Dear All.
Here is another SCMP article for your perusal about saving energies, reduce power bills and saving our Earth planet:-
" We must opt for energy-saving light bulbs
I noted the reports ("Power firm cuts tariffs by 5.9 pc", and "HK Electric's tariff cut not enough, say traders", December 17). The latter story included a comment by a shop owner who has a lighting store as well as a reference to other stores.
As an initial comment, all retail commercial premises in Hong Kong appear to have no idea how to regulate their air-conditioners. In the 30 years I have been resident here I have frozen in more restaurants than I can remember, winter or summer. If they set temperatures to suit their customers' needs rather than their staff, they could save half their power bills alone.
With respect to the lighting shops, I have been in many this year in the Morrison Hill area as I was refurbishing my flat. The vast majority have lights that still use obsolete incandescent lamps that use eight to nine times more power than modern compact fluorescents for the same light output. The waste is emitted as radiant heat - increasing their power bill alone - but more importantly their air-con bills as they need to dump the excess heat out of the premises.
This is also true of halogen lamps that have been superseded by light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In the end, I fitted my flat with a combination of compact fluorescents, recessed tube fluorescent and LED down lighting, which are both stylish and practical and emitting 90 per cent less heat than incandescent bulbs. I do not have an incandescent bulb in my apartment (apart from inside my fridge I suspect) and enjoy greatly reduced power bills every month.
Australia will ban the sale of incandescent bulbs in 2009.
Wal-Mart in the US is pushing compact fluorescent bulbs very hard and this has changed GE's bulb business to increase production as they last eight to 10 times longer than Thomas Edition's 120-year old invention that created GE in the first place.
Numerous EU countries are also considering banning the old bulbs. The city of Des Plains in the US gave compact fluorescent bulbs away free in April as a promotion on energy conservation.
Hong Kong should follow suit. This will reduce electricity consumption and save everyone money, to say nothing of reducing our carbon footprint and helping clean the air.
Michael R.K. Mudd, Wan Chai."
12/27/2008
"Hongkongers must do their bit to save planet"
A great deal of concern is now rightly being expressed over the world's depleted natural resources.
Our consumption of resources had already exceeded the Earth's production capacity by an alarming margin of 30 per cent in 2005. It has been projected that by 2030 the world will need another planet Earth to sustain its resources.
We can all help, even by looking at how we live from day to day. We need to think about the resources we are using on a daily basis. For example, if you keep a light on in your flat while you are sleeping you are wasting energy. Some families keep electrical appliances plugged in even when they are not using them, which is unnecessary. Why have a television still plugged in if no one is watching, or allow a tap to keep dripping when it can be easily fixed? The bad habits of Hongkongers have to change. Education is extremely crucial in this regard. Schools should teach pupils the importance of saving natural resources and launch programmes to get students involved. For instance, they could bring their own cutlery for eating school meals.
Car owners should take more public transport rather than use their own vehicles. Some sort of scheme should be adopted restricting the numbers of vehicles on the road each day. It could be based on odd and even numbers on registration plates. The government should come up with some form of financial inducement in order to get the drivers to use public transport.
It is important to reduce oil consumption globally.
I would also like to see more rooftop gardens on Hong Kong buildings.
I believe this could help lower the overall temperature in the city (which has been rising).
Hongkongers should try and reduce their consumption of electricity, in particular of air-conditioners, so that less carbon dioxide is produced.
If we can all work together to cut our use of natural resources, then there is a chance that the Earth can recover slowly.
Florence Wu, Shan Shui Po."
A great deal of concern is now rightly being expressed over the world's depleted natural resources.
Our consumption of resources had already exceeded the Earth's production capacity by an alarming margin of 30 per cent in 2005. It has been projected that by 2030 the world will need another planet Earth to sustain its resources.
We can all help, even by looking at how we live from day to day. We need to think about the resources we are using on a daily basis. For example, if you keep a light on in your flat while you are sleeping you are wasting energy. Some families keep electrical appliances plugged in even when they are not using them, which is unnecessary. Why have a television still plugged in if no one is watching, or allow a tap to keep dripping when it can be easily fixed? The bad habits of Hongkongers have to change. Education is extremely crucial in this regard. Schools should teach pupils the importance of saving natural resources and launch programmes to get students involved. For instance, they could bring their own cutlery for eating school meals.
