A short post about Singapore's alarming pollution levels today.
The pollution standard index in Singapore has just reached 400, out of a maximum of 500. Over 300 is considered hazardous.
Taking a brief walk down the road is scary.
In California, on days when smog levels are above the EPA's federal healthy maximum, a program called Spare the Air is implemented. Air pollution activities are reduced to reduce the levels of pollution outdoors.
Such a program would be beneficial for Singapore at a time when the reading is above 400!
Hope everyone in Singapore is safe and healthy.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Green on the go - SFO Airport
As I travel around the US visiting colleges that I'll be applying to in the fall, I'll chronicle some of interesting environmental findings I come across - starting off with California.
1. San Francisco, CA - airport
Ranked #1 by the Siemens Green City Index for its remarkable management of waste, carbon dioxide emissions, air and water quality, transport, land use, and building intelligence, San Francisco is well known for its policies enforcing sustainability. It's airport demonstrates the city's environmentally focused programs. Terminal 2's bathrooms, Gold LEED certified, proudly inform visitors about the energy they are saving.
The airport restrooms feature automatic faucets, toilets and Dyson airblade dryers!
1. San Francisco, CA - airport
Ranked #1 by the Siemens Green City Index for its remarkable management of waste, carbon dioxide emissions, air and water quality, transport, land use, and building intelligence, San Francisco is well known for its policies enforcing sustainability. It's airport demonstrates the city's environmentally focused programs. Terminal 2's bathrooms, Gold LEED certified, proudly inform visitors about the energy they are saving.
The airport restrooms feature automatic faucets, toilets and Dyson airblade dryers!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
399 > 350 ppm Carbon Dioxide
Just a few weeks after Earth Month, you might expect positive results from all the environmental efforts being done worldwide.
The opposite, however, has been reported from scientists of the Scripps Institution of Oceonography, from Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii.
We are currently at 399 parts per million of carbon dioxide worldwide.
400 ppm of carbon dioxide is an unprecedented measure of carbon dioxide and is a key indicator of the needed involvement of politicians as well as common citizens to help the situation. Carbon dioxide levels are rising exponentially and contributing significantly to global warming, as the gas amplifies the greenhouse gas effect.
Fossil fuels can be identified as the top contributor to rising carbon dioxide levels and the group 350.org has been active for the past several years to influence policy makers to start acting on the issue. 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide is the appropriate healthy level for the world.
Read more about 350.org on my blog here, or visit their website. Get involved; the near future calls for it. The governments of the world and society at large can't hold off such an issue much longer.
Here's a graphic from the New York Times that puts everything into shocking perspective:
In the wake of global carbon dioxide levels reaching 400 ppm, Global Issues Network at SAS is holding a 350.org movie event called Do The Math. Check to see if there are any viewings in your area: http://act.350.org/event/do_the_math_film/search/.
350 ppm - Do The Math! Let's do our part to help the environment.
To learn more about rising carbon dioxide levels, visit http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/with-carbon-dioxide-approaching-a-new-high-scientists-sound-the-alarm/ and http://350.org/
Sunday, April 21, 2013
The Sensory Trail
We tend to take the simplest things for granted; walking down stairs, enjoying the sight of trees blowing in the wind and the ease of ordering food at a counter are all actions we are familiar with on a daily basis. But for some people, these basic lifestyle needs are inaccessible, because of their lack of sight. On Saturday, April 20th, our school organized a "Sensory Trail" on the picturesque island of Pulua Ubin. The island, once used as a granite quarry, allows visitors to glimpse into life in Singapore and its rustic Kampongs as it was in the mid 20th century. Worn down shops and gravelly paths lead into a tropical rainforest that brings a refreshing break to the towering concrete jungle of the main island.
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| Inaugural plaque, April 2000 |
Walking with the visually handicapped on the Sensory Trail allowed me to take the nature in more slowly and through all of my senses, not just sight. We smelled the leaves, felt the bumps that covered the fruits in great detail, tasted the "toothache" plant's leaves, which made my mouth feel like it was back at the dentist getting braces again, and described the ripe, bright colored, half-eaten, seeded papayas that hung from the trees, ready to fall at the slightest breeze.
