Green Corner : Earth Hour

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Green Corner : Top Ten Things To Do For Earth Hour

At 8.30pm on Saturday March 26th, 2011 millions of people around the world will turn out the lights for Earth Hour. This awareness movement is intended to get people talking about the importance of reducing human impact on the Earth.

Below you will find lists of activities that you can do to save energy, reduce your impact on the environment, and help spread awareness about Earth issues such as climate change.

You don't have to wait for Earth Hour to try out some of these energy saving techniques. They are a great way to practice conservation monthly, weekly or even every day! Even planning ways to conserve is a great way to reassess our dependencies, and our impact on the Earth.

Top Ten Things to Do to Save Energy

Here are some things that you can do to prepare for Earth Hour.

Remember that saving energy is about more than just turning down the lights. Challenge yourself to do some or all of these energy saving things for Earth Hour - and every day - to save energy and help the planet.

#10 Fill Up Your Freezer

Did you know that an empty freezer uses up more energy than a full one?

If you have empty space in your freezer or deep-freeze, you can conserve energy - and reduce your electric bill - by freezing used pop bottles or milk jugs of water. Fill empty containers about 2/3rds full and place them in your freezer. The ice will help maintain the temperature inside the freezer, allowing it to use less energy.

#9 Invite Your Friends Over

You can help spread Earth Hour awareness by inviting your friends, family or neighbors to join you for Earth Hour activities. A few friendly faces can help make the time go faster, too!

#8 Fix Drafts

Drafty doors and windows cause your heating and cooling bills to go up. Try to repair or cover any drafts around your home before Earth Hour. The money you save will help throughout the year as well!

You can also keep heating and cooling costs down with thermal window coverings. But if you're pinching pennies, simple dark curtains can keep a room warm in winter, and white curtains keep it cool in summer.

#7 Turn Down the Heat

If you're living in a cool climate and have the heat on in March, try turning your heat down slightly for Earth Hour.

To minimize the amount of energy that you use for heating, make sure that heating units are well ventilated and not obscured by furniture. There should be at least a few inches of space between heaters and other objects for them to work efficiently.

Close off any rooms that are not used regularly, and only heat rooms that you need to. If you keep your thermostats at a moderate temperature throughout the day, you will use less energy than you do by turning it up and down at different times.

#6 Unplug Appliances

At 8:25 on March 28th, it's time to start powering down for Earth Hour.

You can start by unplugging your small appliances such as the microwave and coffee maker. Hopefully, your toaster is already unplugged when not in use!

#5 Unplug Chargers

For one hour, unplug your cell phone charger, battery re-charger and any other adaptors you have around your home. If you leave these items unplugged when not in use, you can save a few dollars in energy costs every month.

If you have a cordless phone you will need to leave it plugged in, unless you have a standard telephone in the house as well.

#4 Unplug Clocks and Electronics

It won't take long to reset your digital alarm clock after Earth Hour is finished. Unplug as many of the clocks around your home as possible. If you have a digital watch or wall clock, you can unplug them all!

Turn off and unplug your television and other devices like DVD players and video game consoles. If you have all of your electronics plugged into a power bar or surge bar, you can switch them all off at the end of the day, everyday. This can help you save money every month.

#3 Shut Off Your Computer

Even an idle computer uses energy. You can cut down on computer energy costs by powering down all of the devices at your desk for one hour. You can simply switch off the power bar or surge bar.

If there are items plugged in with your computer that must stay on, such as a cordless phone, you can unplug items individually, or turn off the power manually. Most computers have a power switch at the back of the tower that shuts them down completely.

#2 Unplug Lamps and Nightlights

Just like other electrical items, lamps should be unplugged when not in use. Unplug all of the floor and desk lamps in your home for Earth Hour. Only plug them back in as you need to use them.

#1 Turn Off the Lights

Last but not least, turn down all of the lights in your home. It's a little strange sitting around in the dark, but it's only for one hour. Just think of what it must have been like before the invention of the light bulb!

(source : earth hour activities)

PS : Will you turning out the lights?

A Nuclear Landed On My Blog!

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Sumandak in the house :)

Hello everyone...how you all doing, is it raining in your place? Gloomy in the morning and surely it will rain in the afternoon. Mother nature power, what can we do? For those who live at the flood prone area, please be careful and prepare yourself in case something happen. 

