LUGAR Innovation Forum 1

Last Sept 1, 2012, EnPraxis, in partnership with UP Plano, held its first LUGAR Innovation Forum, a follow-through of the first forum which had the theme, "Reflections on the State of Environmental Planning". The LUGAR Innovation Forum focuses more on action; what concrete steps can be made given the challenges, opportunities and what changes can be initiated in terms of approach, process and thinking. From this, the LUGAR Innovation Forum had the objective of inspiring-engaging-towards innovations. Various partners were invited to present on Green Technology, Land Mapping, Design and Social Entrepreneurship and Food.

LUGAR (Land Use and Green Advocacy Revolution) Project is about 'creating change in the way things are'. It is about exploring possibilities of responding to planning issues and challenges with a different set of mindset and approach. It is about engaging the Social Entrepreneurship thinking: innovation, forward-thinking and result-oriented; to the out-of-the-box planning process and approach, and create workable and dynamic 'environments' or venues that bring about social innovations and solutions. It is more so about creating greater social impact. LUGAR Partners show that it is indeed possible.

Mr. Jason Reyes presented and showcased what they are doing with their Green Technology Innovations, Ozein. It responds to the problem of indoor air pollution that causes sickness and asthma to users. In partnership with the Palaya Corporation, LUGAR aims to also showcase the technology in providing clean air to various establishments such as hotels, cafe, hospitals, offices, among others.

Dr. Wilma Lara from Geodata Systems, Inc. presented the latest technology in GIS (Geographic Information System), which is a very useful tool in providing data about flooded and environmentally critical areas. LUGAR aims to utilize this tool for community participatory and collaborative planning.

Architect, Inventor and Technopreneur Philipp Inno presented his latest design technology innovations, the Nego Kubo and the Bloc Technology. Truly an inspiring revolutionary entrepreneur, Philipp's work is a testament on the possibilities of innovations that can provide radical solutions and response to social issues and problems, such as housing and poverty in our country. LUGAR aims to collaborate and connect with BLOC and NEGO towards creating more EcoPreneurs and innovations.

Atty. Dulce Punzalan, President of Filbamboo Exponents, Inc. showcased Social Entrepreneurship and Food Innovation, the Bamsnacks and various other uses of bamboo. She proves that Social Entrepreneurship is truly a holistic approach in providing solution and response to various social issues. LUGAR aims to partner with Filbamboo in providing income to communities while at the same time harnessing the potential of our hectares of land planted with bamboo. The next step for LUGAR Project is to engage more EcoPreneurs in creating well-planned and livable communities through participatory planning and Social Entrepreneurship.

My First Visit to GKs Enchanted Farm

Gawad Kalinga was founded by Tony Meloto and its Vision is to end poverty by the year 2024 thru 7-7-7. Its first 7 years was devoted to Social Justice, where they believed that each Filipino should live with dignity and have a home, so GK built hundreds of communities for the homeless thru self-help and volunteerism with moral and values formation. GK has now entered the next 7 years, which is Social Innovation and artistry. It aims to provide social and economic sustainability to its communities thru Social Entrepreneurship. The GK Enchanted Farm is a prototype which is aimed to be replicated in 12 sites all over the Philippines. And it was with great excitement to be able to finally visit the first GK Enchanted Farm located in Angat, Bulacan, for the 6th Social Innovation Camp.

The meeting place to convoy to the farm was at the Enchanted Farm Cafe along Commonwealth Avenue.  I arrived there at around 5am and was served soothing coffee and hot pandesal with white cheese, which all came from the farm.  We left at around 530 am and arrived  before 7am.  We gathered around the covered hall, welcomed and had our first breakfast at the Enchanted Farm.  

We then had a tour around the farm.  It was refreshing to see all the greens, trees, plants , the community and really good weather.  It is very inspiring, especially for a land use planner, to see how the farm has tremendously added value to an agri land that is supposedly isolated and inaccessible.  The farm is not just breeding plants and trees,but also communities and more so Social Entrepreneurs, as we got to see during our breakout sessions.  The Enchanted Farm can truly be a model in how we can develop and add value to our thousands of agri land that is undervalued and converted into 'ghost subdivisions' and barren developments.  