Car owners should take more public transport rather than use their own vehicles. Some sort of scheme should be adopted restricting the numbers of vehicles on the road each day. It could be based on odd and even numbers on registration plates. The government should come up with some form of financial inducement in order to get the drivers to use public transport.
It is important to reduce oil consumption globally.
I would also like to see more rooftop gardens on Hong Kong buildings.
I believe this could help lower the overall temperature in the city (which has been rising).
Hongkongers should try and reduce their consumption of electricity, in particular of air-conditioners, so that less carbon dioxide is produced.
If we can all work together to cut our use of natural resources, then there is a chance that the Earth can recover slowly.
Florence Wu, Shan Shui Po."
Get rid of plastic obseeeion
"Get rid of plastic obsession" by a writer in the SCMP newspaper
The recent correspondence about plastic bags is not really about plastic bags at all. The ubiquitous bags are symbolic of wider environmental degradation and our blind and arrogant unwillingness to do something about it.
Plastic shopping bags are unnecessary, period. With a little forethought we can dispense with them. The have come to symbolise the unpalatable truth that if we are too lazy and self-absorbed to forgo something devastating to our children's future that we can easily prevent with no cost or effort, then what hope for things plastic that might cause us a little inconvenience?
We buy billions of plastic water bottles every hour, use them for a few minutes and cast them into a landfill where they will remain for millions of years. Pretty well all the plastic produced since its development more than 60 years ago is still with us, and the North Pacific vortex, an area the size of Texas, contains an estimated 3 million tonnes of the stuff. Our oceans are littered with it, killing seabirds and the most of the already endangered ocean life that the Japanese aren't busy harpooning. Almost a;; children's toys are plastic, millions of tonnes that are used for a few months and thrown away.
It might be a good start for parents to start educating the next generation by refusing to buy plastic toys; parents win, kids win, the planet wins.
Peter Sherwood, Discovery Bay."
The recent correspondence about plastic bags is not really about plastic bags at all. The ubiquitous bags are symbolic of wider environmental degradation and our blind and arrogant unwillingness to do something about it.
Plastic shopping bags are unnecessary, period. With a little forethought we can dispense with them. The have come to symbolise the unpalatable truth that if we are too lazy and self-absorbed to forgo something devastating to our children's future that we can easily prevent with no cost or effort, then what hope for things plastic that might cause us a little inconvenience?
We buy billions of plastic water bottles every hour, use them for a few minutes and cast them into a landfill where they will remain for millions of years. Pretty well all the plastic produced since its development more than 60 years ago is still with us, and the North Pacific vortex, an area the size of Texas, contains an estimated 3 million tonnes of the stuff. Our oceans are littered with it, killing seabirds and the most of the already endangered ocean life that the Japanese aren't busy harpooning. Almost a;; children's toys are plastic, millions of tonnes that are used for a few months and thrown away.
It might be a good start for parents to start educating the next generation by refusing to buy plastic toys; parents win, kids win, the planet wins.
Peter Sherwood, Discovery Bay."
Meaningful talks needed
"Meaningful talks needed" by Chris HH LIM
Some months ago, President Hu Jintao (Chinese names printed) offered an olive branch of friendship to Taiwan, with a view to the possible peaceful reunification of the two foes.
By contrast the central government continues to take an extremely unfriendly attitude towards the Dalai Lama.
I am a Buddhist and I am sure other Buddhists and those who are not followers of this religion, would like to see the animosity between the two sides come to an end.
I would like to see an end to the issuing of the sometimes highly aggressive and negative rhetoric. What is needed is the constructive dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama. The aim should be to ensure peaceful co-existence between Tibetans and the Chinese people as a whole.
In any discussions which do take place I hope the parties will get involved which have less of a political agenda.
Chris H.H. Lim, Blakehurst, New South wales, Australia"
Some months ago, President Hu Jintao (Chinese names printed) offered an olive branch of friendship to Taiwan, with a view to the possible peaceful reunification of the two foes.
By contrast the central government continues to take an extremely unfriendly attitude towards the Dalai Lama.
I am a Buddhist and I am sure other Buddhists and those who are not followers of this religion, would like to see the animosity between the two sides come to an end.
I would like to see an end to the issuing of the sometimes highly aggressive and negative rhetoric. What is needed is the constructive dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama. The aim should be to ensure peaceful co-existence between Tibetans and the Chinese people as a whole.
