Wang Leehom joins forces with Timberland to save the world in style


Last Monday, American-Chinese singer-songwriter, musician, music producer,
actor and director Wang Leehom added yet another title to his already impressive
list of credentials: Earthkeeper Hero.

At the Timberland "Nature Needs
Heroes" press conference held in Shanghai last week, the 34-year-old officially
became the first Asian artiste to become a Timberland Earthkeeper Hero, a title
also held by his fellow musician and good friend Wyclef Jean.

Having
just arrived in Shanghai that morning, the soft-spoken star seemed a little
tired, although he gamely shared his thoughts on his new role with the audience
of regional, as well as Chinese, journalists.

Best known for making gear
favoured not just by outdoorsy types but hip-hop stars as well - where do you
think Grammy Award-winning producer Timbaland got his name? - American retailer
Timberland has long made saving the environment its top cause (see sidebar).

Its celebrity Earthkeeper Heroes serve as ambassadors for its
environmental stewardship events and activities. Besides keeping an eco-oriented
blog on the newly launched website www.earthkeepers2010.com, Wang will be one of
the judges in a regional Timberland Earthkeeper T-shirt design contest.

Not that being an Earthkeeper Hero is much of a stretch for him (unlike,
as some critics might say, his recent directorial debut, Love In Disguise).

The famously eco-conscious celebrity dedicated his 2007 album, Change
Me, to the theme of saving the environment.

Besides being sold in
packaging made from recycled paper, each CD came with liner notes including 10
ways to be more environmentally friendly. If you were a hardcore fan (or
greenie), you might have held out for the special editions of the album packaged
with limited-edition chopsticks - a green alternative to disposable wooden
chopsticks.

Trading one-time-use utensils for reusable ones is just one
of the tips that can be found on Wang's Earthkeepers blog.

Promising to
update the blog at least once every two weeks, he said: "I hope that I can
better communicate with like-minded people through this website."

It's nice to know that celebraties are trying to make a difference & trying to prevent more global warming, & they are also motiviate more people to do it too. Hopefully, people would listen to them & follow in their footsteps.

Sustainable transport options
by Howard Shaw Updated 12:56 PM Sep 10,
2010As our community grows, and our personal needs grow in a society that is
still dominated by material goods and getting more out of every hour of every
day, we are learning even more about our effects on the environment, and it is
disturbing to all of us.

When thinking about alternative modes of
transportation, various options need to be taken into consideration. Do we
really need a personal car?

In a small island state like Singapore, the
answer is no.

Yet most people who own a car would claim that their main
motive is for convenience. This raises a different question: What can be done to
improve convenience and encourage the population to rely more on public and
alternative modes of transportation?

There are several improvements
which could be made in Singapore to have people adopt more sustainable modes of
transportation.

First of all, the public transport system is fast
reaching saturation point. As the population increases, the public transport
network must keep up at the same rate. A lot of effort can be put into improving
the network by expanding the number of routes and increasing the frequency of
buses and MRT trains. Many people own a car for the simple reason that the area
they live in or want to access is not serviced or easily accessible by public
transport.

The bicycle and pedestrian tracks remain undeveloped in
Singapore. It remains difficult to go from point A to B without having to ride
along the busy roads. A lot of effort could therefore be invested into
developing a proper network of safe tracks for bicycles and pedestrians.

The cost of buying a hybrid vehicle remains much higher than that of a
normal car. In order to have people purchase this type of vehicle which have
lesser emissions, the government would need to provide a range of incentives.

Electric vehicles have recently been introduced to Singapore, and they
have the advantage of having zero emissions during their usage. However, we must
keep in mind that almost all of the energy in Singapore is derived from the
burning of fossil fuel from natural gas. Therefore, in order for such cars to
have a positive impact on reducing emissions, the energy grid powering these
cars would need to be from a sustainable source (for example, solar or wind).

