Earth Day Talk

MANILA, Philippines - Designers talk eco-friendly tips and their efforts to save the world

“I’m against wasting water. I would always tell my nieces and household to drink whatever they put in their glasses. And if they don’t finish, I tell them to use it to water the plants. House rules at home include opening the AC only when it’s necessary, switching off lights when not in use, avoiding use of plastics and segregating garbage.”

— Dennis Lustico

“The most major eco-friendly thing I’ve done so far is moving out of the city. My husband and I had a container-van house built, with a farm surrounding it. We plant and harvest all the vegetables we eat.”

—Hindy Weber-Tantoco

“I plan my trips whenever I need to go out for errands, like buying fabric or materials. It saves a lot on gas, and time!”

—Ivar Aseron

“As a designer, I see to it that I use fabrics that are eco-friendly. I also recycle retaso to make pillow cases and blankets.”

— Eric de los Santos

“I’m in the south, so plastic bags are generally prohibited. Bringing my own eco bags has been a habit now. I love Muji’s canvas ones.”

— Chris Diaz

“At work, I utilize 100-percent natural materials for the garments we make if possible. We segregate trash and reuse paper, water bottles and fabric scraps.”

— Jojie Lloren

“I like taking long walks. I usually walk to where I’m going if I can. It’s not only healthy, but it also saves gas and you get to see a lot of things along the way.”

— Gian Romano

I’m more into reducing waste. I¬†try to reduce my usage of printing and photocopying (simply reducing the usage of paper, ink and energy).

I just send email whenever I can. Even if it’s then printed out, at least I have saved an envelope and the additional energy consumed sending a letter in the first place. If I want to share information or forward any missive, I just post it online as a file for download instead of sending multiple hard copies. I really believe that small steps like these help the environment and stop your desk from getting cluttered.                 —Lesley Mobo