Help Kawil Tours Buy Their Own Boat and Discover the Beautiful Islands of Culion

The islands of Culion were once home to the world's largest leper colony. Today, the islands leper-free. What remains is a thriving local community and beaches, mangroves, corals, shipwrecks, waterfalls, and more, just waiting to be discovered!

 Culion at night

Kawil Tours is a Culion-based organization advocating environmental conservation and responsible tourism. Operated by locals and volunteers, the group offers historical tours, island hopping tours, and the like.

It contributes to the general welfare of the community by providing jobs for boatmen; hiring students and out-of-school youth as tour guides; and serving food homemade by mothers in the community. Indeed, Kawil Tours almost ready to present Culion to the rest of the Philippines and the world.

  Kawil Tours Spark Project from Works of Heart on Vimeo.
Unfortunately, it lacks one very important thing--its own boat. There are times when they have to cancel tours because there are no boatmen available for island hopping, for example. There are also destinations only found in Culion that only the tour guides of Kawil Tours know best.

Thus, the organization, with the help of Works of Heart: Design With a Cause, Trail Adventours, and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, has launched an online crowdfunding campaign through The Spark Project.

Entitled Kawil Tours Tour Boat, the project seeks to raise enough funds (P300,000) for the organization to build their own boat. Here's the official campaign description:

A Kawil-owned boat will serve as a symbolism of connectivity. Help build sea transportation for meaningful journeys in Isla Culion.

With 33 backers, as of publication time, P145,000 has already been raised. Now, they need your help.

Donate P500 and above to receive special limited edition rewards from Kawil Tours:

• P500 or more for a Kawil Tours postcard

• P1,000 or more for a Kawil Tours postcard and a copy of the book "Yayee" by Fr. JJ Jesena, SJ

• P5,000 or more for a Kawil Tours shirt, Kawil Tours postcard, P100 discount day hike coupon from Trail Adventours, and a copy of the book "Yayee" by Fr. JJ Jesena, SJ

• P10,000 or more to get your name marked on the boat, a Kawil Tours shirt, a Kawil Tours postcard, a 50% discount day hike coupon from Trail Adventours, a CGE (Citizenship by Good Example) CD by Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, and a copy of the book "Yayee" by Fr. JJ Jesena, SJ

You can also donate a custom amount above or below the recommended amounts.

You can learn more about the Kawil Tours Tour Boat project by clicking on the link.

Through the power of social media and crowdfunding, The Spark Project enables people from the Philippines and around the world, to back creative, passion-driven, and socially-oriented projects by project creators in the Philippines.

The Spark Project Launch from Nikki Jurado on Vimeo.
Discover more about The Spark Project and the initiatives that have already been funded by clicking on the link.

Siemens Green Technology Jounalism Award 2013 Deadline for Entries Approaches

Siemens, one of the world's leading green infrastructure companies, recently launched the second year of its ASEAN-Pacific Green Technology Journalism Award. This  award seeks to reward excellence in reporting on green technologies, sustainability, and environmental issues.

The award is open to all journalists from Australia, New Zealand, and the ASEAN region--including the Philippines. The submission deadline is on June 30, 2013. Winners will be announced on September 30.

All entries will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• news value;
• relevance to green technology;
• sustainable development and environmental issues; and
• the journalist's writing and language technique. 

In addition, all submissions must be:

• published from January 1, 2012 to June 15, 2013 in print or online madia
• accompanied by three published articles focused on how the application of green technology battles the destruction of our environment through ("megatrends" like) demographic change, urbanization, climate change, and globalization.

Winners from each country will compete for the grand title of Siemens ASEAN-Pacific Green Technology Journalist 2013. All winners will receive cash prizes, in addition to a sustainability trip to Europe.

 Jessica Cheam with her Siemens environmental journalism award

Launched in 2010, the Siemens environmental award was launched. Among over 190 entries received, the winners were Thean Lee Cheng (The Star, Malaysia), Dewi Kurniawati (Jakarta Globe, Indonesia), and Jessica Cheam (The Strait Times, Singapore).

Those interested in joining the Siemens competition can find more information and register online.

Photo credits: 1, 2, and 3

Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Change

Climate change has become a buzzword at home, school, and work. However, knowing about the issue is different from understanding it.

Thin Ice, a film directed by David Sington and Simon Lamb, seeks to give viewers a better understanding of global warming, from what's causing it to what can be done about it.

A joint effort between Oxford University, London; Victoria University of Wellington (VUW), New Zealand; and DOX Productions, London. Oxford and VUW both have active climate change research programs with a network of researchers spanning the globe. All these resources were used, as Lamb traveled across four continents to interview the foremost experts on this environmental issue.


Last April 22, 2013--in celebration of Earth Day 2013--the Climate Change Commission, New Zealand Embassy, British Embassy, Cares, and SM Megamall, together joined in the global screening of Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Change. The private screening was held at SM Megamall, Manila, Philippines.

Almost 80 percent of disasters that occurred in the Philippines in the past 100 years have been weather-related, making the country one of the world's most vulnerable to extreme weather events. As climate change is seen to increase the strength and frequency of such calamities, the Philippines and Filipinos should be very interested in learning more about it.

Those who missed the first screening of the movie can visit the Thin Ice Climate website, where they can learn more about the film, borrow it for seven days, or download the film for private use.

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3

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.