It was an eye-opening experience - a sense of nature that still exists, tucked away from the shiny metal buildings of Singapore's city, coupled with the satisfaction of helping those who didn't have access to this kind of nature, made my Saturday before Earth Day complete.
Her final goodbye is still with me: "There are so many good people in the world. Thank you."
Happy Earth Day!
Friday, March 22, 2013
On global networks and solving problems
Global Issues Network.
Such a meaningful title for a club
that is passionate about solving the issues that affect everyone. Poverty, lack
of education, digital divides, global warming, natural disasters – you name the
issue, and I assure you – GIN members worldwide are making an effort to raise
awareness and funds to make a difference in the world.
I’m the new communications director of our club, so I have
insight to the different activities, fundraisers, and awareness campaigns that
are planned. We have an action committee and a planning committee that each
break off into their own subsections and meet every Thursday at 9:30 am. One of
the big first steps we are taking is organizing a guest speaker series; Mr.
Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organization, has the honor of initiating
this exciting venture. He’s probably one of the few people in the world that
passionately take global action to improve sanitation; he is based in Singapore
and we’re extremely excited to have him talk to our school on April 5th.
In the action committee, we have groups that are dedicated
to helping the disabled and neglected and even one that is attempting to make
restaurants in Singapore more eco-friendly. One of the newer committees is the
environment one, in conjunction with 350.org. 350 is a global grassroots movement
that attempts to unite people worldwide in getting carbon dioxide levels
back to the health 350 parts per
million. It’s a unique, truly global venture as 181 countries have pledged allegiance
to 350.org. I was shocked to not find Singapore
on the map of committed world citizens. SAS is now proud to announce the first
350 chapter in Singapore. I really hope 350 continues to grow, working with the
environmental club at our school (SAVE),
as we all walk on the receding path to a more sustainable future.
I recently wrote an article for the Singapore American
newspaper on 350: http://www.aasingapore.com/singapore-american-newspaper/
. Click on the March edition and on page
9 is my article.
Here’s an excerpt:
Extreme weather. Dying species.
Rising water levels. Acidic oceans. Choking city air. Take a look at the
headlines that have made news in 2012 and this first month of 2013. What do
these mean? Why is it so important that we look at these short phrases that
summarize the world’s ecological and environmental state right now and feel a
sense of dread? The answer is simple. The world needs our help and we need to
respond soon. There are so many places to start. You can take a stab at saving
the endangered arctic fox or simply monitor the length of time you leave your
lights on. No action is insignificant. Whether good or bad, every step you make
in this world does leave an impact. Students
sometimes wonder how we can do our part and whether it will meaningfully and
positively affect this small part of the world. But with organized networks
that extend their hands to passionate people worldwide, like the Global Issues
Network (GIN) and 350.org, we can find the support we need to share ideas and
make a difference in this world.
Another quick reminder: Earth hour. Do your part at 8:30 pm tonight.
Visit http://www.earthhour.org/ for
more information on how you can help.
Happy weekend to my
fellow environmental enthusiasts!
Friday, March 1, 2013
An environmental service trip
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. The simple motion of
going to school early in the morning can become such a vortex of much needed
concentration that often I don’t even think about anything other than the continuous
stream of homework and tests that pile up. But the perpetual cycle of school
does not change the true facts: the environment still needs saving! I hope I’ll
be able to post more regularly from now on.
I have a couple of things I want to cover over the next
couple of days, so here is the first topic!
Interim Semester – Summit to Sea Service in Bali
Our school, SAS, has a week in February that is dedicated to
out of classroom learning. Each high school student selects a trip they feel
suits their interests and I chose a service trip to Bali. With our sponsors, Ms.
Began and Mr. Crawford and the group Ecofieldtrips, we did a variety of activities that helped give back to
the South East Asian community. We toured Eco Bali’s spice and vegetable
gardens, filled with bamboo and other verdant plant life. We also walked through the cool caves that once served as irrigation
tunnels for the rice paddies. We hiked up Mt. Batur, the most active volcano in
Bali in time for the sun rise and experienced the wonders of Ubud’s monkey
forest.
