Community Spotlight Series — Mark Tungcul
Mark Chester Tungcul is an accounting student of the University of Saint Louis, Tuguegarao. He is an advocate of Environmental Education, Poverty Alleviation and Social Inclusion.
Earth Hacks: Tell us a bit about yourself (i.e., where you’re from, your background, what you’re in school for, how did you both meet, etc.)!
Mark Tungcul: My name is Mark Chester Tungcul, I was born and raised in a rural part of the Cagayan Province, Philippines. Seeing those rice fields being flooded every year made me realize that our world is truly changing, and we are in the forefront of that change. This is the reason that I took action to educate people about climate change, ways on adaptation and mitigation and such.
EH: How did you get involved with Earth Hacks? What was your experience like at CARGO?
MT: I was involved with EarthHacks through the Cargo Hackathon. My experience especially with my teammates was great and I was able to achieve my aims and goals throughout the Cargo Hackathon.
EH: Can you tell us about the project that you were involved with during CARGO?
MT: Our project is called the GHG Transparency Campaign, which enables consumers to track the potential Greenhouse Gases that would be emitted as a result of buying a product. It considers variables such as distance of freight and method of transportation. It also focuses on presenting alternative solutions such as buying in local shops.
EH: What methods have you used to educate those around you about climate change and sea-level rise? What do you find works best?
MT: I educate people using graphics uploaded online. This method is very effective for me as the reach of online platforms is bigger and users tend to look for simpler graphics if they encounter a new idea.
EH: What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know about you?
MT: I am actually a jack-of-all-trades (or at least I claim to be one). I don’t excel at a particular area of interest but I make sure that I distribute my time learning about something I don’t know. Because of this, I do a lot of activities besides studying such as being a volleyball player (athletics), a choir director (music), a graphic designer (computer), a school journalist (writing), a finance manager (finance) and a lot more. I am also a pluviophile and absolutely hate sunny days, which is contradictory to the temperate weather that my country is in.
EH: Anything else you’d like to share with our Earth Hacks community that we haven’t already covered?
MT: I am also an environmentalist and an upcoming creative. Please do, connect with me via LinkedIn and Social Media!