The advent of mobile technology and digital services has allowed many to perform tasks or conduct business without moving from one place to another. But other than convenience, using mobile devices to access a variety of services help reduce environmental impacts.
Petroleum-fed vehicles are one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in many cities around the world, coming hot at 28.9 percent (in the US in 2017). Every time a person rides a bus, car, motorcycle, ship, airplane, or similar modes of transportation that does not use green energy contributes to greenhouse gas production.
“Mobile technology has given consumers the power to accomplish a lot of things literally at their fingertips. Through mobile phones, we can pay our bills, visit the doctor, go to the bank, buy food, go to school, shop for clothes, among other things. By going digital, we could lessen our contribution to greenhouse gas emission and assist in healing our planet,” advised Yoly Crisanto, chief sustainability officer and senior vice president for corporate communications at Globe Telecom.
One of the services that many Filipinos have yet to try but which can help save a lot of time, effort, and money is telehealth. KonsultaMD, for instance, gives the public immediate access to a team of skilled and licensed Filipino doctors anytime they need it, whenever they may be.
By calling KonsultaMD’s 24/7 hotline (02-7798-8000), anyone may seek medical information through the phone for primary conditions (such as cough, fever, cold, flu, pink eye/sore eyes, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, bronchitis, rashes, allergies, asthma), maternity, and pediatrics, among others.
Other services are telephone triage to determine urgency of the situation; reading of, and information on, lab and diagnostic results; health coaching and nutrition counseling; and prescription for over-the-counter medication.
Another mobile service is mobile money. While digital finance was intended primarily to promote financial inclusion especially among those who are unbanked, it has started to grow in the Philippines and is fast becoming part of the Filipino lifestyle, according to Globe.
Online financial platforms like GCash allow people to send money to another GCash user, buy load, transfer money to a bank and vice versa, pay bills, pay for goods and services, get a loan, invest, save money, and even help rebuild Philippine forests without traveling since everything can be done through the app.
“Mobile operators around the world are doing their best to reduce the impact of climate change through various innovations,” said Crisanto. “We at Globe continue to look for ways to reduce our own carbon footprint while helping consumers, businesses, and industries do the same by using mobile technologies.”
Globe actively supports 10 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and combines innovation with the power of collaboration to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.