Alright, that is not the main point of my entry today. Seriously, someone dropped a nuclear question in my entry Save Energy days ago (hahaha). I was like OMG! I mean I don't have any skills, let alone experience about the question....hahahaha (laugh again). I am crazy about books but when it comes to nuclear thing...I don't think so (~~) Anyway, I am going to give my opinion the best I can (this one can cost me jumping here and there...hahaha)

To gedek! thanks for the question (@@) I always enjoy his blog! The entries are very simple but speak thousand of words! He is delivering the messages via his unique pictures. At first, I don't understand WHY (hahahaha), but after a while I finally got the meaning. Go check his blog, you will know what I mean...

Alright, alright...I will not elaborate what is nuclear, how it can be produce, where it comes from or whatsoever because like I said before, this is not my skill. After all, you simply can Google it (hehehe). So, can nuclear save energy? Actually, I am a little bit 'kabur-kabur' about this question but I will give my opinion from my point of view...       

Fissile atoms contain vast amounts of energy
Nuclear fission, the splitting of a heavy atom’s nucleus, releases great amounts of energy. For example the energy it releases is 10 million times greater than is released by the burning of an atom of fossil fuel. Besides it would take many hectares of land covered with solar collectors, wind farms or hydro-electric dams to equal this power. (source : Alternate Energy Sources)

The growing human population and improvement in lifestyle leads to greater energy needs. Energy demands are growing fast and put a strains on the government to meet the demand. Fossil fuels are not cheap any longer, oil is running out, alternative energy sources are expensive and industrial CO2 emission charges will bite. Right now, the electricity generated by hydro power. What if one day rivers stop flowing, making the hydro stop as well? Do we have alternative power ready in case something happen?

Sounds like nuclear energy is the only answer to the problems because it has awesome power. By using a small amount of fuel, a huge amount of energy can be produce. Besides, it does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide so we can save our planet from the greenhouse effect compare to renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, solar and biomass. Nuclear is also reliable and produces small amount of waste.

Back to the question, from what I read on the internet (been doing some researh...well, thanks to you again), here goes...If you ask me if nuclear can save energy, my opinion is NO. We can use nuclear energy for electricity, but during my research on the internet I did not see any fact mention or support that nuclear can save energy. My conclusion, it doesn't matter if you are using electricity generated by hydro-electric dams, nuclear, wind, solar or biomass since the only way to save the energy is by reduce the usage of it.

What say you about this? And one more thing, do we really need to build nuclear power plants in Malaysia? Perhaps after this we should debate the good and bad side of nuclear (hahahaha). Anyway, check out Dr. M's blog and read his say on this issue. I don't want to say YES or NO but I must say that he have a good points. My colleagues said, if we don't have this nuclear thing, our country are going to be leave far behind in terms of development and the outsider will think our country technologies is still undeveloped.

PS : gedek! You really make my day (hahaha)...

Green Corner : Save Energy

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Save Energy, Reduce Your Electricity Bill

Hello everyone, it’s Friday again and its Green Corner section. Today we will talk about saving the energy. The more you save or reduce your electric usage, the more money you can save. Not only reducing the bill but, we also can help the world save power for its future generations. Let’s check it out...

How to Reduce Your Electricity Bill :

If you have been bogged by the enormous electricity bills you have been getting, it is time to take some concrete steps. You can reduce your electricity bills by following very simple steps. 

This article will list some simple, easy-to-do things to reduce your electricity bill.

Limited use 

Start with the room you are sitting in. If you were to take a call in another room or join your family at the dining table, would you just step out of your room without any concern for the electrical appliances in the room? If you would, stop right there, and look around. Switch off all the appliances even if you would be back in five minutes. Yes, even that will help. Every drop of water constitutes to the ocean. 

Another thing to take care of here is what you perceive as an electronic appliance. Would you switch off the television set, turn off the fan, but not the light bulb? Yes, you need light, but not now when you are leaving the room. Taking care of these small things will go a long way in reducing the dreaded huge electricity bills.

Smart investments

Make some smart power investments by replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. These bulbs are a great power-saving investment.

