Even Rainwater Harvesting is Possible in Desserts

It's pretty hard to imagine that somewhere in the driest part of India, rainwater harvesting is possible. And we're not talking about a few hundred gallons of water per harvest, but 3 million gallons of water per harvest. That's the kind of luxury the ancient Indians created in the harshest part of the planet. And this ingenious architecture was conceived 400 years ago and is still used until today.

It's not a question of where is the best place to harvest rainwater, but rather, how to survive when Mother Nature tests your survival skills.

In this inspiring and fascinating presentation by Anupam Mishra, you'll begin to understand that the modern man needs to learn more from his past in order to move forward. Every method used to produce these efficient megastructures to harvest rainwater is truly innovative and resourceful. Something only an astute engineer would think of. Only when this was 400 years ago, these men were not engineers nor were they architects, but merely villagemen. Every build was well-thought out in terms of functionality and practicality. Even the aesthetics was well-crafted.

Watch the video and see for yourself, the legacy of an architecture that surpassed any modern feat in rainwater harvesting. This is proof that a greener world is absolutely possible if we were to learn from our ancestors and their way of sustainable living.

Responsible seafood consumption.

About a year back, I questioned if we're depleting our protein source faster than we can say fish. Because of our disgustingly huge appetite for all things natural and swimming, our grandchildren may really think all fishes look like Nemo in decades down the road. Here's a really interesting article which I'd like to share. Snippet originally from TimeOut KL, July issue: All you can't eat, pg30.

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“Eating a bluefin tuna is like eating a rhino,” claims WWF Hong Kong conservation director Dr Andy Cornish. Extreme as this might sound, the comparison is accurate. The world’s relentless demand for seafood has pushed many fish to the verge of extinction.

Humans rely on seafood as a source of nutrition and as a livelihood. According to London-based international charity the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), established by the WWF and Unilever in 1997, the diets of 2.6 billion people depend on fish as a source of animal protein. They estimate that 52 per cent of fish stocks are ‘fully exploited’, which means they are being fished at their ‘maximum biological capacity’.

Human consumption of fish has risen from 93.6 million tonnes in 1998 to 100.7 million tonnes in 2002. The MSC doesn’t want people to stop eating fish. Instead, it wants people to ensure consumers source their seafood from a well-managed fishery, which in turn guartantees a future for the industry and all those who depend on it for their livelihood. Shoppers who want to minimise the environmental and social consequences of eating fish should look out for MSC-certified products, which display a distinctive blue fish on the packaging.

Nevertheless, there are other ways to reduce your impact on the the world’s fish supplies. A few years back, WWF survey released a pocket-sized guide (visit http://www.wwf.org.hk/ to download it for free) that categorises 60 types of fish according to their sustainability. Alaskan Pacific salmon, North American black cod and Western Australian rock lobster (which are also availale MSC certified) are fine for consumption because they are not over fished. But shoppers should steer clear of Chinese shrimp, Hong Kong grouper and orange roughy (which share the endangered list with the bluefin tuna).

But with so little MSC-certified fish in our supermarkets, and even fewer restaurants serving it, the onus still lies with the consumer. But experts believe that even though change must come from the consumer, it is also the restaurant’s job to make sustainable food appealing and to supply their customers with information about the source of their seafood.

It is recently discovered that people are slowly becoming more proactive. In Hong Kong for example, it’s the younger Chinese generations that place around 60 per cent of the orders for MSC fish. Similarly in KL, with more youngsters refusing to consume shark’s fin, it’s a matter of time before we move our environmental consciousness up another notch.

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(Bold mine)

Statistic from: http://www.dof.gov.my/

Also just to give you a clearer picture of where your fishes are coming from if you're living in Malaysia. Just remember, aquaculture good. Overfishing bad. We're not saying you should stop eating. But hey, keep your knack for exotic endeavours somewhere else perhaps?

The Green Buddies support responsible seafood consumption.

On transition to become 'greener'.

So what happens if my favourite colour is not green? You're gonna discriminate me?

