In advance of the International CSR Summit this month, Singapore Compact’s President, Mr Kwek Leng Joo, said the ambition is to engage more youth, so that they will be able to bring CSR ideas to the workplace and champion CSR when they join the workforce. Awards are being given to teams of students and companies for their CSR achievements. Read More

Announcement by Singapore Compact 18 September 2012:

Singapore Compact to boost CSR by launching Youth membership

A Youth Membership is being created among new initiatives by the tripartite body charged with the responsibility of promoting this value among businesses and institutions here.

Said Mr Kwek: “The passion and energy of our youth should not be underestimated. I believe the future lies in them – the leaders of tomorrow. Youth development is one of the key priority areas for Singapore Compact. The Singapore Compact Youth Membership network aims to nurture a civic minded generation to champion responsible business practices, so that their actions and decisions can make a difference to their future.”

Targeting the youth is intended to lay down the foundation of CSR among future business leaders. A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between SC and the National Youth Achievement Awards Council (NYAA) at the upcoming International CSR Summit 2012 later in September. To kick-start the youth network, SC will welcome from the NYAA Gold Awards Holders Alumni (GAHA), all youth who are keen to learn more about CSR.

The MOU will be signed by SC’s Executive Director, Mr Thomas Thomas, NYAA’s Executive Director, Mr James Soh, and a representative of GAHA.

Said Mr Thomas: “This network aims to realise our new vision to expand outreach to the youth. We are pleased to be working together with NYAA to reach out to their young members and Alumni members.  ”

“We have been working with tertiary institutions since 2006 and we will continue to work with these networks to boost our youth memberships. A Youth Forum on CSR will also be introduced to enable the young to exchange ideas.”

“NYAA Council works with like-minded organisations in various areas of youth development and we are constantly on the look-out for opportunities for our youth to engage their contemporaries and the community. We are delighted to be able to work together with Singapore Compact and we look forward to a partnership that allows our young people to further strengthen their leadership capabilities for the good of the community,” said James Soh, Executive Director of the National Youth Achievement Award Council.

CDL-SC Young CSR Leaders Awards 2012

The winning teams of the CDL-SC Young CSR Leaders Award, inaugurated last year to promote the CSR message among the young, will receive their prize at theSummit. Team SMIL.E Inc, from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), entered a CSR proposal for a security firm.

SMIL.E Inc’s presentation impressed the judges with their clear understanding of the CSR opportunities and challenges facing the security industry. Aside from spending time at the company to better understand their daily business operations, the team also went the extra mile to speak to one of the company’s largest stakeholders – their security guards.

After speaking with a 69-year-old security supervisor about the challenges faced by security officers on the ground, the team decided on “Pledge to Care” as one of the three strategies the team is proposing for the company to adopt as part of responsible corporate citizenship. This proposed initiative aims to increase public awareness of a security officer’s role and encourage a call to action for more appreciation for this group of people.

“It is always inspiring to see how passionate young people are when they are given an opportunity to be a change agent,” said Ms Esther An, CDL’s General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Head of CSR. “We look forward to working with Singapore Compact on next year’s competition and continuing to provide opportunities for young people to make our community a better place to live in.”

This is the second year that the award has been given out. The top three winning teams of this year’s Award are:

First Prize:                 “SMIL.E Inc”

(Nanyang Technological University)

Second Prize:          “Muvericks”

(SMa Institute of Higher Learning – Murdoch University)

Third Prize:               “Sunshine”

(Nanyang Technological University)

International CSR Summit 2012

The theme of the Summit will be “Corporate Social Responsibility: Trends, Threats and Opportunities”.

The opening address to the summit will be delivered by the Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower and Senior Minister of State for National Development. The keynote address, which will set the tone for the summit, will be delivered by Professor

Jeremy Moon, Director of the International Centre for CSR, Nottingham University Business School.

The topics to be covered at the seminar include Changing the Change Agents, Adding Value to Sustainability, Engaging with Networks of Influence, and Why is the EU having a CSR Strategy?. There will also be nine workshops on various aspects of CSR.

CSR Awards 2012

The following are winners of this year’s CSR Awards:

Best Community Developer Award

- CapitaLand Limited (Winner)

- Shell Companies in Singapore (Special Mention)

Caring Employer Award

- Adrenalin Events and Education Pte Ltd (Winner)

- Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium (Special Mention)

Green Champion Award

- NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd (Winner)

- Keppel Land Limited (Special Mention)

Best Workplace Award

- NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd (Winner)

Enabling CSR Journeys – the new publication

Among other measures to hasten the acceptance of the CSR movement is the launch of a new publication to provide practical tips on setting up CSR programmes by businesses and institutions. Enabling CSR Journeys – Knowledge Sharing for Sustainability will feature four interviews of business leaders who have been passionate about embracing CSR in their establishments and cover their companies’ experiences as well as their personal stories in being CSR Champions.

The project is premised on the strategic value of integrating knowledge management (KM) with sustainability implementation in organisations, and, the belief that personal perspectives and experiences are the most impactful way to impart knowledge to others.

The four business leaders are Mr Kwek Leng Joo, CDL Managing Director and SC President; Mr Bert Wong, Senior Managing Director, Fuji Xerox Singapore; Mr Seah Kian Peng, Chief

Executive Officer, NTUC FairPrice; and Ms Deanne Ong, Business Development Director, Origins Exterminator.

Another new introduction by SC this year will be one full-day pre-Summit workshop to be held on 26^th September on CSR for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

For more information, contact:

E-mail:  info@csrsingapore.org

Website: www.csrsingapore.org

Tel: 6827 6825

Coastal settlements in Indonesia which are most at risk from climate change impacts and activists are voicing out their concerns that the government is not doing enough to help. There’s also lack of clarity on how the Green Climate Fund will be utilised. Regional, national and local issues like this which affect many in the developing world will be addressed  at the Eco Flores Network Congress, to be held 26 to 29 September, which aims to share expertise for the sustainability of the Indonesian island of Flores. Read more

By Fidelis E. Satriastanti, ID/Alina Musta’idah & Arientha Primanita for Jakarta Globe (17 September 2012):

Climate Change Aid Pledges Go Unfulfilled in Indonesia

“Indonesia’s fishermen used to be able to go out to sea on average 180 days out of the year,” says Abdul Hakim, an activist from the People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty.

“Now they can only go out 150 days a year. That’s resulted in a decline in their productivity.”

He blames the problem on higher waves and rougher seas that have increased in frequency in recent years as a result of climate change.

A sprawling archipelago that is highly dependent on maritime activities, Indonesia is widely considered by experts to be at particularly high risk of climate change effects on the world’s oceans.

Abdul acknowledges the seriousness of the threat but says the government doesn’t seem to have taken the same view. In fact, he says, the state has yet to allocate any funding for efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change’s effects.

“There’s nothing, no money to address climate change, even though the fisheries sector will be hard hit by this problem,” he says.

He argues that mitigation and adaptation efforts for the maritime sector alone will require up to 5 percent of the state budget. But even now, he says, the entire budget for the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is just 0.3 percent of the state budget.

Lack of clarity

The issue of funding for climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts for developing and at-risk countries is expected to be high on the agenda at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Doha in November.

The UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen in 2009 drew a commitment from developed countries to set up a Green Climate Fund that would raise $30 billion over the 2010-12 period.

