Green Minded

A shoutout to these green-minded businesses who are taking their profit-making game to nature-
friendly and environmentally sound routes

By Jovi Figueroa

Do you wonder why its raining so much in summer and its become too hot in these recent -ber
months? Well, Nadine Lustre has two words for you: its 2017. Wait, I think Im quoting the wrong
expert I think the words are: global warming. Of course!

Thanks to global warming and climate change, days are sweat-scented MRT cars and nights are filled
with the humdrum of air-condition units (and our electricity bills are ever so high, too!). This is not
surprising since the Philippines is the 13th most vulnerable country in the world to the impacts of
global warming according to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index by Verisk Maplecroft. And even
though the Philippine government has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by the year 2030
by 70 percent, if each of us is not contributing in every little way we can to reducing our own carbon
footprints, its just going to get hotter and wetter from here.

This is why were tipping our metaphorical hats off to these guys who are going out of their way to
help us get into the greener stuff. Get into the green-minded bandwagon (the good kind of
bandwagon!) with these environment-conscious businesses who are proving that mother (earth)
lovers can drive just as much profit with the extra TLC.

Junk not!

Living the mantra that we have all been taught in grade schoolreduce, reuse, recycleJunk not! is
a company that transforms waste into beautiful crafts and furniture. Imagine decorating your home
with furnishings that are not made from chopped down trees or irresponsibly mined metals but from
repurposed, reused, and upcycled plastic waste. In addition to contributing to reducing plastic
wastewaste which is usually non-biodegradablethey also use local and sustainable materials to
craft their products.

One of our favorite pieces from their collection is the colorful Bangko chair. The chairs are not only
stackable for easy storage; they also make for a nice post-modern dcor. The Bangko are 40x40x45
of colored roped plastic, woven in different patterns and styles to make for an interesting surface.
The woven ropes are then mounted in mahogany wood frames stained and coated with a beeswax
finish. A good purchase with the chair is the tempered glass tray that transforms the Bangko into a
sleek serving table. Beautiful, nature-friendly, and repurposablethats what I would call a good
buy!

Siklo Pilipinas

Did you know that it would take 50 to 80 years for rubber tires and inner tubes to decompose
naturally? This is why husband and wife team Lyndon and Clarice de Villa Ecuacion found it would be
perfect to turn these stubborn rubber into stylist and durable bags. Using reclaimed tire and inner
tube rubber, and a manufacturing process with very low carbon footprint, the products of Siklo
Pilipinas are made not only to profit, but also promote awareness to preserve the nature.
Siklo Pilipinas bags come in a variety of forms to suit different needs. Need something as small as an
iPad case or something as bulky as a three-day overnight bag? Theyve got you covered! Created by
adventure junkies and made for adventure junkies, the bags are created to withstand harsh road
conditions for all-terrain adventuresperfect not only for everyday use, but also off-road trips. And
they also look super cool, too! Something to get you complimented (*wink*).

Vitrum Upcycled Bottles and Crafts

Do you wonder where last nights Jack Daniels and Tres Cepas bottles end up after they hit the junk
shops? Well, some of them end up in someone elses room as lamps. Creator and innovator Ian
Martinez Sarra of Vitrum Upcycled Bottles and Crafts is the genius who is able to turn these
discarded bottes, pipes, and even bicycle parts into all sorts of quirky lamps and lighting fixtures.

Using discarded materials mostly sourced from junk shops, Sarra creates lighting statements with an
industrial and steam punk feel. Some are your discarded vodka bottles, some are electric fan blades,
some are fire extinguishers turned into light-up fixtures! How cool will your space look like with one
his creations? With a little bit of dumpster diving, a little bit of capital, and bucket loads of creativity,
no trash really is trash!

Spray n Go

Apart from make tipid the use of tissue paper, probably conserve water is one of the most
popular yet disregarded mother (earth) loving call signs. And it only makes sense! Think tank World
Resources Institute, according to their study, predicts that the Philippines is in high danger of water
scarcity in only 25 years. Oh no!

This is why we welcome Spray n Gos innovative waterless car cleaner. Its as straight forward as it
sounds: spray, wipe, buffno water needed! Its easier and quicker, actually, than washing your car
the traditional way. Theres minimal car paint fading and a glossy coconut-based wax finish, to boot.
With their car cleaners, you not only get to contribute to the water conservation effortsyou also
get to support a locally-made, eco-friendly, and biodegradable product.

Natures Legacy

Its been two decades since husband and wife Pete and Catherine Delantar moved Natures Legacy
from their backyard to the worlds front stage. And throughout the years, the company has been
able to bring 100 percent Filipino eco-art products that range from furniture and home dcor to
home and fashion accessories to over 25 countries in the world.

Some of Natures Legacys most prominent products come from the Naturescast line that utilizes
natural scrap materialsthink fallen debris and twigs and other agro-forest waste thingamajigs
and then treated with odorless, water-based binders. Imagine a chair made from mango seeds,
ground scrap limestone turned into jars, and recycled paper made to look like bamboo, leather, or
even crocodile skinthese are the masterpieces of Natures Legacy. And for decades, they have
been turning trash to treasure not only to help reduce the footprint of their industry in the
environment, but also to put Filipino talent and genius on the world map. Green-minded and proud!