Think out of the box. That?s what third year economics student Dandee Bitancor did. He thought: If you do not have the space for sprawling trellises, why not grow your crops vertically?

Bitancor believed the kainginero would not have to clear wide spaces by burning trees and vegetation if they could use whatever little space they had close to their homes.

And he thought vertical trellises would also work in urban settings where space was also at a premium. Not only will people be able to raise vegetables but the plants will also help reduce pollutants in the air.

Thus the Bicol University student called his handiwork ?lung walls,? designed not only to allow vegetable farming in limited spaces but also to help clean the air that people breathed.

?I wanted to give farmers the choice of doing crop production without degrading the environment,? the 24-year-old Bitancor said of his project that made him one of four Bayer Young Environmental Envoys (BYEE) from the Philippines who will go on an environmental tour in November in Germany.

Bitancor built 10 trellises in Daraga, Albay, just outside the university walls, and grew sitaw, kalabasa and kamote.

Sponsored by pharmaceutical and plastics company Bayer, the annual study tour will be participated in by 50 BYEEs from 17 countries.

Bitancor came up with the idea for lung walls when he observed slash-and-burn farmers who caused damage even to the majestic Mayon Volcano in Albay.

Although he understood that the farmers needed to survive, Bitancor thought there should be a way to avoid damaging the forest.

After setting up his trellises at the university, Bitancor then taught the concept to farmers in at least two villages. He also taught other students at the university to keep the project going after he has graduated.

On the other side of the country, senior accountancy student Philippe Jan de la Cruz of the University of St. La Salle Bacolod wanted to find some use for all the waste paper in his school.

Fuel of choice

Charcoal remained the fuel of choice for household use. De la Cruz turned old test papers, newspapers and damaged books into charcoal briquettes that gave his neighbors in Barangay Banago an alternative to charcoal.

His Uncle Dionisio, who runs a nongovernment organization, has been producing paper charcoal on a small scale so he already had the technology .

Dela Cruz said, ?If we can convince more people to use paper charcoals, we will conserve more trees.?

Using what he learned in school, De la Cruz developed a business strategy to market paper briquette. He sells a pack of 13-15 briquettes at P5 each.

Aside from Bitancor and De la Cruz, also chosen as BYEE were Ateneo de Manila University environmental science student Jairus Carmela Josol and Philippine Women?s University nutrition student Elizabeth Lambino.

Josol conducted an information and communication campaign to raise awareness of climate change in Sogod, one of the towns in Southern Leyte affected by the deadly landslides in 2006.

Lambino designed trash bins for her campus and launched an environmental awareness campaign by holding a symposium and eco-art competition.

Starting ?em young

The BYEE program, a partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), started in Thailand in 1998. It was held in the Philippines for the first time three years later.

Bayer Philippines invites students to send environment project proposals.

Bayer Philippines corporate communications manager Reynaldo Cutanda said, ?We want to encourage young people to act early on environmental protection.?

This year, the program received more than 100 entries, from which 24 regional finalists were selected. After regional interviews, 12 national finalists were chosen in May.

The finalists had to implement their projects between June and August. Two weeks before the four BYEE envoys were chosen, the finalists participated in a six-day eco-camp that featured lectures and study tours. They were also interviewed about their projects.

Cutanda said graduates of eco-camps in the past nine years sustained their passion for protecting the environment. One of the first BYEEs now works for environmental lawyer and 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient Antonio Oposa, Jr.

All national finalists automatically become members of the BYEE Club that meets annually to plan projects.

This year?s other national finalists were: Rabelais Medina, computer science, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman; Rommel Gestuveo, public health, UP Visayas; Angeli Guadalupe, medicine, UP Manila; Jayson Balansag, education, Bukidnon State University; Edilyn Lopez, tourism, University of Cebu-Banilad; Tina Rose Viernes, forestry, Nueva Vizcaya State University; and Mark Wilfred Popioco, broadcasting, and Camilie Potato, biological science, both of West Visayas State University.