WVCST Balancing Development with Environmental Management

The Iloilo City, Philippines-based Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (WVCST) has been undergoing major infrastructure development that has resulted in the mass clearing of trees on campus. At the same time, the campus population has increased after WVCST launched a series of new course offerings and electrical energy consumption has spiked. These problems have led to an increase in temperature both inside and outside campus buildings. The school’s environmental club has filed a position paper with the administration, and, along with other concerned groups, has threatened to file criminal charges against the school for its inability to strike a balance between development and environmental management. Jasper Pastrano, a WVCST science professor, has been tasked with finding a solution that will appease both environmental activists and the college’s administration. Students are asked to put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist and solve the case problems.

• Identify climate change mitigation strategies and recommend the best option.
• Generate strategies for the college to decrease energy consumption.
• Identify the roles students, teachers, the community, the media, and environmental activists can play to minimize environmental impacts.