”I have always tried to reuse, but it was always done in the spirit of saving money, more than saving the environment,” recalls Maria Teresa Lopez Pacis, external communications manager of Intel Technology Philippines Inc. (ITPI), with a smile. “My initial green efforts were just using scratch paper when I print out my drafts, and putting my gifts in nice bags rather than buying wrapping paper. I also save the nice ribbons I get from gifts and re-use them, in turn, whenever I wrap my gifts.”

Her eco-friendliness, however, changed when she started working for ITPI. “I became more aware of the value of green initiatives, and have become more conscious of the things that I do, as a citizen, that affect the environment. See, ITPI, as a corporation, is committed to investing in green efforts; and I have come to imbibe this in my personal life, as well. Yes, green products, for instance, cost more, nowadays. But in true Intel fashion, I have come to look at the extra pesos I shell out as a way of giving back – this time, not just to the community, but to Mother Nature,” Pacis says.

From the beginning, when Intel Corporation (IC) established ITPI in the Philippines in 1996, the company always boasted of its “long history of commitment to the environment,” a philosophy started by IC founder Gordon Moore. Globally, IC’s green efforts include reducing energy consumption in its manufacturing operations by 4% per year; and reducing energy consumption by over 20% year-on-year.

Locally, ITPI’s efforts include reduction of hazardous wastes by 15%, helping generate revenues reaching $15,000; and conserving over 100,000 cubic meters of water, generating over $95,000 in savings.

“ITPI has simple greening efforts in place (aside, of course, from the big ticket production-related efforts) that are fairly easy to support. We do recycling of paper, our light bulbs have been changed, and we’re mostly paperless, thanks to e-mail. And it’s fairly easy to support because these efforts are imbedded in the way we do our business,” Pacis says.

Not that promoting going green is always easy, Pacis admits – though not that she isn’t seeing that as a challenge, too.

As ITPI’s external communications manager, Pacis, who earned a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication from the University of the Philippines in Dili-man, Quezon City, is responsible for building networks with the widest range of stakeholders, as well as enhancing ITPI’s reputation as an asset to the community. Past affiliations include working as communications consultant of the Consumer Welfare and Trade Regulation Group -Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) from 2002 to 2004; communications consultant of the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) in 2002; and officer in charge of the publicity services division of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) from 1995 to 2001.

With ITPI, one of her projects is Community Solutions, which focuses on technology-inspired or centered applications to improve the quality of life. Here, she says, she can see how “even seemingly unrelated fields can work together,” which is how environmentalism ought to be looked at when discussing technology.

Nonetheless, Pacis – who also attributes going green to “a confluence of events: working in ITPI, my dad retiring and becoming a ‘farmer,’ my taking over the maintenance of our family home, even my establishing a home office! – believes going green can be best done on an individual level. “I am not an expert on all issues concerning being green, but I do realize that while my personal efforts would be just a drop in the bucket, that bucket becomes full due to many, many drops,” Pacis ends.