The Copenhagen Accord also agreed to a target “for the world to raise $100 billion per year by 2020, from ‘a wide variety of sources,’ to help developing countries cut carbon emissions,” and promised that “new multilateral funding for adaptation will be delivered, with a governance structure.”

But activists in Indonesia rankle at the lack of details on specific allocations or on progress in emissions-reduction initiatives already being carried out.

“We have absolutely no idea what’s going on with the Green Climate Fund or what they call fast-start financing,” says Dani Setiawan, chairman of the Anti-Debt Coalition. “What’s been achieved? What progress is being made? Nothing’s being published.”

He says the 2010-12 funding that developed nations committed to providing now amounts to $28.2 billion but emphasizes that much of it is not “new and additional,” as stipulated in the Copenhagen Accord.

“Several countries have simply included commitments into this fund that they had previously committed elsewhere,” he says.

“So, a lot of the climate funding for developing countries like Indonesia has strings attached.”

Dani says he is skeptical that any agreement on a clear funding mechanism will be ironed out at the Doha talks.

“Given the ongoing global economic crisis and the lack of clarity on the funding issue at a recent conference in Bangkok, it will be difficult to resolve this issue at Doha,” he says.

Self-reliance

That pessimism is shared by Siti Maimunah, coordinator of the Civil Society Forum for Climate Justice (CSF).

“What we’re sure about is that the effects of climate change will increase and spread,” she says.

“What’s not certain, though, is that the talks will result in policies to protect communities from these effects.”

A senior government official, however, says Indonesia should not depend on international funding for its mitigation and adaptation programs.

Adapting to climate change effects, says Arief Yuwono, the environment minister’s deputy for environmental damage and climate change, can be incorporated into existing programs with the involvement of local communities.

“Adaptation is different from mitigation, where the funding comes after the fact,” he says.

“With adaptation, it’s about building up the community’s resilience. And you don’t necessarily need funding to do this. You can do it by getting people to participate in [environmental preservation] programs or by increasing efficiency in existing programs.”

He cites an ongoing Forestry Ministry program to plant mangroves along coastal areas as one example of a climate change adaptation program that is not specifically categorized as such.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) acknowledges that the policies are out there, but says they need to be more consistent and better coordinated.

“There are a lot of government policies [on sustainable development], but they need to be more consistent,” says Efransjah, head of WWF Indonesia. “I’m positive that over the next two years, the president will be able to achieve a lot.”

Minimal commitments

At the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh in 2009, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced to the world an ambitious target to reduce Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2020, or by 41 percent with international assistance.

Boen Purnama, the forestry minister’s adviser on forestry strategy and policy, insists that Indonesia is carrying out “real actions” on mitigating climate change through its forestry sector, but that the international community has yet to take notice.

“Every country has a responsibility toward addressing climate change,” he says, arguing that developed countries must accept a larger share of the burden because of their higher per capita emissions.

He also says funding commitments by developed countries to developing nations under a Payments for Ecosystem Services mechanism have not been fully realized.

“Funding for developing countries under the PES mechanism is still very minimal,” Boen says.

But Dieter Brulez, coordinator of climate change priority areas at the Indonesian office of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), says the commitments still hold.

“We’re currently re-evaluating our funding priorities, specifically for climate change, to focus more on mitigation programs,” he says. “For climate change adaptation, we hope that it can be integrated [into other programs].”

The GIZ is currently involved in an A$1.25 million ($1.3 million) climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment in the East Kalimantan city of Tarakan, as well as Malang in East Java and the province of South Sumatra, funded by the Australian government.

Strong position

Siti from the CSF is adamant that the issue of climate funding will not be resolved in Doha, citing the reluctance of major developing countries like China and India to commit to binding emissions reductions targets.

She believes that although civil society will have its voice heard, it will not be loud enough to drive home the importance of the need for climate funding mechanisms for adaptation to be cleared up.

“If you look back at the Copenhagen talks, the civil society representation was quite strong and united but still failed,” she says, adding that the major emitters will likely use stalling tactics at the Doha talks to thwart any meaningful binding resolutions.

Dani from the Anti-Debt Coalition warns that with governments almost certain not to reach a deal in November, the prospect of a private sector-led carbon-trading mechanism looms large, with all its attendant disadvantages for small communities.

“It won’t be about reducing emissions at that point. It will be about shaping a new form of capitalism,” he says.

He adds that given Indonesia’s prominence as a forest country and its representation of the Asia-Pacific region in the Green Climate Fund committee, Indonesia should be able to push for the interests of developing countries to be addressed more adequately.

“Indonesia’s position is quite strong. The question, though, is whether it can use that position to address the interests of those who will be affected the most by climate change, such as fishermen and farmers,” Dani says. “Or will it just go along with the others?”

Source: www.thejakartaglobe.com and www.ecoflores.org/en/top/home/

When Peter Doherty speaks – and writes – you need to sit up and take notice. He didn’t win the  Nobel Prize for nothing. He’s even written a book about how to win such a global award! He is also the author of  “A Light History of Hot Air” which was a very impressive comprehensive study  – with a light  touch – into internationally important topics like climate change and the excesses of fossil fuel and greenhouse gases. Now the chickens have come home to roost! This time in “Sentinel Chickens”, he is away with the birds, but for a purpose. Like the proverbial canary in a coalmine, a saying Doherty later deconstructs, birds, even chickens, act as monitors, beautiful and endlessly fascinating creatures that, as in ancient mythology, act as harbingers of danger – in relation to outbreaks of diseases and even in relation to climate change and environmental degradation. While I have read the book myself and highly recommend it, I decided to share a review from the Sydney Morning Herald that says it all. Read More

Avian allies

Sydney Morning Herald (25 August 2012):

WHEN a deadly outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) in Hong Kong hit the headlines in 1997, the less scientifically minded among us were caught off guard. We had questions. Our imaginations ran wild. You mean chickens get flu? Who’s heard of a chook sneezing? Do you catch this virus through eating roast chicken, living near a poultry farm or feeding crusts to seagulls? Is my beloved pet budgerigar an assassin, and how about the backyard magpies?

These are just a few of the questions Peter Doherty delicately teases out in his survey of the way birds, or at least the scientific study of them, have led to massive advances in the understanding of infectious and other human diseases.

Because chooks might occasionally carry lethal viruses, as in the case of H5N1, but they also have the capacity to save lives, particularly when they’re placed in cages and plonked in strategic positions around the countryside to gauge, say, the spread of Murray Valley encephalitis. Or when their eggs are used by scientists to study how viruses reproduce or for the production of influenza vaccines. Or when 4000 or more wattlebirds and gulls fall from the sky, poisoned by lead, as they did in Esperance in 2007, and authorities are able to track its source before humans and children begin to die, too.

As Doherty says, ”our free-flying, wide-ranging avian relatives serve as sentinels, sampling the health of the air, seas, forest and grasslands that we share with them and with the other complex life forms on this planet”.

Like the proverbial canary in a coalmine, a saying he later deconstructs, they act as monitors, beautiful and endlessly fascinating creatures that, as in ancient mythology, act as harbingers of danger – particularly in relation to climate change and environmental degradation.

