Hijau Everyday

Zinio, The Eco Newsstand

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:54:00 +0000

Ever since I've have iPad on hand, I have stop buying magazines in hardcopy. Reading is more fun with Zinio, the newsstand app. With the interactive features, magazines become more alive. For example, the photos from NatGeo are unbelievable amazing. It's like watching HDTV. And the interactive features are just awesome.

For a start, I 'bought' the free subscriptions from WebMD and BabyTalk. From time to time, I've added other mags such as NatGeo Interactive, Rolling Stones, Aquila Asia, Harper Bazaar, Marie Claire and Good Housekeeping. Sadly, my favourite mag Women's Weekly is not available on the newsstand yet. Apart from Zinio, I also installed Time app for Time magazine and also Ikea app for Ikea Catalogue.. heheh..

Some people said they still prefer the real thing. They want the flipping action. They want to 'belek-belek' the magazine and widen their eyes for particular details. Some also complaints that reading on iPad is too bright for their eyes. But I in the other hand feels reading on iPad is much easier. You can always read your fav mags wherever you are by just bringing that thin pad. There's no need to pop your eyeballs because you can always zoom out the pages. You can even bookmark your favourite article or page. And I have no problem with the brightness because I'm using the matte screen protector. Besides, the brightness can be adjusted in the iPad settings.

Best of all, I love the fact that I don't have to keep piles of mags anymore. No clutter, no need to recycle, no wastage and more trees are saved!! *treehugs*

On the bed with Steve Jobs

Keep that receipts!!

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:02:00 +0000

What do you do with your shopping receipts??

My Carrefour Shopping Receipts

Flip it around, jot down your shopping list, tuck it in your pocket jeans and you are ready to go!!

So, keep 'em!!

3 Things Recycled

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:13:00 +0000

I don't throw away our Wyeth milk scoops. Of course you need to recycle it because it is made of plastic. But instead of putting in the recycle bin, I send them to Wyeth's office to collect points and later redeem the goodies. Keeping the scoops untill my kitchen drawer is full is no big deal, but to post the scoops is a 'Yes'. As I have forsee the difficulties, I decided to keep my empty tissue boxes and told my office clerk not to throw away the A4 stack wrapper. Here's what I did;

Tissue paper box

Stuffed with milk scoops

A4 stack wrapper

Use is to wrap the box

Ready for courrier ;-)

Greening My Crib

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

For those who knows me well, I have another blog to share my personal life, thoughts and journey with other people (who evers reading it, merci beaucoup). While this blog is dedicated to express my green thoughts and living a green life as far as I can. As mentioned in my other blog, I have moved to Kuantan about a month ago. Kerteh is now just a memory for me.

Shifting to a new house is quite exciting. Inspired by watching Discovery Channel's World's Greenest Home, I am in green spirit to make my house GREEN. Back in Kerteh, I managed to sort and recycle most of my garbage. I never had the oportunity to Re-use my garbage to do composting or cleaning enzyme. It's due to biogical hazard. You see, I was in the 'Planet of the Apes' when living in Rantau Bukit, Kerteh. A small jungle lies behind our house and guess who's the king? The Macaques of course. I am an animal lover, but when push comes to shove you have no choice but to shout 'Kill Em All'. These mischieves macaques always sneaking by the window hunting for edible food (ohh.. pandai memilih tauuu), rummaging the tong sampah and worst, scares you!! The idea of doing composting back then is just a dream. I had enough of that and am so relieved that I have shifted to Bukit Istana, Kuantan. Ohh, this bukit has no monkeys but something else :-p

Ok, back to my attempt of greening my home. Since monkey is not a threat anymore, I'm planning to make a compost from my kitchen wastes. I need to buy a composting bin and must educate my bibik in separating the wastes that can be compost such as tea bags, potato & onion peelings, egg shells, etc.. That compost bin can be placed outside my house, safe and sound :-p

Next green project I'm thinking of is rainwater harvesting. I made a mistake when installing the rain gutter for the house. I forgot to make a collection point. Current design, the gutter leads to the storm water drain. I need to cut the gutter and buy a rain barrel for water collection. I'm not sure where can I get a rain barrel in Kuantan :-( If not, I have to DIY.

