Rise of the planet of the Orang Utans

i mean seriously, why would i pay to watch a bunch of CGI apes, or worse still, grown adult men prancing about in ape suits? and from what i hear, these ape disguised men are smarter than us underwear wearing people. no RC, i am not going to go watch this in the cine this summer no matter how awesome you think this idea is.

instead, let me show you real beauties. a coupla weeks ago, a bunch of us got on a bus and went to semenggoh wildlife sanctuary and matang forest reserve for the sarawak forestry heart2heart orang utan program. yes yes, you’re read semenggoh here some time ago but well, that’s just it, it was some time ago. itu lain, sekarang lain. duh.

the story is like that, failing to get casted into that stupid planet of the apes movie, some inconsiderate so-called human beings think it is a helluva cool idea to keep baby orang utan as pets. its like having an extremely hairy baby. well, the thing about babies is that they grow. duh! and with the exception of us very few exceptional creatures, the bigger they grow, the heavier they get and frankly, the uglier they get.

so the six million rupiah question is, how do you get rid of an ugly, hairy, orang utan? well some geniuses thought that they would be very clever and release they into the wild. the thing is, these orang utans have been raised in captivity and have been completely domesticated. kalau korang buang baby dalam hutan, how the hell do you expect it to find food and build shelter. on that note, i know lots of people yang memang dah besar panjang who would still have a problem not dying if i randomly drop them in a hutan.

in a nutshell, that is the background to how the heart2heart program came about, to help these orang utans to relearn survival skills and rehabilitate them back into the life in the wild. semenggoh is like the high school of the program. these orang utans dah boleh live out in the open. some of them still come back for assisted feeding, but they already build their own nests in the trees.

but i wanted to know how the real rehab work is done. and for this, we go to matang. our first brief is at the visitor center and while walking around the center, reading up about the vegetation of the forest reserve, we come across a bookshelf of momentos and see… what the –?

and a close up of the message:

oh-kay.

as part of the program, we joined in the food prep for the orang utans. basically, in pairs, we were given a bunch of fruit to chop to bits and stuff into a bottle.

say hi to jill. she’s the chopper. i’m the stuffer.

the thing about stuffing fruit in the bottle is to stimulate the orang utan’s creativity in trying to get to the food. obviously, they will not be able to twist bottle caps. no darlings, the one that can twist bottle caps and open electronic safe guarded doors are dinosaurs. duh. so the orang utans would study the construction of the bottle etc before figuring out where to best rip the bottle apart.

that yellow stuff in the bottle is essence of durian. i know. yuck yuck yuck. tapi orang utan suka. the bau is so damn strong. yea, the orang utan suka that also.

we were all assigned orang utans. meet ting san. our orang utan. characteristic: anti-social wimp. seriously. this little guy is so traumatised by his experience, that he gets picked on even by other orang utans. so kesian. kena bully. i went around scolding all the other orang utans for bullying ting san.

in actuality, who i should be scolding are the dumb human beings who thought is was funny to have an orang utan pet.

we did not get to see ting san rip the bottle that day because of the rain. but we left strict instructions to the keeper about taking care of him.

the future of ting san. yea, i wonder that too. according to the sarawak forestry, there is no guarantee that all orang utans they receive will ever be completely rehabilitated and reintroduced into the wild. yes, there are quite a few success cases. but there are also some who cannot be thought the essential skills to be returned to the forest.

that’s arman. he’s obviously a fully grown orang utan, but yes, he’s at the center. the keepers say that it’ll be really hard for arman to relearn things and although he’s making great progress, he still has fears and the tendency of getting injured if they release him into the wild.

people who think that it is cute or funny or exotic to keep wild animals as pet really need to think of the consequences of what they’re doing and i do mean, in the long term. these animals might be fun as babies, but they can grow and some have aggressive tendencies. the bottom line is, they don’t belong in your house. seriously. they belong with their families in their wild. to rob them of some of their most vital learning years is just plain unfair.

go find out more about the program!

 

The World Food Programme has been asked to assist in the relief efforts of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last Friday. Your donation today will help us provide specialised logistics support to the Japanese government in the delivery of water, tents, and blankets to families who need them the most.

In the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan, the World Food Programme has been standing by to provide emergency assistance.

Today we were called upon to help deliver water, tents, and blankets to tens of thousands of families in desperate need.

This was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan, triggering a 10-metre wall of water that washed away scores of people, houses, and farms. Many communities remain inaccessible. Some estimates suggest as many as 10,000 people have been killed. Thousands more are missing.

