Norway to US: There Can Be Absolutely No Doubt about Climate Change

Norway’s minister of foreign affairs stood at a Petroleum Club lectern in Houston and delivered a few blunt words on climate change. Failure to set ambitious targets for cutting emissions and enact environmental regulations will erode the public’s confidence in its institutions. Meanwhile, the US Interior Department has a national strategy to help reduce climate change impacts on species, ecosystems and people and economies dependent on them, to involve state, tribal and federal agency partners.

By Ronnie Crocker, Houston Chronicle (6 January 2012):

Norway’s minister of foreign affairs stood at a Petroleum Club lectern in Houston and delivered a few blunt words on climate change, about which, he said, “there can be absolutely no doubt.”

“If you want to see evidence, go to the Arctic,” Jonas Gahr Støre said. His resource-rich country borders the polar region, where melting ice has expanded shipping lanes and cut sailing time on certain routes from Asia to Europe by 40 percent during parts of the year. Last year, Støre said, 34 ships used this “northeast passage,” up from six in 2010.

Environmental impact notwithstanding, governments risk political “revenge,” as Støre described it to an attentive World Affairs Council crowd, unless they start addressing this warming. Failure to set ambitious targets for cutting emissions and enact environmental regulations, he said, will erode the public’s confidence in its institutions.

“I think the time is comparatively short and the imperative is clear,” Støre said at the close of a question-and-answer period that drew so many written questions about his views on climate change that the moderator combined them into one final broad query.

Yet the foreign minister was hardly a flamethrower. He spoke warmly of Houston’s energy sector and encouraged more ventures in the “High North.”

He noted proudly that Norway is the world’s second-largest exporter of natural gas – providing a third of the gas used in Germany, Britain and France – and the sixth-largest exporter of oil.

He pointed out that those new thaw-induced shipping routes have the benefit of cutting fuel usage. And he did not address the contentious issue of human contribution to climate change until that final question, when he expressed “no doubt there’s a man-made dimension.”

Støre was equally clear that Norway does not intend to stop producing fossil fuels. Cutting natural gas supplies to Europe, he said, would only increase the use of more-polluting coal there.

He stressed that while it is dangerous to deny climate change, it also is dangerous to deny the world’s energy needs.

“I think denial is the worst,” he said, “and it can have a backlash that none of us should live to see.”

The crowd – mostly male, lots of suits, strongly representing the energy business – applauded Støre, and lines to greet him formed immediately once he’d finished speaking. In a cramped elevator afterward, one attendee noted to murmured agreement that the climate-change remarks appeared to have struck a nerve.

“It’s the man-made part that I think is a bunch of hogwash,” responded an elegantly dressed woman who appeared to be in her 60s. “I’m sure at the end of the last ice age there was global warming, too. The Earth warms and the Earth cools. God made it that way.”

Source: www.chron.com

UPI reports (19 January 2012):

The U.S. Interior Department has announced a strategy to help reduce climate change impacts on species, ecosystems and people and economies dependent on them.

Working with state, tribal and federal agency partners, the department has created a first draft national strategy to help policy makers and resource managers prepare for those impacts, a release from the Interior Department said.

The draft National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is available for public review and comment through March 5 at www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov, the release said.

“The impacts of climate change are already here and those who manage our landscapes are already dealing with them,” Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes said. “The reality is that rising sea levels, warmer temperatures, loss of sea ice and changing precipitation patterns — trends scientists have definitively connected to climate change — are already affecting the species we care about, the services we value, and the places we call home.”

The draft strategy includes descriptions of current and projected impacts of climate change on the eight major ecosystems of the United States, the fish, wildlife and plant species those ecosystems support and the vital ecosystem services they provide, the Interior Department said.

The strategy is being developed by a committee that includes government representatives from 16 federal agencies, five state fish and wildlife agencies and two inter-tribal commissions, it said.

Source: www.upi.com

Sanergy is First Award Winner in Katerva’s  Best Sustainability Idea

Katerva announced the winner of its first annual award for the Best Sustainable Idea, a process touted as the Nobel Prize of Sustainability by the non-profit organization. Sanergy, a company providing low-cost sanitation in developing countries, won the award for its work building waste treatment centres in Kenya – a $200 locally produced toilet, which is designed for 100 uses per day.

By Silvio Marcacci for Cleantechnica (6 January 2012):

The award for Best Sustainability Idea 2011

In a ceremony last month, Katerva announced the winner of its first annual award for Best Sustainable Idea, a process touted as the “Nobel Prize of Sustainability” by the non-profit organization.

