Green+ IGEM 2014 Special Issue

IGEM 2014 Special Edition
in this issue
Level playing field?
Tea Team produces results
GreenTech’s RM950 million
commitment
Building dams:
The Sarawak Project
Dr Maximus
‘turun padang’
Past year has seen
several changes
and challenges
KeTTHA Industry
Dialogue 2014
Ensuring sustainable
development of three
sectors that are
the main pillars of
economic development
Walking the talk
Prime Minister has people’s interests firmly in
his mind, which is to create jobs, pursuit of sustainable
development and general well-being of the people

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IGEM 2014 Special Edition
Level playing field?
Tea Team produces results
GreenTech’s RM950 million
commitment
Building dams:
The Sarawak Project
Editor’s Note
in this issue
Dr Maximus
‘turun padang’
Past year has seen
several changes
and challenges
KeTTHA Industry
Dialogue 2014
Ensuring sustainable
development of three
sectors that are
the main pillars of
economic development
Publisher
HK Gan
hkgan@theplus.my
Managing Editor
Johnson Fernandez
johnson@theplus.my
Production Editor
Nicholas Daniel Raj
nicholas@theplus.my
Journalist
Ranessa Theyakaraja
ranessa@theplus.my
Editorial Coordinator
Sarah Zain
sarah@theplus.my
Creative Director
Ahmad Aliff Azeem
ahmad@theplus.my
Head of Marketing
Wong Tze Cheen
tcwong@theplus.my
Head of Business Development
Alexander Lee
alexanderlee@theplus.my
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Walking the talk
Prime Minister has people’s interests firmly in
his mind, which is to create jobs, pursuit of sustainable
development and general well-being of the people
When there’s a
will, there’s a way
POLITICAL will.
Whether it’s in politics, sports, lifestyle or just sheer habits, there is little that can
be achieved if there’s no political will.
Malaysia committed to the 2009 carbon pledge, a promise that Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Razak reiterated when he spoke on Sept 23 at the United Nations
summit in New York on climate change.
It was at the 2009 Copenhagen UN climate change conference that he first
said Malaysia will cut the carbon emissions intensity by 40 per cent by 2020.
But while Malaysia is on track to make good that promise, Najib was understandably
not impressed that the rich nations had not been in tandem with their
own commitment to deliver the same.
“They did not. Yet, Malaysia continued to cut its emissions intensity for the
sake of our people – and our planet.
“This time it must be different. This time, all countries should commit to an
ambitious deal to reduce emissions. And they must follow up that commitment
with consistent action,” he said in New York last month.
Najib was not an empty vessel at the climate change conference. Malaysia is
indeed on track to achieve the promised targets.
And why had that been possible?
Simple: Political will.
There’s been an integrated effort by the relevant ministries and departments,
with Najib having taken a personal interest in driving Malaysia towards achieving
the 40 per cent reduction target.
Take also the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA)
Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili.
During interviews with Green+, he didn’t at any time come across as a man
who was merely on transit in KeTTHa, biding his time to move up to a more senior
portfolio.
No, Dr Maximus is passionate about his work at KeTTHA. His constant
dialogue with industry players and willingness to roll up his sleeves and put
shoulder to wheel to ensure a cleaner planet not only for our children but for the
generations after them proved he too was a man on a mission.
It’s obvious that both Najib and Dr Maximus subscribe to the maxim that
“we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”.
So, how can we possibly go wrong?
JOHNSON FERNANDEZ
2
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

SEDA_210x275mmNEWBleed Blue091014ANLB.pdf 1 10/10/14 8:37 AM
Contents
14-15
8-9 20-21
Striking the right balance
… between sustainability and
development
... Pages 8-13
GreenTech Malaysia
partners PDRM to “Go Green”
Malaysian Green Technology
Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia)
has been consulting Polis DiRaja
Malaysia (PDRM) as a strategic
partner to assist with PDRM’s “Go
Green” programme.
... Pages 14-15
GreenTech Malaysia
Catalysing the Nation’s Green Growth
... Pages 16-19
The Green Ranger Movement
An innovation by the Emkay
Group and driven by Tan Sri
Mustapha Kamal
... Pages 20-21
22-25
Bringing Innovation to Malaysia
through the Construction
Development Lab
LCR develops solutions and transfer
the knowledge and training to the CDL
... Pages 22-25
Dr Maximus ‘turun padang’
Past year has seen several changes
and challenges
... Pages 26-28
Cost-saving projects through
energy performance contracting
Procurement process must suit the
EPC business model and process flow
... Pages 30-31
Saving the sinking boat of
mankind, where is Malaysia at?
Malaysians believe we are
geographically blessed for being free
from natural disaster
... Pages 32-34
2014 is the GREEN Feng Shui Year
In the Wood Horse year, the existence
of strong Wood element clashes with
the Earth element
... Pages 36-37
Catherine’s first 100 days at SEDA
In less than three years of the FiT’s
operation, SEDA has achieved more
RE capacities than the previous SREP
programme
... Pages 38-39
4
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

