Top 10 greenest universities in the US

This initiative by Sierra Club reminds me of the several programs by our own Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to promote energy efficiency, energy saving and environmental sustainability. Check it out here.


The ranking: How it's done

Universities are ranked after an extensive questionnaire that asks about everything from where a campus gets its energy to whether its landscapers use native plants and its cafeterias offer recycled napkins. The United States has more than 2,000 four-year college and universities.

162 responses were received from qualified schools, which was further reduced in numbers. A perfect score is 1,000 with top-ranked school netting 850.


Top ten greenest

Now, let's look at the top ten and take some inspiration from what our friends are doing on the other side of the globe:-

10. University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California

Score: 756.69 | Students: 22,218

UCSB has 44 of its buildings LEED certified, 47% of academic departments offer a class about sustainability (for a total of 321 classes and 217 faculty members who do eco-research), 50% of food served is local, and 75% of waste gets saved from the landfill via recycling and composting; the goal is to get that latter percentage to 100 by 2020. The Gauchos have also, since the late 1990s, lowered their electricity use by a third, their water use by a quarter, and their food waste by almost 35%. A whopping 94% of students take alternative means of transit to class.
Photo courtesy of Jonas Krant/UC Santa Barbara


9. American University
Washington, D.C

Score: 759.34 | Students: 12,693

Aiming to be carbon neutral by 2020, AU is off to a strong start, with 30 buildings on track for LEED Silver certification, a 27kW solar array, D.C.'s biggest solar hot-water system, and a contraption called the Vegawatt, which turns old cooking oil into electricity. The university's plan is to divert 100% of its waste, and it's already two-thirds of the way there, thanks to a new campus-wide composting program, trayless dining, quarterly e-waste drives.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Watts/American University


8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia

Score: 759.76 | Students: 20,941

The EPA named Georgia Tech as one of the "best places for commuters" for its range of eco-transit options, from carpooling to mass transit; natural gas–powered buses move more than 2 million riders per year. The 440-acre Atlanta school was also named a Tree Campus USA for its 25% arboreal cover. Despite all that foliage, water usage hasn't increased since 2001. Everything built after 2008 is LEED certified, and a 1.4-million-gallon stormwater cistern helps conserve. The Yellow Jackets have been recycling since 1996, diverting an annual mass of 600 tons.
Photo courtesy of Rob Felt/Georgia Institute of Technology


7. Stanford University
Palo Alto, California

Score: 763.82 | Students: 15,666

Over 5 years, the California school raised more than $430 million for its Initiative on the Environment and Sustainability, a chunk of which is headed toward a new energy facility that'll halve the 8,180-acre campus's carbon emissions and cut its water use by almost a fifth. Some 130 professors spanning 40 departments teach at least 700 sustainability-related classes. 36 student clubs are green-themed and that recycling and composting are big: The waste-diversion rate here tops 66%, and the goal is zero waste.
Photo courtesy of Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service


6. Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

Score: 767.09 | Students: 637

One of the first U.S. universities to achieve climate neutrality, this tiny school in Poultney has a $5.8 million biomass plant that burns locally sourced woodchips to heat 85% and power 20% of the campus's two dozen buildings. Since 2006, GMC has also sourced 1.2 million kWh of its energy per year from cows. Students visit local farms to learn about the bovine methane-generating process and are required to take a 37-credit environmental curriculum, which is delivered in LEED-certified classrooms. In the photo, GMC students plant trees to create a riparian buffer along the banks of the Poultney River.
Photo courtesy of Don Hamerman/Green Mountain College


5. Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Score: 776.72 | Students: 21,131

Cornell offers 340 classes, across almost every department, about sustainability, and this is one of the only colleges where you can minor in climate change. School officials pledge that Cornell will be a net-zero-carbon campus by 2050. Over the past two years, its greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 25 percent, and over the next five, $45 million will go toward energy-conservation projects. Plenty of open space remains, however: The 2,300-acre campus in Ithaca, New York, has two stunning gorges, a 35-acre botanical garden, and a 100-acre arboretum.
Photo courtesy of Lindsay France/Cornell University Photography


4. University of California, Davis
Davis, California

Score: 782.74 | Students: 32,653
Last year's "Cool Schools" winner, an agricultural-education powerhouse, churns out research that helps shape California's water laws and push new farming practices into the mainstream. Its West Village, a neighborhood for students and staff, is America's biggest planned zero-net-energy community. UC Davis's climate action plan has already cut campus emissions to below year-2000 levels. Recycling, composting, and reuse divert more than 60% of would-be trash from landfills, and aim for 100% by 2020.
Photo courtesy of Karin Higgins/UC Davis


3. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California

Score: 794.30 | Students: 27,479

UC Irvine's 19MW cogeneration facility and other energy-preserving projects have helped the school save 20 million kWh of electricity per year since 2009. Solar panels generate enough power to run 500 homes for a year. The 1,475-acre campus is anchored by a 16-acre botanical garden, and all new buildings must be certified at least LEED Silver. Living green is important at UCI: Meatless Mondays are strongly encouraged, and a dozen student clubs focus on eco-issues.
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Johnson/UC Irvine


2. Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Score: 807.04 | Students: 2,380

Since 2008, Dickinson has bought enough wind power to offset all of its electrical needs. And since 2006, students have been collecting grease from local restaurants and turning it into biodiesel for the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, campus's vehicle fleet. If all goes according to plan, the school will achieve zero net emissions by 2020. Meanwhile, cafeterias serve student-grown produce, construction crews build to LEED Gold standards, and paper use has dropped by 60% over the past four years.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Crowley/Dickinson College


1. University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut

Score: 850.14 | Students: 22,301

This year's winning school offers almost 600 sustainability-related classes taught by some of the greenest minds anywhere — more than 40% of UConn's research faculty does original academic work that benefits the environment. Since 2005, the main campus, in Storrs, has slashed its water use by 15% and over the past two years, 13 of its buildings were retrofitted to prevent 2,640 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. In the trayless dining halls, 30% of meal options are vegetarian, and more than a quarter of the food is processed within 100 miles, with many ingredients harvested right on campus: Honey comes from UConn's apiaries, fresh eggs from the agriculture department, and seasonal produce from student-run gardens.
Photo courtesy of Peter Morenus/University of Connecticut


Click here for the full article at Sierra Club magazine

Malaysia GreenTech Awards 2013 - nomination opens now

For those who have been promoting Malaysia's green agenda for while now, this is your opportunity to get the recognition you feel you are entitled to.

                                           Submit your nomination now!


The Malaysia GreenTech Awards 2013 is organised by Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) to honour Malaysian-based developers, industry players, financial institutions, primary and secondary schools as well as members of the media that have played a catalytic role in driving the nation’s green agenda.

Held for the second consecutive year, the Malaysia GreenTech Awards 2013 aims to recognize endeavours that have positive and sustainable impact on Malaysia’s overall socio-economic landscape in the following five categories:

1. Developer Awards: Development, construction and management of projects, townships or building that have incorporated green technology.


2. Industry Awards: Adoption of green practices in business operations and processes amongst industry players, across sectors.


3. Financial Institution Awards: Financing of green projects and initiatives.


4. School Awards: Instilling sustainable green practices and increasing environmental awareness amongst primary and secondary school students.


5. Media Awards: Advocacy and promotion of nation’s green agenda.

The Malaysia GreenTech Awards is endorsed by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA) and supported by REHDA, FMM, SIRIM, CETREE and MPI and other sector renowned organisations.

The award ceremony will take place on the 12th October 2013 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The closing date for submission is on 30th August 2013.

Interested parties can submit their Nominations Form online here, or contact GreenTech Malaysia at Tel: 03-89210806.


The Green Mechanics:

Cool! I would like to see the efforts by a school in Penampang (SM St. Michael) getting due recognition. They have, for the past few years, continued to promote environmental awareness amongst its students, including installation of the 5.4kWp Solar PV system on its roof.

UMS launches Green Office Awareness campaign

A couple of years back, I attended a public briefing by SESB on the proposed construction of coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu. During the business matching presentation, an officer mentioned that Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Kota Kinabalu campus is the single biggest energy consumer in Sabah.

So, this campaign is actually overdue but it's good that they have decided on things, and went ahead with the commendable effort.

UMS Vice Chancellor, Dr. Mohd Harun launching the Sabah Green Campus Office Awareness campaign.
Image: Daily Express


Attitude shift

It's attitude and practice that matter! For a campus with hundreds of air-conditioned room, and with so many structures that use massive amount of energy, the most important 'parameter' that the higher learning institute needs to address is the people's attitude towards energy conservation.

A 'simple click' on the power switch as you leave the lecture theater or tutorial room can make a whole lot of difference. You can make the difference today!

"Through the Green Office Awareness campaign, it is hoped that UMS citizens can change their attitudes that can help save energy in the workplace.., that this attitude change can help reduce daily operating costs in energy consumption in the campus and through this environmental sustainability, demonstrate an exemplary commitment to environmental conservation"
- Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah, UMS Vice Chancellor

Green Office Awareness Campaign by UMS (Extracted from Borneo Post, July 23)

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has taken another step towards becoming a reference centre in environmental conservation among higher learning institutes (IPT) in the country.

The university yesterday launched a Green Office Awareness Campaign, as part of a five-year strategic conservation plan it adopted in February this year, which will make it the first campus in Malaysia to achieve ‘EcoCampus’ status by 2017.

Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah, when officiating at the launch held at the UMS Chancellory Building, said the university is fully ready to embrace environmental values and elements in all aspects of its daily operation.

The objective of the awareness campaign, he said, was to put greater emphasis on smart management of energy and other resources in the campus.

“We strongly believe that UMS as an IPT should be responsible in promoting and enhancing knowledge and awareness on environment protection, especially among its campus community. While we prosper economically, sometimes, we don’t realize that the use of modern technology such as air-conditioners could contribute to pollution and global warming. As such, it is our hope that through this campaign, we will be able to inspire a change of attitude in everyone in UMS, towards better managing and utilizing energy,” he said.

He added that smart consumption of energy and resources is not only in tandem with the university’s effort in environment conservation but will also help reduce operation cost significantly.

Mill wastes used to generate renewable energy: Sarawak

According to Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corp (STIDC), major plywood mills in Sarawak are increasingly using wood residues to generate energy for their operations.

That's cool!



There are now 14 biomass plants in Sarawak, which supplied energy for use in the mills. In fact, major timber groups such as Shin Yang, Samling, Rimbunan Hijau, Ta Ann Holdings and KTS all owned biomass plants. Last year the volume of wood residues consumed by these biomass plants was about 1.1 million tonnes. - Sourced The StarBiz.

One of Sarawak's major timber mills - Rimbunan Hujau. Photo: arctracer

Ample supply for biomass fuel

Besides using their own wood residues, some of the mills also sourced wood wastes from smaller mills and other wood processing factories to feed their biomass plants. STIDC figures show that there are 45 plywood mills, 171 sawmills, 21 veneer mills and 34 dowel/moulding mills in Sarawak.

Using wood residues to generate electricity was one effective way to manage wastes so that it will not cause harm to the environment. In the early years in Sabah and Sarawak, wood residues were not utilised economically with much disposed of through open burning, burning in incinerators or dumped into the river causing pollution and other environmental problems.


Generating capacity

KTS group deputy MD, Mr. Lau said an average plywood mill with a monthly output of between 7,000 m3 and 8,000 m3 can generate wood residues to produce between 3MW and 5MW of electricity.

A biomass plant with 3MW capacity will cost between RM10mil and RM15mil to build while the capital investment in a 5MW power plant is between RM20mil and RM30mil. The amount of electricity a biomass plant can generate will depend on the type of technology used.

Lau pointed out that biomass plants were not cheap in terms of maintenance whereby plywood mills with their own biomass plants would still have to pay Syarikat SESCO Bhd, which is owned by Sarawak Energy Bhd for standby electricity based on minimum and maximum demand.


Payback period

Although the one-off capital investment in a biomass plants is huge, the long-term economic returns from energy savings would be substantial if plywood mills had to purchase power from the state grid.

A plywood mill manager said his mill could save between RM400,000 and RM500,000 a month in electricity bill by having its own biomass plant. As such, simple payback period for a 3MW plant is between 2 to 3 years.

That is pretty fast if you ask me.

Solar Charity: Groups using solar to end Energy poverty

General Electric (GE), on many occasions, has been my reference and source of information on energy matters. It is due to GE's commitment to build innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges that brings me to share with you this article on cheap and affordable solar power.

Today, it is estimated that there are approximately 1.3 billion people who live without regular access to energy. People are forced to use fuels that pollute and cause respiratory illnesses, like kerosene and biomass, and spend long hours time collecting fuel.

Ending energy poverty is about more than helping people see at night — it’s about economic opportunity, safer and healthier communities, better educational opportunities and connection to the rest of the world. Below is a look at a handful of the many organizations working to end energy poverty using solar power.


1 LITER OF LIGHT

Isang Litrong Liwanag, or 1 Liter of Light, uses the Solar Bottle Light design – a cheap, sustainable, light bulb alternative – to light buildings during the day around the world.


Solar bottles ready for use in the Philippines. Photo: Isang Litrong Liwanag


The Solar Bottle Light requires a one-liter plastic bottle, bleach, and a bottle-shaped hole in the roof. The plastic bottle is filled with a mixture of water, and bleach. It’s then capped, sealed, and placed in the hole halfway below and halfway above the roof. The water inside the bottle refracts and disperses sunlight, giving the bottle the power of a 50-60 watt light bulb.

The design was pioneered by Alfredo Moser, a mechanic in Sao Paulo, who needed to light his workshop when his neighborhood suffered a long cut in electricity in 2002. Since then, students from MIT have worked with 1 Liter of Light to help develop the design further.


SOLAR ELECTRIC LIGHT FUND (SELF)

SELF, a DC-based non-profit, grew out of an organization that sought to illuminate rural India in the 1990s. Since then, the company has installed solar electric systems in places including Benin, Lesotho, Burundi, Kenya and, most notably, Haiti, where the organization created systems that power 11 health care facilities and a hospital run by the NGO Partners In Health.



