From @ecowalkthetalk:

For those of us who were horrified to learn that cheese is an extremely unsustainable food (the horror!!), perhaps this piece of news comes as some relief.

Massive Carbon Footprint!

From Environmental Leader:

Researchers in Catalonia, Spain, have invented a process that turns cheese waste into recyclable plastic food packaging.

This new plastic is made using whey protein – a by-product formed in the production of cheese – and is biodegradable.

About seven percent of whey is protein-rich dry matter that can be used to manufacture the new plastic or “whey layer,” according to Elodie Bugnicourt of Barcelona-based research institute IRIS.

The whey collected from cheese-making is filtered and spray-dried to extract the pure whey protein. This is then used in several thin layers to create plastic film for food packaging, which is both air-tight and water-resistant. With the help of enzymes, the product dissolves easily in water, according to the European Commission.

The European Union-funded project was aiming to find new uses for the 50 million tons of whey produced by European cheese factories each year. According to the commission, some of it is reused, as protein additives in such things as body-building supplements, but almost 40 percent of it is discarded.

It is hoped this new technology can be implemented on an industrial scale over the next two years, to produce biodegradable plastic film, other forms of food packaging and food trays.

~ The Eco Music Challenge has also raised $10,400 to support the Nature Society (Singapore) in their environmental activities

Singapore, 27 August 2011 –

The National Environment Agency (NEA) announced the winner of the Eco Music Challenge 2011, 20-year old Lee Fengheng with his winning song World Without Fences today. This winning song will be the Clean and Green Singapore 2012’s official theme song, which will be launched with an exciting accompanying music video on 29 October 2011 at the Clean and Green Singapore 2012 Launch Ceremony.

One of the judges, Danny Loong, Chief Creative Director and Co-Founder of Timbre Group, said “I was very impressed not only by the creativity and quality of the finalists this year, but more so the diversity of music genres and styles presented. This goes to show that the music scene is indeed maturing and I cannot wait for what is in store next”.

Winner of Eco Music Challenge 2011, Lee Fengheng said, “This is all very surreal, I cannot believe the result because although this is actually the second song-writing competition I have entered, I did not even make it to the finals for the first one. It has been an invaluable experience with the mentors and I have made meaningful friendships with all my fellow contestants. I hope to be able to pursue my music education next and keep composing great music!”

The 13 finalists of the Eco Music Challenge wowed the crowd with their eclectic display of musical talents and melodies that inspire an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

The top winners are:

Top prize winner: Lee Fengheng (World Without Fences)

1^st runner-up: Julian Kwok (Love for Planet Earth)

2^nd runner-up: Darren Lee (早安你好! aka Good Morning!)

3^rd runner-up: Riza Hamizan Mahmod (Change of Tomorrow)

4^th runner-up: Judah Lynne (Set Her Free)

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Post Eco Music Challenge, the NEA has now launched an album design competition for the to-be-produced-by-Oct 2011 Eco Music Challenge Season 2 album. The closing date is 22 Sep.

The info on the competition can be found here.

(For those who don’t need a GPS. I know people who are virtually lost without one… *shakes head*)

Non-Profit Organisation OiWorld launched a Google Maps app called Carbon Footprint for Google Maps. It’s a pretty simple set up: You type in your destination address to get directions there, as per normal, and it displays the amount of CO2 equivalent you’re spewing out from your drive. You can also adjust the emissions rate, which is defaulted at the average of 217 grams / km.

Always interested in apps, I decided to give it a whirl, so I installed it from Chrome Store.

Here’s a screenshot of a drive to NTU:

(the longest ever work related drive that I’m responsible for. I hope to not repeat that ever again.)

So as you can see, according to Google Maps, I would end up saving 1kg of CO2 if I went by the AYE, as opposed to taking the PIE.  Also, if you’re feeling some carbon guilt from this, you can offset your carbon footprint from OiWorld via the Brazilian SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation.

I think I’ll start making it a habit to give this a check before I drive out from the office (I usually just start the car and drive in the general direction and figure it out as I go along).

(Hang on, this doesn’t calculate emissions associated with idling and traffic considerations – Maybe in the future!)

From Irishtimes via @slowfashioned

The infiltration of internet culture and recession related lingo into everyday life is reflected among the new entries to the latest edition of the Chambers English Dictionary.

A growing interest in environmental matters and the notion that men have gotten more in touch with their sensitive sides can also be garnered from the hundreds of new terms which make the 12th edition of the publication.

The addition of words such as tweet, defriend and paywall were a “clear indication” of the influence of the web, and social networking in particular, on how people now communicate, Chambers said, noting that “geek chic” had increasing clout and that Facebook now had some 500 million members.