Doherty, a Nobel prize winner, is as much a teacher as a research scientist – he could tell you the answer to questions straight up, but instead, so you’ll piece things together, he foregrounds his discussions in basic explanations of biology, anatomy and pathology.

Despite his admission early on that ”we working scientists increasingly find ourselves working in a kind of Tower of Babel, where it’s harder and harder to stay abreast of what’s going on in even closely related fields”, his writing spans an impressive array of disciplines, from ornithology and microbiology to avian pathology and psychology, zoology, phenology and poetry. Along the way we meet a fascinating array of people – research scientists, Nobel prize winners, eccentric but dedicated blokes ”who spent a good part of their lives sticking probes up the back ends of birds across the planet” – many of whom Doherty counts as close friends.

In the process, we come to understand the endless jigsaw that is scientific research. There are seemingly obscure research findings such as Peyton Rous’ 1911 experiment with a chicken cancer virus that years later, picked up and developed by other researchers, led to groundbreaking work in human cancer research. There are detective stories that span countries, cultures and continents, and case studies that link vultures with gout to sacred cows, Hindu tradition and an anti-inflammatory known as Diclofenac. Whodunits that tie red knot sandpipers to crab eggs, whelk harvesting and the Caribbean queen conch.

Doherty flits from fossils to migration patterns, from wingspan measurements to white blood cell studies of horseshoe crabs, but the analyses he reaches are simple and precise: ”The basic message is that any sudden, human-induced change has consequences when it comes to natural ecosystems, which is just one of the many reasons why widespread ignorance of science and the resultant failure to grapple with reality are dangerous.”

It is, in its own way, a brief history of disease, although, as Doherty notes, ”it says something profound about the human condition that history takes much greater account of wars and military mayhem than of the enormous losses caused by communicable disease”. And brief namely because ”as recently as the 19th century, people made no connection between infestation with visible parasites like worms and ticks and the unseen world of infection with microbes”. Before then, the likes of Shelley and Keats, who wrote about birds with such aplomb, feared death from ”miasmas” (dangerous fogs from marshlands) rather than their feathered friends.

Yet Doherty’s greatest revelation is his discovery that a love of birds ”is one of the few things that can transform those who have no formal training in science into enthusiastic practitioners of science”.

We have a lot to learn from birds, and Doherty’s book entices us to start.

Peter Doherty was a guest at the Melbourne Writers Festival and the Bryon Bay Writers Festival.
Source: www.smh.com.au

This month is special for Singapore. It presents its National Energy Efficiency Conference with overseas & local experts & delegates, hosts an international CSR summit, launches a five month long climate change awareness campaign called “Our Green Home” at a Singapore Environment Council “G1″ event. But to top all that Singapore hosts arguably the biggest polluting event on the planet – a night time Formula 1 motor race. Besides being energy inefficient – all those lights as well as powerful fuel guzzling cars – it would be the most unsustainable event ever. In the same month Singapore Zoo welcome two panda from China to an appropriately air conditioned cool cage. We know that air conditioning uses about 70% of Singapore’s stationary energy. All too much to take in? Enough to make your editor take to riding a Singapore built bamboo framed bike. Definitely the most sustainable and energy efficient form of transport in the world. Plenty to read in this issue but readers will have to wait a fortnight for the 2012 Global Sustainability Leaders list. Some late submissions & time needed to compile it put it back. But look out for the next issue due out 18th. – Ken Hickson

Sustainability guru and triple bottom line inventor John Elkington – and member of the select band of 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders – can always be expected to raise eyebrows and lift spirits. This time he asks: Among the gloom and doom, does a spark in positive coverage of innovation and enterprise in business media mean we’re headed for a breakthrough? He would like to think so and so would we. Read More

By John Elkington with Susie Brown for Guardian Professional (31 August 2012):

According to business media, where is the world heading?

While much of business media is filled with doom and gloom, positive coverage of innovation and enterprise is breaking through.

Does a spark in positive coverage of innovation and enterprise in business media mean we’re headed for a breakthrough?

Many moons ago, megatrends guru John Naisbitt analysed print media to get a sense of where the world was headed. In the dog days of August, in the spirit (but not style) of Naisbitt, we decided to buy every business magazine we could lay our hands on – tearing them apart as we hunted for evidence on whether coverage in key media sees us heading towards one of two scenarios: breakdown or breakthrough.

Breakdown is the 100% negative scenario. A world in which early experiments and enthusiasm fade in the face of wider incomprehension and resistance to change. Our businesses, cities and economies overshoot ecological limits, bringing the planetary roof down on our heads.

And then there is the breakthrough scenario, which increasingly shapes and informs our own agenda. This assumes that, with the usual ups and downs and ins and outs, the trajectory of our societies and economies is pointed toward a very different set of outcomes – in fields as disparate, but still intimately interlinked, as population growth, pandemics, poverty, pollution and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Cutting across both main scenarios, there are change-as-usual initiatives.

These are often worth having, but fail to address the nature and scale of the challenges we now face. The assumption here, reinforced by the relative failure of this year’s Rio+20 summit, is that political leaders, investors, and the global C-suite proceed at a dangerously relaxed, incremental pace. There are plenty of projects designed to boost efficiency and effectiveness, to satisfy and even exceed customer needs and wants, but the need for system change is largely ignored.

So out we went, prowling through newsagents and grabbing armfuls of magazines as we travelled across Europe.

We devoured business magazines such as Bloomberg Business Week, the Economist, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, the Grocer, the Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Money Week, the New Economy, Wired and World Finance.

We also pored over mainstream newspapers such as El País and Le Monde; news magazines such as New African, Newsweek, New Statesman and Time; policy journals and magazines such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and New Internationalist; design magazines such as 3D World; and general interest magazines including American Scientist, Dazed & Confused, Intelligent Life, Monocle, New Scientist, Rolling Stone, Surface and Wallpaper.

A quick-and-dirty analysis showed a striking pattern, which won’t come as news to anyone who thinks the media only report the bad stuff: themes linked to a range of breakdown scenarios dominated many of the publications.

Typical stories focused on the civil war in Syria, self-immolations in Tibet, banking scandals in the UK, zero growth in the French economy, the worst year for forest fires in Spain (at a time when fire services are being cut back as part of the national austerity drive), Rolling Stone’s astounding piece by Bill McKibben on the “terrifying new math” of climate change, the coming pensions crunch as populations age, and online piracy. To name but a few.

In contrast to the profusion of breakdown stories, change-as-usual solutions seemed to be significantly less well represented. No surprise, perhaps, given that things such as corporate social responsibility, sustainability reporting and stakeholder engagement have gone mainstream and so aren’t particularly newsworthy. That said, the middle ground still shows signs of considerable innovation and creativity, with both articles and ads featuring eco-celebrities, including sustainability focused fashion designer Eileen Fisher.

Particularly striking was the sheer amount of advertising for electric vehicles: Nissan and its LEAF; Audi with its e-tron, “the future of electric mobility;” and the BMWi offering to place you in what its manufacturer calls “the state of sustainability”. Just as in the early 80s every new car had to be a four-wheel drive, in 2012 it seems it has to be sustainable.