Solar Electric Light Fund project in Benin, West Africa. Photo: Changemakers


Through this installation, the organization has improved the quality of medical services for over 170,000 Haitians by powering lights, microscopes, vaccine refrigerators and other lifesaving equipment with renewable energy.


SOLAR SISTER

Solar Sister is a social enterprise committed to eradicating energy poverty by encouraging economic development. Solar Sister gives women entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow a sustainable business selling solar products. The organization reinvests any profits back into their network of entrepreneurs, creating a sustainable business with a positive impact on the environment and the community.


WE CARE SOLAR

WE CARE Solar is a non-profit organization that manufactures the Solar Suitcase, a portable solar system, for health clinics.


Medical Solar Suitcase. Photo: We Care Solar


The Solar Suitcase is easy to use and is designed to be used at night when emergency health care is needed. The suitcase comes with highly efficient medical lighting, as well as power for mobile communication, computers, and medical devices. To date, the design has been used in almost 200 clinics in 17 countries, including Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, and South Sudan.


PROJECT SURYA

To replace the highly polluting cooking stoves traditionally used in rural areas, Project Surya invented a stove that requires less than half as much biomass fuel, and emits less greenhouse gases. The improved stove has a solar lamp and a solar-panel powered fan to improve combustion. The project will help divert black carbon, methane, and ozone from the environment. In addition, because exposure to traditional biomass fuel can cause upper respiratory complications, low birth weight, eye diseases, and even blindness, replacing the stoves with clean technology is expected to improve public health.

FIRST GREEN BUILDING: Art Gallery saves big on power

The Green Building Index (GBI) is Malaysia’s industry recognised green rating tool for buildings to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness about environmental issues and our responsibility to the future generations.

Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre in Kota Kinabalu. Photo by Oliver Majaham/Insight Sabah

Sabah’s first Green Building is the Art Gallery Conservation Centre located in Jalan Penampang which can save as much as RM400,000 ($125,000) a year in energy. The followings are the brief details of the environmentally-friendly building:


Building and energy
Building                    : Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre
Build-type                 : 4-story
Cost to build             : RM16 million ($5million)
Location                   : Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu
Power supply            : Solar + utility, SESB
Energy saved            : up to 1MWh
Energy consumption  : RM107,000 per year. Compared to RM480,000/year without the green setup
Accreditation            : GBI certificate in 2012


How is energy saved
It is designed to use natural light and solar panels for lighting and air-conditioning. Energy saving lights switch off by themself when there are no visitors at the art gallery. While the main power supply (SESB) is triggered on days when natural light is lacking or solar panels are unable to cope with the power requirement.

Water usage
Water saved               : 330,000 litre/year, or equivalent to 32% of the building water need
Saving                        : RM297.00 at RM0.90/m3 water tariff
Water consumption    : 226 litre/day average per person
Equivalent                  : water saved is enough for 1,460 people per day.

Currently, Malaysians use an average of 226 litres of water per person daily, which is way above the rest of our ASEAN neighbours. Singaporeans use 154 litres (and intend to lower it to 147 litres by 2020) while the Thais manage with 90 litres.


Carbon dioxide emission
Emission               : reduced by 780 tonnes/year
Equivalent to         : CO2 emitted by 390 people/year
Benchmark           : 1.8 trillion tonnes of CO2 release will raise the temperature by 1^oC



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The original article from the Government portal, Insight Sabah:
"First green building in Sabah helps fight global warming" - Nurhafizah Yusof & Oliver Majaham

Sabah’s first green building is helping to stop the world from getting warmer. The 16m-ringgit ($5m) Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre can save the government as much as 400,000 ringgit a year in electricity, 297 ringgit in water and cut carbon dioxide emission down by 780 tonnes that will help keep average global warming below 2oC to prevent an environmental disaster.

Natural lighting from the sky. Photo by Oliver Majaham/Insight Sabah

“This building can save up to one megawatt of electricity per year,” said Masidi Manjun, minister of tourism, culture and environment, as he received the Green Building Index certificate from Boon Che Wee, chairman of the GBI accreditation panel on June 29.

The four-storey building at Jalan Penampang is designed to reduce power consumption by using natural light and solar panels for lighting and air-conditioning. Energy saving lights switch off by themself when there are no visitors at the art gallery. And the main power supply is triggered on days when natural light is lacking or solar panels are unable to power lights and air-conditioners.

Thus electricity consumption will be greatly reduced to 900 kilowatt-hours a day, according to Jennifer Linggi, the curator of the gallery. Power cost will thus be a relatively low 107,000 ringgit a year against about 480,000 ringgit if the building were to run on supply solely from Sabah Electricity Sendirian Berhad, the state’s power company.

