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In NUVALI, saving the environment is more than just the physical landscape. It is inclusive of the thriving of the thriving communities in the locale. And, while saving the earth means awakening the communities’ environmental awareness, it also means innovative ways to awaken an empowered community. This needs no complicated machines nor advanced technology.
Armed with creativity and a genuine passion to better the environment, partners of NUVALI in community development have taken an everyday need for charcoal, and created an innovative product that uses alternative sources from otherwise natural refuse organic matter such as leaves, grass, weeds, cogon, twigs, husks and corn cobs.
The demand for charcoal by the local communities in Canlubang is quite evident as one passes by the roadside stores. Piles of chopped wood, or ready-made uling from wood lay in sacks for the primary use of cooking. Recognizing the need for charcoal by the communities, and seeing the opportunity to green the supply chain, NUVALI partnered with the communities to develop an alternative product that could address the need yet mitigate the degrading effects for harvesting the trees.
“What we’re doing is making charcoal in an environment friendly way. This process shows that we don’t have to cut trees to make charcoal. We strongly discourage people from making charcoal out of wood,” Roberto “Bobby” Chan, one of the main proponents of the charcoal-making program.
The process encourages the communities to help NUVALI preserve the environment in ways that are practical and effective. For one, doing so recycles organic waste matter or biomass into charcoal instead of letting them decompose. This means lesser solid waste to manage.
Also, since cogon (a type of fast-growing grass) is the main ingredient in charcoal-making in NUVALI, it actually means that people involved in the industry makes a living virtually out of nothing.
Developed by Ayala Land, Inc, NUVALI is a 1,750-hectare property that spans the cities of Sta. Rosa and Calamba in Laguna. It is a thriving eco-community that is in the center of this booming region south of Manila.
The charcoal-making project is but one of NUVALI’s many social sustainability programs aimed at empowering communities create a viable business enterprise while building more environmental awareness in the area.
Since launching the program several years ago (before they actually started developing the property), NUVALI has already reached out to partner with the communities in the area to craft together livelihood programs and activities relevant to them.
It was Bobby who introduced the NUVALI team to the idea of encouraging the concept of zero waste and environmental awareness, and marrying that with the communities’ need for charcoal for everyday cooking requirements.
“What we’re doing are baby steps that make sense here in the country to better the environment and the lives of the people around NUVALI,” said Chan, who has been converting garden waste material into charcoal in his own community at the Ayala Westgrove Heights in Silang, Cavite. Considering the vast amounts of garden waste from landscaping the development, it only made sense to convert the material into something useful.
He also spearheaded the production of Vermincompost, an organic fertilizer and soild conditioner that is a mix of pure plant compost (80%) and earthworm castings (20%), for the landscaping requirement of Ayala Westgrove Heights. As a byproduct of the charcoal-making process, they also produce “liquid smoke” that acts as an insecticide and fertilizer.
Chan said that charcoal-making is very doable, even at the barangay level. It does not require any special training nor is it expensive.
The process is simple: The collected organic refuse is put in a grinder that shred leaves, grass clippings, and small twigs, which in turn hastens the composting process considerably.
They are then put in “aging” bins where they are dried. Drying can take from a couple of hours to several days, depending on the condition of the biomass (a plant matter that can produce heat). The drier it is, the better suited for charcoal-making.
When the materials are dry enough, they are then put in a carbonizer, an equipment that burns the biomass at a certain level where they become biochar, a highly porous charcoal made from organic waste.
It is this biochar that is then put in a mixer, where a natural binder is added to hold the biochar together, after which they are machine-pressed into charcoal briquettes.
The technology behind making charcoal out of biomass was developed by the Environmental Research and Development Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Los Baños. Not only is the process of charcoal-making uncomplicated, it also does not take very long. “With two people working on it (working 8 hours a day), they can produce about 3, 000 charcoal briquettes,” he said. “What’s good about charcoal made from organic refuse is that they are much cheaper than traditional ones made from wood that is cut down for the sole purpose of turning into charcoal,”
Nowadays, the charcoal briquette business benefits the communities for their everyday cooking needs. Even better is that it complements another business line which the partners have successfully launched – food catering business. By harnessing their everyday skill in cooking, the communities have partnered with NUVALI to develop a viable business. Today, the food service business caters to the needs of the construction sites, staff and employees based in the commercial district of NUVALI, events and production requirements. The community proudly shares that there was once a food service requirement for an event at NUVALI that had raised enough funds for the cooperative to purchase a service vehicle to enhance the operations of the business.
He said: “Making charcoal out of biomass just shows that all we need is common sense and the drive to save the planet. I encourage the communities at the barangay level, even beyond NUVALI, to try their hands at this eco-friendly venture,”
 The charcoal briquette business is quite physical with the cutting of the grass, and the preparation of the finished product. Hence, it is the male population of the community who mostly participates in the activity. With that, opportunities were also created for the female population. The activity had to be something the women could do at home, in between household duties and family time. With a little more research and exploration, it was a group decision to pursue a recycled paper product business line. All things considered, it was easy to execute, required simple skills, limitless opportunities to gather recycled paper supply, and a ready market starting with the Ayala Group of Companies. NUVALI assisted in the skills training and initial start-up operations with the women (and men) learning how to upcycle old newspapers and directories into multi-purpose baskets, bags, trays and accessories. The first of the companies who actively partnered with NUVALI on this project is Globe Telecom with a donation of 70,000 old directories. By providing an abundant supply of paper for the baskets with their directories, Globe Telecom did more for the environment and the communities than the usual method of disposal would have. By choosing to reach out and partner with NUVALI on this project, Globe Telecom has taken their business of telecommunications to create a socially responsible program that still resonates with what they do as a company. Today, the woven paper basket business is gaining exposure from invitations to exhibit at the recently concluded Ayala Sustainability Summit at the Manila Peninsula, the Asian CSR Forum at the Crowne Plaza, and the upcoming Children’s Hour benefit gathering. The baskets are also enjoying brisk sales this season from the Ayala Group.
At NUVALI, communities in the surrounding Laguna area, individuals like Bobby Chan, and corporations such as Globe Telecom are considered partners. It is in finding partners who share our passion that we can create that better place where people and nature can truly thrive sustainably – environmentally, economically and socially so.
If you share the same passion, write to ask@nuvalievoliving.com or ring 0917.5.ASK.NUV (275.688), or click your way to www.nuvalievoliving.com.
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