanity.

Addressing Roadblocks to Sustainability

The Philippines has not been remiss when it comes to sustainable efforts. One of the problems developers and real estate experts face, however, is misinformation or lack of dissemination at the grassroots.

“When you ask a common fisherman, ‘What do you know about climate change?’ Sometimes they say it’s synonymous to disaster without knowing why,” adds Caballa. “It’s really important for them to know what is wrong, what climate change is all about.”

Santos-Sugay weighs in: “When you think about it, when you look at the issue of climate change, climate change seems to exaggerate or re-highlight a lot of the already pre-existing social themes.”

Justine Santos-Sugay, Director for Resource Development and Communications of Habitat for Humanity

One issue all Filipinos will relate to, especially in the Philippine capital, is the water shortage. Despite the typhoons that visit the country and leave damage in low-lying areas, there is water shortage because the rainfall missed the dams that are meant to supply water to the majority of the city. Ferdz dela Cruz, former Chief Executive Officer of Manila Water Company, Inc., emphasizes the urgency of the matter: “It’s up to us to make hard choices for us to be resilient. There are no easy choices at this point. For us to make that, we need to have a constructive dialog and without the misinformation.”

Ferdz dela Cruz, Former Chief Executive Officer of Manila Water Company, Inc.

Dela Cruz also mentions the disparity in the supply and demand for water supply. According to him, “There are two issues on water--there’s the supply side and there’s the demand side. On the supply side, there is a roadmap of what needs to be done, but there are delays in the execution of the roadmap. There’s always opposition to a big water project.”

Long-term solutions to water shortage and climate change are further hampered by the lack of initiative at the individual level. According to Dela Cruz, people forget about the problem once they have water, but it quickly resurfaces when another water shortage is felt.

Sustainability in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors

Much of the effort real estate developers have put into sustainability can be seen in the commercial buildings they have strategically positioned in key cities. Jaime “JJ” Fernandez, Strategic Management Consultant of Menarco Development Corporation, mentions the savings Menarco Tower is able to pass on to its tenants through its sustainable design. According to Fernandez, “There is an estimate that the tenant will save about 20% in terms of energy consumption because the way the building is built is very efficient.”

Fernandez also highlights the human aspect of thinking sustainable. “Prospective tenants would rather pay a little bit more rent” when they know the building will take care of their employees.

This, paired with Dela Cruz’s observation that people will be more responsible if the problem pinches their bill, makes the case for green developments: rather than lose money in inefficient designs, developers, tenants, and residents can save by prioritizing sustainability.

James Buskowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Buskowitz Group

The Philippines, which receives ample sunlight because of its equatorial location, can do more to utilize solar energy, one of the most efficient ways to be sustainable. James Buskowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Buskowitz Group, explains that projects harvesting solar energy come in levels: “Residential scale has always been the goal, but not in the beginning. Typically, when a country starts developing solar projects, it always starts with utility, then it goes to commercial-industrial rooftops, then it goes residential.”


JJ Fernandez, Strategic Management Consultant of Menarco Development Corporation


“If we combine all the roofs in the entire Metro Manila, we would have enough solar energy to power the entire Philippines,” Buskowitz shares.

Trickling to the Residential Developments

“What color is your roof?”

A simple question sparked discussion in the roundtable’s second panel discussion, Design and Construction Trends in Real Estate to Build Sustainable and Resilient Cities in the Philippines. It is not a pointless question either, as the simple selection of a white roof can already help a household save energy.

“A safe home, a resilient city, a safe community is at the heart of what we have to address to adapt to the changes in the climate,” mentions Santos-Sugay.

To add, Lamudi’s CEO says climate change is not an isolated problem: “All of these inequalities that exist in the world today are getting heightened because of global warming.”

We are not at a standstill when it comes to sustainable solutions, thankfully. Dela Cruz says, “The supply solutions will come many years from now, but everyone could start doing something on the demand side.”


One of the solutions proposed is a mirror of what other countries have already implemented: water tariffs. According to dela Cruz, “In other countries, what they’ve done quite successfully during periods of water shortage is to actually adjust the price of water--double or triple--during hot summer months basically to curtail the usage.”


Though this price adjustment has been discussed but not yet explored, companies such as Hamilo Coast have already implemented their own guidelines to conserve water and safeguard the environment from climate change. Hamilo Coast, which aims to be a “microcosm of what could be done,” practices a “top-down approach” on implementing sustainable policies. “The only way that we will see individuals actually follow the rules is if you put a system of checks, balances, and penalties.”


