ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF

ATENEO DE NAGA UNIVERSITY IN S/Y 2018-2019

A research paper submitted to the faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
of Ateneo de Naga University - Senior High School Department in partial fulfillment of the
requirements in Research in Daily Life II

Jairod Alday
Eian Peter Banzuela
Paolo Pron Canapi
Crismar Debil
Julie Anne Divison
Jan Ram Federico
Angela Marie Hinlo
John Patrick Ilao
Lance Christopher Lelis
Paula Bianca Malanyaon
Mariel Aimee Martinez
Lurd Synell Najarilla
Gwyneth Pentecostes
Sukraj Takhar
Roni Villagarcia

Ramona S. Renegado, Ed D.
Research Teacher

December 2018
 Chapter 1

Introduction

Background of the Study

Rapid advancements in technology have been the primary vehicle of economic

development in the current century. Technology paved the way to faster means of trade and

production, innovation and more efficient utilization of resources, and an overall improvement in

the quality of life. However, as a direct consequence of our pursuit of economic development,

the environment is slowly but steadily being diminished.

Resources are gradually being depleted as they are continuously consumed for the mass

production of a wide range of products. The human population has been growing faster than ever

before, and tracts of land and forests are being converted into industrial, residential, and

commercial zones to cope with the demands of a growing society. In addition to the destruction

of these ecological habitats, wild organisms are also being threatened by the pollution produced

by urban areas. Numerous species are failing to adapt and are facing extinction — some have

even gone extinct already — which reduces biodiversity and severely disrupts ecosystems. If the

deterioration of the environment is neglected, human society may have to deal with irreversible

consequences that could completely overturn decades of economic development.

Even so, economic development is a necessity for human society, and so the deterioration

of the environment seems to be inevitable. Nevertheless, the enactment of environmental

legislation is an effective remedy for the environmental deterioration caused by economic

development (Panayotou, 2016). Society should, therefore, prioritize developing and upholding
environmental protection policies to protect the environment; a sentiment that the world at large

is quite conscious of these already.

Nations around the world, especially the advanced first world countries, are taking the

initiative to mitigate the destruction of the environment. The Philippines is no exception. The

country has made meaningful strides in terms of environmental legislation over the years.

The direct consequences of economic development on the environment are acknowledged

by Presidential Decree 1586 (Environmental Impact Statement of 1978). As a response, the

Environmental Impact Assessment System was established as a planning and management tool

for implementing environment-friendly projects, hoping to attain a balance between economic

development and environmental protection. Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste

Management Act of 2000) and Republic Act 6969 (Toxic Substances, Hazardous, and Nuclear

Waste Control Act of 1990) ensure the proper treatment and management of wastes for the

protection of the public health and the environment. Moreover, Republic Act 8749 (Philippine

Clean Air Act of 1999) and Republic Act 9275 (Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004) identifies

and regulates different sources of pollutants to minimize pollution.

These are only a handful of measures of the environmental laws that the Philippine

government had legislated. At a cursory glance, the Philippines would appear to be truly invested

in protecting the environment and are working hard to achieve that goal. However, upon closer

inspection, these efforts might not be enough. In fact, the same can be said for many other

countries.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (2018) surveyed the trade sustainability of several Asian

and Western countries. One of the factors included was the so-called “environmental pillar”.
This was defined as the “extent to which a country uses natural resources and manages the

externalities that arise from economic growth and participation in the global trading system.”

This also includes the level of air and water pollution in the country. Only three countries

showed improvements from the previous survey in 2016: China, Laos, and Pakistan.

Despite all the effort being poured into environmental legislation, the Philippines is

failing to show any substantial results. Environmental laws cannot be effective if they are not

being followed and enforced

Sharholy (et al., 2008) clarifies, ​“​... waste management depends upon the active

participation of both the municipal agency and the citizens, therefore, sociocultural aspects

mentioned by some scholars include people participating in decision making community

awareness and …” This statement supports the ESWM Act of 2000 and also points out an

important factor of a successful waste management system - the level of awareness of the people

in a specific place. The level of awareness pertains to the different conscious awareness of

individuals about a specific phenomenon. In this case, the level of awareness of individuals in an

institution about waste management is as important as recognizing the importance of and the

need for a systematic operation of activities providing the collection, separation, storage,

transfer, processing, treatment, and disposal of waste, as well as the prevention of

overconsumption and excessive practices.

In light of the level of awareness, a waste management system should emphasize the 4 Rs

of waste prevention - reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery. Empirical data suggests that the

practice of these techniques creates environmentally conscious actions in a business or institution

that reduces costs, production, and detrimental ecological effects in general. It’s high time for a
society that fitting solutions be taken for waste management, possibly through reducing than

recycling.

In the Bicol region, industrialization has just met its prime years and has not yet reached

most of the cities’ resources and spaces. This does not, however, imply that the province of

Camarines Sur, and its neighboring provinces, is not under the same law and responsibility of

preventing and controlling waste present and produced. Majority of the barangays in Naga City

have no material recovery facilities as part of solid waste management goals, which is why it is

important for big corporations, businesses, and institutions to set examples and standards on

waste management as encouragement to the locale.

In institutional limits of Ateneo de Naga University, trivial awareness from its members

will induce slight to striking “mismanagement of solid wastes”. The population density within

the institution that is of great height, with no facilitation and useful interventions, may lead to a

“chain of multidimensional chain of issues scaled to unmanageable heights.” This explicitly

addresses an equal amount of waste which requires a proper and systematic waste management

system in line with the school’s mission, vision, and curriculum.