Rain barrel

Rain barrel design

Another project that I have in mind is to install solar panel. But this involves a lot of money because solar panel is not common in Malaysia. Thus, the installation cost is still expensive. Individual installation is hardly heard. Usually, it is installed in mass, like how SP Setia (housing developer) incorporated the solar panel into their green home project. If you have a house big as a mansion, then it wouldn't be any problem. But if you have medium cost semi-d house like mine, I think you need to think wisely. It is worth it? You can still do other things to save energy that involves less money but greater impact.

So, I guess I only have 2 projects (for the time being) to accomplish. Will tell you the updates from time to time. At least, I have something to blog about.. tee he he..

World Environment Day 2010 Advert.

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:07:00 +0000

Rock. Reuse. Recycle

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Got this when cool cup at Hard Rock Hotel Penang. I ordered HRC Kids Meal for my son which comes with this funky recyclable cup. It's really a cool way to nurture kids on 3R concept :-)

Save the planet with Hard Rock Cafe!

We Need You

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:14:00 +0000

Message from a green friend:

We will be organizing an environmental green event in conjunction with "World Environmental Day" on the 11th & 12th June 2010 at Teluk Batik beach in Lumut, Perak with the assistance of the Majlis Perbandaran Manjung. The event is open to the general public who would like to volunteer themselves to care for the environment. Our objective is to educate and inspire more Malaysians of different classes, race, religion and political ideology to come together as one to care for the environment.

To register or for more details kindly visit the official website at : http://www.projectrevive.ca/ or call 010-9003831 Eric or 017-8711197 Raymund.

Check out the website ya.. Your green contribution is needed ;-)

Flip flopping the green way

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:43:00 +0000

Check out my new iPanema flip flop :-D Labeled under a famous model, cheap & chic and most importantly made of recycle rubber. This Gisele Bundchen's pair supports The Tamar Project, a turtle conservation project in Brazil. So, once you wear it, you know you're helping the endangered turtles.

I bought this pair at Royal Sporting House. When I was at the cashier counter, I glanced to a small promotional leaflet informing that the Gisele Collection is working with Reef Check Malaysia in conserving reefs. Since I was in a rush, I didn't bother to ask more about it thinking Google might give me the answer. But sadly, I found nothing about it :-( Maybe I should go back to the store to get more info and perhaps for another pair. The designs are so chic and gorgeous. You can't just resist to have another pair. Beside, the more you owned, the more turtles you've saved ;-)

Eco 2010 for me?

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Enter 2010, my resolution is to lead a greener lifestyle. Hopefully Vanessa Farquharson can help me ;-) 2009 was not so green for me :-/

"how an eco-cynic unplugged her fridge, sold her car, and found love in 366 days"

Bought this Paperchase A6 notebook from Borders. Made from recycle leather.

Biodegradable Trash Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:02:00 +0000

I'm happy to come across this biodegradable trash bag while shopping for my groceries at a local supermarket. This bag is made from biodegradable material named ECOPlus developed by PETRONAS.

To know more about the product, I Googled the product name 'Greenmate' and found its website. Upon entering the website, I was welcomed with a short flash clip. The clip shows how the plastic degrades week by week. But I'm kinda dislike the clip. What are they trying to convey? You can just throw plastic bags anywhere just because it can degrades easily and vanished from the environment just like that? It's more proper if they use a 'landfill scenario' rather than the serene environment.

Nevertheless, it's a good start to cleaner environment. So, do buy this product ya (and please do not throw it everywhere).

This is our Home

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:30:00 +0000

Check out Home by Director/Photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Bird Rescue

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:40:00 +0000

My mil house is surrounded by sawah bendang. When talking about sawah bendang eco-system, there are many creatures and animals living in it. The most common is birds. You name it.. bangau, laying-layang, king fisher, owl, enggang putih, etc.. It’s all around the bendang. Last CNY holidays, I managed to get up close and personal with one particular bird. That morning, I spotted a bird standing at the parit. My hubby told me it’s a Burung Puchong. (I assumed it’s ‘HE’). It seems like he was preying for a fish. I quickly grabbed my camera and get as close as possible. I was quite surprised when the bird remained stationary although I was like 5 meters away from him. Usually birds will fly away if they see humans coming to them. Then I saw him struggled as I approached closer. No wonder he didn’t fly away because he was actually trapped!! His beak was stuck.

