8 Ways to Live Green at Home

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8Ways

 

Have you thought of buying decors that suit your home’s style? Or know ways to live green at home? Would you prefer owning expensive materials that perfectly fit your taste or owning something less expensive that somehow complement your simple homey feels? Nevertheless, there will always be a way, might be expensive or not, that will help our environment’s welfare.

Being eco-friendly won’t mean losing your sense of style. Smart choices can ensure that you do your part, all the while looking good about your contribution to our planet’s well-being. Here are some ways that can contribute to living green in your own space and be a better friend to the environment.

Buy for the long-term. Save toward a quality sofa, for instance, rather than a series of cheapies that you’ll be throwing out every five years. A well-made sofa can be recovered several times over the course of its decades-long life.

rattan-sofaPhoto source: www.interiortaste.com

 

Buy cotton mesh produce bags and take them to the market instead of using plastic bags for your fruits and veggies. It will help keep them fresh in your crisper drawer, too, and are washable when needed.

mesh_produce_bagsPhoto source: www.alternativeconsumer.com

 

Renovating. You may want to add character to your home with reclaimed and salvaged items. You can choose from re-plated chrome bath fixtures, re-enameled vintage bathtubs, reclaimed barn board flooring and salvaged architectural accents like columns, corbels and mantels.

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Photo source: reclaimed-wood-furniture.net

 

Switch to eco-friendly cleaning products. Look for products that are biodegradable, phosphate-free and not tested on animals.

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Photo source: www.packworld.com

 

Use reusable shopping bags when grocery shopping. Most grocery shops offer eco-bags to also promote eco-friendliness to its customers.

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Photo source: shop.ecology.com

 

Reduce your use of paper towels. Use re-useable, washable cloths whenever possible.

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Photo source: www.airporthotelduesseldorf.de

 

Plant a tree on your property. Or more, if you have space. Trees provide wildlife habitat and help cool the planet.

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Photo source: www.aero-stream.com

 

Put a rain barrel by your downspout to collect rainwater to use in your garden later.

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 Photo source: buildipedia.com

 

Want more eco-friendly tips from Cagayan de Oro’s first and only eco-friendly property? Click here.

For more information, visit www.primaveraresidences.com or www.facebook.com/condoprimavera. You can also call 088-880-5002. 

Primavera, Smart Give Full Support to Xavier Ecoville’s PagBAG-o Project

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PAGBAGO

A chance for change. This is what PagBAG-o Project wants to impart to every Sendong survivor in Xavier Ecoville. The project is a collaborative effort between the unemployed housewives of Xavier Ecoville and the Xavier University alumni, supported by different establishments in Cagayan de Oro.

“As the PagBAG-o Project celebrates its first year anniversary, we do not only laud the Kagay-anons’ creativity but also their resiliency. Seeing our villagers elevate their lives through different enterprises inspire us because these projects don’t just give them the chance to earn but also gives them a lifetime opportunity to embrace change for themselves and for the community,” Therese Baliwag, Xavier Ecoville Development Program Officer, said.

As part of its continuing efforts to boost Xavier Ecoville’s livelihood program while advocating sustainability, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart), in partnership with Primavera Residences and other stakeholders, has provided support to its bag-making enterprise, the PagBAG-o Project.   Aside from producing katsa bags, PagBAG-o sewers also upcycle used tarpaulin banners.  Tarpaulin materials used for marketing and advertising are made into eco-friendly bags to lessen waste by repurposing it into useful, high-quality bags.

Project Zero, a similar program in GK Sooc, Iloilo City became the blueprint for the tarp bag program. “Inspired by the success of the project in Iloilo, we thought of replicating it in CdO,” Judee Caroline Chaves, Smart Sr. Public Affairs Officer, said.  “Last July, Smart and Ecoville representatives visited the Iloilo community, and by August, we invited the GK Sooc sewers to CDO to teach Eco-ville housewives techniques in sewing tarp bags,” Chaves shares.

In continuous support of Sendong survivors, different creative groups from CdO came together to organize the trainings, conceptualize the activities, and design the bags. “Aside from providing livelihood opportunities for mothers, this project truly showcases the generous spirit and skills of Kagay-anons.  The PagBAG-o project brought together CDO’s best talents, in support of a great cause,” Chaves said.

