Sustainability is most meaningful when it becomes part of everyday life. From the food we grow to the communities we nurture, small actions can create lasting impact. Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the country’s largest electricity distributor, has embedded this deep in its operations and empowers communities by promoting environmental stewardship and enabling more people to embrace more sustainable ways of living.

Guided by its overarching sustainability agenda “Powering the Good Life,” the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led company implements environmental program in its own backyard. Its urban farming program called PowerPlants demonstrate how sustainability starts at home, grows outward, and strengthens communities.

Since its launch in 2024, PowerPlants has grown to 20 operational urban farms across Meralco’s Headquarters, Business Centers, and Sector Offices, with seven more in the pipeline this year. These farms cultivate a wide variety of vegetables such as pechay, mustasa, malunggay and other leafy greens — providing fresh produce that supports employee wellness and community nourishment. Nearly 200 employee volunteers have joined the effort, directly benefiting over 700 individuals and communities through regular harvests and distributions.

The genesis of PowerPlants can be traced back to the visionary leadership of Meralco chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, who championed the idea of establishing urban farms within the company’s premises.

“We stay true to our word first to deliver power, to light up people’s homes, offices, malls, factories at the least cost to our customers. But on top of that, we have attached the responsibility of preserving our environment,” Pangilinan said.

Beyond Meralco’s facilities, partnerships with Local Government Units (LGUs) in Quezon City — particularly Barangays West Kamias and Talayan — have extended the program’s reach, reinforcing Meralco’s role as a responsible corporate citizen and strengthening ties with surrounding communities.

Greening the Meralco Operating Center

Complementing PowerPlants, Meralco also implemented an initiative that aims to transform Meralco’s Pasig Headquarters into a living green hub. As of end 2025, more than 6,000 trees and plants have been cultivated in the Meralco Operating Center, with targets of 9,000 by end 2026 and nearly 14,000 by 2027.

Guided by global benchmarks and standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Meralco ensures trees and plants are fit for purpose — whether as carbon captors, pollinator hosts, or medicinal species — so that every seed planted not only thrives in its environment but also contributes to cleaner air, richer biodiversity, and healthier spaces for employees and surrounding communities.

Driving these initiatives are the movers and shakers across the organization: One Meralco Foundation; Facilities, Safety & Security Management; Corporate Sustainability Office; Customer Retail Services (CRS) — Home & Micro Business; and Networks Distribution Services. Their collective leadership and collaboration exemplify Meralco’s sustainability pillars — Power, Planet, People, and Prosperity — as well as the culture of malasakit and bayanihan.

Meralco head of Home and Micro Business-North Business Area and CRS Sustainability Champion Alleni O. Pascual highlighted how PowerPlants advances sustainability through partnerships with local government, benefiting community members, and reinforcing Meralco’s connection with surrounding communities.

“Meralco’s PowerPlants program, through urban farming and partnerships with LGUs and barangays, extends sustainability beyond the workplace — boosting employee wellbeing, fostering eco-conscious practices, and providing fresh produce that strengthens communities and neighborhood ties,” Pascual said.

Meralco head of Integrated Asset Management and Networks Sustainability Champion, Joseph Allan C. Baltazar likewise underscored how PowerPlants embodies Meralco’s sustainability agenda.

“PowerPlants reflects Meralco’s commitment to making sustainability an important responsibility across our organization. By empowering our employees to transform our workplaces into thriving green spaces, we cultivate environmental stewardship, promote health and well-being, and create lasting value for the communities we are privileged to serve,” Baltazar said.

As Meralco continues to scale up its greening initiatives, the company reaffirms that sustainability is not a one-time campaign, but a long-term commitment embedded in the way it does business. By integrating environmental stewardship into its operations and empowering employees and communities to become active partners, Meralco is helping cultivate a culture where caring for the planet becomes part of everyday life.