From the angle of transport for our daily activities, we could look at
the necessity of most people needing to move twice a day in order to get to and
from work. As society is changing, so should our daily behaviours. An increasing
number of companies in Europe and North America adopt a work from home concept.
Employees are no longer required to physically be at the office for work but are
assessed on work output and deliverables which can all be done from home. Such a
model applied on a large scale can have very significant impacts on reducing
unnecessary transportation.

The end message is this: In order to make
significant changes in mitigating emissions from the transportation sector, we
would need to rethink our daily behaviour and activities. Last but not least, a
lot of effort can be done to raise awareness on the need to shift to sustainable
modes of transportation and highlight the issue of global warming.

The
Singapore Environment Council (SEC) believes in education and outreach to the
public on such issues and is organising the Singapore G1 for this reason. The
Singapore G1 is an event featuring races like the Soap Box Derby, Eco Car Race,
Buggy Race, Trishaw Race and other activities like walking and cycling.

SEC aims to raise awareness and encourage the development and use of
green technologies in transportation, and more cost-effective modes of
transportation like public transport. At the same time, Singapore G1 promotes
simple lifestyle changes like walking and cycling.



The writer is
the executive director of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC). The Singapore
G1 green event is supported by Today as part of the newspaper's 10th anniversary
celebrations.

Members of the public can head down to the Float @ Marina
Bay on Sept 19, between 2pm and 8pm to watch Asia's first Soap Box Derby. For
more information, please visit www.singaporeg1.sg or call SEC on 6337 6062
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 6337 6062 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd

I think it's nice to know that there are changes being made in Singapore in hope to prevent more global warming & also, that there is going to be awareness regarding global warming. I hope that people will do their best to help with the global warming stituation & take part in the changes that are being made.

It's safer under the desk

Elementary school children in Tokyo taking cover under their desks as part
of a nationwide earthquake drill yesterday. People across Japan took part in the
drill on the anniversary of the massive 1923 earthquake, which killed more than
140,000 people in Tokyo and devastated the surrounding prefectures. AFP
under their desks as part of a nationwide earthquake drill yesterday. People
across Japan took part in the drill on the anniversary of the massive 1923
earthquake, which killed more than 140,000 people in Tokyo and devastated the
05:55 AM Sep 02, 2010Elementary school children in Tokyo taking cover

surrounding prefectures. AFP

It think it's very good to not only let elmentary school children learn how to take precaution when an earthquake stirkes but also people across the country, i think this is a very helpful excercise so that everyon would know how to react when a earthquake should suddenlt strike.

China mourns landslide victims
05:55 AM Aug 16, 2010BEIJING - Flags
were flying at half mast yesterday and public entertainment was cancelled as
China marked a national day of mourning for the more than 1,200 people killed by
massive mudslides in the north-west province of Gansu.

Thousands of
residents and rescuers in Zhouqu, a remote mountain region flattened by last
weekend's landslides, stopped search efforts to take part in a ceremony to
remember the victims, state television said.

Sirens wailed as mourners,
wearing white paper flowers and some still clutching their shovels, observed a
three-minute silence.

Rescuers and medics later resumed their duties,
clearing debris from the swollen Bailong River, searching for bodies buried
under sludge and spraying disinfectant to prevent a disease outbreak, Xinhua
news agency said.

President Hu Jintao and other top leaders also paid
tribute to the victims, as flags across the country and at overseas embassies
were flown at half-mast and public entertainment such as movies, karaoke, online
games and television was suspended, state media reports said.

State
television broadcast images of about 10,000 people gathered at Tiananmen Square
in Beijing to watch a special flag-raising ceremony while other ceremonies were
held across the country.

Shortly after midnight, the home pages of
Chinese websites turned black and white while newspapers were stripped of colour
in a show of mourning, Xinhua said.

The authorities said 505 people in
Zhouqu were still missing after the avalanche of mud and rocks last Saturday
night, which levelled an area 5km long and 300m wide. AFP

I felt sadden while reading this article, it's hard to imagine what they had to went through by losing the one they care for by this landslide. Not to mention that, alot of people took par in this meaning that alot of people were affected by this even the chinese websites turned black & white while newspaper were stripped of colour in a show of mourning.

