A team of three students from De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila has bagged a P1-million prize for their school by topping a nationwide competition sponsored by First Gen Corporation for the most innovative solution in reducing a school’s carbon emissions.

The solution from the DLSU students proposes to convert the food waste from DLSU’s cafeteria into biogas through the installation of a compact anaerobic digester system that they designed for the cafeteria.

The winning DLSU students are Alexia Roman and Fernando Magallanes, both taking a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in manufacturing engineering and management; and Ralph Stephen Saavedra, a BS in applied economics and BS in accountancy student.

P1-M innovation fund

First Gen awarded the P1- million prize as an innovation fund to their school, which will use the money to actualize the students’ compact anaerobic digester design. First Gen also gave the three DLSU students P100,000 as their own cash prize.

The winning solution is designed not only to cut the DLSU cafeteria’s carbon emissions, but also to reduce roughly by a third the cafeteria’s expenses for cooking gas and solve its food waste disposal problem.

Annually, DLSU’s cafeteria produces over 28,000 kilograms of organic kitchen waste that emits roughly 480,000 kilograms of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In simple terms, anaerobic digestion is a process in which bacteria digest or break down organic matter, such as food waste, into biogas. By converting the food waste into biogas, the digester can avoid the release of these GHGs to the atmosphere.

‘Champion of the Earth’

Numerous studies have tagged heat-trapping GHGs, including carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, as culprits behind global warming and climate change. Buildings also release to the atmosphere a significant amount of carbon dioxide—a point that Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte highlighted in her keynote speech during the final round of the “Code Green for Campuses” competition.

Belmonte, who was named Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership by the United Nations (UN) last year, cited in her speech a 2023 UN study which said the buildings and construction sector accounted for a staggering 37% of global emissions in 2022.

Belmonte, thus, has been implementing various projects to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings as part of her overall environmental and climate change program for Quezon City.

The three winning DLSU students belonged to Team Lumbricina, which was one of over 50 teams from 29 universities and colleges from all over the country that joined the First Gen competition when it was launched in early February 2024.

‘Gigantic global problem’

First Gen has a long history and a strong advocacy to fight climate change. The advocacy explains why First Gen power plants run either on renewable energy sources, such as hydro, geothermal, solar and wind;or on natural gas, considered the cleanest form of fossil fuel. These power facilities have a total installed capacity of 3,666 megawatts.

But in his opening remarks at the competition, Jerome Cainglet, president of Energy Development Corporation (EDC), reiterated what the Lopez-led group has been saying: The climate crisis dwarfs all of us.

“It is one gigantic global problem that no individual, no one company, and in fact, no one country can solve alone,” Cainglet said. “This is why in 2020, FPH and its group of companies recalibrated its mission to these nine words: forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future. We know that if we are to battle the climate crisis, we need to deepen our engagement with external groups.”

Fifteen of the participating teams qualified for the semifinal round held on March 4; and five, including Team Lumbricina, reached the final round held on March 16.

Five finalists

The other finalists were Team Blue EcoCrew from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU, 2nd place); Team Silliman from Silliman University (3rd place); Greenovators from FEU Institute of Technology (4th place); and Green Minds from the Technological Institute of the Philippines (5th place). The second placer received P75,000; the third placer P50,000; fourth placer P30,000; and fifth placer P20,000.

“It is a pity that we can only have five finalists as we saw a lot of fresh and innovative ideas that are worth pursuing. We are hoping that the search for real solutions to the climate crisis does not end with today’s finals. We need to continue this effort—competition or not, P1 million or not—to gain traction in other schools and establishments and inspire many others to address the climate crisis,” Cainglet said.

During the final round, each team made their pitch and presentation before a panel of judges led by Dr. Rodel Lasco, a scientist who belonged to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for their climate change studies.

Other members of the panel of judges were Dr. Teresita Perez, University of the Philippines professor and ADMU lecturer; environment communications consultant Gregg Yan; Nena Wuthrich, SM Investments Corporation assistant vice president for sustainability and concurrent head of the SM Sustainability School; and actress Arci Muñoz, who is also a Department of Environment and Natural Resources advocate.

Signing in at the registration area
EDC president Jerome Cainglet (2nd from right) and First Gen vice president Ricky Carandang (4th from right) with other First Gen employees supporting ‘Code Green for Campuses’ finals event

Waiting for the big announcement
EDC president Jerome Cainglet delivers the opening remarks
Keynote speaker Mayor Joy Belmonte
Dr. Rodel Lasco (rightmost) with his fellow ‘Code Green’ judges (l-r) Dr. Teresita Perez, Nena Wuthrich, Arci Muñoz and Gregg Yan
1st place: Team Lumbricina, De La Salle University
2nd place: Team Blue EcoCrew, Ateneo de Manila University
3rd place: Team Silliman, Silliman University
4th place: Greenovators, FEU Institute of Technology
5th place: Green Minds, Technological Institute of the Philippine
Certificates of achievement were awarded to each member of the finalist teams

(Story/Photos by:Joel Gaborni)