4 sustainability hacks to inspire your workplace

Sustainability is at the heart of the new set of global development goals and here's how a small community-based organization in the Philippines does it. Photo by: Buklod Tao There have been zero casualties in Rizal since Buklod Tao started flood risk advocacy, community training initiatives and fiberglass rescue boat construction. The community group, whose main mission is to help reduce the risks brought on by heavy rains, has been championing disaster preparedness and response for close to two decades in the Banaba district of San Mateo, just outside metropolitan Manila — but that isn’t the only work that matters to founder Manuel Abinales. In its evacuation and livelihood center, built in 2013, the organization is also setting an example in reducing its carbon footprint, managing waste and limiting the use of already strained natural resources — activities that any development professional wishing to spearhead sustainability efforts at their own organization can replicate. Here’s how Buklod Tao does it: 1. Dual-purpose greens. Instead of paint, the organization uses hanging plants to cover the bare walls of its 3-story evacuation center. Trailing vines of creeping charlies cover the outside of the building, which serves to both beautify the brick structure as well as keep it cool. The plants are placed in containers made of recycled juice cartons and mounted on grids of wiring set against the building walls. The building’s steward takes water used to wash rice grains — as well as urine — to water and fertilize the plants. 2. A new use for juice. Ever heard of the saying there is money in trash? One of Buklod Tao’s livelihood programs links to tetra juice packs. Several members of the community sew bags made of these recycled items. They also use the very same material for their urban gardening containers. The organization gets its own supply from the community, paying 25 centavos for each piece. This, in turn, has led members of the community to be diligent in collecting juice packs instead of throwing them away, where they would be burned at dump sites and contribute to carbon emissions. Abinales estimated the initiative has already used 1 million juice packs. 3. Make your waste work for you. As for their urban garden plots, the organization relies on its own organic compost — a mix of collected kitchen waste, rice husks, cow dung, charcoal and topsoil. This mix, Abinales said, provides a “very fertile planting medium” that contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Several members of the public purchase the organic compost for their own garden plots; the money earned is used to fund Buklod Tao’s advocacy and training initiatives. 4. Save the rain. With the help of several organizations, such as Green STEPS, the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands and International Disaster Volunteers, the organization installed a water harvesting system in its center. Water pipes on the corners of the building connect to several tanks; the large ones can hold as much as 1,300 liters each. Abinales feels strongly about the importance of water in today’s climate talks, but thinks it is not as popular as discussions on energy. During a downpour, people complain of too much water. But people similarly complain during a drought, he said. The organization uses the harvested water for watering its plants, as well as for other domestic purposes such as laundry, although it relies on groundwater for drinking purposes. The organization uses four layers of clean t-shirts to filter the groundwater, and then add in a small amount of sodium hypochlorite called HYPOSOL, a water purification solution endorsed by both the Department of Health and the World Health Organization, to make the water safe for drinking. Devex Professional Membership means access to the latest buzz, innovations, and lifestyle tips for development, health, sustainability and humanitarian professionals like you. Our mission is to do more good for more people. If you think the right information can make a difference, we invite you to join us by making a small investment in Professional Membership.