Editor’s note: This press release is sponsored by Climathon Pasig 2021 and was handled by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the publishing of this piece.

Climathon Pasig Camp and Ideathon 2021 concluded with three climate champions – Team GreEngineers, Team Hortons, and Team Ensemble. Now, they can make their ideas into realities and help solve their city’s most pressing environmental issues.

On its third year, of the 229 registered participants, ten citizen-led teams pitched and presented their climate solutions to any of the three design challenges to help Pasig City attain its goal of building a sustainable future for its local community.  Pitching of ideas and judging of submissions happened during the Global Climathon Week last October 25-29.

The winning ideas

Track your carbon footprint today

Team GreEngineers won the Climathon Pasig 2021 Design Challenge #1: How to enable Pasiguenos to actively reduce GHG emissions in the city through the adoption of sustainable practices? The team composed of Claire Venice Cawagas, Kurt Danielle Simbulan, and Kate-Lyn Trinidad aims to develop an app to track carbon footprint reduction where Pasiguenos can log their daily activities.

“Our goal is to open the minds of Pasigueños that small adjustments to their daily activities could make a huge impact in limiting the imminent global warming. Giving Pasigueños a sense of empowerment, we hope to create a spark inside all of us and bring out the inner environmentalist in us,” says Team GreEngineers. 

Walk and bike around with Kalakbay

Team Hortons’ Andrea Atendido, Nicole Cobarrubias, and Julianna Navarro were the champions for the Climathon Pasig 2021 Design Challenge #2: How to improve on current sustainable transport projects of the city through active co-creation and participation of Pasiguenos? They aim to develop a data-collecting map app, Kalakbay, which collates feedback and data from cyclists and pedestrians, to improve the current transportation challenges faced by the city. 

For Team Hortons, “without human-centered infrastructure design, mobility can be dehumanizing.”

Upcycle bubble wraps; turn them into Ahhyarn

Team Ensemble completes the roster of Climate champions for this year’s Climathon Pasig Camp and Ideathon. The jurors declared them winners of Design Challenge #3: How to develop a behavior and systemic change solution for the city’s solid waste management challenges using a public-private-people partnerships approach? The team includes Analyn Balog, Aila Bandola, Kim Divina, Vince Ilagan, Myrriel Mejia, and Ronniello Remudaro. 

Their proposed solution targets the growing waste accumulated from eCommerce orders, specifically bubble wraps. Team Ensemble sought to upcycle these bubble wraps by converting them to fibers that can be turned to yarn – thus, naming the project, Ahhyarn.

Team GreEngineers, Team Ensemble, and Team ECHOTHOME were this year’s recipients of the Unionbank UBPXcellerator Innovation Award.  Awardees will benefit from training programs hosted by UBPXcellerator. On the other hand, Team Ensemble earned the Pasig City Environment & Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Choice Award. 

The Climathon Pasig Camp and Ideathon 2021 Champion teams will undergo year-round training and mentorship from SCALE Solutions, Pasig City Environment & Natural Resources Office (CENRO), and Unionbank UBPXcellerator to equip them with the necessary skills in implementing their local solutions in one of the barangays in Pasig City. 

A virtual celebration of the Bayanihan Innovation

The Climathon Pasig Camp and Ideathon 2021, with its organizers FutureProof PH and SCALE Solutions, partners EIT Climate-KIC and the Local Government of Pasig City, co-presenter UnionBank and the UBP Xcellerator Program, created a space for climate champions to develop innovative solutions in various fields in a more participatory way.

Climathon Pasig 2021 would like to acknowledge its Organization Partners AISEC, Ateneo Chemistry Society, Climate Change Commission, Cloop,  Greenpeace, ICLEI, Makesense, Saricycling, and WiTech, its Thought Leadership Partners Atma Prema Wellbeing Group, PYXERA Global, Sakay, and the World Wildlife Fund, and its Media Partners, A Dose of Intensity, BusinessWorld, Manila Bulletin, Rappler, Sustainarumble, The Philippine Star, WhenInManila.com, and Rank Magazine.

The time to act is now. Let us continue to trailblaze in this Climathon journey. If you miss what went down in this year’s Climathon Pasig, check out our website, and let us connect on our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels! See you in Climathon Pasig 2022! – Rappler.com