DAVAO CITY – A community-based radio station broadcasting an on-air organic farming school, an underground rainwater catchment system and the green building of a commercial mall are some of the winners of the 2016 Lunhaw Awards.
Award organizers recognized five outstanding green initiatives from a shortlist of 21 entries last night in a ceremony attended by Datu Bago Awardee Joey Ayala at the Taboan in Matina Town Square.
“We are very glad and honored to announce these year’s winners for the innovative and important green initiatives they have done, and the example they set for all of us Dabawenyos to follow.”, said Lunhaw Awards co-organizer and IDIS executive director Ann Fuertes. “These year’s winners and nominees have made laudable efforts to protect and preserve our air, water and land and by showing that being environment-friendly makes good business sense.”
Organic farmer Josefina Norte Ba of Gumalang, Baguio District won in the household category for Organic Agriculture. She creates organic concoctions out of her farm produce and wastes. These concoctions fertilize her farm’s soil, nourish her free-range livestock and kill pests , eliminating her use of pesticides.
Green Bounty Agri Produce, which supplies organic crops to select local malls and concessionaires, won in the medium scale category for Organic Agriculture. Located in Eden, it is managed by Ernesto Gonzalez who began organic farming in 2010. He promotes his sustainable nature farming system as a viable livelihood for small farmers.
In the Green Architecture category, Abreeza Mall won a Lunhaw Award for its Active and Passive Design of its mall building. The mall’s design maximizes open and green spaces, with its landscaped gardens occupying 30% of the property. Its energy conservation measures have resulted to significant savings for the company, lowering their direct operating expenses.
MyHotel’s Underground Rain Catcher is one of the earlier rainwater harvesting structures constructed in the downtown area. Situated under the hotel’s parking area, it can hold 60,000 cu. m. of rainwater. MyHotel uses this water for cleaning and flushing purposes, cutting down more than 50% of their water bill consumption costs. For this initiative, MyHotel was given the Lunhaw Award for Energy and Water Conservation.
For the Education and Advocacy category, the community-based Radyo Tacunan won for its use of simple Community Audio Towers to broadcast a regular radio program on organic farming and solid waste management issues. It provides helpful tips for local organic farmers, as well as broadcasts a daily planting guide of the biodynamic calendar.
Abreeza Property Manager Jeremy Roy Sanchez thanked contest organizers saying that the mall’s developer has always been a believer of sustainable architecture. “We hope that our win tonight will inspire future developments in the city to pursue sustainable activities..”, he said.
Radio Tacunan’s was similarly grateful. “We were not expecting to win and so we are very happy receiving this award. We hope that with the recognition that comes with this award, we will have more people coming in to help develop our Radio Tacunan so that we can reach more listeners in our area.”, he said.
A posthumous award for Councilor Leo Avila III was also given. He was recognized for his legislative accomplishments, having authored a majority of Davao’s green ordinances. His spouse, Councilor Lorie Avila received the award.
“The first few days of my work as city councilor has been both surreal and a blessing, seeing how other people recognized his impact to Davao. To the Lunhaw organizers, we thank you for valuing Leo’s work.”, Councilor Avila said.
The awarding ceremony was capped by the MusiKalikasan Concert, with home-grown musical artists Maan Chua and Popong Landero joining Joey Ayala on stage.
The Lunhaw Awards is an annual multi-sectoral award-giving body to recognize outstanding environmental initiatives by Dabawenyos. It is organized by the City Agriculturist’s Office (CAO), City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO), Davao Association of Catholic Schools (DACS), Davao City Water District (DCWD) and the Interface Development Interventions (IDIS). (Sunstar Davao)