So my mother in law and hubby rescued him from his misery and placed him on the ground. He was weak and exhausted. He didn’t attempt to fly away from us at all. There was something stuck at the end of his beak. Something like a net debris. My hubby wrapped him with a cloth and gently took it out from his beak. He looked a bit relieved after that. Still he didn’t fly and remained calm. After some time, he hid his head under his wing and took a nap. I guess he was tired. He might be trapped at the spot since last night and need to restore his energy for flying. We left him alone. After a few hours, he was already conscious. I thought he would be jinak ler after the rescue, but I was wrong. As I walked towards him, he started to flap his wings and flew off. Hmm.. told you that they would fly off...

Trapped

Poor bird

Free at last..

"I'm tired"

Hijau

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:33:00 +0000

Hijau - Zainal Abidin

Bumi yang tiada rimba
Seumpama hamba
Dia dicemar manusia
Yang jahil ketawa

Bumi yang tiada udara
Bagai tiada nyawa
Pasti hilang suatu hari
Tanpa disedari

Bumi tanpa lautan
Akan kehausan
Pasti lambat laun hilang
Duniaku yang malang

Dewasa ini kita saling merayakan
Kejayaan yang akhirnya membinasakan
Apalah gunanya kematangan fikiran
Bila di jiwa kita masih lagi muda
Dan mentah
Ku lihat hijau

Bumiku yang kian pudar
Siapa yang melihat
Di kala kita tersedar
Mungkinkah terlewat

Korupsi,opresi,obsesi diri
Polusi,depressi,di bumi,kini

Oh..anok-anoktokleh meghaso mandi laok
Besaing,maing ghama-ghama
Ale lo ni tuo umurnyo bejuto
Kito usoho
Jauhke dari malapetako

Ozon lo ni koho nipih nak nak aghi
Keno make asak
Hok biso wei,pasa maknusio
Seghemo bendo-bendo di dunio
Tokleh tehe
Sapa bilo-bilo

By Zainal Abidin

Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:57:00 +0000

I found her in TIME's Heroes of The Environment 2008. I like her clear and simple way of explanation on how the environment is affected from A-Z in producing a stuff. She also shared her consumerism theory and the adverse impact of it. After watching her online film, now I think that I really have TO THINK before buying any stuff especially the unnecessary ones. Have a watch.

Wanna know more about her, just visit http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Sungai Balok Project- Clipping #2

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:02:00 +0000

The Star Online > Southneast Thursday October 23, 2008

SK Assunta Convent wins scrapbook contest

KUANTAN: The team from SK Assunta Convent won the category for primary schools in the Sungai Balok Scrapbook Competition this year.
The event was initiated by members of the Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia (CICM) Responsible Care Programme Eastern Zone (RCPEZ).

Well done: Winners of the primary school category posing with Kuantan district education officer Fauziah Abdul Rahman (pink tudung) and Mohd Ali (black songkok) at the prize presentation in Kuantan on Thursday.

The team’s members were Elyssa Tan Mei Qenn, Alysha Nicole De Cruz and Shenise Charles Daya. The winner in the secondary-school category was a team from SMK Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom comprising Nurshuhada Abdul Samat, Fatin Afifah Rozali and Sofia Zulaika Zahri.

Among the guests present were Department of Environment (DOE) assistant director Azuri Azizah Saedon, Kuantan district education officer Fauziah Abdul Rahman and CICM eastern zone chairman Mohd Ali Harun.

In his speech, Mohd Ali said that CICM’s Responsible Care Programme was a global initiative to promote improvements in safety, health and the environment, and provide effective channels for dialogue, understanding and cooperation between the industry, the Government and other stakeholders.

“The programme was launched in 1994 and there are 92 chemical companies which are signatories.

“Six codes on community awareness and emergency response, pollution prevention, process safety, employee health and safety, product stewardship and distribution have been launched,” he added.

On the scrapbook competition, Mohd Ali said the objective was to promote and educate the future generation on the importance of mangrove forest conservation.
The competition was organised in collaboration with the Kuantan district education office, DOE and Kuantan Municipal Council, he added.