MEDIA PARTNER

Contents
40-41 62-63
The makings of a hybrid city
Marriage of old, contemporary
and futuristic will form new
architecture
... Pages 50-53
BCA’S 2nd green building
masterplan
80% of buildings will be green
by 2030
... Page 54
50-53
Find yourself with nature at the
Lost World of Tambun
Ipoh is known for its limestone
landscape. The city is surrounded
by splendid, bountiful greenery
where the Lost World of Tambun is
strategically placed.
... Pages 40-41
Vehicles emission study of high
volume traffic in Selangor
Emissions from motor vehicles are
the single most significant source of
air pollution in many Malaysian urban
areas
... Pages 42-44
JKR and UNDP’s Building Sector
Energy Efficiency Project
Contributions to the building
industry
... Pages 46-48
59-59
Eco-smart new home has
highest green credentials
New property harnesses host of
renewable energy and
eco-friendly construction techniques
... Page 56
Taking a two-way approach to
hotel energy systems
Façade will be highly insulated, using
a variety of high-performance glass
and materials to shield it from the sun
... Page 57
Sustainability emerged because
of significant concerns
It’s about how much responsibility
one assumes
... Pages 58-59
Low carbon economy
Truly green companies will apply
sustainable practices throughout
their operations
... Pages 60-61
Building dams: The Sarawak
Project
What are often preconceived and
speculative opinions serves only to
rob Sarawak of its chance to tap into
its hydropower potential
... Pages 62-63
Sustainable rural tourism in
Malaysia
Homestay programmes identified to
develop rural tourism and economy
of locals
... Pages 64-67
Atlanta bikers are pedaling their
way to a greener world
Riding bikes prevents minute
particles from entering earth’s
atmosphere
... Page 68
The global warming hoax
Scientists fabricate data to blame
humans for climate change
... Page 70
Size and age of plants impact
their productivity more than
climate
Theory based on new dataset
assembled from more
than 1,000 different forest locations
across the world
... Page 72
NEWS - FOREIGN
... Pages 73-79
6
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

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Cover story
Striking
the right
balance
… between sustainability and development
BY JOHNSON FERNANDEZ
8
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Cover story
MALAYSIA is blessed.
Free from natural
disasters, and with
bountiful natural
resources, the
country has been making strides in
its conservation efforts. It is a promise
that we made to the world, that we
would protect the habitat, conserve the
greens and ensure the land remains
rich for our children and their children
and the generations after that.
Oil and gas have played a significant
part in our national journey, but these
resources are finite.
In 2009, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
pledged at the United Nations Climate
Change Conference 2009, Copenhagen
(COP-15) to deliver Malaysia’s ambitious
carbon emission reduction by 40 per
cent by 2020, which may not be realised
without integrating and understanding
the balance between industrial supply
realities and lifestyle demands.
It’s not going to be a bed of roses
for a country in its infancy insofar
development is concerned. But the
efforts need to be put in motion.
In an exclusive interview with Green+,
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib speaks
about Malaysia’s initiatives to look
after the environment and sustainable
development.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 9

Cover story
Green+: What is the strategic plan
in term of policy objectives and
energy conservation targets by
Malaysia in mitigating impacts
of climate change and to reduce
CO2 emission intensity from
efficient use of energy or energy
efficiency at the users’ (demand)
side especially in industrial and
commercial building sectors by
2020?
PM: At the 2009 UN climate change
conference in Copenhagen, I said
that Malaysia could achieve a carbon
emissions reduction of 40%.
That was an ambitious target then
– and, given the lack of transfer
of financing or technology – it’s
ambitious now. But it’s not impossible,
and five years later I think
Malaysia is in a strong position.
That said, there is still a lot to
be done. On the government side,
we can pursue more cohesive
co-operation between Federal
and State level decision making
processes in environmental development.
In the private sector,
industries, especially small and
medium enterprises, can use
the Green Technology Financing
Scheme to make better use of the
technologies that can save money
and carbon.
Green+: Our automobile industry
is growing rapidly. The car-population
ratio now is about 3:5. CO2
Emissions from the Transport
Sector in Malaysia is a major concern
to all Malaysians. Some of
the possible mitigating measures
include switching fuel to natural
gas, improved public transport
system, and use of non-motorised
transport. What are your views on
this current situation? What is
your advice to all Malaysians for
the future?
PM: We want a competitive and
sustainable domestic automotive
industry, including the national
automotive companies; and we
want to make Malaysia a regional
automotive hub for energy efficient
vehicles. Again, this comes
with an ambitious target: 85% of
vehicles produced in Malaysia
by the end of the decade will be
energy efficient vehicles. And it’s
important for our car companies,
as well as for our environment,
that we see real progress towards
that target in years to come. As
our market matures, and people
start looking for vehicles that
can save money and have a lower
PM Datuk Seri Najib looks at the inaugural Green+ Edition with Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili.
10
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Cover story
We want a competitive
and sustainable domestic
automotive industry,
including the national
automotive companies; and
we want to make Malaysia
a regional automotive
hub for energy efficient
vehicles. Again, this comes
with an ambitious target:
85% of vehicles produced
in Malaysia by the end of
the decade will be energy
efficient vehicles.
environmental impact, our national
carmakers need to be ready
to respond with really advanced
and desirable products.
But transport is about much
more than cars, and as our cities
grow, we will continue to invest in
public transport options. As anyone
who’s visited KL recently will
know, there’s huge investment in
public transport infrastructure in
the form of a new MRT line, and
much of the city is being made
more walkable. In the past, we’ve
sometimes planned our city
around cars, rather than around
people. That’s changing now, and
that bodes well for a future with
more people but fewer emissions.
Green+: What has been the impact
of socio-economic and environmental
systems on global population
and sustainable growth?
PM: The resilience of socioeconomic
and environmental
systems is now being tested
against the demands of a rapidly
growing global population, and
the constant need for economic
growth. Malaysia is no exception:
like most countries, we are
trying to strike the right balance
between environmental conservation
and development. And like
most developing countries, we’ve
had to do so whilst pursuing milestones
that others passed before
environmental sustainability was
even a concept.
Many high-income countries
achieved prosperity at the expense
of the environment, not in
concert with it. We’re determined
to take lessons from the experience
of others, and strike that
delicate balance between development
and conservation.
The after-effects of the global
financial crisis four years ago
linger in significant ways. Last
year saw the worsening of the
European debt crisis, downgraded
prospects for global growth,
Dr Maximus present
a memento to Datuk
Seri Najib during
IGEM 2013.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 11