Sanergy, a company providing low-cost sanitation in developing countries, won the award for its work building waste treatment centers in Kenya. Its technology, a $200, locally produced toilet, is designed for 100 uses per day. Toilets are emptied and the human waste taken to a Sanergy processing facility for conversion into biogas for electricity and crop fertilizer for homes and businesses.

The start-up, founded by MIT alumni, will receive $500,000 worth of in-kind consulting and assistance from a group of elite business and sustainability organizations to help bring their technology to the global market.

The Awards Process

Katerva is an international organization focused on identifying the most promising sustainability initiatives across the globe. Its rigorous year-long awards process starts with a global “spotter network” tasked with nominating hundreds of sustainability technologies in 10 categories.

Several panels of experts then evaluate the nominees on their initiative’s marketability, scalability, feasibility, originality, and potential impact. Finalists are chosen in each category, and then compete against each other for the grand prize, chosen by an “award council” of eight global sustainability thought leaders.

Other Clean Tech Finalists

Sanergy was the winner in the Materials & Resources category, but category winners were also recognized in the Behavioral Change, Economy, Energy & Power, Food Security, Human Development, Transportation, Urban Design, Protected Areas, and Gender Equality categories. Several category finalists have pioneered innovative new clean tech and environmental initiatives.

In the Energy & Power category, Barefoot Power was recognized for creating an alternative lighting technology that combines polycrystalline solar panels and LED lights to boost rural electrification and replace kerosene lamps used for lighting in developing countries. Its product has been deployed to low-income families in 15 African and Asian countries.

An invention named the Solarclave was the finalist in the Human Development category. The Solarclave, also invented by MIT students, is a solar-powered device that sterilizes surgical instruments in clinics that do not have reliable access to electricity. The low-cost device uses solar energy to generates high-pressure steam at 121 degrees Celsius in an insulated pressure vessel.

The Nissan Leaf won the Transportation category for being the first zero-emission all-electric vehicle to go into mass production at a price level affordable to a large segment of the population. Nissan was also cited for developing and supplying 240kv home-charging stations.

Finally, New York City’s Freshkills Park was recognized in the Urban Design category. Formerly one of the largest landfills in the world, Freshkills is being converted into a 2,200 acre park featuring wind and biogas energy generation, new ecosystems for wildlife, and recreational facilities.

Looking Ahead

2011 was the first year for the Katerva Awards, but during the ceremony, CEO Terry Waghorn said he has hopes for an even more impressive future, including more nominees and a cash prize for the 2012 winner.

Source: www.cleantechnica.com

Munich Re Totals Global Losses from Catastrophes in 2011

A sequence of devastating earthquakes and a large number of weather-related catastrophes made 2011 the costliest year ever in terms of natural catastrophe losses. At about US$ 380bn, global economic losses were nearly two-thirds higher than in 2005, the previous record year with losses of US$ 220bn. In Thailand, approximately 25% of the world’s supply of components for computer hard drives was directly impacted by the floods. With economic losses amounting to tens of billions of dollars, the floods were by far the costliest natural catastrophe in Thailand’s history.

Munich Re Announcement (4 January 2012):

Review of natural catastrophes in 2011: Earthquakes result in record loss year

A sequence of devastating earthquakes and a large number of weather-related catastrophes made 2011 the costliest year ever in terms of natural catastrophe losses. At about US$ 380bn, global economic losses were nearly two-thirds higher than in 2005, the previous record year with losses of US$ 220bn. The earthquakes in Japan in March and New Zealand in February alone caused almost two-thirds of these losses. Insured losses of US$ 105bn also exceeded the 2005 record (US$ 101bn).

Torsten Jeworrek, Munich Re Board member responsible for global reinsurance business: “Thankfully, a sequence of severe natural catastrophes like last year’s is a very rare occurrence. We had to contend with events with return periods of once every 1,000 years or even higher at the locations concerned. But we are prepared for such extreme situations. It is the insurance industry’s task to cover extreme losses as well, to help society cope with such events and to learn from them in order to protect mankind better from these natural perils.”

The year in figures

With some 820 loss-relevant events, the figures for 2011 were in line with the average of the last ten years. 90% of the recorded natural catastrophes were weather-related – however, nearly two-thirds of economic losses and about half the insured losses stemmed from geophysical events, principally from the large earthquakes. Normally, it is the weather-related natural catastrophes that are the dominant loss drivers. On average over the last three decades, geophysical events accounted for just under 10% of insured losses. The distribution of regional losses in 2011 was also unusual. Around 70% of economic losses in 2011 occurred in Asia.

