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Ramon Orlina
Ramon Orlina polishing one of his glass sculptures
Ramon Orlina is named the Father of Philippine Glass Sculpture. With a background in architecture, Orlina succeeded in the sculpting world through his hardwork and self-study. He didn’t have any masters and he studied sculpting on his own. Unlike most sculptors, Orlina uses a cold technique for his art pieces. It includes cutting, grinding, smoothing, and polishing glass.
Glass is known to be a recyclable material, and true enough, Orlina made an art out of throw-away chunks of glass. Admitting that he is a nature lover, he translated his love for nature into his art through the forms and messages of his art.
Now, Orlina is set to have a museum in Tagaytay City (near Nuvali) with a goal of bringing art closer to the people.
People can also visit his atelier in Manila: 2170 – 2174 Ilaw ng Nayon corner Blumentritt Street, Sampaloc, Manila. One can also visit his website.
Rock Balancing
Rock balancing is a performance art in which stones are piled up on top of each other without any adhesives in seemingly impossible ways. One has to look for the rock’s natural center of gravity and manipulate the rock by trial and error until it appears weightless and stays in place using only innate balance. Rock Balancing is also said to be therapeutic in nature. The concentration required to build a sculpture isolates the artist from ambient noise and nurtures meditative presence.
Environmentalists Leandro Inocencio and Ildefonso Vista
Environmentalists Leandro Inocencio and Ildefonso Vista use this art to proliferate their environmental advocacies since it stimulates curiosity from almost anyone who sees it. Through the group Rock Balancing Philippines, these two individuals go to different parts of the country to share their chosen art, and encourage people to take care of the environment as well.
Watch the segment here.
Kay Isberto
Kay is a woman of knowledge and skills. Who would guess that this environmental lawyer is a also a painter? Her experience with her cases led her to conclude that we are losing our rainforests. She realized that we would usually come across images of denuded forests and flooded communities but have we ever seen a beautiful rainforest?
Kay painting a new piece in her home.
We can only understand the value of protecting our natural resources if we have a clear picture of what we might be taking for granted. With her exhibits (Bantay Gubat and Diwata Series), Kay is showing everyone what we can still save. We are, after all, the “guardians” of our rainforests.
Got Heart Shop
Got Heart Shop along Katipunan Avenue
Are you looking for organic products? Are you searching for a way to help communities in the Philippines? Well, you may want to visit Got Heart Shop.
Got Heart Shop is the shop of Got Heart Foundation. This shop aims to continuously be an outlet or a showcase for community-made products. In addition to that, this shop is not for profit.
Got Heart shop has been working with farming, artisan, and indigenous communities from Luzon to Mindanao. The shop helps the communities develop a social enterprise that fits each community. The shop sells edible and non-edible products from the communities, like mountain rice, pots, organic vegetables, accessories, organic human and animal products, toys, organic meat, plants, and many more.
And what’s interesting also in this shop is that the whole shop is environment-friendly. The shop is a refurbished van, it is solar-powered, it uses a specialized window glass to lessen the heat entering the van, and it has a water-catchment system too!
Now, why Got Heart? According to Melissa Yeung, Executive Director of Got Heart Foundation, “Got Heart is called, Got Heart, because we believe that a lot of people have heart..a lot of people want to help but they don’t know how.. and by coming to this shop..hopefully, we get people to realize that it’s not that hard to help out.”
Got Heart Shop indeed makes both the consumers and the community benefit from the shop. After all, everybody’s got a heart for the greater good.
Underwater Videography and Diving
Bobbit Suntay taking videos of the jacks in Anilao, Batangas
Underneath the mysterious waves of the ocean is a vast garden that everyone should see. That is what Bobbit Suntay and Boy Siojo taught us with their videos. These two soldiers of the sea do not stop at enjoying the beauty underwater. It’s also their mission to preserve it.
The first step to this mission is awareness. With their videos, Bobbit and Boy can take people to depths that they can never imagine. The next step is to encourage more to join them in their army which aims to fight for the preservation of our seas.
Our planet is made up of about 70% water. Our dive in Anilao with Bobbit and Boy is just the tip of the iceberg. If more people appreciate this, then there is more hope for Mother Earth.
Gandiva
Focus the mind, feed the body, fuel the soul..There are many ways to have a stronger life but there is one place in One Corporate Center, Ortigas that aims to do just that.
Gandiva… where healthy eats, paired with bows and arrows…hit the bull’s eye.
Gandiva offers an hour of archery (inclusive of equipment and trainer) for PHP 600. Extend your archery program for an hour for PHP 1,000. Gandiva also offers a Beginner’s Module (21-hour lesson) for PHP 8,000. It also have a Therapeutic Archery program.
But Gandiva is not only an archery range. It is also a vegetarian café that offers not just healthy meals but eco-friendly products as well.
Gandiva is now offering yoga classes, too.
For more information and inquiry, visit their website: http://www.gandiva.com.ph/
Biking for Women
Everybody has a unique experience when it comes to biking. One may have enjoyed it as a child but for some, it is a traumatic experience that they never want to try again. But Ethel Fortuno wants to make a difference. For her, biking shouldn’t be confined in a park or in a bad memory of one’s childhood. It can be a lifestyle.
Ethel realized that women tend to be less confident than men when it comes to riding a bike. For some, just the thought of riding along the safe zone is already daunting. Traffic in the city is not very encouraging either. But Ethel remains firm and continues to teach more women how to ride the bike not only for one’s health, but for the environment.
Half of the Philippine population is composed of women and Ethel emphasizes the big difference these women can make if they decide to make biking a lifestyle. As one of the heads of the family, they can even influence their children follow their footsteps…or their pedaling. After all, our effort to preserve the environment today is a gift for the next generation.
Cibo
Restaurants come and go…but it is the restaurant’s commitment to the community that makes the difference. Cibo, which has been in the industry for 15 years, shares that there should be more to restaurants than just food.
Cibo’s commitment to its diners are rooted in its dedication to serve healthy meals. Every ingredient in Cibo is fresh and naturally-grown. They extend their service to the community by supporting organic farming.
Cibo has now 11 branches all over the Metro. They have branches in Greenbelt, Glorietta, Shangri-la, Rockwell, Alabang, Greenhills, Gateway, Eastwood, Magnolia, and Chinatown.
They also have a special store for children called Cibo Bimbi. For more information, visit their website: http://www.cibo.ph/
Good Food Community
Charlene Tan, CEO & President of Good Food Community
From the soil that nurtures, to the plants that nourish, to the hands that harvest… Mother Nature binds us all. But, it is the connection that we choose to build that defines us. And, Good Food Community knows which bridges to build.
Good Food Community is a social enterprise that connects the urban dwellers to the growers of food, particularly to the farmers of the organic vegetables in Tarlac City.
Visit their website (
http://www.goodfoodcommunity.com/home/
), and get to know how you can be a shareholder of Good Food Community. You can choose among their farm share options, and determine which drop-off point is nearest to you. Expect your organic vegetables to be delivered to you every Tuesday.
Here is a list of their Farm Share Option:
Set A: Gulay Pambahay, 12 weeks, Php 350/week
Set B: Gulay Pambahay, 4 weeks, Php 400/week
Set C: Salad Pack, 12 weeks, Php 200/week
Set D: Salad Pack, 4 weeks, P250/week