After the tour, it was inspiring to hear the founder and father of Gawad Kalinga, Mr Tony Meloto as he shared his Vision, purpose and dream.  It is truly a great time to be a Filipino.

The first Social Enterprise that we visited during the first breakout session was Enchantea.  It is a refreshing and healthy drink made up of 5 key natural ingredients: Lemon grass, pandan, duhat, avocado and kalamansi.  It aims to provide Filipinss an alternative drink from the unhealthy colas and  other beverages in the market while at the sametime providing communities business and income as they are the ones who propagates the ingredients while learning about Social Entrepreneurship.

The next Social Enterprise that we visited was Human Nature, whose products include shampoo, cosmetic lines, bugspray and many more.  The ingredients that are used are all natural and grown by GK communities as the company aims to be Pro Environment, Pro Poor and above all, Pro Filipino.    

Golden Egg Chain Inc. is a Social Enterprise that aims to provide a healthier alternative to the Itlog na Pula, the Golden Egg.  The salted egg is coated with a healthy ingredient usually used in Indian cuisine, called Turmeric.  It is a yellow powder substance that is said to be a natural antibiotic, low in cholesterol and improves digestion.  The enterprise also assists farmers in providing them sustainable source of income and trainings.  

Theo and Philo Chocolates and Kape Maria were also inspiring start-up Social Enterprises that brings a lot of promise in promoting the best of Philippine local coffee and chocolates.

Aside from the inspiring sharing of the different Social Entrepreneurs, another highlight of the camp was the 'Farmazing Race'- aka from the famous Amazing Race. It was a fun and engaging activity where we got to experience the farm thru puzzles, clues and a whole lot of running. Did I mention a lot of running? But it was a cool opportunity to bond with other participants of the camp, and to really memorize the ingredients of the different social entrep products.

Of course, we were also able to enjoy some yoga and relaxing time at the farm ;]

All in all, it was really a great learning and fun experience at the GK Enchanted Farm.

LUGAR Project Part 2

....From LUGAR Project Part 1

Moving Forward

Now we move forward.  Through its practice, EnPraxis has advocated a participatory and collaborative approach in Environmental Planning as a way to ‘actualize’ lessons from Forum 1 and actual experiences in various planning projects.  With the lessons from actual practice, EnPraxis explores possibilities of linking Social Entrepreneurship to Environmental Planning- thru LUGAR Social Enterprise. 

What is LUGAR?

LUGAR (Land Use and Green Advocacy Revolution) Project is a start-up Social Enterprise initiated by EnPraxis with the purpose of responding to the social and environmental issues by creating a platform for collaboration between planners, social entrepreneurs and stakeholders to come together and create viable and sustainable partnerships. 

1.  Platform for Planning Collaboration

The concept for LUGAR is inspired from the "Charrette", which refers to any collaborative session in which a group of designers, in this case the community, drafts a solution to a design problem, in this case social issues and problems.  The aim of LUGAR is to bring together innovators in a”Charrette”-inspired environment.

2.  EcoPreneur Incubator

 An EcoPreneur is a non-traditional capitalist that values social, environmental, as well as economic aspects in the holistic development process; a leader, innovator, advocate, entrepreneur and above all, conscientious and responsible vanguard of the principles of Sustainable Development.  LUGAR aims to be a training ground, 'school' and learning venue thru a mentor-apprentice collaboration and sharing environment. 

3.  Showcase of Green Products and Technologies

LUGAR is a platform to showcase ingenuity and innovation in creating green products and technologies and link to the market, while at the same time providing communities, individuals and groups additional means of income by engaging in marketing and selling of these products and technologies.    

Vision for LUGAR

2020 (Global) EcoPreneurs by 2020
  
...and to be able to replicate in different countries, different culture around the world.

 

LUGAR Project Part 1

Background

EnPraxis, an advocacy planning firm, in partnership with UP SURP (University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning), conducted Raison d’être 1: Reflections on the State of Environmental Planning last July 2009. It was a forum that was well-attended by students, academe and Environmental Planning professionals. Its main objective was to discuss issues, opportunities and the future of the profession.  The conclusion was that there are deep gaps between theory, planning and implementation on the ground and this is brought about by various factors, political, technical and lack of purposeful action.  There is a need for ‘change’, innovate, and create.

