SM Prime Holdings hold 2022 International Coastal Cleanup together with SM Cares, SM By the Bay

SM Prime Holdings, together with SM Cares and SM By the Bay once again took part in the annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), bringing together thousands of volunteers into an event that underscored the importance of protecting the world's seas, oceans, and other bodies of water. The event was held last September 17 at the SM By the Bay Central Park, SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

A total of 2,438 volunteers joined this year's ICC, composed of students, professionals, and others from different private and public organizations. At the end of the activity, an estimated 12,158 kgs of trash, equivalent to a total of 1,613 trash bags filled, was successfully collected.

Among those who graced the event were Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson Sec. Robert Borje, Department of Environment and Natural Resources - National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan, DENR-NCR Regional Executive Director for Technical Services Engr. Ignacio R. Almira, DENR-NCR Regional Strategic Communication and Initiatives Group Head Chris Villarin, DENR-NCR Communication Development Officer II Ariz Abad, SM Investments President and CEO and 2GO Group President and CEO Frederic DyBuncio, SM Prime Holdings Inc. SVP Glenn Ang, SM Supermalls SAVP for Operations Perkin So, SM By the BAY Mall Manager Marie Charlene Claire K. Canoy-Narvasa and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Philippines’ Markets and Assurance Executive Director Allan Cao.

SM By The Bay and SM Cares’ ICC event for this year was done in collaboration with different private and government agencies

The ICC is a yearly global event that encourages individuals to be part of the movement for cleaner seas and oceans. Every year, thousands of Filipino volunteers from various sectors and communities join the efforts to help ensure the cleanliness of the shorelines and waterways in the country.

“The International Coastal Clean Up is part of the overall SM Green Movement. As a proven responsible property developer and community partner, SM Prime’s various Sustainability programs across its malls, residences, hotels and leisure properties promote resource conservation & environmental protection for an improved quality of life in the communities it serves,” said SM Supermalls SAVP for Operations Perkin So.

This year's event was made possible by SM Offices, 2GO, PwC, Maynilad, and International Coastal Clean Up Philippines. DENR-NCR, the Climate Change Commission, and the Philippine Coast Guard were also present to provide their support.

Aside from the annual observance of ICC, other sustainability projects of SM Cares include the Trash-To-Cash Recycling Market where individuals can drop off their recyclable waste in exchange for cash; the Plastic Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Programs which promotes responsible plastic and electronic waste management affecting our seas, just to name a few.

SM Cares is the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, responsible for initiatives that promote sustainability and the development of the community. SM Cares’ advocacies include programs on Women and Breastfeeding Mothers, Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens, and Children and Youth, as well as the Bike-Friendly SM initiative, in addition to its Programs on Environment.

To learn more about these, visit www.smsupermalls.com/smcares. 

SM Turns to Rain Water Harvesting a key to Living Flood Free

Climate change is real and Filipinos are among those who can attest to the devastating effects it brings to everyday life. Faced with about 20 typhoons a year, the Asian Development Bank reported that the total impact from storms have reached about US$20 billion from 1990 to 2020. It causes a temporary disruption due to mass evacuations which bring about an average of 2-8% reduction in gross domestic product annually. 

Despite the reoccurring devastation felt during calamities, Filipinos still manage to see the humorous side of life and are often reported as one of the happiest people in the world. However, this may soon be tested as, according to the latest report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, things are about to get worse as the planet heats up, accelerating the effects of climate change and making the Philippines more vulnerable to drastic changes in weather patterns. 

On average, the Philippines receives about 2,400 millimeters of rainfall each year, one of the highest in the world. While this poses a problem for the country, there is a silver lining, as it can also be the solution for water scarcity. However, currently the Philippines only harvests around 6% of its rainwater compared to India which harvests around 60% of the 700-millimeter average rainfall it receives each year. 

Rain Water – a friend or a foe?