Primavera Residences supports sustainable projects

Primavera Residences, the first eco-friendly building in Cagayan de Oro, fully backs this project by promoting the city’s campaign to a clean and green environment.

“As a sustainable developer, we consider it not only our social responsibility, but a huge honor on our part to be able to support a very worthwhile project. The PagBAG-o project not only helps the environment but also provides assistance to the communities that need it most. This has always been the advocacy of Italpinas, and through supporting this project, we hope that more and more people will take part in generating ideas that could help promote sustainability while also addressing livelihood requirements of communities,” Jane Montebon-Duterte, PR & Marketing Manager of Primavera Residences, declared.

These upcycled bags will be featured in a photo exhibit this coming November 15-23 at Limketkai Center. The event’s highlight and finale is a fashion show with the bags modeled by local ambassadors on November 23, 4PM at Rotunda Limketkai.

“This is a celebration of Kagay-anons’ creativity, resiliency and community spirit. This project also promotes eco-friendly products that would change the buyers’ perspective on purchasing quality goods. This means more reason to also give back to what nature has provided us. Thus the start of eco-friendly enterprise of quality bags,” Baliwag concludes.

 

For more information about Primavera Residences, the country’s premier eco-friendly development, visit www.primaveraresidences.com.

Eco-friendly design strategies

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inner courtyard

The Primavera Residences, ITPI’s first condominium in CDO, is one example of the company’s highly sustainable and efficient building design.

This two-tower mixed-use property has environment-friendly features, including an inner courtyard, as well as a cross-ventilation layout among the units that enhances natural airflow and light.

Shaded façades also minimize solar illumination on the windows and moderate the temperature inside each unit. Residents may reduce their use of air conditioning to as much as 32 percent.

Moreover, the building is designed to have photovoltaic solar panels to produce renewable energy for the common areas, and thus reduce the condominium costs for unit owners.

Primavera Residences is designed to target energy balance. On one hand, it reduces energy consumption. On the other, renewable energy features are applied to produce energy for the building itself.

10 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Primavera Residences in CdO

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Green building and sustainable architecture in a climate change-challenged world

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YOLANDA REHABILITATION EFFORTS have attracted this Italian architect and expert on sustainable architecture and green building. He’s offering to contribute his skills to help rebuild Leyte and the other parts of Eastern Visayas that have been recently devastated by the super typhoon.

Watch how ITPI Corp. (ItalPinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development) incorporates green building and sustainable architecture principles in its developments throughout the building life cycle.

http://www.slideshare.net/italpinas/itpi-sustainable-architecture-and-green-building

Watch a short video clip on how ITPI uses performance-based design software to design sustainable buildings: http://primaveraresidences.italpinas.com/using-performance-based-design-software-to-design-sustainable-buildings/

DPWH gets DOJ nod to adopt green building regulation

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Coral City in Sto Tomas Batangas

 

MANILA, Philippines – Following the destruction caused by typhoon Yolanda, the Department of Justice (DOJ) allowed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to push through with its plan of adopting a green building regulation in the National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP).

In a nine-page legal opinion made public Wednesday, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said the DPWH has the authority to issue implementing rules and regulations for effective implementation of the NBCP.

With such power, De Lima said the authority includes the power to amend or revise under the doctrine of necessary implications.

Section 203 of both the NBCP and its IRR explicitly authorizes changes and/or amendments to existing referral codes.

“Indeed, the provisions of the referral codes should be allowed to evolve to respond to the needs of the changing times,” De Lima said in her legal opinion.

“Verily, amending all the pertinent provisions of existing referral codes to include the green building regulation may be considered as one of the needed changes envisioned at the time of the adoption of the law,” she said.

Read the story here.

 

– Tetch Tores-Tupas

Featured on Inquirer, 27 November 2013

ITPI SOARS in green architecture design & construction

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ITPI SOARS IN GREEN ARCHITECTURE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

 

Primavera Residences recently partnered with BPI Family Savings Bank to conduct a Business and Investment Opportunity Forum. The event called Sustainable Opportunities and Advocacies in the Regions or SOAR was held last October 17, 2013 at the Multi-purpose Hall of Primavera Residences in Pueblo Business Park, Cagayan de Oro City.

