Basketball Fenomenal Player: go green

Showing posts with label go green. Show all posts

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Firms here learn how to go ‘green’

MYPAPER, FRIDAY JULY 30, 2010, HOME, PAGE A4
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya300710cnd_opf_files/mya300710cnd.js&ver=Gen
Website: http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20100730-229538.html
By CHRISTINA NG, ncherhui@sph.com.sg

PHOTO: http://dyconconsulting.net/SMARTGREEN08/Images/ist1_5130513_green_business.jpg
http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20100730-229538.html

PHOTO: Scotch-Brite comes out with green cleaning products
http://www.greenoptions.com/forum/thread/1286/scotch-brite-comes-out-with-green-cleaning-products
http://cdn.greenoptions.com/7/78/78768843_scotch-brite-greener-clean.jpg

"After a recent workshop, we started to look actively for opportunities to manage energy through heat-recovery systems within our plants. MR KERH CHWEE PENG, 3M SINGAPORE PLANT ENGINEERING MANAGER, ON THE EENP SCHEME." MYPAPER, FRIDAY JULY 30, 2010, HOME, PAGE A4

PHOTO: http://dyconconsulting.net/SMARTGREEN08/Images/Earth%20Recycle%20White%20copy.jpg
http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20100730-229538.html

Since April, 77 companies here have signed up to improve energy efficiency and implement energy-management practices, an encouraging start, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

These firms are participants of the agency’s Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) scheme, which organised workshops and seminars to help the companies understand how they can improve in areas such as industrial-energy efficiency, wasteheat recovery and energy-efficiency financing.

Technology firm 3M Singapore is one company that has benefited from these workshops. Its plant engineering manager, Mr Kerh Chwee Peng, told my paper: “After a recent workshop, we started to look actively for opportunities to manage energy through heat-recovery systems within our plants.

PHOTO: http://dyconconsulting.net/SMARTGREEN08/Images/greenhomeblue.jpg
http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20100730-229538.html

“For example, we are now exploring ways to recycle the heat produced by refrigerators in our kitchens. “In addition, we were introduced to vendors and consultants through the workshop, and this will be a great help in our sourcing efforts in this area.”

Indeed, the EENP scheme will prove increasingly relevant to local firms in the near future.

At the two-day National Sustainability Conference, which began at Amara Hotel yesterday, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources, said that schemes such as the EENP will help firms make a smooth transition from wasting energy unwittingly, to the adoption of practices with more rigorous future demands.

She added that her ministry is preparing to introduce an Energy Conservation Act that will come into force in 2013. Under the Act, large energy users, especially those which consume more than 15 gigawatts yearly, will be required to appoint an energy manager, monitor and report their energy use to NEA, and develop and submit their energy-efficiency improvement plans annually.

PHOTO: ttp://www.treehugger.com/zeroimpct.jpg
http://www.treehugger.com/2008/05/25-week/

The EENP is also in line with the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint introduced in April last year, which aims to improve energy efficiency by 35 per cent, from levels seen in 2005. “We want to do more with less,” said Dr Khor.

For pharmaceutical and health-care company Glaxo-SmithKline (GSK) Singapore, the EENP scheme has helped it to go further down the path of energy conservation. “The EENP is aligned to our company’s belief in energy conservation,” said a spokesman for GSK.

The firm has set up an energy-monitoring system that helps it to identify areas in its office building and various processing areas that use a lot of energy. The company will then work out ways to reduce energy consumption in those areas.

Besides the EENP, the NEA also has in place initiatives like the Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme, the Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies and the Singapore Certified Energy Manager training grant, to develop Singapore’s sustainability.

Yesterday’s conference, which attracted 130 participants, discussed various sustainable strategies for Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.

By CHRISTINA NG, ncherhui@sph.com.sg

PHOTO: http://www.treehugger.com/GreenIsSexy.jpg
http://www.treehugger.com/2008/05/25-week/

HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Implement: 实施 shí shī
Consultants: 顾问 gù wèn
Appoint: 委任 wěi rèn
Sustainability: 可持续性 kě chí xù xìng

Reference

Monday, March 15, 2010

Green’s the buzzword for holidays

MY PAPER, MONDAY MARCH 15, 2010, TRAVEL, PAGE A13
http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya150310cnd_opf_files/mya150310cnd.js&ver=Gen
By AGENCIES

PHOTO: DITCH THE CAR: Cycling tours, such as the one pictured above in Florida, are one way to see a country and help cut down on one’s carbon footprint when travelling. (PHOTO: INTERNET)

Berlin

CRUISE packages, overseas getaways, trekking tours of the Himalayas – there was no shortage of exotic destinations on offer at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair that ran from last Wednesday till yesterday.

PHOTO: http://www.crownspahotel.com/images/green-tourism-business-award/gtb_tourism_logo.jpg

But if there was one big buzzword for the industry, it was “sustainable travel”, noted German TV and radio broadcasting station Deutsche Welle.