The art gallery will also save about 330,000 litres of water a year by harvesting rainwater to flush toilets, clean the building and water the garden. This represents a saving of 32% of the water need of the building. That is enough water for about 1,500 people. But 330,000 litres cost only 297 ringgit because water at 90 sen per 1,000 litres is comparatively cheap.

But making the building environmentally friendly will reduce carbon dioxide emission, blamed for global warming, by 780 tonnes a year. That is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by 390 people every year.

The figure may not seem significant considering that it takes 1.8 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide to raise atmospheric temperature by one degree Celsius. But then there are thousands of buildings, many of them many times bigger than the art gallery in Sabah. And taking all the millions of buildings in the world, carbon reduction of the Sabah art gallery is indeed a significant step in the fight against global warming.

Buildings use up 40% of energy, 12% of water and send 40% of waste to landfill. And they thus are responsible for much of global warming and pollution.

For more readings, go to Insight Sabah website http://insightsabah.gov.my/article/read/1852

Who named Earth?

As if this question is about life and death. But really, sometimes this would've crossed your mind, wondering why the earth is called Earth.

The tiny globe called Earth

I scooped this from Science Focus magazine and it said the Greeks and Romans named most of the planets in the Solar System after particular gods, and we have kept those names in English. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, all unknown in classical times, were named by the modern astronomers who discovered them, but still after Greek and Roman gods.

Earth is the one exception. Its name, according to the official gazetteer of planetary discovery, comes from the Indo-European base 'er', which produced the Germanic noun 'ertho', the modern German 'erde', Dutch 'aarde', Danish and Swedish 'jord', and English 'earth'.

Hmm, not definitive enough. But what's in the name anyway? What's important is how we live our life on it and how we maintain it so that the next generation enjoys the same privileges we enjoy today. One way to do that is to be thankful for what we have and by 'living green'.

Earth Hour 2012

Environment-conscious citizens can take part in one of the various activities lined up for this year’s Earth Hour - a practice observed worldwide to raise awareness on climate change - this evening. If you are still wondering or unclear about it, you can read about what is earth hour here.

Consumers are encouraged to switch off their non-essential lightings or electrical appliances during Earth Hour, which falls today, March 31, 2012. As its name suggest the period is one hour, starting from 8.30pm. During this period, our local energy utility, SESB, expects a reduction of load of 50 MW. But it also anticipate up to 70MW of drop of power consumption throughout the state.

For the record, highest drop of power demand was recorded in March, 2007 totalling 30.28 MW. Consumers in both Sabah and Federal Territory of Labuan took part in that practice.

Earth Hour Happenings: What and Where.

City Hall leads. City Hall collaborates with Sutera Harbour Resort to hold exciting programs at the tennis court (Sutera Harbour Resort), starting 6.00pm with food stalls, children’s recycled item contest, spa product show, and night photography. Night photography can be very rewarding and you would be surprised at how fascinating the results could be. Try it, compact point-and-shoot or DSLR camera would both give interesting perspectives.

Perhaps a good idea to take picture of the night/evening view of Sutera Harbour Resort itself.

Street-wise. Turning off of streetlights at 8.30pm along the main road from Tun Mustapha building (Yayasan Sabah) to the citi centre to Coastal Highway and down to Tanjung Aru. An entourage by the Mayor and other guests will cycle from the city to First Beach, Tanjung Aru later at 9.30pm.

Tun Mustapha Tower is on the far left. Can't imagine these street lights being switched-off.

Educating the youth. At St. Michael’s School, Miss Earth Sabah, Olivia Vun gave a talk on the Earth Hour and also conducted a quiz session with 500 secondary students on Friday. Organised by MNE (Mandy Nandu) Productions, such program is one of Miss Earth Sabah’s initiatives to practice the cause that they upheld. Also present was Sabah Environment Protection Director, Yabi Yangkat, and the program sponsor Gardenia’s GM David Yong.

What about petition? Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society (SWCS) will have a petition signing during Earth Hour (today, March 31 2012) against a proposed condominium project in the vicinity of the First Beach in Tanjung Aru.

Tg. Aru First Beach - maybe SWCS should highlight this indiscriminate felling of trees, too.

A challenge for a good cause

In support of the Earth Hour 2012, HSBC Bank Malaysia will switch off non-essential external lights and internal signboards in all of its branches starting 8.30pm nationwide.

HSBC also challenged you to a duel: “I will if you will”. In this challenge, the management pledges to plant 10 trees for every 1kg of used dry cells, rechargeable, mobile phone or laptop batteries collected. Special recycle bins will be placed at common and public areas within its headquarters in Leboh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur and selected branches nationwide. If you are HSBC’s customer and happen to read this, do ask the bank if they have the bins and take part of you have used batteries with you.

