Guv opens One Cebu Expo in CICC

This year’s Obra Negosyo Expo: Countryside Entrepreneurship and Business Upliftment or known as ONE CEBU, a showcase of Cebu’s world-class products, was formally opened on August 5 at the the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

One Cebu, now on its 4th year, is a project of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that highlights Cebu not only as a tourist destination but a place of creativity with various world-class products from small entrepreneurs across the province.

“For as each year passes and as each One Cebu Expo happens, we see the evolution of our products,” Governor Garcia said in her speech.

The One Cebu Expo is one of the highlights of the month-long celebration of the Province’s 442nd Founding Anniversary with the theme “Sugbo: Nagasubay sa Tukmang Dalan”.

Garcia led the ceremonial ribbon-cutting during the expo’s opening, together with the Former President of Tanzania His Excellency Benjamin William Mkapa, Senator Franklin Drilon, Archbishop Jose Palma, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale and One Cebu Expo chairperson Enrison Benedicto.

Some 360 exhibitors from the different towns and cities in Cebu Province joined the One Cebu Expo. There was also a special booth from the sister province of Cebu, the Province of Ilocos Norte.

The members of the South Centre Board headed by His Excellency Benjamin William Mkapa were also present at the event.

“The color and the rhythm were great, it feels like home,” Mkapa said of the One Cebu Expo.

Local Government Units and private exhibitors consisted of hotels, exporters of home furniture, fashion accessories and handicrafts displayed their world-class products and services.

The One Cebu Expo continues to bring together the government and the private sectors in showcasing Cebu’s best. The event will run until August 15. (AJS)

 

Energy Management System Workshop

 

Natures Legacys Care for Earth Program
by: Cebu Daily News
First Posted 06:54:00 12/30/2010
Filed Under: Nature, Environmental Issues, Schools

THE Natures Legacy Eximport Inc. (NLE) marked its first NLE Earth Week celebration dubbed as “I Volunteer to Love Earth” this month in time for its founding anniversary.

The celebration opened on Dec. 8.

NLE corporate and external affairs officer Leizyl Orio together with HR representative Reinel Deguma welcomed the staff and associates to the event.

The NLE Management distributed eco-bags to all employees.

The eco-bags contain giveaways from Polycol and reading materials about recycling and energy conservation.

The week-long activities kicked off with a 3K fun run starting from Compostela municipal hall to Natures Legacy Plant 3, finishing at Natures Legacy main plant.

The participants observed their local community and its nature while enjoying having fun and strengthening camaraderie among themselves.

NLE president and chief executive officer Pete Delantar, a green advocate himself, conducted a talk on waste minimization and energy conservation together with Prof. Katsuyoku Matsuura of Tokyo, Japan as guest speaker.

Students from the three high schools in Compostela – University of the Visayas, Compostela Science and Technology School and Compostela National High School – attended the talk at the NLE Multipurpose Social Hall.

The schools also participated in the first Nature-themed art project with the theme “How do you like Compostela to be?”

Other environmental activities held within the factory vicinity and other community locations were the tree planting and the distribution of green cans.

Each of 15 student representatives from the three schools, together with their teachers, planted coconut tree (the tree of life) at the NLE multipurpose garden.

NLE, in partnership with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Metro Cebu Environmental Greening and Cebu City Agriculture Department, also planted ficus plants at the gateside of NLE main plant.

The NLE also distributed biodegradable and non-biodegradable green cans to local community.

The celebration was one way of promoting the company's corporate social responsibility by protecting, caring and nurturing the planet through its green advocacy.

Rising Above the Competition

Background

In 1993, the husband and wife team of Pedro and Catherine Delantar were engaged in manufacturing hand carved natural stone products in Cebu province, Philippines. Their products featured intricate designs inspired by ancient Greek art and were mostly made with Mactan stone, an indigenous, off-white fossilized stone with a rough texture that is found on the island of Mactan off the coast of Cebu. The Delantars wanted to expand their production capacity, but the tedious nature and inconsistent quality of hand carving made mass production nearly impossible until they succeeded in creating a cast stone product that simulated the look and feel of Mactan and its associated manufacturing process.