In times of crisis, the international community looks to WFP for our expertise in disaster response. We have extensive experience in moving food and other relief items quickly to those who need them most.

After the Haiti earthquake, WFP took the lead on solving the logistical challenges of the entire humanitarian community. Now we’re providing specialised support for the massive emergency response operation in Japan, and we need your help.

We’re ensuring families receive the basic supplies they need by addressing the major logistical challenges on the ground.

Should donations to our Japan relief efforts unexpectedly exceed our expenses, any surplus funds will be directed to our crucial emergency operations elsewhere in the world.

As the race continues to reach those in need, please join us in helping the people of Japan.

Thank you for your support in this time of critical need,

Nancy Roman
Director of Communications
World Food Programme

 

cada vez que se cepille los dientes utilizando un vaso de agua con el grifo cerrado, ahorrara casi 20 litros de agua.

¿qué facil, verdad?

 

i walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. there were a lot of little kids there. i watched them flying. doing jumps and having races. and i thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. and all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. and they will all kiss someone someday. but for now, sledding is enough. i think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn’t. ~ stephen chbosky

i just read on some random site that the durian is an aphrodisiac. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! ini mesti mat salleh yang tulis. no self respecting south east asian would ever ever have anything to do with another mate who has just freshly been on a durian binge. the site goes on to describe mangosteen and rambutan as funny cartoon-like fruits. okay lah, the description is not way off la, tapi its new to me lah.

your next question should be why the hell am i browsing website buah-buahan tempatan in the middle of a tuesday afternoon. oh well.

i’ve been attending a series of discussions and talks over the past few weeks and was introduced to the idea of the journey from denial to despair. bear with me on this one. the idea suggests that things that you take for granted now and just ignore (denial) will accumulate and get worse and worse and worse (because you’re not doing anything about it, duh), up to a poit when you do realise how terrible things are, and its so hard to dig yourself out of the mess, that you become depressed (despair). denial to despair. got it.

and so the first idea that come with the application of this denial to despair idea is environmentalism. that you know, we are in denial over how bad environmental conditions are that it gets worse and worse. and thus a journey of getting worse and worse. and then one day, you will snap out with a WHAM! and see how fucked up things have gotten, and realise that if you only sat up to listen sooner, things would not be in such a mess. and all this guilt and regret and all equals despair.

and then this dude gets on the mike, and by now, the people running the show had already put half the crowd on the snooze express, rite, and so this one particular dude gets on the mike. he’s one of the forestry guys from sabah. and he starts talking about taking care of trees.

me, i was in lala land. i was gazing at the mushroom motive lighting pieces on the top of the event venue’s ballroom and admiring the copper lines that ran from the middle of the fixtures to the gold edges. the amber lighting had such a fantastic effect. a smooth, but strong glow.

and then something about that dude standing on the stage, pouring his heart out about the forests of sabah struck me. you see, i know about deforestation and why logging is bad and conservation and biodiversity. i know the whole soil erosion story and wildlife protection and the beauty of a thousand year old tree. and i wonder… i wonder if all of the other people in the room knew it too. or are they hearing this for the first time. because that’s how this poor dude on the stage were talking to them. can you imagine it, a room full of highly educated, power suited managers and executives being lectured about forest protection by a dude that anyone could imagine in a worn out ranger outfit.

and to me, there is something just so so strange about this picture. this is the sort of talk you give to kids, to students. all that about saving the animals and keeping the trees alive. you teach this kinda stuff to children. not because they’re not important. that’s extremely important. and adults, especially those half way up the management food chain, should already know this stuff. and it bothers me that they don’t. it bothers me that there people can get postgraduate degrees, write power proposals and cook up brilliant strategies to rake in thousands and millions of dollars, but have not realised what climate change is.

and so this dude tells us that because of logging and deforestation for plantation purposes, our forests are under threat. but this is a particularly sticky issue. nobody would have thought that forestry politics would actually be among the most complicated ever, especially here in malaysia. well this is where i stop ranting. i don’t do the whole political scene, you see. not online anyway.