The Issues that confront us

1. There is a lack of harmonization in our current system of planning in the Philippines, bottom-up and top-down; 
2. Plans are either under-appreciated, unused and shelved, and becomes really more political rather than technical and community-based
3. There is lack of awareness, understanding and thus action and participation from communities, esp in relation to disaster risk preparations, mitigation, adaptation, and on other issues such as garbage, roads and infra, health, among others.
4. There is a lack of innovation, initiative and collaboration in terms of providing possible solutions to the various issues above
   

The Need for Innovation

Today, there are more pressing issues and problems that confront not just Environmental Planners, but moreso society as a whole and have further validated the conclusion of the first forum.  Global warming and Climate Change have been pushing us further to not just respond and adapt, but to innovate.

The question is: How do we transform ideas and advocacy into concrete action?

............continued to Part 2

Inspirations from TEDxKatips

I have heard about TED and have seen a number of presentations at Youtube and on TV way before attending the TEDx event in Katipunan Avenue.  I am honest to say that I wasn't really a fan before because I thought it was simply people sharing in front of the stage with an audience, as most seminars or talks do.  But after attending my first TED event-the TEDxKatips- I realize there is a huge difference, and that is- Inspiration.  People who share 'ideas worth sharing' in TED events are genuine 'changemakers'- men/women of action.  They do not just share concepts or ideas, they share results.  Its not about the speaker, not about TED, not about the audience; its about the idea, and what is most inspiring, is that they are real.  They are being shared by ordinary people, who are just 'a bit more inspired'- Dylan Wilk, CEO of Human Nature.

The story behind TEDxKatips is the revolution that gave us freedom more than a hundred years ago, led by our heroes who believed in the 'idea that the Filipino could live free'.

And now, after more than a hundred years, a new revolution is being fought.  Just as our heroes fought for our freedom more than a hundred years ago, TEDxKatips present 6 (six) modern day revolutionaries who are fighting for the idea that the Filipino people could live free- of poverty, corruption and mediocrity.  

Dylan Wilk, CEO and Founder of Human Nature

Idea worth sharing:  Love for country is the way to progress

 

What is so lifting, inspirational but at the same time gives a hint of challenge is to hear someone from another country tell you how great your country is, and is so passionate about making it a reality.  That is what Dylan, and his wife Ana Meloto-Wilk is doing with their 'Patriotic Social Enterprise', Human Nature.  To be able to provide sustainable sources of income to Gawad Kalinga communities, not just housing, is a real revolution in itself.  In traditional housing, and what is commonly the cause of failure, is the absence of livelihood for the community that is being relocated.  Human Nature is able to provide not just income, but a real sense of community where people contribute and add value to their lives and create world-class Filipino products

Arriane Serafico, Blogger, Postura Project

Idea Worth Sharing: Wear Filipino, Stop Worrying and Start Jumping!

Arianne inspires in doing simple things in starting a revolution.  5 things you have to stop worrying about are: 1.  "I'm not the best", 2. "Is my idea big enough?", 3.  "Too many problems", 4.  "Can I really change the world?", 5. "How do I start?".  She started something by just simply doing and committing to something for 30 days, that is to wear something Filipino everyday.  It's simple yet powerful, especially when you leverage on social media, your dream, and above all, jumping abilities ;]



John Chua, PWD (Photography With a Difference) Advocacy


Idea Worth Sharing:  To understand and change the lives of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) thru the power of photography, social media and passion.

John Chua is a very talented photographer, the way he does magic in making pictures really worth more than a thousand words. But what is more inspiring (and magical) is his advocacy in changing the lives and adding value to PWDs or Persons With Disability, and even extends his passion in preserving our national heritage, such as Batad Rice Terraces.  He asked why is nobody fixing the damaged terraces in Batad.  Somebody responded and said they are still waiting for the budget from the government.  Why, when the terraces was constructed by bare hands of our ancestors, and there wasn't even a government back then.  He is right.  Budget always impede us to take action.  According to him, "when you have no budget, the sky is the limit".  And he goes on to prove it really is.