Cover story
and gloomy predictions of world
trade. Facing instability, countries
around the world are searching for
strong new sources of economic
growth; businesses are seeking
certainty in investments; and
people covet quality, long-lasting
jobs. And one of the most positive
things about environmental policy
is that at its best it can deliver all
of those things: growth, certainty
and jobs. Our challenge is to make
sure that it does.
Green+: How do we balance
economic ambitions with
environment?
PM: I believe we can offer a new
development model, one where
economic ambitions need not
come at an environmental cost.
Malaysia’s energy policy has
long been based around our
natural resources. Oil and gas
have played a significant part in
our national journey, but these
The inaugural
Green+ edition
which featured Dr
Maximus on the
cover is a topic for
discussion between
him and Datuk Seri
Najib.
resources are finite.
So we have pushed renewable
energy with policies such as the
Feed-in Tariff, which aims for renewables
to contribute 11 per cent
of our energy needs by the end of
this decade. Renewable energy
is expected to create some RM70
billion economic activity by 2020,
supporting 50,000 jobs and helping
us hit our carbon emissions
target.
For Malaysia, the past three
decades have been a period of
rapid and sustained growth. Our
GDP has increased more than
a hundredfold. Over the past
four decades, we have averaged
nearly 7% annual growth. Poverty
rates have fallen from 49% to less
than 4%, and per-capita GDP has
risen from US$370 to more than
US$9,000.
This growth has been matched
by a fundamental change in the
structure of our economy. Like
many Asian countries, we have
moved from an extractive economy
based on agriculture and raw
commodities to a multi-sector
economy driven by services and
manufacturing.
The New Economic Model,
introduced in 2010, focused on
three key principles: income,
inclusiveness and sustainability.
These three principles will drive
our progress towards a fully
developed nation; a competitive
economy strategically positioned
in the region and global landscape,
environmentally sustainable and
offering a high quality of life.
The New Economic Model includes
a commitment to sustainability,
not only in our activities,
but in considering the impact of
development on our environment
and precious natural resources.
For us, this is the crux of sustainable
development: to achieve
such goals as relieving poverty by
12
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Cover story
Datuk Seri Najib is
briefed on one of
the hybrid car on
show during last
IGEM.
availing ourselves of our natural
resources without compromising
the ability of future generations to
do likewise.
These are long-term ambitions.
My main concern as Prime
Minister is to ensure that we
have the people’s interest firmly
in mind – not just now, but in ten,
twenty, thirty years’ time. We
are committed to the creation of
jobs, the pursuit of sustainable
development and to ensuring
the well-being of the people. To
achieve these objectives, sustained
economic growth and
environmental stewardship can
and must go hand-in-hand.
Green+: What are Malaysia’s
commitments towards conservation
and preservation?
PM: During the Earth Summit in
Rio 20 years ago, we pledged to
the world to keep at least 50% of
our country under forest and tree
covers in perpetuity. Today, our
green cover is at 74% and 56.4%
of our landmass is forested. And
some Sstates, such as Sabah, are
leading the way, with more than
18% of their land totally protected.
So by focusing on the outstanding
issues – like bringing the Central
Forest Spine Masterplan to fruition,
for example - we can show
the world that Malaysia walks
the talk on conservation. In fact,
we have a long history of natural
resource conservation, from the
1998 National Policy on Biological
Diversity onwards, so pursuing
ambitious conservation programmes
is also honouring our
past.
Green+: What is the government’s
strategy to balance the needs of
planting up new power in electricity
generation and the efficient
utilisation of energy resources
especially fossil based fuels as
outlined in the objective of the
existing National Energy Policy?
PM: Peninsular Malaysian generation
capacity currently consists
of 54.2% natural gas, 40.2%
coal, 5.2% hydro, 0.4% oil and less
than 1% renewables. Different fuel
types fulfill different requirement;
for instance, coal plants and hydro
plants have been increasingly
used to meet base loads. Certain
gas plants are used to fulfill the
peak demand of electricity.
We need a balanced energy
mix, one that ensures security
of supply, but also ensures our
environmental competitiveness.
We want to see renewables play a
larger part in our energy system
in the years ahead, and we want
to see a new focus on energy efficiency.
Again, given the lead-in
time to build new power plants,
this is a medium to long-term
ambition. But it’s one that I think
we can achieve.
My main
concern as
Prime Minister
is to ensure
that we have
the people’s
interest firmly
in mind – not
just now, but
in ten, twenty,
thirty years’
time. We are
committed to
the creation
of jobs, the
pursuit of
sustainable
development
and to ensuring
the wellbeing
of the
people. To
achieve these
objectives,
sustained
economic
growth and
environmental
stewardship
can and must
go hand-inhand.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 13