Some 27,000 people fell victim to natural catastrophes in 2011. This figure does not include the countless people who died as a result of the famine following the worst drought in decades on the Horn of Africa, which was the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the year. Civil war and political instability made it very difficult to bring effective aid to the victims.

The earth shakes: 11 March, the Tohoku earthquake

The most destructive loss event of the year was the earthquake of 11 March in Tohoku, Japan, when a seaquake with a magnitude of 9.0 occurred 130 km east of the port of Sendai and 370 km north of Tokyo. It was the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan. The damage from the tremors themselves was relatively moderate thanks to strict building codes. However, the quake triggered a terrible tsunami. The wave devastated the northeast coast of the main island Honshu. In some bays, the wave reached a height of up to 40 metres. Entire towns, roads and railway lines were washed away, hundreds of thousands of houses were destroyed. Some 16,000 people were killed in spite of high protective dykes and an excellent early-warning system. Without these protective installations, the death toll would have been much higher. The tsunami-exposed northeast of Japan is believed to have last been hit by a seismic sea wave of this size in the year 869.

The tsunami led to severe damage at several blocks of the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. Some areas within a radius of several kilometres of the plant will remain uninhabitable for a period of many years. Even without considering the consequences of the nuclear accident, the economic losses caused by the quake and the tsunami came to US$ 210bn – the costliest natural catastrophe of all time. The share of insured losses may amount to as much as US$ 40bn.

The fault line that triggered the quake was actually fairly short with a length of 450 km. However, the seabed at the fracture face shifted by 30 to 40 metres. Experts believe that an earthquake of this strength occurs there once every 500 to 1,500 years. The main shock was followed by thousands of aftershocks, the strongest of which, some 40 minutes after the main shock, had a magnitude of 7.9.

The earth shakes II: The Christchurch earthquake

Before the tsunami catastrophe in Japan, there had been an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 22 February. The notable aspect of this event was that an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude had hit Christchurch just six months earlier. Unfortunately, the seismic waves were amplified due to reflection off an extinct volcano, so that far greater destruction was caused than would have normally been expected with an earthquake of this magnitude. The epicentre was located at a shallow depth and only a few kilometres from the city centre.

The losses were enormous. Numerous old buildings collapsed, and many new buildings were damaged despite the very high building standards. Some residential areas will not be rebuilt. Economic losses came to around US$ 16bn, of which approximately US$ 13bn was insured.

One day before Christmas, the earth shook again in Christchurch. Over a dozen people were injured following three strong earthquakes. However, in terms of their severity, the quakes were not as bad as the devastating event in February. Consequently, losses for the insurance industry from these aftershocks are expected to be significantly lower.

Prof. Peter Höppe, Head of Munich Re’s Geo Risks Research unit: “Even if it seems hard to believe given recent events, the probability of earthquakes has not increased. However, these severe earthquakes are timely reminders that the decisions on where to build towns need careful and serious consideration of these risks, especially where certain buildings are concerned, above all nuclear power plants. Also, building codes in regions exposed to earthquakes need to be made even stricter, so that buildings do not just remain standing to an extent sufficient to save lives but can be used again afterwards.”

Weather-related catastrophes: Floods in Thailand

The floods in Thailand stand out among the many weather-related catastrophes of 2011. They were triggered by extreme rainfall, which started in spring and peaked in the autumn. Due to its low elevation above sea level, the plain of central Thailand – where the capital Bangkok is situated – is prone to flooding throughout the rainy season from May to October. According to the authorities, this year’s floods were the worst for around 50 years. It is presumed that the La Niña natural climate phenomenon was a contributory factor, since the rainy season is often stronger during this phase.

The floods claimed the lives of some 800 people. Not only were hundreds of thousands of houses and vast expanses of farmland flooded, but also seven major industrial areas with production facilities belonging mainly to Japanese groups. A large number of electronic key component manufacturers were affected, leading to production delays and disruptions at client businesses. Approximately 25% of the world’s supply of components for computer hard drives was directly impacted by the floods. With economic losses amounting to tens of billions of dollars, the floods were by far the costliest natural catastrophe in Thailand’s history.