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| Bamboo in Bali |
The last two days of the trip were spent at an organic farm
called “Side-by-Side.” The farm tries to mitigate the harsh consequences of
using pesticides and herbicides, such as the eutrophication of lakes, by using
natural fertilizers such as compost; run by an American woman named Pamela
Tibbs, Side-by-Side includes local farmers in its quests to making farming a
more sustainable practice. The intense manual labor included weeding the plots
of land, creating beds for the vegetables, helping with building a green house,
and assist in the process of making liquid compost. Although the work was
overwhelming at first, with our fingers fatigued from holding the tools so
tightly and our faces muddy as dirt mixed with mud in the humid Bali climate, I
really enjoyed the gardening. Knowing that our efforts would be put to good use,
one which was cognizant of the sometimes harmful impacts of farming on the environment
was enthralling. I hope someday I will go back and show my family what we
worked on and see how far it has come along; I also now want to encourage people
to go for the organic products. While a tomato grown on a farm like Side-by-Side may not be as shiny and plump as that grown on an herbicide, chemical fertilizer, and pesticide using farm, the
organically grown tomato is healthier for you and the planet.
Going into the grocery store may seem like a nonchalant, quotidian
action but what all of us need to realize is that the purchasing of the locally
grown, organic tomato actually supports a wider network of people trying to
make a difference in the world.
Think green, no matter where you are!
What to look forward to next:
Global Issues Network and 350.org – are you doing the simple
actions that matter?
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
The environment in a year – 2012.
Here's what happened in 2012:
Sources:
January
The 2011 winners for World Challenge were announced. The
winners included Chile, who implemented the Tech Crunch initiative – the
company Recycla integrates the “socially marginalized” of the country and
recycling e-waste! In India, Hand in
Hand turns food waste to gas, similar to what our club at Canadian
International School did right at that time. In Mongolia, Snow Leopard
Enterprises helps the country’s rural sheep herders, who are constantly
being threatened by snow leopards. The company gives families a few hundred
dollars in an attempt to prevent the numbers of leopards in the house from decreasing
any further. Log onto www.theworldchallenge.co.uk
in January 2013 to see the winners of 2012!
February
My environmental club at Canadian International School, The
Green Idea, holds a WWF Animal survey, in support of the World Wildlife Fund’s
campaign to “adopt” a wild animal, by donating money to the WWF. The Snow
Leopard was by far the winner, with the panda trailing close behind. By
February 2012, the biogas unit at our school was ready to go. The first cup of
coffee was made with this and the kitchen staff vowed to use our
environmentally friendly fuel to make the teachers’ coffee and tea. The Green
Idea started the idea of a monthly Green Hero, and the social studies teacher, Mr.
Jayan Philip, was awarded this prestigious title for being an instrumental
person in keeping the green spirit going at school. Mr. Philip was seen
collecting Tetra Pak juice cartons from the trash cans so that they could be
recycled.
March
I was awarded the Sparrow Award for 2012! This was for my efforts in school and my
community – starting the Green Idea, implementing a recycling program, the Biogas,
and the sparrow boxes. The other winners were Mr. Dilsher Khan, who dedicates
his time to the vultures of Madhya Pradesh. The Green Umbrella team helps Fiscus
plants in Kalwa that are stuck growing in buildings. The Shri Mahatma Gandhi
Ashramsala helps promote environmental awareness among children in the Kutch desert.
Everyone is making an effort to help the earth become a more environmentally
safe place!
April
The 22nd is Earth Day and worldwide, people turn
off the lights and make a difference in the fight for a greener earth. CIS made
an attempt to help the earth by planting a vegetable garden by the pool area.
Everyone was excited, especially the 6th and 7th graders,
who helped plant their own carrot and cucumber patches! In the US, the Oregon
state Senate limited the amount of mercury that is allowed in CFL bulbs in the
state. The American Bird Conservancy filed
a 100 page petition with the FWS (US Fish and Wildlife Service) that asked for
standards in operating wind farms so that birds and bats would not suffer from
the harmful effects of the turbines’ blades. I think it’s remarkable that even
small 11 and 12 year olds can pitch in to save the earth. There was such enthusiasm
that day, when we planted all those saplings. It’s interesting to see similar
actions all the way across the planet in the US. Lawmakers are seeing the
importance of saving the planet – as shown with the bill passed by the Oregon
Senate.