PHOTO: http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/1wnz_westcora3.jpg

At the fair, travel providers responded to a rising demand for eco-tourism by marketing adventure packages with a “green spirit”, said the broadcaster.

Exhibitors from more than 30 countries featured holiday tours ranging from environmentally friendly trips at eco-resorts to carbon dioxide-emission-free walking, cycling or sailing vacations.

PHOTO: http://upickgrapes.farmvisit.com/images/farms/1073_farm.jpg

ITB Berlin spokesman Astrid Ehring told Deutsche Welle that, as green travel grows more popular, some tourists are expressing interest in trips that incorporate volunteer programmes. “People are looking more and more for specific products and authentic experiences, and green tourism is a way of getting these kinds of experiences,” Ms Ehring said.

She added: “We think that (green tourism) is not only a trendy topic, but it’s a social necessity – and it’s a pre-condition for long-term economic success.”

PHOTO: http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/7/0/9/ar121897975390798.png

Some projects, such as the European Destinations of Excellence, launched in 2006, encourages countries to adopt healthy and sustainable tourism policies, noted Deutsche Welle.

The initiative selects locations each year that exemplify sustainable practices. But, in recent years, the fight is to reconcile tourism in such locations with local conservation concerns. One example would be in Germany’s “Green Belt”, the old border between the former East and West Germany, an area that features miles of pristine natural landscape, and which is now a tourist destination.

PHOTO: http://www.greenbuildinglawupdate.com/uploads/image/2010%20green.jpg

“Tourism is an important source of revenue and jobs in these areas,” Ms Barbara Engels, a spokesman for the Bonn-based Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, told Deutsche Welle. She added: “But as it grows, so do the demands it makes on the area and the influence on nature.”

PHOTO: http://www.tynybrynfarms.com/Tynybryn_Farm.JPG

Germany’s Green Belt, for example, is a success story. Since it was turned into a tourist destination, wildlife such as foxes and rabbits have all but taken over the once-heavily-fortified watchtowers in the area.

PHOTO: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs47/f/2009/166/a/1/Green_Earth_by_Neijman.jpg

And at Harz National Park, lynxes, unseen for decades, have been successfully re-introduced since the border came down in 1989, said British newspaper The Guardian in a story on the area last year.

Developing economies have a lot to gain in the sustainable tourism market, noted Deutsche Welle.

PHOTO: http://www.neilmeyerhoff.com/files/images/Switzerland%200004rs.thumbnail.jpg

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (WTO), developing nations took in one third of the US$735 billion global tourism industry in 2006. Such countries are particularly well-suited for green-tourism opportunities because of their untouched natural preserves, said Deutsche Welle.

PHOTO: http://www.itritek.com/i//green_earth.jpg

As green tourism grows, tourists and travellers are encouraged to note that, ultimately, a holidaygoer’s choice of destination and means of transport can have a significant impact on the environment.

The WTO estimated that the tourism industry accounts for 5 per cent of the world’s total greenhouse-gas emissions annually, said Deutsche Welle.

AGENCIES

PHOTO: http://images.clipartof.com/small/21612-Clipart-Illustration-Graphic-Of-A-Green-Earth-Circled-By-Recycling-Arrows-Over-A-White-Background.jpg

HELPDESK 我的字典
Wǒ de zì diǎn

Sustainable travel (Green Tour): 绿色旅游
lǜ sè lǚ yóu

Eco-resorts: 生态度假胜地
shéng tài dù jià shèng dì

Wildlife: 野生动物
yě shēng dòng wù

Greenhouse: 绿屋
lǜ wū

PHOTO: http://www.visitcumbria.com/simon/whinash-3738b.jpg

CYCLE, TREK OR TAKE A TRAIN
Want to have a “green” holiday? Here are some tips:

PHOTO: TREK ATTACK: Trek through Harz National Park in Germany, which has gorgeous features, like this waterfall. (PHOTO: INTERNET)

PHOTO: DITCH THE CAR: Cycling tours, such as the one pictured above in Florida, are one way to see a country and help cut down on one’s carbon footprint when travelling. (PHOTO: INTERNET)

Cycling instead of taking a tour bus can not only help save the planet, but you’ll get to see an aspect of a country you’d never see if you were travelling by car, bus or train.

Check out Toronto-based Tour d’Afrique, which specialises in trans-continental bicycle trips that let you transverse Africa, slice through Europe, follow the Silk Road, and ride around South America.

On its website, you can plan your own cycling “dream tour”. Check out http://www.tourdafrique.com/, where you can log on to the site and design and name your trip. Plot your route there, and get costs for the number of riders and hotels.