In any discussions which do take place I hope the parties will get involved which have less of a political agenda.
Chris H.H. Lim, Blakehurst, New South wales, Australia"
Banning Plastic bags target not reach?
Research by Chris HH LIM
About 250,000 of that overall reduction might be thanks to the small NSW South Coast town of Mogo. Coles Bay in Tasmania, a small town on the whale migration route, was the first Australian town to ban plastic bags five years ago. It has used 1.75 million fewer bags since then and is the inspiration for a ban in Modbury, Devon, hailed by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
At the Kangaroo Valley general store, they pack groceries in paper bags, for which they impose no charge.
"People come in and say, 'Oh, wow, you see these in the movies,' " the shop's co-owner, Andrea Neill, says. No one is ever stroppy to be told plastic is not an option, she says.
But are paper bags any better than plastic? Much has been written about the energy and water required to make a paper bag being far greater than that for its plastic competitor. Dee argues this ignores the long-term environmental effect of plastic, its failure to break down for as long as 1000 years, and that billions of the bags are imported to Australia from China, consuming more energy.
He says it also ignores that paper is a biodegradable, renewable, recyclable resource, and it takes no account of the trouble that a single plastic bag can create when it contaminates a recycle bin. It can shut down machinery at a recycling plant and be a nightmare for sorting staff to untangle. Only about 5 per cent of Australia's plastic bags are recycled, despite recycling bins in supermarkets.
At Bangalow, in northern NSW, women have joined almost 700 morsbags groups worldwide, which work in sewing bees to make reusable shopping bags from second-hand fabrics: old sheets, curtains, whatever. They give the bags to shoppers free.
But South Australia will be the real test case. It expects its ban could result in 400 million fewer plastic bags - or 1600 tonnes of plastic - becoming litter or landfill every year.
In the land of the Tidy Town, will South Australia be crowned the Tidy State? If there is ever an Australian Beauty, might it be shot in South Australia - without a plastic bag? Or, perhaps, a biodegradable, compostable plastic bag?
About 250,000 of that overall reduction might be thanks to the small NSW South Coast town of Mogo. Coles Bay in Tasmania, a small town on the whale migration route, was the first Australian town to ban plastic bags five years ago. It has used 1.75 million fewer bags since then and is the inspiration for a ban in Modbury, Devon, hailed by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
At the Kangaroo Valley general store, they pack groceries in paper bags, for which they impose no charge.
"People come in and say, 'Oh, wow, you see these in the movies,' " the shop's co-owner, Andrea Neill, says. No one is ever stroppy to be told plastic is not an option, she says.
But are paper bags any better than plastic? Much has been written about the energy and water required to make a paper bag being far greater than that for its plastic competitor. Dee argues this ignores the long-term environmental effect of plastic, its failure to break down for as long as 1000 years, and that billions of the bags are imported to Australia from China, consuming more energy.
He says it also ignores that paper is a biodegradable, renewable, recyclable resource, and it takes no account of the trouble that a single plastic bag can create when it contaminates a recycle bin. It can shut down machinery at a recycling plant and be a nightmare for sorting staff to untangle. Only about 5 per cent of Australia's plastic bags are recycled, despite recycling bins in supermarkets.
At Bangalow, in northern NSW, women have joined almost 700 morsbags groups worldwide, which work in sewing bees to make reusable shopping bags from second-hand fabrics: old sheets, curtains, whatever. They give the bags to shoppers free.
But South Australia will be the real test case. It expects its ban could result in 400 million fewer plastic bags - or 1600 tonnes of plastic - becoming litter or landfill every year.
In the land of the Tidy Town, will South Australia be crowned the Tidy State? If there is ever an Australian Beauty, might it be shot in South Australia - without a plastic bag? Or, perhaps, a biodegradable, compostable plastic bag?
12/23/2008
藍天白雲下的植樹活動
藍天白雲下的植樹活動 濟光
慈濟的環保列車又要啟動了, 這一回是駛向離分會十餘分鐘車程公園的植樹活動.
十二月二十一日, 晴空萬里, 是個充滿藍天白雲的好日子. 和五歲孩子起了個大早, 只因為今天是個大日子, 是我們慈濟兩個月一次的植樹活動. 大家相約九點在Magdala Park 見.