In 1996, they formed Nature’s Legacy Eximport, Inc. (Nature’s Legacy) with two partners. Nature’s Legacy is now a leading manufacturer of high-end home furnishings and accessories, architectural components, and garden articles made from cast stone and cast wood (from agri-forest waste) that are exported to Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Asia. Nature’s Legacy values innovation and originality as forces that attract buyers and have allowed it to rise above the competition. With its innovative products and creative designs continually gaining support in the export market, the company continues exploiting intellectual property (IP) as a business strategy.

Research and Development

Nature’s Legacy’s first research and development (R&D) goal was to come up with a cast stone product that simulated Mactan stone but could be easily mass produced. The company first researched using a traditional cast stone process (mixing sand, cement and water to create a stone substitute), but this method yielded products that were heavy, not durable and did not retain the look and feel of Mactan stone. The company also realized that this traditional method did not give it an edge in the market because its competitors were already offering the same thing. Nature’s Legacy had to create a new product and process to be competitive.

Gathered from sustainable materials, Naturescast is used to make quality furniture while providing livelihood at the grassroots level (Video: Nature's Legacy)

Several important criteria were identified as crucial to the product’s success. The simulated cast stone had to be:

● light, which would mean greater flexibility in producing items of larger size;

● durable, which would protect it from unwanted and costly breakages during transport;

● made with easy-to-cast materials, which would put Nature’s Legacy in a better position to produce new designs and more functional products;

● capable of mass production, which would ensure timely delivery of orders;

● cost effective, which would increase profitability; and

● in line with the first five criteria without compromising the consistency, quality, appearance and other unique characteristics of natural Mactan stone.

Guided by these criteria, R&D efforts focused on ensuring production sustainability by using raw materials that were naturally abundant. Nature’s Legacy’s R&D efforts paid off, and it found that it could create a simulated cast stone product that resembled Mactan stone using calcium carbonate (a common substance found in all rocks) as the main component mixed with resin as a binder. Five unique variants were created, and Nature’s Legacy registered patents and utility models for them in 1999. These new products were a big hit in export markets such as the United States, Europe, the Middle East and some Asian countries, and launched Nature’s Legacy into success in the export market for Mactan stone-based products.

Continually searching for ways to make better products, in 2002 Nature’s Legacy conceptualized a new innovation that recycles the Earth’s natural agro-forest waste (dead bark, shrubs, fallen twigs and leaves) to produce a diverse line of hand crafted home furnishing products. The idea for this first came about while the Delantars were working with staff clearing the grounds of their factory of twigs, branches, cut grass and shrubs. They thought that instead of burning these waste materials, they could convert them into environmentally friendly products.

After two years of R&D, Nature’s Legacy developed an odorless, water-based binder to create a versatile and flexible material made from recycled agro-forest waste. Using this innovation, Nature’s Legacy launched its Naturecast™ line of biodegradable, sustainable and environmentally friendly products in 2003 at the Messe Frankfurt Ambiente in Germany, Europe’s premiere home goods exhibition. Naturecast™ has extremely diverse applications, ranging from home and garden products to architectural components. The development of Naturecast™ led to the creation of a similar innovation for marble.

Nature’s Legacy continues its R&D efforts, reinvesting a portion of revenue generated from previous innovations into further R&D to sustain the development of new products and processes. This strategy has provided it with a competitive advantage over its competitors and allowed it to create over twenty new products.

IP Management

As a company strategy, Nature’s Legacy seeks IP registrations with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) for all its innovative products, processes and designs. Realizing that IP protection in the marketplace is as important as in the production place, as part of its IP strategy Nature’s Legacy expanded its IP protection initiatives in 2003 to major export markets, primarily the United States and Europe. This strategy has allowed Nature’s Legacy to exercise better leverage and control against infringing products, regardless of their origin.

Since the Philippines became a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system in 2002, it uses this system as a cost-effective means for filing its patent applications in major export markets. It also uses the PCT International Search Report as a tool to decide whether or not to proceed with the national phase entry. Through utilizing these tools, Nature’s Legacy can pursue its PCT applications selectively and economically in PCT member countries where its products are marketed.