 

i stuck an earth hour poster at my gate yesterday. the neighbors looked.

so here’s the deal: stay at home this earth hour.

si, si, i know that there will be loads of events and parties going on in the name of earth hour. all the malls hosting concerts and countdowns and really, what can be more interesting than watching major landmarks in the country… turn their lights off? wow, let’s have a party just for that. bring your friends, we’ll have music and games and loads of prizes to be won!

what a load of garbage.

above everything else, earth hour is not a celebration. it is a show of solidarity for concern on the issue of climate change. and just in case you have been living underneath a bucket all your life, climate change is not a reason to party. global warming is not a reason to party. the rising temperatures of the world’s oceans is not a reason to party. the depletion of the world’s natural resources is not a reason to party.

and no matter how hard you scream green at these parties, it means absolutamente nada if you do not change the way you live your life to be more energy and water prudent. you would have had a great time, no doubt, but global warming would still happen as fast as ever and you would still be complaining why the weather is so hot and why the rain is so sudden and why is everyone getting fever and sick because you still have not realised the meaning of climate change, and that the cars that you and your friends drove to that earth hour party has something to do with it.

stay at home this earth hour. turn your lights off. light some candles. play your acoustic guitar. sing some songs. vote earth.

 

they all say ‘save the climate’ – if the climate was a bank, they would have saved it already! ~ hugo chávez, president of venezuela, at the high-level segment of the COP/MOP

i was invited to attend a sorta analytical forum on what happened in copenhagen last month. the panelists were comprised of actual delegates at COP15 and campaigners. i was admittedly more curious, naturally. because following the conference on webcast is a universe of difference from being there in person.

and the thing i learnt is this: there are plenty of people out there who are disappointed, and even frustrated by the outcomes. and i know a lot of people who really don’t give a rat’s backside about these kind of political gatherings, but plenty enough do. and it surprises me that people in power – and a lot of people in power come together – is still not strong enough a force to persuade a handful of superpowers to just shut up and do the deed.

and these are people who have to come home and say, well, sorry folks, but the americans don’t want it, or that the europeans don’t want it, or that the chinese don’t want it – and because they don’t want it, we cannot have it either. and as i was sitting in the crowd listening to their stories, i felt the presence of bitterness. you can tell when someone is upset when they start venting about how upset they were. things like, well obama was suppose to some and make a real american pledge but you know, he was only there for less that 24 hours so how serious can he be. people arguing over documentation and staying up until late at night. secret meetings in corridors and pow wows among special countries.

and i wonder, all people are arguing over are mechanisms. is it really that’s hard? i really don’t want to hear anymore about who’s fault it is and pointing fingers about someone else being unfair. when you put all your chips on the table, we see that the bigger countries would stake less than the smaller countries. that is enough the show how wrong this picture is.

there is optimist. i mean, it is a political meeting after all. someone has to do the optimism bit. and i actually see this as reasonable too. but of course, i have my own reasons, being non-political and all. but you know, i think people genuinely are thinking creatures and seriously, if politicians want to continue arguing – they’ve been doing it on this subject along for almost 20 years already anyway – then go ahead, because i believe in the mobilisation of people power. but mind you, not to perssure politicians. but to live a greener way of life. i believe in my family, my friends, my neighbours, my collegues – to be the force that turns this wheel. and of course, legislation will move it along much quicker. but we all know that all that red tape is gonna take some untangling to start sticking. but people, we can start rolling now.

and yes, i believe we are :)

 

they may say i’m a dreamer. but i’m not the only one ~ john lennon

i have only spoken vaguely about my views on this subject post copenhagen. thing is, i am actually still in that state of mind. part of me is still browsing about the web looking for people engaging in negotiations and debating timelines and targets. that glimmer of hope that there are still people talking. that the final conclusions have not yet been drawn. that world leaders are still in that hall talking about how we’re going to save the world.

and then there is the other part of me saying, “so that’s it?” i mean, that’s all there is to it? you take the time to have one of the biggest gathering of world leaders in history – and you come back with an accord? where in so many other ways, so many of you champion the concept of democracy, and yet, when there is argument, you can’t just take a vote on it and tell the minorities to just shut up and buckle up because it is going to be a bumpy ride and you’re in it even if we have to strap you to the seat kicking and screaming… you can’t even do that?

