CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The province’s premier malls, SM City Pampanga and SM City Clark, highlighted the need for “green initiatives” in preserving the environment during the Earth Hour event on Saturday.
SM City Pampanga officials have called on student architects to advance green architecture designs in a bid to contribute to reducing carbon emissions, while those in Clark are urging people to plant more trees and venture into topiary to help promote greening in their respective areas.
Both of the mall’s public relations officers, Rain Cervantes of Pampanga and Venus Manalang of Clark, said this is part of the call of the malls in line with this year’s celebration of Earth Hour.
Green Architecture
The event at SM City Pampanga featured talks from Architect Neil Licayan of the United Architects of the Philippines and Regional Director Lormelyn Claudio of the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) who highlighted the benefits of green architecture and green building designs in preserving the environment.
Licayan told architecture students of the Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University (DHVTSU) that green architecture is in fact cost efficient and can benefit the community where it is built.
"Green buildings" around the world are known to enjoy a number of benefits including lowering their operating costs and increasing their asset value, while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being.
Green architecture uses the natural surroundings, resource conservation technologies and eco-friendly building methods in constructing buildings and infrastructures. Some are even equipped with systems that can conserve and recycle water.
Meanwhile, sections of the mall turned-off its lights around 8:30 p.m. in observance of the Earth Hour. The initiative aims to save up energy and help promote environmental protection.
The event was followed by a dance performance and the ceremonial lighting of candles attended by City of San Fernando councilor Reden Halili and 4th District Board Member Nestor Tolentino.
rTopiary
Meanwhile, SM City Clark launched its celebration with the unveiling of a topiary showing the 60+ logo of Earth Hour. Topiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes. Topiary is an art form mainly used in decorating parks, gardens and even home interiors.
Manalang told Sun.Star Pampanga that the mall is urging its employees and mall goers to help protect the environment through simple environment friendly practices at home.
"We urge mall goers to be more responsible towards the environment and help in its conservation at home through responsible consumption of resources and the practice of recycling and green propagation," Manalang said.
The mall also turned off majority of its lights in participation of the worldwide observance of earth hour. Attending the event are Cecille Yumul, Mutya ning Angeles 2012 Genie Abeleda who represented Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and Ms Teen Earth Philippines 2012 1st Runner-up Jevelene Delizo attended the event.
The Night Owl Dancers of Sacobia performed traditional ethnic dances in celebration of the event.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 business establishments turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating.
SM Supermalls all over the country and those in China also participated in the event. Other business establishments along the Jose Abad Santos Avenue also participated in the event.