Clean air and an auction for children

When I first heard about the “air cleaning” paint applied on the walls of the Guadalupe MRT Station in 2009, I greeted the news with raised eyebrows and not a small amount of skepticism. Just another marketing gimmick, I thought, grudgingly acknowledging the marketer’s adroit use of a new twist to selling paint.

But it turns out that there was more to the use of Boysen “KNOxOUT” than is immediately apparent. The painting of the Guadalupe MRT Station was meant to serve as a trial of the paint’s air cleaning quality, monitored by the Manila Observatory and the Swedish environmental project management company Conexor. “KNOxOUT,” the trial showed, “cleaned the nitrogen dioxide (a toxic gas produced from vehicle emissions) emissions of over 30,000 vehicles passing by the station every day.”

How does Boysen do it? Information materials provided by the company say that when a film of “KNOxOUT” is exposed to light, the ultrafine titanium dioxide in the paint reacts with water vapor in the air to form free radicals at the surface of the titanium dioxide. These free radicals in turn break down noxious air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides that come into contact with the surface. In effect, said the company, this made the Guadalupe MRT Station the “largest air purifier in the world.”

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Taking the air cleaning project a step further, Boysen has partnered with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on “Project EDSA (Everyone Deserves Safe Air),” billed as the “the world’s first large-scale art project using paints that can clean noxious air pollutants.” The project, launched last May 7 and curated by TAO Inc. (headed by my friend Marian Pastor Roces), consists of eight massive artworks, each measuring about 1,000 square meters in eight different locations along the 24-km-stretch of Edsa. All of the artworks will use Boysen “KNOxOUT.”

“This is the first public art project in the world that has an air cleaning dimension,” says Johnson Ongking, vice president of Boysen Paints. “It’s a very unique mix of art and science—we’re transforming Edsa into a showcase for art while using a globally innovative technology to help clean the air. It’s using the beauty of art to help address the ugly problem of air pollution in our city.”

The artists who will be involved in Project EDSA are: Jose Tence Ruiz, Asuncion “Baby” Imperial and Damien “Coco” Anne, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, ad agency TBWA, printmaker Virgilio “Pandy” Aviado, photographer Neal Oshima, Erika Tan, and Tapio Snellman and Christian Grou.

From a public health perspective, “Project EDSA” should help tremendously in addressing the problem of air pollution, which causes almost 14 avoidable deaths a day in the metropolis, according to a study of the World Bank and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Aside from the toll on health and survival, air pollution and its health effects also pose a major health expense, with a study conducted by the UP College of Medicine finding that half of all medications sold in the country are for respiratory illnesses.

Of course, there are other things the government can do to cut down air pollution, and not just along Edsa. But while we struggle to implement stricter vehicle emission guidelines and less pollutant gases while seeking to bring down the number of vehicles plying our roads, public art using air cleaning paint is a good initial step. As they say, every little bit helps.

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Beginning May 25 and until June 4, everyone has a chance to bid online (www.ebay.ph/unicef) for artworks, furniture and decorative items made by renowned artists and designers while helping Filipino children secure a better future.

The fundraising online auction titled “Auction for Action” is Unicef Philippine’s first such activity to benefit children’s programs in the Philippines and worldwide. The activity is in partnership with Greenbelt Ayala Malls, Ebay.ph, Cibo and Cibo di M.

Featured artists are: Manny Baldemor, Michael Cacnio, Celestina, Seb Chua, Kenneth Cobonpue, Araceli Limcaco Dans, Kristine Dee, Janina Dizon, Mich Dulce, Tom Epperson, Accessory Lab, Ito Kish, E. Billy Mondoñedo, Ramon Orlina, Debbie Palao, Ling Quisumbing Ramilo, Benji Reyes, Popo San Pascual, Joey Samson, Vito Selma, Victor Sollorano, Paul Syjuco, Ricky Toledo and Chito Vijandre of FIRMA/Felicity, Reg Yuson, and Unicef Special Advocate for Children, Ms Daphne Oseña Paez.

Galerie Joaquin artists such as Jovan Benito, Jomar Delluba, Hamzah Marbella, Dominic Rubio and Juvenal Sanso are also participating.

Experiential packages include dinner by Chef Tonyboy Escalante of Antonio’s and a dugout experience with the Philippine Football Team or Azkals on July 3 at the World Cup qualifier in Manila.

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Unicef Country Representative Vanessa Tobin shares, “This is a first for Unicef Philippines. Our partnership with acclaimed artists via online auction helps us engage the public in a new and interesting way. As well as raising important funds for our work, we will be able to raise awareness of important issues affecting children in the most disadvantaged communities of the Philippines and worldwide.”

“I know a lot of people recognize Unicef’s valuable work in children’s rights, but few realize that Unicef relies entirely on voluntary contributions to support its work on the ground,” adds Oseña-Paez. “I’ve helped them educate moms all over the country on maternal health, mortality and breast-feeding. This time, I want to help Unicef raise awareness and funds for all their other goals: providing children with health care, access to safe water and sanitation, education, and protection from violence, abuse and exploitation.”