Cleantech Happy Hour V

Venue: Thomson Reuters (Auditorium), One Raffles Quay, #28-01 North Tower, Singapore 048583

The Cleantech Happy Hour in August will be in partnership with Thomson Reuters and the Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association. There will be the regular get-together following a panel discussion on “Singapore as a Clean Tech Hub for Asia”

In light of the Singapore Government’s announcement of $700m funding into the Clean Tech space, and the initiatives to set up incubators, you are invited to the following panel discussion:

• How is Singapore placed versus other clean tech hubs in Asia and the rest of the world?
• Will Asia and Singapore be technology followers or innovation leaders?
• Which policies have the Singapore Government put in place to help innovation in Singapore?

Panelists:

Mr. CK Goh, Director, Cleantech at Singapore Economic Development Board

Mr. Edgare Kerkwijk, Managing Director, Asia Green Capital

Moderated by Reuters Editorial

Climate Change in Singapore

Speaker: Dr Elspeth Thomson, Senior Fellow, Energy Studies Institute (ESI)

Venue: ISEAS Seminar Room II

According to the fourth assessment report (AR4) of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the effects of climate change have already been observed. Climate change is considered to be one of the most serious threats to sustainable development, with adverse impacts expected on the environment, human health, food security, economic activity, natural resources and physical infrastructure. Scientific findings indicate that precautionary and prompt action is necessary.

Singapore is almost totally reliant on cross-border trade for raw material and food stuffs. W e are also directly affected by the environmental and ecological challenges facing our neighbours. Our small land area and close proximity to neighbouring ASEAN countries makes our economy even more vulnerable to the extremes of climate change and serve to remind us that our environment is tied to the environmental changes of our Southeast Asian neighbours.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) w ith the support of the Government of the United Kingdom recently released a Regional Review of the Economics of Climate Change in Southeast Asia. Dr Thomson will present highlights from the Singapore contribution to this report.

For more details on the seminar, visit the ISEAS website.

Source: ISEAS

Eco-Friendly Wet Cleaning by Green N Clean Laundry

Green N Clean Laundry is the first laundry business in Singapore that uses wet cleaning to replace dry cleaning for washing delicate garments.

Wet cleaning is a solvent-free method to clean garments and uses specialised machines to safely clean garments in water, instead of using solvents as in the dry cleaning method. Wet cleaning is better for the environment and safer for operators and consumers.

Here’s a short news coverage on Green N Clean Laundry:

Wet cleaning uses water and non-toxic soaps, and can safely clean virtually any garments, from silk dresses to wool suits. It is more eco-friendly and safer since the water and biodegradable soaps can be discharged into the sewers after washing.

On the other hand, dry cleaning uses a petroleum-based solvent called perchorethylene (PERC). PERC vapors can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat or skin, and long-term exposure causes cancer in laboratory animals and is considered a possible human carcinogen by the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency.

In Singapore, spent PERC cannot be discharged into the sewers and is controlled as toxic waste. It is also mandatory for dry cleaner operators to undergo health checks once every six months.

In addition, dry cleaning also uses more energy as in a dry cleaning machine, the solvent is recycled after cleaning the garment and used for the next load of garments. The recycling process is done by frequent distillation of the soiled solvent and energy is needed to boil and evaporate the solvent and to condense the gaseous solvent back to clean liquid solvent.

We support the efforts of businesses that are willing to change their mindsets and use more environmentally friendly processes, and we encourage the switch to wet cleaning for health and environmental benefits.

For more info on the wet cleaning method, prices and locations, visit the Green N Clean Laundry website at http://www.gnclaundry.com/index.php.

Source and image credit: Green N Clean Laundry

Sustainability Seminar – How Companies Can Gain From Sustainable Development

Venue: Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Seminar Room 2, 21 level Keppel Towers, 10 Hoe Chiang Road, Singapore 089315

SBF is organising a seminar on how companies can gain from sustainable development. There will be a launch of the EcoWorld 2010 and Outstanding Sustainability Award, and also a showcase of sustainable development solutions by companies. Read more

PURE – Lifestyle Magazine by PUB

PURE is a quarterly water-themed lifestyle magazine by PUB. Over the past 3 years, we read it frequently for the water lifestyle stories, water-saving tips, water attractions, and the latest water happenings. The magazine also features several MediaCorp artistes and their thoughts on water. And of course, there’s our favourite Water Wally.

We like PURE for its easy reading and attractive design, and also the fact that it manages to “educate” on water issues and conservation through a fun lifestyle approach, unlike other typical government publications. For its approach, PURE was given an Honourable Mention in the category of Corporate Publications in the Asia Pacific PR Awards 2008.

For the latest issue and onwards, PURE will be published on recycled paper and printed using soy inks. It’s also smaller in size. Get your copy today at selected MRT stations, public libraries and schools. You can also subscribe to the e-copy of PURE by sending an email with your name and date of birth to pub_pure@pub.gov.sg. You can download past issues of PURE here.

We feel that besides PUB’s technology advancements and the multiple awards won over the last five years, PUB has also been great in public awareness and water campaigns. All thanks to the PUB’s all-female communications team. They deserve their winning of the overall Grand Prize in London in the Golden World Awards for Excellence 2008 for their communications programme. And they should serve as an example of how the civil service can and should better communicate their programmes and campaigns.

Next Page »