Utility Models and Patents and Trademarks

Nature’s Legacy has filed four PCT applications and files for national IP protection for all of its new inventions and processes. As of 2010, it has made thirty-five combined utility model and patent applications with the IP Philippines, including a patent application for its simulated stone cast process and a utility model application for its Naturescast™ innovation.

In 2004 Nature’s Legacy filed a trademark registration with IP Philippines for its company name and in 2006 it filed another national trademark registration for its Naturescast™ name.

IP Infringement and IP Enforcement

Nature’s Legacy’s first market success took a hit in 1999 from competitors copying its designs. Unscrupulous competitors started copying Nature’s Legacy’s new products and selling them at lower prices. Despite the subsequent loss of sales and revenue of the first batch of its cast stone products, Nature’s Legacy kept on inventing and producing more new products. One way it got around this initial copying was to reposition itself and target the high-end home furnishings market.

In those early days, the company had meager resources and logistics to enforce its intellectual property rights (IPRs) and the few warnings it managed to issue proved to be ineffective. However, not discouraged by this early experience, and with a firm belief that patents and other IPRs only have real value if they can be enforced, Nature’s Legacy has since followed a strong policy of protecting its creations and enforcing its IPRs, vigorously pursuing violators and allocating a larger budget for IP enforcement.

From 1999 to 2002, Nature’s Legacy devoted part of its revenue to funding IP enforcement activities. By 2003, it acquired the resources and logistics to bring cases to court against companies that were blatantly producing and selling cast stone products in violation of Nature’s Legacy’s patents, some of which are still pending resolution.  Nature’s Legacy now files IPR infringement cases with the Philippine courts to seek immediate resolution. Believing that the use of IPR makes a difference in a growing company like Nature’s Legacy, the Delantars look forward to a business environment where IPRs are truly and fully respected and protected.

Industrial Designs

After suffering IP infringement related to its designs, the Delantars realized that strategic protection of Nature’s Legacy’s original designs is essential to its success and growth. Nature’s Legacy’s most important industrial design was that of its natural looking stone cast, for which it applied for protection in 2000 (granted in 2002).

Licensing

Nature’s Legacy offers some of its IPRs for sale or licensing. A number of local and foreign companies have shown interest in forging licensing arrangements with Nature’s Legacy covering some of its patented products. On this aspect, as long as its interests are not prejudiced, Nature’s Legacy continues to pursue an open-license policy in order to maximize commercialization. The company is now selling some of its IPRs and part of the sale proceeds will be used to fund its activities related to registering new, and enforcing its remaining, IPRs.

Business Results

Growing from a small backyard business in 1996 to a successful manufacturing firm with over 120 employees, Nature’s Legacy products have continued to expand, and the company is now exporting its products to Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Asia. Sales have increased from 29 million Philippine pesos (₱) in 1998 to ₱95 million in 2002, with sales reaching over ₱100 million in 2005. This increase in revenue enabled Nature’s Legacy to acquire new equipment and facilities to support the NaturescastTM product line, and has now become a market leader in high-end environmentally friendly home furnishings, especially in export markets.

This success has earned Nature’s Legacy many awards, such as the Cebu 2010 Mugna Awardee for Eco-Friendly products at the CEBUNEXT furniture exhibition, the 2009 Manila FAME home and fashion show Katha Award for eco-luxury and the 2007 Excellence in Ecology and Economy award from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Other awards include the Golden Shell Award for Excellence in Manufacturing and Export in 2004, the Most Creative Product Award for Naturescast at a prestigious trade fair organized by the California Integrated Waste Board and the Pride of Cebu Award in 2008 for pioneering stonecast products and exports.

IP-Propelled Innovation

Surviving IP infringement through a strategy anchored on IP-propelled product and process innovation, Nature’s Legacy has been able to sustain its competitive edge and become a market leader in its industry. Nature’s Legacy believes that its success is an example of how any company can remain competitive through innovations protected by strong IPRs.

 

Natures Legacy Eximport, Inc. proudly marks its first NLE Earth Week Celebration dubbed as "I Volunteer to ❤ Earth" on December 8 – 11, 2010 in time for our founding anniversary. This is an entire week of celebrating what’s local, sustainable and green through various activities focused on environmental issues.