Taiwan turns plastic junk to 'green' gold
Posted: 12 September
2010 1215 hrs


Two
women sorting out used plastic bags at a recycling station operated by Tzu Chi
Foundation in Taipei.


TAIPEI - The mountains of used plastic bottles
at a recycling station in Taipei emit a faint smell of garbage dump, but soon
they will be turned into wigs and clothes that people will wear.

From
fake hair to football jerseys and building bricks, Taiwan is breathing new life
into its massive plastics waste, creating a booming new business at the same
time as it aims to go green.

The island started recycling plastic more
than a decade ago amid growing environmental concerns, and today it boasts about
73 percent recycling rates, according to the cabinet's Environmental Protection
Administration.

Last year, nearly 180,000 tonnes of used plastic were
collected and turned into raw materials worth 4.5 billion Taiwan dollars (140
million US), which cut down garbage disposal costs and carbon dioxide emissions,
it said.

"Recycled plastics can be made into many products such as
garments, flower pots, wigs and zippers," said Ma Nien-ho, a spokesman for the
administration's recycling fund management board.

"We are not only
protecting the environment but also making money," he said.

Taiwan took
pride in the so-called "eco-fabric" that was used by local companies to make the
jerseys for nine teams competing in the recent football World Cup in South
Africa.

Each jersey, made from eight plastic bottles melted and
processed into polyester, is 13 percent lighter than traditional fabric and can
absorb and disperse sweat more quickly, according to Taiwan Textile Research
Institute.

"The production process is also more environmentally friendly
as it takes less water and energy to dye the shirts when using coloured
bottles," said Alex Lo, managing director of Super Textile Corporation.

Super Textile, a leading Taiwanese maker of eco-fabric, started
exporting to the United States and Japan in recent years, which gave a boost of
up to 10 percent to its business, Lo said.

"The response has been much
warmer in the past two years due to rising awareness on global warming and
fluctuating cotton prices," Lo said.

"We are optimistic that the World
Cup publicity will help stir up more demand."

Taiwan, a small island
that consumes about 4.5 billion plastic bottles annually, is seen as having an
advantage in manufacturing eco-textiles through lower transportation and
recycling costs.

Tzu Chi Foundation, one of the island's largest charity
groups, runs 4,500 recycling stations across Taiwan with the help of about
70,000 volunteers who collected 12,000 tonnes of used bottles last year.

The foundation has distributed more than 300,000 blankets made from
plastic bottles since 2007 for relief uses at home and abroad, it said.

And perhaps in the near future houses built from recycled plastic
bottles will mushroom across the island after "Eco Ark", the world's first such
building, is unveiled in November.

"Eco Ark" -- a three-storey 24-metre
high exhibition hall due to debut at the Taipei International Floral Exposition
-- is built from 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles and cost 300 million
Taiwan dollars.

"The bottles are processed to make bricks that can
resist earthquakes, wind and fire while providing the building with natural
lighting to save electricity," said its architect Arthur Huang.

"The
'polli-bricks' are also less expensive than conventional materials like wood and
glass so the construction cost is much lower."

Huang said his firm is
currently building a luxury boutique hotel and several factories and corporate
buildings with the bricks.

"Just imagine if we can replace all the steel
roofs in the buildings in Taipei with light transparent polli-bricks. That would
make the city look more beautiful."

- AFP/ir

I think this is a very effective & smart way to earn money, but the most important thing is that it is able to prevent more gobal warming by recycling plastic, plus the materials made from the plastic are also very useful. Hopefully, alot of people would support this & buy their items because if i was given a chance, i would.

Moderate 5.9-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia
Posted: 11 September
2010 1555 hrs


A seismograph reading




JAKARTA : A moderate 5.9-magnitude
earthquake struck Indonesia's North Maluku province on Saturday, the meteorology
and geophysics agency said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake
struck at 14:12 pm (0712 GMT), 198 kilometres (123 miles) southeast of Labuha at
a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the agency.