PHOTO: http://www.adbio.com/images/other/green-earth-150a.jpg

A trekking tour, like one that involves cycling, is a physical way to see a country. For tours in Thailand, check out Bangkoktour.se (www.bangkoktour.se).

The website and tour agency not only give ideas on trekking tours, but they also feature ecolabelled hotels.

They cooperate with Green Leaf, an organisation that works against pollution within the tourist industry in Thailand.

The agency is working on expanding its tours to the rest of South-east Asia.

PHOTO: http://www.aidswalklb.org/GreenEarth_000004125905Medium.jpg

As a traveller, be responsible. You’ve probably come across linen reuse programmes, in which hotels give guests the option of using the same towels and sheets for days at a time, notes Forbes.com. Take this to heart, especially if you’re in a country where water is an important resource.

Hotels like the Marriott plan to offer recycling bins for newspapers in guest rooms and lobbies. Watch out for those, be aware of what is available in any place you stay, and make sure you use the facilities provided.

PHOTO: http://www.peacecoffee.com/blog/uploads/peacecoffee/Biodiversity.JPG

Ditch the plane for a train. Train journeys, such as in places like Australia, have a lot over air travel: No security lines, better scenery and departures from city centres. Check out your options in each country before you go. Indonesia, for example, features trips via its only steam passenger train.

Search for Indonesia’s Train Company online, or book through your local travel agent. The company lets you travel down rails built more than a century ago, from Ambarawa to Bedono in central Java.

PHOTO: http://www.quicknbrite.com/images/green-earth.gif

PHOTO: http://www.tynybrynfarms.com/Tynybryn_Farm.JPG

Reference

Sunday, December 13, 2009

A dream green wedding (More say ‘I do’ to park weddings)

From: http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC091207-0000091/A-dream-green-wedding
Updated 05:55 AM Dec 07, 2009
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/pdf/20091207/0712HNR008.pdf
TODAY, News Monday December 7, 2009, Page 8

Photo is obtained from http://greenweddinggiveaway.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dsc_0005resize.jpg

SINGAPORE - Saving the environment can now go hand in hand with saving costs for your dream wedding.

Couples can avail of a 20-per-cent discount at the National Park Board's (NParks) green wedding venues at the HortPark in Alexandra Road (picture), if they can prove that they will take at least eight environmentally-friendly measures for their big day.

The measures may include using a hybrid car for the big day, printing invitations on recycled paper and using bio-degradable cutlery.

Photo is obtained from http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/dream-green-weddings-longwood/69496a353aa80b59.html

"Weddings generally generate quite a lot of waste, so we're trying to use this occasion to remind people that environmental-consciousness is actually a very important part of our lives," said Ms Yvonne Cheng, Manager for Marketing and Promotions of NParks.

Photo is obtained from http://marvelousgirl.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/green-wedding1.jpg

Charges for the venues in HortPark are between $85 and $190 per hour, depending on their location. A team there will assess whether couples who want to apply for the discount under the "Green Wedding Special" meet the criteria.

NParks said it is still considering whether to extend the offer to its six other parks.

Yesterday, it also launched a new wedding venue at HortPark called the "Garden of Seasons".

Newlyweds Kevin Tan and Claire Chua said they were inspired to include several green elements in their wedding there.

"Our wedding favours are tea infusions and we include rose hip flowers in it, so it's very much in line with the garden theme and it's something people can use over and over again."

Photo is obtained from http://green-wedding.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/chapel1.jpg

NParks said the design of the new venue will be changed every three months to reflect the four seasons.

Couples can learn more about the green initiatives at the Garden Wedding Fair at HortPark this Saturday.The first wedding fair organised by NParks will also feature more than ten lush gardens and parks where couples can tie the knot.

Photo is obtained from http://makeyourownwedding.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/green-wedding-cupcake.jpg

This year, there has been an increase in the number of couples who held their weddings in parks, according to NParks.

From January to November, there were more than 150 such weddings plus about 30 bookings this month, compared to more than 130 weddings last year.

Photo is obtained from http://image001.mywedding.com/14/727/14727581_710.jpg

Eco-friendly practices for weddings

1. Wedding invitation: Go paperless, use email invitations or use recycled paper/environmentally-friendly paper.
2. Wedding collaterals (e.g placecards, menu) : Go paperless, email your guests or print limited copies using recycled paper/environmentally- friendly paper to be placed at the guests registration table.
3. Wedding attire: Rent gowns and suits made of ecologically-friendly materials, or use attire that is not new.
4. Wedding venue: Use a non air-conditioned venue at HortPark.
5. Transportation: Rent a bus to ferry guests, encourage them to carpool and use a hybrid car for the bridal vehicle.
6. Wedding decoration: Use potted plants instead of cut flowers to decorate the venue. A small potted plant can also be turned into a bridal bouquet.
7. Catering setup: Use bio-degradable cutlery or other environmentally friendly alternatives like banana leaf or cornware.
8. Wedding favours: Give out favours made of eco-friendly materials or recycled materials, or something all guests can use.

