And so it is. Ingenuity in the green context does pay off. Here are some of the rich greenies who earned enough fortune and deeds to help save planet earth! Well at least to some certain degree - to sustain a livable future.
Some of these rich greenies proved one thing. That being environmental responsible and earning the millions at the same time is possible. I wonder what it’s like to be waking up to the world every day with such complete sense of satisfaction. My business will change the course of the human race. That is big. Surely it is something that anyone can live with for long.
[Source from http://earthfirst.com/tag/renewable-energy/]
John Mackey, Whole Foods
Way back in 1978, John Mackey dropped out of college and borrowed $45,000 from family friends to open Safer Way Natural Foods, a small vegetarian health food store in Austin, Texas. After experiencing some difficulty in his first few years in business, Mackey approached the owners of another Austin health food store about a merger, and together they became Whole Foods, which later became the most successful natural foods chain in the world.Mackey has declined to disclose his personal net worth, but we know that prior to 2006, when he announced that he was no longer in the business to make money and would henceforth only make $1 per year, he was netting $400,000 annually. He reportedly has enough money now to give at least $1 million away to charity every year, and as CEO of such a huge company, we’re sure he’s pretty damn comfortable.
Pedro Moura Costa, EcoSecurities
EcoSecurities is an Irish carbon mitigation firm that has developed more projects than any other similar business, and co-founder Pedro Moura Costa got $10 million richer last year when he sold some of his shares in the firm. Moura Costa knew that the carbon market could be big business, especially once the Kyoto Protocol was established. It may have taken longer than he expected for the market to become very profitable, but he’s done well and will continue to make even more: his remaining shares are worth an estimated $83 million.
When asked by Reuters whether the thought green business was a bubble, Moura Costa said, “It’s become quite obvious we do something now or it will be an irreversible trend with catastrophic consequences. The only chance of it being a bubble is if we lack the political commitment to drive emission reductions worldwide — and if we do that we might as well forget about any environmental effort whatsoever because climate change is hitting us hard and the trend is likely to accelerate. I think it’s very unlikely political support will go away.”
David Scaysbrook, Novera Energy
When David Scaysbrook founded Australian firm Novera Energy in 1998, he was convinced that unlike other forms of renewable energy that were available at the time, wind power had real potential. He became a millionaire when cashing in $7 million worth of shares in the company, and is still a non-executive director on the board. He’s also a founding shareholder of Viridis Energy Capital, a specialist green energy fund with a global focus and a portfolio of investments in landfill gas, biomass and hydro power.
David is confident that we haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to the success of the wind power industry, telling Reuters that he believes fears about energy security, the rising price of oil and growing concerns about the environment will push the scale of investment in wind to far greater proportions, which will undoubtedly continue adding millions to his bank account.
I remember the time when I got furious with my eldest sister upon her insisting that we made a trip to a botanical garden instead of settling for Zoo Negara (Malaysia’s National Zoo). I remember how disappointed I was at giving up the chance of being able to catch the animated antiques of the animals in the Zoo and instead having to settle for what to me was the still and less exciting version of nature…and not to mention how unhappy my parents were at me being difficult in coming to a compromise. This happened, of course, was when I was very much the little hyperactive girl who only knew that she wanted to catch live animals in action. But upon hearing from Sue-Anne that we are to make a trip to Taman Botani Putrajaya (Putrajaya Botanical Gardens), I was reminded of that fateful day and how I have concluded that my one and only trip to a botanical garden was tainted by the disappointment of something I looked forward to so much more. However, this time, it was different. I was almost raring with enthusiasm to go – almost as if I wanted to challenge the recreational facility to engage me with its botanical heritage – all 63 acres of it!
So, early on a Saturday morning, Sue-Anne, Toon and I made our way to Taman Botani Putrajaya. Awang who’s our tour-guide for the day was already there bright and early ready to take us on what was to be a trail in the Gardens that would change my take on all things green. In a nutshell, the 3 of us combined said an astounding amount of “oooooohs” and “aaaaahs” (I’m sure Awang found that amusing). We were first taken into the Visitor Centre, which is a building with its white oval roof reminiscent of traditional Minangkabau forms with a touch of the futuristic. And the Botanical Gardens is not just a place to feast one’s eyes on the lush greenery that exists in our climate but in every corner you look environmental consciousness is incorporated into the entire Gardens. Many of the designs employed derive their inspiration from nature. Where possible, natural materials are used to create nature friendly surroundings – including the use of oil palm shells on certain parts of the Garden to give it a different feel, laterite curbs lining the walkways and even a recycled railway sleeper just to give the area a ‘jungle-y’ feel. And with the use of nature comes the replacement of it where to compensate for the use of Chengal timber in the garden structures, many Chengal trees have been planted around the Garden.
