“If you think the economy is more important than the environment, try holding your breath whilst you count your money” – Dr. Guy McPherson
Ms. Mary Rose Arnejo, ecopreneur
Ecopreneurship is a relatively new term coined to represent entrepreneurs whose business efforts are not only driven by profit, but also by a concern for the environment.
As Filipinos gain a new appreciation for eco friendly practices, ecopreneurship has become more widespread as an approach to identifying opportunities for improving environmental quality and capitalizing upon them for profit.
Ecopreneurs or green entrepreneurs are making a huge difference in how people do business by combining the idea of a greener future and having sustainable products as a lucrative business project to support that idea.
Mary Rose Arnejo is one such ecopreneur. She established Eco Hub Cebu to help the public switch to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Knowing Filipinos’ penchant for buying products on sale, Arnejo came up with Eco Hub Cebu so people will not have to choose between affordability and sustainability.
The young industrial engineer has been creating environment-friendly products for the business since 2018. Her products ranges from reusable stainless steel cutlery to bamboo toothbrushes, organic soaps, and eco shampoo bars.
Other products of her company include bagasse food packaging, bamboo coffee press, plantable pencils, refillable wooden pens, cacao nibs coconut sugar coated, chia seeds, collapsible tumbler.
MOTIVATION FOR ECOPRENEURSHIP With the growing awareness of climate change, its links with natural catastrophes, and the urgent need for sustainable development, change is definitely in the air for Filipinos.
Like other young entrepreneurs, Arnejo saw a niche market for sustainable products. She also have the strong aspiration to help local farmers and her community.
“I truly want to make a difference, not just run a business,” Arnejo confessed. “I realized that the only way I can effectively help in mitigating climate change is if I can convince a lot of people to adopt a greener lifestyle.”
SPUR YOUTH FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Even before becoming an ecopreneur, Arnejo was already an environmentalist while studying industrual engineering at the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT).
She headed the Industrial Engineering Council’s Project Nowtbuks (Now is the Time to Build Up Kids for Sustainability), which won the Best Flagship Award during the International Assembly of Youth for Unesco in 2014.
Arnejo was also chosen as the 2015 Most Outstanding Unesco Club Youth Leader of the Philippines and was among the outstanding graduates of CIT for school year 2015-2016.
Now with Eco Hub, she is making her mark as an entrepreneur with a fierce love for the environment.
“I am hoping that with Eco Hub Cebu more people will be aware of how their shopping choices will make an impact on the environment. Hopefully, they decide to make more sustainable choices,” Arnejo mused.
ECO PENCIL When Eco Hub Cebu started, one product became popular among buyers —- the “plantable” pencils. Eco Hub pitched that one can grow plants from the eco pencil simply by placing the stub on a moist soil.
Arnejo says that these “plantable” pencils are no different to regular pencils, except that its tail end is a “gelatin capsule” that contains plant seeds instead of an eraser enclosed in a metal case. When the pencil becomes too short to be used, one can simply plant it in potted soil and let it grow.
One can choose from basil, mint, citronella, tomato, sunflower, or carrot seeds, among others.
“So, instead of being thrown away, the pencil can be planted to grow herbs and vegetables,” Arnejo said.
Arnejo also disclosed that the capsules are preservative-free and non-GMO. The pencil is made of sustainable wood, graphite and clay.
The concept of a “plantable” pencil did not come from Arnejo but was inspired by a similar product pioneered by Sprout World, a company based in Europe.
“Thank God, the response has been positive on social media,” Arnejo happily disclosed. “A lot of our plantable pencils have been sold.”
Many of the buyers are those who cook and raise their own vegetables and herbs. There are some companies that buy the pencils for office use and as giveaways to clients.
AFFILIATE PROGRAM AND CO-WORKING SPACE Eco Hub Cebu currently has an Affiliate Program for those interested to earn while giving discounts to their friends.
Recently, Eco Hub Cebu acquired a co-working Space called Cocoon: Cozy cave for Morphers. It is the newest eco-conscious coworking space in the city. The company aims to host members who thrive on progress both in career and environmental sustainability.