八點三十分抵達會所, 只見師姐早已準備好一盤盤精美糕點, 飲料. 看了令人垂涎心動, 還真以為是去郊遊野餐呢. 為鼓勵共乘車, 我們一車坐滿五人, 即便出發. 其餘人則坐上我們的白雲號小巴士. 抵達現場大門, 見Council 的主辦人Sandra 早已在大門口等著我們. 心中感恩之心, 油然而生.
一行人陸續地抵達現場, 本來預估三十人參加, 結果來了近六十人. 在Sandra 詳細地解說下, 我們了解了整個公園地理位置, 種樹區域, 碎木碎的功用及種樹方法等. 著實為我們這些成日坐在電腦桌前的大人, 上了一課寶貴的環保課程, 也在小小朋友的心中, 種下了一棵小小的環保樹苗.
活動開始後, 師兄姐們有幫忙搬運木碎的, 有幫忙犛平木碎整地的, 有除雜草的, 有挖洞種樹的, 大夥不用指派工作, 卻好像每位師兄姐都能找到自己工作崗位般, 一切顯的是那麼的和諧與自然. 四百顆小樹苗在約兩小時光景, 眾師兄姊齊心的努力下, 一顆顆終於挺立在微風中. 想到在十年後的今天, 它們終將會茁壯, 長成一顆顆還抱的大樹, 怎不令人感到欣慰與感恩.
植樹活動結束後, 我們一齊祈禱, 祈禱上蒼能一齊保護我們這片人間淨土, 讓我們這片大地無災無難. 小小的心願, 道盡了我們慈濟人的心聲.也訴盡了我們上人的期許.
用餐時間, 眾師姐們相談甚歡. Sandra 及她的澳洲朋友Lorren 竟也說要加入我們慈濟大家庭, 希望我們將來活動一定要通知他們. 真是人間處處有菩薩, 處處道真情. 走在菩薩道上, 一點也不孤單寂寞呢. 實在感恩.
慈濟的環保列車又要啟動了, 這一回是駛向離分會十餘分鐘車程公園的植樹活動.
十二月二十一日, 晴空萬里, 是個充滿藍天白雲的好日子. 和五歲孩子起了個大早, 只因為今天是個大日子, 是我們慈濟兩個月一次的植樹活動. 大家相約九點在Magdala Park 見.
八點三十分抵達會所, 只見師姐早已準備好一盤盤精美糕點, 飲料. 看了令人垂涎心動, 還真以為是去郊遊野餐呢. 為鼓勵共乘車, 我們一車坐滿五人, 即便出發. 其餘人則坐上我們的白雲號小巴士. 抵達現場大門, 見Council 的主辦人Sandra 早已在大門口等著我們. 心中感恩之心, 油然而生.
一行人陸續地抵達現場, 本來預估三十人參加, 結果來了近六十人. 在Sandra 詳細地解說下, 我們了解了整個公園地理位置, 種樹區域, 碎木碎的功用及種樹方法等. 著實為我們這些成日坐在電腦桌前的大人, 上了一課寶貴的環保課程, 也在小小朋友的心中, 種下了一棵小小的環保樹苗.
活動開始後, 師兄姐們有幫忙搬運木碎的, 有幫忙犛平木碎整地的, 有除雜草的, 有挖洞種樹的, 大夥不用指派工作, 卻好像每位師兄姐都能找到自己工作崗位般, 一切顯的是那麼的和諧與自然. 四百顆小樹苗在約兩小時光景, 眾師兄姊齊心的努力下, 一顆顆終於挺立在微風中. 想到在十年後的今天, 它們終將會茁壯, 長成一顆顆還抱的大樹, 怎不令人感到欣慰與感恩.
植樹活動結束後, 我們一齊祈禱, 祈禱上蒼能一齊保護我們這片人間淨土, 讓我們這片大地無災無難. 小小的心願, 道盡了我們慈濟人的心聲.也訴盡了我們上人的期許.
用餐時間, 眾師姐們相談甚歡. Sandra 及她的澳洲朋友Lorren 竟也說要加入我們慈濟大家庭, 希望我們將來活動一定要通知他們. 真是人間處處有菩薩, 處處道真情. 走在菩薩道上, 一點也不孤單寂寞呢. 實在感恩.
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