I know how it feels living in a house or community without enough electricity. Several years ago, I traveled to a far-flung place to finish my case study. A family of four living in a relatively small native house cared for me during the four weeks immersion. We have no home appliances, only radio listening to news and afternoon radio drama. When the evening came, a kerosene lamp lit up our kubo. Life was so simple. The immersion has taught me a lot of important things in life. Up to now, it reminds me how lucky I am to live a comfortable life. So whenever I am faced with difficulties, I look back with a grateful heart.
Last weekend, I was in Tagaytay for a 2-day Renewable Energy workshop. We stayed at Containers by Eco-hotel, a property that strongly promotes sustainability, ecological balance, arts and crafts. I stayed in one of their unique rooms (in a container van) at the 3rd floor. Hallways leading to the rooms are decorated with murals and art works made by local artists from different parts of the country. Every corner you'll find artistic pieces made from recycled materials.
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| Containers by Eco-Hotel |
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| Couple Room: Containers by Eco-hotel Tagaytay |
Ms. Brenda Valerio of New Energy Nexus Philippines shared how solar has changed people's lives. Solar Hope aims to educate the community about solar energy.
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| Brenda Valerio Watch this video of Eco-hotels recorded in 2018 |
Ms. Mara Castro of Eco-hotels shares initiatives that the hotel has been doing over the years. Eco-hotel is one of the 1st green-service hotels in Tagaytay. The hotel practices waste segregation, eliminating single-use plastics, and the use of energy-efficient appliances in their properties. Eco-hotel has several solar panels supplying 10-20% of their electrical needs.
Eco-hotel serves healthy meals through their farm-to-table practices. The property practices hydroponics and composting, growing a variety of vegetables like lettuce.
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| Tagaytay Eco-Hotel Staycation |
Mr. Arturo "Sir Uro" Tahup, Director for Community Resilience, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities demonstrated the use of TekPak, a Solar Power System.
Typically installed on rooftops, solar panels collect DC power and send it to an inverter which then converts it into AC (alternating current) power. The AC power goes from the inverter to the electrical panel, where it now becomes ready to use. Solar energy is simply the light and heat that comes from the sun. We can use the sun's energy in different ways which convert sunlight into electricity.
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| Solar Panel at Rooftop of Containers by Eco-hotel |
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| Geoffrey Ledesma, Clozette Group |
To appreciate it more, we built a tiny house complete with solar panel. It was fun!
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| DIY play house with solar panel |
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| Solar Charger |
As we face climate change, let us remain hopeful yet conscious of our actions. Rather than punish ourselves for everything that we can’t do, let’s begin to talk about what we can. In my small ways from planting small trees to waste segregation at home, I know it will contribute greatly in protecting our environment. If we use an eco-bag every time we go shopping or market day, it eliminates the use of single-use plastic bags. Instead of using rechargeable power banks, switch to eco-friendly, solar power banks instead. We can install solar wall and fence lights instead of non-LED ones.
I still believe that a healthy and livable future is possible.
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| Tagaytay sunset with a view of Taal volcano |
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