May
Old tectonic plates are starting to shift again! In May, an
earthquake shook Northern Italy, as a result of compression by the Apennine
Mountains. The Mediterranean region is seismically active because of the
African plate and Eurasian plate clashing. More people are worried that increasing
events such as these will result due to careless usage of the earth. Damaging
tsunamis have been recorded due to earthquakes in this region. Earthquakes
throughout history, dating back to 1693 in Sicily and more recently the 1908
Messina, which had a magnitude of 7.2 make up the deadliest European
earthquakes that have occurred. Italy better be prepared! This should send a
message to the world that the earth’s environmental patterns are beginning to
change. Activists have been warning us that the following years will be
environmentally rough on the earth, but we need to help mitigate these effects.
June
June 5th marks World Environment Day, which the
United Nations Environment Program conferred the theme of “Green Economy: Does
it include you?” for 2012. The idea of
this new theme was that countries will become more eco-friendly through their
economies increasing the standards of living and work. From June 20th
to 22nd, a UN conference in Rio de Janeiro covered sustainable
development. The conference was aptly named Rio +20 due to its occurrence 20
years after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. The mission of the conference was to “rethink
economic growth advance social equity and ensure environmental protection.” I
think the idea of the economic growth was
brilliant, especially after the world was going through so many economic
troubles. More conferences like this one should be held, where people come
together to discuss problems of today and how they relate to the
environment. Even younger people, like us, should try to make an effort to see
where we can help. That’s where GINSING (November) comes into play!
July
The 2012 Summer Olympics begin in London! It’s imperative
that people realize the environmental impact that comes with the spectacular
displays and what we can do about them. Some activists think that offsetting
for just for events like the Olympics don’t help, but the overall emissions for
the country will help mitigate such events’ impacts. The Olympic Flame was
carbon neutral! This is a really big step towards the whole environmental
attitude of the games. The 24 MW of energy that supplied the games came only
from renewable energy sources, like wind power. It was estimated that the games
would produce 3.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, whereas the UK
normally has an annual 550 million metric ton emission. A pre-games study
approximated that media packs and briefings alone would account for 8,250,000
sheets of A4 size paper. This year, Britain finished its first carbon budget
cut, and made the London Olympics’ carbon footprint binding to these terms. The
UK government did do its part in calculating the carbon emission beforehand,
setting goals to stick to, and attempting to execute its plans! I applaud the
organizers of the 2012 games in London for all these efforts. I hope the 2016
Olympics will consider the green aspect of their games as well. Countries
should set up a competition system for the Olympic committees in seeing how
they can realistically implement carbon footprint reducing policies.
August
The election campaign is starting to get tough in the United
States and citizens are starting to pay attention to the green promises of the
candidates. The big topics included:
Clean Energy – The focus was on providing jobs and
affordable energy sources for the US.
Many Americans looked at the reducing the “fracking” that goes on in the
country and improving the reliance on solar power. I think this is a really important factor to
consider, since the US has historically used up coal mines after coal mines. If
the US wants to continue to be the top country in the future, the government
needs to be clear on becoming fossil-fuel independent.
Climate Change – Some people don’t believe in this
phenomenon, which I think is ridiculous. Can’t you see the higher temperatures
in the summer? The photos of the melting ice caps? The right candidate worried
about the earth’s future has to believe in global warming, or the lifestyle of
most Americans won’t change for the green good.
Water Quality is another main question that people were
questioning candidates about. Had Superstorm Sandy come sooner, I think this
would have been a greater concern for the citizens of the US.
Biotechnology, is related to America’s increasing reliance
on oil that is not found in the US. Candidates that were worried about the
earth’s future were made sure to acknowledge the idea of other alternative
fuels. Here is where our CIS biogas really could come in handy! In Bangalore,
CIS is on the right path, relying more upon the earth friendly fuel.
September
The world undertakes a challenge to clean up its beaches.