And it was slightly weird, in parallel, to see the way the green waves have been spreading to companies in different parts of the world, particularly where they advertise in western media. Take Hyundai in the Week. “Think everything isn’t linked together? Think again,” the company says, promoting its own branded form of eco-efficient mobility, Blue Drive. “Like ripples in a pond,” the ad notes, “everything we do affects the world around us. That’s why Hyundai is dedicated to the development of sustainable, eco-friendly vehicles.” The last line: “Because together, we can turn the smallest ripple into a cleansing wave.”

Hmmm. That’s likely to be a breakthrough only if you believe the answer to our access and mobility needs is a personal automobile, whereas a system-level breakthrough might involve urban design, public transit systems or, at the very least, novel car-sharing schemes. Fully in the breakthrough space, by contrast, is Fortune magazine with its wildly positive story on Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and the cooperative business movement (the New Internationalist).

At a time when it is increasingly clear that we need to open out the focus from individual companies and their supply chains to wider market dynamics, and ultimately to the cultural context, it was interesting to see one of our favourite business magazines, Fast Company, spotlighting what it calls the League of Extraordinary Women, some of these innovators dealing with breakdown challenges, some active in change-as-usual settings (albeit with higher ambitions), and some explicitly aiming for breakthrough.

We also found a fair amount of coverage of the growing power of civil society in countries such as Japan and China, the repercussions of the Pussy Riot trial in Russia, and the emergence of high-octane NGOs like the Black Fish Network.

But what to do if you want to breakthrough but are stuck in an incumbent business? Professor Bob Eccles and his colleagues give advice on how to create a sustainable company in the MIT Sloan Management Review. The leaders of sustainable companies, they conclude, are different because they take a long-term view; have a clear direction in mind; are more willing to tolerate risk; and are more knowledgeable about sustainability themes.

Overall, what struck us in the breakthrough zone was that, almost regardless of where we looked, positive coverage of innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurs has been going through the stratosphere. One of the most striking examples of the trend was Surface magazine’s coverage of Nike’s zero waste strategy. (When asked for current examples of breakthrough initiatives, we often point to the sportswear industry’s Roadmap to Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals.)

We have already covered a fair amount of ground with our Breakthrough Capitalism program, with a first progress report now posted, but as we move into the next phase one key objective will be to help boost the coverage of breakthrough innovation, entrepreneurship, finance and policy-making.

There’s an open invitation to join us for the next magazine-ripping session, sometime next year.

John Elkington is executive chairman of Volans and non-executive director at SustainAbility. His latest book is The Zeronauts: Breaking the Sustainability Barrier (Earthscan/Taylor & Francis). He blogs at www.johnelkington.com and tweets at @volansjohn

Susie Brown is an On Purpose fellow and is a key member of the Volans Breakthrough team.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Australia’s plans to link up with Europe’s emissions trading scheme and carbon price has raised eyebrows, but some industry observers see this as necessary and productve.   It could also prove beneficial for carbon-trading services in Australia as the market expands in the Asia-Pacific region. CSIRO has identified emissions from the shipping industry as detrimental to air quality near land and in ports, with nitrogen oxide and sulphur emissions contribute to photochemical smog that could affect human health. Read more

EU carbon link ‘beneficial’ to local traders

By Chris Zappone for Business Day (29 August 2012):

The government’s decision to link Australia’s future carbon price with Europe’s could be a boon for carbon-trading services in Australia, particularly as the market for the nascent commodity expands in the Asia-Pacific region.

The connection to Europe’s established emissions pricing market will break down barriers between the two regions. Australian businesses competing in such a market will have an advantage as more Asian nations begin pricing greenhouse-gas emissions, industry representatives said.

The government’s move to hitch Australia’s future carbon price to the world’s biggest emissions trading market came as it decided to ditch its previous plan to set a minimum $15 price per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted once the fixed rate – currently at $23 a tonne – ends in 2015.

The carbon tax kicked in on July 1 with the aim of prodding the biggest emitters to reduce emissions of the gas which is contributing to warming global temperatures.

Andrew Grant, managing director of CO2 Group, said the effort to connect emission trading links between Australia and Europe by 2018 “the most profound” aspect of yesterday’s announcement.

“If schemes aren’t linked, we can’t trade internationally so this is so much more beneficial,” Mr Graham said.

Regional push

The change will also give an edge to Australian clean energy firms in Southeast Asia, a region where Europe had dominated until the financial crisis had forced it to scale back their efforts, he said.

Australia had been “a Johnny-come-lately” into that region, but now that it was effectively in the same market, more business could flow, said Mr Grant.

CO2 Group, which provides carbon advisory and other related services, already has business in Singapore and New Zealand. Additional international links give the group an “ability to optimise our assets,” said Mr Grant.

Clean Energy Council deputy chief executive Kane Thornton said short-term price fluctuation around carbon pricing will give way to longer term consistency as Europe’s market is opened up.

“Even though removing the carbon price floor potentially opens us to greater volatility in the market, the link to a larger market covering some 530 million people will help to protect our emissions trading scheme from sudden changes in the price of carbon,” said Mr Thornton.

He sees a potential inflow of $20 billion in investment in low- or carbon-free energy projects that could generate 30,000 jobs over the next decade as a result of the Renewable Energy Target (RET).

Political risk

The chief risk for the renewable energy sector, he believes, is any watering down of the 20 per cent cut in carbon emissions to be achieved by 2020 through the government’s RET review.

“Any perceived benefits from tinkering with the scheme would be undermined by the signals that it sends to investors,” said Mr Thornton. The review concludes at the end of the year.

“We still have the political risk around government and a drastic change of policy,” he said.

Many large companies in Australia want an established market for their carbon exposure said Rob Fowler, who represents the International Emissions Trading Association in Australia and New Zealand.

Links with Europe will expand options for Australian companies to hedge their carbon pricing positions, Mr Fowler said. Further, it will expand opportunities for Australian carbon trading and carbon-offset businesses.

“If Australia can establish and maintain a European link and start to create relationships around carbon that reflect our trade relationships in Asia Pacific, we act as a real interesting pivot in the international carbon environment,” he said.

“Australia as a service provider in these sorts of professional areas has a good history,” said Mr Fowler. “It’s likely we’re going to create a useful financial services industry around that.”

Mr Fowler said Australia also benefited from having a well-regulated financial sector in the eyes of the global investors.

Source: www.smh.com.au

CSIRO Report (31 August 2012):

Australian shipping emissions identified

Ship engine exhaust emissions make up more than a quarter of nitrogen oxide emissions generated in the Australian region according to a recently-published study by CSIRO and the Australian Maritime College in Launceston. Nitrogen oxide is a non-greenhouse gas, unlike similarly named nitrous oxide.

The remainder comes from road and air transport, energy generation, and industrial processes. Global studies indicate that shipping emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulphur contribute to the formation of photochemical smog and particles near land and in ports.

The authors, Dr Ian Galbally from CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, and the Australian Maritime College’s Dr Laurie Goldsworthy estimate that approximately 30 per cent of anthropogenic nitrogen oxide emissions and 20 per cent of oxides of sulphur emissions generated in the Australian region may come from shipping.

These are non greenhouse gases which have the potential to affect the air quality near coastal regions, and have consequences for human health and amenity.

Dr Galbally said around 10 per cent of global shipping freight passes through Australian ports annually. “Shipping is a major driver in the Australian economy, with 753 Mt of international exports worth $202 billion passing through Australian ports in 2008-2009.”