Sungai Balok was adopted in August last year to improve community awareness on chemical industries in the Gebeng Industrial Estate.

Last year, RCPEZ organised activities such as a raft race, cleaning up of Sungai Balok, releasing fish, plating trees along the river and erecting signboards to encourage the public to keep the river clean.

© 1995-2008 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Sungai Balok Project- Clipping #1

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:38:00 +0000

The Star Online > Southneast Saturday July 19, 2008

Students go on river cruise in scrapbook contest
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD

KUANTAN: About 100 primary and secondary school students from 10 schools were taken on a river cruise and mangrove walk at Sungai Kuantan recently.
The students were participants in the Sungai Balok Scrapbook Competition, an event initiated by members of the Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia (CICM) Responsible Care Programme Eastern Zone (RCPEZ).

Five of the RCPEZ companies involved in the programme were BASF Petronas Chemicals Sdn Bhd, Eastman Chemical Sdn Bhd, MTBE (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd/Polypropylene (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Polyplastics Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd and WR Grace Specialty Chemicals (M) Sdn Bhd.

The programme was held over two days with pupils from primary schools attending on the first day and those from secondary schools attending the next day.

Field study: An official showing a mangrove tree stalk to students to create awareness on the environment during the trip at Sungai Kuantan recently.

According to BASF Petronas corporate communications senior executive Lee Sow Kheng, the students visited Sungai Kuantan and the mangrove area instead of Sungai Balok because it was not feasible to go to the latter.

“Sungai Kuantan was picked because of the available facilities. There is a boardwalk in the mangrove area and a boat ferry service.

She said the competition's objective was to educate the younger generation on the importance of mangrove conservation.The participants were given an opportunity to see the mangrove habitat during the boat ride and it was a good experience and eye-opener for them, said Lee.

“They had a clearer picture on how to complete their scrapbooks on topics such as what the mangroves mean to them, the importance of mangrove conservation and its impact to the ecosystem.

“By exposing them to the natural setting, we hope to enhance their awareness and make them appreciate the environment,” she said.

She added that the project was organised with Department of Environment, Kuantan Education Department and Kuantan Municipal Council.The contest's prize-giving will be held in October.

Sungai Balok was adopted in August last year to improve community awareness of chemical industries in the Gebeng Industrial Estate.

Last year, RCPEZ organised activities such as a raft race, cleaning up of Sungai Balok, releasing fish, plating trees along the river and erecting signboards to encourage the public to keep the river clean.

© 1995-2008 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Secret Treasure of Kuantan

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:21:00 +0000

In the busy town of Kuantan, lies an undisturb sungai and mangroves that cater amazing biodiversity. Most of Kuantan folks may not have realize its existance and its contribution to the ecosystem. Even I didn't know about it until my team had to do a recce there for an environmental program about one month ago and it was truely an invaluable experience.

Me and other environmental practitioners in Gebeng had to organize a program for school children. This is a continuation from last year's initiative- Balok River Adoption Program (BRAP). Last year, we had beach cleaning, planted trees at Pantai Balok and released anak ikan at muara Sungai Balok. This year the committee decided to organize Scrapbook Competition for school children. The theme is on mangrove or 'Hutan Paya Bakau' at Sungai Balok. Schools selected for this competition mostly reside near Balok area. In order to give them some ideas and insight of mangrove, we decided to bring the kids for a mangrove tour. So, that was when Sungai Kuantan River Cruise came into the picture since the mangroves for both rivers are more or less the same. We did a recce to check out the route, time taken for a cruise and of course to experience the biodiversity.

The original route of the cruise starts from Jetty Sungai Kuantan- Tanjung Lumpur- Mangrove Tour. But opted to head straight for the mangrove. Along the journey, we passed by perkampungan nelayan and Jeti Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM). It is claimed to be the longest fish jetty in Malaysia. This jetty is used to unload the sea catch from the fishermen's boat. Our tour boat stopped by at one the fishermen's boat and guess what? They gave us a pail of fresh fish for free!! The river is not just served as a port for the fishermen, but it is also a source of income for small boatmen. The river bank by the mangrove is a famous spot for udang galah. Orang Melayu cakap 'Lubuk Emas' ler..