Nations ranging from the Philippines, to South Africa, to Venezuela used the
power of 598,076 volunteers to sweep the coasts clean of 9.2 million pounds of
trash. Even in Singapore, the American school teamed up with the National
University to clean up a mangrove that was filled with an initial astonishing
2.3 tons of trash that was collected in 4 hours. The Ocean Conservancy
organizes this global initiative every year since 1987 and releases its data to
the public, scientists and the powerful law makers. At the mangroves here in Singapore, plastic
bags made up most of the trash but worldwide, cigarettes made the top. 27
mammals, such as dolphins, were found entangled in ropes and other beach
debris, in addition to the 49 birds facing a similar plight. Find out how you
can make a difference in your community! Participate in the 2013 International
Coastal Clean-Up; it was a really great experience for me. It opened up my eyes
to see how every little piece of plastic that ends up on the beach could
potentially hurt an animal. I think this could be implemented even on holiday
beaches. Pick up whatever little garbage you see – you’re helping an animal
survive.
October
Hurricane Sandy hits the eastern coastline of the United
States as well as the Caribbean. Many believe that Sandy symbolizes the
beginning of a series of environmental catastrophes. Maybe the earth is telling
us something – we need to be more diligent with the way we are using our home!
Flooding of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, residents are worried about toxic
residue. 630 oil spills have been reported in New York City, as a result of the
storm. Arthur Kill, a strait between New Jersey and Staten Island, had 336,000
gallons of fuel spilled. Due to the biodegradation of the oil, fish can die
after exposure to low oxygen levels. Salt marshes could also be affected, and
more wildlife habitats may have been threatened due to the deadly storm. But
that’s not all; the list goes on and on. Sewage treatment plants could not
control the release of sewage into local waterways. Pesticides, contaminants, and bacteria could
affect drinking water supplies in the regions that were hit by Sandy. I think
that the US government needs to pay more attention to the effects of such storms.
The impact for both humans and wildlife could prove disastrous. Imagine those
poor creatures in the marshes panicking due to the oil spills! What will happen
if the drinking water sanitation becomes extremely low? I’m sure that importing
drinking water to certain states will be extremely expensive. The government
must look into the environmental mitigation of superstorms like Sandy.
November
Students of South East Asia met, discussed, and planned ways
to make the earth a safer place, environmentally, socially, and politically. GINSING,
the Global Issues Network Singapore Conference, brought people from Manila,
Dubai, and a whole slew of other schools all the way to Singapore to discuss
topics like Natural Disasters, Human Trafficking, Global Warming, and rewiring
taxes for the 21st Century. GANGs – Global Action Network Groups –
came together to brainstorm ways to make the world more aware and how we, as
mere students, could make a difference. The conference was an all-out success.
Guest speakers such as Abigail Ailing contributed to the buzzing atmosphere.
Delegates and Facilitators are still communicating with each other to keep the
spirit of GINSING alive!
December
A conference on climate change was held in Qatar – the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Delegates talked about
extending the Kyoto Protocol; they are hoping that by 2015 there will be a new
climate agreement in 2015. The World Bank released a report that investigates
the effect of an increase in temperature by 4 degrees Celsius – intense wildfires,
heat waves, droughts, dead ocean life, increased pests and disease. Increased
dependence on fossil fuels is another big problem that the world needs to deal
with soon. There are almost 1,200 new coal plants that are going to go up soon.
2011 exceeded the record for greenhouse gas, and there’s a possibility that
2012 will do the same. It’s good to see the leaders of today and tomorrow
taking a stand on environmental
awareness. The young people of today need to do
the same, more often.
Reflections for the year
I really wish that in the first few months at my new school,
SAS, I had gotten the chance to assimilate into the green environment faster. Now
I’m thinking of a few ideas that I hope will become a reality in early 2013. My
junior year has to be an environmentally filled one! Sometimes I think back to
the nuclear plants of Japan. We don’t want another abandoned community like
Fukushima. I hope they are secure now, because if another major tsunami hits,
the whole east coast of Asia could be in trouble.
The plan for 2013
Everyone can contribute to helping the Earth become a safer,
cleaner, greener planet. Regardless of your age, nationality, or political
power, your little actions make a difference. In 2013, I plan to make a difference.
My number one goal is spreading awareness. At SAS, SAVE club – the
environmental club – is extremely popular. So many people have joined. Empowering
those people to come and join one of the activities or fundraisers in
important. I know that in 2013, I will definitely participate more in SAVE! The
earth needs my help and I will make the effort to be there for our planet!
Keep the environment in mind this holiday season! Happy
holidays!
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