Greater urgency for environment

RECENT proofs of the nation’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change have heighten the commitment of Nuvali as an eco-community to influence mindsets of people to favor sustainable living and business practices.

Jun Bisnar, Ayala Land vice president and Nuvali general manager, said the damage caused by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng serves to underscore the urgency of acting together to mitigate the impact of environmental degradation and global warming.

Speaking at the awards night of Dirt Weekend, a campaign to promote leisure and competitive biking at the 1,750-hectare Nuvali eco-community spanning the cities of Sta. Rosa and Calamba in Laguna, Bisnar said Nuvali takes up with more dedication the role of increasing people’s awareness and commitment to take care of the environment.

Since its formal launch this year, Ayala Land has presented to the public its “evoliving” concept for Nuvali, a master-planned township that exemplifies living in harmony with nature.

Trailblazing in a large-scale eco-community is a decision that Ayala Land has taken to heart, fully convinced that the thrust for sustainable living is the right thing to do even if pursuing it with a huge  project initially takes up a higher development cost.

Market response has only been affirmative. Over half a billion pesos worth of commercial lots have been sold during Nuvali’s prelaunch offer. Abrio, the residential enclave of Ayala Land Premier, was sold out within a week of sales, while Treveia of Alveo Land and Avida Settings Nuvali of Avida Land are on their second phases of home development.

Its lakeside retail center Solenad has also been providing exciting choices for dining and coffee enjoyment. Opening soon are convenience-shopping outlets for visitors.

Xavier School awaits its opening in Nuvali within a 15-hectare property. Faced with the opportunity to plan a campus and design learning experiences for its students with sustainability and conservation as guiding principles, Xavier School-Nuvali hopes to reach out to students south of Metro Manila. It envisions the establishment of a showcase for 21st-century learning that fosters a strong sense of stewardship for the environment.

“Our mission is to form leaders for tomorrow, and certainly the world will increasingly need leaders who understand and know how to deal with issues about the environment,” stated Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, director of Xavier School.

Upon the completion of the South Luzon Expressway rehabilitation, Nuvali can be reached by just 30 minutes’ drive from Makati, and provides a new address for living and doing business well while taking care of the environment needs of the future.

As an innovative large-scale development in the Philippines that implements a dual-piping water system, it gives the entire community the option to manage its water consumption through the utilization of recycled and potable water for various household uses. At full build-out, a 4-hectare multifunctional lake will serve as the water-catchment system for rainwater harvesting, fire reserve and graceful landscape element.

Nuvali also comes out with another first in master-planned community building with its main eight-lane tree-lined road spanning 7 kilometers long. This will be part of its privately managed mass-transport system where choices include safe biking along dedicated bike lanes, a scenic commute on the water taxis, and dedicated pedestrian lanes designed with proprietary “rammed earth” stone pavers that allow water to permeate back into the ground.

Nuvali was recently chosen as a destination showcase for green-industry initiatives to promote the goals of the successfully concluded International Conference on Green Industry in Asia (ICGIA). The ICGIA was organized with the government in September by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the UN Environment Program, and the UN Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific. The gathering produced a landmark accord among participating Asian countries that outlines ways of encouraging businesses to lower carbon emissions to avert climate change.

Nuvali pursues an integrated social-responsibility program true to its social-sustainability pillar. Committed to source 40 percent of its labor force from the communities to help in estate management, it works with a reputable nongovernment organization for training in skills, leadership and values formation. The communities have already formed cooperatives, and have already launched three business-opportunities. The future business community components of Nuvali are encouraged to undertake their own sustainable corporate social-responsibility programs.

Source: Business Mirror