Buy the Power Save gadget. The gadget helps monitor the power supply to your house and uses the minimum that is needed.

Home appliance usage 

Most of us complain that the electricity bill touches the sky because of the number of electrical appliances they have at home. However, the electricity bill is not directly proportional to the number of gadgets you use but the way you use them. Let’s see how you can avoid the typical power-wasters. 

• Use the washing machine only when there is a full load of clothes. 

• Keep the geyser on for the minimal amount of time.

• Keep the air-conditioner at the minimum low or high temperature, just enough to keep you off the heat or the cold outside.

• Switch off the computer monitor even when you take a one-minute break. It takes just a second to switch on the monitor again!

(credit to going green ideas and Google)

When Disaster Struck...

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Yesterday, the world is paralyzed by the shocking disaster...Earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan!

Japan's most powerful earthquake in centuries struck yesterday, triggering fires, deadly 10m (33ft) waves and tsunami alerts across at least 20 countries.

By last night, the death toll was estimated at more than 1,000, most of them drowned – a toll which looks sure to rise significantly in the coming hours and days with many thousands reported missing. And fears about potential nuclear disaster were raised when emergencies were declared at two plants. One was planning to release radioactive vapour to ease pressure on the reactor. (read more here)

I watch the news last night and I was so speechless when the Tsunami sweeping away houses, cities, cars or whatever in its path without mercy! I only can imagine the aftermath, when peoples frantically searching for their loves ones, screaming for help, weeping over the disaster...What is happening to our world? 

My father said, maybe this is the end of the world (sigh). I cannot help myself thinking is it really a sign for all of us? Coverage, pictures and videos flows on the internet right now about the disaster and I am sure more will comes in a few days. But frankly speaking I don't have a heart to watch it, let alone search the news for now...because it is overwhelming and it is hard for me to accept what is happening. You can say whatever you want, but thats how I feel right now. 

Since the disaster is not happening in our place, it may be a relief except for those who have relatives in Japan. But don't forget, it may affect us as well economically. Just look at the Egyptian crisis. Whether we realized it or not, the crisis have contributed in pushing the price of crude oil. So, back to the Japan's tragedy...when disaster struck, what we can do about it? If only I am a millionaire, I will send materials and money to help the victims. Anyway, here is a few things what we can do...

1. Be grateful we live in Malaysia, so don't take it for granted.

2. Live life to the fullest and don't forget to give thanks everyday in your life because we might not know when will God decide that it is the end of days to our world...

3. Pray for the Japanese, support them with your pray. Their loses is unthinkable but I hope they can recover from the tragedy...

PS : Sorry, no book to share today... 

Green Corner : Buy Used Books

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Buy a book from a second-hand bookshop

Green tips today is about buying second hand books. You know how I love books very vey much. hahaha...Before this, I used to buy second hand books but not anymore due to this reason. I must say that most of my collection came from second-hand bookshop. Why buy used books?

Reuse or recycle. Don't waste papers, papers are made from trees. If you recycle, you can help save the trees. The more we can save trees, the better quality of air we breathe. Basic knowledge, trees produce oxygen that we breathe.

Save Money - Tips for students. The bottom line for used and second hand books is save money off retail prices that keep getting more and more expensive. Especially for the university student. Buying books is very stressful time of the year. Sale of textbooks seems to be the perfect monopoly and apparently every student must have it. The only way to save yourself is buy used books or if you are lucky, you can buy the textbook from the senior :)


Benefit from buying used books (in my own experience)

1. Save more and more money of course.

2. Buried treasure...hahaha. Ya, it's true. Sometimes you might surprise what you can find inside the second-hand bookshop. Maybe a novel you loves when you were at the tender age but had forgotten, or out-print book you have been craved for years or perhaps a rare collection of books? Some of my collection are books I read when I was in college. Love the books very much but cannot afford to buy it at that time, so stumbled upon it on the second-hand bookshop is like OMG to me (hahaha)

3. Something wonderful. I don't know about you but used books is like something wonderful to me. Whenever I buy used books, it was fun to peek inside. Sometimes, the previous owner like to write something inside the books. Names, year they bought the books, place, signature...something like that. It was like you are holding a piece of history in your hand (haha). I have one book, where the previous owner wrote she/he bought the book at the Hong Kong's airport. My guess, the previous owner was bored and want to kill the time...hehe

Orait lah everyone, that's all for today. If anyone of you out there want to sell your books, sent me an email. If the price is OK, business is ON. hehehe...