Water is a scarce resource. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 6 identifies access to clean water as one of the global priorities to be achieved by 2030. Aligned to its environmental responsibility programs, SM takes a closer look at the use of water and how it can be turned from a foe to a friend.

SM builds its malls and integrated lifestyle cities with resilience and sustainability in mind. Understanding the value of water, SM builds rain water catchments in its malls to harvest large volumes of rain water particularly in flood prone areas.

“We approach it two ways: resilience – to help communities be flood free; and sustainability – to optimize water which is a scarce resource so we can use it for other purposes rather than just waste it,” says Architect Fides Garcia-Hsu, Vice President at SM Engineering Design and Development.

Vermont Park and Vermont Royale are two communities that once saw rain as a foe. Every time it rained, their neighborhoods ended up under water, damaging their homes. Today, home owners welcome the rain as water that can be harvested and stored for future use. The reason? SM City Masinag’s rain water catchment facility!   It has a 17,681 cubic meter water capacity. The two communities connected their drainage systems to the mall which is equipped with three 30HP submersible pumps which are used to pump out accumulated rain water. 

“Wherever SM is, we try to help our communities become resilient to changing weather patterns,” explains Arch. Garcia-Hsu. “Nationwide, we have 20 malls equipped with rainwater catchment facilities that help rain water management to avoid flash floods for surrounding communities.”

SM joins Earth Hour 2022; Lights switch-off, Virtual Run part of activity line-up

As part of the company's sustainability efforts, SM Supermalls, through its corporate social responsibility arm SM Cares, is once again joining the world in observing Earth Hour, with this year’s theme "Shape Our Future," focusing on how we can work together in halting and reversing climate change and nature loss by 2030.

Earth Hour is an annual campaign launched in 2007 by the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that encourages the turning off of non-essential lights as part of energy conservation efforts for the planet. Since its first observance in the Philippines in 2008, SM has been joining the campaign every year, being one of the first in the private sector to support it.

This year, SM will continue to promote the campaign by being one of the official partners of WWF for the Earth Hour Virtual Run, to be held from March 26 to April 22. Aside from this, all SM malls will be joining the light switch-off on March 26 from 8:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

"SM is proud to have been supporting Earth Hour throughout the last 14 years. Every year, we partake in this very important movement because we want to inspire people to action and tell them that no matter how small their contribution is, it will go a long way if we work together," said Engr. Liza Silerio, SM’s Vice President for Corporate Compliance and Head of Sustainability. 

“Through Earth Hour, we want to engage over a billion people worldwide and engage decision-makers whether in business, institutions, and governments, to move the agenda of nature up the priority list in the global sphere and in the national agenda. We want people to lend their voices as we're shaping our future, 

and hopefully, we'll be changing the ending for the positive – for both people and the planet,” said Atty. Angela Ibay, Climate and Energy Program Head of WWF-Philippines

Aside from joining the campaign every year, SM has been active in environmental protection in many ways. For instance, all SM malls are equipped with energy and water conservation facilities. The company also regularly joins tree planting activities, and has waste management initiatives such as Trash-to-Cash, e-waste and used acid lead batteries collection programs, and the plastic waste collection program with the Plastic Credit Exchange.

SM has also been investing more in renewable energy. Eight malls in the country and three in China are now equipped with solar panels, with more to follow in the coming months. SM also pledged to increase its use of renewable energy to 50 percent of its overall energy usage by year-end.

SM City Tuguegarao Downtown Solar Rooftop

SM's other sustainability initiatives include the annual Green Film Festival, promoting environmental awareness among students and the youth through films; the AweSMSeas project, promoting awareness on the negative impact of plastic waste on seas and oceans; and the International Coastal Cleanup joined by thousands of volunteers every year, to name a few.

SM Cares is the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, supporting initiatives that focus on communities and the environment. In addition to its programs on the environment, SM Cares’ advocacies include programs on women and breastfeeding mothers, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, children and youth, and the Bike-Friendly SM Program. 

Visit www.smsupermalls.com/smcares to learn more.