What about you?

If you prefer to stay at home and watch this weekend football matches, or enjoy some great movies, the least you can do is switch of one or two of your non-essential lightings, such as the 60W corridor bulb, the  2 x 36W garage fluorescent lamps, etc. For me, I will turn off one of the energy saving lamp at the backyard and the fluorescent tube at the entrance.

Happy Earth Hour, everyone. AND save few watts of energy today.


Note: All photographs in this article are taken by myself and are therefore copyrighted. Should you wish to paste them on your website, kindly give due credit and link them back to this page.

Taiwan Varsity Offers GREEN Course

This piece of information should be a cause for cheer because one can now get certified via proper or dedicated trainings in the emerging alternatives on renewable energy and energy efficient products.

Then again, to be honest I am not really sure if I should leap for joy or sit disappointed reading the news as we have some world class universities in Malaysia and yet we have to depend on others to learn technology that is already in existence -and in wide scale - in our country. 

I have a lecturer friend at UMS and I know he is actively researching in the field of renewable energy but that is a totally different thing. What is being research and developed, and what is being taught at school or uni are two separate issues. Syllabus and modules on green technology should be available in at least a couple of varsities to cater for the current and future needs in the RE initiatives. Remember, Prime Minister Najib pledged 40% carbon footprint reduction in Malaysia by 2020.

Harnessing energy from the sun? Shot with Nikkor 18-200 | 18mm | ISO 200 | f/14 | 1/160sec |

If we don't prepare the current generation of student with the necessary educational background, then I believe we have missed out one point in trying to make Malaysia a major hub in production of RE equipment. Note that Malaysia is third behind China and Germany in solar PV panel manufacturing. 

Awareness campaign alone is not sufficient. Fiscal and monetary incentives are good but it only encourage foreign investment per see, and the goal to transfer knowledge is only at the industry/application level. Foreign investors must be 'forced' to transfer the knowledge through the higher learning institutions, too.

For now, the only proper training is conducted via Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA) which focuses on teaching industry players on how to get certified as implementer and install/commission RE equipment such as solar PV, mini hydro, bio gas and biomass. This is nothing more than trainings done by ASTRO on its appointed Astro Installers in the monopolised satellite TV industry in the country. The Installers know their stuff - installing, commissioning, troubleshooting, etc - but very few know about the technology behind the application.

Similarly, in a couple of years time, many so-called Solar PV certified installers would become well-versed with lighting up the rural area and make money from there but it just stop there. Technological advancement is from somewhere else, and this does not help us in terms of global competitiveness.

So there, give it a thought when you enroll for 'green' courses such as the one reported by The Star in the following article:

Green Course in Taiwan

The Star Online, Jan 8, 2012

KUN Shan University in Taiwan is offering a Solar and LED Illumination Technology course for Malaysians below the age of 40.

The tuition fee has been waived. MCA Vocational Education Development Committee chairman Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn encouraged Malaysians to enrol in the course as the country needed trained technicians in the field with renewable energy becoming increasingly popular. Dr Fong, who is also chairman of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia, said the government was committed to reducing the nation’s carbon dioxide footprint by 40 percent in 2020.

“Switching to renewable energy is certainly a step towards achieving the goal,” he said in a statement on Friday.

With the passing of the Renewable Energy (RE) and Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Acts 2011, renewable energy would become a viable and sound long-term investment for companies, industries and individuals.

“We have abundant sunlight throughout the year, and should therefore fully utilise solar energy, which is green. The introduction of the Fit-in Tariff (FiT) system comes timely and would spur the demand for installations of solar panels nationwide,” said Dr Fong.

The FiT system is implemented following the passing of the RE and SEDA Acts 2011, obliging Distribution Licensees to buy from Feed-in Approval Holders the electricity produced from renewable resources, including solar energy. As the installation and maintenance of solar panels is an infant industry in the country, Malaysia is in dire need of experts in the area.

Hands-on training makes up the biggest chunk of the solar course offered by Kun Shan University, allowing students to familiarise themselves with the installation of solar panels during their two-year study in Taiwan.

This course is among the eight courses offered under the Malaysian Taiwan Skills Programme. Applications are now open and student intake is in March this year.

Students would also be exposed to the design of LED illumination system and applications, where they would acquire the skills to design flat display screen and LED lights meant for different purposes. Upon graduation, students can work in the industries of solar, LED illumination and LCD display manufacturing.

For enquiries, please call MCA Vocational Education Development Committee Secretariat at 03-2166 8211 or 03-2161 8044. The application deadline is Jan 17, 2012. [Note: This has definitely passed but there's no harm asking]

Dare to Design your own House?

