Shouldn’t you be thinking green by default already?
Posted by JLow on Aug 18, 2010
At the end of this article on green prison (yes even prisons are going green), there is a comment by a reader suggesting that “Environmental consideration should be given to every new structure so that awards for ecological excellence should no longer be necessary. Improvement of existing built stock should be more of an issue.”
And rightly so.
Thinking and going green should already be inculcated into our mindset and lifestyle. It should not be something that is deemed “extra effort”, that then warrants some form of recognition or award. This is of course textbook HR/people management. But isn’t climate change life-related? That the result of our (in)action will be enjoyed/suffered/to be inherited by our kids?
How would you encourage your workforce to adopt green office practises? Should internal procedures and policies start to reflect this corporate direction? Should HR start playing a role in bringing about “forced” behavioural change, by way of adherence to policies (or not), KPI’s of activities?
We could go the Chinese government way and cut power to those who are not abiding! (“China province cuts power to 500 factories“) But that would make us very unpopular!
~~~ Update ~~~
But then again, there are still efforts that really do require recognition and award: “Achievement: Leading government and industry to deliver a quieter, cleaner and more energy-efficient aviation system.“- found here: 2010 Finalist—Science and Environment Medal
China, carbon trade, CDM
Posted by JLow on Aug 12, 2010
“China eyes local carbon trade, CDM priority for now”
I saw this headline in today’s Star Online.
During the Khazanah’s Silverbook workshop (posted earlier) we learned that, despite China being one of the biggest polluter in the world- this Star article says that they are indeed the world’s largest greeenhouse gas emitter; that at least they are taking responsible actions in looking into their “unique” position. The article says that they are looking into policies of carbon cap and trade, and indeed- they do already have a China Beijing Environmental Exchange (CBEEX website) mechanism in place, albeit with teething problems.
Part of the reason for China’s push into this is due to (sourced from the article):
The cornerstone of any Chinese carbon market will be the country’s pledge, made last year, to reduce its 2005 carbon intensity rate — the amount of CO2 produced per unit of GDP — by 40-45 percent before the end of 2020.
In Malaysia we too have our own efforts, after our Prime Minister made a similar pledge to “reduce its carbon dioxide emission to 40 per cent by the year 2020 compared to the 2005 levels subject to assistance from developed countries”. As a follow-up, the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications launched its Greentech : 1 Identity, as well as conducting workshops with industries, aimed similarly at tacking our own GHG emission levels.
To share some related insights: The aviation industry, by its nature of continuous improvements in fuel efficiencies, has always been in the forefront of being green. Airframe manufacturers collaborate with engine manufacturers to come up with the engineering wonders that we see in the skies now. Airports and traffic controllers and aviation authorities collaborate to take it further by developing policies to reduce the impact of airplanes with optimised flight patterns, taxiing policies, new methods of airplane approaches and landings, etc.
Because of all these efforts, the general public is (still) surprised to learn that compared with all other industries in the world, aviation only contributes 2-3% of the total GHG emissions. 
Real time flights around the world
Posted by JLow on Aug 3, 2010
I have seen this “footage” before during a presentation, now I have finally tracked it down.
This is a “real-time” tracking of global flights over a period of a few days.
Enjoy!
What are your observations in terms of frequencies, schedules, concentrations of flights?
