Celebs, Athletes Renew Their Commitment Towards a Brighter Future

As we begin 2015, local celebrities and athletes troop to social media to share their resolutions for the coming year and renew their commitment towards ensuring a better future for future generations.

Newlywed TV host, magazine editor, lifestyle columnist, and endorser Bianca Gonzalez shared how she and husband JC Intal plan to begin the new year on the right foot by reiterating their commitment to Mother Nature. “In 2015, JC & I will choose more eco-friendly products for our home. #SwitchRightOn #REnew2015,” tweeted Bianca, a known UN advocate and UNICEF Philippines Child Rights Supporter. She also shared an image of a pinwheel as a symbol of her enduring commitment to helping others, and tagged her friends, Mariel Padilla, Pia Cayetano and Mikaela Martinez, on the said post.

The participation of some of the most recognized local personalities in social media has been a welcome development for the Switch Right On campaign, a multi-industry campaign geared towards promoting an increased use of renewable energy for environmental and economic sustainability. This initiative is being spearheaded by the collaborative efforts of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), AIESEC Philippines, and other partners from various industries.

Other celebrities who were also seen sharing these hashtags as a sign of renewing their commitments to society beginning next year were: 

*Kapuso stars and Philippine ambassador for Save the Children, Kylie Padilla and Mikael Daez: 

*Sports Unlimited host, model, and World Wildlife Fund for Nature ambassador, Marc Nelson:

*TV host, basketball player, and Habitat for Humanity ambassador, Chris Tiu:

*TV host, comedian, and make-up transformation genius Paolo Ballesteros:

*Philippine national rugby union team, more popularly known as the “Philippine Volcanoes.”

Switching Right On

Filipinos generally perceive renewable energy as a great idea given the country’s limitless supply of free and renewable energy. With the country continuing to benefit from a growing economy, demand for power has increased drastically as the nation builds up its momentum.  Renewable energy can meet this demand while preserving our way of life through the protection of our environment.

Over the last 10 years, the wider use of renewable energy globally has made technologies like wind, solar, run-of-river hydro, and biomass extremely competitive with conventional power sources especially when health and climate impacts are considered. The recent pledges of China and the United States to control their carbon dioxide emission to reduce the risks of catastrophic climate change will only accelerate the feasibility of renewable energy technologies. And such an encouraging development certainly offers a huge opportunity for the Philippines.

Most nations have realized the benefits of renewable energy and have committed to using more of it in the coming years. Information shared by the International Panel on Climate Change suggests that “life-cycle global emissions” from renewable energy infrastructures—which include manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance, and dismantling and decommissioning prove to be very minimal and have little to no impact on the environment.”   This is an entirely huge improvement compared to those of the world’s current sources of energy, which are easily depleted and carry a very heavy cost economically and environmentally.

Here in the Philippines, the recent decade has seen the country’s increased dependence on imported fossil fuels. These trends have paved the way for the birth of the Switch Right On movement. 

An initiative born out of the collaborative efforts of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) and AIESEC Philippines, the Switch Right On movement intends to encourage Filipinos from all walks of life to take a more active role in determining our energy future by turning on to renewable energy for more efficient power generation and consumption. The movement aims to raise awareness to the benefits of energy efficiency and using renewable energy technologies by adopting the image of a pinwheel to symbolize support for a cleaner and healthier energy future.

While renewable energy cannot completely replace other sources of energy in the near future, it has become more economically viable and environmentally logical.

The world has reached an economic tipping point where an increase in cost of fossil fuels and the decrease in cost of renewable energy have made these alternative sources more practical. Apart from this, rapid urbanization and increase human activity have also overwhelmed our atmosphere with hazardous gases, causing extremely harmful effects on our health, the environment, and the global climate. The massive amount of pollution generated by fossil fuels, for example, have been linked to a variety of health problems—terminal respiratory, neurological, cardiac illnesses, and cancers—thus claiming the lives of millions of individuals every single day. 

As we speak, more than 3-out-of-10 Filipino households still remain without power, even as demand for energy in the country continues to increase by 7% every year. Renewable energy technologies provide additional energy, which helps ensure electricity for millions of households.  Aside from ensuring a more progressive economy and a healthier environment, RE producers also generate employment, as proven by more than 5 million jobs created by other RE providers around the world, according to a 2012 Greenpeace study. In the United States, for example, the wind energy industry alone provided full-time jobs to more than 75,000 individuals back in 2011. These employment opportunities include careers in manufacturing, project development, construction and turbine installation, operations and maintenance, transportation and logistics, and financial, legal, and consulting services. 

To know more about the campaign and how you can help promote energy security, self-sufficiency, and environmental protection for the Philippines, visit www.switchrighton.com