North America: Many storms but few hurricanes in North America

The tornado season was especially violent in the Midwest and southern states of the USA. Several series of storms with numerous tornadoes caused economic losses totalling some US$ 46bn, of which US$ 25bn was insured. Insured losses were thus twice as high as in the previous record year of 2010. The series of severe weather events can largely be explained by the La Niña climate phenomenon. As part of this natural climate oscillation, weather fronts with cool air from the northwest more frequently move over the central states of the USA and meet humid warm air in the south. Under such conditions, extreme weather events are more probable than in normal years.

Losses from North-Atlantic hurricanes were moderate. However, as in 2010, this was purely by chance. At 18, the number of recorded tropical cyclones in this season was some way above the long-term average (11) and above the average for the current warm phase with increased hurricane activity since the mid-1990s (15). The number of hurricane-strength storms (6) was in line with the long-term average. However, the number of tropical cyclones that made landfall, especially on the US coast, was very low. Only three named storms, one of them Hurricane Irene, made landfall in the USA. Irene caused economic losses in the Caribbean and USA totalling US$ 15bn, US$ 7bn of which was insured.

Another striking feature of this year was that, for the first time ever, US weather agency NOAA categorised a low-pressure system over the Mediterranean as a tropical storm. The low-pressure system Rolf formed on 3 November. It was caused by a ridge of cold air forming over the still warm sea (20°C). With peak wind speeds of 120 km/h, the storm “01M” made landfall on the French Mediterranean coast before dispersing. The storm produced extreme rainfall along the Cote d’Azur.

Munich Re stands for exceptional solution-based expertise, consistent risk management, financial stability and client proximity. Munich Re creates value for clients, shareholders and staff alike. In the financial year 2010, the Group – which pursues an integrated business model consisting of insurance and reinsurance – achieved a profit of €2.4bn on premium income of around €46bn. It operates in all lines of insurance, with around 47,000 employees throughout the world. With premium income of around €24bn from reinsurance alone, it is one of the world’s leading reinsurers. Especially when clients require solutions for complex risks, Munich Re is a much sought-after risk carrier. Our primary insurance operations are concentrated mainly in the ERGO Insurance Group. With premium income of over €20bn, ERGO is one of the largest insurance groups in Europe and Germany. It is the market leader in Europe in health and legal protection insurance. More than 40 million clients in over 30 countries place their trust in the services and security it provides. In international healthcare business, Munich Re pools its insurance and reinsurance operations, as well as related services, under the Munich Health brand. Munich Re’s global investments amounting to €193bn are managed by MEAG, which also makes its competence available to private and institutional investors outside the Group.

Source: www.munichre.com

Flood Experts Recommend Green Roofs to Reduce Water Flow Speed

Rooftop rain gardens are relatively inexpensive and can hold large amounts of water. And if the authorities accept a recommendation by an expert panel on floods to mandate that all buildings have these green roofs, they can be quick to install, too.  These rooftop gardens, traditionally installed to beautify the skyline and reduce the heat around a building, can help absorb rainwater and reduce the speed of water flow.

By Jessica Cheam,  Straits Times (13 January 2012):

Rooftop rain gardens are relatively inexpensive and can hold large amounts of water. And if the authorities accept a recommendation by an expert panel on floods to mandate that all buildings have these green roofs, they can be quick to install, too.

The 12-man panel, tasked by the Government to look into solving Singapore’s flooding woes in the long run, has recommended that building owners be required by law to build green roofs. These rooftop gardens, traditionally installed to beautify the skyline and reduce the heat around a building, can help absorb rainwater and reduce the speed of water flow.

Local contractors The Straits Times interviewed yesterday said these gardens would cost from $20,000 to $180,000, depending on their size.

Property developer City Developments, a leader in green buildings here, spends $150 to $400 per sq m for a green roof for a new building, and $105 to $150 per sq m to retrofit an existing one. For a residential project with an extensive green roof, installation generally does not exceed 1 per cent of total construction cost, it said.

Contractors say such gardens can store anything from about six to 34 litres per sq m. The size can range from 200 sq m for a commercial building, to 1,200 sq m for the entire roof of a multi-storey Housing Board carpark.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said the cost of such gardens is usually between $100 and $150 per sq m, which means a commercial green roof costs between $20,000 and $30,000 and can hold 6,800 litres. An HDB carpark roof costs $120,000 to $180,000 and can hold 40,800 litres of water.

Mr Andy Chew, director of local firm Elmich, which designs, builds and installs green roofs, said the idea of rooftop gardens to help alleviate flooding could work for Singapore as large amounts of rainwater can be stored in the garden’s water retention system.

