Garbage Bags

We used many plastic bags to dispose of our food waste everyday, if I am using a bin to store all these for a week, I am sure 1 bin is not enough for my family.

I was shopping in some supermarkets a few weeks back and I saw this home brand of biodegradable bags and I couldn't snap any photos then but I did over the weekend and let me show you guys, there are 30 bags in one pack, some larger bags have only 10 in a pack, like this one. I will be very keen to try these although there are no instructions to state how long I can keep them before they biodegrade by itself, I think this information will be helpful.

It is not very expensive, it cost just S$1.25 for a pack of 30 bags. But to be honest, I think no one in our country has ever had to buy our own plastic bags for garbage use because we are such a plastic reliant city, takeaway food are all stored in plastic containers and supermarkets give away free plastic bags whenever you purchase your grocery (On many occasion when I use my own shopping bag, i got a 10 cents off your purchase, just once, on a plastic bag free day. Apparently on other days, if you use your own bag, you don't get any 10 cents off. Ridiculous right?). When I was studying in Australia, asking for an extra plastic bag will cost us AUD 5 cents more which makes us think twice as poor students so I think our country should implement this or start to use brown paper bags, I kinda love those. They have a rustic feel and although when they are wet they will tear easily but you can throw them to be composted I suppose.

I was very happy to see some cities in US going styrofoam free but I can foresee that NOT happening here. It is truly sad to stay in a country where we have no natural resources and yet we are not doing our part to conserve and preserve what we have. Earth Hour was observed by individuals or corporation and our government did not come out to encourage and speak out for climate change. Depressing.

And when I think about hoping to own my own house in the future, I fret about the cost to import eco-friendly products for my house since they are not readily availble here. And to think importing such things increase my carbon footprint...damn...dilemma.

Did you vote?

Did you vote for earth, saving it from climate change? I did and I am proud to say my whole family did.

We actually didn't turn on the lights until past 10 pm, more than an hour.

However we did have the tvs turned on, my parents were watching a tv series and I was watching the National Geographic Channel which paused all their programs and only flashed some tips on saving the earth. I snapped 2 photos of what they are screening here.

One of my friends made a very interesting remark, saying perhaps the tv station should stopped all tv programs during that 1 hour so that everyone can really really save some electricity! Marvellous idea if you ask me.

I was looking at some Youtube videos that shows the Earth Hour around the world and I am sorry to say my country's contributions ain't significant enough to be posted. Here's a link to some photos on Flickr during Earth Hour.

Earth Hour tomorrow!

Don't forget to switch off your lights for 1 hour tomorrow and remember to check the website for photos of Earth Hour around the globe.

View Earth Hour 2009 video

Paper waste

My office has this maintenance work going on and they were telling the tenants about the closure of some lifts and aircon services.

Each lift lobby has lifts on both the left and right. And we have 60 floors with 2 floors which overlap...you will understand why I need to give this statistic in a while.

And for the past few days, they have put up these notices at each lift lobby. 2 of them on each side.

Meaning, they printed 2 leaflets * 2 sides of the lobby * 62 floors = 248 piecies of these notices.

What a waste of paper especially since the maintenance work is going to happen during most of the offices downtime.

IKEA - Green is the way to go

If a furniture store can be so eco-friendly, I am sure many other businesses can do the same.

I am really impressed with the new Ikea, going more green..at least locally, customers are required to bring their own shopping bags or they can buy a recycled paper bag or a biodegradable plastic bag to carry their purchases.

And earlier, I mentioned they have install free charging stations for the electric scooters that they were just brought and launched here.

In addition, they have also started to sell solar power lights although I don't think they are available locally yet but going green is really their new direction.

I would definitely buy them when they become available for sale here and in addition, I would really like to see them selling furniture made from recycled wood, bamboo, cork made products as well as more solar powered electrical items. If so, they will definitely have me as their customer for life!

Lamp

At one glance, can you tell what is this lamp made of?

