Before considering her suggestions for households, I would suggest that the National Environment Agency (NEA) explore simple and cost-effective ways to maximise the use of our existing recycling infrastructure, which often is underutilised or misused.

The National Recycling Programme (NRP) has been implemented at HDB estates and landed properties since 2001, where residents are given either recycling bags or bins for recyclables, which are collected once every 2 weeks from their doorsteps. With the NRP, households can recycle conveniently and do not even have to walk downstairs to the nearest recycling bin or walk out of their house to the chutes to recycle. Households can also make use of the recycling bins near their flats since there are one set of recycling bins for every five blocks of flats.

For households in condominiums and private apartments, they can recycle through the recycling programme at their residence as it is mandatory from 2008 for all condominiums and private apartments to put in place recycling programmes.

With the existing recycling infrastructure, the NEA should aim to maximise its usage and tweak it to increase recycling, before deciding to implement new laws, place more bins or add more separate chutes system, which is likely to increase business costs and be passed on to the residents.

To make full use of the existing recycling infrastructure, the NEA could study simple and cost-effective ways to “nudge” households and increase recycling participation. In the book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, the authors pointed out two common misconceptions on change, which we can adapt to help increase recycling.

One, “what looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity”. We need to provide crystal-clear direction to the households on the recycling programme. Some questions to ask: Are the households aware or clear about the NRP in terms of why there is a need to have the programme; how the programme works; what items can be recycled; how the collection is done; how frequent is the collection, and where the recyclables end up? Can we appoint volunteer recycling ambassadors or guides to help the residents? Can we use more mass media and social media to explain the recycling programme and spread the message?

Two, “what looks like a people problem is often a situation problem”. We need to make it easier for the households to recycle by tweaking the existing recycling infrastructure. Some questions to ask: How to make it easier for households to remember the recycling dates; identify what items can be recycled; and find the nearest recycling bin? Can we place a reminder on each rubbish bin and chute to remind residents to recycle? Can we provide data for comparing recycling performance for each estate or block? Can we use social media and smartphone apps to remind residents on their recycling collection dates? Can we place better images of recyclables on the recycling bags or bins to show clearly what items are recyclable?

The NEA should study simple and cost-effective ways before implementing new laws, bins or systems whose increased costs could be borne by the residents.

Besides recycling, it is also important to focus more on reduce and reuse. There is a sequence to the widely known 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. “Reduce” should always be practised first to minimise or prevent the waste from being generated in the beginning. Next, “Reuse” the generated waste over again for the same or different purpose. Lastly, “Recycle” the waste so that it can be processed and used as a new material. Recycling still involves energy and resources to process the used material, and should be done last.

An edited version was published at ST Forum Online.

Green Future Solutions started its first green campaign called mywaterbottle on 22 April 2010, Earth Day. mywaterbottle is a non-profit campaign to encourage more Singaporeans to use their own refillable water bottles, instead of buying or taking single-use bottled water.

mywaterbottle Goals

mywaterbottle aims to achieve the following goals:

1. Create awareness on the environmental impacts of single-use bottled water and encourage people to use refillable water bottles.

2. Show that tap water is safe to drink and tastes just as good as bottled water.

3. Make it easy to choose and buy affordable refillable water bottles that are safe for both environment and health.

4. Build a map of mywaterbottle refillers (water coolers, cafes, restaurants, food and beverage outlets, etc) for easy and free refilling of water bottles.

5. Showcase events that encourage participants to bring their own refillable water bottles.

mywaterbottle Activities

mywaterbottle conducts the following activities:

1. Organise The Tap Water Challenge

mywaterbottle organises The Tap Water Challenge, which takes the form of a blind taste test for the public. The aim is to show that tap water is safe to drink and tastes just as good as bottled water.

The public is asked to taste two types of water – one is from a brand of bottled water and the other is tap water. They will select which one they prefer or feel that there is no difference between the two. The result is revealed after the taste test.

During The Tap Water Challenge, mywaterbottle also:

• Educate the public on the environmental impacts of single-use bottled water
• Encourage them to use refillable water bottles instead of buying or taking bottled water
• Ask them to show their support by signing the mywaterbottle pledge.

