Green Convergence’s Ako Ang Bukas (AAB) Program led the workshop on the use of the entity level greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator in a forum organized by the First Gen Corporation titled The Green Shift: Mapping Your Decarbonization Journey on Wednesday, March 12, at the Rockwell Business Center in Pasig City.
Companies and businesses of various industries were invited to the forum, in line with First Gen’s objective to further educate industries on what climate actions to take on, identify their specific energy needs, and drive decarbonization roadmaps through First Gen’s renewable energy solutions.
Vincent Martin Villegas, First Gen’s Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer and Pi Energy’s President and Chief Operating Officer, opened the forum by recalling last year’s leg of The Green Shift and how it set the stage for exploring a cleaner energy future through concepts presented by regulatory agencies in the Philippines.
Villegas emphasized that the forum then continues on its second leg by identifying steps and actions that businesses can navigate through towards decarbonization.
“The steps taken today, whether it’s energy efficiency or sustainability issues, are consequential and will help determine the future resilience of your businesses. We are today in a critical juncture as the latest climate data tells us that urgency is no longer a choice, but it is already a necessity,” Villegas said.
Moreover, the first session was steered by the First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Corporation’s Chief Sustainability Officer Agnes de Jesus. She delved into the current state of the climate and linked it with actions that businesses can do to alleviate their GHG emissions.
“This [climate change concepts] is important to know not only to comply with evolving regulations but, more importantly, we hope that, in the future, it will help you protect your family, your company, and your community,” De Jesus said.
She proceeded to detail climate issues that have been disrupting the planet, notably the Philippines, such as extreme hot temperatures that in turn cause worsening typhoons. De Jesus then connected these to the importance of action from the business sector, both within their operations and their general contributions as carbon emitters.
With this, De Jesus introduced the use of GHG calculators in monitoring and regulating the carbon footprint of businesses. “Carbon footprint” refers to the amount of GHG emissions that are produced by our daily activities.
She specifically showcased the AAB GHG calculator, both the household level and entity level, as well as how trainings on its usage has helped several offices and businesses, such as the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Cavite, Ormoc City, First Balfour’s Suppliers, and more.
In line with De Jesus’ discussion on GHG calculation, the demonstration workshop on the use of the entity level GHG calculator was then led by AAB Program’s Project Leader Milagros Serrana.
“The AAB movement actually was born out of the urgency to act now, and the first action that we have to really take is to determine our carbon footprint or our GHG emissions,” Serrana mentioned, also specially recognizing the support of FPH in developing the AAB household and entity level GHG calculators.
Following the walkthrough of the AAB entity level GHG calculator, Serrana led an interactive activity wherein participants of the forum were able to use and experience the AAB entity level GHG calculator firsthand through a provided dummy data.
Linking these concepts and interventions, First Gen’s Assistant Vice President for Power Marketing and Sales Arlene Soriano showcased an overview of First Gen’s products, services, and decarbonization programs that would help make operations more sustainable.
Soriano highlighted that First Gen currently owns the largest zero-coal portfolio and is the largest renewable energy (RE) producer in the Philippines. This is in line with FPH Chair and Chief Executive Officer Federico Lopez’ declaration a few years ago that First Gen will ‘never invest in any coal-fired power plants.’
Furthermore, First Gen’s Vice President and Chief Customer Engagement Officer Carlo Vega closed the seminar, expressing his excitement about observing more participants from the first leg of The Green Shift who are ‘pursuing the same decarbonization and regenerative future as First Gen.’
Vega acknowledged the AAB Program’s initiative in helping achieve a net zero carbon future. “I really believe that this [tool] is the missing link for us to be able to manage [and assess] our carbon footprint effectively,” he expressed.
He then concluded his closing remarks echoing FPH Chair and CEO Lopez’ words, “If at the end of all this, we find ourselves alone, it would have meant that we failed our mission,” emphasizing the importance of collaboration and partnership in climate actions—hence, the goal in which “The Green Shift” forum forwards.
The forum was wrapped up with an opportunity for the participants to network and build partnerships towards a net zero carbon future.
Ako Ang Bukas (or “I am the future”) is a movement with a central campaign, “Quantum Leap NOW: Climate Neutrality 2050.” It seeks to involve all sectors and levels of society nationwide in taking urgent, concerted action to address the climate crisis facing the country and the world.
Be part of a bigger change by joining the AAB program through this link: bit.ly/AKOANGBUKAS. Moreover, the AAB household GHG calculator can be accessed through this link: aab-household-ghg-web.app.