AUTOMOBILE
GreenTech Malaysia
partners PDRM to “Go Green”
BY RANESSA THEYAKARAJA
The existing police
car.
Malaysian Green
Technology
Corporation
(GreenTech Malaysia)
has been
consulting Polis DiRaja Malaysia
(PDRM) as a strategic partner to
assist with PDRM’s “Go Green”
programme. This initiative forms
part of PDRM’s efforts to support
the Government’s green agenda
and be at the forefront of the
country’s green procurement
efforts.
Towards this end, the PDRM introduced
the Green Practices and
Green Technology Applications
Blueprint developed jointly with
GreenTech Malaysia on Jan 9. The
Blueprint, which was officially
launched by the Prime Minister,
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
outlines clear directions, policies
and action plans to be adopted by
PDRM to mitigate their environmental
impact.
Green+ recently spoke to
GreenTech Malaysia’s Chief
Executive Officer, Ir. Ahmad Hadri
about the green initiatives with
the Malaysian Police:
Which “Go Green” aspects are
GreenTech Malaysia and PDRM
collaborating on?
GreenTech Malaysia is really
pleased to have a very motivated,
disciplined and committed partner
with PDRM, as an employer
they boost a workforce of over
93,000, and they are very serious
about their “Go Green” agenda.
From a start in December 2012
when they first launched the
PDRM Going Green programme,
led by the Inspector General of
Police, this was followed by a
series of workshops facilitated
by GreenTech Malaysia and led
by PDRM’s Director of Logistics
Datuk Pahlawan Zulkifli Abdullah,
focused on four key aspects
within PDRM. The first was focused
on PDRM’s buildings - the
over 1,000 police stations across
the country – energy audits are
being undertaken with a view to
enable PDRM to make their buildings
more energy-efficient.
Second, PDRM’s transportation
requirements, with about 25,000
vehicles in their fleet, it was identified
that this area represented a
significant opportunity to PDRM
to mitigate its environmental
impact. Working with GreenTech
Malaysia and other partners a
pilot has been undertaken to assess
the viability and benefits of
using retro-fit hybrid systems in
patrol cars as this would result in
an immediate reduction in their
carbon emissions, as well offering
savings from reduced fuel cost.
The third aspect is the area
of ICT. In general people tend to
look at ICT as meaning computers,
however, there are a broad
range of ICT related systems and
other electronic devices that form
the central nervous system of
the police force’s data systems.
Supporting this requires a huge
network of data centres, which
equates to high consumption
of electricity. This presents an
opportunity for cost and environmental
savings as we look into
transitioning their current data
centres into green data centres.
Finally and yet equally
important has been the efforts
to encourage the police force
and their purchasing officers to
choose Green Procurement as an
integral part of their operations.
We monitor their purchases to
examine whether the products or
services consumed or purchased
are green, and if not we assist
in suggesting green alternatives.
This is much more than
just changing their uniform or
outlook; it’s really about PDRM
taking on the role of ambassadors,
demonstrating to members of the
public that in addition to being the
national security force and protecting
the people, they are also
environmentally conscious and
embracing green seriously.
How are green initiative going
to be implemented in terms of
PDRM’s transportation, their police
cars? Wouldn’t it slow down
their operations?
PDRM currently deploys the
Proton Inspira as their official
vehicle for use the ground force.
We are working with DFRAN to
introduce the REVOLO system, a
retro-fit plug-in hybrid system
14
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

AUTOMOBILE
Police’s serious
green business
Datuk Pahlawan Zulkifli Abdullah.
GreenTech Malaysia’s Integrated Approach.
that manages the engine and disperses
power effectively.
From the pilot test, PDRM has
been able to record a reduction in
their fuel consumption by about
15% as a result of using REVOLO. For
the police force which runs a fleet
of 25,000 cars on a daily basis, 15%
represents a significant potential
savings, particularly if the system
were to be deployed nationwide.
The successful pilot test results
clearly demonstrate the financial viability
of adopting green technology
solutions to mitigate an organisations’
environmental impact, but importantly,
particularly with respect
to the police force, it didn’t come at
the cost of efficiency.
Are there any other green initiatives
that the police are keen to explore?
Yes. As part of the Blueprint action
plans, we are currently exploring
how to incorporate sustainability into
properties under PDRM, given that
the police force owns a considerable
number of stations to adequately
serve the public nationwide. As a first
step, we are performing an energy
audit for one of its stations in Tmn
Tun Dr Ismail. We estimate that by
the end of this year, we would have
already completed our assessment
and be able to identify the efficiency
rating of the building. From there,
we will then come up with a list of
targeted areas that they can focus
on to minimise carbon footprint and
how they can do so effectively.
On the ICT side, we are currently
working closely with the Bukit Aman
to ‘green’ their data centre. We are
currently carrying out our assessment
and will provide them with our
findings and proposed action plans
by the end of this year.
Overall it has been fantastic
working with PDRM, given their
sense of commitment, eagerness
and enthusiasm towards the “Go
Green” agenda. We are keen to further
deepen our collective efforts to
meet the national agenda on green
technology. This partnership has
definitely taken some very fruitful
first steps and look forward to
achieve a lot more together.
Malaysian Police got down to some serious
business by showing their green initiative by
buying eco-friendly equipment and materials,
including RM400,000 worth of capsicum
(pepper) liquid to replace chemical irritants
used by the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU).
That said, another RM2m will be spent on
electroshock guns, which will be a part of an
estimated RM5.68m to obtain hybrid vehicles,
LED signboards and bulbs, biodegradable face
masks, food containers and gloves, ecofriendly
engine oil and more by this year end.
Police’s blueprint on green practices and
technology was released on 23rd August 2014
where it was noted that the force had already
spent RM18.6 million this year to procure
more energy-saving light bulbs, paint, paper,
eco-friendly breathable fabric and biodegradable
body bags, gloves and face masks.
Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, Bukit
Aman Logistics Department director, said
Police had set a target to have 25 per cent of
its procurement to be eco-friendly.
“I’m happy to say that we have already
surpassed it,” he said.
Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah has also said the
force planned to purchase about 30 electric
motorcycles for the Kuala Lumpur Amanita
patrol unit. The Amanita is a government
initiative where women are pulled in to help
the promotion of neighbourhood safety.
Tests were also being conducted on
the hybrid system called Revolo since
January of this year, which if approved, will
be outfitted in police patrol cars. He has
estimated that an energy efficient patrol
unit could save nearly RM6.44mil or 23 per
cent the Police’s RM28mil bill on annual
petrol costs.
Also, Police are said to be discussing
budget allocations for the new green fleet
with the Energy, Green Technology and Water
Ministry (KeTTHA) and Treasury.
“We have been very much involved in
green initiatives since 2012. We are looking
to have about 30 to 40 electric motorcycles
latest by October. It doesn’t use petrol, it’s
quieter and suitable for Amanita to raise
awareness on being environmentally-friendly
to the community.
“The initial investment of a green initiative
will always be high but we should calculate
the savings these assets would bring,” he
told reporters after attending an event called
MyHijau Youth Camp for 75 children of police
officers.
The camp was aimed at educating the
children on how to reduce their carbon
footprint.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 15