This comprises soil-like material, membranes and storage trays. The water is then eventually absorbed by the plants as they grow. He added that the soil-like material also helps to regulate the flow of water; therefore, the speed of any excess water that flows down to ground level is reduced. The system is also light and can typically be installed in an average building.

Elmich, which has been in the business for 26 years and has installed gardens such as the one atop Orchard Central mall, offers systems that can store between six and 28 litres per sq m.

Another firm, Prince’s Landscape & Construction, offers a proprietary solution whose water reservoir feature can store up to 34 litres of water per sq m.

Its manager Eugine Spicer said its roof gardens can help alleviate flooding as ‘the sudden flow of water is minimised’. Depending on the size of the project and whether there is easy rooftop access, installing a green roof of about 400 sq m could take a month. Growing the plants takes two to three months before that, said Mr Spicer.

Prince has installed green roofs for properties such as Marina Bay Sands, and typically installs gardens 500 sq m in size at a cost of $150 per sq m.

NParks deputy director of horticulture and community gardening Ng Cheow Kheng told The Straits Times that to date, 36ha of skyrise greenery – greenery planted on rooftops or vertically on walls – have already been installed in buildings across Singapore.

NParks has a Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme which pays for half of installation costs, up to a maximum of $75 per sq m of green roof and $750 per sq m of green wall. Since the scheme launched in 2009, it has seen 40 buildings get fitted with 1.1ha of green roofs and 0.1ha of green walls.

Under the Building and Construction Authority’s green building rating scheme Green Mark, buildings that feature such green roofs get extra points.

HDB has also piloted green roofs in existing housing blocks in recent years to reduce heat build-up and slow down stormwater. Its first eco-friendly residential project, Treelodge@ Punggol, features a rain-harvesting system where water collected is put to uses such as washing common areas.

PUB said it is studying the recommendations of the expert panel and will respond at a later date.

Benefits of rooftop gardens

A green roof, also known as a rooftop garden or rain garden, is a roof that is partially or completely covered with plants and provided with an irrigation system.

Such greenery reduces the ‘urban heat island’ effect which makes a built-up area significantly warmer than its surroundings.

Green roofs also:

Conserve energy use in the building by keeping temperatures down so less air-conditioning is needed;

Improve air quality;

Reduce noise pollution;

Enhance a building’s aesthetics;

Store rainwater and reduce the amount and speed at which water flows to the ground.

Source:  www.greenbusinesstimes.com

Ken Hickson has the Last Word:  Buildings, Books, Bananas & the British

Somehow I have found time to do some reading in recent weeks, in between a busy round of visits to 20-plus Singapore properties to promote energy efficiency measures for the i Light Marina Bay festival in Singapore 9 March to 1 April.

One book – “How Bad are Bananas?”  – was remarkably relevant to the job at hand, in spite of its mysterious title.

Singapore is certainly getting the message about making its buildings more sustainable, energy efficient and pleasant to occupy. Research is showing conclusively that green buildings are not just about meeting higher standards, but they are so much better to live in and work in. Wellness comes to buildings as well as people.  If we can retrofit buildings better and faster, we can rid ourselves of the sick building syndrome altogether. Read More

Somehow I have found time to do some reading in recent weeks, in between a busy round of visits to 20-plus Singapore properties to encourage them to take up energy efficiency measures at the time of the i Light Marina Bay festival in Singapore 9 March to 1 April.

One book – “How Bad are Bananas?”  – was remarkably relevant to the job at hand, in spite of its mysterious title. You should know I’m a great fan of bananas and don’t want anyone to malign them!

Two writers I admire had good things to say about it: Bill Bryson said he couldn’t remember “the last time I read a book that was more fascinating and useful and enjoyable all at the same time”.

Chris Goodall, author of “How to Live a Low Carbon Life” described it thus:

“Mike Berners-Lee knows more about carbon footprints than anyone else in the UK.  Enjoyable, fun to read and scientifically robust. A triumph of popular science writing.”

Without wishing to bore you with the details, or spoil your fun reading it yourself, I must say it is an extremely readable and useful book, full of easy to understand messages, as well as tips to apply to home, business, community or country.

You can look out for it at a library or bookshop near you, or go to Amazon, as I know it’s there – in print or digital form.  Interestingly, the author says that unless you read hundreds of e-books, having a digital reading device adds significantly to your carbon footprint. Real books are better for you.

So are bananas!