“There is limited knowledge about the emissions from ships in coastal regions and ports in Australia, the effects of these emissions on air quality in the surrounding coastal and portside urban regions, or potential effects on human health” he said.

The ports of Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are located where seasonally-prevailing onshore winds dominate and the pollutants from shipping frequently will be carried into the air-sheds of these major urban population centres.

“We’re seeing increasing regulation of land-based emissions but limited regulation of shipping emissions and expect that in the near-future there will be a need to monitor more closely emissions from shipping,” Dr Galbally said.

The authors commenced this study with measurements of ship exhaust emissions on the coastal cement carrier MV Goliath.

Dr Goldsworthy said it is possible to quantify emissions generated based on knowledge of fuel type, fuel origin, engine size, cargo, and speed.

“We know from previous studies and the Australian Pollutant Inventory that ship emissions off the coast of Australia are substantially larger than in-port ship emissions.”

“Nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide emissions at sea are comparable in magnitude with other national sources such as energy generation and industry. They are potentially significant contributors to the air-sheds of major coastal cities,” he said.

The study appeared recently in the journal Air Quality and Climate Change.

Source: www.csiro.au

As there seem to be no clear solutions for the ever worsening problem of global warming and its effects on the climate, this could lead to the adoption of desperate measures to try to mitigate the effects of climate change.  Geoengineering – which involves large scale manipulation of natural systems mimicking natural phenomena – presents radical and controversial suggestions in facing the problem, and lacking other approaches, may turn out to be the only ones left. Read more

By Joseph Stromberg in the Smithsonian Surprising Science Column (31 August 2012):

Is Geoengineering the Answer to Climate Change?

Geoengineering could replicate the cooling effects of a massive volcanic eruption as a tool to reduce climate change.

Climate change used to be thought of as a long-term worry; now, there’s good reason to believe we’re already encountering its effects. As the problem grows more urgent, some say we ought to take a radical approach: Instead of struggling in vain to limit greenhouse gas emissions, we should try to engineer systems to directly stop the warming of the planet.

This approach is known as geoengineering, and it might be the most controversial area in climate science.

The term encompasses a wide variety of techniques. One company tried to fertilize the ocean with iron, to encourage the growth of algae to absorb excess carbon dioxide. Other scientists have suggested spraying clouds with seawater to increase their whiteness—and thus reflectivity—reducing warming by bouncing light back out to space. The U.S. government has even considered gigantic, sun-blocking mirrors in outer space as a last-ditch option if climate change hits a tipping point.

The most debated suggestion, though, is inspired by a natural phenomenon: Massive volcanic eruptions can trigger several years of global cooling because they by suspend sulfur aerosols and other particulate matter high enough in the atmosphere where they remain aloft for years, blocking a small fraction of sunlight. This effect could be mimicked using aircraft, artillery or even suspended pipes to send sulfate particles into the atmosphere where they would counteract the effect of rising greenhouse gas concentrations.

One proposed experiment would have used a balloon-tethered pipe to pump sulfur aerosols into the stratosphere and block a portion of solar radiation from reaching earth.

Now, for the first time, a team of scientists has specifically analyzed the immediate financial costs of employing such a technique. Their results, published yesterday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, might be seen as encouraging by advocates of geoengineering—but depressing for everyone hoping to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The researchers, from Aurora Flight Sciences, Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon University, found that continuously delivering materials into the stratosphere to deflect sunlight could theoretically be accomplished with current technologies and could cost as little as $5 billion per year worldwide. Although this might sound like a large sum, reducing emissions enough to prevent carbon dioxide levels from surpassing 450 ppm—a figure often cited as a stabilization target to prevent significant warming—would cost anywhere from $200 to $2,000 billion, making geoengineering seem like a relative bargain.

The detailed cost analysis evaluated systems that could deliver 1 million tonnes of sulfates annually to altitudes greater than 11 miles, well into the stratosphere, between 30°N and 30°S for the entire planet. In comparing six different techniques—the use of existing aircraft, a new aircraft designed to perform at high altitudes, a new hybrid airship, rockets, guns and suspended pipes—the authors found that using existing or newly designed aircraft would be the most cost-effective options.

Designing aircraft specifically for performance at high altitude, they found, would likely be less expensive than modifying current aircraft for the task, although both options would be possible given current technology. Using guns and rockets or suspended pipes would be more costly, largely because they wouldn’t be reusable, whereas devoted aircraft could deliver the particles to the stratosphere time and time again. The most fanciful option—a large gas pipe that would rise miles into the sky, perhaps supported by helium-filled platforms—could be the most expensive, due to the cost of developing such an unprecedented system and the overall uncertainty involved.

The authors note, though, that the unknowns and potential risks of this type of geoengineering could outweigh the reduced pricetag. For one, it treats a symptom of climate change (a warmer atmosphere) rather than the cause (greenhouse gas concentrations), so it does nothing to address other related problems, such as ocean acidification. There’s also the fact that once such measures induce dependence: If we started them on a global scale, we’d have to continue indefinitely, or risk an accelerated return of the climate to where it would have been without any action.

Most alarmingly, intentionally pumping millions of tons of aerosols into the atmosphere is an experiment for which we have no precedent. Our understanding of the climate is still incomplete, so embarking on an intentional plan to re-engineer it (after already doing so quite unintentionally) could lead to unexpected consequences. Other researchers have noted that deploying sulfates into the stratosphere could cause ozone depletion, trigger drought, alter cloud formation and might even counterintuitively cause more warming.

This is one area of science where some say that merely performing research can irresponsibly alter the actual outcome of events. Once concrete information about geoengineering techniques is out there, it could sap public support for emissions reductions and provide a politically handy “backup plan” for policymakers. Additionally, it raises the frightening idea of unilateral deployment: With the world’s nations seemingly incapable of a binding agreement to reduce emissions, an island nation facing sea level rise could simply start re-engineering the atmosphere for its own survival.

This study helps us better understand the visible expenses of geoengineering as a solution for climate change. Its long-term costs, though, are still up in the air.

Source: www.smithsonianmag.com

The London Paralympic Games casts the spotlight on the outstanding achievements of athletes with disabilities. While the athletes get the attention they deserve, all disabled need to be given greater opportunity to succeed in their chosen field of endeavour. Company cultures and employment practices need to be adjusted accordingly if they are to meet basic corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals. This is one important aspect of CSR which will be explored during the upcoming International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2012, to be held on the 27 & 28September. Read more

By Will Henley for Guardian Professional (30 August 2012):

Achievements of disabled athletes in the Paralympics are celebrated but how much support and opportunity is there for disabled people in corporate environments?

Great Britain, with a disabled population roughly 11 million strong, is predicted to clean up in the Paralympics medal tally thanks to years of encouragement and investment in its disabled athletes.

But while the achievements of the athletes are to be celebrated, millions of non-sporting disabled people face an ongoing battle in finding success and competing at the highest level in industry.

According to government statistics, in 2011, just 48.8% of people of working age with physical or mental impairments were employed, next to a national average of 77.5%

Although figures for the private sector are difficult to obtain, the gulf is probably worse still if you exclude public sector workers, suggests Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK and the author of a recent government-sponsored review which recommended expanding state funded access to work support for disabled employees.

The problem, she says, is due in part to a “built-in risk aversion” among many companies. “Big organisations sometimes have a lot of procedures around safety. [Others] don’t really know what is involved and have anxieties about what it would mean to employ disabled people.”