2. Sell Refillable Water Bottles

mywaterbottle provides an easy platform for Singaporeans to choose and buy refillable water bottles that are durable, affordable and BPA-free. 100% of the profits will go to fund water projects in developing countries that provide clean and safe drinking water.

3. Identify mywaterbottle Refillers

mywaterbottle identifies water coolers and invites cafes, restaurants, and food and beverage outlets to join as mywaterbottle refillers and provide free water to anyone with a refillable water bottle. The locations are published on a map of mywaterbottle refillers in Singapore.

4. Showcase Events that Support Refillable Water Bottles

mywaterbottle showcases events that encourage participants to bring their own refillable water bottles, and reduce the use of bottled water.

Images

mywaterbottle logo:

Contact

Eugene Tay, Founder of mywaterbottle

Email: hello@mywaterbottle.org

Website: http://www.mywaterbottle.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mywaterbottle

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mywaterbottle

About Green Future Solutions

Green Future Solutions is a Singapore-based business that promotes environmental awareness and action for a green future, through its network of green websites, events, presentations, publications and consultancy. For more information, visit http://www.greenfuture.sg.

The IT Show in Singapore which ended yesterday broke records yet again with sales over S$65 million and over 800,000 visitors. Record sales and visitors have been achieved every year and this is the same for the other tech shows – The PC Show (June), COMEX (September), and SITEX (November). The four tech shows are also know as Singapore’s four seasons as they happen every three months.

Singaporeans just can’t get enough of tech gadgets and products. We lap up every new phone, camera, computer, netbook, printer, portable hard disk, and music player that is available. We keep buying and changing more electrical and electronic products unnecessarily. It’s like we are suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and can’t stop.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder in which you have unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to engage in repetitive behaviors (compulsions). With obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may realize that your obsessions aren’t reasonable, and you may try to ignore them or stop them. But that only increases your distress and anxiety. Ultimately, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts in an effort to ease your distress. – MayoClinic.com

Perhaps Singaporeans may be suffering from tech obsessive-compulsive disorder (TOCD), which we define as a type of anxiety disorder in which a person feels empty and unsatisfied with existing tech products (which are working perfectly fine), and engages in repetitive behaviour to buy new tech products in an effort to ease that urge. But after buying the new tech products, the person feels empty again and has the urge to buy newer tech products, and the cycle continues again (every 3 months).

Are you suffering from TOCD? TOCD not only causes distress and anxiety to the sufferers but also impacts the environment. Resources are used to manufacture and ship electrical and electronic products all over the world and it’s a waste of resources if the lifespan of the products get shorter as consumers keep changing them.

Most importantly, as more such products are being discarded, it becomes a global e-waste problem. The export of e-waste from developed countries to developing countries on the pretext of recycling poses environmental and health problems as the e-waste contains toxic chemicals that will pollute the environment if they are not “recycled” properly in the developing countries.

We usually prescribe a simple treatment for TOCD by training thoughts on:

Use it as long as it works.

Buy only what you need.

Go to tech shows occasionally.

• Sustainable Development – Overall Approach to Resource Efficiency and Mitigating Climate Change
• Improving Energy Efficiency
• Singapore’s Vulnerability to Climate Change
• Managing Our Water Resources
• Recycling and Waste Minimisation
• Building Up R&D and Manpower Capabilities in Clean Environment and Water Sectors
• Dengue
• Sustaining Public Cleanliness
• Licensing Elderly Tissue Paper Peddlers
• Noise
• Enhancements to Food Hygiene Regime
• ABC Waters Programme

Here are some key points that they raised:

At Copenhagen, Singapore supported the Accord, and has since written to the UNFCCC Secretariat to associate ourselves formally with the Accord as a good basis for advancing negotiations towards reaching a legally binding global agreement on climate change. Though the Accord as it stands does not create legal obligations, it contains important elements that can facilitate the on-going negotiations. To date, about 100 out of the 194 Parties to the UNFCCC have associated themselves with the Accord. About 30 non-Annex I countries, including Singapore, have also tabled their emission reduction targets.

To play our part in international efforts to mitigate climate change, Singapore has pledged to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 16% from the 2020 business-as-usual scenario. This target is contingent on a legally binding global agreement in which all countries implement their commitments in good faith. Our target is credible and rigorous given our past efforts to reduce emissions and the constraints we face as a city-state, including our limited potential to adopt renewable energy.It is a substantial commitment by Singapore. Achieving it will involve considerable costs, and changes in lifestyle and business practices.