You may say plastic and you are right but what kind of plastics are these? Give up? It is recycled soft drinks bottles! Amazing right? You really can't tell and it is aesthetically pleasing.

Not sure how much it cost but I love the idea of reusing the plastic bottles for such use rather than filling up the landfill.

Electric Scooter

If I have a license to ride a bike I would seriously consider buying this scooter. It runs on electricity and is finally launch here in our sunny island.

You may think charging by electricity doesn't make much sense but it is predicted to cost you just $60 a year of electricity to keep this bike running. Cool isn't it?. The electric scooter costs only S$ 0.70 per 100 km to run, compared to about S$ 7.00 per 100 km for conventional petrol powered scooters which can result to savings of up to S$ 1,300 a year. 7 body colors are available for your selection so it should be able to fulfil everyone's requirements.

Best of all you just need to charge 3-5 hours to power it up and Ikea has set up 2 free charging stations in their 2 outlets here so you basically can pump up for free and to me, it is just electricity which if I really want, I will generate from solar power...so it will all be free. By the way, why is it green? Because it doesn't have any exhaust! Say YES to no pollution.

I would love for them to launch the car equivalent although I am sure it will take a longer time to charge but hey environmentally friendly, quiet, cheap and colorful, what else can I ask for?

Water Usage too

This is from a local context.

Water Usage

This is a picture from goodmagazine to show how much water we use a day. This is in US context and you can click to see a bigger picture.

As Daylight Dies

Animation by students I suppose for NEA.

Watch the animation here.

Lounge Chairs

I wouldn't call these chairs artistic or anything but they are functional.

Best of all, they are made out of 100% post-industrial and post-consumer recycled plastic. Amazing!

McD

Mcds have invited some students to design biodegradable packaging for their restaurants and this is what some student came up with.

and they open up to look like the picture below...which I think it looks kinda wasteful to use up so much material.

Chicken in a Bisket

I believed almost everyone has eaten this Chicken in a Bisket? It was so darn good although it is a bit salty.

Perhaps it is due to wanting to be more healthy, they have now come up with the same version but baked. Not sure what the difference is though.

But I was turning the box upside down when I saw a label there that states, make with 80% recycled cardboard, so I am very happy. Ok, maybe you can't see it in this blurry picture, but it is there, on the centre right side of the box. And on the left, you can see that the box can be recycled after use. See? We can all do our part.

Hollywood hunks and their green toys

I really really love Brad Pitt, Jason Bateman and Ewan McGregor. However I think Leonardo DiCaprio has really done the most for the environment, he even narrated on a movie called "The 11th Hour".

To see the hunks and their green toys, check out this slideshow from Treehugger

eHome Check

Most of us would have gone for health checks but do you know that you can do a home check too? To see if you can make your house cleaner, healthier and safer for you, your family and the environment, do the eHome Check here now!

Happiest Place on Earth!

Disneyland - The Happiest Place on Earth is on a mission to minimize Mickey and gang's carbon footprint.

The Company will cut emissions by half, reduce electricity consumption by 10%, halve the current garbage waste at its parks and resorts by 2013. Their long term aim is to achieve net zero waste and emissions.

If you have visited Disney's parks and resorts, you will see for yourself how much garbage waste there are everyday since you are not allowed to bring in your own food, you have to purchase your food inside the parks. After which, you will throw away your napkins, your ketchup packets, sugar packs, paper cups, plates and plastic cutlery. Crap.

So I am happy they are moving forward with the society and I only hope that they don't switch off the electricity when I am in the middle of a downwards ride or at the top of the ferris wheel.

Purple goes green

Even dairy products makers are going green which is fabulous because they deal with farmers who provide them with raw materials, such as cocoa beans, milk, cane sugar, etc.

As part of Cadbury's ‘Purple Goes Green’ strategy, they will work with dairy farmers to reduce emissions. They even provide these farmers with a Cadbury Guide to Low Carbon Dairy Farming that equip farmers with knowledge on what factors contribute to carbon emissions and provides practical measures that farmers can implement to reduce them.