Even when a disabled person makes it onto the payroll it can be tough to break through the corporate glass ceiling, she says.

A survey of over 1,400 professionals conducted by Disability Rights UK’s predecessor, Radar, in 2010, found that non-disabled staff are three times more likely than disabled counterparts to earn over £80,000 and are twice as likely to become board-level directors.

“The odds are stacked against you,” concludes Sayce, who blames a corporate culture of overprotectiveness and lowered expectations.

“Managers, with the best intentions, just overlook people for promotion. They think, ‘Oh, we wouldn’t want to put more stress on the person.’ Of course for a disabled person who is ambitious, they want the opportunity. It’s not at first discrimination, but it results in discrimination.”

Companies that fail to encourage disabled employees are however missing out, insists Tim Taylor, diversity and inclusion manager at Lloyds Banking Group, Britain’s largest retail bank.

In refusing to take a chance on perfectly well qualified disabled candidates, firms put themselves at a competitive disadvantage, he says.

“Many of our customers have disabilities and if we are going to understand their needs it helps us to have disabled people in the organisation. [In addition] a lot of disabled people bring a unique life experience: they can be good at problem solving, innovation and planning. These are all skills which are really helpful to us.”

Lloyds was one of the founders of Radar’s Radiate national network for senior and talented disabled professionals. The business also has its own internal employees network, a personal development programme and a workplace adjustment scheme to help disabled staff adapt office space and IT.

Taylor explains that the company, which has over 104,000 employees, is hoping to raise the level of debate among employers and managers across the country. “For too many people it is about wheelchairs and white sticks [and] not about people who are actually very talented and happen to have a disability.”

This is not to say that Lloyds is quite there yet. Internal surveys show that only about 3.5% of staff – and just over 1% of senior managers – identify as being disabled. Under-reporting could be an issue here, he suggests. Employees may choose not to disclose an impairment or may not recognise that a minor condition even qualifies. But with the right support he is confident of improvements.

Leadership from the top has been vital, he says. But Lloyds’ standpoint does not come from a sense of corporate social responsibility. “[CSR] has been the traditional approach and there is a lot of merit in that, but at Lloyds we tend to want to lead on the business case. It’s good for the customer, it’s good for colleagues, and it can help to make or save money. That argument resonates more.”

Susan Scott-Parker, founder and chief executive of the Employers’ Forum on Disability, an NGO with 120 global firms of the likes of Barclays and Accenture among its members, is one leading advocate who sees the potential of business as a driving factor in instituting positive change.

“What [employers] can do differently that will make it easier [for people] to succeed, get promoted and contribute to the business is the essence of this new approach to disability,” she says, pointing to the Business Taskforce on Accessible Technology EFD launched in 2008. The initiative commits members to only buy technologies that conform to a common accessibility standard.

Another case in point, Scott-Parker says, is drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, which has adopted a work placement scheme known as Project Search. The initiative helps young people with learning or other disabilities to gain the skills that will enable them to make the transition from education to work.

“What GSK is doing,” she says, “is enabling a group of, say, 10 people with disabilities to become more employable. They may take six or eight of them in the knowledge that the rest will go on and work for other employers.”

The idea is to not just recruit good people for the company but to also build a pipeline of talent for the entire community. “The point is, it has to be right for the person, and right for the company. We don’t want companies to think that when they do something in this space they are doing people a favour.”

But while much onus lies with business behaviour, other sectors also have a vital role, the chief executive adds, noting the challenge facing employment agencies such as Job Centre Plus in educating unemployed disabled people – and in turn firms – about available government funded access support.

“Business has to behave differently, welfare to work agencies have to behave differently, and government has to learn how to fund the system in a different way. All three have to change their behaviour,” she says.

In this way, improving the lot of disabled people in the workplace and giving companies the best possible pool of talent is not quite a marathon, much less a sprint. It’s more of a relay. Those affected will be hoping that business doesn’t drop the baton.

Will Henley is a journalist, communications specialist and executive member of the Commonwealth Journalists Association.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Singapore Compact presents:

The 4th International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2012 is back. Themed “Trends, Threats and Opportunities”, the conference will highlight the value of CSR and look at aspects of sustainability, focusing on the social, environment and business impacts.

Leading the distinguished array of speakers at the event which focuses attention on the growing awareness of sustainability as the next business megatrend is Mr Kwek Leng Joo,  President, Singapore Compact for CSR  and Managing Director of City Developments Limited, a company which has set high standards as a for corporate social responsibility and sustainability in Singapore and internationally. It is the only Singapore developer to be listed on both Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes and FTSE4Good Index Series and the only Singapore company listed on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations for three consecutive years.SR Awards 2012

Plenary sessions and workshops during the 2-day conference will explore CSR with regard to value creation, the environment and human capital while providing in-depth perspectives across sectors and the ASEAN region. As an extension of the past three years’ Summits, thought leaders will share their research and findings addressing different business stakeholder groups and impart CSR strategies on how to ride the uncertainty.

Here are just four of the CSR leaders who will be present to speak at the summit:

• Jeremy Moon is Professor and founding Director of the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility. His research interests include comparative CSR, CSR and governance, and corporate citizenship. Jeremy won a Beyond Grey Pinstripes European Faculty award for preparing MBAs for social and environmental stewardship in 2005. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. He is co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of CSR (OUP) and co-author of Corporations and Citizenship (CUP).
• Ann Florini is Visiting Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, and Non-resident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Her research addresses innovations in governance of both the public and private sectors, with emphasis on global governance. As a Brookings senior fellow, she designed and ran the Global Governance Initiative on behalf of the World Economic Forum (2000-2005), releasing the Initiative’s reports each year at the Forum’s annual meetings at Davos. Prior to joining SMU, she was the founding director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the National University of Singapore (2006-2011), where she created and led programs of research on the intersections of business and public policy, Asia’s roles in global affairs, and energy and natural resources policy.

• Dr Michael Schluter trained as an economist, obtaining his PhD at Cornell University. He worked as a research fellow with the International Food Policy Research Institute, and was an economics consultant with the World Bank in East Africa. Michael is now a social entrepreneur and has launched six charities whose work includes theological research and social ethics (Jubilee Centre), international peace-building (Concordis International), alternative finance (Citylife) and social policy (Credit Action). In 1994, he launched the Relationships Foundation; he is also on the board of Relationships Forum Australia. Michael is co-author of The R Factor (1993), Jubilee Manifesto (2005) and The Relational Manager (September 2009) and has contributed to a number of other books looking at social issues from a relational perspective. Since 2009 he has been directing the work of Relationships Global. In 2010-11 Michael worked with a South African company to pilot the use of tools to measure stakeholder relationships in five large corporates in South Africa. Michael is an experienced speaker who addresses audiences all over the world, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year honours list in 2009.

• Toby Webb is the Founder of Ethical Corporation and CEO of Stakeholder Intelligence(SI). He founded Ethical Corporation, the leading magazine and conference business on CSR world-wide, back in 2001. Since then, he has organised, spoken at, and chaired dozens of conferences, advised the UK Prime Minister on CSR, written UK Government CSR policy (Responsibility Deals) and overseen the publishing of more than 8000 articles on sustainable business, and more than two dozen research reports. Toby also runs Stakeholder Intelligence(SI). SI is an advisory, training, facilitation, and research company based in London, with a global network of experts and clients all over the world. Finally, he is also a lecturer in Corporate Responsibility at Birkbeck College, University of London and Trustee of the Boxing Academy, a London-based charity, and Advance Aid, a disaster relief NGO.

