Local companies committed to building a green future

June 7, 2010 - PRLog -- In recent years, the quest for sustainable living has redefined conventions, including the way we view our public and private structures. This has paved the way for the growth of more breathable and environment-friendly “green” buildings in the country, sites that aptly demonstrate that nature and architecture can work together well.  

Green building as defined by the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC) is the practice of creating structures that are designed, built, renovated, operated or re-used in an ecological and resource-efficient manner.

“[It] focuses on the promotion and practice of sustainable site development, improvement of indoor air quality, use of efficient energy, improvement of water management, utilisation of green materials and the preservation of cultural heritage,” said PhilGBC Chairman Architect Christopher de la Cruz in a statement. Established in 2006, PhilGBC is the largest green building movement in the country that advocates the sharing of green knowledge practices to the property industry.

As an emerging trend with big implications for businesses and civil society alike, green building will be a featured sectoral track in the first government-led Philippine International Eco-Show (PINES) in August, according to the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Organized by CITEM, the three-day eco-show converges the eco-industrial, eco-lifestyle and eco-advocacy sectors of the industry in a threefold exhibit, and will likewise feature an international conference on the most relevant trends and best green practices concerning the environment.  

“Through the Philippine International Eco-Show, we hope to raise awareness and inspire change in the way people treat their environment… We are looking for partners for this project who share the same vision of a greener world,” said Thelma Dumpit-Murillo, CITEM Deputy Executive Director and the eco-show’s Project Director.
 
“[By joining PINES, which] cuts across a wide range of market and brings together a diverse pool of visitors, we wish to showcase our offerings to show that environmental solutions are scalable and readily available,” said Arnie Acero, executive vice president of Technotest, a full-scale environmental engineering firm that caters to soil and geotechnical requirements, water treatment and sourcing, and wastewater treatment and recycling.

For the past three decades, Technotest has developed its Trifinity Systems that offer reuse solutions like wastewater reuse and soil remediation; and process solutions that include services in helping increase water treatment yield, and the improved processing of raw water.

“We see Trifinity as the new green,” said Acero. “In matters of the environment, it entails a drive to move beyond passive reception to action, … [and] bring the power back to the market by [promoting] an active participation to the call for responsible citizenship.”

Some of the firm’s notable projects include the Metro Manila Light Rail Transit and the Laguna Lake Reclamation Development Project for soil services, and the Amanpulo Resort 1 & 2, as well as the Edsa Central Complex for its water services.

Meanwhile, Louis Brothers Corporation (LBCorp) is another local green exhibitor aiming to fill a growing niche for its cost-efficient lighting products, being the exclusive distributor of German brand Nobile’s Energy Saving lighting products in the country since 2008. Nobile’s future-oriented lighting technology includes a comprehensive range of luminaries, lamps, electronic devices, and lighting accessories for commercial and private applications.  

“Green building demands to save as much as we can in using electricity [in order] to save energy and protect the environment,” said Fernando “Bong” Panganiban, president and managing director of LBCorp. “One of the reasons why our country right now lacks in electricity supply is the use of high wattage lighting like halogen, incandescent, and fluorescent. We [offer] Power LEDs (light-emitting diodes) as an alternative lighting source, as [these] do not release any light pollution unlike conventional lighting.”

According to leading global intelligence provider Global Markets Direct, green buildings help in the reduction of carbon emissions by using 30% less energy than conventional buildings, which in 2009 globally accounted for 39% total energy usage and 38% of carbon dioxide emissions.

“There are no shortcuts in the design of sustainable buildings,” said Arch. Felino Palafox Jr., principal architect and planner of leading architectural firm Palafox Associates, and Advisory Board member for PINES. “But the future of the built environment is not in the hands of [design and engineering] professionals alone, a great responsibility is expected from landowners and developers too – to fund eco-friendly buildings; and most of all to the public who may serve as citizens guarding the welfare of their future children and the children of their children’s children.”

To be held on August 26-28 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, PINES is staged in cooperation with the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC), the Philippine Business for the Environment (PBE), the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), and the United Nations Development Programme Energy and Environment Project (UNDP-EEP). It is also supported by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AmCham), the Haribon Foundation, and the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines (SWAPP)

For more information on the 1st Philippine International Eco-Show, log on to www.pines.com.ph.

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The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is an export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry.