Global expert says creativity is a waste

CEBU, Philippines - A global expert from the De La Salle University-Manila said creativity is a waste.

Dr. Anna Bella Siriban-Manalang, a Global Expert of the United Nations Environment Programme said so during her talk on Sustainable Consumption and Cleaner Function during the Learning Session on Green Productivity at the Department of Science and Technology VII (DOST-7) last Friday.

 “Thinking skills of people is a waste because it is not being used to properly manage resources,” Manalang said.

Organized by the Philippine Quality and Productivity Movement-Visayas (PQPM-Visayas) in cooperation with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board VII, Dr. Manalang was one of the guest speakers who talked about sustainability and its significance to the country’s economic and environmental conditions.

Representatives from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Local Government Unit of Mandaue City and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) were invited from the government sector while representatives from 22 companies and institutions were invited from the private sector.

Manalang shared her expertise in the field of industrial engineering by pointing out the effects of improper utilization of resources in terms of production and distribution and the efficiency of resources.

According to Manalang, there is a concept from lean manufacturing called the seven wastes which are various processes in all types of resources. She explained this through TIMWOOD, an acronym which stands for Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overprocessing, Overproduction and Delay.

She added Creativity and described it as the biggest waste because it is not being utilized by people to promote environmental and economic sustainability.

However, Manalang said that balancing economic and environmental sustainability is a challenge because the boom in the industry compromises environmental conditions in terms of waste and waste water disposal.

She even cited her personal experience of wanting to pick up garbage she sees on the streets, “Ako, I personally would want to pick those garbage pero ano’ng magagawa ko kung ako lang mag-isa tapos yung iba tumatapon pa rin, (…but what can I do if I am the only one doing it and others still continue to throw garbage everywhere.) ” said Manalang.

Manalang is the Director of the Center for Lean Systems of De La Salle University (DLSU), in the Philippines, and Research and Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering within DLSU’s College Of Engineering. She has travelled to different countries through her advocacy for sustainability and is a Global Expert of the United Nations Environmental Program International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. (FREEMAN)