BCA will increase the mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards for Green Mark certified new buildings by 10% from today’s standards by the end of this year, and will also mandate the submission of building energy usage data from 2011.

Our consultations with large energy users indicate that a wide range of energy management practices exists today. We therefore see the need for minimum standards to ensure greater management attention is paid to energy. While this will ultimately benefit companies in terms of cost-savings, we also recognise the need to give companies sufficient lead-time to prepare.

By 2013, we will require companies in the industry sector consuming more than the equivalent of 15 GWh of energy each year to appoint an energy manager, monitor and report energy use to NEA, and develop and submit energy efficiency improvement plans. NEA will be consulting the companies involved on the detailed requirements.

To ensure a smooth transition, NEA will introduce the Energy Efficiency National Partnership, or EENP, in April to help companies build up the necessary capabilities before the mandatory energy management practices come into effect. We will also be reviewing our incentive schemes and exploring long-term energy efficiency financing options to cater to the needs of companies.

These energy management requirements for industry and energy efficiency-related legislation in other sectors will be consolidated in an Energy Conservation Act that will come into force in 2013. The Act allows for a co-ordinated approach to standards-setting for energy efficiency across all sectors, and will represent a major milestone in the government’s efforts to develop energy efficiency as a competitive advantage for Singapore.

As I announced last year, minimum energy performance standards or MEPS will be implemented for household air-conditioners and refrigerators in 2011.MEPS will remove the most energy inefficient air-conditioners and refrigerators from the market. Depending on the appliance category, all 0-tick models and some 1- and 2-tick models will be removed, representing about 20% of current sales volumes. A sufficient range of brands and models will remain available for consumer choice.

MEPS will help consumers save on electricity bills and is not expected to significantly increase the upfront cost of air-conditioners and refrigerators. A more efficient fridge that costs the same as one phased out by MEPS can save a household about $130 a year. When all the existing air-conditioners and refrigerators in Singapore comply with the MEPS standards, consumers will enjoy a total energy savings of about $20milannually.

We will tighten the MEPS standards over time. We will also consider extending MEPS to more appliances, such as lighting and televisions.

The public sector will continue to take the lead on environmental sustainability measures. From FY11, all Ministries will set energy savings targets. We will continue to study new measures that can be implemented.

In 2007, NEA commissioned a study involving local and foreign experts to understand our vulnerabilities to climate change.

The first phase of the study covering the physical impacts of climate change has concluded. The results have been peer reviewed by international experts who noted that the study adopted well-established methodologies and that the findings are plausible.

The study projects that the average daily temperature in Singapore could increase by between 2.7 to 4.2°C from the current average of 26.8°C by 2100 and the mean sea level around Singapore could rise by 24 to 65 cm by 2100. These findings are within the range of our expectations and consistent with global projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

By 2011, Singapore’s water catchment area will increase to two thirds of our land area with the completion of the Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs.

In addition, when Changi NEWater Factory is fully completed in 2010, NEWater will be able to meet 30% of our current water needs. As a source which is independent of rainfall, NEWater enhances the resilience of our water supply by supplementing local water stocks in the event of extended dry spells, like what we are experiencing today.

Singapore’s overall recycling rate increased from 40% in 2000 to 57% in 2009 and we are on track to meet the target of 60% by 2012. We are studying how we can enhance the effectiveness of existing recycling efforts. For instance, there is scope to reduce the amount of domestic waste disposed and we are working with the public waste collectors to review the National Recycling Programme. This includes studying the provision of more recycling bins in HDB estates and the collection and recycling of other waste streams such as garden waste from landed homes and food waste from markets.

To reduce waste at source, NEA has collaborated with the food and beverage industry on the voluntary Singapore Packaging Agreement since July 2007. The Agreement demonstrates that environmentally friendly practices make sound business sense – the participating companies saved $4.4mil from a reduction of 2,500 tons of packaging waste over the last two years. … Following the extension of the Agreement to cover all types of product packaging since October 2009, we can expect to see avoided waste and reduced packaging in other sectors as well.

Source: MEWR

This is a chronology of the news and responses on Tuas Power’s clean coal and biomass cogeneration plant.

