The woke generation will have an important role to play in the fight against climate change.
In a webinar held on July 15, Aneka Abarrientos, a member of Cris’s Angels, said she and her fellow youth will be active in promoting sustainability and combating climate change.
“We play a very important role since the youth is the future of the next generation because the wokes are quite in touch with the different aspects of social realities,” Abarrientos pointed out.
Cris’s Angels is one of the finalists in Net Zero IdeaNation competition, a partnership between Nestlé Philippines and the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (DAME) of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB).
It is a program where DAME students (Foundations of Entrepreneurship) are challenged to ideate innovative business concepts and solutions centered on Nestlé Philippines’ three net zero focus areas.
Woke is defined by Meriam and Webster as “ aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues especially of racial and social justice.”
The ACENV team composed of Arianne De Goma, Neel Farson Angeles, Carmila Villaseran, Eljon Geroleo and Veronica Parreño recently emerged as the first champion in Net Zero IdeaNation.
De Goma said they developed their project in response to the current challenge of increasing oil prices.
She added that their concept takes off by combining solar power and electric vehicles that delivery riders can utilize as a more sustainable and economical alternative to motors.
The Coffee Cubes concept of Cris’s Angels, composed of Abarrientos, Mahonri Alquisalas, Justine Faith Deverla, Angel Vi Manong, Ma. Jhoanna Zapico, clinched the second runner-up award.
Their product offers the beloved Filipino commodity, coffee, in a compact, travel-friendly form, which comes in 100 percent plastic-free packaging. This aims to uphold sustainable material packaging and reinforce coffee plantations in the Philippines.
BayanBiogas, a community-based generation of sustainable and alternative liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from manure and food waste, bagged the first runner-up award.
This concept by Crizza Rodolfo, John Jayme, Justine Zamora, Ashley Anyayahan and Roque Banzon aims to fuel the community through more affordable and eco-friendly resources while promoting solid waste management.
Moreover, Nestlé Philippines has selected Hijo Hija Enerhiya! as the team with special citation for its concept about innovative playgrounds and parks that can generate electricity through tiles and equipment with built-in Piezoelectric Transducers.
The innovation is conceptualized by Abbey Jimenez, Mariellen Silab and Leara Varquez.
From 90 teams, 18 were selected to advance to the Net Zero IdeaNation Grand Finals that was held virtually on July 15.
Prior to competing in the finals, the finalists first underwent a mentoring session led by experts from Nestlé Philippines to help them further develop and polish their ideas for the pitching competition.
In the end, three teams were named as the first set of IdeaNation Champions.
“This partnership with UPLB was an avenue to help mold future entrepreneurs who prioritize social responsibility, critical thinking and innovation by providing them a platform to come up with solutions that help address climate change and first-hand industry knowledge through the mentoring sessions,” said Jose Uy III, SVP and Head of Corporate Affairs of Nestlé Philippines.
“When it comes to mitigating our environmental challenges, innovation is really important. We, as organizations and as individuals, must explore new ways to become more sustainable for the sake of our planet and the future generations,” Uy said.
“It is fulfilling to witness our students get involved in our shared journey toward Net Zero through innovations that will be beneficial to the world. We are grateful that this partnership with Nestlé Philippines has brought them beyond the four walls of our classroom and beyond the screens of their devices,” said Prof. Chip de Guzman, from the UPLB DAME-College of Economics and Management.
Through initiatives like the Net Zero IdeaNation and Klimathon: Our Race Towards a Net Zero Reality, Nestlé Philippines claimed it continues to empower the youth in embracing their crucial role in ensuring a greener, more liveable future in the planet the youth will inherit.