The team from Nagyantok High School accepts their prize from RP Energy’s CSR officer Vic Chan (right) for placing first in the recent RP Energy Eco-Youth Challenge. Contributed photo
SUBIC, ZAMBALES — As part of its education-related initiatives under the Katuwang Natin sa Buhay corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. (RP Energy) held its first-ever Eco-Youth Challenge that aims to increase the awareness and involvement of Subic and Olongapo high school students in activities beneficial to the environment.
Twenty-three schools from the two areas participated in the youth challenge that required participating high school teams to submit a project proposal using P15,000 seed money that would benefit the local community.
The RP Energy Eco-Youth Challenge was undertaken to complement the company’s four-day environment youth leadership training dubbed ‘Eco-U’ that ultimately aims to instil the value of environmental stewardship among the youth.
A total of 138 students and coaches from schools all over Subic and Olongapo participated in the Eco-U training, and all of them qualified to compete in the Eco-Youth Challenge.
According to RP Energy project manager Grant Smith, “RP Energy aims to establish a venue where youth leaders will immerse their minds on contemporary community-based environmental initiatives and put into action their learning into doable action projects at the school and at the community level”.
In the end, Nagyantok High School’s proposal for a sustainable community water system emerged as the winner in the Eco-Youth Challenge. The students came up with the idea because their school does not have its own water supply and students fetch water daily from a nearby river for use in the school’s restrooms.
The winning team received the P15,000 project assistance, a desktop computer plus cash prizes for the students and coach.
The entry of Ilwas National High School on Vermicomposting was 1st runner-up while Olongapo National High School’s proposal ‘Light Strike’ advocacy project for the Olongapo River ended 2nd runner up.
RP Energy plans to make both activities an annual affair. “The company will continue to implement environmental awareness projects to help local communities take active participation in launching programs that would lead to eco-tourism sustainability.
Eco-U was also a very effective venue where youth leaders got to meet and learn from various environmental groups and experts”, Smith said.
Both Eco-U and the Eco-Youth Challenge were supported by the Human Ecology Institute of the Philippines (HUMEIN Philippines), Department of Social Development Sciences of the College of Human Ecology at the University of the Philippine Los Banos, Samahan ng mag-aaral ng Teknolohiyang Panlipunan (STP-UPLB), Rappler and Kabalikat Civicom.
RP Energy is a consortium composed of Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) PowerGen Corporation, Aboitiz Power Corporation and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation.
It is the developer of an environment-friendly and state-of-the-art 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The plant is expected to augment the power supply in the Luzon grid when it starts commercial operations.
Katuwang Natin sa Buhay is RP Energy’s umbrella Corporate Social Responsibility program that seeks to establish good stakeholder relations and further community development through initiatives that focus on livelihood and skills development, education, health and sports development, environment and disaster risk management and infrastructure support.