The week-long activity is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment.

NLE Earth Week Celebration is an exciting opportunity for the staff & associates and the local community to gain a better appreciation for our natural world, as well as realize that our community can offer an enormous amount of help in saving Mother Earth.

Several activities are designed to engage and increase the participants awareness of nature. Activities like Run for Nature, Green Bag Week, Green Talk, Green Art, Green Cans and Metro Greening are designed to engage and increase the participants awareness of nature. These activities will be held within the factory vicinity, schools and other community locations.

The Earth week celebration is one way of promoting the company's Corporate Social Responsibility through enriching environment stewardship by protecting, caring and nurturing the planet through our green advocacy.

December 8, 2010 Wednesday

Opening Ceremony
Green Talk: Waste Minimization and Energy Conservation by Pete Delantar (Participants: NLE Staff & Associates)
Distribution of Shirts and Eco Bags with “I Volunteer to ❤ Earth”
Distribution of CFL to NLE Staff & Associates

Run for Nature
3K Fun Run

December 9, 2010 Thursday
Green Talk
Waste Minimization and Energy Conservation by Pete Delantar (Participants: Students)
Distribution of Eco Bags with “I Volunteer to ❤ Earth”
Tree planting with student reps & teachers

Green Art
Nature-themed art projects

December 10, 2010 Friday

Green Cans
Distribution of 6 sets of Biodegradable/non-Biodegradable Trash Cans to the local community

December 11, 2010 Saturday

Metro Greening
Planting Ficus Plants along the gateside of NLE Main Plant in partnership with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce & Industry – Metro Cebu Environmental Greening and Cebu City Agriculture Department.

 

Special Thanks to...

 

Event Partners:

Province of Cebu

Cebu City Government

Municipality of Compostela

Cebu Chamber of Commerce & Industry

 

Event Sponsors:

CHEMREZ Incorporated

International Freight Forwarders Philippines, Inc. (IFF)

Habagat

DTI Secretary Gregory L. Domingo graced the Manila F.A.M.E International at the World Trade Center last October 18, 2010.


In this photo, Pedro H. Delantar, Jr. the President and CEO of Natures Legacy Eximport explaining the sustainable products NATURESCAST® and recycled product NUCAST® to Sec. Domingo together with Luis Sicat, Philexport Trustee and Sergio Ortiz Luis, Jr., President of Philexport.

presented by Distinctive Assets - Swag Goes Green In celebration of Earth Day Distinctive Assets is presenting a gift bag full of eco-friendly gifts to co-conscious celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Bradley Whitford, Jane Kaczmarek, Justin Timberlake, Bill Maher, Hugh Hefner, Jake Gyllenhaal, Barbra Streisand, Leonardo DiCaprio, Melissa Ethridge, Sheryl Crow, Orlando Bloom, Tobey Maguire, Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Tyra Banks, Bette Midler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, George Clooney, Sting, Teri Hatcher, Robert Redford, Alicia Silverstone, Ricky Martin and Kate Bosworth. Distinctive Assets is doing its part to celebrate Earth Day and the stars who make a difference with “green gift baskets.” The end result is a match made in Hollywood. This unique Gift Baskets (the “basket” is actually a tote bag from Ecototables as well as an in-home recycling bin) are being presented April 22, 2008 ( Earth Day) and include items from companies such as Brooks Sports, Irie Star Design Studio, River Bend Candle Company, Aqua Kriya Yoga, Sanani Coffee Company, Diva International, Mona Vie, Dragon Pearl Tea, Snarewear, NaturesCast, FEW, Jimmyland, Guardian Technologies, ImagiPLAY, Tammy Fender Holistic Skin Care, Naked Cotton, Paper Shouts, IKove, Water Sensations, Snack Alliance, Mattel, Aero-Tech Light Bulb Co., Doggy Tug!, Water Pik, Sea Gull Lighting Products, Shibue Couture, Tupperware, PureAyre, Lunapads International and many others. Distinctive Assets goal is to introduce products that boast an eco-purpose to celebrity ambassadors in an effort to shine a light on products that everyone can (and should) start incorporating into their everyday lives. Naturescast® (Boti bowl) An eco-friendly vase Naturescast® is a multi-functional décor item for the home that can be used as a vase, planter, etc. Naturescast sustainable products are made using “jungle junk” including dry leaves, dead twigs and barks rescued from the Philippines’ jungle floor. The scraps are shredded through a special machine and bonded together using an odorless water based binder and shaped into unique and functional forms designed by local artists.