Which brings me back to what I’ve been doing in addition to reading about bananas.

Energy Efficiency Gets Priority

Singapore is certainly getting the message about making its buildings more sustainable, energy efficient and pleasant to occupy. Research is showing conclusively that green buildings are not just about meeting higher green standards, but they are so much better to live in and work in.

People working in green marked buildings are more productive and less inclined to take sick leave. Wellness comes to buildings as well as people.  If we can retrofit buildings better and faster, we can rid ourselves of the sick building syndrome altogether.

I was impressed not only with the quality of the green buildings visited in Singapore over recent weeks, but also with the desire by building owners and managers to see that they are being operated in the most energy efficient way possible. Going the extra mile – or reducing kilowatt hours of electricity used – is increasingly becoming an objective for office blocks, hotels, convention halls and shopping centres.

For the purpose of the lighting festival, properties are asked to see where they can make some significant reductions in energy over a 24-day period. Many are already doing as much as they can, but they are prepared to do more. Hopefully, many will come up with meaningful measures which they can continue with, saving energy and money at the same time.

Switching off lights selectively and turning up the air conditioning can work wonders!

Leading Lights

CDL properties are already leading with green buildings and sustainable practices in Singapore. One of the best of CDL properties visited was City Square Mall where the visitor or shopper is shown and told in the nicest way possible what’s going on to provide a pleasant experience and energy efficient environment.

Asia Square was an eye-opener. A brand new office tower – with a sister block under construction – boasts a massive open meeting place space at street level , along with a spacious food court, and unique features such as 400 bicycle racks with associated shower rooms and lockers for the active commuter.  There’s also an Alpha Bio Fuels plant on site to put used cooking oil to good use.

Described as “Singapore’s most advanced green commercial building, Asia Square supports a sustainable way or life as well as work”. The building developer and manager MGPA has also produced one of the best Sustainability Guides ever to see the light of day.

In an inspection tour that ranged from tourist attractions like Singapore Flyer to the very functional Marina Barrage (for water storage and treatment), along with the Pit Stop Buildings for Singapore’s Formula One motor race, the intentions were clear. They are already doing a lot, but are prepared to do more to save energy.

Hotels like the Pan Pacific, The Fullerton and the Conrad all have energy saving measures in place, but will consider where they can do more.

A big complex like Suntec City – with a large convention/exhibition centre, five office towers and shopping mall – is taking incremental steps to reduce energy consumption during the lighting festival.

Then there’s the massive commercial properties of One Raffles Quay, the Marina Bay Financial Centre, along with its connecting Link Mall, all ready to add to their energy efficiency and green building credentials in the “Switch Off, Turn Up” campaign.

Marina Bay Sands is a stand out in more ways than one.  The prominent casino, hotel, convention centre, shopping mall  and entertainment complex is committed to support i Light Marina Bay as a major sponsor as well as see how where it can reduce its energy-impact for the duration of the March lighting festival.

There’s more work to do, more buildings to visit and more good intentions to tap, but what an insight into the greening of Singapore buildings and desire of so many to see how they can do more for sustainability and energy efficiency.

Go to www.ilightmarinabay.sg  for more good insight into the event and for an article by Jenny Marusiak, on the lighting festival as well as its connection with Liveable cities, energy efficiency and buildings go to:  http://www.eco-business.com/features/liveable-cities-series-illuminating-the-path-to-sustainable-lighting/

Climate Action & London Olympics

We’ve referred elsewhere to what the London Olympics is doing for sustainability and it was great to catch up with John Pearson at the British High Commission to hear of his work throughout South East Asia promoting climate change awareness and action. Notably, the British appear to be the only official diplomatic agents in Asia for climate change.

The British also marked the 200 days to go until the London Olympics, inviting Singapore Olympic athletes to share in a flag raising ceremony.

In the same week, British High Commissioner Antony Phillipson hosted a “sustainability seminar” at his Eden Hall home, featuring none other than Martin Blake. The genial diplomat even wondered whether he could introduce some meaningful energy efficiency measures at the historic British mansion in Nassim Road.

Expect to hear more about sustainability for events  like the London Olympics and Singapore’s i Light Marina Bay, as well as who’s doing what for energy efficiency at home and abroad.

In coming weeks and months, here are some business names to look out for too: Green Koncepts, Phoenix Solar, Power Seraya, YTL, Power Save, GreenBizCheck, Carbon Soft and Carbon Systems.

Source: www.sustain-ability-showcase.com and www.abccarbon.com