Among the topics discussed during the event was “ITPI Green Architecture Design and Construction: The Primavera Residences Experience”. The talk was conducted by ITPI Executive Chairman and CEO Arch. Romolo Nati and he discussed not only what sets Primavera Residences apart from the rest, but also the importance of sustainable architecture.

Here are 10 key points of his discussion.

1. Inspired by nature. ITPI believes that nature holds the answer to sustainable design. Taking a cue from Mother Nature herself, the company strives to develop self-sustaining, flood-free, and earthquake-resistant structures which are inspired by the beauty and functionality of nature. These green structures fuse human technology with the best that nature has to offer.

2. Cross-disciplinary Approach. Primavera Residences is a brainchild of three strong forces: ITPI’s real estate ingenuity, CEC’s  (Constellation Energy Corporation) renewable energy initiatives, and the expertise of RVN+ in Green Architecture and Design. The result? Beautiful, sustainable, and cost-effective designs.

3. Where no one has gone before. Primavera Residences, just like the rest of ITPI’s projects, offer a unique value proposition to its clients. With its eco-friendly design, unique innovations, prime location, and cost-efficient models, ITPI is leading the market in sustainable development.

4. The impact of real estate on the environment. Arch. Nati pointed out that the world’s cities occupy only 2% of the Earth’s land area, and yet it accounts for 70% of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. At the rate we are going, it is expected that by 2030, 59% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, and by the year 2050, the consumption of energy for cooling will be grow tenfold. Increased energy consumption could lead to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions which will eventually lead to climate change and environmental degradation. Real estate development plays a big role in this, making sustainable architecture a necessary long-term solution.

5. Human resource consumption versus nature. Relying too much on technology coupled with our misconception that we have unlimited resources – this has led to the rapid deterioration of our environment. Where our cities once adapted to the local environment, we now manipulate our environment to adapt to us, hence the big change. To become sustainable, we need to reverse this mindset and change our perspective. We need to go back to nature.

6. Nature as the solution. There are patterns which can be found behind natural living structures. These processes, when studied and thoroughly examined can be translated into architectural designs and sustainable solutions. This is known as biomimicry and it has long been in existence, but has simply been overlooked amid all the new ways of doing things. Making nature as the basis of design allows ITPI to lower energy and resources consumption thereby reducing costs on electricity and water, among others.

7. Performance-based design process. While the traditional way of doing things calls for low tech design and high tech construction, ITPI does the exact opposite with high tech design and low tech construction. This result to lower cost and maintenance as well as low power requirement.

8. Environmental Analysis Tools. To aid ITPI in harnessing the power of nature, different software programs are being used. The different analysis involved include calculations for sunlight hours, wind patterns, and internal daylight. This is a great example of  technology working hand in hand with nature.

9. ITPI Projects. Taking inspiration from the beauty and efficient design found in nature, the completed and upcoming projects of ITPI are of stellar quality and are highly-recognized internationally. These projects include Coral City (Quezon City), Stellar of Light (Payatas, QC), Sto. Tomas (Batangas), and of course, their pet project, Primavera Residences in Cagayan de Oro City which has already sold 188 units in a span of three years.

10. Why go green? Green properties are appraised 10 – 15% higher than its non-green counterparts, retail sales of eco-friendly buildings are higher by 20%, and they sell twice as fast as conventional homes. Therefore, not only are you doing your share in helping reduce environmental degradation, it is also so much more profitable and beneficial in the long run. 

 

Italpinas’ award-winning designs and innovations are all based on ideas drawn from nature, coupled with the foresight, vision, and creativity of the people behind it. For example, did you know that the concept behind Cagayan de Oro’s very own Primavera Residences was actually based on the ventilation system found inside a termite’s mound?

 

 

Want to know more about CDO’s first and only eco-friendly building? Go HERE.

 

 

Green building expert ITPI to builders: adopt ‘biomimicry’ to build smarter, sustainable cities

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smarter cities8

 

Adopting the principle of biomimicry and undertaking performance-based design strategies — these are the keys to building sustainably in an environmentally challenged world.

That was the advice of an Italian architect and expert on green building and sustainable agriculture to builders, urban planners, government officials and various other advocates of sustainable development who attended the 2013 International Conference on Smarter Cities held last November 14 to 15 at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.