MAGIC’s ECollection also featured a handful of extremely creative exhibitors. Naturescast’s collection from household items to footwear and jewelry is so innovative that one would have to look twice before realizing that the company actually uses fallen twigs, dead shrubs and dry tree barks to make their items. These forest debris collected from the Philippines are then grinded and shredded and then hand-bonded together with a water-based glue to before being formed by their designers. Company representative Peter Delantar also said that their production company continuously provides livelihood opportunities as well as housing projects for all their workers.

BY CHIT JUAN Lately, I have been fortunate to meet many like-minded people who advocate a sustainable lifestyle whilst running a business ranging from furniture and accessories manufacturing to even integrative medical services. It feels good that soon we will be reaching a “tipping point” and sway everyone into living a naturally healthy way of life. ECHOstore partner Jeannie and I recently met Jet Sales, of Lawiswis fame in Palawan. Jet moved to Palawan some years back to start an organic farm from where he gets lemongrass, neem, turmeric and which he makes into soaps, oils and balms, which are all-natural. He also has beeswax and honey and coconut products like tuba and “aged tuba” which become probiotics (the one promoting digestion like the famous Yakult brand only sugar-free). It is amazing how a grown man in his forties could look so young and keep a complexion so smooth, the secret of which is his natural lifestyle. He quietly produces his natural products in his small workshop a few kilometers outside the center of Puerto Princesa. Next, ECHOstore partner Reena and I meet Pete Delantar in Cebu to talk about the latest products he makes which are causing a fashion rage in Europe. Pete has patented a special natural water-based glue that he uses to bind forest debris and form them into beautiful fashion accessories. He also uses Pangintuon, a sustainable wood used by many costume jewelry makers in Cebu, and combines them with his “forest debris” to make bangles and other fashion jewelry. Pete and Kathy Delantar also already practice among their employees what University of the Philippines Professor Benjamin Diokno predicted in the recent Philippine Retailers Association conference in Cebu. People will work where they live. Many, if not all, of their factory employees live and work in the same area, making their carbon footprints very small. Again, exporters like Pete and Kathy are influencing a whole community in Compostela, Cebu to go green. Even their children are encouraged to pursue careers in sustainable businesses like design, culinary arts and soon environment law. Pete’s passion for green fashion is infectious. He, you can say, dresses up the world in a sustainable manner. And finally, we would like to share our experience with Dr. Romy Paredes of Cebu, an integrative practitioner of medicine. He combines Western medicine with Eastern influences and follows the path of traditional medicine stalwarts like Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan and Dr. Nicholas Rath of the famous LysinC Cellular Therapy movement. I have shared Dr. Paredes’ good deeds with his fellow Cebuanos and it is funny that a Manila entrepreneur like myself has to be the storyteller to these Cebuanos about Dr. Paredes. He is a quiet worker, and through word of mouth has slowly taken Cebu by storm. He now has two clinics, one in Cybergate Mall and one in Aznar Building (across the Cebu Skin Clinic) and he sees cancer patients, and many other people who want to try a combination of Eastern and Western medicine, thus the operative word is “Integrative.” According to Dr. Paredes, the best motto is still “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.” Better to prevent diseases while one is still healthy rather than looking for the cure when one is already feeling the symptoms of any ailment. Like the two other men we mentioned, Dr. Paredes eats less, mostly plants (like Michael Pollan, best selling author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and many other books on eating healthy). When we meet men of this persuasion, and we sure have met a lot of them lately, you right away see a holistic and sustainable way of living, even if they do not say it. And men supposedly are the most difficult to sway into this lifestyle, as many feel “invulnerable” or invincible because of our society’s belief that men are the stronger sex. Well, here are three men, in different careers, all in their prime of life but all practicing a sustainable lifestyle. I believe in Dr. Paredes’ fearless forecast that we are nearing the “tipping point” as more and more people come to see him for various ailments (some as young as 16 and already stricken with the big C); as more and more buyers wish to buy sustainable fashion accessories from Pete; and as more and more consumers discover naturally-healing soaps and oils from Lawiswis’ Jet Sales. These are three men from different places, but all with one belief: It is time to check how we can adopt natural health practices and also be green in our businesses. Maybe the motto should be “Sell Green, Live Green” for these entrepreneurs and the world will surely be a happier place, as soon as tomorrow. May there be more men like them who are humble enough to accept human weakness, and make a difference by inspiring others to take up the same cause and ultimately promote healthier lives while saving the environment. Chit Juan is an owner and founder of ECHOstore sustainable lifestyle in Serendra and Podium (www.echostore.ph). She also speaks to the youth and other groups on Sustainability, CSR, Leadership and the Environment. You can email her at puj@echostore.ph