Jetty LKIM

Kids searching for udang galah

During the cruise, we were accompanied by Cik Hafizah from Majlis Perbandaran Kuatan (MPK). She is our tour guide. We thought she was just another ordinary MPK personnel but we were wrong. She proved to be a knowledgable officer and truely an expert at her job. She explained to us in details of each paya bakau species from its physical properties to its usage. Not just the flora at her finger tips but fauna as well. Did you know that muara sungai and mangrove area is a favourite mating spot for dolphins? Yes, you can spot them here especially in musim tengkujuh (monsoon season) but it's very rare ler. Apart from dolphin, other animals live in this ecosystem are Mudskipper, Sang Ketam Batu which has one clamp bigger than its other and can appear in various colours- green, blue, red, Sang Helang (eagle), Sang Buaya (croc) namely Buaya Tembaga, Buaya Katak and Buaya Julang and Sang Memerang (otter). But of course we didn't sighted any crocodile ler on that day. According to our boatman, you can check out the crocs in the evening at Sungai Belat (part of Sungai Kuantan) when the river water is at low tide or during musim tengkujuh when the water is cold. So, they usually will resurface to get some heat. Otters were also not to seen during the recce. Pictures and brief description of the bakau species can be viewed at my Fotopages.

On the day that we had to take the school children for the tour, I came early to do some preparation on site. One of the school came early too and we just lepak at the pavement along the Sungai Kuantan. While mesmerizing the beautiful river by the mangrove, suddenly from far I saw a group of creature running by the river bank. At first I thought it was monkeys (yeah.. the rabun environmentalist) but then I saw the creatures stood up like a meerkat. It was otters!!! I called the school kids to check it out and they were all excited as I was. It was my first time to watch a group of otters at its natural habitat. How cool is that?? Terasa seperti Jeff Corwin sekejap.. hehe.. Sadly, no pic is available. By the time I got my hand steadily on my camera, they were out of sight. Damn.. fast moving otters.

The mangrove tour for the school children went well. They really had fun and excited to witness the amazing biodiversity at Sungai Kuantan. I believe they have gained more info and have clearer picture on mangrove ecosystem. Good luck kids with your scrapbook!!! Can't wait to see the outcome in September, the judgement time :-D

Fuel Oil Price Hike vs WED 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:19:00 +0000

Yesterday was a holy day for environmentalist- World Environment Day (WED) 2008. It is supposed to be a day where people focusing on conserving the environment, talking about the environmental global issue and do good deeds to the planet. But what happened in Malaysia was so annoying. The fuel oil price hike issue has overshadowed the green day. I blamed the government for not picking a good date to make this shocking announcement. No to mention the sudden of it. Actually the annoucement was made a day before WED but the issue escalated to the next day. So, the holy green day was ruinned. When I made a green annoucement for my company yesterday, a lot of staff were complaining about it. "Apalah.. sibuk cakap pasal environment. Org sibuk pikir harga minyak nih". That was one of the comments that I heard. Sigh..

Even the news papers were sold out because of this prime news. I was 100% sure that most of the people bought it because of the fuel oil price hike issue, not because of getting the WED pull outs. Thank God, I managed to get the pull outs from my company. The WED special pull outs by The Star and The News Strait Times were very informative and useful. It's a must for me to get these special edition for my keepings and references . I have a Green Box where I keep all my green articles, magazines, paper cuttings, media, etc..

Talking about WED, I'm not gonna explain about it here. You can check UNEP for details. Since the fuel oil price hike has stole the lighthing, let us talk about it and see how this issue can actually save the world ;-) I'm sure every each of you is busy recalculating your fuel budget. Some of you might have no problems. But for those who drives to work extensively, it is a real pain staking problem. So, what can we do about it? Here are some useful site that might helps:

Saving Money, Saving The Environment while driving by Environe
Green Driving Tips by MSN Auto
Safe more than fuel (I like this one!! Cute animation)
Autoworld Forum

Most of the tips are more or less the same. Another tip is to use fuel oil that can gives you more mileage. I'm not promoting Sh*ll Sup*er. But personally, it has proven to save extra cash ;-) I also noticed that if I travel during dawn or midnite, somehow I don't need to push the pedal too hard. Driving 90km/hr feels like driving 110km/hr. It has got to do with the humidity and the density of the air that makes the car running smoothly. Maybe less friction, etc.. I just can't explain it scientifically. Therefore, I recommend for those who needs to make long distance travel like balik kampung, to start your journey at dawn or midnite provided that you had enough sleep.