J tells me that it is the realists’ and pessimists’ world out there. i think the world is starved of dreamers.

i think it’s getting way too easy to lose faith these days and i don’t blame a lot of people for it because a lot of things are happening and it could sometimes be just too damn overwhelming. the economic roller coaster. all the politics. people fighting. nit picking. gossiping. it kinda does have the ability to break your spirit like a twig sometimes, kan? and we have been brought up in a world where it is so easy for us to patah semangat over little things. not because we don’t have the capability of being strong. but we have been let down too many times.

so i understand when politicians tak berani take a stand. i understand when they consider things like the economy and politics and economy and oh, politics, before the environment. it’s just that i would have a great more respect for them if they could consider all of that, and still slide the environmental agenda in there somehow. make it a position of global mutual disadvantage. bagi biar semua orang susah sama-sama. because you know all those people screaming outside the COP hall ad all? they got a point too, you know. and breaking that amassed spirit, just does not seem like the right thing to do.

and that is why i am finding it hard to digest that it is over. over until the end of this month when leaders submit proposals – which will be of different ranges and targets and everyone’s going to point fingers all over again. over until they meet again at the end of this year in COP16 to figure out what to do – if they can come to some sort of agreement.

and i am disappointed. but i am not going to start getting bitter about it although, i have to admit that it is damn to be so and for perfectly justifiable reason too. and i know a lot of people who are just saying, fuck it, and that these leaders are never ever going to agree and that everyone is just wasting time.

no, i am going to keep campaigning. i still think there can be a point where some kind of agreement can be reached. and forward of that, actions will be taken. they have to. because this is one cause that is worth having faith in up to the end. because when you concede to the idea that the world is doomed to turn into a giant dim sum someday, and you let it happen, then there really is no point living anymore.

and until that day come, kicking and screaming and all, i do see little bits of hope. recycling bins. the no plastic bag day. climate change awareness campaigns. carbon reduction agendas at the corporate level. yea, i know that a lot of people are just riding the wave. and i am not exactly the biggest fan of baby steps where this subject is concerned. but hey, better than nothing, really. kicking and screaming and all.

 

being a little optimistic here

someone way up the food chain asked me today if malaysia’s pledge to reduce out carbon footprint by 40 percent by 2020 is too ambitious.

i say, it is a step in the right direction. behind the glam of it all, do malaysians realise the commitment we have gotten ourselves into? this, i think a lot of people don’t.

despite this, i still say, for better or for worse, it is a step in the right direction.

 

heal the world. for you can for me and the entire human race. there are people dying.

i am actually relieved that the UNFCCC has shelved the idea of carbon capturing at least for the year. in my opinion, the studies on the implications of carbon capturing has just been too short sighted.

carbon capture is roughly this: you know all that smoke released in the air from factories etc? well, there is a way to separate the GHG gasses from the smoke and channel them somewhere else. what you get then, is the release of water vapors and clean discharge. so now the question is, now that the gasses have been separated, where do we put all this carbon? well, some people say we can park it in the oceans, ponds and lakes, or bury them in the soil underground. over time, through natural processes such as photosynthesis, carbon will be changed back to hydrocarbons or oxygen and be clean again.

so now my question is, how much carbon can you actually sweep under the earth’s rugs before someone trips over? duh, just because all that carbon – and we are talking about carbon in the millions of tonnes – is not in the atmosphere, does not mean that it vanishes. planting it in the soil or the water means it is still around. instead of poisoning the air (which it is still doing, btw), we poison the soil and water channels.

and i know we can change the chemical compounds of carbon once we have captured it. so tell me now who’s going to do it? no matter how much algae you put on the waters or bacterias you put in the soil, the human production of carbon is far more that what nature can cope with. and nature, just like us, can die out of overconsumption too. forcing photosynthesis on nature is like force feeding an already obese person. the effects are not pretty.

the whole idea is to reduce carbons. and i know people are arguing about a new treaty or an expansion of kyoto. and i am actually leaning towards having a new politically binding document which builds from kyoto. i want something stricter and more heavy duty. i think china, scolding the pants off the annex1 countries is admirable. but unlike china, i think the new treaty should be unilateral. funds should flow from the developed countries to developing countries, but developing countries must commit to large reductions too. only then, can these blocs of small and developing countries can gang up on the likes of the US and really make their point.

but that’s just me being debater-ish. i was talking about carbon capture before i digressed.

personally, i have my doubts about CDM and its projects. in my opinion, things like carbon trading and cabon capturing only give polluting countries and organisations an excuse or a free and easy ticket out of their responsibilities, so longs as they can pay for it. at the same time, asking developing countries to commit to slow growth borders on the absurd.

i say, change is an order. and not change who to pay for the same amount of pollution. i am saying toss out the old technology and bring in the new ones. i am saying, change the way we work. change the way we play. change the way we live.

