Children as Planet Savers in Museo Pambata’s Conference

Climate change is an issue that concerns everyone from scientists to government officials to big business to the average person. Environmental efforts to stem climate change are often focused on what city ordinances or major corporations can contribute, whether it’s curbing smoke emissions from vehicles or recycling. However, everyone has a stake in the welfare of Planet Earth - young or old, rich or poor - even children should learn to do their part.    

Museo Pambata aims to show how kids can participate in saving the environment through the 2nd Asian Children's Museum Conference to be held at the Manila Hotel, from February 2 to 4, 2012. This three-day conference focuses on the theme “Children and Climate Change” and is set to talk about how parents, teachers and other adults involved in working with children can tackle issues on climate change so that young people can play a more important role in the subject.
 
“Global communities are addressing climate change more keenly as we witness environmental havoc - earthquakes, flooding and extreme weather conditions. Children learn about this in school, media and from their parents, or experience these firsthand as victims of these environmental changes. It is important to know how the various sectors in society are addressing these issues on climate change,” explains Nina Lim-Yuson, president and CEO of Museo Pambata Foundation Inc.

Yuson aims to accomplish this by providing engaging and fun learning modules on climate change through programs, interactive exhibits and publications for children, hoping to inspire them to help with eco-efforts. “We want the next generations to be champions in their own way, to become “planet savers,” to be a part of the solution and not the problem.”

[previous|page|next]

Foreign and local experts will be at the conference to discuss their programs to help children understand climate change. “They are experts in the fields of disaster preparedness, health and wellness, schools, museums, and children's literature,” says Yuson. “By bringing together these diverse groups, we hope to come up with recommendations that are doable in the Philippine setting.”

To give further clarification on the local situation of climate change, the three-day conference will also involve some field trips to the Pasig River, Paco Market, the National Museum and La Mesa Ecopark. Here’s a sample of some of the topics that will be covered:

Gamot Cogon School Initiative
The Gamot Cogon Institute is an Iloilo-based cultural institution working to effect positive changes in society through alternative approaches to education, agriculture, health, and full human development.  The school aims to harness the undeveloped talents of children from poor, rural communities using the Steiner Education methodology (an interdisciplinary learning system integrating creativity, practicality and ethical responsibility, developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner). Education is from Kindergarten to 9th Grade and the school is based in a nature-friendly environment, which the students have easy access to.

Kwentista ng Mga Tsikiting
Known under the playful acronym KUTING, Kwentista ng Mga Tsikiting are a group of Filipino authors who write and illustrate children’s books. Founder Carla Pacis will discuss general aspects of Philippine children’s literature on climate change and its direction.

Plantsahan ng Bayan
This is a local government initiative where people can come over to a designated community area with electric irons, so they may press their laundry free of charge. Initiated by Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte-Alimurung, the project aims to make ecologically-sustainable livelihood projects such as these in Quezon City. The electricity generated for Plantsahan ng Bayan comes from the Quezon City Controlled Disposal Facility, a renewable energy plant that derives power from methane gas produced by the Payatas garbage dumpsite. The Plantsahan ng Bayan and the Quezon City Controlled Disposal Facility create a positive life-cycle whereby the residents of Payatas are able to clear the garbage in the area and benefit from it through energy conversion to suit their needs.

[previous|page|next]

Pocket Gardens
Another effort by Belmonte-Alimurung is “The Joy of Farming”, a Quezon City government project which aims to develop thousands of little vegetable gardens throughout the various barangays and schools in the area. The idea is to make use of small plots for farming and sustainable living to bolster food production in the area and overall nutrition for its residents, while decreasing air pollution through the cultivation of plant life and elimination of organic waste through methods such as composting.

Bamboo Bike
Bryan McClelland is an avid cyclist, environmentalist and entrepreneur, who has spearheaded the Bambike Project. His team of Filipino woodcrafters make bicycles out of bamboo for the crowded streets of Philippine cities. The bike frames are made of fire-hardened bamboo, sealed with a resin adhesive and secured with Manila hemp around the joints – an eco-friendly package that has the added bonus of boosting local livelihoods and lowering the local carbon footprint. He sells each bamboo bike frame for roughly P24,000, which is five times cheaper than the bamboo bikes made by American bike company Calfee Designs.

Veggie Oil Fuel
Chips Guevarra (husband of Olympic swimmer Akiko Thompson), president and founder of Alterenergy Systems Inc, and his father Ricardo, discovered an alternative fuel for diesel engines while surfing Google. The device, called a Straight Vegetable Oil system, allows a diesel engine to run on used or fresh vegetable oil. Father and son acquired the kit from the U.S. and successfully managed to get it to work in an old Mercedes-Benz they own. Afterwards, they reverse-engineered the converter, made modifications to its design and now advocate it as a more economical (it also saves on wear and tear for your engine due to increased lubrication and reduced engine deposits) and environmentally-sound alternative to diesel fuel.

For more details on the 2nd Asian Children’s Museum Conference, visit www.museopambata.org/acmc or www.facebook.com/acmconference

The ACMC Secretariat holds office at Museo Pambata Foundation Inc. along Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive Manila, Philippines. Call (632) 523-1797, 523-1798, 536-0595, 400-7558 or fax (632) 522-1246. You can also email info@museopambata.org.