Pa
GreenTech Malaysia
Energy
Catalysing the Nation’s Green Growth
DISPLAYING its commitment to transforming Malaysia into a Green Economy by 2030, Malaysian G
Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) aims to increase the financing of green projects
Malaysian banks through the Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) to RM 950mil this year.
GreenTech Malaysia
Catalysing the Nation’s Green Growth
“In previous years, the average annual amount financed stood at about RM500 million. This year, th
950 million target is a tall order, but we are confident of achieving it,” said Ir. Ahmad Hadri H
GreenTech Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer, during a recent media briefing.
As facilitator of the GTFS, GreenTech Malaysia, he said, was charged with identifying bankable g
projects for local entrepreneurs and industries to participate in the programme.
By TANIA
PRABHA
DISPLAYING its commitment
to transforming
Malaysia into
a Green Economy
by 2030, Malaysian
Green Technology Corporation
(GreenTech Malaysia) aims to
increase the financing of green
projects from Malaysian banks
through the Green Technology
Financing Scheme (GTFS) to RM
950mil this year.
“In previous years, the average
annual amount financed stood at
about RM500 million. This year,
the RM 950 million target is a
tall order, but we are confident of
achieving it,” said Ir. Ahmad Hadri
Haris, GreenTech Malaysia’s Chief
Executive Officer, during a recent
media briefing.
As facilitator of the GTFS,
GreenTech Malaysia, he said,
was charged with identifying
bankable green projects for local
entrepreneurs and industries to
participate in the programme.
8 September 2014 (Green Given Plus the Article: infancy Revised) of the sec-tor,
both industry and financiers
may not be able to fully assess the
FINANCING CATEGORIES
FEATURES PRODUCER USER
Financing
Offered
Financing
Tenure
Eligibility
Criteria
Participating
Financial
Institutions
Maximum RM50 million per
company
Up to 15 years
Legally registered
Malaysian-owned
companies (at least 51%) in
all economic sectors
prospects and benefits of green
technology, and uncertain of how
to maximise value and profits
from the sector.
GreenTech Malaysia is charged
with developing green technology
as a strategic engine for the
Maximum RM10 million per
company
Up to 10 years
Legally Malaysian-owned
companies (at least 70%) in
all economic sectors
All commercial and Islamic banks
GFIs: Bank Pembangunan, SME Bank, Agrobank, Bank
Rakyat, EXIM Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional
nation’s socio-economic growth,
undertaking a broad range of
initiatives to create greater awareness
among Malaysian companies,
banks and the general public
on the tremendous potential of
green technology.
16
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

8 September 2014 (Green Plus Article: Revised)
Energy
8 September 2014 (Green Plus Article: Revised)
National Green Technology Policy
The GTFS offers qualified
applicants a 2% rebate on interest
or profit rates for green
The National Green Technology Policy (GTP) was launched by the Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin
technology project costs and a
Tun Government Abdul guarantee Razak, on of 60% July on 24, 2009. The Policy states that Green Technology shall be a driver to accelerate
the amount financed. Launched
the by the national Prime Minister economy Dato’ and Sri promote sustainable development.
Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak
in 2010, the scheme was originally
GTP allocated is built RM on 1.5 billion four pillars: to energy, environment, economy and social, with the following objectives:
The
encourage the expansion of the
sector. In Budget 2013, an additional
1. RM To 2 billion minimise was allocated growth of energy consumption while enhancing economic development;
due to 2. the To positive facilitate response the received.
growth of the Green Technology industry and enhance its contribution to the
Since inception, national the economy; GTFS has
provided 3. funding To increase to 148 projects, national capability and capacity for innovation in Green Technology development and
creating over 2,131 green jobs,
and assisting enhance green ventures Malaysia’s in competitiveness in Green Technology in the global arena;
securing 4. financing To ensure of RM sustainable 1.95 billion
up to end August 2014.
development and conserve the environment for future generations;
5. To enhance public education and awareness on Green Technology and encourage its widespread
National Green use.
Technology Policy
GreenTech Malaysia’s Strategy
The National Green Technology GreenTech 1. To Malaysia minimise has adopted growth a of flagship approach to ensure that the mid-­‐term Malaysia’s and competitiveness
long-­‐term goals
Policy (GTP) was launched by the
outlined
energy
in the GTP
consumption
are achieved.
while
Four key flagships provide the organisation
in
a
Green
strategic
Technology
focus to ensure
in the
it
Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd
enhancing economic development;
catalyse green growth.
4. To ensure sustainable
global arena;
Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, on is able to
July 24, 2009. The Policy states 2. To facilitate the growth of the
development and conserve
that Green Technology shall be a
Green Technology industry
the environment for future
driver to accelerate the national
and enhance its contribution
generations;
economy and promote sustainable
to the national economy;
5. To enhance public education
development. The GTP is built 3. To increase national capabil-
and awareness on Green
on four pillars: energy, environment,
ity and capacity for innovation
GreenTech chief
Technology and encourage
economy and social, with the following
in Green Technology executive officer Ir
its widespread use.
objectives:
development and enhance Ahmad Hadri Haris
Page | 3
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 17