With less usage of natural resources (petrol), less cars on the road, less traffic, less CO2 emissions to the air, I believe Malaysians can indirectly help reducing the impacts of Climate Change . It's time for us to change to green driving in order to save our money and to save the world. Hmm.. this overshadow issue on WED is not that bad after all.

My Carbon Footprint

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:30:00 +0000

Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions created by a person or an industry. So, how do we know the amount of CO2 that we have created? The easiest way to do is using carbon footprint calculator. Just Google Carbon Footprint Calculator and you'll find a lot of online calculators. But the best that I have found is from Carbon Footprint. Unlike others, this calculator is simple, more flexible and can be used in all countries. Other calculators are customized for US or UK style of living.

Here's the summary of my Carbon footprint:

At total, I have created 10.865 tonnes of CO2 anually. My car contributed the most which is 5.755 tonnes, mainly used to drive to work- 140km daily (Kerteh- Gebeng). Sigh.. I really hope that my hubby gets a work transfer at Gebeng. That could reduce the CO2 emission and save my money on fuel as well. Secondary footprint is your lifstyle footprint which includes your food preference, recycling, recreation, packaging, etc. Mine is quite high which is 4.096 tonnes. Hmmph... I'm not green enough as I thought :-(

Once you have know your Carbon footprint, the next step is to do Carbon Offsetting. Carbon offsetting is compensating emission produced (carbon footprint) by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving projects or emission reduction projects such as reforestation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, etc. In my case, my emission is equivalent to fund projects by Carbon Footprint below:

Just click the button "Add To Basket" and done. Then you can proudly tell everyone that you have save the world. You can also fund CDM Projects in Malaysia :-) Check out http://cdm.eib.org.my/ for more details. If money is an issue to you, do not worry. You can still save the world by reducing your carbon footprint that won't cost you a cent. There are many ways to reduce it. Check out Carbon Footprint website for more tips of green living.

I've calculated mine, so what are you waiting for? Check out yours now ;-)

Beach cleaning and our lil' project

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:16:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went for a beach clean-up at Ma'Daerah Turtle Sanctuary in Kerteh. Yes, amidst the Petrochemical hub, there's one stretch of beach where turtles still come to lay eggs. The sanctuary is funded by BP Petronas Acetyls (BPPA) and managed by Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (TUMEC)- under Fishery Department with assistance from WWF. The beach cleaning or known as GORO (short term for Gotong-royong) is an annual event held by BPPA. This is the time when local people and the working people from nearby industry work hand in hand to clean the beach prior to turtle nesting season. This is my 3rd beach clean-up that I’ve participated since I live in Kerteh. I went there with Nurin and our kids.

The Ma'Daerah Turtle Sanctuary is a bit secluded. I have to redah 1km of jungle trail to reach the sanctuary. The trail is quite bumpy. So, if you sayang your car, you might think twice to enter the trail. For that reason, I borrowed a Nissan X-Trail from my hubby's friend (Thanks Ajai). I had never driven a 4WD in a jungle. I did drive a Ford Ranger before but only at normal roads and at processing plant at 20km/hr (which is a standard safety regulation in a processing plant). So, carefully I drove into the steep terrain.

We reached there nearly 8 am. Upon registering, we were given a goodie bag consisted of a small towel, a pair of gloves, a cap, food and drinks and lunch coupon. There were few tasks needed to be done on that day which were beach cleaning, tree planting and painting the long house (lodge). We chose the beach cleaning. There was a coloring competition held for kids- to keep them occupied while the adults do the beach cleaning. But Suhayl opted to join me. So, we did the beach cleaning together along Nurin and her kids too. There was a lot of rubbish at the beach, mainly plastic bottles & caps, polystyrene, junk food and sweets packaging, fluorescent lights, selipar jepun, etc. We even found a syringe!! :-O By 11 am, the beach looked clean and beautiful again.

