3 Zayed Sustainability Prize winners call for more PH entries
FILIPINO winners in Zayed Sustainability Prize are calling for more entries to increase chances of the Philippines winning in the 2024 Cycle
Speaking online before 517 viewers from various parts of the Philippines, social entrepreneur Illac Diaz, science and math educators Ma Regaele Olarte and Jason Albaro recounted their respective experiences in explaining their projects where they used free, cheap local materials, local technology but which nevertheless turned their projects into sustainable ones that benefitted the communities around them and across the world.
They were invited as guest speakers to the webinar “A Winners’ Journey” organized by Zayed Sustainability Prize. Submissions of entries from SMEs, nonprofit organizations and global high schools are being accepted until May 23 this year through this online portal
Illac won in 2015 in the energy category for his Liter of Light project―a sustainable lighting project―which used recycled plastic soda bottles, water, bleach and a simple Algae microfarm project technology to build bottle lights which marginalized communities used to light their homes, businesses and streets. He is the first Filipino and first Asian to score this award.
In January 2019, Muntinlupa National High School won the Global High School category, East Asia and Pacific region, making it the second winner from the Philippines.
The entry, called ReVAMP (Revitalized Algae Micro-farm Projects), proposed the building of a scalable solar-powered microfarm with photo-bioreactors to produce highvalue products from green algae (Chlorella Vulgaris) that can be used in food, energy and medicine. It is also a source of biofuel. Regaele and Jason used their US$100,000 prize money to make bioreactors and build their algae microfarm―the first in the Philippines.