PS : For Sumandak Kota Marudu...2 more days :)

Green Corner : Recycle Paper, Save Our Trees

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- from Google -

Recycle Paper, Save Our Trees

In our daily life, we use paper for endless variety of purpose. Doesn’t matter if you are at work or simply at home, we have been using paper for as long as we can remember. What is the connection between paper and trees? Paper made from trees. Means everytime we use paper, a tree must be cut down to meet our usage of paper. The more we use paper, more trees will be cut down.

- from Google -

We know that trees are very important, valuable and necessary to our existence. Trees produce oxygen. No trees means no oxygen to breathe and that only mean a dead world. Trees also act as a filter that clean the air we breathe. Provide habitat for the wildlife, give us shade so we won’t be contact directly to the sun, and also can help to prevent natural disasters like floods from happening. That is some example why trees are important.

This is why it is significant for us to reduce the usage on paper whenever possible. Here is some tips on how we can save the trees :

- from Google -

• Encourage everyone to use both side of the paper. By doing this, we can save half of the amount of paper we normally used.

• When writing memos or notes, use pencil instead of pen. If you make mistake, you can simply erase it and reuse the paper.

• Buy recycled paper product. I know, some people doesn’t like recycle paper because the quality is not as good as the original one. If you work on something official, of course you have to use quality paper. Anyway if it just a draft or notes to be keep in your file, I suggest we use the recycle one.

• Request or create your own recycle bin in your area so everyone can practice their recycling duties and encourage all the members in that area to take part. When the bin is full, bring it directly to the recycle centre.

• Educate everyone especially kids why it is important to recycle and reduce the usage of paper.

• Use emails, pay your bill online. Why do you think they invent electronic mails and online transaction? To reduce paper usage lah…hehe

• Plant trees in your area. Green color can help to create a peaceful atmosphere at your place. A peaceful atmosphere will make you appreciate the environment more and inspire you to protect it.  

• Don’t pack your attic and store with newspapers, magazines or old books. Instead of letting the creepy creatures build a comfortable kingdom there, why not you send it to the recycle centre? Donate education magazines and old books to the libraries.  

- let's go green -

If everyone realized their responsibility to the environment, I think there should be no problem to provide our next generation a good quality of environment. Surely you don’t want to imagine our next generation surrounded by pollution right? So take action starting right now. I mean after you read this (haha).  Remember, even a small action can bring a huge impact. Let us remind each other to reduce the usage of paper, reuse and recycle it to save the trees.

- Message for everyone -

Green Corner : Bring Your Own Container

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- from Google -

Hello everyone, how are you doing?

I guess everyone is excited and cannot wait for the day to end because it Friday and weekend is coming...haha. Orait barait, I want to introduce my new project worth millions, anyone want to join me? hahaha...just kidding!

My regular readers know that every Monday I have a motivation corner. Today I want to add a new stuff, a green stuff and I called it Green Corner (hehehe). Means every Friday, I will share something how we can Go Green and save our earth. Sometimes, the tips may look ridiculous and some may think it is just a small thing. But believe me, even a small thing can make a big difference and the result might surprise you. Do you still want to join me and are you ready to make environmental responsibility a reality? It will hurt me if anyone say No. hahaha...okay just kidding again. Okay, here is our first Green Corner tips for today...

Bring your own container when you 'bungkus'

Bungkus means take away (correct me if I am wrong), Sabahan called it tapau (haha). If you 'bungkus nasi campur' or 'tapau roti canai', can you count how many plastic involve? Naah, everyone knows that plastic is one of the earth's enemy. Plastics are very difficult to be disposed. Do you know that plastics required 1000 years to decomposed properly through the soil? Furthermore, when it is decomposed, it will pollute the soil and water. If you burn it, smoke that come from the plastic can pollute the air and not good for our health. The frequency of our use of plastic bags will increase from time to time, so why not we try to reduce it? 