After that, we headed back to the sanctuary and began to start our little project. Using my crappy wooden table (discarded UTM exam table..hehe..), we managed to set up our humble but meaningful booth, just next to Nokia’s grand booth. Nokia opened a booth for hand phone, battery and charger recycling. For your info, my friends and I are selling hand painted tees with eco message. This t-shirt biz started at Skype between me and my good pals. Nurgee wanted to start a new venture on DIY tee. I suggested her designing eco message so that I can sell it during the beach cleaning. From there, we began sketching our business path. The material sourcing was done by Sareque and Chot. The design and painting matter was handled by Nurgee and Chot. And moi, being the most far away from the clan, is incharge of marketing and promotion. After nearly two weeks of sempoi planning, we started to produce our own tees just two days before the event. Thanks to Chot and Nurgee for working their ass off.. hehehe..

The response was not that bad :-) We managed to sell more than half of it. Most of the customers liked the creative design although I need to do some explanation for one particular design to them. Chot and Nurgee, they don’t have artistic mind like u guys. Most of the buyers are eco-conscious people. There were few local people bought our tees. We even managed to attract a government agency :-) Hopefully we can tie a deal with them. Ohh yes, we also decided that for every purchase of the tee, RM 1 will be donated to WWF. I have few more tees to clear out. Once cleared, we will send the donation to WWF.

For those interested of purchasing our tees, kindly contact us at orang2_2@yahoo.com or myself. More pics can be seen in my Facebook.

Special thanks to:
Halmiee from BPPA for giving us some space to open the booth.
Rahayu Zulkifli and River Foo from WWF for supporting our little project.
Nurin my happening neighbour for assisting me opening the booth and promoting the tees.

Now that the beach is clean, I hope the turtles will come to lay their eggs here. Welcome back turtles!!

Pic: Suhayl hoping for the turtles to come ;-)

Melentur Buluh Biarlah Dari Rebung

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:56:00 +0000

The translation in English- "To bend a bamboo, while it's still a shoot". It is a Malay proverb and it means if you want to teach your child, it is better to do when he is still young. My 4 year old son enjoys looking at the animal pictures in MNS Quarterly Mag- Naturalist. He will usually ask me the names of the animals. I taught him not just by the saying “It’s a snake” but will tell him the type as well “It’s a Cat snake.” You’d be surprised how kids at his age could actually recognize and memorize it. The next time you show him the picture, without fail he will answer it correctly.

So, nurture your kids on nature and environmental conservations so that they know how to care, respect and love the earth in future :-)

Switch off the lights, sil vous plait ;-)

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:36:00 +0000

For more info, check out www.wwf.org.my
Merci :-D

Change for a better environment

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:46:00 +0000

Everyone is talking about it- the recent result of Malaysia's 12th General Election. It took me by surprised but some of you may have expected it. Most people are glad with the results. Everyone wants a change and I am one of them. I really hope that the newly appointed leaders will plan for sustainable developments and make better decisions when it comes to environmental matter. We have seen enough of deforestations, poor planning development, hanky panky in projects, EIA misconduct, disturbing the nature, etc. All these are due to McCorrupted and McGreedy people. Hopefully the new leaders are the McGreeny type ;-)

With a bit of new force in place, let’s hope for better environment for us to live and play. And let’s see whether the Pahang-Selangor Interstate Raw Water Transfer Project will still go on or else. I think I can see some lights at the end of the tunnel ;-)

Green Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:10:00 +0000

Last week while attending an environmental training in Kuala Lumpur, I managed to find time to check out Isetan Go Green Promo at The Gardens with my best pal. I drove all the way from Kuantan to KL that evening. The journey was smooth until I missed a junction to Mid Valley and went nuts. Luckily my 'Human GPS' was available. She navigated me via mobile phone from the moment I got lost until I was safely parked at The Midvalley. Thanks Chot, my realiable GPS ;-)

Anyway, I managed to meet Sareque on time and we started our shopping session straight away. Actually a week before, Sareque has already informed me on the Eco Fair. She told me that Timberland will be selling their eco shopping bag for RM 30 on limited stock. So, I quickly called Junai to get it for me thinking that people will be 'berebut-rebut' or queuing for it (like the Anya's eco bag). But my intuition was wrong.

