Category Archives: Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas

April 17, 2013

Bambu Technologies

By Paola Ceriola

Bamboo has often been compared to a culture of resilience that Filipinos have cultivated throughout history. This is because of its high tensile strength which is ideal in making furniture, houses, and, in this case, bikes.  Boy Siojo, along with his colleagues in Bambu Technologies, has been advocating the use of bamboo because of its sustainability. It is abundant and easy to harvest.
Bambu Tech
Another striking feature of the bamboo bikes from Bambu Tech. is the craftsmanship behind them. Some of their workers are the same people who harvest the bamboo they use. More than the basic structure, the workers also incorporate their indigenous art in the body of the bikes by etching representations of their tribes’ history. This goes to show that the business does not only help the environment but it also helps Filipinos in the provinces.

For questions or orders, you may check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BambuTechnologies?fref=ts

Watch a replay of Green Living’s feature on Bambu Tech on June 11, 2013,  9:3o pm on ANC.

2 comments | posted in Active Living, Reuse, Repurpose & Recycle, Social Entrepreneurs, Sustainable Business Ideas, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas

April 11, 2013

Mind Museum

By nikkipua

The Mind Museum is the first world-class Science museum in the country, featuring over 250 interactive exhibits that help people learn Science in a fascinating way. But did you know that the building is also a science exhibit in itself? More than just providing a futuristic design to the building, its intricate architecture actually provides sustainable and eco-friendly elements to the facility.

Staying true to the vision of the Bonifacio Arts Foundation Inc, Architect Ed Calma conceived an elaborate blueprint for The Mind Museum that included green features down to its very structure.  Just recently, The Mind Museum has been awarded a gold certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a third party verification system for measuring building sustainability. Some of the more notable features include:

  1. Rainwater catchment. Their facility is designed to collect rainwater which they could use for flushing and other housekeeping tasks. Collecting rainwater also helps reduce flooding by lessening the water that goes into the public drains.
  2. Their ventilation system is connected to a Dedicated Outdoor System (DOAS) which supplies fresh air to the circulating air within the facility. Their Building Management System (BMS) and Variable Air Volume (VAV) mechanisms maintain 24 degrees C and automatically adjust the temperature only when more people come in the building.
  3. They have a “green” roof. Their roof is partially covered in vegetation which insulates the building from outdoor heat, thereby reducing the cooling requirements of the building.
  4. Aside from adding a futuristic appeal to the building, the slanted walls were specifically constructed to provide better lighting in the area by avoiding direct sunlight.

More than just making people appreciate and understand Science, The Mind Museum wants their visitors to exemplify environmental sustainability as part of their museum experience. They want to show people that being green should be a necessity rather than an option. As the museum’s curator Maribel Garcia put it, “Whether you’re a tree hugger or you’re a businessman, it should make sense to you to be green.”

The Mind Museum

J.Y. Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Taguig City

(02)909 64 63

Leave a comment | posted in ANC (ABS CBN News Channel), Green Home Ideas, Green Living, Production Notes, Sustainable Business Ideas, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas, Television, TV Show

April 6, 2013

Got Heart Shop

By Gerlene Reyes
Got Heart Shop along Katipunan Avenue

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.

Leave a comment | posted in ANC (ABS CBN News Channel), Green Home Ideas, Green Living, Healthy Food, Real People, Reuse, Repurpose & Recycle, Social Entrepreneurs, Sustainable Business Ideas, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas, Television, TV Show

March 21, 2013

ADB Tutubi Project

By Jb Aquino

Just when you thought that ideas to make biking in the cities even more exciting have been exhausted, bike sharing suddenly takes an interesting turn for the better. Enter the Asian Development Bank and its new project for sustainable urban transportation, the Tutubi Bicycle sharing program.

Paolo rides the Tutubi Bicycle with ADB Staff

Paolo rides the Tutubi Bicycle with ADB Staff

We were able to sit down with Lloyd Wright, ADB’s Senior Transport Specialist, and Bradley Schroeder, ADB’s Sustainable Transportation Consultant. Lloyd and Bradley highlighted the importance of raising awareness of bicycle usage in the city, as well as having the infrastructure and support laid down for it. The more bikers that take the road, they say, the easier it will be for NGO’s, organizations and even LGU’s to provide support for it.

As of writing, the ADB Tutubi Project is currently in testing phases in the ADB complex, as well as in the University of Santo Tomas campus. The bike sharing system uses bike racks, and electronic cards that one simply taps onto the racks to release the bikes from their locks. The system records the card owner’s details such as name, payment details, address and duration of the bike user’s trip between stations.

The system might one day be suitable for inter-city transportation, but will need the devoted assistance of municipalities concerned. For now, however, a few key locations are in negotiations with ADB, namely places like Bonifacio Global City, Nuvali and Ayala Center.

Keep an eye out for these brightly-colored bikes! There might be some of them rolling alongside busy thoroughfares soon!

Leave a comment | posted in Active Living, Paolo Abrera, Host, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas

March 15, 2013

Ya’lin Handmade Accessories

By Paola Ceriola

Yalin Screenshot-2

One issue after another, magazines pile up at home and it comes to a point when they just gather dust in the corner. At the end of the day, we resort to the easiest solution: throw them away. However, Tin Militante and Marlene Aguilor have found a way to turn outdated pages of a magazine to charming trinkets.

