TOWARDS A CABINET CLUSTER FOR GREEN HOUSING AND BIO-HOMES

TOWARDS A CABINET CLUSTER FOR GREEN HOUSING AND BIO-HOMES

What if we could solve three major problems in one move—affordable housing, plastic and glass waste, and sustainable living? The answer may lie in a game-changing idea: Bio-Homes, housing units made with recycled and renewable materials, designed for energy and food efficiency, and built with the climate in mind.

Forty years ago, the development buzzword was "appropriate technologies." Today, the more fitting term is "sustainable technologies"—which, to me, is not just a trend but a survival strategy. What’s the use of building something appropriate for now if it can’t last for the future?

Why Bio-Homes?

Bio-Homes are not just about construction—they represent a whole new way of living. These homes are made with materials like bamboo, recycled plastic, used tires, and glass bottles. They can include solar panels, biogas digesters, aquaponics systems, and even vertical gardens. They bring together housing, energy, water, waste management, and food production in one integrated structure.

And it’s not just theory. Around the world, the movement is real:

  • Sweden is building entire communities using timber.
  • Burj Zanzibar in Africa is set to become the tallest timber building in the world.
  • The UN Environment Programme is pushing for bio-based construction in developing countries.

Why not the Philippines?

We already have the raw materials. We have bamboo growing across provinces. We have communities collecting bottles and old tires. We have plastic waste in massive supply. But what we lack is a unified policy push, the kind that only a dedicated Cabinet Cluster on Sustainable Housing and Green Communities can provide.

Why a Cabinet Cluster?

Because this is more than a housing issue. Bio-Homes touch multiple departments and sectors. If we truly want to scale this, we need more than a Technical Working Group (TWG) —we need a higher-level coordination.

A proposed Cabinet Cluster for Sustainable Housing and Green Communities should include:

  • Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) – to lead the policy framework and housing models
  • Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – to standardize construction protocols and green building codes
  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – for environmental compliance and waste-to-material conversion
  • Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – to support eco-materials enterprises
  • Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – to fund research and innovation
  • Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) – to train workers in green construction methods
  • Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) – to integrate sustainable architecture into the curriculum

This Cabinet Cluster would institutionalize sustainability in housing policy—coordinating funding, setting targets, and incentivizing innovation from both government and the private sector.

Working Models Are Already Here

We already have local companies doing incredible work:

  • Envirotech Waste Recycling turns plastic waste into building blocks and furniture.
  • Restore Company repurposes materials for modular housing.
  • Trident, Vantastic, Smarthouse Philippines, and Vazbuilt are rethinking prefabricated homes using upcycled containers and panels.

Let’s support these pioneers, not with red tape but with red carpets.

Innovation, Education, and Empowerment

Top architecture schools—like UST, UP, Adamson, Enderun, UE—should be tapped to develop and showcase prototype Bio-Homes. These should become part of the living laboratory of sustainable urban design.

Communities should be trained in modular construction techniques, using materials like:

  • Bamboo – fast-growing, strong, flexible, and climate-smart.
  • Recycled glass – perfect for walls that offer insulation and natural lighting.
  • Rubber tires – ideal for insulation, drainage, and waterproofing.
  • Plastic waste – increasingly usable in composite panels, bricks, and furniture.

Workshops, volunteer build-days, and crowdfunding platforms can rally support at the grassroots level.

Benefits You Can Measure

Bio-Homes cut energy and water bills. They collect rainwater. They use biogas from animal waste. They produce food in their backyards and rooftops. They use solar cookers or renewable fuel. They reduce landfill demand and boost livelihoods in waste-to-wealth ventures.

They are not just homes. They are green jobs, education hubs, eco-tourism attractions, and disaster-resilient shelters all rolled into one.

The Bigger Picture

With climate change, rising costs, and the housing backlog colliding, we can’t afford to delay. A Cabinet Cluster for Sustainable Housing would drive the national roadmap we need—from regulatory reform and tax incentives to technology transfer and pilot townships.

Let’s not wait until our landfills overflow or typhoons destroy more substandard homes. Let’s act while we still have the opportunity to shape the housing future—not just for today, but for the next generation.

Let’s build more Bio-Homes—because the future of housing must be clean, green, and inclusive.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

09-13-2025

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