MANILA, Sept. 30, 2011—In a small roundtable last Thursday, several renewable energy advocates reiterated the need for the youth to be educated on issues surrounding renewable energy.
Michael Pitlock, a Senior Regulatory Advisor of USAID Philippines said that the youth must understand the technicalities and participate on the processes that involve renewable energy.
“Educate yourself as to the process of how prices are set, the commodities, etc., the youth and public must concentrate on the things that are in control of your utility. Don’t waste your time on arguing stuff that has no sense. Put you efforts on something that you can do,” Pitlock said.
When asked about specifics, he suggested for young people to be observant of the kilowatt usage in their own household so that they can quantify how electric power may be saved or wasted.
For his part, CBCP Youth Commission executive secretary, Fr. Conegundo Garganta, who was present during the roundtable, affirmed the need for a planned approached in raising the awareness of young people about energy especially in the context of the environment.
“This way of helping the environment, we still need to propose it. But it can start from the consciousness; hopefully, we can get a good response from the heads of the commission. As of now, we must begin to study it carefully and make serious strategic plan that we must be concrete in our response”, Garganta emphasized.
Garganta also discussed about the possibility of collaboration of the CBCP Youth Commission with the Center for Clean and Renewable Energy Development (CCRED) on matters of awareness raising.
The collaboration of the youth commission with renewable energy advocates was visible in the first Earth Hour observance in 2008.
RE advocates are setting roundtables in different locations across Metro Manila and plans to bring it to Cebu City on Oct. 25. (Jandel Posion)
