Liter of Light, a Filipino-born global grassroots solar lighting movement, the Embassy of Italy in Manila and the Philippine Italian Association (PIA) are organizing a Day of Climate Action on July 3-4 on 5th Avenue in front of the Philippine Stock Exchange in Bonifacio Global City.
Coinciding with the International Day of Cooperation, July 4, the Day of Climate Action invites members from the private sector, organizations, individuals, and residents of Bonifacio Global City to join the initiative and show their commitment to taking action for climate change.
The Day of Climate Action is being done in partnership with Philippine Italian Association, Management Association of the Philippines, Galleria Duemila, Rotary Club of Makati Business District 3830 and Philippines AirAsia, Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Archipelago for you.
There will be socially distant workshops at the tented area of My Street High Street to raise funds to provide clean and sustainable source of energy communities who have been affected by lack of tourist due to the pandemic.
At 6:30pm on July 4, Liter of Light will unveil a huge woven participative solar artwork on 5th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The artwork, built using 1,500 hand-built solar lights assembled from the safety of home for Liter of Light’s “Light It Forward” Challenge, features a symbol for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) #13: Climate Action.
The artwork is the latest in a series of pop-up artworks that Liter of Light has built across Metro Manila to pay tribute and call for action in achieving the UN SDGs in the lead-up to the global climate change conference (COP26) which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, this November. Liter of Light will be participating at COP26, as well as the special Pre-COP26 program organized for youth climate change advocates, Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition, hosted by conference co-host Italy in September 2021.
PUBLIC ART HAS DISAPPEARED
“More than ever, youth want to be empowered to be part of creating climate solutions,” says Illac Diaz, Founder and Executive Director of Liter of Light. “We have been given an opportunity to activate Filipino youth through our engagement at the Pre-COP26 and COP-26 meetings. Through these artworks, we are making a strong statement to raise awareness on climate action by giving people an opportunity to contribute to real solutions and have a tangible impact, even at a time when public art has disappeared and people are confined to their homes.”
“The Embassy of Italy joins the Light it forward campaign to build up awareness on the greatest challenge of our time – climate change – and bring attention to the pre-COP26 and COP26 events that will take place later this year,” announces Mr. Eugeniu Rotaru, Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in Manila. “The importance of these meetings in Milan and Glasgow cannot be overstated: they will have to update the global framework on climate change that was agreed in 2015, in Paris, and set the basis for protecting our Planet and future generations in the spirit of ambition, sustainability and solidarity. We believe that campaigns such as “Light it forward” are crucial for building momentum to Milan and Glasgow and show to the world the commitment of ordinary citizens, ordinary Filipinos, to a brighter, cleaner future.”
“Light it Forward campaign will be moving Italy during the PreCOP26 event in Milan this coming September and the Italian community in the Philippines is united in giving its endorsement” adds Alessandro Milani, general manager of the Philippine Italian Association. “As PIA, we are very happy to endorse this campaign that is able, through public art, to bring people together for the defense of the environment and the purpose of giving the right to access clean electrical power to those who are more in need. For this we warmly invite everyone to join the Light it Forward Challenge, in time for our Day of Climate Action”
Liter of Light began its Light It Forward campaign (www.lightitforward.ph) in July 2020 with building messages of hope to pay tribute to medical frontliners. In the past year, its grassroots campaign has grown to mobilize thousands of youth from across Metro Manila to take action for energy poverty and the 13 million Filipinos still without light, making an impact from the safety of home and giving these communities a new means of livelihood even in the middle of a global health pandemic.
The Philippines’ geography is one of the main factors for being most at risk from the effects of the climate crisis. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons every year, with the intensity of these storms increasing exponentially in recent years, making it one of the most countries most vulnerable to climate change. Many youth are nervous about the future, with billions of pesos in economic losses, and over thousands of lives already lost due to the effects of climate change.
Through large-scale participative solar artworks that the organization will unveil at landmarks throughout Metro Manila, Liter of Light is showing how grassroots actions can amplify the voices of our youth to take action on the SDGs.