Other internet related terms to make the cut include widget (single-purpose applications for computers or phones), webisodes (short programmes broadcast online) and augmented reality (a place where computer-generated elements are added to the real environment).

With the effects of the recession still being acutely felt Chambers has added a host of financial terms many hoped they would never need to know such as haircut, double-dip, quantative easing, toxic asset and overleveraged.

Banking acronyms such as CDO (collateralised debt obligation), CDS (credit default swap) and CFD (contract for difference) are also included having become part of common parlance, Chambers said.

Errors at white-collar level may have prompted the flow of financial terms into the lexicon but additions to the dictionary such as green-collar (jobs in the environmental sector) reflect a growing interest in ecological issues.

“Society’s obsession with eco-awareness and the judgment imposed on those who fail to live up to high eco-standards has led to an entire host of new green words being admitted into the latest edition,” Chambers said.

Among the additions are upcycling (converting waste products into something of a higher value), carbon offsetting, locavore (a person who will only eat locally produced food) and freegan (somebody who opposes materialism by retrieving and using discarded food or clothes).

The 12th edition of the single volume edition of Chambers Dictionary, which was first published in 1901, contains 620,000 words and definitions including a host of terms originating from Ireland.

Yoke, stocious, sleeveen, nixer, hoor, barmbrack and asthore all feature as do some of our better known acronyms such as RTÉ and CIE.

The good one liner take away: Our present economy operates by “stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it GDP”.

Picture the world’s fastest electric car.

Does it look like this:

Or maybe it has too look something like this:

Introducing the White Zombie (LOVE the name by the way):

From EcoFriend:

“A 1980 designed Datsun … has made history for being the fastest car in its category.”

“With some modifications in its engine by American mechanic John Wayland, this retro flying machine can cover 0-60 mph in 1.8 seconds. This was proven in a test race between Maserati and the 1973 Datsun 1200.”

“The car, nicknamed ‘White Zombie’, pushes the boundaries of shock and surprise even further; it can cover a staggering 150km without asking for a recharge. The 500 bhp makes sure that it can run (the quarter mile) in just ten seconds.”

Watch it kick the a** of a Maserati Quattroporte:

Please watch the other videos that follow as well. It’s ridiculous.

For the petrol heads who claim electric cars are weak in acceleration and other such nonsense, please take a look at the owner Mr. John ‘Plasma Boy’ Wayland’s page here.

Way to go Mr. Wayland. I’d like a go in the White Zombie. Maybe we could convert an old VW Beetle into a drag racing machine. Call it the Lightning Ladybug (I know! Creative right?) or something, complete with the ladybug motif.

I’ve been a huge supporter of the “green movement” spearheaded by the Chinese government. Ask anyone who’s attended one of my talks/discussions. I love rubbing it in the faces of the “developed nations” of the world, bringing up numbers and statistics showing how the Chinese have exceeded everyone else in terms of investment in clean technology.

I’ve also been a huge defender of the carbon emissions that have been blamed on the Chinese. After all, it’s not their fault that every single manufacturer in the world has moved operations to China.

Unfortunately, my fellow Chinese peeps have let me down somewhat.

From guardian.co.uk:

“Country overtakes the US to become world’s largest automobile market, as global sales pass the 1bn mark.”

“Beijing used to be famous for the millions of bicycles thronging its streets. But it is the success of the motor car there and in other Chinese mega-cities that has now tipped the number of cars in the world over the 1bn mark.”

“But hopes that the country will also become a pioneer in the shift towards ‘clean car’ technology have suffered a setback as the Chinese show little sign of interest in electric and hybrid vehicles despite ambitious government plans. Last year, Toyota managed to sell only one Prius – the world’s most commercially successful hybrid car – in the fastest-growing market. Sports utility vehicle sales, by contrast, are surging.”

ONE Prius in all of China? ONE!?

I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one Prius is sold in Singapore a week! Even at the lofty price of almost $150,000. Don’t tell me it’s because we’re affluent here in Singapore. There are more new millionaires in China than anywhere in the world!

My solution: Make electric cars sexy. Skip the Prius and similar automobiles entirely. Bring on the Tesla. Make China the test-bed for all the new sexy electric vehicles around. That would force companies to provide the infrastructure necessary for the exponential growth of electric/hybrid vehicles adoption in China.

Further, with all those assets in China looking for an avenue to be spent, one wonders why not more R&D firms have followed the manufacturing bandwagon and shifted to China. Set up a Silicone Valley, China style.

Broaden your minds my friends from the West. Get off your self-indulgent, paranoid, over-protective bottoms and move East. Reap the benefits of my wisdom.

Good morning my friends.

Tertiary students work with SMEs in new Young CSR Leaders Award

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which has moved on to the next leg with a 60 per cent increase in the number of organisations adopting this principle over the past two years, will now place a greater focus on youth to lay down a CSR foundation for the future.