Design and raw materials were the focus of this year’s participation at the recently concluded Interior Lifestyle exhibition held in Tokyo Big Sight, Japan. Eight Filipino manufacturers of home lifestyle products showcased their best wares to the discerning Japanese market with the two elements as the Philippines’ competitive edge. “The market is very interested in new materials and design,” says Pete Delantar, CEO of Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc., a manufacturer of home accessories using recycled materials. This works well for Filipino manufacturers, he adds, because materials manipulation and design are among the strong suits of Philippine-made products. Takayoshi Nagashima, president of AIK Co. Ltd., a company that publishes The Home Living, agrees, saying, “The Philippines continues to produce creative pieces using indigenous materials, as well as manipulations of raw and recycled materials that are aligned to the global trend of eco-designs.” Nature’s Legacy was among the three local companies chosen by the Asean-Japan Center to be part of the Asean Pavilion, which is composed of other manufacturers from Asean member-countries. Nature’s Legacy was joined by Filipino manufacturers Catalina Embroideries (lamps, cushion covers, mirrors, wall décor, vases) and Maze Manufacturing Co. Inc. (wrought-iron furniture, home accessories). Aside from selling the country as a reliable source of products and services, the Philippine participation to Interior Lifestyle also serves as a preview to Manila FAME International (www.manilafame.com), a biannual tradeshow for home and lifestyle products scheduled from October 18 to 21 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. On its 52nd edition, the trade show continues to establish itself as Asia’s Boutique Show with this year’s theme focusing on Japan as partner-country, the country being the Philippines’ second-largest market. The Tokyo participation, and the Manila FAME International are projects organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.

by Eva Gullas In this part of the world, the color green can easily elicit a big yawn. Perhaps this is because long before green became a buzzword, we have been recycling all sorts of things. Think chop-chop (surplus auto parts), or the corner ukay-ukay. Ours is a lifestyle dictated by necessity, where most things are given a second life.