 

i’m starting with the man in the mirror. i’m asking him to change his way. ~ michael jackson

following the copenhagen proceedings and press conferences via webcast has been greatly exciting and frustrating at the same time. i simply cannot imagine what i would do if i was actually there in denmark. seriously, i really wouldn’t know if i would be one of those screaming at the airport, or behaving so that i would be allowed in the conference facilities. i know a lot of people who are pessimistic about the outcome of the conference, but even with all the cynicism, i have a good feeling about this. i think something will happen. note, i did not say something good will definitely happen. but something will.

the thing i notice about people who are pessimistic about the conference is that they are waiting for governments to do something. governments should come up with policies la, regulations la, laws la, subsidies la, incentives la. so much so that they see the climate as a government problem, not their problem. and to me, this is where the denial dilemma comes in.

see, they need to realize that if things go to the point that governments need to impose this and that, our life as we know it will be forced to change. if they impose higher electricity tariffs, for example, in order to promote the use of renewable energy, we complaint. if they increase the price of food, to prevent wastage, we complaint. and yet, if governments don’t do anything, we blame them for being complacent to the trends.

i’m not defending any government here. i have mentioned many times that i really cannot be bothered to delve into petty politics. it is just that i truly believe that change should be a personal choice. that is why awareness and practice is important.

for example, we don’t have to wait for someone to tell us that it is wrong to waste food, we should know ourselves that that is wrong. and we should not give ourselves stupid excuses to waste food either. i know a lot of people who say that they are kenyang already so cannot finish their rice. this is classic stupidity. when taking your rice, you should already know your limits. i have not yet met a single mamak who forced me to take a full plate of rice when i tell him that i want nasi separuh only.

and if that is the issue with food, can you imagine the issue with the environment? i have actually started this thing that i was at a traffic light and someone in front of me throws a tissue out of their car and onto the road, i would totally honk at them. yang sedihnya, they would give me that look, that they genuinely don’t know what they did wrong. now that, is a problem.

and so back to copenhagen oh copenhagen. in the most extreme end of the spectrum, kalau la in the next week when all the leaders arrive they can put all the squabbles aside, we can finally see a politically binding text (because the negotiators say that it’s too late for a treaty already, oh sigh) and we will see all kinds of environmental pollicies finally shoved down the throats of the world’s people – not that its a necessarily bad thing. sure, lots of people will complaint. but this is because we have not taken the effort to understand why and do something about it awal-awal.

or copenhagen could flop and nothing happens and the leaders go home dengan tangan kosong. in my prediction, if this happens, it will cause slowly but surely built tension between countries. remember, if copenhagen flops, it will not be because everyone agrees to do nothing. no way, man. if it flops, it will be because some superpowers don’t want it, and other member blocs were out veto-ed. and you know what, the world will then shift. huntington calls this one of the signs of the clash of civilisations. i read the book. it ain’t pretty.

so, apa nak buat in the mean time? i would actually echo what the copenhagen delegates in the interfaith press conference said, search inside ourselves, and do what’s right.

if i were in copenhagen, i would be singing michael jackson songs in the hotel lobby. yea.

 

COP15 UN climate change conference 2009 begins

been reading about the countries attending and what they think. despite the drama, i’m actually pretty excited to see what happens. i will be following the conference on webcast.

 

it’s getting hot in here. so take off all your clothes!

i used to be able to tell for sure that malaysia has two well defined seasons: one that is wet, and one that is wetter. this was the reality for this sun-kissed country right on the equator (because i also have people asking me where malaysia is). that’s how you used to describe a tropical south east asian country – by the rain.

but things really are not the way they used to be. you have no idea how saying that makes me feel so old. but it is just a few years ago when i can say that the first half of the year is hot and the second half of the year is monsoon. and i really should not feel old about it because crazy weather changes are not supposed to happen in just a few years, right? i mean, it is one of those millions and millions of years kinda evolution kinda thing or something like that. rite?

and so, people ask me what i become concerned about the weather and the environment and carbon these past few years. and it is not something that happened over night. but suddenly, i find that if i want to go diving in july, it might rain at the east coast islands. and then there are times when i want to go to the islands in september, the corals are experiencing bleaching and so they turn white. and die. and here i am trying not to get my feet torn to shreads by broken corals.

and then there are flash floods in kuala lumpur. which means traffic jam. and i know that a lot of people blame city planning, but i bet the city planners did not count on it raining so heavily all of a sudden all year round.

but that’s what’s happening. it’s raining like crazy all year round now.

i was in europe a few months back. it was supposed to be spring. by calculation, the middle of spring to be exact. and paris rained on me. like three days straight. so much for seeing anything from the effiel tower.

