Inclusion of environment subject in school curriculums pushed

CEBU, Philippines – To help ease the impact of climate change, Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival wants to include the school curriculums a subject on environment.

According to him, once the proposal materializes, it would be of great help to the environment especially in lessening garbage, which he describes as “one of the contributors to the climate change.”

Everyday, Archival said the city produces 500,000 kilograms of garbage that has become one of the major problems of the city.

With this, the councilor said the inclusion of the environmental subject in elementary, high school and tertiary curriculums would make students more aware of their environment and how they could be of help to protect it.

He explained that the youth, who are often referred to as future of the nation, need to be aware of what is happening in their society.

Archival, chairman of the council committee on environment, was one of the guest speakers during the forum on alternative energy sources and energy efficiency as among the solutions to climate change.

On the other hand, Archival said people should also look at other alternative energy sources like the solar energy that can be used to generate electricity, provide hot water, and to heat, cool, and light buildings.

A typical solar system will reduce the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds. Many large commercial buildings can also use solar collectors to provide more than just hot water as solar process heating systems can be used to heat these buildings especially in cold areas.

A solar ventilation system can be used in cold climates to preheat air as it enters a building. And the heat from a solar collector can even be used to provide energy for cooling a building.

Prof. Rene Alburo of the University of San Carlos also discussed on the importance of biogas as alternative fuel source.

Alburo said biogas can be sourced from sanitary landfill in the municipality-based and managed waste process facility.

For his part, Prof. Glen Martin Green of the USC-Talamban campus said there are three crises that the country is facing—climate change and ocean acidification, peak oil and fossil fuel depletion and the financial/globalization crisis and the US economic collapse.

However, despite these crises, he said there is one piece of good news and solution, which is environment efficiency.

Green said survivability of green architecture will be achieved by not wasting God’s gift and investing in mechanisms that reduce long term costs through substitute natural ventilation for air conditioning, substitute white roof sheeting for dark color, substitute natural lighting for the light bulb, among others. — Johanna T. Natavio/WAB (THE FREEMAN)