Singapore Compact CSR Awards 2012

Having received tremendous response in 2011, the Singapore Compact CSR Awards is open to submissions again this year. This year, four awards including Best Workplace, Green Champion, Best Community Developer and Caring Employer will be given out. The awards will be presented during the opening ceremony of the 4th International Singapore Compact CSR Summit on 27th September 2012 at Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore.

The CSR Awards this year continue to recognise organisations which have responsible business practice across the areas of environment, community and their people, and demonstrate working in partnership with stakeholders to achieve long-term sustainability of the business. The competition is open to all Singapore-based organisations of any size, including sole traders and government agencies.

Source: www.singaporecsrsummit.com

Greater effort is required from leaders of Southeast Asian nations in facing the threat of climate change, since the effects on societies and economies could exacerbate the economic disparity between and within the nations. In answer to this, Singapore has launched an exhibition roadshow with the theme “Our Green Home” which the Government hopes  will inspire more people to take steps to address climate change as part of their daily lives. Read more

The Jakarta Post (1 September 2012):

Leaders of Southeast Asian nations must step up efforts in saving the environment as climate change threatened to derail the 2015 economic integration goal set by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a coalition announced on Friday.

Climate change is a critical issue in the region because countries do not have the capacity to cope with its escalating effects, according to ASEAN for a Fair, Ambitious and Binding Climate Deal (A-FAB), a coalition led by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and Oxfam.

“Its impacts also have far-reaching social and economic consequences, affecting health, agriculture, security and the economy. Climate change is set to exacerbate the economic disparity between and within nations,” A-FAB said during a press conference at the United Nations climate change talks in Bangkok, Thailand.

Oxfam policy and research officer Riza Bernabe said developed countries must provide substantial initial capitalization of the Green Climate Fund to fulfil their commitment to mobilize US$100 billion per year to support climate mitigation in developing countries, including in Southeast Asia.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia political advisor Zelda DT Soriano said she hoped governments could design a work program to put climate negotiations back on the right track at the Bangkok meeting.

Source: www.thejakartapost.com

In Singapore Environment Council (2 September 2012):

Singapore’s largest environmentally-sustainable lifestyle event, Singapore G1 2012, attracted more than 20,000 people to the Marina Barrage today, making it Singapore’s biggest ever walk-for-green event known to date with its record participation numbers.

Organised by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), the Singapore G1 2012 was officiated by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC). At the event, DPM Teo also launched the climate change exhibition, “Our Green Home”, organised by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS).The event brought together partners from People, Public and Private (3P) sectors.

DPM Teo said, “Addressing climate change well will contribute to Singapore’s continued competitiveness and sustained growth, and help provide a good living environment for everyone. It requires a whole-of-nation approach, with active participation by businesses, households and people, working hand-in-hand with the Government. As the climate change exhibition travels to various parts of Singapore, we hope that it will inspire more people to take steps to address climate change as part of our daily lives.”

The exhibition by NCCS, “Our Green Home”, provides information on Singapore’s climate change plans, highlights the opportunities arising from climate change and the importance of individual and community actions to address climate change. The exhibition incorporates a Partnership Corner where selected People, Public and Private (3P) sector partners will showcase their initiatives and projects as examples of the diverse ground-up efforts on climate change.

Following the launch, the NCCS-2012 exhibition will move to selected libraries, community clubs and shopping malls in the heartlands, from September 2012 to January 2013. Information updates are also available on the event Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/climatechangeSG

“We have worked very hard and closely with our partners to put together Singapore G1 2012 – the nation’s largest environmentally-sustainable lifestyle event. The aim of the SEC’s Singapore G1 2012 was to reach out to as many people as possible, from across various sectors. Today, we were able to get our messages across to a large number of people in a fun and memorable way, reinforcing the fact that everyone can play a part in reducing their carbon footprint,” said Mr Jose Raymond, Executive Director of the SEC.

Singapore G1 2012 featured two five-kilometre walkathon routes, the North and East Walkathon, which started at Lavender and Stadium MRT Stations and was flagged off by Mr Mr Jose Raymond, Executive Director of the SEC and Dr Teo Ho Pin, Vice-Chairman of the SEC and Mayor, Northwest District respectively. The New Paper Big Walk – which started at The Central above Clarke Quay MRT Station and ended at the Marina Barrage – was also held in conjunction with the Singapore G1 2012 walkathon.

The Singapore G1 2012 is a distinctive event and its theme – Live Green – highlights the link between the protection of the environment with healthy living and the reduction of carbon footprint. The event was planned with a “zero waste” objective to show event organisers and corporations that it is possible for events to be carbon neutral and generate as little waste as possible.  “There are literally thousands of events which are organised in Singapore – from sports events to conferences, among many others. The key for event organisers, and we have proven it through the Singapore G1 2012, is to organise their events as carbon neutral as possible and to ensure that as little waste as possible is generated. The Singapore G1 2012 has also proven that going green need not involve a compromise in creativity,” said Mr Raymond.

The event’s marketing and branding also entailed minimal usage of posters and banners.  Recycling bins were heavily utilised during the event to ensure that water bottles used by participants were recycled, and SEC put in place independent auditors to verify the amount of waste generated and recycled from the event.

A string of exciting activities were available for all to experience and enjoy at the Marina Barrage including green music performances, a soapbox competition called the Young Champions Challenge which included youth-at-risk, a Green Art installation comprising 2,500 aluminium cans by students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design and a ‘Live Green’ photography contest.

A smartphone application was also developed in partnership with A*Star SIMTECH, SMRT Corporation Ltd. and Balanced Consultancy, the developers of the app. Apart from the usual time and distance calculation that is already available, the app calculates the reduction in carbon footprint, calories burnt and dollars saved per capita by walking, cycling, jogging or taking public transportation, as compared to driving.

The public also had the opportunity to try out the new Nissan LEAF at the Marina Barrage. It is the world’s first mass-produced 100% electric vehicle, which does not produce any tailpipe pollution or greenhouse gas emissions during operation. The vehicle served as the environmentally-friendly transport ambassador for the event. This was made possible by Tan Chong Motor Sales’ support of SEC’s objectives to create a lasting impact on climate change by collaborating with people, industries and governments to encourage and achieve sustainable urbanisation.

Established in 1995, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) is an independently managed, non-government organisation that nurtures, facilitates and co-ordinates environmental causes in Singapore. SEC’s work is founded on three pillars of action – Firstly, partnership with the people, private and public sectors of Singaporean society, to nurture a culture aligned with sustainable development concepts. Secondly, SEC rewards environmental excellence through awards schemes and product endorsement programmes, such as the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme. Thirdly, the SEC collaborates with partners to develop and implement training and learning programmes to build competencies in environmental sustainability within companies, thus keeping our business leaders ahead of the curve.

