News in cooperation with eceee.org

Philippine resort city chooses ‘morally correct’ low-carbon path

(Eco Business, 8 Oct 2018) Puerto Princesa, a coastal city on the Philippine island of Palawan, preserves its forests, uses ‘green building’ design and shuns the diesel that once powered generators in homes and hotels, as it remains vulnerable to climate change.

When Theresa Walgraeve and her husband set up their 15-room resort in Puerto Princesa, a city on the Philippine island of Palawan, they worried about mosquitoes and monsoon damp - and the high cost of electricity.

That’s when the island’s Zero Carbon Resorts programme approached them with suggestions on how to save energy and costs - from solar panels and LED lights to rainwater harvesting, refillable bottles and bamboo roofs for extra cooling.

The Walgraeves enrolled in the programme, made the changes, and achieved significant savings, Theresa Walgraeve said.

“They were not very big adjustments, but we were able to cut our electricity and water use by a fair amount,” she said.

“Many guests are also mindful and appreciate the fact that we are zero carbon. And we are happy that we make a difference to not just Puerto Princesa and Palawan, but also the Earth.”

In 2011, Puerto Princesa became the first Southeast Asian city to earn a “zero carbon” label, meaning it produces no more climate-changing emissions than it can offset, according to an audit by environmental partnership SEED and the Manila Observatory.

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Eco Business, 8 Oct 2018: Philippine resort city chooses ‘morally correct’ low-carbon path