Anna Oposa, Chief Mermaid, Save the Philippine Seas

Idea Worth Sharing: The worst global issue is apathy.  Start taking actions and protect our major resource, our waters

More often than not, planning and action are overtaken by excuses: politics, budget, and who cares.  What is inspiring is to see and hear someone who simply takes action, excuses or not.  Her 'hobby', writing letters (pertaining to environmental woes, among others) really creates ripples that eventually become waves in mainstreaming awareness and understanding about our richest bio diversities.   Sometimes it takes a 'no holds barred' approach to get your point across.

Mayor Pie Alvarez, San Vicente, Palawan

Idea Worth Sharing:   Younger generation to take on Public service and 'wake up' the system

To be the chief executive of a municipality teeming with potential and a host of issues is a challenge in itself, and to take it on at such a very young age is inspiring, especially for those who have lost faith in our governance system.  Not to take anything away from our 'experienced' politicians, but young minds really create dynamic possibilities by taking on unconventional yet simple approaches to problems, such as by simply asking- her story on how she conducted her campaign, instead of the traditional 'dreams and promises'. 

Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler

Idea Worth Spreading: Draw the line and say 'no' to corruption

It was a great eye-opener to hear her logic on how to 'fight' corruption.  Outside, one is really faced by real challenges and temptations of corruption, especially with the common notion- "everybody does it", "it's the system, how can you fight it".  Groups really play a big role in being able to confidently say 'No', and be able to curb the common notions- "Nobody does it", and "We can fight it".  

It was great to see actual 'revolutions' taking place after more than a hundred years when we finally got our freedom.  And its even better to see that we have never ran out of heroes and revolutionaries.  

It's really more fun 'to be a changemaker' in the Philippines.

My Notes On Entrepreneurial Perspective

The big difference between the Entrepreneurial Perspective and the Technician's Perspective (from Michael Gerber's E-Myth Revisited):

• The Entrepreneurial Perspective asks the question: "How must the business work?"; the Technician's Perspective asks: "What work has to be done?"
• The Entrepreneurial Perspective sees the business as a system for producing outside results- for the customer- resulting in profits; the Technician's Perspective sees the business as a place  in which people work to produce inside results- for he Technician- producing income;
• The Entrepreneurial Perspective starts with a picture of a well-defined future, and then comes back to the present with the intention of changing it to match the Vision; the Technician's Perspective starts with the present, and then looks forward to an uncertain future with the hope of keeping it much like the present;
• The Entrepreneurial Perspective envisions the business in its entirety, from which is derived its parts; the Technician's Perspective envisions the business in parts, from which is constructed the whole;
• The Entrepreneurial Perspective is an integrated Vision of the world; the Technician's Perspective is a fragmented vision of the world;
• To the Entrepreneur, the present-day world is modeled after his Vision; to the Technician, the future is modeled after the present-day world.
• The Entrepreneurial Perspective adopts a wider, more expansive scale.  It views the business as a network of seamlessly integrated components, each contributing to some larger pattern that comes together in such a way as to produce a specifically planned result, a systematic way of doing business; with the Technician's perspective, the scale is narrower, more inhibited, confined principally to the work being done.

According to Gerber, the Entrepreneurial Model has less to do with what's done in a business and more to do with how its done.   The commodity isn't what's important- the way it's delivered is. 

Creating a business and being responsible for it is really a 'shift' in the way of thinking; a balanced and inclusive environment where the Entrepreneur, the Manager and the Technician all find their natural place within it, so that they all find the right work to do- Michael Gerber

Lessons from Gerber

The past 2-3 years of managing a start-up (consulting) company have been, in the greater part, challenging, humbling and unique learning experience.  One of my mentors was right in saying that starting a company would be one of the most difficult things one could do, especially just coming-off from a corporate environment. From working and gaining experience from different (design/planning) firms to 'creating something' is a tremendous shift.  Books, mentors and trainings really help in sustaining that 'shift'.   