8 September 2014 (Green Plus Article: Revised)
8 September 2014 (Green Plus Article: Revised)
GreenTech
Malaysia’s Strategy
GreenTech Malaysia has adopted
a flagship approach to ensure that
the mid-term and long-term goals
Flagship 1: Green Malaysia Plan
outlined in the GTP are achieved.
Four key flagships provide the
organisation a strategic focus to
“The ensure first it is key able to flagship catalyse green is the Green Malaysia Plan. This will see the development of the Green Techn
growth.
Master Plan, which aims to define clear pathways for policy makers, industry and all Malaysians to
Flagship 1: Green
in achieving Malaysia Plan our national environmental and economic targets. The Green Technology Master Plan a
“The first key flagship is the
ensure
Green
Malaysia Plan. This
becomes
will see
a green economy and community by 2030. This would see the
the development of the Green
Technology Master
sector
Plan,
growing
which
to an estimated 1.5% of national GDP and employing some 0.6%
aims to define clear pathways for
policy makers, industry and all
national workforce,” said Hadri.
Malaysians to unite in achieving
our national environmental and
economic targets. The Green
all sectors of the Malaysian econ-
The Technology Green Technology Master Plan aims Financing Scheme is a omy key to initiative adopt sustainable under and this first flagship.
to ensure Malaysia becomes a
green economy and community
Flagship by 2030. This 2: Green would see Procurement the Green
Technology sector growing to an
estimated 1.5% of national GDP
and employing some 0.6% of the
“Green national workforce,” Procurement said Hadri. encourages all sectors of the Malaysian economy to adopt sustainabl
The Green Technology
environmentally Financing Scheme is a responsible key initiative
under this first flagship.
sourcing and purchasing habits by incentivising, developing platform
promoting awareness of products and services that are available to Malaysian consumers,” said Had
Flagship 2: Green
Procurement
“Polis “Green DiRaja Procurement Malaysia’s encourages Blueprint on Green Practices and Green Technology Applications, develo
partnership with GreenTech Malaysia, represents a successful collaboration which has already beg
18
economic and environmental
benefits. The use of the REVOLO
environmentally responsible hybrid engine system on PDRM’s
sourcing and purchasing habits vehicles has demonstrated up to
by incentivising, developing platforms
and promoting awareness tion and up to 14% reduction in
23% reduction in fuel consump-
Flagship 3: Electric Mobility
of products and services that are carbon emissions,” he added.
This Flagship aims to ensure the available development to Malaysian of a strategic consumers,”
said Hadri.
Flagship 3: Electric Mobility
action plan to achieve the national target of
10% market share for electric vehicles
“Polis
(EVs)
DiRaja
by 2020.
Malaysia’s
It will also focus
This
on efforts
Flagship
to position
aims to
Malaysia
ensure the
as a
hub for the production of right-­‐hand Blueprint drive on EVs. Green Practices and development of a strategic action
plan to achieve the national
Green Technology Applications,
“GreenTech Malaysia will developed and publish in partnership the Electric with Mobility Blueprint target of in 10% the second market half share of 2014. for
This Blueprint will provide policy GreenTech makers, Malaysia, industry and represents other stakeholders electric with vehicles comprehensive (EVs) by details 2020. of
a successful collaboration which It will also focus on efforts to
the key challenges and strategies has already that Malaysia begun to will demonstrate need to implement position in order Malaysia to meet as a hub the national for the
targets,’ said Hadri.
GreenTech Malaysia participated in successful trials for electric buses last year. Findings green+. IGEM from 2014 these Special Edition trials,
demonstrate economic and which environmental compared the costs for benefits. operating an electric The bus use compared of the to a REVOLO diesel bus, showed hybrid that operators engine syste

Energy
8 September 2014 (Green Plus Article: Revised)
8 September 2014 (Green Plus Article: Revised)
“GreenTech Malaysia is confident that these bold initiatives, in a structured approach, will send a clear
signal to industry, business and the public that Malaysia stands poised to become a regional leader in
Flagship 4: Sustainable Living
green technology.
This Flagship focuses on creating
the necessary environment for
the growth of the nation’s green
economy at local government
levels, through strategic initiatives
such as the Low Carbon Cities
Framework (LCCF); and through
public awareness and business development
initiatives such as the
annual International GreenTech
& Eco Products Exhibition and
Conference (IGEM) Malaysia.
“Currently, GreenTech Malaysia
is implementing the LCCF, jointly
developed with the Ministry of
Energy, Green Technology and
Water with four strategic partners
– Majlis Perbandaran Subang
production of right-hand drive targets,’ said Hadri.
Jaya, Majlis Bandar Petaling Jaya,
EVs.
GreenTech Malaysia participated
Hang Tuah Jaya and the Iskandar
in successful trials for elec-
Regional Development Authority,”
“GreenTech Malaysia will
Flagship develop 4: Sustainable and publish Living the Electric
tric buses last year. Findings from
Hadri advised.
Mobility Blueprint in the second these trials, which compared the
“GreenTech Malaysia is
This half Flagship of 2014. focuses This on Blueprint creating will the necessary costs for operating environment an electric for the bus growth of the nation’s green confident
that these bold initiatives,
in a structured approach,
provide policy makers, industry compared to a diesel bus, showed
economy at local government levels, through strategic initiatives such as the Low Carbon Cities
and other stakeholders with that operators could see considerable
savings and business operations development and initiatives such as the annual business
and the public that
will send a clear signal to industry,
Framework comprehensive (LCCF); and details through of the public key awareness
International challenges GreenTech and strategies & Eco Products that Exhibition maintenance and Conference of the vehicles (IGEM) with Malaysia.
Malaysia stands poised to become
a regional leader in green
Malaysia will need to implement potential 0% in CO2 tailpipe emissions.
technology.
in order to meet the national
“Currently, GreenTech Malaysia is implementing the LCCF, jointly developed with the Ministry of Energy,
Green Technology and Water with four strategic partners – Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya, Majlis
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition
Bandar Petaling Jaya, Hang Tuah Jaya and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority,” Hadri advised.
19