Singapore Compact for CSR, the national organisation charged with promoting CSR, will place a strong emphasis on youth alongside with business organisations as it ramps up its awareness drive and training programmes to push the movement forward at a fast pace.

A highlight is the launch of a new initiative, the CDL-Singapore Compact Young CSR Leaders Award, which involves tertiary students working with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help analyse and implement CSR programmes and practices among these businesses. Singapore Compact’s existing CSR awards introduced in 2010 are for business organisations.

Said Singapore Compact’s Executive Director, Mr Thomas Thomas: “Singapore Compact has made good progress over the past few years. There are clear signs that CSR is gaining momentum in Singapore. Our membership has grown with 160 new members since May 2009 and our revenue has increased. This will enable us to increase our resources and strengthen our services and training programmes. Sustainability reporting has also started to take hold.

Compact will ramp up its efforts to promote CSR to the business community. We will also target and engage youth, as they will form and lead the future business community and other organisations. Having been exposed to the benefits of CSR, they are more likely to embrace it in their workplaces and companies in the future. The new CDL-Singapore Compact Young CSR Leaders Award gives them an opportunity to work with SMEs, which tend to be more focussed on survival and put strategic plans for CSR on hold.”

This joint initiative with City Developments Ltd (CDL) is aimed at promoting CSR to young people and at encouraging and engaging SMEs to practice CSR. In this inaugural Award, 27 teams from tertiary institutions were assigned to 10 SMEs to propose CSR initiatives to them.

The top three teams will receive their prizes at the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2011 to be held on 5-6 September at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. Mr S. Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, will officiate at the event.

The three winning teams:

• First: “Precise Consultancy” from Murdoch University Singapore, which worked with ADDP Architects.
  Team members: Kimberly Yap, Rosemary Lee, Sandhu Jespreet Kaur, Shyanne Wong
  Prize: $5,000

• Second: “The Changemakers” from Singapore Management University (SMU), which worked with Siloso Beach Resort.
  Team members: Bernice Ong, Teo Baona, Joseph Choy, Regina Heng, Wee ZhenYi, Pearlyn Loh
  Prize: $3,000

• Third: “Team NUS” from National University of Singapore (NUS), which worked with Mainguard Security Services & Mainguard International.
  Team members: Kwek Yi Jun, Fabian Chua, Macey Tan, Benedict Yeo
  Prize: $2,000

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The remaining seven companies involved are Ispahan Group, Fabulous Printers, Origin Exterminators, Unison Construction, Wavelink Travel, The Sukha House, and KPK Quantity Surveyors.

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Singapore Compact CSR awards for companies

The Singapore Compact CSR Awards were launched last year to recognize outstanding achievements in how companies behave towards the environment, the local community and their people.

Having received a tremendous response in 2010, the awards opened for submission again this year in April, and closed early in July after receiving 49 entries across 4 categories: Best Workplace Award, Community Developer Award, Caring Employer Award, and Green Champion Award.

The Awards drew submissions from a range of organisations, including private corporations, social enterprises and co-operatives. In addition to the Award winners from each category, 2 organisations received Special Mentions for their commitment to CSR.

The following are the winners:

Community Developer:           Citi Singapore

Caring Employer:                    KFC Management

Green Champion:                   Samwoh Corporation

Best Workplace:                     Maybank

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Two Special Mention Awards will be given to Adrenaline Events and Education and Mirage Design and Landscape.

Winning companies will receive their awards at the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2011 to be held on 5-6 September at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

From the Green PROPHET:

“Better Place, the company bringing an electric car infrastructure to Israel, has been changing so much about how the Israeli public thinks about transportation. It has educated the public about the benefits of using electric cars, taught us that a whole new electric infrastructure can be created to replace fossil-fuel-guzzling gas stations, and now it is teaching us that yes, there is such a thing as a used electric car’s salesman. According to a recent agreement between Better Place and Trade Mobile, Better Place customers will be able to enjoy car trade-in services when buying or selling Renault Fluence Z.E. electric cars.”

As the article brings up, this is a win for the environment (and the people of Israel) in so many ways. “Customers will be able to trade-in their traditional cars when buying an electric car,” and “electric car users wanting to upgrade can trade-in their Renault Fluence and let someone else enjoy it second-hand. In both instances, cars are kept out of the landfills and consumers are moving to electric.”

What the article doesn’t point out (and it’s not a big loss really) is how this is also an ingenious move by Better Place. Making it easier for people to:

1. Switch from gas to electric cars, and
2. Upgrade to better electric cars

means that the actual client base for Better Place grows exponentially, ensuring that their business grows smoothly.

Nicely done Better Place. Well played.