Cocoon offers a fast internet connection with speed of up to 100mbps, ergonomic chairs, designated workstations, designated power outlets, and an outdoor working area. The co-working space also serves eco-friendly, and locally sourced food and drinks.
You can visit Cocoon from 8AM-9PM Monday to Sunday at the 2nd level of Sy Building, F. Llamas Street, Tisa, Cebu City. For queries, click on the following link: https://ecohubcebu.com/
KMME COACHING FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS New entrepreneurs who want to gain the business knowledge Arnejo enjoyed can enroll at the Department of Trade and Industry’s Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprise (DTI-KMME) Online Course.
Arnejo, a KMME Online Batch 1 graduate, enthused that “the best part of KMME is networking with like minded entrepreneurs who share the passion of nurturing locally based companies and promoting goods for domestic and foreign markets.”
For more details, you may reach DTI Cebu Provincial Office thru Telephones (+632) 255-6971, 255-7082, and/or Mobile (+63)9173005806, 8am-5pm weekdays (except holidays).
Holy week has given me pause to answer a request for an article on the personality behind this writer.
I have come to realize that some people have this need to dig deep into my soul in order to understand my writings.
It is true that getting to know a person virtually is more difficult in comparison to a regular physical meeting.
But there are other ways to get to know someone beyond the surface level. There are literary footprints that disclose a person’s inner world and online posts that disclose thoughts, goals, and dreams.
In this article, I will make things easier for the reader to know me by answering questions that most people are too embarrassed to ask.
UNIQUE NAME JOJISILIA is a combination of my grandparents and parents names. I’d like to flatter myself by imagining that they were arguing over which of them will have their name carried by me. And probably, to stop the argument, everyone relented on combining all the names.
The truth is my mother had my name planned before I was born. She wanted a unique name that isn’t associated with any particular person, character, symbol or meaning. So, she came up with a combination of Jose (my grandfather), Jesus (my father), Sixta (my grandmother) and Emilia (my mother) to arrive at the name JOJESILIA.
I ended up with JOJISILIA simply because the birth registrar mispelled my name.
I found one big advantage of having a unique tag — I am not mistaken for someone else. If you Google JOJISILIA, you will always end up with me.
I came across a Kabalarian report analysis of the name JOJISILIA. It is surpringly accurate enough to share here.
“The name JOJISILIA creates a very quiet, practical nature. Being analytical and naturally studious, you are interested in a factual understanding of the mysteries of life and the universe.
You need to have an idea developed step by step because it is not easy for you to follow a line of thought when steps are left out. Your methodical mind requiresconsistency of thought for clarity of concept. Reading and research interest you. You could develop good powers of concentration as you can become completely absorbed in a subject to the exclusion of all else.
You like to finish what you start without interruptions, and also to have everything in its place and systematically organized. Being steadfast and trustworthy, you are recognized as a good worker who experiences satisfaction from accomplishment.
Since you are not overly conversational and tend to be matter of fact and candid in your speech, you wish many times that you could be spontaneous, expressive, and happy-go-lucky. Because of your reserved nature and self-consciousness, you find it easier to express your thoughts through writing than verbally. Being well prepared, though, helps you to express verbally.
You take life seriously and can be easily and deeply hurt. A misguided thought from someone can cause you to withdraw into your own thoughts for solace and comfort. At such times, you become moody and uncommunicative. You dislike crowds and prefer to limit social activities to a few close friends.
While you long for the affection and understanding of close association, and enjoy home and family, you also require freedom, as you are independent and need a certain amount of time on your own.
Although you do not often express your deeper feelings, you show your regard for others by what you do for them to create comfort and security.
Practical creativity appeals to you. You also enjoy the outdoors and activities such as hiking, and nature study.
Your desire for heavier foods, could bring weaknesses in health affecting the stomach or intestinal organs. You could also experience tension affecting the respiratory organs.”
SEXUAL ORIENTATION This information may come as a disappointment, relief or neutral for you depending on your motivation for reading this part.
I am straight. To make it perfectly clear, I am female in thought, feelings and deed (or mind, heart and genital organs) since birth. I have no desire in the near or far future to change or enhance my private “equipment”.
