Sustainability solutions

I don't understand. It's supposed to be the rainy season already, but the heat index across the country remains at very high and sometimes critical levels. I heard on the radio yesterday that the easterlies, or the winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, is still affecting the country. That wind packs a hot oven-like blow to our faces.

We're supposed to be in the southwest monsoon or the Habagat season already, supposedly the start of frequent heavy rainfall and a prevailing wind from the west. But the weather bureau PAGASA continues to warn that Cebu is still in a drought. Reports state that only 20 millimeters of rain has been recorded in Cebu half into June, not even close to 1/8 of the normal 190 millimeters of rainfall that we should be getting this month.

As of this writing, my social media news feed flashed with breaking news that over 40 students inside classrooms of the Bauan Technical High School in Batangas were rushed to the hospital after fainting due to heat exhaustion. I can just imagine the ordeal students all over the country are going through in concrete and steel roofed non-airconditioned classrooms.

I can still remember back in 1989 when the parents in our high school class section pooled money to donate ceiling and wall-mounted fans for our classroom. It was such a relief back then when the fans moved the cool breeze through the whole room. Today, fans take in and cycle only hot and humid air which prevails even during the evenings.

Climate change is real, and I’m not going to stop reminding you about this inconvenient truth. It is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to extend the life of this planet for a thousand and million more generations to live and enjoy.

But today allow me to sound more hopeful. Science Daily has reported that scientists from the University of Bath's Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies are studying the possibility of making hydrogen fuel from water using solar energy. For years, researchers have been trying to develop ways to realize a so-called hydrogen economy or the use of hydrogen as a low-carbon energy source that produces only water as a waste product.

Recently, scientists from Europe are studying the idea of building large floating methanol islands at sea which will harvest CO2 from seawater and turn it into methanol. The team is composed of experts from the University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Bern University and Norwegian University of Research and Technology, and a team from Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology.

The idea is to produce hydrogen from solar energy and water, which will then be locally converted into methanol using CO2 from seawater. But the challenge of mass-producing these floating methanol islands cheaply remains daunting.

At our own level, anything that we do right now that acknowledges and respects the delicate environmental situation we are in is already a welcome change. Since the age of industrialization began, we have been destroying the Earth at a rate faster than it could recover – all for the sake of our convenience and greed. Now, Earth is fighting back to survive, and it might as well end up getting rid of us.

Just my hopeful little contribution in this climate crisis. Last month, I completed my master's thesis under the auspices of Shu-Te University in Kaohsiung on the topic “Use of Green Design and User-Centered Design to Build Localized and Sustainable Co-working Spaces in Cebu." I then traveled to Taiwan to present my findings in an international design conference. I proposed that with better design practices, we humans can reconcile our needs and preferences with the urgent need for environmental sustainability.

There are around 17 co-working spaces in Cebu based on my own count, and my study showed that it is possible to integrate green design in a co-working space that still prioritizes practicality and function. For example, we can build workspaces with large windows that allow for natural light to brighten 75% of the floor area. A few other doable attributes include solar-powered electric charging stations, LED lights, solid waste management, innovative wastewater technologies, naturally ventilated spaces, and an acoustic environment such as meeting rooms that reduce the use of a sound system.

I’m willing to share the results of my study with Cebu’s co-working spaces and interior space designers.