SU inks energy deal with Green Core
(L-R) Asst. Prof. Jane Annette Belarmino, Silliman University (SU) vice president for Development, Enterprise, and External Affairs; Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president; Arlene Soriano, First Gen Corporation assistant vice president and Power Marketing and Sales head; and Joanna Tiffany Kayanan, First Gen Corporation Power Marketing manager, sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) about Green Core supplying renewable energy to SU, October 13, 2023 at the Conference Room of the SU Anthropology Museum.
Silliman University (SU), through its president, Dr. Betty Cernol McCann signed a memorandum of agreement with Green Core on October 13, 2023 at the Conference Room of the SU Anthropology Museum, extending the use of renewable energy on campus and reaffirming its commitment to a green and sustainable campus.
Since 2019, SU has been the only university in Negros Island and among the few in the country to be powered completely by renewable energy through its power supply contract with First Gen Corporation, the country’s leading power generation company.
McCann said that SU is very pleased with the results that it periodically renews its supplier upon the approval of the Board of Trustees (BOT).
Asst. Prof. Jane Annette Belarmino, SU vice president for Development, Enterprise, and External Affairs, said: “More than the savings generated by our switch to renewable energy, what is more compelling is our contribution to a ‘decarbonized and regenerative future.’ To concretize this, with just a year’s use of renewable energy from 2020-2021, we were able to prevent an equivalent of 974.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere.”
For 2023, SU’s BOT, through a Board Action, approved Green Core to be the retail supplier of renewable energy to power the University.
Green Core is owned by First Gen and is one of the country’s approved renewable energy suppliers under the government’s Green Energy Option Program.
Arlene Soriano, First Gen’s assistant vice president and Power Marketing and Sales head, said that while cost savings is a “huge benefit,” they understand that SU’s priority is to use green energy to power the campus.
“Being an institution that [helps] mold young minds, (Silliman University’s) action directly impacts the younger generation to be more conscious of choosing sustainability,” said Soriano.
(L-R) Atty. Ebenezer Lim, SU vice president for Finance and Operations; Asst. Prof. Jane Annette Belarmino, SU vice president for Development, Enterprise, and External Affairs; Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president; Arlene Soriano, First Gen Corporation assistant vice president and Power Marketing and Sales head; and Joanna Tiffany Kayanan, First Gen Corporation Power Marketing manager, show the signed MOA.
SU’s stewardship
SU considers itself as a steward of God’s creation.
“As an educational institution with its foundations anchored in the Word of God, Silliman University takes its role seriously. Thus, the University’s stewardship is reflected in its mission to be ‘a Christian institution leading in total human development for the well-being of society and environment,’ and in its vision to be ‘responsible and accountable stewards of the environment and other resources,’” McCann said.
In 2018, the University finalized its environment principles, policies, and guidelines, which highlight the University’s commitment to a green and sustainable campus. Among the prioritized initiatives are related to waste minimization, green building design and construction, renewable energy use and low utility consumption, material resource efficiency, water conservation, reduced environmental impact, eco-friendly mobility and transportation options, enhanced biodiversity, and preservation of green spaces.
McCann said that the University’s commitment to a green and sustainable campus is reflected in its internal management policies, which have university-wide application.