and from there, i travelled to barcelona, which is just south of france and got seriously baked in the sun. it was so hot, i have not seen so many sun burnt people walking in a single town in my life. i was burnt and peeling. someone tells me that there is something weird in the weather. it is not supposed to be so hot in spring. it is summer come early. people are already heading out to the beaches. dude, if this is spring, i cannot imagine how hot it would be in the summer.

the weird weather is not easy for the traveller. it affects the nature of the entire trip. when to go. what to do. what to pack. oh my god, you have no idea how hard it is for the poor backpacker, especially, when you don’t pack the right stuff.

and so i am hosting a series of events come the end of the month. and my delegates are already asking me what the weather will be like in KL. and i would like to say that it will rain and pack your ponchos and brollys. but is it just me or has it just been ridiculously hot in KL these days? like the kind of heat that makes you want to take a shower four times a day kinda heat.

hello? rain?

so here’s the deal. even if you don’t care about the environment, you got to face the reality that all this crazy weather that we’re having is something that is so totally menyusahkan. i cannot function as well. i want to travel but all my travel plans can be washed out just like that because it is too wet or too rainy when it is not supposed to.

and i know people out there that say that it is one of those things that we cannot significantly do anything about. well friends, i would go down fighting, man. i refuse to sit here not doing anything. even if i don’t achieve anything, and really, what can one girl do to save the world, i would sleep better at night knowing that i did something. anything. and i did all i could.

and one day when my children’s children ask me what i did, i will have stories to tell them. i am a writer, see? :) stories about the places i have been and people i met. stories about all the crazy adventures i had and experiences of growing up in the 80s and living it up in the new millennium. most of all, i would be able to tell them that i tried to save the world. and i really do.

i am trying to save the world. ain’t that something.

 

treat the earth well. it was not given to you by your parents. it was loaned to you by your children. ~ kenyan proverb

yeah i know. i have been off the radar for awhile, but honestly, i think that it a good thing because it means that i actually got a real life outside this bit of webspace. a few weeks ago i gave a talk about pollutions to some business people. one of the modern day pollutants i spoke about was technological dependency. go figure.

anyway, i was in a workshop for the past few days. you don’t want to know details about what it is about. just take my word on that. anyway, it is interesting to see that meetings are going eco these days. this must be like the dozenth gathering i’ve been to this year that has gone green.

if you ask me, i’d say that it’s awesome. and it really does not matter to me if the organisers are genuine in their green agendas, or if they are just doing it to be fashionable. just as long as it is environmentally conscious, no one should judge on intention.

and so what if they get some positive publicity for it, or if they want to rub the green into competitors’ faces, or if they splash pictures of their tycoon bosses planting trees all over the papers?

dude, go for it! flaunt it! seriously.

 

how saving the environment can save you money

no matter how much we try to fool ourselves that the economy is happy and dandy, back here on earth, the care bears have been on a kamikaze rampage for months already. and no, this article is not meant to do a whole analysis about sub-primes or bail outs or stimulus packages. i think there are way too many people out there complicating and twisting the facts already.

the point of this article is plain and simple. environmental decisions make sensible and logical economic sense. saving the environment means saving your personal finances.

so here’s the deal: even if you don’t buy the whole jazz about polar bears and melting ice caps, you would buy the idea that using rain water, energy saving bulbs, turning off leaky taps and switching off lights means savings in your bills. and the results are immediate. car pooling means you use less petrol – and we all know how precious petrol is. recycling aluminium cans and old newspapers also pays. i know the amount is not a lot but bak kata pepatah melayu, sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit! :)

in the long term, if whole organisations switch to energy saving light bulbs, it will bring operation costs down. if everyone brings their own bags when shopping, retail outlets can eventually reduce costs to buy plastic bags and transfer these savings over to customers.

the point today is straight up and easy: for cost saving initiatives, turn to simple environmental solutions.

 

water water everywhere

sorry for being out of transmission these coupla days. you can be sure of one thing tho, its an environmental gig. a watery kinda project so you can imagine me going about with a spray bottle, trying not to get my camera wet. unveiling is this sunday. pretty excited.

i think too many people take water for granted. just because it pours out of your tap does not mean that the supply is infinite. the greatest irony is, when there is no water, or when the water is limited ad dirty, people complain. but when there is water, we don’t conserve. and this is not just one isolated case. this happens again and again times a zillion times. we take it too much as a given.

so yea, you over there. turn leaky taps off, yar?