A Letter From Annie Leonard on the Story of Stuff

Dear Reader,

My new book, The Story of Stuff, goes on sale today in bookstores all around the country.

In fact, I’m in New York as I write this preparing for my appearance tonight on The Colbert Report! I hope you tune in. Read more

Tweet This Post

Plant-A-Tree: Tabanan, Indonesia Project

With the support of Standard Chartered Bank, Plant-A-Tree Indonesia c/o BICG will begin a tree planting project to increase food supplies for native fauna in the Protected Forest on Mt Batucaru, Bali, Indonesia (in the Tabanan Regency). The project is entirely funded by Standard Chartered as part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Read more

Tweet This Post

COP 15: What is the Impact on Malaysia and South East Asia?

By Daniel Chandranayagam

What most can take away from COP 15 is a bitter sense of disappointment with the ‘disagree-to-agree’ outcome of the summit, which has been described as “a theater of the absurd” on HuffPost. With that in mind, it piqued my interest to learn that a talk would be presented by the US Embassy Public Affairs Office, at the Annexe Gallery, on the Copenhagen Summit. Read more

Tweet This Post

Earth Hour Malaysia 2010

Earth Hour will be coming soon. The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF Malaysia) urging the nations to fight climate change on 27 March 2010, from 2030 to 2130. Malaysians have been called to switch off all non-essential lights during this hour as a show of support. Read more

Tweet This Post

The Greening of Putrajaya

Selangor’s No Plastic Bag Day is just one of the many new efforts at going green in Malaysia. There are now plans underway to turn Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, into an eco-friendly city. According to a news report, the first initiative will be turning the Prime Minister’s Office Complex into a green building this year, while Putrajaya’s first commercial energy-efficient building is expected to be completed by 2012.

Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd (PjH) project management division general manager, Hassan Ramadi, was quoted as having said:

We will have to do some retrofitting to change or modify its mechanical and electrical system, that is, the air-conditioning and lighting, to make it more energy efficient.

Hassan wad reported to have said that retrofitting would take about six months as it will not involve heavy renovation works or extra-sun-shading devices because the complex was already designed to meet this need.

Together this move is the building of another energy efficient structure, both in design and material, in Putrajaya – the Energy Commission’s (EC) Diamond Building, which is now under construction.

PjH planned to lease the commercial green building, when completed, to both government agencies as well as local and multinational companies (MNC).

The 2010 Budget targeted Putrajaya and Cyberjaya to be developed as pioneer townships in green technology. Building owners or developers who obtain Green Building Index (GBI) certification between 24 Oct 2009 and 31 Dec 2014 will be given tax exemption equivalent to the additional capital expenditure in obtaining the certificate.

Another green rating tool for the tropics is Singapore’s BCA Green Mark scheme, which was made mandatory in 2005 for all new buildings in the republic as part of submission to get certification.

Tweet This Post

Say No To Political Fund-Raising From Logging

Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) recently urged the Malaysian government to reduce the strong links between state financing and forest management, according to Malaysiakini. TI-M president, Paul Low, was reported to have said this at a Forest Governance Integrity (FGI) workshop on 25 Feb 2010.

Low was reported to have said that this move would ensure that forest management is conducted in a sustainable and acceptable manner. According to Low, it is likely that abuses will occur and the forest exploited if political parties rely on timber resources for funding. At the workshop, Low reminded that corruption is “not just about bribery but the abuse of power entrusted by the people for financial and personal gain”, according to the news portal.

In response to politicians having stakes in logging businesses, Low was quoted as saying:

They have to make a choice of either being in the business of exploiting timber or in Parliament looking after the interest of the people.

He added that timber concessions should be open to public tender, with strict terms to be observed in the selection of companies.

When asked what was the biggest criticism regarding our forest management, Low was quoted as having said:

We do hear of abuses in East Malaysia of illegal logging and the exploitation of Orang Asli.

Low also expressed disappointment in the lack of citizens’ participation in forestry lawmaking, urging civil societies to be more proactive and be at the forefront of tackling graft.

Tweet This Post

Unilever Stays Away From Indonesia Palm Oil Planter

Unilever, the world’s top palm oil buyer, has instructed dealers to stay away from palm oil sourced from Indonesian planter, Duta Palma, over its concerns about rainforest destruction, according to an Indonesian industry official. This move comes after BBC revealed Duta Palma allegedly clearing forests illegally, and is the second bid against Duta Palma in three months. Read more

Tweet This Post

Next Page »