I hope I have made my heterosexuality apparent enough because sometimes I am mistaken for a transexual; although my sister thinks transexuals nowadays are more convincing specimens of what females are suppose to look.
No kidding, there was one instance when two fast food employees debated whether I was a woman, gay or transexual in front of me at the service counter. I was too surprised and didn’t know how to react. Should I join in the debate? , should I start undressing?, or should I storm out of the food shop ?
I did the most sensible thing: I asked them if I can order food.
My gender ambiguity is something people constantly mention to me whether I am on the phone with clients who call me sir (I have a lower vocal register than most females) or email where clients address me as mister even if they saw the prefix “Ms” before my name on my office ID. They probably thought it was a typographical error because, according to them, I write like a male…whatever that means.
Androgynous, being partly male and partly female in appearance and having characteristics like voice and mannerisms that blur gender lines, I think that is your problem, my sister observed.
Well, not for long as recent studies indicate that there is a large shift towards androgyny in the next couple of years, both physically and mentally in today’s population, especially in regards to the demasculinization of men.
Meanwhile, I try to keep the appearance of a proper female the way society wants it during webinars (‘cuz they are my clients). That is minus the frilly decorations, wearing of heels, dresses , and heavy make-up.
I make work concessions like wearing my hair long and having clothes that emphasize the female curves because, as viewers say, these look good on camera.
Making concessions are also a way for me to show respect towards the people I work with who are generally conservative and still retain traditional views on major issues pertaining to men and women.
However, I find difficulty in making adjustments with regards to my thinking process. Most people say I think like a male because it is logical and unemotional. But whenever an empathetic male tells me my decision is insensitive, I know I have gone too far.
I am a bit radical in my opinion on male and female roles. I actually walk the tightrope between conformity and radicalism; but I diverge a teeny weeny bit more towards non-conformity — a gradual shift away from society’s compass so as not to shock people and alienate myself.
Society has a tendency to put women and men in boxes.
It tells women to choose. You are either pretty or smart. A mother or a career woman. Sporty or a fashionista.
It tells men to adopt extreme self-reliance, domination of other men through violence, avoid the appearance of femininity and suppress vulnerable emotions.
I condemn these acts. These are extremely cruel proclivities for those who call themselves humans.
I have personally been pressured to behave in more traditionally feminine ways by some people. This often goes against my nerdy nature, especially since I do not enjoy acting coquettish or wearing things like earrings, high-heels or frilly clothes – the types of things that are equated to femininity. I am generally awkward and geeky. These characteristics do not really fall under the clear-cut generalizations for females; they are somewhere in between male and female characteristics.
But why are we constantly choosing and worrying? Why is it that society thinks it’s impossible to be both? Why can’t we just be everything we want to be?
In today’s modern society, there is no need for traditional gender roles, because both men and women are able to do many of the same necessary tasks, thereby making gender-specific behaviors irrelevant.
Holding on to these stereotypes can be harmful because they motivate people to condemn and oppress those who do not fit the traditional gender roles. As a result of this oppression, many people develop mental problems, have an identity crisis and struggle to reach their full potential.
MARITAL STATUS I am single. I have never been married. If you ask why, the best answer would be timing, opportunity and interest didn’t converge in the past. However, I am not implying that it will remain that way for the rest of my life.
Raising children of my own does not appeal to me. On this point, I believe I don’t need to explain myself. Just because I have a womb doesn’t mean I need to get pregnant. There again is the radical part of me.
FAMILY My mother and father are both deceased. I have one brother (the eldest) and one sister (second to the eldest) who live with me or rather we live in the same house.
Mama feeding me.
The house where we live is under the name of my mother. The bill for utilities and annual payment for real estate tax is under her name.
I thank profusely my mother for her foresight. I am currently enjoying the fruits of her investments.
My mother’s financial genius is something I will discuss in a separate article.
All of the VILLAMOR family members are accountants. I am the divergent one because I am a graduate of AB Mass Communications.
RELATIVES My mom was an only child in my grandmother’s first marriage. She had several half brothers with the second marriage of grandma to a man surnamed ROSALES.
With so many siblings, money was tight and not enough for school expenses. So, mama worked her way through college and learned early how to manage her finances.
