Making green initiative a practical endeavor
BUSINESSES have to make their “green” initiatives not only sustainable but practical to attract more people to espouse the cause and implement green activities, according to Raul Joseph Concepcion, CEO of Concepcion Industrial Corp. (CIC).
He said going green need to make “sense” in order for consumers to realize the importance of reducing their carbon footprint for the benefit of the environment and the salvation of the planet.
“We as businessmen have to make ‘green’ practical. The only way for green initiatives to be sustainable is it’s got to make sense,” said Concepcion during the recent launch of CIC’s Green Footprints Movement.
The movement, which is implemented through CIC’s subsidiary Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Company (CCAC), aims to create awareness among the public through consumer education and other activities on the impact of human activities on the earth’s future.
“Our goal is to provide the public with the knowledge of how they can make small, practical changes that will have significant effect on their own footprints, such as the responsible use of electricity and choosing energy-efficient products at home,” said Harold Pernikar Jr., CCAC director and head of consumer solutions group.
Green Footprints Movement’s three pillars-responsible consumption, reduce carbon footprint, and responsible disposalare aimed at encouraging consumers to carry out practical methods in their daily activities in order to reduce their carbon footprint.
“Responsible consumption is about education. So many people don’t know the consequence of their action so providing them with the information or knowledge that would make them do the right decision,” said Concepcion.
For example, setting the thermostat of the air conditioner at home one degree higher will already result in energy savings of about six percent as well as contributing to lesser C02 emission.
Cleaning the air conditioner regularly or replacing an old air con unit with an efficient one will also result in energy savings and lesser carbon footprint.
For the green advocacy, CCAC is also working with Meralco and concerned government agencies for energy labels on electric appliances that would serve as guide to consumers on the energy efficiency of the particular product.
Concepcion said his company is also working with property developers to make buildings green.
“Forty percent of the world’s energy is consumed by buildings and 21 percent of the harmful green house gas (GHG) is contributed by buildings,” he said.
As to reducing carbon footprint, Concepcion said businesses should opt to produce products that are more energy efficient and have lower carbon impact on the environment.
He said CCAC has already initiated “greening” of products years ago. The company was the first Philippine manufacturer to convert its refrigerators to use environmentfriendly refrigerants back in 1995. Currently, it is already nearing the completion of phasing out the R22 refrigerant in all its air conditioning products.
Ninety-six percent of our air conditioning products have already been converted to using environmentally responsive refrigerants and we expect to make a 100-percent product conversion within the year, according to Pernikar.
“There are millions of appliances in the market today. It’s not only about producing products that are environmentally friendly. But what happens to the products that have been built in the last 50 years? It’s also about reusing and recycling. We can control climate change, but we have to act now. We need to protect the environment for our children,” said Concepcion.