Tin and Marlene decided to start Ya’lin Handmade Accessories after the latter attended a green workshop in their village which taught her how to make beads out of magazines. Tin found the output beautiful and started showing them to family and friends who also took interest in the accessories. Since then, they have helped each other in creating pieces of jewelry as well as selling these in exhibits and bazaars.

The next time you buy another issue of your favorite magazine, imagine what you can do with it other than read it and you might just get your money back. Upcycling isn’t so taxing with the right combination of patience and creativity.

For online orders or consignments, you may check out Ya’lin Handmade Accessories’ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/yalinhandmadeaccessories?fref=ts

Leave a comment | posted in Eco Fashion, Reuse, Repurpose & Recycle, Sustainable Business Ideas, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas, Uncategorized

March 14, 2013

Biking for Women

By Paola Ceriola

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.

Leave a comment | posted in Active Living, Real People, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas

February 13, 2013

Good Food Community

By Gerlene Reyes
Charlene Tan, CEO & President of 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

Leave a comment | posted in ANC (ABS CBN News Channel), Green Home Ideas, Green Living, Healthy Food, Production Notes, Real People, Social Entrepreneurs, Sustainable Business Ideas, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas, Television, TV Show

February 12, 2013

SIBAT Foundation and their Urban Organic Gardening tips

By Gerlene Reyes
Organic vegetables grown in Mangarita Farm, the demonstration farm of SIBAT Foundation

Organic vegetables grown in Mangarita Farm, the demonstration farm of SIBAT Foundation

Organic vegetables, organic fruits. Say organic, and we automatically think of healthy and nutritious produce. But, did you know that you can actually produce your own organic products even in the comforts of your home? Or if you have a piece of land, you can turn it into an organic farm.

SIBAT Foundation, which stands for Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (Wellness of Spring and Technology), is a non-government organization that offers courses and technical assistance for farmers (and even land owners and other organizations) to learn about organic farming. They have been around for 27 years and are known for their expertise in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. For more information about SIBAT, visit their website: http://www.sibat.org/

Organic farming is part of an alternative farming system that is safer and more environment-friendly than other kinds of farming. Organic farming does not use chemicals or pesticides and requires a lot of care, effort, and time. Organic farming or gardening in return provides produce that are healthy and safe.

Living in the city shall not stop you from growing organic produce. Here are some tips from SIBAT:

1. Use containers, like bamboo poles or used plastic bottles, for your plants

2. Use kitchen residues as fertilizer, this will even promote zero-waste management in your household

3. Choose the right container size. Determine how high and how wide your plant can become, and choose your container depending on that.

4. Bamboo poles and plastic bottles are perfect for leafy vegetables.

5. For fruity vegetables, use pots that are at least 1 foot high.

Leave a comment | posted in ANC (ABS CBN News Channel), Green Home Ideas, Green Living, Healthy Food, Production Notes, Reuse, Repurpose & Recycle, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas, Television, TV Show

January 9, 2013

Slice

By Gerlene Reyes
Slice cafe in Bonifacio High Street

Slice cafe in Bonifacio High Street

There’s a café in Bonifacio High Street that is not just serving food as you see it. Slice promises you that with their food, you’ll also get a slice of the good life.

Nowadays, eating fresh and organic, and staying healthy is not just becoming a trend but also a wish that more people aspire to do. Inspired by her travels, Senator Pia Cayetano opened Slice to share her idea of healthy eating with occasional indulgences.

The healthy menu of Slice starts with the ingredients, which are all fresh and organic. By using fresh organic produce, Slice menu gives  diners more antioxidants, getting the fullest nutritional value of the produce. From the appetizers, to the main dishes, and down to the drinks and desserts, everything in Slice has a touch of a healthy and nutritious diet.

Living up to its promise of giving each diner a slice of good life, Slice is making sure that their food is not just healthy and organic, but indulging as well. There is the famous Choco Yema cupcake, which is made out of coco sugar, and Slice Champorado out of granola.

But caring for their customers’ health is not the only priority of Slice. The restaurant also aspires to promote local organic fresh produce.  Slice aspires to continue creating dishes out of the organic produce of our country. And, the advocacy of Slice doesn’t stop there. Slice is also going green– in and out of their restaurant– helping not just the environment but the community as well. Slice encourages the use of eco-friendly bags for take-out, they also promote the use of wooden utensils, and Slice is a smoke-free restaurant even in its al fresco area.

Eating healthy meals, enjoying every bite, and empowering locally produced organic products.. Now that is a perfect combination for a slice of the good life.

Leave a comment | posted in ANC (ABS CBN News Channel), Green Living, Healthy Food, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas, Television, TV Show

October 3, 2012

Full Ep Online: Fish Conservation, Quantum Cafe & Mint Mouthwash

By Jake de Guzman

Here’s Episode 1 of Season 04 on the the ANC webiste. Learn about the state of our fish population, visit Quantum Cafe, and make your own mouthwash. http://anc.abs-cbnnews.com/videos/2036/rare-philippines-mint-mouthwash/

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in ANC (ABS CBN News Channel), Do It Yourself Tips, Healthy Food, Sustainable Lifestyle Ideas

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