Family reunions are usually conducted by relatives in the VILLAMOR side at Carmen, Cebu.
If the current mayor of Carmen is a Villamor, he is my relative. There is a running joke within the family that the only reason a VILLAMOR is elected mayor of Carmen is because more than half of the population of the town are relatives.
LOVE LIFE I had 2 faux boyfriends and 1 real relationship.
One pretend boyfriend wanted to show his ex-girlfriend that he had moved on so I played along for a year until the ex got married.
The other fake boyfriend was the younger brother of one of DTI’s female auditors. I don’t know why she set us up but I found later that she is an authoritarian in her family and she usually chooses her brother’s girlfriends. The “zarzuela” lasted less than a year when the auditor discovered there was no “action” going on.
My real romantic relationship lasted for 6 years. I met my ex-boyfriend when we were cast to play lead characters in a school stage drama. The director found we had good chemistry onstage, so we were often together assuming major roles in stage plays. My ex was then juggling work as a lawyer and his love for theater. We separated when his ex-girlfriend reconciled with him. He passed away years ago.
During the early years at the DTI.
GOD’S COPYWRITER Not many people know that I survived a car accident unscathed when I was around 6 years old.
My mama, papa, sister, 2 family friends and I just came from a family reunion in Carmen, Cebu and was on our way home. The car that my mother was driving lost its brake as it went downhill. She had to smash the side of the car onto a coconut tree to keep it from falling into a ravine. The car flipped and turned turtle. Everyone in that car was hurt except me. As bystanders started pulling everyone out from the open car window, they noticed that I didn’t have a bruise nor a scratch.
If something like that happened to another person, people will call it a coincidence.
There are no coincidences in life. I just missed a signal from the universe without realizing it. In my second accident, the message was clearer.
By then, I was becoming more receptive to spiritual matters.
I began listening more keenly to this quiet voice within me; observing more closely the happenings around me.
I realized that where I am currently placed is where I am meant to apply my talent and offer my contribution.
I believe none of us are born to this life by happenstance.
As many philosophers say, we are more than our mind, more than our body. We are a soul experiencing a journey called life.
There’s a purpose for our creation.
When we are aligned with our purpose, everything in the universe aligns for us to fulfill that purpose.
Serendipity starts to occur.
We feel inspired regardless of our bank account, we feel significant regardless of our status in life.
When we know our why, we also know why we go through what we go through. We also know that when we have a big enough why to live, life starts happening for us, not to us.
When I was younger, I wrote to seek validation and approval, as well as cover the insecurity and inadequacy I felt inside.
Nowadays, my main reason to write is to inspire people to be better versions of themselves.
And if my writing enables people to start questioning the nonsensical messages around them that unfairly judges people according to skin colour, financial status, place of birth, body shape, facial features, age, gender, a way of speaking or carrying themselves, then I have already accomplished my life purpose.
There is a lot to gain from stepping outside of the negative “norm.” It helps create a magnificent jewel of a life worth living and a much more loving and accepting world.
DIVINE ANSWER My ride through life has so far been an incredible journey, I really couldn’t be happier to be alive.
And if there is one major thing I’ve learned from my experiences, I was brought here in this particular time and in this manner in order for me to write clearly and elegantly the ideas and feelings you struggle to articulate.
Yes, you are why I am here. You are the reason why I am writing this article.
I’m not a fluke. There are no coincidences in life.
Prime mover knows you are in the midst of a dilemma, a fork in your soul journey, so to speak.
Providence has heard the pleas of your heart. It is here now responding to your prayers via a situation, a person or this article – whether you are aware of it or not.
“You must make a choice to take a chance if you want anything in your life to change.”
Who knows, this “angel-in-training” was sent here to inform you that the whole Universe has got your back.
“It only takes one tiny light to break the darkness inside.“
Be still and listen to this higher power deep within you. Trust that supreme energy will lead you to wisdom and towards the highest good for all.
Shalom Aleichem (peace to you).
During the making of a video documentary on a DTI program.
Who would have thought that anyone could be inspired to start a business in the middle of a health crisis.
Ethel Rida Pajao did just that and founded the bakeshop Miss E’s Homebaked Classics during the Cebu lockdown.
