Bright minds, responsible company team up for sustainable development

MANILA, Philippines - Three brilliant young men have made their families, their respective schools and the country proud of their achievements in finding practical solutions to the challenges of sustainable development. This earned them the chance to join a prestigious biennial event that forms part of a global partnership between the German giant Bayer AG and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in New Zealand.

Held every two years in the Asia Pacific region, the Eco-Minds Youth Forum 2009 has brought together 25 students from nine countries — the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China and Korea — to encourage them to think of creative and practical uses of science and technology to address the challenges of sustainable development.

Under this program, students with diverse educational background ranging from science and engineering to social science, economics and management are encouraged to work together in finding viable solutions and recommendations to combat environmental problems such as climate change and to find ways on how to address the compelling issue of sustainable energy use.

Eco-Minds sprouts in Manila

Eco-Minds was founded by Bayer as a biennial youth program in the Asia Pacific region. It was held for the first time in 2005 in Manila and subsequently in 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand. This year, the forum was held in Auckland and Rotorua, New Zealand in cooperation with the University of Auckland Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies.

This year’s Eco-Minds program in New Zealand included a tour of Auckland’s West Coast and tree planting at the Waitakere ranges. The event then moved to Rotorua with site visits to the Huntly Power Station, the Lake Karapiro hydrodam and the Wairakei geothermal fields.

The young delegates invited to participate in the five-day forum were selected from a number of participants in nine Asia-Pacific countries on the basis of environmental projects they presented in a special competition organized by Bayer in their respective home countries.

During the five-day forum, the students were able to learn more about sustainable energy systems, including New Zealand’s hydro and geothermal supply systems through a series of lectures and site visits organized by The University of Auckland.

They also looked at some of the challenges around energy supply, such as climate change, and what practical solutions could be put in place to overcome such challenges.

From the Philippines, this year’s delegates are Gerard Lorenz Penecilla, who recently finished his BS Biology degree, summa cum laude from West Visayas State University in Iloilo City; Nestor Necesito, a fifth year BS Accountancy student of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas in Iloilo City; and Lawrence Limjuco, a fifth year BS Chemical Engineering student at the Ateneo de Davao University.

Out of several hopefuls from various universities all over the country, these three young men stood out as they competed beyond the merits of their project proposals for the environment.

For Penecilla, his passion for science has earned him numerous awards in scientific research and science competition. In addressing environmental problems, Penecilla presented in his paper how creative and innovative activities could be utilized to motivate the members of the community to participate in environmental rehabilitation and protection. A deeply religious young man, Penecilla believes that linking the community together through livelihood activities, proper information dissemination could be an important step toward environmental awareness and sustainable development in his community.

For Necesito, despite his undergraduate studies in Accountancy, his fascination with science remains steadfast. Proof is his accolades from national science fairs and scientific research competitions. In his paper, Necesito recognizes the potential of the upside-down sea jelly to help in the process of bioremedition of marine and water pollution.

Necesito has a special interest in marine pollution mitigation following an oil spill that happened in Guimaras Island two years ago, which is close to his university.

He believes that the enzymes of the upside down jelly fish will act as bio cleaners and will help with the degration of oil in water. Necesito believes in the enormous promise of the sea jelly if its potential is discovered fully and if treated and used effectively.

He said, ‘’this application of bioremediation using sea jelly will be an important aspect of waste management now and into the future as more is learned from this biotechnology.’’

Limjuco’s project, on the other hand, underscored the importance of scientific research in addressing different environmental issues. In his hometown where durian is a major produce, he proposes to use the durian peelings, which contributes to the garbage problem, bedding for growing edible mushrooms. He believes that people will be encouraged to participate in environmental initiatives if solutions are easy to implement and at the same time, can be developed as a community-based livelihood program. “In the age of diminishing resources and increasing needs, every possible opportunity for the reuse of waste products must be properly observed,’’ Limjuco comments in his paper.

Limjuco’s project was also chosen as the top winner during a recently concluded Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers National Convention—Undergraduate Research competition.

Corporate responsibility

In the Philippines, Bayer fulfills its mission of helping achieve lasting improvement in the quality of life of the Filipinos through its three core businesses: Bayer Healthcare, Bayer CropScience, and Bayer MaterialScience.

A recipient of numerous awards from independent bodies from its climate-related performance, Bayer is the first company in the world to enter a long-term partnership with the United Nationas Environment Programme (UNEP) in the area of youth and the environment.

In 2004, Bayer and UNEP signed an agreement to globalize this partnership, and the partners now jointly organize a number of environmental projects such as the Eco-Minds Youth Forum and the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program for young people around the world. Bayer donates euros 1.2 million annually to these joint activities which aim to create opportunities for young people to expand their knowledge, exchange experiences, increase their networking activities, develop concepts for solving problems and increase awareness of environmental issues.

Participants in this program have already returned to their home countries rich in knowledge and understanding on how to make our world a better place to live. A number of former participants, inspired by the knowledge and exposure they have gained from this program opted to pursue further studies on environment protection or held jobs where they play a key role in environment protection in their home countries.