14 Mar 08 – Tuas Power sold to China Huaneng Group (Temasek successfully completes divestment of Tuas Power by Temasek Holdings)

27 Mar 08 – Tuas Power announced that it is looking at building a $2 billion coal-fired plant (Tuas Power may build $2b coal-fired plant by Business Times)

2 Apr 08 – We think it is highly possible that Tuas Power would take the coal route and expressed our concerns (Red dot goes black? by AsiaIsGreen)

26 Sep 08 – Tuas Power announced plans to build a $2 billion steam and electricity production plant to run on clean coal and biomass on Jurong Island (Tuas Power to build $2b ‘clean’ plant by Straits Times)

29 Sep 08 – We wrote a letter to the Straits Times to express our concerns about the use of coal by Tuas Power (Tuas Power is building Singapore’s first ‘clean coal’ power plant by AsiaIsGreen)

4 Oct 09 – A short edited version of our letter was published in the Straits Times Forum

15 Oct 09 – Tuas Power, National Environment Agency (NEA) and Energy Market Authority (EMA) replied to our letter (Tuas ‘clean’ coal plant balances cost and green concerns)

15 Oct 09 – We wrote a reply letter to the Straits Times

16 Oct 09 – We published the reply letter (Update on Tuas Power’s clean coal plant by AsiaIsGreen)

20 Oct 09 – We are told that Straits Times will not be publishing our reply letter

20 Oct 09 – We wrote an email to NEA, EMA and Tuas Power

1 Nov 09 – NEA and EMA replied to our email

4 Nov 09 – We published our email and the response by NEA and EMA (Update on Tuas Power’s clean coal plant (part 2) by AsiaIsGreen)

6 Jan 09 – Tuas Power to delay plans for the clean coal/biomass plant by 6-12 months (Projects melt, Jurong Island feels the heat by Business Times)

4 Nov 09 – Tuas Power decided to go ahead with building the clean coal/biomass cogeneration plant on Jurong Island (Stalled $2b plant set to steam ahead by Business Times)

7 Nov 09 – We sent an email to Tuas Power with some questions to clarify details in the Business Times article

11 Nov 09 – Official ground-breaking of the clean coal/biomass cogeneration plant, which will be completed in 2 phases – part of the plant ready by 2012 and the rest by 2014 (Construction of clean coal/biomass plant on Jurong Island begins)

8 Dec 09 – We received Tuas Power’s reply to our email questions via Ogilvy, their PR representative

Here’s the full list of our questions and Tuas Power’s answers (the quotes refer to the Business Times article):

1) Does the clean coal/biomass plant have a 2,670-MW-capacity?

The Biomass Clean Coal plant will generate 160 MW of electricity, out of which 60MW will be consumed internally.

2) Does the plant use 80% coal and 20% biomass? What is the estimated annual tonnes of coal and biomass used?

Yes. The amount of coal and biomass used (in tonnes) depends on the calorific value of the specific fuel.

3) What is the biomass used? Where is it sourced from?

We will be using palm kernel shells and woodchips. These will be sourced locally as well as from neighbouring regions.

4) Is the coal sourced from Indonesia?

The coal will be sourced from the neighbouring countries in the region.

5) “The ‘top’ ash generated will be reused, while ‘bottom’ ash will be recycled into value-added products such as construction materials.” What would the top ash be reused for? What construction materials are the bottom ash recycled into and who is the company doing the recycling?

The top ash that is generated can be reused as a cement substitute whereas the bottom ash can be recycled into construction materials such as aggregates, bricks and pavers. One of our subsidiaries, NewEarth Singapore, is capable of recycling the ash.

6) “Meanwhile, the carbon-neutral biomass part of Tuas Power’s cogen project will help reduce the CO2 emissions to a level comparable to that of an oil-fired plant.” What is the carbon emission per unit of electricity generation for Tuas Power’s clean coal/biomass plant, and how does it compare to a gas-fired plant?

The Biomass Clean Coal plant is a cogeneration plant that uses Circulating Fluidised Bed Technology to produce electricity and steam. It provides an economically and environmentally sustainable alternative to utility supply, therefore bolstering Singapore’s energy security by further diversifying its energy mix.