I've decided to list down some of the things which I realised that I'm consciously doing to be more environmental friendly (lately). I am sorry but I'm loving 2.0 performance cars. I try not to pollute too much nor use too much fuel by voting for the best fuel-efficient power-packed engine technology with my dollar. But I'm willing to trade my carbon footprint with some of these habits:

1) At a restaurant:
- I tell them to clear all the unused plates/cutleries so that they don't have to wash it unnecessarily even though it's still clean after my meal.
- No garnishing is needed. Except for some strange stalks, I believe they're all food. I don't eat my garnishing so, don't waste. Give it to those who do.
- Don't over use tissue papers even though they're free.
- I finish everything in my glass because water is precious (something I learnt from Kenya).

2) At home:
- I don't charge my e71 every day because it's new and the battery sustains for a good couple of days even after fairly extensive talk time and accessive SMSes.
- Turn off the electricity at the powerpoint because electricity do still trickle into appliances even when not in use.
- Think twice before I buy anything. Buy something I need even though it's expensive, so that I don't have enough money to buy other stuff that I don't need.

3) At work:
- Reduce, reuse and recycle papers. And everything that falls under the 3R campaign.
- Revving everyone up to be more environmentally friendly and trying to incorporate this (however informally and whenever I can) into the company's policy.
- Organising 'Green Drinks' session so that the Green Buddies committee can be more relaxed while updating each other on the eco-projects we're currently working on.

4) With friends
- Give a dirty look to those who are 'dirtying' the place
- Joined the 'Waterfalls Survivor' group to get people to start appreciating our country's natural gems

So far, that's what I've been doing. I don't know if it's good enough for me to trade off the carbon footprint of my car (by the way, I'm not driving a GTi, in case you're wondering. (Yet :)). But I think it's hard to get everyone to care for the environment in the same way since none of us are manufactured in that way in the first place :P

Green Resolution

In a blink of an eye, 2009 has arrived. Do you already have a new year's resolution? If saving the environment is part of your resolution simple things below might help make the world a greener place.

1) Look for things that has minimal packaging
2) Buy organic produce. Because it doesn't use pesticides, it uses less energy.
3) Bring your own bag to the store and fill it with recycled and organic items.
4) ATM machine : Request for a receipt when you really need one
5) Do your banking online. Because you don’t have to waste petrol driving around and get
yourself caught in the jam
6) Unplug all your electric appliances when they are not in use.
7) Buy local and eat local
8) Buy second hand

Cool Green Gadgets

I came across some really weird but cool green gadgets. These might not be available locally, but I think it is quite fun to know that these kind of stuff do exist.

Now That's Lawn Furniture!Where better to focus your Earth-friendly efforts than in your yard? Just assemble this eco-friendly chair's skeleton, cover it with soil and seed, add water, and wait for it to transform into a chair.

The FlowerPod Concept designed by Designnord of Denmark, presents you with a full-grown digital flower (right) if your energy use is moderate. If your eco-consciousness lags, so does the flower. The idea is that the reward of a healthy-looking blossom will encourage everyone in your family to do their part to shrink the home's carbon footprint. The FlowerPod also hooks up to an Information Portal, which displays your usage of electricity, heating, cooling and water.

These weird, spaceship-looking, green balls are billed as detergent substitutes. Put them into your washing machine with your dirty clothes, and they supposedly produce ionized oxygen, naturally activating nearby water molecules. This, according to their maker, enables the balls, priced at approximately $70 for a set of three, to penetrate deep into clothing fibers and lift dirt away. Eco balls promise to be chemical-free and environmentally friendly, and the maker says that one set will last for 1,000 washes, which would make them less expensive per use than regular detergent.