"Hmm.. ko sorang jek sibuk nak beli bag nih Didie," Sareque teased me.

Yeah.. she was right. There was still ample of stock left when we checked out at Timberland's outlet, although it was at the end of the fair. Nway, Junai already got it for me :-) He bought it on the first day of the fair, the moment Isetan KLCC opened its door. Thanks Junai. You're my Eco Hero.

Apart from the bag, there were a lot of eco stuffs highlighted and promoted. From cosmetics, electronic appliances, clothings and toys, everything is eco-based or environmental friendly. I wanted to get myself a Timberland eco tee but it was way too expensive. Instead I got myself a Jonathan Cheng's Go Green tee for RM 49. But it is not an eco tee* pun. It only conveys eco message. I even got a pot of fern- Nephrolepis Neepa Valley for shopping more than RM 250. Thanks to Sareque for contributing to that amount. Actually I'd like to get the Isetan's eco shopping bag. But I need to purchase eco stuff more than RM 350 to get that bag. Hmphh.. mcm ler banyak sangat ler duit aku.

Other than Isetan, we managed to check out another green shop called Justlife Shop. The shop sells organic stuff from food to skincare. No artificial flavours added. I was a bit tempted to buy the organic foods and start an organic life. But thinking that it will be hard to find organic shops in the east cost, I opt not to start now.

Anyway, kudos to Isetan for promoting and educating consumers on global warming and eco living. What ever that we buy do have impact to the environment. Using environmental friendly electrical appliances can reduce global warming. Using eco shopping bag can cut plastic bag disposal to landfill. Eating organic food is benificial to your health. Using eco toys is safer for your childrens. Remember, we are what we do (buy). So Go GREEN!!

*eco tee= made from organic material or environmental friendly material.

Environmental vs Money

noreply@blogger.com (Didie) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:51:00 +0000

Yeasterday, me and my fellow environmental practitioners (EP) in Gebeng attended a meeting with the local authority to discuss on community projects. As usual it ended with a 'makan-makan' session. The 'makan-makan' session is actually more like a gossip session. Yes, we do gossip (regardless our gender) but don't get us wrong. We don't gossip about Britney Spears but environmental issues/matters. The hot topic yesterday was about a DANGEROUS plant to be built (in fact dah start) in our industrial area.

EP 1: Did you know that this project is the biggest Australian's investment in Malaysia?
Me: Ohh really?
EP 2: I heard that their waste is radioactive and they plan to store it at their premise.
Me: What??? Macam mana boleh lulus buat kat sini? Boleh ker?
EP 1: This is Malaysia ler gal. Semua BOLEH!! (jokingly)
EP 3: The initial location was at Teluk Kalong, Kemaman. I heard the NGOs and local people there fight not to build it there. So, last2 their project was cancelled by the state government.
Me: How could the government agreed with such project? Didn't they think of the consequences? EIA lulus?
EP 2: I heard the EIA was express (quick approval). It's (big shot initial)'s project. You know(big shot initial) tak gal?
Me: Err.. I think I know. (tapi tak tau siapa sebenarnya, lepas tanya my boss baru tau).
EP 3: It's political and it's all about money ler.
Me: Yelah.. pastuh kita yang kena. Dah ler bina depan our plant pulak tuh.

I was kind pissed off jugak to hear about this issue. How could the government be so ignorance on this matter. The plant is extremely dangerous. The company claimed that the radioactive content in their waste is very low, non-detectable. Duhh.. siapa nak buka pekung di dada sendiri? Ironically the investor didn't built pulak the plant in their country. Why? Because oversea's environmental regulatory is very strict unlike Malaysia. Actually Malaysia do have a good environmental act and regulations. But money over rules everything. It's easy for these big shots to approve such project because they don't work or live around this area. They don't even think for a second on the consequences, be it on safety, health or environment.

I'm not sure what we can do about it. The company actually has conducted a briefing session to all the companies in Gebeng. But despite all the arguments and hentaman on that session, the project is still going on. Piling works have started and the plant is expected to run by middle next year. Let's pray for the best and may God protect us all from any mishap.

More info, just google Lynas.