Leaf imprints on the concrete that welcomes visitors at the Visitor Centre
Upon entering the Visitor Centre, we were then greeted by a too-gigantic-in-size replica of praying mantis.
It is said that the praying mantis is displayed at the entrance of the Visitor Centre because it plays a vital role in maintaining the balance in the botanical eco-system. I was a wee bit disappointed when told that the mechanism of the gigantic insect was not working at the time of our visit. I can only imagine what an interesting form of welcome for the bus-loads of kids that come in to visit. There was even a Mushroom Room that displays the different types of mushrooms including the ones that glow-in-the-dark! Awang gave us a quick tip on how to spot and differentiate a poisonous mushroom from an edible one. But the one thing that truly caught my attention and intrigue was when I saw and discovered Malaysia’s very own version of the Venus Flytrap – the Nepenthes Rafflesiana.
Lo and behold the Nepenthes Rafflesiana – otherwise known as the Raffles’ Pitcher Plant
We then made our way out to the 170m long Canopy Bridge that is suspended high across a valley that linking the Visitor Centre with the Heliconia Trail. In a few years’ time, visitors will have the unique experience of walking through the canopy of a rainforest (hence the aptly named Canopy Bridge) – but as yet, it is a work-in-progress by Mother Nature. As we were walking along the bridge while stopping to take pictures of the view of the Gardens from what works like a long observation deck, we saw the Sundial standing tall at the end of the bridge. Almost like moths to a flame we hurried our way over to the where the Sundial stood in the Sun Garden. Having never looked at the time on a sundial, I went up-close to try to identify the time shown on the Sundial. It took a while to understand how the readings work but after confirming with modern day time-telling devices, the Sundial showed an estimated time of 10:30 am (give or take 15 minutes).
And we walked along the Canopy Bridge...
Catching the view of the Gardens from the Canopy Bridge
The view of the Visitor Centre from the Canopy Bridge
And as we walked, watch us all be drawn towards the Sundial...
And walked…before finally feeling a little pooped out from all the walking. We were told that there was the alternative of renting a bike or even taking a buggy-like tour. In which we thought would have been a better choice to have made in attempting to cover as much of the Botanical Gardens as we could. So Awang suggested we took a quick break at the seafood restaurant that was situated right next to the lake that fringes the Garden. After recharging ourselves we then made our way to the Astaka Morocco (Moroccan Palace). For the breathtaking architecture and view of the palace we witnessed, well, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Every piece of material of the palace is brought in straight from Morocco.
What the people of Taman Botani Putrajaya have to say:
“Once all phases of the Garden are up and running, Taman Botani Putrajaya will be the leading institution dedicated to the preservation of the country’s rich botanical heritage. It’s 3-pronged mission is encapsulated below:
A venue for the display of tropical flora and a centre providing educational information on plant.
An organization contributing to the scientific and cultural understanding of plants.
A sanctuary for the conservation of rare and endangered species.
What I have to say:
Personally, not being one who is very close to nature, it was a surprisingly pleasant experience for me. With the right development, conservation, maintenance and support, Taman Botani Putrajaya is definitely a beneficial necessity (on so many levels) to the country and its nation. But if one is on the lookout for a getaway from all the hustle and bustle of daily humdrum, we can take a cue from the visiting birds from Zoo Negara who does a daily stop-by at the Gardens and make it a trip - be it with family, friends, that special someone or even if it is only to for a major oxygen or shutterbug therapy. And you know what they say about the benefits of green for that perfect vision. ;) My only wish was that if only as a little girl, if only there already existed this botanical garden during the time when I made that trip with my family then…
Byte-size geography:
Taman Botani Putrajaya is located south of Kuala Lumpur, at about latitude 3 degrees north and longitude 102 degrees east. The climate is uniformly warm throughout the year, seldom falling below 25 degrees Celsius at night or rising above 30 degrees in the day. The annual rainfall of about 240 cm is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Rains usually occur in the afternoon and rarely last more than an hour or two. The day length varies by only half an hour between the shortest and longest days of the year.
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