How and when was the project conceptualized?
The Climate Friendly Cities project is the first of its kind proposed in Southeast Asia and is an example of the innovative clean energy solutions envisioned by GRIPP for the province of Negros Occidental as part of the 100% Mabuhay Renewable Energy Negros campaign.
To complement the existing initiatives to make the province 100% dependent on renewable energy and energy efficiency in the electricity sector, GRIPP envisioned a sustainable transport component to complete the package of technologies.
The project’s origins can be traced to a campaign as early as 1996 by a few NGOs and civil society groups against the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental. When the coal plant plan was defeated in 2002, a coordinated plan built on the needs of the local communities was envisioned to supply the energy needs of the province solely from renewable resources, as well as to ensure the efficient use of energy from all sources.
The Climate Friendly Cities project expands the said plan beyond traditional renewable resources and electricity. It uses a low carbon approach to providing sufficient energy for continued urban development while mitigating the environmental problems that normally attend economic growth in the cities, specifically air pollution from diesel-based mass transport, and solid waste.