In this concept design for the Core77 contest, Jim Mielke of the United States really pushed the boundaries of his imagination. When the cell phone rings, you push a small dot on your arm. A 2-by-4-inch tattoo with the image of the cell phone's digital display then appears. Answer the call by pushing one of the tattoo's buttons. When you're done, the tattoo disappears. And best of all, you'd never leave this phone in your jeans in the washer. The HYmini is a baby wind turbine that can produce sufficient electricity to charge most gadgets, including MP3 players, digital cameras and cell phones. Attach it to your bike handlebars or to your arm as you move about. Just 20 minutes of wind exposure will give the device's internal battery enough juice to support 30 minutes of iPod time. The $49.99 HYmini comes with mini solar panels and extra batteries, too, so you can switch elements to store power. And in a pinch, you can charge it in a regular wall outlet.

Source : http://tech.msn.com/guides/green/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=6998573

Protecting the environment an uphill task

I saw this article titled "10 things to do if I were the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment" and i think that it is very insightful and perhaps if some of the things were to be implemented, it would do the environment more good than harm.

Revenue sharing between federal and state government
I will formulate a scheme that will give the state governments a better slice of government revenue while giving them greater responsibility for caring for the environment.
I will provide performance-linked incentives to the state governments to protect their forests, water catchments, and other natural resources.

Environmental Quality Council
I will revamp and revitalize the Environmental Quality Council. The council, despite being in existence since the enactment of the Environmental Quality Act, 1974, has not made any impact on environmental protection and management. When I say advice, I expect advice at a policy and strategic level, advice on the direction to move forward, advice on how the Department of Environment is doing, and advice on where we are going wrong.

A more visible minister
I will be more visible, more vocal and strive to be the face of the country's environmental management. This sector has a visibility problem. All the key government people keep a low profile. The public has no icon, no champion to look up to.

Better support for NGOs
I realize that many of the effective environmental programmes in this country, particularly those at the community level, have been implemented and funded by NGOs. I will ensure that my ministry appreciates and accepts their independent thinking and constructive criticism.

National transportation policy
I will cajole, and if necessary threaten, my colleague, the Minister of Transport, that the National Transportation Policy should be jointly formulated by three ministries -- my ministry, Transport Ministry and Ministry of Energy, Water and Telecommunications. Transportation has such great impact on the environment and energy use that it cannot be left just to one ministry to decide. I do not want the Transport Ministry to just invite one of my officers to sit in some committee.

National Biological Diversity Policy
I will reformulate the National Biological Diversity Policy. The present policy is outdated, so obscure that almost no one outside my ministry knows it, sets no targets, provides some vague directions and was formulated without serious stakeholder engagement.

Environmental impacts of the Malaysia Development Plans
It is time that we started looking at how our major policies, programmes and plans are affecting the environment. For example, we can't blame a farmer for opening farm land in Cameron Highlands -- our National Agriculture Policy encourages temperate agriculture. We can't blame TNB for building coal-fired power plants -- our Energy Policy explicitly calls for the use of coal.My ministry will study the environmental impacts of the major initiatives under the 9MP so that we can advise the Cabinet appropriately when the 10th Malaysia Plan is drafted in two years' time.

Biofuel
Although the original intentions were noble, viz to produce more environment-friendly fuel and to rely less on fossil fuels, there is now an increasing body of scientific knowledge that there are unintended adverse consequences. Demand for palm oil and other biofuels is now threatening forest land and many important wildlife species, as well as pushing food prices up to the point where they threaten the welfare of millions of people, especially in the Third World. Given the volume of scientific and economic analysis that is emerging, it is just a matter of time before many developed countries change their biofuel policies, almost certainly reducing demand for palm-oil based biofuels. We need to rethink our strategy now

Water resource management
If you look at our rivers, you will know instantly that we have not got it right.
I will push for a re-examination of these shortcomings, streamline the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies, and push for greater responsibility of state governments in water resource management.I will also give emphasis to the many grey areas such as catchment management and protection, sullage discharges, riparian reserves, quality of surface runoff, and protection of river aquatic life.

Environmental awareness and education
I will work with the Education Minister to infuse greater environmental understanding into the school curriculum.While there is some ongoing effort in this respect, this is not enough. We need to nurture teachers who are "environmentally-sensitive" -- hence the need to expand environmental education in teachers' training.

Source : News Sunday Times October 26 2008

Eco-Living

Planning to build a new house or looking for some furniture? Check out these eco-friendly houses and eco-friendly furniture!

