MANILA, Philippines — A patch of land that once served as a jeepney terminal and a dumpsite behind the UP campus is now a showcase of how people, through sheer will power and cooperation, can create paradise out of wasteland. The Simulan Nating Gumawa (SINAG) Eco-Center at the corner of Ventura Street and Katipunan Avenue was recently inaugurated.

The SINAG Eco-Center was built through the initiatives of Cravings Group founder and president, Susana “Annie” Pascual-Guerrero, and co-founder Floy Aguenza. Besides the building where the livelihood activities of Super Manangs and Pansol Recycler’s Club Livelihood Projects members are held, a bright patch of green provides color to the place. There are vegetable plots that employ organic farming techniques, composting site, reusable and recyclable materials area, and small apiary or bee farm that is gaining attraction among visitors.

Guerrero recalled how she and the organizers of SINAG survived obstacles as they moved to build the place. “It was an uphill battle for us, because some people do not care or choose to ignore what we are doing. We need to educate them, that acts that are good for our environment will translate to long-term benefits for us,” she said. On her part, she helps the Eco-Center become sustainable by buying vegetables from the garden, which are used in the kitchens of her chain of restaurants. Women also make money for themselves and the center by creating accessories and decorations such as bags, bracelets, night lamps and other items made from reusable old materials such as paper, bottles, plastic and drinking bottles.

Slowly, Annie has turned a number of skeptics into believers through her Super Manangs, who now consider themselves productive members of society because they finally embraced her Go Green advocacy. Melissa Ocate, a 39 year-old mother from Barangay Pansol, earns additional income for her family by making paper crafts for three years now, and she is proud to say that aside from the environmental and financial benefits, she gets to bond with her children through her work. For a 29 year-old single parent of two kids like Mary Anne Gallo, the trainings she got from the Super Manangs Livelihood Projects helped her move on to a new phase in her life after separating with her husband.

The SINAG Eco-Center is the latest among eco-Centers initiated by Guerrero. She is happy that some of the skeptics now see the positive side of this endeavor. She is assisted by her colleagues at the Zero Waste Philippines who share their expertise as resource persons in solid waste management training at the center. “Before, some coconut vendors just dump the husks and shells in front of the garden as they don’t see the need for the waste to bring home. We were just too happy to get it from them. These coconut husks make good material for composting. Then later on, the vendors put them in sacks and give it to our gardeners,” she said.