The Green dream

A big example is being set by the small town of Bani.

By tapping the participation and resources of the private sector, this second-class municipality with a population of only about 48,000 is now looking at a future where its household and commercial power supply could possibly come fully from renewable energy.

First there’s the wind power project being planned by Japanese firm More Energy, which could produce 30 megawatts of electricity using modern windmills, enough for the town’s needs, plus a related ice plant project that will expand Bani’s fishing industry.

Bani is fortunate in that it is strategically located along the coast of the Lingayen Gulf, sitting on a spot that serves as a point of entry for wind stream from the South China Sea. But the potential of that auspicious position would not have been awakened if not for a resourceful local administration. Mayor Marcelo Navarro Jr., who has just been re-elected for a second term, deserves much of the credit for his initiative.

Second, there’s Global Engineering of Spain that has so far staked about Php11 million for a feasibility study on setting up facilities for producing biomass energy using farm wastes such as hay stock, rice husks, woods chips and corn cobs. Aside from power generation, the project is also being planned to include a facility for drying 500 tons of rice per day, a boon to the town’s agricultural sector.

Then, alternating with the rice crop, the town is looking at the introduction of sorghum farming for the production of ethanol fuel.

These are not sporadic projects plucked out here and there, rather they are part of a bigger goal to turn Bani into a “Green City” by 2020, one that not only uses environment-friendly energy sources but maximizes the potentials of its natural resources through sustainable means. Bani’s vision is an example that should be emulated by all local government units. Every town and city must aspire to be ‘Green’ today for the sake of the future generation.

There are many sources for renewable energy – there’s the sun, wind, rain, water, biomass – and there are many options on how these can tapped by the LGUs.  As Bani is showing us, it is not a matter of being big or small; it is about having a vision and the political will to make a green dream come true.

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