Next time you want to 'bungkus', don't forget to bring your own container. Look like a small step but imagine if everyone is doing the same thing :) Well, not all container can be recycled, anyway reuse is better than we increase our use of plastic bags.

PS : That's my new introduction of Green Corner, till next Friday :)

What A Wonderful World

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What a wonderful world...A beautiful morning to start the day! The sky is so clear...

That’s one reason why I enjoy go to work by bus. Of course my favourite seat was near the window. I enjoy watching people’s movement. Each day was a same route, but you might not know what you will learn along the way..sometime you will surprise what a simple thing can do to you.

Like today…when I stare at the clear blue sky, an odd feeling struck me. Something like feeling grateful because I am alive and have the opportunity to have a beautiful day!

What I saw has given me a fresh perspective about my own life. Life is a gift from God that we should not take for granted. While God gives, He may take it all. Riches today, gone tomorrow. High position today, a common man tomorrow. How fragile our link to the material world is.

It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor…just appreciate what you have in your life. For example, finding joy in doing and savoring the simple things God has bestowed upon us ~ our friends, families, our leisure time, our health, our work etc… 

:: download from google ::

But don’t get me wrong. I mention that life is a gift and the way I describe my version about life make it look like an easy thing to handle. NO. Life is complicated and no one can deny it. Even a king has a bad hair day ~ see, everyone has their own problems and worries ~

There is time when you feel that everyone is turning their back on you but don’t forget there is someone who always stand beside you. No matter what situation you face, He is always there..And the question is not WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM you have but HOW WILL YOU DEAL with it…

More Rubbish Please!!!

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:: City Hall in a never ending fight against trash at Tanjung Lipat ::

Kota Kinabalu City Hall is fighting a losing battle against tonnes of rubbish that are being swept from Pulau Gaya to Tanjung Lipat in Kota Kinabalu by the southwest monsoon, according to city officials. Since July, 10 City Hall labourers have been trying to clear the trash every day but to no avail.

“We collect 80 gunny sacks of rubbish from the sea at Tanjung Lipat every day,” says Robert Lipon, City Hall’s head of health and urban services department. “We clear the trash in the morning, but it is back again in the afternoon.”

Lipon says the collected trash is sent to the 45-hectare (362-acre) landfill at Kayu Madang in Telipok, about 20km from Kota Kinabalu.

City Hall worries that the dumpsite might not be able to cope with increasing rubbish beyond 2015, according to Lipon.

Environmentalists are concerned over the amount of rubbish that is being dumped into the sea, saying that they fear that plastic trash may leach toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) into the sea which then threatens marine life and people.

BPA is blamed for a host of illnesses from brain damage in infants and very young children, to endocrine disorders, most cancers such as breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, sexual, reproductive and heart diseases. 

(Reporting and picture by Ng Jia Xiang)

Source Insight Sabah

Ni lah masalah kalau tiada kesedaran sivik. Suka hati ja buang sampah merata tempat...Tahun 2020 negara lain sudah jauh membangun, silap-silap kita hidup dalam timbunan sampah! Siapa yang mau dipersalahkan?? Semua tuding jari sama DBKK, siap cakap lagi...nanti DBKK tiada kerja kalau semua buang sampah dalam tong sampah. Tiada tamadun langsung!

Reducing Plastic Usage - A Mountain To Climb

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:: Plastic Bag Nightmare ::

IT is not uncommon these days to see consumers lugging up to 10 plastic bags containing purchases at the end of each supermarket visit. 

No doubt, these bags are usually recycled at home for various purposes from lining garbage bins to use as makeshift gloves for removing waste materials around the house. 

However, one thing is certain - these bags are fated to eventually end up in the dumpsites where, being non-biodegradable, their chemical composition would assure that they remain on this planet long after we have gone. 

Some are thrown into drains and end up in the ocean where they choke and kill turtles who mistake them for jelly fish, their favourite food. 

 

The plastic bag that we know of today was introduced in 1957 as a sandwich bag. It began to gradually replace the traditional brown paper bag and, following demand as a bag of convenience by retailing giants, the switch to these bags began in 1970s. 

Plastics became a popular means of packaging when introduced to the supermarket industry as an alternative to paper sacks in 1977. 

Read the rest here http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=310

Source : Daily Express
Credit To Avila Geraldine Samuel