DENR-EMB launches back-to-back events to promote sustainable energy and better air quality

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) launches its very first solar rooftop panels alongside it’s the newly-installed LED (Light-Emitting Diode) board as part of its campaign to promote clean energy and clean air.

DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje unveiled the 100-kilowatt (kW) “Solar Project,” a solar rooftop program for government agencies in partnership with state-owned Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) at the rooftop of the EMB’s Environmental Research and Laboratory Services Division building.

According to Paje, the solar panel facility will allow the DENR to generate approximately 140,000 kWh of electricity per year which in turn, can generate savings of about P1,400,000 per year for government offices.

“It’s a win-win situation for us. We get to maximize clean energy for our electricity use and at the same time earn savings from this partnership. Solar power is clearly one of the most important solutions to the global warming crisis. And as a source of renewable energy, it emits no harmful gases, reduces the emissions of carbon and greenhouse gases, and therefore, mitigates global warming and climate change,” he said.

In 2015, PNOC has so far inaugurated similar facilities in two government agencies in Quezon City (Department of Science and Technology [DoST] and the Philippine Heart Center).

Meanwhile, Paje also switched on DENR’s first LED board located at the DENR-EMB grounds in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City as part of the Department’s intensified public information campaign to share how clean or unhealthy the air is.

The updates which are already uploaded daily in the official website of the DENR-EMB will be shown on the LED board with additional health information on the effects the public may experience based on their exposure to air pollution.

“The DENR is visited by its clients all the time and they can greatly benefit from the monitoring data provided by the 17 air quality monitoring stations scattered all over Metro Manila. This will make their visits in the Department more interesting and informative,” Paje said.

The DENR-EMB currently monitors Particulate Matter 10 and 2.5, which are air pollutants that can deeply penetrate the lungs and can cause respiratory diseases, such as asthma and changes in lung function, as well as cardiovascular diseases.

DENR-EMB Director Gilbert Gonzales advises the public to regularly check the air quality index available on its website and be prepared to limit outdoor activities when air quality is unhealthy.

Gonzales said that the EMB plans to set up similar boards nationwide through partnerships with the private sector.

“This will engage the public to do their share in cleaning the air by providing them regular updates on the quality of air they are breathing,” he added.