Chairs and tables designed by a UK designer David Stovell from newspaper that are tightly rolled and bundle up together. The wine racks are made out of sustainable English wood.

This is a house that us made out of aluminum cans. The Paper House is an actual house made from paper. It was built in 1922 by Mr. Elis F. Stenman, a mechanical engineer, who created building block material purely out of newspaper (about 100,000 newspapers were used). The only wood used in the house was for the frame, floor & roofs. The house was built with electricity & had running water but no bathroom.

Hope these will provide some inspiration to all the eco friendly people out there!

EcoGreen

During the previous movie night, we ordered food from the EcoGreen café in TTDI. Everyone enjoyed the food very much. Therefore, I decided to interview the owner. Mr. Wong, the owner, was very nice when we asked him for an interview; he did not hesitate at all. They have 2 branches, both in TTDI, one is solely a café and the other is a café and “market place” where you can purchase organic products. There is even a place on the 1st floor for small scale events or networking session.

A little background on Mr. Wong, he is a chemical engineer by profession. He started with engineering business connected to the environment like air pollution and waste water. Then he had an organic farm of his own and that leads to his business today.

EcoGreen‘s core business is selling and serving organic food and promoting sustainable living. They want people to see the connection between the food on their plate and the state of the planet. The definition of organic by EcoGreen is different from some people. This café does not serve vegetables only, they serve meat as well. According to Mr. Wong, we need animal for sustainable living, it is a cycle. EcoGreen promote food at a few levels. First is local food first to minimize carbon food print and post harvest pesticides. Second, is eating organic which also reduces pesticides and promoting recycling (composition of waste).

During the interview, Mr. Wong shared a lot with us from the environmental related books that he read, history of pesticides to the current issues of environment in Malaysia. Nature operates in a cycle and industrialization and human act has broken the cycle. For example, in a jungle, trees and animals used to live independently, trees grow, animals eat its fruit, animal leave waste, trees uses animal waste as fertilizer and this cycle has been going on for thousands of years. Nothing was transported far away and will always be within the same area. When industrialization comes in, thing are being exported to everywhere in the world and that leaves major carbon footprints. And things that are taken from the earth were not returned to where it belongs and we are taking away from the earth much faster that it produces.

For those of you who would like to try the food in the café and to shop for organic products, you may want to pay a visit to EcoGreen. Here is their website address www.ecogreen.com.my

Living Green

I had an interview with Callie who owns Justlife group. Justlife is an organic shop. They not only sell organic food, you will be surprised at the range of things that they sell. Apparently they have organic handkerchief, sanitary care, cosmetic and organic clothes. I have yet to check out their store, but I will probably drop by to take some pictures next week.

The concept of organic according to Justlife is everything that is good for the earth is good for us. This concept actually runs thru as their business concept as well. Callie herself preaches earth saving diet, meaning to go vegetarian. She herself is a vegan.

I was asking her how all these started and I was a little shocked when she told me that she herself is an accountant by profession. She actually started eating organic even before she started her business. She got introduced by a friend to eat organic. From there, she started the business with her siblings.

When I went into the office, I notice that all her staffs are very young, between 20+ to 30+ and I find it weird, maybe because it’s kind of like a stereotype that people who are into organic are mostly uncles and aunties in their late 40s. She was telling me, in this business, they need passionate people who truly believe in what they do. Therefore, that explains why the staffs are so young. According to Callie, they want to break the stereotype that organic is only for uncles and aunties. Organic is for everyone. Every single one in the team will have to go through a 2-3 months of shop assistance position (regardless of what your position is) when they first joined to see if they are really passionate about what they do. Some stayed back and some didn’t. For Callie it is alright because to her, education about organic to people is much more important. Most of the people that decided that this is not what they want to do will already have an understanding about organic and they do shop in Justlife for organic products.

