More to be done for Green World
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Last weekend, dwellers in big cities around the world observed a big event, the Earth Hour. Lights were out for one hour to raise awareness of the inseparable relationship of energy consumption and the climate change. This year's event was special.
A new initiative was announced, when big cities would enter into a competition. The result will be announced next year which city scores the highest points in their initiative to cut energy use. In the world where most people are accustomed to old habits, it is not easy to break the habits that lead to excessive power consumption. As one mobile phone can't satisfy all tasks, many need more than one device. This means they consume more energy as all devices must be charged and stand by.
Yes, many love BlackBerry for the miraculous keypad that makes it easy for typing. But many others prefer iPhone for its large screens that well support photo-related functions and game playing. It seems all would be in one phone only when the two are merged. Will the day come?Many cities have come up with initiatives to be greener. Singapore encourages rooftop gardens. Bangkok will grow more trees (yes, as expected, the work is still underway when the city will soon vote for the next governor). Many cities in Europe impose high taxes on vehicles to force their citizens to use public transport. Hmm, I guess we have done a lot in terms of energy use. It may be time to work this hard in raising awareness in waste disposal, if this could lead to a cut in consumption of goods which will hence reduce waste and energy needed to tackle the waste.
One executive of a plastic company once said that he was surprised that the company's CSR project to have at least 10 per cent of products recycled won little praise. He said while the company is doing good things to society through the recycling programme, it could also gain much more than that with 100 per cent recycling. That means the company needs no more supply of raw materials. Global company like Unilever also realizes the need of recycling, given that each day tonnes of empty packages of their products are tossed away. But it seems more companies should join this effort, as the sight of sky-high rubbish mountains can't be pleasant. It was last week that i got an invitation to a concert that commemorates the 100th anniversary of Jungfraujoch, where tourists can reach a high peak of the Alps through a classic train. Jungfrau Railway sold 8,000 tickets to the concert, taking place right in the vast snow field, where Jungfraujoch was miles away. Many more - mostly skiers and tourists in general - were there outside the concert ring, sitting on plastic sheets or their coats. Just imagine, how many tonnes of rubbish these people created. Indeed, the ugly sight of rubbish is common at many concerts in Thailand hosted in large grounds in provinces. But I guess it's my own poor misperception that surprised me when seeing piles of crushed Heineken cans, Coca-Cola bottles, and even cigarette butts on the snow. (certainly, the cigarette butts are not something to be seen at non-smoking zone at Thailand's concerts thanks to the strict anti-smoking rules.
At annual Heineken Jazz Festival, a company created a special zone for smokers, so that the concert area is smoke-free.)At the jazz festival in Bangkok, men with black trash bags come and go to pick up thrash which cover many beer cans sold by the sponsor. During the concert in the Swiss snow field, I saw none. If any, they may have been under singer Bryan Adams' spell and unable to work. Tourists themselves were too busy to enjoy themselves than to care for garbage. As the concert ended, plastic cups were spilled over the train station where there are so many bins. The waste collection operations were indeed quick, to restore the snow field. But I still can't forget the scene of rubbish on the white snow field. More are to be done if we want a clean world. All parties' supports are required to successfully cut energy use. It's also the same when it comes to creating wastes and thrashing.
