Project: Matter

Out of the hundreds of multisectoral expositions done annually, there are 3 that I look forward to with great gusto every year. First is any Philippine Trade Fair boasting of the finest locally-made products. I know, I know -- that doesn't count as one specific expo but it's a kind of expo that gets me excited nonetheless. There is pure joy in seeing what our fellow Filipinos ingeniously make out of the resources we have available. Second is -- pause as my heart skips a beat just by the mere thought of it -- the International Bazaar arranged by Department of Foreign Affairs and International Bazaar Foundation. This exhibit of the various foreign embassies is a global trip minus the pocket damage. Espadrilles from Spain, chicken coin from Singapore, foie gras by Farah Tolentino of Le Canard d'Or for France, South African Christmas tree ornaments, Matryoshka dolls from Russia, bangles and silk from India. The list goes on and on and on, folks!  Mindblowing for a wanderlust, I tell you. And third, is the CSR Expo organized by League of Corporate Foundations.

I am one lucky duck as for the last 2 expos I mentioned, I was fortunate enough to have been part of each as an exhibitor. In International Bazaar, when I worked for The Body Shop's Values Team (The Body Shop was part of UK embassy's exhibiting partners) and in CSR Expo, when I worked in VSO Bahaginan. In hindsight, I feel pleased that what sincerely interests me are reflected in my choices of employment.

I digress.

This year, I attended the CSR Expo as a guest. Or quite more appropriately and in jest, as a half-exhibitor. My husband is part of Globe Telecom's CSR team, Bridging Communities. Their booth was impressively paperless. They had an iPad propped up the middle of their booth and digital photo frames showcasing the documentation of their projects. Tech-savvy, huh. And I'm not just mentioning this because my husband works there :p Weirdly enough, I don't have a picture of their booth. Why, I don't know. Hmm.

It's always a pleasure to see how the private profit-raking sector aim to give back to our community. Sure, some a lot of companies do it for that pa-pogi factor and to up their PR value. But let us now shoot the heel of the entire business sector for the mistakes of a few. There exist businesses that have made social responsibility as an integral part of their company's mission. After all, if we check the requirements in putting up a business, it clearly states that every business must contribute to the development of our country. So to those who do it just so they can produce a sustainability report, or decrease their tax responsibilities, get their faces on pages of newspapers -- please don't think you've got us, the general public, fooled. We see through the bull.

Going around the booths, there's obvious improvement of the corporate take on social responsibility. There seem to be less one-shot activities for employee volunteering. More importantly, CSR teams now seem to strategize more effectively -- identifying the problems within their business locations and taking steps for resolution.

These are paper baskets from Nuvali which showcases their livelihood program called Alay sa Komunidad. It's a great example of the concept upcycling. Using old directories, magazines, and other paper products that are destined for the rubbish bins, the chosen community of Nuvali weaves these paper baskets into enterprising beauties.

Here's another one of their products, eco-briquettes. These are made of forest waste like twigs, branches, coconut leaves, etc. Eco-briquettes, compared to wood charcoal, sustain heat for a longer period of time and has lower level of carbon dioxide emissions.

This is a part of the booth of UCPB. I was greatly interested by their program for the wives and daughters of the farmers. They have entrepreneurial programs for the men and as someone from their team said, "Nabuo ang programa na ito kasi -- ano naman ang gagawin ng mga babae habang nag-aani ang mga asawa at ama nila?" Oo nga naman. And if you read, Half The Sky -- which I will place in another post -- we must come to terms with the fact that women are such undervalued resources.

Here's SM Foundation's booth (with of course, the seemingly now requisite 'commitment wall,' hehe). We have all seen SM's eco-bag but unbeknownst to many, SM has also initiated a lot of efforts in mainstreaming disability. I'm a huge fan of SM malls' restrooms for persons with disabilities (PWD). I remember getting to use one when I was almost at the end of my pregnancy and needed every help I could getting to move around. Also, I have yet to witness the outcome myself but the staff of SM have supposedly been trained on disability and sensitivity. They have partnered with (if I remember correctly) Autism Society of the Philippines and National Council on Disability Affairs to help them on their advocacy both in direction and implementation.

Kape Isla gave away free coffee for attendees of the exhibit. I can attest to the goodness of the coffee they offered because going home, my husband had a recycled paper bag in tow. What was inside? Coffee beans from Kape Isla, of course. 

On the topic of food, lunch served was made from locally sourced ingredients. For a conference that gathers a rather big amount of fee from its delegates, I think the grub could've been better. Of course, credit should be given for keeping with the theme of 'being a green event' but green food or organic food doesn't necessarily equate to mediocre fare for the taste buds.

It's worth noting that CSR Expo is rich with people who are full of interesting stories. Listening to what they have to say is one of the things that keep me looking forward to this annual event. I'll tell you more about the people I met in this year's expo in my next post.

Cheers! :)