A program geared towards transforming school campuses into models of sustainable energy use has been launched by international environmental group Greenpeace with selected partner schools in Metro Manila and Mindanao.
“With its increasing power requirements possibly reaching crisis proportions by the year 2014, Mindanao becomes a key constituency to spearhead a vision of the Philippines leading the rest of the world in a revolution in the way energy is produced, distributed and used,” Greenpeace Southeast Asia climate and energy campaigner Amalie Obusan said.
“Even at present, Mindanao is experiencing power shortages. This is where energy solutions such as energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) are most needed and will have the greatest impact,” she added.
The pilot Sustainable Campuses program was launched in the Ateneo de Davao University, Mindanao State University, and the University of Southeastern Philippines.
In Metro Manila, three schools namely, St. Paul University in Quezon City, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Makati, and St. Scholastica in Manila will also launch Sustainable Campus programs.
“Having campuses within the nation’s capital carrying out energy efficiency and environmental sustainability programs will be a crucial component in establishing strong RE and EE policies at the political level,” Obusan said.
Through a partnership with Greenpeace’s Solar Generation Youth Project, the six pilot schools’ respective administration, staff, and students will together determine their school’s carbon footprint and current energy practices.
Obusan explained that participating universities will be taught the necessary skills to assist in a school-wide energy audit, the results of which shall be used as baseline data for subsequent energy consumption measurements.
They will also be equipped with the skills and resources to implement a public awareness campaign promoting energy efficiency measures.
She said the program is expected to open possibilities for practical and immediate solutions to energy challenges faced by educational institutions, which can then be replicated not only by other schools, but by other institutions and organizations as well.
She added that the program will not only highlight savings in operating costs and the reduction of the campus carbon footprint, but also make individuals more conscious about the way energy is sourced, distributed and consumed, without having to compromise practicality and convenience.
“The Philippines is among the countries most vulnerable and least prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change. Since the burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal, is the biggest contributor to carbon emissions, the main culprit for climate change, we see that leading the Energy [R]evolution will benefit the Philippines and its people on many levels,” Solar Generation Youth Coordinator Albert Lozada said.
“These pilot Sustainable Campuses are a testimony to and a reiteration of our confidence in the Philippines achieving 50 percent RE and 20 percent EE by 2020,” he added.