Cadbury has committed to an absolute reduction in carbon emissions of 50% by 2020. The company also set targets to save packaging and water.

You know how serious they are when they even have someone holding the post of Global Head of Environment. Now, don't you feel you are doing your part by buying from Cadbury rather than other brands?

Recycle your jeans

Jeans can last for a long time and some people I know wear their jeans till their neighbours smell the stink. These goes to show you how tough denims are and their resilent to physical torture or smell.

We also went through many jeans in our lifetime as a result of growth - both horizontally or vertically, fade off, torn at the knee or torn at the butt. When those happened, we just chuck the jeans aside.

But now, let me show you what some Japanese are doing by recycling the jeans and making a profit out of it...they recycled jeans by making them into stools.

Watch this video.

Impact of Global Warming

Sometimes just saying it is not enough, after all, most of us are visual creatures...watch this slideshow, it may not give you the shakes but it gives you a good reminder on what you are leaving behind for your future generations

Earth Hour 2009

Mark your calendar, Earth Hour 2009 is coming in over 2 weeks time..drum roll please.......the date is 28th March 2009 (Saturday).

Lights will be off at 8.30 pm sharp and back in action after an hour at 9.30 pm sharp at all local times.

I don't think the whole country can participate as a whole but if you are home, try to do your part. Check out which organizations in your neighbourhood are participating here.

Sexy blinds

There is this marvelous invention in the market these days, as you know we use blinds to shade our indoors against the blinding sun but do you know you can make these blinds work for you?

With the blinds closed during the day blocking the rays of the hot sun, little solar pads are being charged on the back of the blinds and once the sun goes down, your mood lighting shines. I don't they are bright enough to use as a reading light but it is quite cool as a night light.

The lights come in also floor lamps and chandelier designs. Don't you think they are sexy?

Corporate Watchdog

This probably doesn't have much to do with being green but hey it is fun.

Have you been catching up on news on the latest misdeeds by corporate giants? If yes, you should ace this quiz.

Give it a shot!

Am I an eco-poser?

Sometimes you really have to reassess yourself whether you are truly green so here goes my 2 cents worth.

This article is from The Alternative Consumer site. Credit to rd.

You know these people. Like me, you may also fit the description in those weak moments when convenience trumps sustainability (please step away from that 12 oz Evian bottle). We must all try to do ‘bettah.’