7) “Besides, the plant will enjoy 70 per cent operational efficiency versus the 50 per cent efficiency level of today’s combined cycle gas turbine plants. This means the Tuas Power plant will use less resources to produce the same unit of electricity, leading to less carbon emission.” What is the technology used by the clean coal/biomass plant, which makes it more efficient than a combined cycle gas turbine plant? The 50% efficiency of the combined cycle gas turbine plant is based on which fuel source: oil, gas or coal?

In order to achieve higher plant efficiency, the BMCC cogeneration plant is equipped with 3 units of steam turbine-generators to step down high-pressure steam to medium and low-pressure steam suitable for users’ applications. One unit of condensing turbine-generator will produce about 100MW of electricity that will be exported to the Grid. The other 2 units of back pressure turbine-generators, which are embedded generators producing about 60MW of electricity for TMUC’s own use, supplying electricity to TMUC’s other facilities, such as its desalination plant, demineralised water treatment plant and industrial wastewater treatment plant.

The 50% efficiency of the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant refers to a plant based on gas as fuel.

8) “China Huaneng has also embarked on a couple of cutting-edge carbon-capture pilot plants back in China, and may apply the technology here in future.” When is the timeline, if any, to apply carbon capture technology, and where would the carbon be stored?

We have no plans to apply this technology in Singapore at this point in time. Carbon capture storage technology is still being developed, and we may explore the viability of its application in the future.

9) Has Tuas Power undertaken an environmental impact assessment or life cycle analysis of the clean coal/biomass plant from coal mining, biomass harvesting, coal and biomass delivery, combustion to disposal/recycling?

The Company submitted the Pollution Control Study to the National Environment Agency, which had subsequently granted the approval for the project.

10) Has Tuas Power consulted its stakeholders including potential customers, NGOs and the public on the use of coal and the higher carbon emissions?

Prior to the commencement of the project, consultations with various stakeholders were held.

What are your thoughts?

Do you support the use of clean coal for our energy needs? Is clean coal really clean? Is Tuas Power guilty of greenwashing? We leave it to you to decide.

Image credit: Tuas Power

Christmas sure gets insane with all the gift shopping and parties to plan and attend. As Christmas is one of the most celebrated holiday in Singapore, it inevitably is also most “consuming”. Parties leave behind excess food, which goes to the trash. Thousands of Christmas cards get sent out and massive amount of wrapping paper gets ripped and thrown away.

I don’t want to sound like Scrooge here so I would still say, go out and have fun! Christmas only comes once a year and it could be the very holiday that you spend the most time showing affection to your family and friends.

To help you make this holiday go on in a very sustainable and green way, here are 7 simple tips that you could follow to plan and celebrate your very own eco-friendly Christmas:

Tip 1: Christmas cards

Sending Christmas cards used to be more popular till the uprising of the internet and cell phone short messaging services (SMS) or multimedia services (MMS). Instead of sending out Christmas cards, you could send out a shout out on Twitter, Facebook, emails, e-cards, SMS or MMS to friends and families that you know are tech savvy enough to receive it and understand your sincerity still.

For the older relatives or people you are trying to make an impression with, you could still send out Christmas cards that use recycled materials. Or buy Christmas cards that have been made by charitable organizations so that you know your cash will be used for a good cause. It is also possible to send a few cards together in the same envelope if you are mailing to the same address. Better still, if you could just use one organic card for a whole family to share, you could do your part in saving the environment. It would mean less postage, less fuel and less trees being used in the process.

Another way of saying season’s greetings is by a phone call! This way it is more personal and it is very effective in bridging the relationship. Definitely a pleasant surprise for the receiver on the other end and puts both you and the person in a cheerful mood!

Tip 2: Invitations to a party

Imagine sending out invitation cards on top of Christmas cards, there is so much paper being used and postage costs. Invite friends and relatives using electronic means like Facebook event invites, emails, SMS or phone calls. Electronic means like Facebook can even collate names of those attending and help out a lot.

Tip 3: Christmas gifts

How many times do you recall receiving gifts that you don’t even like or maybe can’t fit? When buying gifts for someone, if in doubt, go for food items or simply give cash or vouchers. Try not to buy fashion items like shoes, hats, dresses and jeans because these are items that are highly subjective and difficult to assess fitting.