There's nothing quite like a room full of entrepreneurs to lift one's spirits. Just when stock market lows were getting me down and doubts about how helpful the Economic Stimulus Plan would actually be for entrepreneurs were sinking in, I shut off the computer and headed to the Green By: Sara Wilson | February 26, 2009 7:26 AM Product Expo in NYC. There, I reveled in the energy and optimism of entrepreneurs. Never mind that they're in the thick of things, serving as the first line of defense where they're personally battling it out with the credit crunch and nervous, price-conscious consumers. In that room, on the fourth floor of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, I soaked in the entrepreneurial spirit and felt protected somehow from what was happening on the other side of the door. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the economy never came up in my discussions with the entrepreneurs in attendance. Lee Archer, cofounder of New Wave Enviro Products, a manufacturer and distributor of eco-friendly products, admitted that his business has been affected by the economy when the company that was making the filters for his reusable bottles apparently went out of business and that he has had to deal on several occasions with retailers that don't pay up. Yet, despite the challenges, Lee was overall optimistic and was excited to see what types of innovative companies would emerge from this recession as has been seen in past recessions. Other than New Wave Enviro Products, which Lee started more than a decade ago, and b. happybags, which launched six years ago and was one of the first to bring reusable bags to the market, many of the entrepreneurs were startups. Michael Dwork just launched his line of environmentally-friendly dinnerware made from fallen leaves (literally) last month but can't get the product out fast enough to meet the demand. It seems as though fortune has been with him since the beginning. In order to compete in a business plan competition, he had to create a one-page website for his company, Verterra. With zero advertising, site visitors were soon inquiring about ordering products. So is green still hot even in this economy? Michael believes that as long as the product is authentic and offers a unique value proposition, consumers will definitley be interested. Products ranged from 100% biodegradable doggie doodie bags (created by three guys who met in law school) to reusable waste-free lunch bags (created by two friends who were both moms and who cringed at the avoidable waste occurring at schools) and the startup stories, as usual, didn't disappoint. Maggie Mohs was cleaning houses with traditional cleaners when she started suffering from an allergic reaction. When she couldn't find a green cleaner that didn't have fragrances or dyes added in, she called upon her sister-in-law to help her develop her own line of products.They incorporated the company, Simply Neutral, in August 2007. Pete and Cathy Delantar founded Nature's Legacy, a global manufacturer of home furnishings and garden accessories, in 1996, but, during a cleanup of agro-forest debris, they came up with the idea of turning that debris into sustainable products. In 2004, they launched NaturesCast, a manufacturer and distributor of sustainable and versatile products such as furniture, home accessories and jewelry. As a writer for Entrepreneur magazine, I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs, but since I'm interviewing entrepreneurs across the country, I don't always get to meet them in person. To be surrounded by them, feel the energy and excitement in the air, and get a taste of the innovation and ideas, was truly invigorating and refreshing. The economy isn't the best right now--it's hard to not be reminded of that constantly--but the spirit is still alive, and the entrepreneurs that I met today are far from slowing down.

Japan has always been considered to be a country that would rank high among those that are most environmentally conscious. Their products as well as manufacturing processes are attuned to the global standards in sustainability and environment protection. Leaving Nature’s Legacy Eco-entrepreneurs Pete and Catherine Delantar, the husband and wife tandem behind Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc., have come up with an innovative line of home and garden furniture and accessories as well as architectural components, fashion complements, and footwear made out of “forest castaways.” This patented material innovation, which took two years to perfect, was borne during a clean up drive in their community where mounds of dried twigs, leaves, and forest wastes gave Catherine the idea of making use of these agro-forest debris as raw material. “These twigs are not endangered. [They] die after a certain number of months because the top soil has no more nutrients,” explains Pete Delantar, the company’s President. Called Naturescast, these scraps are shredded and bonded together using odorless water-based binder and then fashioned into functional, decorative pieces which are 100% biodegradable. “We don’t just gather [the scraps], we rescue them; give them a second life. We call it regeneration…from being wastes, we put [them] to good use and extend [its] life. Nature’s Legacy is highly recognized and awarded for its pioneering innovations and efforts as well as its green practices. Among its recognitions is the prestigious Golden Shell Award for excellence in design and manufacturing in 2004.

For its 5th participation to the JHBS, the Philippines delivers cutting-edge products to the fore as it solidifies its reputation as a reliable source of stylish and sustainable home-building and construction materials demanded the world over. Naturescast, the brand Nature’s Legacy Eximport, Inc. (Golden Shell Awardee for 2004) is famously known for, is produced through patented material innovations that transform agro-forest debris into designs for furniture and home accessories, lawn and garden products, fashion accessories, footwear, architecture and interior designs, and packaging materials. Pete Delantar, President of Nature’s Legacy, calls their advocacy as “regeneration… we put [these wastes] into good use and extend [their] life.”