The business of Justlife is not only in selling organic, but also to educate people. Aside from their core business, they also organized events; go to schools, colleges, kindergartens to educate the younger generation. The Climate change even was organized by them. At present, they are running a contest, The Most Natural. This contest is for youth and the grand prize is a Mini Cooper! Check it out at www.themostnatural.com.my

Stay tune to this site as I will be visiting the shop and will be posting some pictures of the shop here soon!

Recycling for charity

Xim Phou Moon is the 1st welfare society that does recycle for charity. They are a social and welfare based NGO, a non-religious, non-profit, multiracial and charitable organization with an aim to inspire the world with recycling. Their slogan is Love Malaysia, Recycle for Community Service. The founder of this organization is Dato’ Tan Leong Hoo, also known as Master Loong Sang. This noble man officially started this organization in 1992.

My first impression of this organization is, they collect and manage recycle materials. I was wrong. The nature of what they do is collecting recycle materials and selling them to waste management factory. The money will be donated to the needy. This organization also has other businesses like Long Sang enterprise that does trading, Long Sang jewellery. These business contribute a certain percentage of money to their charity arm, Xim Phou Moon .

This organization does not only do charity locally but over the years, they have been doing charity outside Malaysia in countries like China, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal and South Africa.

Thanks to Usha, I had a chance to tour the factory where they collect all their recyclable stuffs. All these “junk” might be worthless to us, but all these are sold to get money to help the needy. Old furniture and clothes are sometimes sold to foreign workers. They also collect books and these books will be sold as second and books in their own bookshop located in Leisure Mall.
The pile here will be sorted accordingly by the workers.

Sri Aman goes GREEN

I went around the school and spoke to Mrs. Yap Kooi Ngoh who is the Vice Principle of SMKP Sri Aman. She was very helpful and informative despite the fact that the whole school (teachers and students) are preparing for the National Day celebration and activities.

Sri Aman is the first school in the country to use the Building Integrated Photovoltaic solar (BIPV) system, which has the capacity of 4.4kilowatts and capable of powering 3 air conditioners or 25 fans. The school was selected to be the first school in the country because of the strategic location of the school and also the position of the school’s roof.

Photovoltaic system is an application of solar cells for energy by converting sunlight directly into electricity. For Sri Aman, how the whole system works is, the BIPV collects sunlight and convert into electricity and if there are any access energy, (especially after school hours or school holidays) it will be sent to TNB via a cable and at the end, the amount of energy sent back to TNB will be deducted from the school’s monthly electric bills. They are even going to have a meter to measure the amount of power, energy and savings of carbon dioxide from the BIPV system. This is so cool!

Aside from the BIPV system, the school also made a lot of efforts in promoting environment conservation. They do recycling all year long. They have 2 separate waste paper baskets in every class room. The ones with holes are for recycle paper and the ones without holes are for other waste. This is done to encourage and educate the students to recycle and to reduce usage of plastic bags. They do not use plastic bags to line their bins!

They also do rain water harvesting. The water is used in the toilets and also to water the plants. Students and teachers also help to composite the waste from the canteen. They put some soil, throw the vegetable and fruit waste into them, add some yeast and cover with more soils. They

leave it there for a few months and when it’s mature, they sell it back to the students and teachers. These are little young green entrepreneurs in the making man!

SMKP Sri Aman was also one of the participants in the Toyota Eco-Youth competition. For this project, they try to conserve electricity in the teacher’s room by blocking the small little gap on the window so that the air cond from the teacher’s room does not escape. Besides that, they also plant trees surrounding the teacher’s room to reduce the temperature. According to Mrs. Yap, the students diligently measure the temperature when the project was running and the temperature dropped by 1-2 degrees around that area.

The school has a website. You can also check out their current activities here

100 ways to save the environment.

I'm not sure if every one of them in the list is applicable, but at least we know there's effort being done. Someone compiling little things we can do to try to live more ethically. I wonder if there's something similar done in this country, or as a matter of fact, in this region? Since we as Asians, live drastically different lifestyles and it seems like we've got more wet waste than our Western counterparts. Wouldn't it be great to have a place for people to meet and share ideas and at the same time, receive credible and trustworthy information to live a better quality life?