• They can be spotted with a ‘I’m Not a Plastic Bag’ dangling from their arm, swigging from a 32 oz ‘Smart Water’ bottle, while walking a dog bred in a cage in Kansas by a guy who dumps animal do-do in the stream behind his shed. - I don't have a dog and neither do I own a Not a Plastic Bag bag and smart water is not sold here so doesn't apply to me.
• They fervently support alternative energy but don’t want that wind turbine obscuring the view from their beach chair on their inherited ocean-front estate…right, Teddy? - I will love to see wind turbine lining our beaches but hey, we neither have much wind and much land to put the wind turbine, I don't care about their aesthetic value.
• They just had solar panels installed on the ‘weekend’ house but leave the engine running on the Range Rover when they ‘pop’ into Starbucks for that latte. - Ha, I wish I have a house, I wouldn't even dream I will have a weekend house...in addition, I don't own a car either.
• They fly thousands of miles to Hawaii and Bali for global warming conferences on the private jet and tool around paradise in a limo…Al? - I am not invited to all these conferences, damn it and I fly commercial, never private...I know I know I still left my carbon footprint.
• They strap-on an organic cotton ‘Stop the Emissions’ t-shirt under a Prada, croc jacket, and accessorize with a stunning pair of ‘blood’ diamond earrings for the drive with their assistant to the mailbox with that fat donation to ‘Save the Whales’ - on their way to the airport for the flight to Sundance for a series of glutton-ish pseudo-celeb, swag parties. - No, not invited, not invited, not invited and I don't own any Prada either.
• They religiously watch Nat Geo, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel on the 27 flat-panel tv’s in their geo-thermal powered home. - Guilty as charged and I live on the grid, bloody hell, my government is not doing anything to bring in alternative energy, not my fault, I live in public housing.
• They do a documentary on global warming and then fly around the globe chasing eco-tail? - Sorry, not a producer so will probably never do a documentary.
• They’re on both the mailing list for PETA and the Victoria’s Secret catalog. - Yes to the latter not to the former..does that make me more eco-friendly?
• They purchase carbon offsets, drive a Bentley, eat only the finest steaks, burn 50,000 kilowatts a day in their 5 homes, support solar but think the panels look ‘icky’ on the Spanish villa they bought from that poor bastard in Paraguay. - Neh, trust me, if I have a house, I will try my bestest best to put on solar panels, I don't care if I am the ugliest house in the neighbourhood...all I need to know is I spend less on electricity vs my neighbours.
• They wear a ‘Global Warming’s Not Hot’ t-shirt while exposing their privates to 300 or so SUV-driving-paparazzi while bar-hopping…Paris, Lindsay… - Haha..why would I want to do that?
• There’s a ‘Made in China’ label sticking out of their 100% jute gladiator sandals. - I am sorry but these days, basically everything at home is made outside the country. Blame my government's import export policies.
• As a presidential candidate, they make 12 speeches in support of alternative energy subsidies while flying to 7 states in 24 hours on 6 different private jets, accompanied by a 63-person entourage that caravans from speech to speech in a fleet of 15 overstuffed Escalades. - Hmm I am just a small fry, will never be the President and besides my country has no states.
• They write for an eco-friendly blog, but refuse to fix that dripping faucet in their bathroom… - I don't fix dripping faucet, my dad would and all ur faucets are working just fine.
• think the Sierra Club is a Rehab Center and Spa, out west - Haha I learnt what it is recently and I really like the activities they have, pretty cool.
• wear a “Save the Planet” t-shirt, designed by Bono, under their Mark Jacobs lambskin jacket - Marc Jacobs not Mark Jacobs...and I dont' have money to buy any Marc Jacobs stuff so not to worry.
• Louis Vuitton reusable bags cost more than most major appliances - LV are too damn expensive and they are never worth queuing outside their store for.
• are celebrities who make sure to get photographed riding a bike around Hollywood but fly everywhere in a private jet - Good one but as I said, I fly commercial
• fervently support alternative energy, but don’t want an ugly wind turbine obscuring their view of the neighboring townhouse development - As stated earlier, I will love them for their benefits not their looks
• would love to give up their SUV, but can’t - because they’re short and they like to be “above the traffic” - Again, I don't own a car and I rely on public transport everyday
• monthly energy consumption bronzing at the tanning salon exceeds the annual electric consumption of 3 African nations - Thank goodness I don't go tanning salon, I tan naturally and beautifully I should say. Our sun is always blazing hot. Eat your hearts out!
• write for an eco blog, but leave their laptop on day and night, hate the light from those CFLs and still haven’t fixed that drip in the shower… - I will never be so obsessed to leave my laptop on day and night, once I step out of the office I try not to think so much about work, haha

Paper Mache

Remember me saying I will make some paper mache stuff from paper and give it to my friends for Xmas?

Look? Stray Dog Designs now produced stools made from paper mache, maybe I won't be able to make it as pretty as their works but hey, I definitely won't be charging my friends USD 279 for it.

Compost Update

I have forgotten to take a photo before I mix up the soil...but something that looked like bean sprouts were growing in my compost hehe...

Everyone should try it, I do my indoors and there are no smell at all...just smell of soil...the banana peel has all composted save one...and the onion skins have all composted, within 2 weeks...amazing...no more signs of dead flowers as well.

Over the weekend, we just added some fruit skins and vegetable scraps...let's see how it goes in another 2 weeks time. I must go buy some more soil to top up because I have ran out!