To get to the finish line, where a more climate-resilient Philippines awaits, each individual has to make impactful changes, but at the forefront are the bigger organizations that can influence those in their respective industries as well.

Ar. Amado de Jesus, Vice Chairman of the Philippine Green Building Initiative

With miscommunication proving to be a big roadblock, the discussion needs to be sustained. This is one of the reasons for the creation of the roundtable, as Architect. Amado de Jesus, Vice Chairman of the Philippine Green Building Initiative, mentions, “If you have a bigger role, that’s a bigger responsibility.”


“Lamudi is a giant brand. With all the buildings that are together, the organizations that you have a big influence on, you can create a big impact,” says de Jesus.

Now, it's really great that even big companies like Lamudi are creating solutions even in simplest ways.














Wednesday, September 18, 2019

We Are Now on Crisis, Climate Emergency!!!

12:25:00 AM

This was my post back in 2010 https://www.kwentonitoto.com/2010/10/recycling-tips-plastic.html. Giving tips on how to recycle plastics. I'm not sure how many people were reached and informed about this article but I'm very much thankful that I was able to share it online.

After 9 years of gradual reducing, reusing, and recycling it has become irrelevant now, it isn't the solution anymore we need to make a drastic change and raise the banner of saving the planet if we want to save the future of humanity. As most of environmentalists and scientist are now telling we don't have much time, we are now in crisis. The changes in weather patterns, climate changes, and earthquakes are signs that the planet is in chaos.


What happened to the call of Severn Cullis-Suzuki at Rio Summit in 1992? There were agendas created but the execution wasn't enough. Now, Greta Thunberg is sacrificing her Fridays not attending school to protest and force the government to shut down factories and companies degrading the environment. We only have a few more years to go before everything that we so-called living planet will be gone.



We people haven't really learned! The story created by Dr. Seuss, The Lorax, isn't just a story for kids but it transcends every generation and yet we haven't learned from it.


Climate change has already reached the level of a planet-wide emergency - with devastating consequences for people and all living things. And it is quickly becoming much worse.

According to scientists, in order to stop the increase of the earth’s temperature at the safest level still possible – below 1.5 to 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels – the rich industrialized countries have to reach near-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030 and all other countries have to reach near-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

This coming September 20-27, 2019, different parts of the world will conduct Global Mobilization for the Climate Emergency! For the Philippines, you may join on September 20 at Liwasang Aurora, Quezon Memorial Circle, QC 1:30PM to 6:00PM.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Climate Body Launches Video Ad Together with the Screening of The Lorax

9:47:00 PM



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It was an opportunity seeing a movie like "The Lorax", especially this days that our world is experiencing an environmental issue.

The Lorax is one of Dr. Seuss classic children's book story and it was given life in 3D animation with wonderful new characters, including a boy, whose journey is to search for a magical creature that will win for him the affection of the girl he loves.

The Lorax' story centers on one of the most important issue of our time, saving our environment.  It is set in an imaginary world that is polluted and grim, because of Once-ler, a strange creature obsessed in cutting "Truffula" or trees, thinking that this will help him craft "Thneeds", which he thought everyone will need.  In the end, after realizing the sad consequences of his action, Once-ler gives the boy the last truffula seed and asked him to plaint it for trees and fauna to return.

The story of The Lorax is relevant today.  virtually almost all of the country's ecosystems have been significantly transformed or degraded.  Philippine ecosystems have changed more rapidly due to deforestation, pollution, urban congestion, marine and coastal degradation and loss of biodiversity, which have worsen the impacts of climate change in the Philippines.

"Trees are very important in the country's roadmap in the battle against climate change, they clean the air while at the same time serving as carbon sinks", Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering said.

The NCCAP, approved by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III November last year, has seven thematic priorities, one of which is Ecosystem and Environment stability.  Environmental sustainability therefore means maintaining healthy and stable ecosystems, which is a necessity especially amidst changing climate.



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"Adapting to climate change requires the action of everyone.  We need to have everyone informed of what they can do to save the environment, and in the long run, the future generations.  We have to act now if we want our children to have genuine trees in their time", she said.

In cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), the CCC aims to share the morale of the story to young and old alike as they launch their video against climate together with the premiere of the movie.

The video will be shown in all SM and Ayala cinemas for one whole year.

"Our video will show that people from all walks of life should be involved in addressing climate change.  Small actions count big, and collectively they can make an impact", she added.

"It's not too late. We still have genuine trees around us.  Climate change is here and we need to adapt.  Let's take care of the environment and we will be more climate resilient in the future," she said.



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