How green building can help protect world's water supply

MANILA - The International Finance Corp is helping Filipinos build environment-friendly structures that also help reduce water consumption.

Water recycling is part of green building and may involve catching and re-using rain water. The IFC, a sister company of the World Bank, is promoting EDGE or Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies.

"We are working with the companies that develop the technology to improve energy efficiency, to use more sustainable renewable energy resources and to also save water usage and promote better and more affordable sustainable materials," said IFC country manager for the Philippines Yuan Xu.

Only 2 percent of the water in the planet is potable and is becoming more scarce as the population expands, highlighting the need for green building.