“By studying the process behind the creation of natural living structures, we are able to find patterns, which transform into design models needed to define architectural solutions,” said architect Romolo V. Nati, Executive Chairman and CEO of the ITALPINAS Euro Asian Design and Eco-Development Corporation (ITPI).

ITPI is a young developer that specializes in the design and development of sustainable buildings. Formed by Nati in 2009 in partnership with Filipino lawyer Jojo Leviste, ITPI invests most of its resources into an in-house research and design (R&D) department that studies sustainable architecture, as well as building in extreme conditions and challenging environments. ITPI is an affiliate of the renewable energy firm Constellation Energy Corp.

biomimicry

Adopting biomimicry — or the intersection of biology and technology — allows architects and builders to put up buildings that use water, energy and other resources efficiently, Nati said, even as he notes that the concept isn’t new and has long been used by the global defense industry.

Nati’s advice was part of his presentation titled “Eco-logic Architecture: Conceptualizing Buildings Differently,” which was given during one of five presentations under the theme Smarter Economy. The presentations were given during parallel sessions on the second day of the conference.

“Becoming sustainable requires a change in perspective,” Nati said. “We need to move from too much reliance on technology and from an inability to more adaptation to the local environment.”

The architect said this is needed because cities occupy only two percent of the world’s land mass but these account for 70 percent of harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Nati noted: “Right now air conditioning in buildings worldwide consumes 1 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year and by 2050, global consumption of energy for cooling could explode tenfold.”

“Increased CO2 emissions lead to increased energy consumption, which lead to climate change and environmental degradation,” he warned.

He said the solution was to follow nature and adapt more to the local environment by using local material and tapping local know-how when putting up buildings or other developments. He also advised sourcing power locally. “These wouldn’t only be a sustainable practice, but would also lower power requirements, as well as building and maintenance costs,” Nati said.

Performance-based strategies

Nati also recommended that architects and developers use the performance-based strategies that his company employs.

These include sunlight angle calculations for spatial planning optimization, wind analysis for spatial planning optimization and selective daylight internal computation for spatial planning optimization — all done by specialized software.

Organized by the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning, the 2013 International Conference on Smarter Cities aimed to begin the public discourse on creating smarter cities in a world beset by overpopulation, rapid population growth, dwindling resources, widespread pollution, climate change and unrestrained urbanization.

The conference brought together builders, developers, engineers, planners and advocates of smart cities from across the world, who shared the ways that smarter technologies can be leveraged to improve the quality of life in cities.

Parallel sessions on six different main themes were held on the second day of the Conference:

  • Smarter Governance
  • Smarter Economy
  • Smarter Mobility
  • Smarter Environment
  • Smarter Planning and Design and
  • Smarter People and Living

Some of the more interesting presentations during the conference were:

  • “Project NOAH: Importance of Technology in Mitigating Hazards” by Mahar A. Lagmay of the UP- National Institute of Geological Sciences for Smarter Governance.
  • “Biofied Space Design – Toward Future Architectural Material, Energy and Integrated Information” by Akiko Watanabe of the Tokyo Denki University, Japan and “Smarter Urban Greening: The Philippine Context” by Arch. Paulo Alcazaren of PGAA Creative Design, Philippines / Singapore and “Landscape Architecture Trends in the Philippines: Ecological Planning as an Approach to the Sustainable Development of Disaster-Prone Sites” by Mary Ann Espina of the UP College of Architecture for Smarter Planning and Design.
  • “Smarter Money for Smarter Cities” by Felix Fuders of the Universidad Austral de Chile for Smarter Economy
  • “Urban Development and Groundwater Management in Asian Cities” by Karen Ann B. Jago-on, UP-SURP and “Planning City Extensions: An Approach to Achieving Sustainable Urban Development” by Christopher Rollo of the United Nations – Human Settlements Programme, Philippines for Smarter Environment
  • “DOST’s Smarter Health Care Program” by Jaime C. Montoya, Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development for Smarter People and Living

 

How climate change is affecting lifestyle

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Throughout the world landscapes are rapidly changing. The carving of mountains and the shaping of beaches have become abrupt, overnight miracles – or nightmares. This change has been brought about by the global change in temperature which has caused the weather patterns to be erratic, and recently, severe.