In 2020, Cebu City was placed under enhanced community quarantine to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The first few days of the lockdown was tolerable enough for Ethel since she had her three fur babies Red, Moonglow and Lamp, as well as husband Dino Dante to keep her company.
But when a series of bad news on the rising cases of infection and death started to affect her mood, she decided to find a way to prevent herself from falling into depression.
The Pajao family FB banner which I find extremely cute.
THE ART BUSINESS Ethel is the marketing manager of De’s Artroom, a Cebu-based distributor of premium art materials which she started with her husband in Singapore where they used to live for ten years.
De’s Artroom is the Philippines’ distributor of Daniel Smith artist-grade Extra Fine Watercolors from the U.S. The company also carries premium brand Escoda – “the brush makers” of the world from Barcelona Spain and NEEF brushes from Australia.
A few years ago, Ethel and Dino Dante left a more comfortable life in Singapore to pursue a need for change in how society perceives art. They wanted to do something where they could leave their indelible mark on the people’s awareness of the medium.
The couple returned to the Philippines to organize events for artists and introduced a professional brand of watercolor — Daniel Smith.
Being a communications graduate and having experience in organizing events, Ethel was largely involved in setting-up the company’s art demonstrations and exhibits involving other artists in the Philippines.
My job is to make art accessible to everyone, Ethel says. I believe anyone can capture some of their best stories and immortalize something beautiful in professional grade watercolors.
Ethel Rida Pajao in a pre-COVID painting demonstration.
Ethel’s otherwise busy schedule came to a halt with the city-wide lockdown. Art exhibits and painting demonstrations had to take a pause.
With her life on hold, she knew she had to do something to keep herself from slipping into despair.
Ethel started baking cakes to give away to family and friends. Ethel Rida loved to bake cakes for gatherings with friends and family. She never thought of baking as a business. It was an instinct to share and give comfort to people that made her do what she did.
She also insists that her present challenge is nothing compared to the financial difficulty she overcame as a child living in destitution.
Ethel was a sponsored child of World Vision, a global humanitarian organization devoted to improving the lives of children, their families and communities to overcome poverty.
She wanted to give back and pay forward the kindness she experienced from people who helped her finished her school studies.
Although her parents were both scavengers, Ethel was privileged to experience an education that was made possible by the donations of kind-hearted people to World Vision.
Ethel Rida Pajao during her stint with international NGO World Vision.
After Ethel graduated from school, she went on to work for World Vision Philippines as a communications assistant and for World Vision Singapore as donor relations officer. When she got married, she moved to the “Lion City” to join her architect-husband Dino Dante Pajao who was then working for a landscape architectural firm.
Despite living a comfortable life in one of the world’s most expensive cities for 10 years, the couple packed their bags to come home to the Philippines.
Ethel mused that “at some point in our life, we started reassessing what’s really important to us and it doesn’t matter if we earned a lot or if we were comfortable. We felt that family is more important so we decided to come home to Cebu.”
The couple brought with them to Cebu the art materials distribution business DE’s Artroom.
COVID INSPIRES A BUSINESS IDEA
Somehow, giving away homemade cakes to make people smile became a good strategy to market Ethel’s baking skill. Gradually, paid orders started coming in.
What also helped grow her second commercial enterprise was the knowledge gained from the Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprise (KMME) online course of the Department of Trade and Industry Region 7.
The KMME is an initiative of the DTI and the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) to help the country’s micro and small enterprises (MSEs) develop into lucrative businesses. The Mentor ME (micro entrepreneurs) program is a coaching and mentoring approach where large corporations teach MSEs on different aspects of business operations.
From healthy cake ingredients to biodegradable packaging materials, Miss E’s Home Baked Classics are inspired from her customers desire to surprise loved ones.
The company’s commitment is to continue to find wholesome ingredients and nature-friendly packaging for their loaf cakes.
Miss E’s home baked goodies include moist banana loaf cakes with walnuts , cream cheese, chia seeds, oats, chocolates as well as squash cupcakes with cinnamon, chocolate, cream cheese and caramel. As her tagline says, it’s best eaten when shared.
For orders and queries, click on the following links:
