All events, big or small, use resources and have negative impacts on the environment. The planning, preparation and conducting of events tend to consume water, energy and materials, and produce waste and gas emissions. We understand that event organisers and venue managers would like to reduce their impacts on the environment and go green, but they are not sure how to start.

We have teamed up with ECO Singapore to produce the Green Events Guide. This Green Events Guide aims to provide a framework of principles and practical tips on how event and venue managers can start creating greener events by identifying and reducing the various environmental impacts in its process.

If you are organising an event or managing a venue for an event, we hope that you will take the first step in making the event green. The tips in the guide are not exhaustive but the more tips you implement, the greener is your event.

The following key areas are considered for a green event and are discussed in the Green Events Guide:

• Venue and Transport
• Food and Catering
• Energy and Water
• Materials and Waste

Download the Green Events Guide (pdf 825 KB).

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The United Nations celebrate World Water Day 2008 today and this year’s focus is on sanitation in conjunction with the International Year of Sanitation 2008. About 2.6 billion people in the world still lack access to proper sanitation facilities. To learn more about sanitation, check out this pdf file on the 10 things you should know about sanitation, which includes the following information:

1. What do we mean by “sanitation”?
2. Why focus on sanitation?
3. What is the size of the problem?
4. What diseases are associated with poor sanitation?
5. How does sanitation prevent disease?
6. What are the options for controlling excreta?
7. What is the economic costs of sanitation?
8. How does sanitation affect the environment?
9. What are the reasons for slow progress on sanitation?
10. How can we achieve sanitation targets?

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his message for World Water Day that the lack of political will is the biggest culprit in failing to meet the basic sanitation goal in the Millennium Development Goals. International support through “a conducive policy environment, financial resources and the transfer of technology” must be given to the governments of affected countries, who are primarily responsible. We should “go beyond raising awareness” and “press for action” to provide access to clean water and proper sanitation.

Source: World Water Day ‘08. Image credit: World Water Day ‘08.

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Our water saving devices save up to 70% and our energy saving devices reduce electricity usage, helping customers and the environment. We are also the exclusive supplier for Asia Pacific for Non Slip 21 - the world’s most advanced non slip floor coating which can be applied in minutes.

Address: CALEX ASIA CO., LTD, Wall Street Tower, 26th Floor, Surawong Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Telephone: +66 (0) 2237 4066

Fax: +66 (0) 2632 7824

Email: Michael.Gemmer@calexasia.com

Website: www.calexasia.com

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Speakers: Dr Yang Mu, Coordinator of EAI’s China Cooperation Programme; Mr Teng Siow Song, EAI Research Officer

Venue: East Asian Institute (EAI) Conference Room, NUS Bukit Timah Campus, 469A Bukit Timah Road, Tower Block #06-01, Singapore 259770

This seminar covers the problems of obtaining clean water in China, such as demand, pollution and governance issues. Read more details at the EAI website.

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently published the Asian Water Development Outlook 2007, which discusses the current situation in water management in Asia, and the future challenges and solutions. The report is available for download at the ADB website. We share some key points from the report.

The misconception on the scarcity of water in Asian developing member countries (DMCs):

We can confidently predict, on the basis of current assessments of water resources, expected water demands of the future, available technology, knowledge, and experience, that Asian DMCs should not experience, or expect, a crisis in the future because of physical scarcity of water.

The problem is not about scarcity but management of water: 

It is likely that if there will be a water crisis in the future, it will not come because of actual physical scarcity of water, as many predict at present, but because of continuing neglect of proper wastewater management practices. Continuation of the present trend will make available water sources increasingly more contaminated, and will make provision of clean water more and more expensive, as well as more complex and difficult to manage.

Climate change will make water management more difficult:

… climate change is likely to introduce high levels of risks and uncertainties that the water profession simply may not be able to handle with any degree of confidence, at least over the near term. All this will make efficient water planning and management an exceedingly complex and difficult task during the post-2025 period.

Some requirements for better water managment:

… solving the water problems of the future will require additional skills, innovative approaches, and new mindsets. It will also require a more holistic approach that can successfully coordinate the energy, food, environment, and industrial policies of a nation, all of which have intimate linkages to water. Each will affect the others and, in turn, be affected by the others.

… there are two key needs to make measurable progress. One is to collect better quality and more comprehensive data, especially from water utilities, so that real problem areas can be pinpointed. … The other is to implement and enforce existing policies and legislation - policy development is not the issue. This can only happen if there is accountability and a strong regulation/monitoring regime in place.

Source: Asian Water Development Outlook 2007. Image attribution: Asian Water Development Outlook 2007.

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The article below was first published in the Apr-Jun 07 edition of NADi by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS). We find the article enlightening and it gave us more insights on how the teachings of Islam promote environmental consciousness and protection. We think that more people should be exposed to the relationship between the environment and religion. So we have republished the article below (in 2 parts) with kind permission from MUIS.

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“Strive for your life in the hereafter as if you will die tomorrow.
Strive for your life on earth as if you will live forever.”

A community of excellence which is well adjusted contributes towards the care of the larger society they live in.

On 18 April 2007, Singapore celebrated Earth Day with a host of activities aimed at promoting environmental consciousness among the people. Muslims here responded positively to this effort and lent it our full support. This article explains that in contributing to the protection of the environment, Muslims are actually performing a sacred duty commanded by Allah S.W.T to all man, as stewards of the Earth.

As Muslims we believe strongly in the hereafter. In the famous hadith, Rasulullah S.A.W reminds us to be prepared for our future life in the next world, as if we would leave this one tomorrow.

Read the rest

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At AsiaIsGreen, we believe that there are already existing solutions and technologies to solve most environmental problems, such as lack of clean drinking water, malaria deaths and climate change. What we need are not solutions and technologies but the willpower and leadership to change the status quo. We also need planning and coordination so that we know what we have to do, what financial resources and manpower are needed, how much time we have, what success looks like, and a process or someone to make sure things get done. Read the rest

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