Institutional waste comprises the consumed amount of paper, plastic, glasses and other

materials which quantity is further aggregated in educational administrative and public buildings

and premises such as schools, colleges, and offices. Any material or resource in the material flow

pattern that is rejected by society is called waste -inorganic or organic (Da Zhu et al.). Existing

practices and inputs on the different types and amount of waste consumed in the institution could

be assessed and discussed further in detail to see the environmental and economic impacts.
Objectives of the Study

In order to mitigate the deterioration of the environment, it is important that

environmental protection policies are to be followed and enforced. The Ateneo de Naga

University is a local academic institution that could set a precedent for the surrounding

community. The study aims to assess the contributions of the university to the protection of the

environment through the following objectives:

1. Evaluate the waste management system of the university;

2. Evaluate the energy conservation practices of the university;

3. Survey students and staff of their awareness of and participation in the university’s

environmental protection policies; and

4. Recommend measures to improve the university’s environmental protection policies.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to provide information about the waste management system and energy

conservation practices of Ateneo de Naga University, and eventually give possible solutions to

address the problems. Furthermore, the formulated plan could be of importance to the following:

Students, Faculty and Staff​. The project may reinforce practices on proper waste management

to maintain the institution’s current state on sanitation and cleanliness or improve such. Besides a

better level of awareness, the study and project would also positively affect their health

conditions through this step.

Administrators. ​The results gathered may serve as a guide for them as they implement new

rules and improve plans for the enhancement of the waste management in the institution,

promoting a better mantra towards better sanitation and health welfare. This may provide

inspirations and possible solutions as they generate projects or activities about waste

management.

Local Waste Management Office​. The formulated plan would help the office in having a more

efficient waste disposal plan through its direct reinforcement on the residents’ practices and

awareness. Likewise, the study’s effect on the institution’s waste segregation would possibly

ease their laboring processes.

Future Researchers. The findings of this research may be useful as reference data for other

researchers on the study. The information entailed may be considered as one of the related

studies which they can utilize for their endeavors​.

Scope and Delimitations

The study will only be limited in Ateneo de Naga University on evaluating the waste

management as well as the energy conservation practices in the institution. Likewise, the scheme

will only be based on the institution’s level of awareness and existing related practices regarding

the specific type of waste management. Furthermore, the study will be having a number of

respondents who will be from a random sample of the institution’s population and will involve

surveys and observations for the necessary data gathering. The study will be conducted from

December 2018 until February 2019.

Definition of Terms

Waste Management System. ​It is the disposal, collection, and transportation of wastes

accumulated in a community. It is the technique which an institution applies to properly dispose

of the wastes produced.

Waste. ​It can be any substance which is discarded after being used. In this study, wastes are the

disposed materials and substances that may be organic or inorganic which are generated in an

institution.

Resources. ​These are the materials or sources of supply which are utilized to obtain a certain

benefit. In this study, resources are elements of human-environment intended to be processed

and consumed that provide valuable use in basic institutional procedures.

Chapter III

Methodology

This chapter will discuss the research methodology to be used in the study. This chapter

will cover all aspects that concern the overall data in the research, including the research design,

locale of the study, data gathering procedures including pre-experimental phase, experimental

phase, and post-experimental phase, statistical treatment, and the instruments of the study.

Research Design
 In this study, the aim is to construct a solid waste management plan after assessing the

situation by correlating the two variables, namely level of awareness and actual profiled practices

of the community in Barangay Sua, Canaman, Camarines Sur regarding proper waste disposal

and reduction. These dependent variables are to be acquired through qualitative and quantitative

methods, therefore, the study will be utilizing the correlational research design to help the

researchers observe and estimate how related they are. Likewise, the process of correlation will

be significant for proving existing theories regarding the sense of responsibility towards waste

management.

Locale of the Study

The study will be conducted inside the premises of Barangay Sabang, Calabanga,

Camarines Sur. The researchers will ask for permission from the respective barangay authorities

to collect demographic profile of a sample of the barangay residents, their level of awareness,

and their practices on solid waste management. The qualitative methods including

semi-structured interview and focus group discussion (FGD) and quantitative methods will be

done with the consent of both the individual and the barangay heads. Specifically, interviews will

be completed at their respective residences while the FGD at the barangay hall. The study will be

conducted within the second semester of the academic school year 2018-2019.

Data Gathering Procedures

PRE-EXPERIMENTAL PHASE

Before the conduct of the experimentation, the researchers will coordinate with the

barangay captain of the target community, which is in Sua, Canaman/Sabang, Calabanga,

Camarines Sur to seek permission and assistance in terms of coordinating with the sample of

respondents. The researchers will also prepare the necessary survey questionnaires and

observation methods for their respective respondents and will have them validated by their

adviser.

EXPERIMENTAL PHASE

Determination of the Level of Awareness on Solid Waste Management

To determine the level of awareness of the target community, the researchers will utilize

the use of survey questionnaires. The researchers will survey a randomly chosen sample to be the

respondents of the study. In turn, they will be given a day in answering the questionnaire.

Afterwards, the researchers will collect the questionnaires, and the gathered data will undergo

statistical analysis.

Identification of the Common Practices on Solid Waste Management

Before coming up with a solid waste management plan, the researchers have to identify

the existing practices of the community in dealing with solid wastes. To achieve this, the

researchers will also conduct a survey and focus group discussion in order to assess the common

practices of the target population.

EXPERIMENTAL PHASE

Creation of a Management Plan

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Statistical Analysis

This research will employ the use of statistical analysis on the gathered quantitative data.

The numerical data gathered from the Likert Scale in the surveys will be the main focus of this

statistical treatment.

Instruments

The research will be conducted through interviewing participants and the materials to be

used are Permits and Survey Forms. The permits will serve as the written form of consent from

the participants and their parents that will confirm the participants’ participation. The survey

forms include the set of questions to be asked to the participants.

● Permits

● Survey Forms