'Luntian Puso' Beats for a More Sustainable Philippines

They say Filipinos are full of heart. Ours is a society that brims with warmth and empathy. And it doesn’t take much for a 14-year old student to imagine that a sustainable future for the Philippines is one that beats with a ‘Luntiang Puso’.

‘Luntiang Puso’ (Green Heart) is the creative theme of the European Union SWITCH Policy Support Component (EU-SWITCH PSC) for the Philippines, a project that provides policy support to the Philippine Government in implementing Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) related policy instruments. It is supported by the SWITCH-Asia programme, the largest EU program on SCP in Asia.

Luntiang Puso’ underscores the innate Filipino value of love—for our home-planet Earth and our local heritage—by  reinforcing the Filipinos’ high regard for bayanihan (cooperation), pagtitipid (prudence), and malasakit (empathy). It was inspired by the entry of Mariel Eugene M. Rivera of the Ernesto Rondon High School in Quezon City to the “Colours of Sustainability”, an inter-school poster-making contest that encouraged students to depict their interpretation of how the Philippines can contribute to the achievement of the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals.  

EU Delegation Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen, emphasizes that the EU remains a very strong supporter of sustainable growth in the country. “Sustainability has differentfactors,” he relates. “It’s partly to make sure that economic growth is sustainable but also that it’s done in a way it that it doesn’t negatively affect the  environment.

Rivera’s and other students’ works, along with other publications are part of the wealth of resource materials that will be featured in the “Fostering Partnership for Sustainability through Education ” on June 6, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas. In collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Energy, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the increased public awareness on energy efficiency, biofuels, and clean air.

“We have programs, we create competitions among schools in order to promote sustainable development. It is very important to ensure that you get the school kids on the right track at the very beginning. They should be able to understand the importance of widespread sustainability issues like clean water, clean air, and energy efficiencand that all these affectseveryone”, explains Ambassador Jessen.

‘Luntiang Puso’ attempts to connect the youth to SCP issues that affectnot only their families but the general public as well.  EU-SWITCH PSC gives them a creative space that they are also a part of this challenge; how even in the simple practice of their local values, they can help solve the problem.

With local values of bayanihan, pagtitipid, and malasakit at the core of ‘Luntiang Puso’, the youth will be able to take the lead in stepping towards a more sustainable Philippines.