SM Prime, WWF-Philippines Join Forces to Nurture the Future Sustainability Champions

Recognizing today's youth’s key role as tomorrow’s guardians of the environment, SM Prime

Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) and World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines) have
teamed up to launch YOUth are the Future,a leadership program aimed to equip young student
leaders on environmental conservation , climate change, and sustainability issues.

“There is no better time than now to educate the youth. As stewards of the planet, it is important
that they have an opportunity to learn about environmental conservation, encourage them to
voice out their fresh ideas, and share new perspectives,” said WWF-Philippines Education for
Sustainable Development Project Head Dino Calderon.

“When we provide our young student leaders with learning opportunities and expose them to
practical solutions, we have a chance to help them design a sustainable future. We are
committed to make sure that things change for the better,” says Hans “Chico” Sy, President of
SM Engineering Design and Development Corporation (SMEDD) and SM sustainability
champion.

Commencing with the grand launch on October 10, 2023, the student ambassadors from various
Metro Manila high schools participated in a discovery tour around the SM Mall of Asia Complex,
which features SM Prime’s sustainability efforts and disaster resiliency practices. The formal
introduction of YOUth are the Future Ambassadors was held at the SMX Convention Center and
along with a pinning ceremony. Leaders and representatives from SM Prime, WWF-Philippines,
government agencies, and foreign dignitaries are also present at the event.

In a message she delivered during the event, Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said, “Our journey is really about the
race to resilience, as our climate changes, society is changing. Sustainability is our pathway to
survival as a planet and that is what resilience is really about, the ability to withstand the impacts
of the hazards that we know and those that we could face in the future.”

The youth ambassadors will participate in a three-day eco-camp at the Pico De Loro Beach and
Country Club in November, where they will learn about waste and energy management,
resource optimization, and climate mitigation and adaptation strategies from some of the
country’s experts.

Renowned for its role in Olive Ridley Sea Turtle conservation, the 3-day eco camp in Hamilo
Coast also serves as an immersive natural classroom in environmental conservation. The
expected output from the eco-camp is a Green Manifesto that outlines their plans to effect
change and a storybook module co-authored by all the participants. The program will culminate
through a series of mall and school tours throughout Metro Manila to boost youth engagement
and student ambassador recruitment.

In a message sent by her excellency Vice President and Department of Education Secretary
Sara Z. Duterte, she said, “This visionary program embodies the transformative power of
education and empowerment in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future. Taking
advantage of this program will give you all a head start on becoming influential figures in
creating a more sustainable and ecologically aware culture”.

Together with its partners, WWF-Philippines hopes to empower young Filipinos further to
become the next generation of sustainability champions. Programs like YOUth are the Future,
can help future generations become proactive leaders who can #ChangeTheEnding for the
planet.

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.