Indonesia sits on the
Pacific "ring of fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes high
volcanic and seismic activity. - AFP/ms

I don't think a lot of people could forget the tsunami that strike Indonesia a few years back, Singapore was fortunate enough not to be affected by the tsunami, i hope that the quake is not a sign that another tsunami is striking again soon, however if it does, i hope precautions would be taken in time before it's too late.

Low-key Eid celebrations in Pakistan amid flood fallout
Posted: 11 September
2010 1608 hrs


Pakistani
Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers at the historical Badshahi Masjid mosque in
Lahore

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Pakistani Muslims on Saturday took part in
low-key celebrations for the Eid al-Fitr festival, as millions still languish
without shelter after the nation's worst-ever floods.

Eid is the most
important festival in the Islamic calendar - marking the end of the fasting
month of Ramadan - but celebrations were muted on Saturday as the fallout from
devastating floods continues.

The deluges have left 10 million people
without shelter nationwide, according to UN figures, with UN spokesman Maurizio
Giuliano describing it as "one of the worst humanitarian disasters in UN
history".

Some 21 million people have been affected by the floods, which
began more than six weeks ago and have dragged on through Ramadan, with more
than eight million reliant on aid handouts for survival.

President Asif
Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani mentioned the "miseries and
grief" of the flood victims in their separate Eid messages to nation.

"We cannot celebrate the day with traditional fanfare and festivities
when millions of our countrymen have been rendered shelterless as villages,
towns and cities have been destroyed by the floods," Zardari said.

He
said: "For the Muslims, it is a thanksgiving day and I wish to greet all Muslims
of the world on this occasion."

In his message, Prime Minister Gilani
said: "This year's Eid festival is being celebrated on such a moment of history,
when a large part of country is under the devastation caused by pre-Ramadan
floods."

"Millions of fellow countrymen are homeless and facing severe
difficulties."

He said the nation had demonstrated come together with
generosity to lessen the hardship faced by the flood victims.

"No doubt,
brave nations face the challenges with courage and mettle," he said.

Gilani will celebrate Eid with flood affected people in different camps
all over the country on Saturday and Sunday, an official statement said.

The floods inundated vast swathes of Pakistan and killed 1,760 people
but disaster officials have said the number of deaths is likely to rise
"significantly" when the missing are accounted for.

Global cash pledges
have been slow coming to bolster rescue and relief efforts and the UN warned it
could impede relief operations as Pakistan faces a triple threat to food
supplies - with seeds, crops and incomes hit.

Advancing floodwaters
continue to threaten parts of Sindh province, with 19 of its 23 districts
deluged and 2.8 million people displaced, according to provincial authorities.

Fresh rains have also hampered rescue efforts in Sindh as thousands of
people trying to leave flood-threatened towns remained stranded. - AFP/ms

I think it was very unfortunate for the flood to continue during Eid, not to mention the fact that it affected around twenty-one millon people, however i thought it was considerate for the Pakistani Muslims to celebrate low-key instead of "full-key" for the Eid al-Fitr festival, as they know that millions still languish without shelter after the nation's worst-ever floods. Plus the nation had demonstrated come together with generosity to lessen the hardship faced by the flood victims. I amazed at how the nation is considerate & how they are willing to help each other out & not only caring about themselves.

New Zealand reopens no-go zones after quake
Posted: 11 September 2010
1748 hrs


Civil
defence volunteers help with clean-up efforts in Kaiapoi near Christchurch


CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand : New Zealand authorities have lifted the
cordon in the heart of quake-hit Christchurch, one week after a 7.0-magnitude
earthquake rocked the country's second largest city.

And as aftershocks
continued to hit and a state of emergency remained in place in the damaged city,
Prime Minister John Key said he would push through emergency legislation next
week to help with the rebuilding process.