A great tip that I have for party hosts is that you could clearly state that everyone should bring a gift worth about $15 and have it wrapped in recycled material. During the party, each gift will be labeled with a number. Now get the guests to each draw a number and collect their present that has a number matching theirs.

There are many ways to do this, it could be picking out someone’s name prior to the party and buying a gift for that one person which you exchange during the party or simply getting the guest to each take one present from the present pile as they leave the party too. The idea is such that each gift would most likely be an item not gender specific or age specific and each guest would leave with something that could most certainly use. More importantly, buying one present is more environmentally friendly.

Tip 4: Gift wrapping

What would be greater still is if you, as a receiver of your gifts, could let others be aware that you do not need to have your gift all wrapped up. If you are the host of the party, insist that everyone brings a gift unwrapped. Tonnes of wrapping paper goes to waste after Boxing Day. To those who actually rip your wrapper off nicely for reuse, good for you! Many others would not go through that trouble and children who certainly are the main receiver of gifts, most certainly would not know how to do that.

If the gifts have to be wrapped, I would say use recycled wrapping paper, or you could get creative by using old school text book, comics, newspapers, music sheets and magazines to wrap. Brown recycled paper is fantastic if you would like to personalize your gift-wrap. Apart from wrapping paper, another good way to present a gift is in a box. Gift boxes are my favorite, because then I can re-use the gift box for another gift in the future or use it as a pretty storage box.

Tip 5: Party food

This tip is definitely about the topic that Singaporeans love. Food Food Food. This is the festive besides Chinese New Year that we will most certainly pig out. Despite how much we pig out, there will always be leftovers behind.

Instead of wasting it, what my mother always does is to use recycled plastic containers (those that you get when you buy takeaway porridge or tau huay) and get the guests to take their favourite food home. When provided with these plastic containers, they would be delighted to take home some food. After all, these plastic containers can be washed and reused again.

Another trick is to reduce the amount of disposables in a party. For small parties, it is always possible to get the plates washed and reused. Depending on the menu, plates may not even be necessary. Finger food, sandwiches, and pizza can be supported on a napkin. However if there are curry and gravy sauce on the menu, then plastic and not paper plates would have to be used.

If you are the host, you have the power to plan a menu that is eco friendly. As a guest, use the same plate and cup throughout if you can.

Tip 6: Christmas decorations

In the old days, fancy plastic and synthetic Christmas tree decorations did not exist, people then used cookies, gingerbread man and other biodegradable items to hang on their Christmas tree. In Singapore, the humid and warm weather would definitely cause food items in our tree to rot. However, we can still decorate our tree using recycled art and craft materials like old Christmas cards, corks from wine bottles, ribbons from left over gift-wrappings, dried nuts or fruits.

Let your imagination go wild, you would most certainly have the most unique tree and gives you a good conversation topic whenever people see it. Remember to also use LED lights instead of the normal ones to cut down on energy consumption.

Tip 7: Spread the word

This is Christmas so be very giving and generous, go forth and spread the word on celebrating Christmas the green way.

With these 7 tips being said, here’s me wishing to all you readers a very healthy, green and happy Christmas!

World Toilet Summit returns to Singapore since inauguration in 2001

World experts on sanitation and toilets will converge in Singapore in December to deliberate on almost every aspect of this once-taboo subject.

High on their agenda will be the urgent issue of bringing sanitation to 2.5 billion people who live without having toilets, a market worth an estimated US$1 trillion.

The occasion will be the three-day World Toilet Summit and Expo 2009 (WTSE 2009) to be held from December 2-4 at Suntec Singapore. It will be opened by Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister (Prime Minister’s Office).

The ninth in the series, the event is organised by the locally-based World Toilet Organization (WTO) founded by Singaporean Jack Sim in 2001, and MP Asia, in partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB). It has the strong local support of the Economic Development Board (EDB), PUB – The National Water Agency, the Restroom Association (Singapore), Singapore Institute of Architects, Singapore Institute of Planners and Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau.

This is the first time that WTSE is coming back to Singapore after its inaugural event held here in 2001. Since then, the World Toilet Summit series has been held in different countries across the globe annually – from cities in Europe, China and India, to the most recent event held in Macau last year.