Source: NParks

Photo is From TODAY, Monday December 7, 2009

More say ‘I do’ to park weddings

MYPAPER, MONDAY DECEMBER 7, 2009, Home, Page A6
http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/myp071209cnd_opf_files/myp071209cnd.js&ver=Gen
BY SIA LING XIN, lingxin@sph.com.sg

Photo from MYPAPER
PIONEERS: Mr Kevin Tan and Ms Claire Chua are the first couple to walk down the aisle at HortPark.
(PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES)

A COUPLE who tied the k n o t y e s t e r d a y eschewed artificial lights in a hotel ballroom for a natural sunset in a park.

They also opted for a seating plan marked on a chalkboard instead of paper, a guestbook made of recycled paper and rented wedding attire.

They decided to have their big day in a park as it was “natural and beautiful, the way we always wanted our wedding to be’’, said the groom, business manager Kevin Tan, 30.

Photo is obtained from http://www.wedding-flowers-and-reception-ideas.com/images/pink-and-green-wedding-cake01.jpg

It also let them do their part for the environment through “green” practices, he added.

“We don’t need many cut flowers as we are already in a park, which has a garden ambience,’’ he said. “It looked lovely and it’s good for the environment.’’

Mr Tan and his wife, Ms Claire Chua, 24, became the first couple to walk down the aisle in HortPark’s new garden, Garden of Seasons.

Yesterday, the garden joined a list of more than 10 parks, including East Coast Park and Fort Canning Park, that can be used as wedding venues.

It will have its design changed every three months to reflect the four seasons. It now has plants and trees of white, silver and lilac hues, to reflect a winter theme.

Photo is obtained from http://thumb7.shutterstock.com.edgesuite.net/display_pic_with_logo/232402/232402,1251122628,1/stock-photo-two-green-emeralds-on-a-white-background-35808175.jpg

And, from next Saturday, couples who choose to wed in Hort-Park and adopt at least eight eco-friendly practices, such as using a non-air-conditioned venue or encouraging guests to carpool, can qualify for a new “green wedding special’’.

Under the special launched yesterday by the National Parks Board (NParks), they will get a 20 per cent discount off the $15 to $260 hourly rental fees of venues within HortPark.

NParks is letting more parks be used as wedding venues to “endear parks to the public and help create beautiful memories in green spaces’’, said its director of parks, Mr Kong Yit San.

Photo is obtained from http://www.italianlakeswedding.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Santa-Caterina-del-Sasso-Wedding.jpg

Park weddings are becoming more popular as more people feel that parks are sophisticated and romantic, said NParks.

This year, 150 weddings were held in parks here, up from 130 last year. NParks already has 90 bookings for next year.

With its latest move, it also hopes to inspire more couples to reduce the large amounts of waste that weddings usually generate.

Photo is obtained from: http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/green-wedding.jpg

A typical wedding with 200 guests would generate about six garbage bags of rubbish, mainly napkins and paper cups, said the director of wedding planning service Spellbound Weddings, Ms Anna Lim.

She began to offer green weddings about a month ago, after receiving more enquries about it in the past year.

“People are getting more environmentally conscious. About four in 10 couples consider green wedding now, as opposed to the ad hoc one or two every year in the past,” she said.

Photo is obtained from http://www.doesthedressfit.com/images/flowers/green-wedding.jpg

But green weddings cost about 20 per cent more than conventional ones, as many suppliers, such as caterers, do not regularly provide “green” options and have to make special arrangements, she said.

“The green wedding special is a good way to counter the cost issue and get more couples to go green,’’ she said.

On Saturday, NParks and Wedding & Travel Magazine will be organising a fair at Hort-Park to provide couples with tips on green weddings.

Photo is obtained from: http://www.geektimes.com/michael/site/archive/2004/10/images/2004-10-08-warsaw-fruit.jpg

A highlight is the launch of bridal studio WhiteLink’s latest bridal collection made of recycled materials, such as wedding car floral decorations and fabric covers of used wedding albums.

Its designer, Ms Joanne Heng, wanted to change the misconception that things made of recycled materials are ugly and promote the idea of going green.

Environmentally-friendly alternatives, such as banana leaves for catering set-ups and potted plants, which are reusable, unlike cut flowers, will be showcased at the fair too.

lingxin@sph.com.sg

Photo is obtained from http://greenweddinggiveaway.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dsc_0005resize.jpg

Helpdesk: 我的字典
Wǒ de zì diǎn

Eschewed: 避开 bì kāi

Ambience: 气氛 qì fēn

Endear: 讨人喜欢 tǎo rén xǐ huān

Sophisticated: 高雅时髦的 gāo yǎ shí máo de

Reference

Basketball Fenomenal Player

Pages