Energy
Members of GRM
pose with a tree
that’s believed to
be millions of years
old.
The Green
Ranger Movement
An innovation by the Emkay Group and
driven by Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal
By SUNITA DEVI APPUKUTTAN
Whenever we
plan a domestic
family holiday,
highly likely
that includes
searching for star-rated hotels,
with some leisure fun activities to
go with good food and rest.
Question is how much do we
consider educating children during
holidays?
With a vision to nurture
and develop a community of
children and young adults to
become Responsible Stewards
of our Natural Resources and
Environment, the Green Ranger
movement is indeed steadfast
in ensuring Sustainable
Development for Malaysia by
educating children and young
adults to engage them as critical
thinkers to lead the charge towards
Sustainable Development.
There are camps and activities
organised that bring children
closer to nature and helps nurture
a sense of appreciation for
biodiversity in our country. These
camps are organised for small as
well as big groups mainly to educate
through experiential learning
programmes that promote
the restoration, rehabilitation,
conservation and protection of
the environment.
Children enjoy fun, which is the
forefront of the activities while
trying to nurture their understanding
towards the connection
between the environment and its
ecosystems, the community and
the world. Navigator camps and
biodiversity identification along
the way have made an impression
on many children who have attended
these camps.
Key activities include engagement
in community service
projects that help to restore, rehabilitate,
conserve and protect the
environment. The driving factor
behind the green ranger movement
is to foster educational focus
on Sustainable Development that
aims to meet human needs (such
as energy, water and food) while
preserving the environment – to
meet the needs of the present
without compromising the needs
of the future generation.
The Green Ranger movement
welcomes schools, homes,
businesses and communities
to understand the environment
where they live in far better. This
not only gives confidence to the
young adults it also increases
their appreciation for the rich flora
and fauna in the country.
The activities are integrated in
such a manner to suit the group
needs. By providing an integrated
approach in seeking solutions to
current and potential world environmental
issues, young adults
have knowledge of issue which
cause threats to the nation, region
and world at large.
The programme methodology
encourages, inspires and
motivates the Rangers through
active and engaging learning to
acquire in-depth knowledge of
the environment and biodiversity
ultimately training Rangers to be
environmental leaders so that
they become ambassadors to
their respective schools and communities.
This allows for a wider
reach of the programme in the
form of Green Ranger clubs and
associations in their respective
schools and universities.
The facilitators and trainings
are conducted by ICEM Learning
and Development Sdn Bhd, whom
vision is to provide the tools, the
means and the reasons catering to
the growing interest in conservation
on environmental matters.
They enjoy talking to young people
who seek a new path forward.
“We hope to contribute in
meaningful ways to the preservation
of our environmental
resources by providing hands-on,
practical knowledge to allow participants
to engage immediately in
building a sustainable corporate
lifestyle, says ICEM chief executive
officer Chandra Arumugam.
The corporate world can emulate
this Green Ranger Movement
as their CSR priority moving
forward. Many good people know
where the hornbills rest and the
elephants roam. Such organisations
play vital role as partners
20
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Energy
and foundation members who
jointly work together for the
same cause, to build the talent
and capability of the many who
want to know more of the beauty
of the environment. This was the
aim of EMKAY Group’s corporate
social responsibility vehicle,
Pulau Banding Foundation, which
mooted the Green Ranger
Malaysia (GRM).
“The Green Ranger Movement
Programme will enhance the
awareness of the public especially
among the youth on the importance
of forest preservation. The
forest is a gift from God and if it is
not well taken care of, we will face
dire consequences,” said Founder
of Green Ranger Movement, Tan
Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar,
and chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the EMKAY Group.
“In Malaysia we have a 130
million years old rainforest. How
many of us know that?. “
Personally, I couldn’t draw
merits as this was also news to
me.
As we continued the conversation,
Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal’s
responses were light-hearted and
enlightening.
is working with Ministry of
Education in complementing their
curriculum with environment and
scientific skills development content.
Awareness has led to interest
and now various other skills
and knowledge component have
been added. In fact our key partner
ICEM has experience in providing
EMBAs for Ecotourism and
Environment Management. So
goes to prove that whatever we
do here has long term benefits
to the society, business and environment,
the 3 basic pillars of
Sustainability.
attract everybody to its cause and
we can take this far quickly if we
can engage decision makers and
policymakers both from public
and private sector.
Tan Sri, you will agree that
the government does take
heed of such movements and
its merits. What would you
reckon best incentivizes other
firms to adopt the GREEN
RANGER Movement in their
own company?
Tan Sri MK: Yes, I agree.
Although CSR is rarely looked at
as a revenue generator, the companies
need to integrate their bottom
line by giving consideration
to Profits from Green Business.
The concept of “BAU” Business As
Usual is not Sustainable therefore
companies need to look into ways
to work with the environment and
become a tad more philanthropic
than before.
Alright Tan Sri some rapid
questions which requires only
your quickest first few words,
now.
Tan Sri MK: I will do my best on
the quick quips, ok. (laughter…)
Tan Sri, among many
other CSR activities by
private companies, how is
GREEN RANGER a far more
productive movement, in
your opinion?
Tan Sri MK: GRM seeks an integrated,
synergistic educational
approach to creating the awareness,
interest on the global and local
environmental issues. GRM
attempts to give not only students
a look into Mother Nature
but it provides opportune moments
for companies to play a
constructive role through various
corporate knowledge and skills
enhancement programs. Green
Business Strategy development,
Introduction of Green Corporate
practises are some of areas from
which corporate have benefitted
through the Green Ranger
Movement.
Tan Sri, in line with our
government’s various
eco friendly projects and
programmes, to what policies
and government regulations
could the GREEN RANGER
Movement of EMKAY draw
complementing similarities?
Tan Sri MK: Currently, GRM
As a property developer, this
GREEN RANGER movement
has set a precedent not just
for this sector, could you
share with us an extensive
outreach of these movement
contributions in other sectors,
too?
Tan Sri MK: All sectors, should
be involved as these concerns everybody
- education, agriculture,
government bodies, services ie.
financial, oil and gas etc all have
their contributions or part to play
in conserving the environment as
we are also causing the impact to
the environment.
How and what are the
conditions suited for rapidly
achieving results/ goals as
outlined in the GRM Charter?
Tan Sri MK: We need support
from the highest government
and corporate levels - our model
is being recognized as a successful
strategy for CSR in companies
and schools and clubs and we can
Tan Sri Mustapha
Kamal hugs
members of GRM.
a) In 1 or two words how
would you describe the
effect of such a movement
for the Sustainable cause
of Malaysia?
Tan Sri MK: Urgent and imperative.
b) Who most importantly
should emulate such
philanthropy?
Tan Sri MK: Government and
corporate.
c) What would you say is a
key inhibition for achieving
GREEN RANGER’s goals?
Tan Sri MK: Ignorance or
“Tidak apa”.
d) Being a “Not for Profit”
entity has it tremendously
changed the mindsets of
your stakeholders?
Tan Sri MK: On the way
e) What is the one aspiration
you wish to convey
to GREEN RANGERS
(members)?
Tan Sri MK: Albert Einstein.
Can I add words here? Look
deep into nature you will understand
everything better.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 21

