Ecopreneurs - Planters Development Bank

SMEs4 sme
Build Green
& Save on Future Costs
By NORMAN SISON
Photo courtesy of british embassy manila
28
SME COMmunity PHilippines
Going green is in fashion these
days, thanks mainly to Al
Gore. But many businesses are
becoming environmentally
friendly because it could save on costs in the
long run—with the threat of global warming
being a plus factor.
Ironically, it is cost that is also making
businesses balk from turning a new leaf. “I’ve
had clients wanting this and that, and then
they scale down when they find out how much
it would add to the building cost,” according
to architect Bong Recio, whose firm was
contracted to build Britain’s gleaming new
embassy in Fort Bonifacio Global City.
It also costs money for office buildings or
factories that need to retrofit if, say, they want
to install solar panels or install new plumbing
to pipe in rainwater harvested on the roof for
flushing toilets.
That being the case, it therefore still makes
more sense for businesses to build offices and
factories with the environment in mind while
they’re still on the drawing board. “While
it may be even expensive to build green,
businesses will save on expenses in the long
run,” says Angela Ibay, the British embassy’s
climate change officer.
Completed several months ago last year,
the new British embassy is a model of green
building design. Outside, a sprawling steel
trellis was installed for flowering vines that
would in three years provide natural shade,
as well as perfect cover to thwart unwelcome
prying eyes from afar.
Local plants were used in the landscaping.
“We chose those that don’t need much water,”
Recio points out.
On the roof are four large solar panels that
generate at least 10 percent of the building’s
electricity. Also on top is a network of ducts
that harvests rainwater for flushing toilets.
It gets high tech inside the three-storey
building. Walk into an empty office and a
motion sensor switches on the lights – and
off once you step out. “Sometimes, even when
we’re working, the sensor is so sensitive that
it switches off the lights if you’re not moving
around enough for a few minutes,” relates Oya
Arriola, the embassy press and political affairs
officer, laughing. Technicians assured that
those incidents were nothing paranormal.
Being green need not be all high tech.
Sometimes it just takes common sense. Enter
the lobby, look up and you’ll find that it’s an
atrium, with a skylight providing natural light
to all the floors. Look right and you see a wall
lined with tiles of mirrors, angled to bounce
off light.
Arriola explains that the green
building design demonstrates the British
government’s commitment to “walk the talk”
in environmental protection.
It is that kind of commitment that multisectoral
advocacy group Philippine Green
Building Council (www.pgbc.org) wants to
grow in the Philippines, which, according to
international experts, is very vulnerable to
global warming and climate change.
Reza Dadufalza, the British embassy’s
trade and investment officer, stresses that
green is good for business in the long run. “It
will become more popular once the technology
becomes more affordable,” she says.
Council chairman Chris de la Cruz says
the Philippines isn’t that far behind when it
comes to environmental awareness. But the
country is moving in spurts. He points to office
buildings that claim to be green in one area but
wanting in other aspects.
“It’s a wonder why we cannot do it
wholistically,” he says. “You get to save more,
improve your bottom line, save on water and
energy.” Green buildings also improve indoor
air quality, he adds, promoting health and
helping maintain employee productivity in
the long run.
Formed in early 2007, the council is a
roundtable association of architects, engineers,
eco-minded businesses, government agencies
and individuals. The group is currently putting
together a set of environmental building
standards that will determine – with authority
– if this or that building is indeed green.
The new British embassy. A steel trellis was
installed for flowering vines.
Patterned after environmental standards
abroad and tailored for the Philippine climate
setting, the council hopes to finish work and
have the guidelines – to be known as BERDE
(Building for Ecologically Responsive Design
Excellence) – out by 2011.
It would be ideal if the standards were to be
required mandatory by law and incorporated
into the building code. But de la Cruz sees that
it would be more successful for BERDE to be a
“voluntary tool” or a benchmark. He expects
protests or builders to simply ignore BERDE if
it drives up construction costs.
The idea, de la Cruz envisions, is for BERDE
to add value to the building, thereby promoting
design competitiveness and construction of
greener and greener buildings.
But for the meantime, de la Cruz
recommends that businesses that want
to go green consult their architects for
recommendations before they break ground.
They can also look up the Philippine Green
Building Council for advice (email address:
secretariat@philgbc.org) and they will be
directed to the experts who are in the council.
There are dozens of Internet sites with tons of
green tips.
In the end, if the world continues to bake
and the climate becomes more erratic, we
really don’t have much of a choice anyway.