W­hen I­ f­i­rst saw­ the jew­el­ry and f­u­rni­tu­re made b­y N­atur­es­c­as­t I­ was puzzl­e­d. I­t­ l­ooke­d sort­ of l­i­ke­ part­i­c­l­e­ board, but­ fi­n­e­r, an­d i­t­ was i­n­ shape­s n­e­ve­r se­e­n­ i­n­ Hom­e­ De­pot­. I wasn­­’t­ t­h­at­ far off. T­h­e­ pie­ce­s are­ made­ of dry b­ark­ an­­d t­wigs — fore­st­ scraps — colle­ct­e­d from t­h­e­ fore­st­s of Compost­e­la, Provin­­ce­ of Ce­b­u, in­­ t­h­e­ Ph­illipin­­e­s. T­h­e­ compan­­y sh­re­ds t­h­e­ scraps an­­d mix­e­s t­h­e­m wit­h­ a wat­e­rb­ase­d b­in­­de­r, t­h­e­n­­ use­s spe­cial molds t­o cre­at­e­ t­h­e­ in­­t­e­re­st­in­­gly sh­ape­d pie­ce­s. There are a f­ew pos­itive as­pects­ to this­ proces­s­. F­irs­t, it provides­ em­pl­oym­en­t to an­ im­poveris­hed area. It al­s­o hel­ps­ educate peopl­e ab­out workin­g­ with the en­viron­m­en­t, us­in­g­ s­us­tain­ab­l­e practices­ rather than­ cuttin­g­ down­ trees­ f­or m­aterial­. An­d l­as­t b­ut n­ot l­eas­t, the res­ul­tin­g­ pieces­ have an­ eco-m­od f­l­air, very Aus­tin­ Powers­ m­in­us­ the tox­ic pl­as­tics­.

August 19, 2010 The IP Coalition said the seal is given to businesses that provide services and products while strictly practicing intellectual property compliance. Updates on President Benigno Aquino III's presidency IP Coalition secretary general Numeriano Rodriguez said the awardees serve as “IP icons” and are role models for best practices. He said an IP seal for the business assures clients that its product or service is of excellent quality, original, safe and legitimate. Rodriguez said the Philippines is seen as a “safe haven” for pirates and counterfeiters, and it is their dream to change that outlook by cultivating awareness and respect for intellectual property rights. The IP Seal awards honors businesses committed to complying with intellectual property rights. The awardees were Alcon Industries Inc., manufacturer of furniture, wind chimes, chandeliers, ornamental décor and other house wares; Dash Engineering Philippines Inc., an engineering design firm serving international clientele; Golden Peak Hotel and Business Suites, awarded for being an outstanding business hotel; Jojo’s Food Products Inc., which manufactures and exports dried tropical fruits; My Rock Export-Import Inc., a company that manufactures toys, souvenirs, jewelry and décor; Nature’s Legacy, a company selling home furnishings and garden accessories incorporating locally abundant raw materials in its designs; and Papicture Studio, a digital imaging and video suite specializing in wedding video and photo services. Last year, the IP Coalition awarded the Ayala Center Cebu and Campaign Cebu. “By displaying the seal, the public is immediately notified that they are dealing with a business that is a cut above the rest,” Rodriguez said yesterday. The organization invites interested establishments to practice IP compliance. If they show interest, companies are asked to commit to incorporate in their policies IP compliance and to try to expand awareness to their business partners. They also encourage companies to be choosy when dealing with suppliers and other partners, saying they should also pick those who are complying with IPR

Testimony from design patriot "We believe that designing an eco-friendly product starts with an understanding of your environment first. We must recognize that sustainable and renewable resources are around us," confirms Manila F.A.M.E. exhibitor Pete Delantar of Natures Legacy. Their company manufacturers artistic and functional home pieces and various outdoor accessories.

New to jewelry design, Naturescast has taken a turn from the furniture store. The company produces eco-fashions rich in innovation and abundant in motive. Taking to jewelry design with a distinctive flair and innate elegance, Naturescast uses eco-friendly materials found on the floors of the forests to produce modern jewelry that never fails to awe its consumer. The collection includes necklaces, bracelets, belts, earrings and bags for a productive take on fashionable possibilities. The Naturescast collection comes in a variety of bold yet simplistic colors that can make any outfit run to the top of the list.

The Bloss Collection is made from agro-forest waste, as are all of the pieces from NaturesCast. This collection includes a Curl Displayer that can be used as a table of bench, a Lilli Planter, Calla Planter, Tulip Planter and six complementary wall art pieces. Call for prices. NaturesCast, Las Vegas. Retailers only, call (702) 616-3683. Say you saw it on www.giftsandec.com.