Councilor Archival awarded for eco house

CEBU, Philippines - Apart from being a local legislator, he is more known for being an eco warrior.

Yesterday, Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival, an electrical engineer by profession, received yet another acknowledgement for being a green advocate.

The plaque of recognition was from the joint climate change advocacy program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 and the Philippine Information Agency-7.

PIA-7 regional director Minerva Newman and DENR-7 spokesperson Eddie Llamedo handed the plaque to Archival inside his eco house located in sitio Ylaya, Barangay Talamban, Cebu City.

Archival expressed gratitude for the recognition and hoped that his efforts would be imbibed not just by the people of the city he is serving.

The eco house, built in 2005 within his 7,000-square-meter property, was the realization of his lifelong advocacy of green development that starts from one’s home.

Two years prior, Archival was sent to Los Baños, Laguna which he described as a “very good area for solid waste management.”

The city government then launched “kwarta sa basura” campaign which buys recyclable wastes as a way to motivate and increase awareness in the barangay level.

PIA Cebu information center chief Rachelle Nessia said Archival was chosen among the list of prospects because his home covers multiple aspects of an eco house.

These include renewable sources of energy (solar energy, wind energy, biogas), water conservation, and waste management for both biodegradable and non-biodegradable recycling.

As a piece of advice to those aspiring to have an eco house, Archival stressed that it need not be as complete as his home now.

“Start small. You can buy a small solar panel and store energy. Then slowly, improve and expand. You read and research on possible ways,” the green advocate said.

Meanwhile, Archival, who also authored the ordinance requiring water catchment in homes around the city, eyes on repealing the old ordinance and revisit the new one.

“Right now, they can choose between the two on which to follow. There are differences like the minimum required cost. There is so much potential in 80 barangays sports complex. All of these do not have gutter and cistern. Rainwater just drips down and cause flooding when it could be used,” the councilor said. — (FREEMAN)