His involvement with environmental concerns started at the University of the Philippines. As a UP Mountaineer, he saw how beautiful the country was but also saw the denudation, the destruction, the irresponsible mining and the apathy of the people. He eventually joined the Federation for Environmental Concerns, Worldwide Fund, Greenpeace, and International Marine Alliance. He worked in Palawan for 8 years, patrolling a 19 hectare island and apprehending illegal fishermen. He spent 2 years in Donsol taking care of whale sharks and training people for whale shark tourism. Together with friends, he put up Balayan Bay Foundation, Yaman Dagat Foundation, Ecorescue Foundation, and Padyak, the first commuter bike-rental system in the country. He recently started Kawayan Technologies, makers of bamboo bikes.