The NCCS was set up as a dedicated agency under the Prime Minister’s Office on 1 July 2010 to coordinate Singapore’s domestic and international policies, plans and actions on climate change so as to secure a sustainable living environment for our future generations. NCCS will achieve this by adopting a Whole-of-Government approach and working with the People and Private sectors to devise and implement cost-effective mitigation and adaptation solutions, reap the opportunities arising from addressing climate change challenges and contribute towards global efforts to address climate change. For more information, please visit

Source: www.sec.org.sg and www.nccs.gov.sg

US President Obama has signed an executive order accelerating investment in industrial energy efficiency in a way that benefits manufacturers, utilities and consumers boosting manufacturing competitiveness and creating jobs while improving the energy system and reducing harmful emissions. Energy experts from the US, Europe and Asia will be on hand at Singapore’s second National Energy Efficiency Conference on 18-120 September. Read More

In Sustainable Plant (31 August 2012):

U.S. President Obama has signed an executive order to accelerate investments in industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power (CHP). Accelerating investment in industrial energy efficiency in a way that benefits manufacturers, utilities and consumers can improve American manufacturing competitiveness and create jobs while improving the United States’ energy system and reducing harmful emissions.

The executive order:

• Sets a national goal of 40 gigawatts (GW) of new CHP installation over the next decade.
• Directs agencies to foster a national dialogue through ongoing regional workshops to encourage the adoption of best practice policies and investment models that overcome the numerous barriers to investment, provide public information on the benefits of unlocking investment in industrial energy efficiency, and use existing Federal authorities that can support these investments.
• Directs the Departments of Energy, Commerce and Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to coordinate actions at the Federal level while providing policy and technical assistance to states to promote investments in industrial energy efficiency.

Investments in industrial energy efficiency and CHP offer significant benefits to manufacturers, utilities and communities across the country, including:

• Improving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness: By accelerating these investments, manufacturers could save at least $100 billion in energy costs over the next decade.
• Creating jobs now through investments upgrading our manufacturing facilities: Meeting the President’s goal of 40 GW of new CHP over the next decade would mean $40 billion to $80 billion of new capital investment in American manufacturing facilities. Most of these efficient technologies are made in the United States.
• Offering a low-cost approach to new electricity generation capacity to meet current and future demand: Investments in industrial energy efficiency, including CHP, cost as much as 50% less than traditional forms of delivered new baseload power.
• Significantly lowering emissions: Improved efficiency can meaningfully reduce nationwide GHG emissions and other criteria pollutants.
• Enhancing grid security: Investments in industrial energy efficiency reduce the need for new electricity infrastructure (transmission and distribution) and improve overall electric reliability.

In support of the Executive Order, DOE and EPA released a new report, “Combined Heat and Power: A Clean Energy Solution,” that provides a foundation for national discussions on effective ways to achieve 40 GW of new, cost-effective CHP by 2020, and includes an overview of the key issues currently impacting CHP deployment and the factors that need to be considered by stakeholders involved in the dialogue.

The Department of Energy is also announcing new private sector commitments by five companies – Kingspan Insulated Panels, Cree, General Aluminum Manufacturing Company, PaperWorks, and HARBEC Inc. – to the Better Buildings, Better Plants program where firms commit to improving energy intensity by 25% over 10 years. Partners in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program have already experienced at least $80 million in cost savings. These actions alone are expected to save roughly $1 billion cumulatively by 2020.

Source: www.sustainableplant.com

News from the National Energy Efficiency Conference 2012:

The National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) is part of the learning network of the Energy Efficiency National programme in Singapore.

Its main objective is to provide thought leadership in energy efficiency, bringing together energy efficiency experts and industry energy professionals to share best practices and success case studies. This year, the second NEEC will take place on 19 and 20 September 2012 with the theme “Energy Efficiency as a Business Opportunity”.

Discover how energy is a controllable operating expense and learn to manage it in other parts of your business. Listen to our energy efficiency experts and visit our exhibition featuring a range energy efficient industrial technologies, practices and solutions. Some of the highlights and topics covered include:

Industry Benchmarking and Optimisation

Integrative Design for Energy Efficiency

Implementing an Online Energy Management System for ISO50001 compliance

Direct Current Distribution for Data Center

Power Plant Thermodynamic Performance Monitoring

Developing Singapore’s Energy Efficient Capabilities

Driving Energy Efficiency in Industry: Public and private sector perspectives

The full programme is available on line.

Keynote Presentations not to be missed include:

Energy Efficiency as a Business Opportunity: Focus on how Energy Efficiency is a business opportunity because it increases productivity and reduces cost. Also talk about the importance of having a system for managing energy so as to achieve improvements in EE.

•             Jim Kelly is Group Vice-President, Head of Global Energy Efficiency business for ABB. Energy efficiency is recognized as a central driver of growth for ABB’s customers including industries, utilities, transportation and buildings. ABB’s opportunities in energy efficiency are vast (over $15B in sales per annum) and this theme is a top 3 growth driver for the company. Increasingly, ABB is required to offer customers innovative solutions combining  elements from across the entire spectrum of the Group’s products, systems and services. Jim leads ABB’s global efforts in this business area bringing the full potential of “One ABB” to this important market opportunity.

•             Juan Aguiriano is Worldwide Managing Director of Sustainable Operations for DuPont Sustainable Solutions, is responsible for expanding a consulting practice that leverages real-world experience and proven approaches to help organizations improve and sustain return on operations and assets while reducing the environmental footprint. His mission is to deliver the right solutions to clients in the areas of environmental management, energy efficiency, capital effectiveness, and asset productivity.    An expert in corporate sustainability, climate change, and energy efficiency strategies, Aguiriano brings to his current position over 20 years of experience in running global operations in Europe and Asia. He has advised senior executives from some of the top 500 corporations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in industries such as oil and gas, power and utilities, cement, mining and steel.  Aguiriano joined DuPont in 1989 and until 2002 held regional and global positions in general management, finance, sales, and marketing for the company’s Lycra® business. In 2002, he became the Global Innovation Director for DuPont INVISTA Apparel, followed by an appointment in 2004 to Corporate Marketing Director for DuPont in the Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) region.  In 2005, he was named President, EMEA, for DuPont Safety Resources, which is now part of DuPont Sustainable Solutions. He assumed his current position in May 2008.

Another important session entitled Driving Energy Efficiency: Public and private sector perspectives will feature:

•             Chiu Wen Tung (EDB):Overview of Energy Efficiency in Singapore

•             Paul Westbrook (Texas Instruments): Energy Management in Texas Instruments

•             Cheong Kok Onn (GSK): Energy efficiency improvements in GSK and BMAC group

•             Ynse De Boer (Accenture): Sustainable Energy for All

The sessions on Developing Singapore’s EE Capabilities, will involve a range of speakers, including:

•             James Scott Brew (RMI) – Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era

•             Tsoi Mun Heng (NRF) –Energy National Innovation Challenge

With Moderator: Dr Elspeth Thomas (ESI)

•             Prof SK Chou (NUS) –  Teaching Energy Efficiency – Context, Concepts and Challenges

•             Dr Mads D. Lauritzen (McKinsey) – The Green Campus: How to turn energy efficiency into competitive advantage

•             Kwek Chin Hin (NEA) – Energy Conservation Act and SCEM

With Moderator:  Dr Michael Quah (NUS)

The final session in the second day, Ken Hickson will be the moderator to bring together key speakers and produce appropriate outcomes.

Source: www.neec2012.sg