SM Goh Chok Tong: WTSE participants can draw on Singapore’s progress

In a congratulatory message for WTSE 2009, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said that participants of the event can draw useful lessons from Singapore’s tremendous progress in its waste management infrastructure evolving from the bucket system 40 years ago, to the state-of-the-art Deep Tunnel Sewerage System today.

“In fact, we have gone beyond the provision of basic sanitation to the business of recycling used water, which is a solution that may appeal to cities with severe water shortage,” he said.

Mr Goh further points out in this message that more work needs to be done to raise standards of sanitation.

“Beyond the provision of infrastructure and public health facilities, there are areas where work needs to be done, such as changing people’s mindsets concerning design, maintenance and proper usage of toilets. In this regard, NGOs, such as the WTO, together with government, private sector and community stakeholders, can play an active role to help develop, educate and propagate sustainable sanitation solutions and standards.”

Observing that 2.5 billion people around the world still do not have access to proper sanitation today, he adds: “I am glad that the WTO, a non-government organisation that started in and continues to operate from Singapore, has taken up the challenge to garner support and action for this critical but unglamorous area of life.”

Said Mr Jack Sim, the founder of the World Toilet Organization: “There are 2.5 billion people in this world, without proper sanitation facilities. We should work towards making such a basic need addressed. There are opportunities for all to benefit, and the long term advantages will be apparent in the future.”

Wide range of topics to be discussed

The theme for WTSE 2009 will be “Creating the Blueprint for a Sustainable Sanitation Marketplace”.

Two keynote addresses will be delivered during the opening ceremony, one by Professor Tommy Koh, Chairman, Asia-Pacific Water Forum, and Mr Arjun Thapan, Director General of Asian Development Bank, Philippines.

One of the prominent speakers will be Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, India. The organisation, which has 50,000 volunteers, promotes human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. Sulabh has also established a Museum of Toilets in New Delhi, featuring a rare collection of artefacts, pictures and objects detailing the historic evolution of toilets since 2,500 BC. Moreover, the Museum wing under Dr. Pathak’s guidance has undertaken the task of publishing an Encyclopaedia of Sanitation, which perhaps will be the first of its kind in the world.

Topics to be discussed during the Summit include:

• Communication for sanitation development
• Sanitation marketing
• Toilet design and technology for various environments
• School sanitation
• Financing sanitation

Additionally, the Summit is now a CPD-accredited event. Architects will receive 4 CPD points for their participation at the Summit. As part of the design and technology sessions on 3 December, the spotlight will be thrown on various toilet designs in both urban and rural settings.

The topics up for discussion include:

- Green Toilet Designs

- Future High Efficiency Toilets and Drainage Systems

- Innovations in Sustainable Design: Case Studies from Portland, Oregon

- Planning Tools for the Diverse City – The Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies

- Islamic Toilet Designs

- Public Restroom Design for 21st Century US Cities

- Application of Universal Design Concept for Urban Environment and Disabled Toilets

The Summit will be accompanied by an Expo which will showcase sustainable sanitation solutions and urban toilet designs and technology.

Exhibitors include Rigel Technology (S) Pte Ltd, the green restroom specialist for water-saving and energy-efficient products; Besco Building Supplies (SEA), a selection of innovative restroom space management materials; Essential Wellness Pte Ltd, a supplier of hygiene and disinfection technology; The Brown Corporation, compact and ideal solutions for toilet use outdoors; Megatech Solutions, which provides bacteria and odour control solutions; PFE Technologies Pte Ltd, a quality construction materials and portable toilets provider; PolyPortables Inc., who supplied some 320 portable toilet units for the Singtel F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2009; and more. The Expo is co-locating with PULIRE ASIA Cleaning Solutions Expo, and will give visitors a more comprehensive platform towards sanitation and cleaning solutions.

More information on this year’s event is available at www.worldtoiletevents.com.

This is a press release from Buzz Communications.

Ever had the experience of buying a piece of bread or bun from a small bakery store and had to throw away the plastic bag immediately after eating it? In Singapore, buying and eating takeaway snack food is very popular. Over the past few years, we have observed the boom of small stalls that populate the basement level of each shopping mall. Examples of these food and their stalls would include bread from Breadtalk, a stick of fishball or curry puff from Old Chang Kee, bubble tea from Sweet talk, doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts, etc.

