Sustainable Sensibilities

 

The NUVALI community development in Sta. Rosa Laguna paves the way for sustainable eco-living. What brought about this initiative by Ayala Land to build the first sustainable community in the Philippines, is actually the desire to nurture the people who will live in it. At the core of it all, sustainable living is all about nurturing it's people – that means having a healthy relationship with our living environment through conscious evo-living.

I have been to Nuvali several times on family occasions whenever we feel like trying out something different. Malling can be pretty tiring, with all the white noise and visual overload, so on lazy weekends, the family goes to Nuvali for a breath of fresh air. Kids love the koi fish feeding and boat ride at the man-made lake. Personally, I love to take a walk on the jogging path that goes around the lake and after, breakfast at the nearby Starbucks coffee shop. It can get pretty windy there with all that wide open space, which is perfect for flying a kite. They also have bicycles for rent that you can use on the same wide jogging path. After all the activities, I just love to take a break at the nearby Conti's for a slice of my favorite cake.

Now isn't that just the perfect weekend? Both the kids and grown-ups enjoying quality time together, minus the stress that, sometimes, city living brings to us. That is what Nuvali is all about. That is sustainable living. All of those acitivities that I mentioned is all about living together with the environment. We give back to the environment, and it gives back to us. Now, how do you say is that eco-living? Nuvali answers.

Lounge area of the Exhibit Room with furniture pieces made of cork, Dedon  fiber and
other eco-friendly materials.

At the farther building after the Solenad in Nuvali is the sales office of Ayala Land which also houses an exhibit of how the Nuvali community works for sustainable development. It is a very interesting exhibit with a clear explanation of everything they've done and plan to do there, plus it is also an interactive display which kids will just love. The materials that they used for the furniture are made of environment friendly materials like bamboo, cork and dedon fiber. For the interior finishes, they used bamboo flooring and wood paneling, terrazo flooring, water-based paints for the walls and ceilings, and sustainable wood. In place of walls, they used floor to ceiling glass panels that are oriented to avoid the harsh rays of the sun, while concrete walls are built on the side of the building that cast the most sunlight.

I took pictures of exhibit items which are very self-explanatory and needs no further elaboration. If you read through them, you will learn so much about how to live sustainably and how easy it is to actually do them. Better yet, go visit the Nuvali in Sta. Rosa Laguna, it will be worth the trip.

The interactive exhibit area.

When you turn the box, you'll see how your trash becomes "treasure".

Water Management Programs that are being implemented in the Nuvali communities include
recycling storm water and the proper distribution of water for each specific purpose such as using  recycled water for
washing cars and flushing toilets.

Using permeable surfaces allows proper collection of stormwater to be distributed to the underground water table.

Passive cooling by proper orientation of windows and
a north-south orientation can reduce unwanted heat without taking away natural daylight.  

Some materials that can be used for the home that are compliant with sustainable living.