Sustainability is here to stay, and a lot of companies are developing green business models and companywide environmental policies to help promote sustainability. In first world countries there are number of firms that boast being green and having environmentally friendly products and methods. In Asian countries however this is not so much of a priority. Most specially during pandemic.
The construction industry however is more than aware of the urgency to build more robust “green-solutions” into its operations to lessen the environmental impact.
With around 40 per cent of man-made global carbon emissions arising from constructing and operating buildings, it is fair to say the industry often falls under the spotlight for its negative contribution to the planet.
But here in the Philippines a AAA construction firm is hoping to become the first fully sustainable construction firm in the country. Thaison Builder and Developer Inc is one of the leading hospital contractors in the country is getting on board and developing new practices that help their company resilience in the long term.
“Like many companies we try our best to be committed, with the usual banning single use plastic in our offices and sites. It sounds pretty but the great thing about sustainability, is you can choose what is important for your company”. Says Arthur Cantor, President of Thaison Builder & Developer Inc.
“Once we defined our priorities and desired goals for the year, we decided to incorporate sustainability. When we started these practices we realized it is actually cost effective hence better business. And of course preserving resources for future generations is always a nice added benefit”
In all of Thaison Builders’ project sites workers and staff plant and harvest their own vegetables. They were provided with wooden pallet and variety of seeds, that are fast harvesting. Tomatoes, Okra, cabbage to name a few. Some of them get harvested 20 days, some up to 50 days. According to their workers It also adds to their positive mental wellbeing since the start of the pandemic where they are often placed in a strict bubble and stay in policy for months as safety feature during Covid surge. It is great for their outlook to nurture their food and harvest time is always nice to look forward to.
They also capture rain water through their DIY rain catch barrel system. “We wanted them to use things that are already available in the sites and be creative” says Arthur. “These are construction people and they have means and know how and to create these we made it like a DIY contest. So we just supplied materials they requested based on each sites’ design. It was gamified but also beneficial for them.” Workers on the sites used rain water for washing of clothes, watering their farm and cleaning.
In 2019 Thaison partnered with solar company to supply its solar spotlights and solar lamps that light up the temporary site buildings and barracks in the project vicinity. This resulted to up to 20% savings in electricity usage for the projects.
Also, a vast majority of the waste produced from demolition and construction was recycled or diverted from a landfill. Recycled materials were used when possible in the construction materials for producing chairs and tables to be donated to classrooms and the likes.
“Our tools and methods may not be cutting edge in terms of sustainability at the moment, but I am glad we took the initial steps so in the future we can continue to develop new methods and apply our principles for collaboration and maximize our resource efficiency” said Arthur.
Whether you’re looking to make your mark on the environment or capture maximum savings. There is always a right solutions and approach, any company can make maximum environmental impact and provide means to inspire other companies to do their part.