Often, these great tasting food items are already wrapped with a piece of plastic sheet over it, but usually cashiers would still place these into a second plastic bag. Hearing this, you would think – is it necessary to have everything wrapped in plastic? Surely there are some food types that can be placed into paper bags? Three fishballs on a stick is not worth that many plastic bags.

However, it is not only this issue of too many plastic bags that worry me. It is the attitude of the people here in Singapore. I have witnessed countless people simply taking their food out of the second plastic bag and throwing the bag away the second they got their hand on their food item. It is horrifying to know that the second unnecessary plastic bag was used for merely under a minute and it would now lay somewhere for centuries. What a waste of energy to make and then discard it. What a waste of money! Think about how many people do this every day in Singapore, and multiply that by how many times per day per person. Now then multiply this number for the billions of people worldwide. I am sure that it would amount to something quite terrifying.

What can Singapore do to change the attitude of these people? As a nation, we have pledged to the world that we will fight climate change. Despite all the efforts the Singapore government is making, are their efforts and action inspiring the local people? To some yes, but the majority still do not understand the real importance of why humans need to change our lifestyle and habit.

Sure, there are stores out there in Singapore that try to discourage the use of plastic bags by charging an extra ten cents for its use. Is that working? Is ten cents enough to deter the use of plastic bags? In NTUC grocery chains, for each time you bring a recyclable bag to store your groceries, they take ten cents off your total bill. Again, do we really think ten cents would matter that much to the busy working people in Singapore?

The real question is – does Singapore have to resort to monetary measures to teach Singaporeans how to reduce and reuse plastic bags? If Singapore is really keen to go against the use of plastic bags, I believe it would not be so difficult. If the larger nations like America can practice this, so can a small nation like Singapore. Singapore has proven itself to be a law-abiding nation with disciplined and determined people, we can take a step higher and cut down our consumption of plastic bags.

The retail and F&B industry ought to revamp itself. Perhaps it is time for the Singapore Retail Association (SRA), the Food & Beverage Manager’s Association of Singapore (F&BMA) and the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) to collaborate and work out a plan to re-package their goods. This together with education would take Singapore a notch up towards being an eco-friendlier nation.

The next time you buy something, ask yourself if you really need that plastic bag. I always turn down the plastic bag even after the cashier has already placed my items into it. More often than usual, you would be surprised that the cashier would be very willing to take the items back out of the plastic bag and a soft “thank you” can be heard.

Venue: ISEAS Seminar Room II

Speaker: Mr Lee Boon Siong, Honorary President and Director, Poh Ern Shih Temple

The Poh Ern Shih Temple (Temple of Thanksgiving), built in 1954, is an ecologically friendly Buddhist temple located at Chwee Chian Hill, off Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore. In 2000, the Directors decided that the temple had to be redesigned to deal with the rising costs of water, electricity and an over-dependence on fossil fuel. It was noted that environmental degradation had been increasing over the decades and that adopting ecologically friendly technologies was the way to go in the age of rising global temperatures and climate change.

This seminar will focus on Poh Ern Shih Temple’s efforts to protect the environment. The temple takes advantage of Singapore’s abundant sunlight to produce: (i) Electricity by employing three different kinds of solar energy cells – Polycrystalline, Monocrystalline and Amorphous Cells (ii) Hotwater from Solar Heat Collector Cells in Solar Panels, and (iii) Night Lighting of its landscaping and common corridors with batteries charged by electricity collected from hybrid sets of wind/solar energy units.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s abundant rainfall has made it possible to (i) Irrigate the temple grounds (ii) Generate electricity via the deployment of Micro Hydrogenerators for charging the batteries of in-house motorized wheelchairs and lighting for its landscaping and common corridors as well as (iii) Conserve, collect and convert the rainwater to drinkable water by deploying Reverse Osmosis Techonology in Portable Filtration/UV Units available overseas in the event of natural disasters.

Finally, the temple is able to leverage on the abundance of a renewable resource, bamboo, (i) to reduce the culling of our valuable forests by deploying bamboo for all the temple’s new furniture wherever possible since it is readily available from neighbouring states and is a 5-year renewable resource as compared to a 100 year old or 300 year old oak or teak tree and (ii) to reduce the pollution from the steel industries, by making all its in-house new wheelchairs from bamboo.

For details and registration, visit the ISEAS website.

Source: ISEAS

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:

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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