Extracting Methane from Landfill to Produce Electricity

This video from Reuters shows a power plant in The Philippines that captures methane from a landfill and produces electricity for households.

Thoughts on the Dialogue Session on Building a Sustainable Community

During the Sustainable Singapore dialogue forum, the suggestions came fast and furious with more than 20 participants voicing out their concerns and ideas on recycling, energy conservation and efficiency, cycling, CNG vehicles, green corporate culture, using the media to promote environmental awareness, etc. The participation and suggestions was welcoming, although we felt slight disappointment and a sense of something missing in the dialogue.

There were no serious discussions on what it really means to be sustainable. To be sustainable, we need to change the way we generate and use our energy. We need to eliminate waste and create a closed material loop. We need to rethink how we source and grow our food. And we need to consider whether continuous economic growth is possible and desirable in the long run.

There were no inspiring vision and goals, and the desire to take the initiative. We need to be inspired so that we are motivated to take action ourselves and not only rely on the government. We don’t wish to see another feedback exercise where we give ideas to the government and after that, wash our hands and let the government do their job. We need to realise that sometimes we can take the initiative and not have to wait for the government to take action.

Despite the disappointment, there was a few glimpse of hope. One was from Lai Hock of the Ground-Up Initiative, who spoke about rethinking economic growth, being efficient but not effective, and learning to accept inconveniences. The other was from the guy who cycled to the venue using his foldable bicycle, truly walking the talk.

Green Investments Summit 2009

Add an unprecedented escalation in global energy and commodity prices with the current demise of the investment sector and we have in our hands one of the biggest financial crisis in history.

What you do now? Find the silver lining of course. The best of opportunities often rise from the worst of crisis.

“Going Green” is no longer simply taking an “environmental friendly” mind-set. It is now a full-fledged profit play.

With this in mind, Finance Connection is proud to introduce Green Investments Summit 2009. With the theme, “Generating Unique Investment Perspectives and Partnerships for Clean Technology, Socially Responsible Companies and Capital Owners”, GIS 2009 is an ideal platform for investors, governments, project owners and intermediaries to discuss and debate on the exciting opportunities for green investments in Asia. Look forward to hear from the best of minds on what you need to do to maximise your returns.

The potential for Renewable Energy Investments sees no end but seats to this event are limited. Join us this 9-11 February 2009 in Hong Kong.

Register now in 3 simple ways:

1) Email marketing@alleventsgroup.com

2) Call us at +65 6506 0965

3) Log on to http://www.alleventsgroup.com/greeninvest2009

AsiaIsGreen is the marketing partner of Green Investments Summit 2009.

Moss Greening to Curb Urban Heat Island Effect

Greening projects using moss have been conducted at many sites in Japan in recent years in order to deal with the heat-island effect (abnormal warming of the urban atmosphere due to the heat concentration). In addition to its features of absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) outputs and lowering the surface temperature of buildings, a moss panel can be easily attached and does not require maintenance efforts. An increasing number of companies are using these panels for greening buildings.

Moss has various benefits: 1) it is easier to grow than grass; 2) it allows quick construction by using handy, light-weight panels; 3) maintenance is easy and watering is not required beyond collecting rainwater; 4) it allows the greening of rooftops, slanting surfaces and wall surfaces; 5) it absorbs large amounts of CO2; and 6) it provides insulation against heat and noise.

Green Alliance, a Japanese non-profit organization, has been promoting moss greening since 2006 by utilizing an exterior insulation greenery panel called “Woolly Moss.” It is a panel using “sunagoke” moss (rhacomitrium canescens) and “haigoke” moss (hypnum plumaeforme), as well as insulation materials made of carbonized corks and mudstones. Fifteen constructions have been performed to date and more are expected in the future. Similarly, another non-profit organization, Moss Green Eco, has been working to revitalize rural mountainous areas by producing moss in degraded lands, fallow fields or unused lands since 2007.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability.

Beijing Energy and Environment Exhibition 2008 Review

(This article is contributed by our guest writer, Julian Wong, and was first published in The Green Leap Forward.)

This is the 50th post for The Green Leap Forward! To celebrate, we visited the 2008 China (Beijing) International Energy Saving and Environmental Protection Exhibition held at the Beijing Exhibition Center this past weekend (Oct 17 through 20).

The first thing that strikes the visitor is the Cathedral-like grandeur of the Beijing Exhibition Center. It was opened in 1954 “with the late Premier Zhou En-Lai cutting the red ribbon and Chairman Mao Tse-Tung contributing poetic thoughts.” It doesn’t look like it is LEED-certified, but being more than half a century old, visitors could take heart in the fact that the building’s carbon debt has probably been paid off a while ago. Read more

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