In the local scene, one of the hot topics among people of different trades lately is the Upside-down House in Borneo. This will be the third entry for me and I am not sure yet if this is the last. Not because I like the catchy, unique idea nor because I'm originated from the small town where this structure is built. It's something else - I am a go-green person.

Structural and architectural design were scrutinised and environmental-friendliness of the building was questioned. I like the work of the architect and the use of wooden fittings (or at least wood like) that blends well with the environment.

For those thinking that they can do better than the folks up there, try comparing how cladding systems in a building that you think would look better. To the non-technical readers but just want their future homes  to look great, you may want to read further. Cladding systems can be formulated to enhance the visual appearance of the building significantly. Does it look great, the Upside-down house? I think it looks decent. Not great, just decent enough.

Speaking of being environmentally friendly, and taking into account the fact that this building is meant to attract tourists, the developer could have incorporated some educational elements in the structure such as fixtures that promote energy efficiency, hence lesser carbon footprint. This could then be one of the subject the tour guide can talk about during the guided tour.

Hong Kong to Create 25 Man-made Islands?

Early this month, AFP reported that Hong Kong government had proposed to create 25 man-made islands off the city's coast.

Image source: Google Map

It said that in a desperate attempt to ease land shortage, officials proposed the creation of a 1500-hectare man-made giant island and 24 other smaller islands on Wednesday.

If constructed, the artificial island would have an area larger than the island reclaimed for Hong Kong's international airport and would require claiming land from sea up to 14.5 metres deep, the government said.

Of course, environmentalists in Hong Kong and particularly WWF was right in voicing its concern as this would inevitably affect the city's natural shorelines.

We are blessed with bigger and less densely populated country compared to Hong Kong. Malaysians own bigger land area to build houses and plant crops. People in the more developed city of Hong Kong don't have this kind of luxury. Property prices in Hong Kong soared last year due to shortage of land and leader Donald Tsang vowed to boost the city's land supply in ways he sees fit.

While WWF Hong Kong is closely monitoring such proposal and development, we Malaysians are taking the more laid-back approach when it comes to public response to people's poor treatment to the soil.


We have beautiful hills for paragliding whatever activities and it is our responsibility to preserve the floral beauty of our land...

Newly found paragliding spot in Tamparuli, Sabah

Instead, we cut them indiscriminately first and foremost for personal gain...

Hill cutting is rampant, particularly in Penampang Sabah

And we cut trees at pleasure...

Why would they chop off non-obstructing trees in Tg. Aru?

Perhaps we will start thinking and listening when every city in our country is submerged by flash floods. By then, we may be able to realise that we have only ourselves to blame for such disaster.

Hong Kong citizens are always on alert and I believe the government will pull through the situation where they need to strike a balance between nature conservation and development.

What about us? The least we can do is to report activities that we feel are damaging the environment. I don't travel a lot and I can only see what's happening in and around my place. You can do your bit for your respective areas; take a shots or two and highlight your concerns through media of your choice.

Free Garbage Bins

ALOR SETAR, 19 NOVEMBER, 2011: Three million households that have settled their house assessments will be presented with free garbage bins on wheels until August 2014, said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung.

He said the bins would be supplied by three companies that had been awarded contracts for garbage and solid waste collection in Kedah, Perlis, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor.

Distribution of the bins would first be carried out in the state capitals followed by municipal council and district council areas, he said.

Read more about it at New Strait Times and New Sabah Times....

This covers only 7 out of 14 states in Malaysia and unfortunately Sabah has not move yet to that direction.

I took the following shot not too long ago at Tanjung Lipat seafront and it is not difficult to see that we in Kota Kinabalu have very low awareness of cleanliness and we don't seem to care much about how this will impact our well-being, today or in future.

Sandy beach? maybe not.

Back to the topic, no doubt it would be nice to get free bins but the guys running the show should also ensure regular collection of rubbish. The place where we stay falls under the local government rating area where households pay for certain maintenance services fee and this covers garbage collection. As it is now, the collection is not on regular basis and one needs to call the municipal office numerous time before someone comes to do the job.

What's going on in Peninsula Malaysia is a proactive initiative by Minister Datuk Chor, and if done in the most proper way I believe these states will benefit from the participation of the private sector.

Can we do the same for Kota Kinabalu (for a start) and other main towns in Sabah later?

What happened to the short-lived privatised solid waste management services in Kota Kinabalu is a good example of a mis-management on the part of whoever. In other words it was a loop-sided deal.

Come on! We can do better than a biased agreement. We are all smart people, aren't we?

Pungut bah buanglah sampah tu!

Greenest City In Asia: Singapore

There's little surprise about this finding. In fact I was not surprised at all as I've been reading quite a lot about Singapore and was really impressed with their Government's effort to strike a balance between growing concrete jungle and catering for the monkey.

