Archive for the ‘Sustainable Design’ Category
Monday, May 12th, 2008
The most recent topic of global interest is Singapore’s breakthrough on the technology to produce reasonably cheap desalinated and recycled water, which meets some 25% its needs and sharply reduces the dependency on imports.
DESPITE a growing disenchantment at home, tiny Singapore has attracted scattered admiration in countries keen to follow its way of solving problems.
These involve mostly economic and management systems that were well crafted and implemented by a purposeful and hard-working population – rather than its form of politics.
Source: TheStar.com.my – City-state a role model for the world.
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Friday, April 18th, 2008
COULD Singapore spark the green revolution in China, a country recently named in a University of California report as the world’s “biggest polluter”?
This possibility is being raised as the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City — the first collaboration of its kind between Singapore and Beijing since the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) in 1994 — takes off.
Using the lessons from the Housing and Development Board’s 48 years of experience, the planners have opted for a practical approach in the quest to convert the wetlands and rivers of the site — 150 km from Beijing — into a city that is the model of sustainable development.
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The best ideas of both countries will go into developing the 30-sq-km site into a living space for 350,000 residents in 10 to 15 years’ time, with schools, housing areas, commercial and industrial services.
Read more @ the SOURCE: TODAYonline – This eco-city to show the way By Zul Othman
zul@mediacorp.com.sg
Posted in Environment, Sustainable Design, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
As landscape architects and design professionals we try our hardest to be green in our designs with water sensitive design, plants from the local ecology and materials from close to the project. And we also try to bring that green environment to our offices and work places with recycling bins, energy efficient lighting and providing bike racks for staff. But we often forget about the things that we have over the years become more and more reliant on – our computers and printers.
Over the last few years we have swapped our energy sucking CRT monitors for LCD panels and changed to digital format of pdf and dwf. However we always use the printers day in and day out and now Xerox has created the Sustainability Calculator to help us truly find out how green our office is by calculating all our office printers – Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Solid Waste use.
Xerox have also provided a few tips on how your office could be greener.
Source: Xerox North America
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Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
China’s Ministry of Education and UNESCO have launched a conservation project here to protect the Yangtze River in celebration of this year’s World Water Day that falls on Saturday.
The “Water School for a Living Yangtze” aims to restore the ecological integrity of the Yangtze through public participation in sustainable water resource management, said an official with the education ministry.
Read more @ China launches conservation project to protect Yangtze
Source: Xinhua News Agency
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Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
China started a pilot program to recover discarded auto parts as part of its efforts to achieve circular economy.
The National Development and Reform Commission Friday signed with three auto makers and 11 parts manufacturers letters of commitment on the pilot auto parts recovery program.
Read more @ China starts pilot auto parts recovery program to promote circular economy_
Source: Xinhua News Agency
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Friday, March 21st, 2008
Saturday 22 March 2008, World Water Day and an opportunity to reflect on water as our main resource for life. It not only a source of energy for drinking but this year it is also become a focus as the worlds source of Sanitation.
Many countries and people around the world fall victim to disease and illnesses due to the unavailability of water to cleanse themselves. 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation and the UN and many other organisations have focused their efforts on get water not only for drinking but for cleansing around the world.
Although you may feel powerless in your own country to help the billions around the world who need clean water, you too can help in your own country by having shorter showers, watering the garden less, planting water tolerant plants, installing a water efficient toilet and/or a water recycling system in your home. You can also help by donating to those organisations who are helping communities build facilities to provide water and also educate millions on the use water efficiently for drinking and washing.
More about activities on Water Day
More about World Water Resources (source UN Waterday)
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Thursday, March 13th, 2008
“We will strive to complete ahead of time the Shanghai-Shenzhen coastal express railway, which travels through Hangzhou, Ningbo and Xiamen, in tandem with the Shanghai-Hangzhou express railway,” said Lu Dongfu, Vice Minister of Railways, yesterday.
The Shanghai-Hangzhou express railway project plan has been submitted to related authorities, and the project is expected to be completed during the 11th Five-Year Program (2006-2010), he said. “The Shanghai-Hangzhou and Hangzhou-Ningbo railways were both designed as express railways, with maximum speeds of over 250 kilometers per hour.”
Source: China Daily – Shanghai-Hangzhou express railway to be completed before 2010.
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Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Clean-tech investors, like those that swarmed the U.N. headquarters last week, have been drooling over investment prospects in suddenly-green China. Maybe it’s time to curb the enthusiasm.
“China expects local capital to fund 90 percent of the infrastructure and other investment needed to meet its goal to get 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020,” a top Chinese environmental official told Reuters at a climate-change shindig in Monaco (following Bali and Honolulu, yet another hardship destination for climate negotiators.)
China recently passed a renewable-energy law similar to the European Union’s that mandates a big increase in the use of clean energy like wind- and solar power over the next decade. And in China, a big percentage increase means a big increase: To make wind power 10% of the installed electricity capacity — an amount that the wind industry says is realistic – China needs to install 120 gigawatts of wind turbines. Perspective check: That’s more wind power than currently installed worldwide, or two entire Spains, or roughly 120 mid-sized nuclear plants.
Environmental Capital - WSJ.com : China: Going Green, Going It Alone.
Posted in China, Environment, Green Roofs, Sustainable Design, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Yuyuan Garden, a wellknown tourist attraction in downtown Shanghai, is lit with newly installed, energysaving lights last night. The garden area has just completed a major renovation program involving a total cost of nearly 90 million yuan (US$12.56 million). Part of the program was to install the new“green” lights, which will not only improve the lighting at night, but also cut power consumption by 40 percent. Built more than 400 years ago, Yuyuan Garden features botanical layouts and architectural styles typical in southern areas of the Yangtze River. It attracts millions of domestic and overseas tourists every year. —Shanghai Daily
Read more @ english.eastday.com.
Posted in China, Shanghai, Sustainable Design, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
Last year, the city undertook out major projects in transport infrastructure and water drainage, all of which will reduce traffic jams as well as contribute to the city’s socio-economic development.
To ease the burden caused by construction projects, the department is strictly fining investors. For example last year the department collected VND636 million (US$39,745) in fines from 225 violations in a water environment improvement project and VND157 million ($10,000) from the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal project.
Read more @ Viet Nam News.
Posted in Environment, Sustainable Design | No Comments »