Some 230 people were still
being accommodated in welfare centres on Friday night as the cordon was lifted
but power has been restored to most homes.

"While progress is being made
on restoring services, the pace of restoration is slowing because remaining
outages (are) taking longer to fix," Civil Defence director John Hamilton said.

Key visited some of the worst affected parts of the city on Saturday and
said the government was hoping to push through special legislation to ensure the
reconstruction was completed promptly.

"We're hopeful we'll get
agreement on that legislation by the early to mid part of next week, and look to
transition that legislation through the house," he told reporters.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker had hoped to open the city centre early
Friday for the first time since the quake hit, but fresh tremors measuring up to
magnitude 4.5 temporarily scuppered that plan.

The cordons, which had
been enforced by police and the military, were eventually lifted late on Friday
evening, allowing residents back into these parts of the city centre for the
first time in a week.

The city of 340,000 will remain under a state of
emergency until Wednesday following the main tremor on September 4, which caused
damage estimated at four billion dollars (2.7 billion US). - AFP/ms

"The city will remain unde a state of emergency until Wednesday" this shows that precautions are taken seriously, i think this ia a very good practice as it could prevent lifes from being in danger. It is always better to be safe then sorry.

1 dead, 4 missing in Philippine landslide
Posted: 11 September 2010 1604 hrs



A boy punts his way across a flooded area on the outskirts of Manila.




MANILA : A landslide triggered by heavy rain killed one
person and left four others missing in the southern Philippines, police and
rescuers said on Saturday.

Six other people were injured and more than
200 were forced to flee their homes when the landslip dislodged several houses
near Koronadal City late Friday, said regional police spokesman Chief Inspector
Jomar Alexis Yap.

"The village has been ordered evacuated," Yap told
reporters by telephone.

The social welfare ministry is caring for 70
families, in total more than 200 people, who sought refuge at a nearby school,
he added.

Rescuers have retrieved one body and are still looking for the
four people missing from the village, which is located at the foot of a
mountain, the civil defence office said.

Flashfloods damaged six other
houses and displaced about 210 other people in other areas of Koronadal and the
nearby town of Tupi, the government agency said. - AFP/wk/ms

Upon reading this article, i felt very appreaciate that Singapore rarely faces these kind of problems, in fact, i don't remember Singapore ever having a landslide, by most was the flood that happened not long before at Orchard Road. However, i also felt sad for the families who had to flee their houses, but it was comforting to know that the social welfare is caring for the families. & i also hope that the four missing people would be found soon.

Two light quakes jolt Bangladesh
Posted: 11 September 2010 1916 hrs



Seismograph
readings




DHAKA : Two light earthquakes jolted Bangladesh,
the country's weather office said on Saturday, but there were no reports of any
major damage or casualties.

The two quakes shook Bangladesh late Friday.
One, which hit at 10:45 pm (1645 GMT), had a magnitude of 4 while the other
which struck at 11:24 pm (1724 GMT) was measured at 4.6, the government's
meteorological department said.

The epicentre of both quakes was located
71 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the capital Dhaka, meteorological
department official Kamrul Ahsan said.

"There were at least two tremors
but we have no reports of damage or any casualties," he told AFP, adding each
quake lasted a few seconds.

The US Geological Survey said the quakes
occurred at a depth of 14 kilometres.

The tremors caused multi-storey
buildings across Dhaka to shake for a few seconds, panicking many residents who
briefly fled their homes ahead of Saturday's Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

No further shocks were reported on Saturday, Ahsan said.

Earthquake expert Maksud Kamal said the tremors occurred on the
Dhaleshwari fault line and added that the mild tremors could herald a larger
earthquake, according to local media. - AFP/ms

I think it was very wise of the many residents to briefly fled their homes, as there could had been a larger earthquake following the quakes. I think it is important to take precautions when there is a earthquake, despite how minor it might be, we shouldn't shrug it off as nothing because you'd never know how serious it might be, lifes may be lost because of this.