Of course I didn't literally mean that!

This is how the ranking works:

a) SIEMENS commissioned a study, and

b) EIU - Economist Intelligence Unit (independent body) carries it out.

c) 22 cities in Asia were selected, including our capital Kuala Lumpur.

d) Analyse their aims towards green environment and climate protection.

e) Check their achievements.

Few months later Siemens announced and singled out Singapore city as the greenest metropolis. There are 5 categories of benchmark, namely:

1. WELL above average

2. Above average

3. Average <-----(Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur is here!!)

4. Below average

5. WELL below average

Cities in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan occupy the second category, while KL sits "comfortably" (I think) at the AVERAGE.

We had a vacation in Singapore in December 2010 and the first impression as we touch down and then on the drive ways is that the city is clean and the infrastructure is well-organised. Not a place to do your shopping spree tho, especially if you are coming from a country with less than strong currency exchange.

So who are KL's peers scoring AVERAGE? Shanghai, Delhi, Beijing, Bangkok, to name a few. Who are at par with us does not really matter. What matters is the action taken towards achieving the target. Every now and then we hear on our TVs and radios that Malaysia is taking this action and taking that moves, to show that we are committed to going green, and we now have one ministry that looks specifically into ensuring that the country will grow into developed industrial nation while maintaining sustainable implementation of Green Technology.

It is good to have goals and it is good to bore the people to death with the awareness programmes, but is no good getting slow with actions and results. Green technology is not cheap (not just yet) but it's time we start adopting this in bigger scale, starting with energy and infrastructure. In short, think less about our plan to build more coal-fired power plants and spend a bit more on the more expensive renewal energy sources.

Kota Kinabalu city is heading in the right direction with many implemented projects to beautify it, to make it eco-friendly, people-friendly but these are still at infancy. More effort is needed by the new Mayor.

Like yourself, I am also a tax payer and I would not mind at all if Mr. Abidin Madingkir (our new KK Mayor) choose Singapore city as his first official oversea destination.

Best of wishes to all of us in Kota Kinabalu and congratulations, Singapore!

GOING GREEN?

By going green, I don't mean painting your car and house green and wearing green clothing. Also, it doesn't mean you go to places where there are a lot of green mountains, camp into the thick untouched jungle, drink from contamination-free springs of water sourced from land no one has ventured into yet.

The The majestic Mount Kinabalu, taken from a spot near SMK Tamparuli entrance. On the foreground is Bukit Perahu, the highest altitude one can walk up to in Tamparuli.

It simply means we take good care of our earth, preserve the well being of our mother nature. How, you may ask? Well it does not take a rocket science professor or a linguistic doctor to explain the word ACTION.

Yes, it is as simple as that. It is through our determination and discipline to take action that matters when we are talking about getting result from what we intend to achieve. Here are some toughts about going green:

1. Remember when you bought your first cellphone? Cellphones are now one of the biggest culprits in polluting the earth. So, keep your electronics (cellphone, computers, PLCs, etc) as long as possible. If you don't need them, donate them to others who may still have some use for them.


2. Be a smart buyer. For instance, do not buy cheap products if you are in a position to buy a better-quality, last-longer items so that you do not have to replace them too often. Buying in bulk saves you money and at the same time it helps reducing the cost of packaging.


3. Save energy and help yourself save some money. Set the automatic 'Off' to a time you think you'll not need a heater/air-conditioner before you go to bed. Energy saving bulbs or lamps are about 4 to 5 times more expensive than normal ones but they save you money in a long run. So consider one during your next bulb replacement.


4. Do you enjoy spending long time in the bathroom? If so, it is highly possible that you may have been wasting water all this while. Take shorter shower and you may just have saved few cubic meter of water at month end, and plug some leaks on your wallet too. Can you afford to water your plants using raw water? Because that would save chemicals for water treatment, and help your neighbours residing at higher ground to get their water supplies.


5. What about car pooling and using public transportation. Yes, I am talking about trying to reduce gas emission. We all know about this and how important it is to have gas free environment; it is just about whether we are willing to take ACTION and do the right thing.


6. Can I go wrong, environmentally, with my eating behaviour? Yes you can. For your own good take good look at your health when deciding what to eat. From 'green' point of view, eating one meatless meal a week can go a long way on saving some cost on cold storage and less pollutants from the related refuse. From health point of view, you reduce the risk of possible complications resulting from excessive consumption of meat.


7. Can you resist the temptation of the convenience of drinking from bottled water? Remember, bottled water generate a large quantity of container waste, especially plastic. So, use water purifier instead.

And the list goes on. There are many other little things that we can do and that we have been doing which we think were too small to mention. What we learnt during our school days to maintain cleanliness, health, and eating moderately surely have some substance in them. Do appreciate our teachers!

JFD