One of the books that has helped a lot is Michael Gerber's E-Myth (Revisited).  I'd like to share the important lessons I gained from this book.  

1.  The person that goes into business is actually three-people-in-one: The Entrepreneur, The Manager, and the Technician


The Entrepreneur is the visionary in us, the dreamer.  The Manager in us is the one that craves control and order, the one that always sees the practical side of things.  The Technician is the doer, the engineer, the architect, the lawyer in us, depending on professional expertise.  According to Gerber, if the Entrepreneur lives in the future, the Manager lives in the past, the Technician lives in the present.  Here's how he pictures it:
The Entrepreneur wakes up with a Vision.  The Manager screams, Uh Oh! While the two battle it out, the Technician just goes to work and minds his own business, does what he's very good at, the technical side, forgetting about the actual Business.  Gerber adds that if they were equally balanced, what he'd be describing would be 'an incredibly competent individual'- The Entrepreneur free to forge ahead with the Vision and areas of interest; The Manager would be solidifying the base of operations; and the Technician would be doing the technical work.  Unfortunately, based on his experience, the typical start-up business owner is only 10 percent Entrepreneur, 20 percent Manager and 70 percent Technician. 


The question is how to achieve balance and do things differently, and give the 'true entrepreneur' in oneself life to totally change one's experience in a business?

2.  The Technical work of a business and the Business that does that technical work are two (2) totally different things.

The fatal assumption of most start-up entrepreneurs is: If you understand the technical work, you understand a business that does that technical work.  Wrong!  Gerber goes on to cite that the "Technician suffering from an Entrepreneurial Seizure, a business is not a business but a place to go to work."  E.g. The carpenter, or the electrician, or the plumber becomes a contractor; the barber opens up a barber shop; the architect opens an office, etc.  According to Gerber, the real tragedy is that when the Technician falls prey to the Fatal Assumption, the business that was supposed to free him from the limitations of working for somebody else, actually NOW enslaves him".  Which is worse.  Because "suddenly the job he know how to do so well becomes one job he know how to do PLUS a dozen others he doesn't know how to do at all"- accounting, marketing, business development, etc.



How does one really 'mind' one's own business?


3.  There are three (3) phases of a business' growth: Infancy or the Technician's Phase; Adolescence or Getting Some Help Phase, and the Maturity, the Entrepreneurial Perspective.

 In the Infancy Phase, the owner and the business are one and the same thing.  According to Gerber, "there's nothing wrong with being a Technician.  There's only something wrong with being a Technician who also owns a business! Because as a Technician-turned-business-owner, your focus is upside down.  You see the world from the bottom up rather than  from the top down.  You have a tactical view rather than a strategic view.  You believe that a business is nothing more than an aggregate of the various types of work done in it, when in fact it is much more than that".  Gerber adds that "if your business depends on you, you don't own a business- you have a job.  And its the worst job in the world because you're working for a lunatic- You!.  The purpose of going into business is to get free of a job so you can create jobs for other people". 

Adolescence Phase begins at the point in the life of a business when one decides to get some help, and in the case of small business owners, the first employee is usually the accountant or the book keeper.  Sounds familiar.  However, Gerber adds that it is important to maintain a Management by Delegation, instead of Management by Abdication, which means, as a business owner, you simply must know all the ins and out of your business and do not just simply abdicate the responsibility to someone else. 

After these stages, there are three ways the business can turn- Getting Small Again, Going Broke or Adolescent Survival. 

The real question here is how do you go into the third phase of a company's growth- Maturity. 

According to Gerber, a Mature business knows how it got to be where it is, and what it must do to get where it wants to go.  "The person who launches his business as a Mature company must also go through Infancy and Adolescence, but he simply goes thru them in an entirely different way.  It's his perspective that makes the difference.  His Entrepreneurial Perspective."- Gerber

The lessons above are just half of the book, and it gets really more interesting.  I'd like to share the rest in another blog entry.   Meanwhile, on with the journey and real-life application of lessons and ideas. 

We choose Adolescent Survival.  The journey to Maturity is long, along with the development of the proper 'perspective', or Mindset that goes with it. 

Aja!