Green Frog E-Busses Now Servicing Commuters in Makati

Green Frog Zero Emissions Transport (GFZET) has launched the first fleet of hybrid diesel-electric buses in the Philippines this April. Their environment friendly e-buses run from Kalayaan Avenue down to Sen Gil Puyat Avenue, and provide commuters with a healthier riding experience.

Each e-bus is equipped with an electric motor powered by lithium ion batteries. This, combined with the much greener Euro IV diesel allows this bus to be more than twice as fuel efficient as the regular buses plowing the street of Makati. Regular buses typically the most toxic Euro I diesel.

A Green Frog bus can fit a maximum of 48 people, including those that are standing. The bus has a retractable ramp for convenient persons with disability (PWD) access. It also has six closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) cameras installed to ensure the safety of its passengers. All videos will be accessible via the Green Frog headquarters for up to the minute monitoring.

Another distinct feature of these buses is that they are all manned by lady drivers. Moreover, all the women drivers are paid fixed wages. This means they don't need to cut other buses to jostle for position, clog up bus stops and cause traffic, or stop and non-designated sections of road and highway, just to get more passengers. In other words, the follow traffic rules and stop only at official bus stops.

Other high-tech features of these buses include a cashless tap card system, for additional passenger security and convenience. Buses have fire extinguishers for emergency use, and global positioning system (GPS) trackers to ensure they drivers don't over speed or clump together. Oh, and they have luggage racks too!

Air pollution is one of the biggest problems the Philippines is facing today, especially for urban hubs like Makati, with its commuting population of over four million people per day. Hopefully, Green Frog can help solve this problem.

All photos from the GFZET Facebook page.

Affordable Bamboo Housing by H&P Architects Floats on Water

H&P Architects has developed a solution to the destruction of homes in Vietnam's flood-stricken regions by designing low-cost houses that float on water.

A single home will cost an estimated $2,000 and can fit around 6-8 persons comfortably. Its structural design is so simple that it can be assembled on-site. It was also designed to work well anywhere in Southeast Asia.

Environment-friendliness and sustainability were factored into the home's design, starting with the re-used oil barrels used to keep it afloat. Meanwhile, anchors and ties keep the home from flowing with the current, while still allowing up and down movement during floods. In case of floods, the home is also equipped with a rainwater harvesting system.

The home's bamboo structure allows wind to enter during sunny days--through its triangular shutters--while keeping its occupants dry when it rains. Bamboo is one of the most renewable yet durable wood resources in Asia. The home is also equipped with bamboo plant holders where flowers and vegetables can be grown.

Beautiful and functional, H&P Architects' bamboo houses are a great housing solution in flood-prone areas in Southeast Asia, and I hope that the Philippines will invest in this green architecture. Take a look at the bamboo house's components below:

 

All photos from 1. More info from 2.

Energizer Night Race Manila 2013 Invites Filipinos to Race for a Brighter Worldd

The Energizer Night Race 2013 will be held at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on May 4.

Organized in partnership with GMA 7 and Schick, the race will have two legs: 5-kilometers (P700 registration fee) and 10-kilometers (P800 registration fee).

Those interested can register at the following locations:

• Brooks @ SM North Edsa
• Runnr @ Bonifacio High STreet
• Toby's Sports @ EDSA Shangri-La, Glorietta, and SM Mall of Asia.

Registration runs from April 3-30. Each participant, aside from being allowed to join the race, will receive an Energizer headlight, Energizer cap, singlet, neon fabric paint pen, race bib, route map, and Schick razor.

The Energizer Night Race for a Brighter World seeks to donate 13 million hours of solar-powered light to communities across the globe that don't have access to electricity, this 2013.

To make this possible, the company has partnered with One Million Lights, a global organization that seeks to provide safe and rechargeable solar lights to impoverished communities around the world. These communities still used kerosene lamps, which are fire hazards and pollutants.

For more information, please visit the race's official Facebook page  and website. You can also watch its 2013 official video below:

National Geographic Earth Day Run 2013 at the Bonifacio Global City

National Geographic Channel's Earth Day Run for 2013 will be held at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines on April 28. There will be four legs for the race: 3k, 5k, 10k, 21k, with an entrance fee of P500, P600, P700, and P900, respectively.

All profits from the race will go to the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Agroforestry Program in the Sierra Madre.The 300-hectare forest, watershed, and wildlife sanctuary is the biggest old-growth forest left in the Philippines. In addition to making a donation to the fund, runners will each get three trees planted in their name.

Nat Geo's run tagline 'Let's make it a good run,' is "good" on two levels: runners get to stay fit, while helping the environment at the same time.

Online registration runs until April 21, at the Nat Geo Earth Day Run Website. All major credit cards are accepted. Meanwhile, cash registration runs until April 24, at the ground-floor of Greenbelt 3 mall, Makati (in front of the Asics store). All payments are non-refundable nor transferable, plus runners are not allowed to switch categories (e.g. from 3k to 5k).

Race kits for those who registered online will be delivered in 5 to10 working days. Runners who order online will pay a courier charge of P125 (within Metro Manila) and P185 (outside Metro Manila).

Please visit the Nat Geo Run website for more information.

Edgy Veggy Delivers Vegetarian Meals to Your Doorstep

Are you tired of living the vegetarian lifestyle in Metro Manila because veggies are too difficult to find or too expensive? Is eating veggies getting you weak or even fat?

Lucky for you there's Edgy Veggy, a vegetarian cafe with delivery service. Founded by Denise Celdran in 2006, Edgy Veggy grew from a food stall at the Legazpi Sunday Market, to a cafe located at the ground floor of #3 Brixton Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig. It's in the same building as the co-working space co.lab and the yoga study center Urban Ashram.

What makes this vegetarian cafe so special? Firstly, they deliver. That's vegetarian food delivered to your doorstep from Monday to Saturday, in Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Ortigas, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. No need to use transportation fare or gasoline to drive to the nearest vegetarian restaurant.  Eating green is now greener than ever.

Edgy Veggy doesn't deliver just any food, their vegetarian dishes are delicious, healthy, and fresh. They serve a variety of food as well: burgers, panini, pasta, rice meals, risoto, soups, salads, and appetizers--all vegetarian. You can view their cafe menu here. They also have a family style menu, for orders that are good for two to three people.

The delivery minimum is P500, so it's probably best to order as a group or for several meals (e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner). Orders must be placed before 4:00 p.m., to prepare for next day delivery. That means no deliveries within the day.

According to their official website: "The underlying philosophy of EDGY VEGGY is LOVING KINDNESS. Be kind to the planet, be kind to animals and be kind to YOURSELF and OTHERS.

So be a happy vegetarian and order away!

All photos taken from Edgy Veggy website and Facebook page.