The island of Mindanao had seen better days when most of its areas were considered typhoon-free, experiencing mild, amicable weather. The tragedy of Sendong jarred not only Northern Mindanao but the rest of the island as well with torrential floods swallowing up communities. Just recently, typhoonYolanda with international name Haiyan slammed into the Visayan islands, decimating trees, homes and people’s lives. It packed winds of 235 kph (147 mph), gusts of up to 275 kph (170 mph), and a storm surge of 6 meters (20 feet).

The people started to be aware of the environment, of the depleting natural resources that have protected the land from devastation for so long.

It is not enough that we try to prevent further loss of our resources by preserving what is left. First, it is not practical as these are the sources of many of our basic needs. Second, preserving is different from conserving – the former being static, the latter being more active, enhancing.

It is therefore necessary that our lifestyles be molded to the advantage of the environment. For example, our basic need for shelter need not be too resource-extractive. Globally, there is already a move of opting for houses with an eco-friendly design.

In Cagayan de Oro, for example, a ‘green’ building had been put up which utilizes renewable energy and is structured with careful details based on the characteristics of nature. It utilized solar panels for its roofing and took note of the shades created by the different positions of the sun throughout the day to help maintain coolness in its interiors.

Another lifestyle change could be avoiding plastic bags when doing groceries or having take-away meals in Styrofoam. It adds to the pile of garbage, which, when not disposed properly, clogs the drainage system and adds to the problem of flooding.

There are several other things we can do to adapt to the changes and even mitigate the damage brought on by climate change. We only have to look closely at our natural environment and align our activities to its characteristics and movements.

Do you know that Cagayan de Oro is a pioneer in designing lifestyle with climate change? Click here to find out more.

Fil-Italian firm to show how eco-friendly buildings can be designed in smarter cities

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2013 International Conference on Smarter Cities Poster small

 

Should we conceptualize buildings differently — and sustainably — in an environmentally challenged world? Yes of course. But can we?

The chief executive officer of an innovative Filipino-Italian real estate firm thinks so — and will show just how — at the 2013 International Conference on Smarter Cities, being held from Nov. 14 to 15 at the Diamond Hotel Philippines along Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

Italian architect Romolo V. Nati, Executive Chairman and CEO of the ITALPINAS Euro Asian Design and Eco-Development Corporation (ITPI), thinks that there are many ways that buildings can be reconceptualized to ensure that they are eco-friendly and sustainable.

“For starters, structures need to be built in a way that allow these to withstand earthquakes, storms and other natural disasters. Then, these structures can source part of their energy requirements from renewables. These can incorporate water recycling, as well as waste disposal systems that are more environmental,” he says.

Finally, they can follow a psychologically healthy design, he adds.

Nati’s presentation, titled “Eco-logic Architecture: Conceptualizing Buildings Differently” is one of five sessions under the theme Smarter Economy and will be held in the morning, from 10:15 to 11:45.

Founded in 2009 by partners Architect Nati and Atty. Jojo Leviste, a Filipino, ITPI envisions a world were cities are smarter and sustainable building is the norm.

ITPI’s first project, Primavera Residences, is the country’s first eco-friendly condominium that boasts of several green building and sustainable features.  Among these is a ventilation system that is inspired by a termite mound’s natural ventilation scheme and which cuts air conditional consumption by 32 percent.

“Are we destined to become a planet of slums or can we still act now and build smarter cities? And what about buildings in these smarter cities? Would and should they follow a different logic from today’s buildings?,” Nati asks.

The Smarter Cities Conference, organized by the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning, aims to begin the public discourse on creating smarter cities in a world beset by overpopulation, rapid population growth, dwindling resources, widespread pollution, climate change and unrestrained urbanization.

Recognizing that, in a world poised on the brink of environmental disaster, the difference between widespread ruin and a sustainable future lies largely in how cities are planned and developed, the organizers are bringing together builders, developers, engineers, planners and advocates of smart cities from across the world. At the conference, they will share the ways that smarter technologies can be leveraged to improve the quality of life in cities.

Parallel sessions on six different main themes will be held on the second day of the Conference:

  • Smarter Governance
  • Smarter Economy
  • Smarter Mobility
  • Smarter Environment
  • Smarter Planning and Design and
  • Smarter People and Living

For more information, visit:

http://conference.surp.upd.edu.ph/

Or email regcom.surpconference@gmail.com

For more information on ItalPinas and its eco-friendly developments, email pr@italpinas.com.