ARCHITECTURE
Bringing Innovation to Malaysia
through the Construction
Development Lab
LCR develops solutions and transfer the knowledge and training to the CDL
By TANIA
KNUTT and
RANESSA
THEYAKARAJA
The CDL will
enable us to
test, adapt
and tailor
innovative
solutions
developed by
the Group’s
Research
Centre.
This will
accelerate the
development
and delivery
of offerings
to better
meet local
construction
needs.
– Shirley Low,
Vice President,
Marketing of
Lafarge Malaysia
Lafarge Malaysia’s first construction development lab building.
On 23 June 2014, Lafarge
Malaysia opened
its Construction
Development
Laboratory (CDL),
making it the first in South East
Asia, demonstrating the company’s
commitment to Building
Better Cities in Malaysia.
The CDL, which is the sixth in
the world, is strategically located
in the Klang Valley and it aims to
promote construction efficiency
by adapting innovative solutions to
better meet local construction and
building needs.
Shirley Low, Vice President,
Marketing of Lafarge Malaysia,
shared with Green+ on what
prompted Lafarge to build the
CDL in Malaysia and how it can
contribute towards building better
cities.
Shirley Low, Vice President of
Marketing, Lafarge Malaysia.
Technology Transfer
The Lafarge Group invests more
than €120 million, or RM500 million,
annually into research, product
development, industrial performance
and process improvement.
Located at Lyon, France, the
Lafarge Research Centre (LCR) is
the world’s leading research facility
in building materials with a
portfolio of more than 1,000 patents.
There are more than 240 experts
consisting of engineers and
technicians from a variety of scientific
backgrounds working at the
LCR.
The CDL in Malaysia enables
Lafarge Malaysia to tap into its
Group global experience and
technical know-how and bring
in and adapt solutions at a much
faster rate to meet the local
market conditions and technical
22
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

ARCHITECTURE
Artificial reef
modules to assist
in the regeneration
of the fringing
coral reefs
Concrete development lab.
Samples of Artevia used.
requirements, catering to the
Malaysian construction industry’s
needs.
“The CDL will enable us to
test, adapt and tailor innovative
solutions developed by the Group’s
Research Centre. This will accelerate
the development and delivery
of offerings to better meet local
construction needs,” Shirley said.
The LCR develops solutions
and transfer the knowledge and
training to the CDL. In turn, the CDL
enables Lafarge Malaysia to carry
out the main activities to benchmark
and analyse the performance
of new and existing construction
systems, test innovations and
demonstrate new systems and
structures to suit the local market
requirements and conditions.
“For example, we piloted a special
high-strength solution known
as Hydromedia in the construction
of our CDL’s car park. A team of
experts from the LCR was here to
oversee the construction of the car
park and provide their expertise.
“It is the first of its kind in
Malaysia as the newly constructed
car park is load-bearing which
allows cars and other heavy vehicles
to go on it. Hydromedia is a
fast draining concrete pavement
solution that rapidly directs storm
water off streets, parking surfaces,
driveways and walkways. This
solution is idea for walkways and
pavements as it prevents slips, falls
or skids,” Shirley added.
The objective of setting up the
CDL is to function as a collaboration
hub for Lafarge to work closely with
its stakeholders, to understand the
local construction industry needs
and challenges as well as to develop
solutions for the local construction
industry.
Architects, developers, engineers
and others can come
Lafarge Malaysia has collaborated with The
Andaman and University Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM) together with the local community of
Langkawi to form an environmental partnership
to create ARMS, an Artificial Reef Module System,
within the vicinity of Datai Bay.
With the deterioration of corals over the recent
years, notably from the impact of the tsunami which
struck the region in 2004, the ARMS project helps
the regeneration of the fringing coral reefs that have
existed around the island for about 8000 years by
deploying the artificial reef modules.
Designed by Dr. Gerry Goeden, Consultant Marine
Biologist at The Andaman in partnership with Mr
Kee Alfian, Reef Ecologist, Junior Lecturer, FST at
UKM with the assistance of our concrete specialist,
the ARMS have created a design that allows maximum
‘hiding spaces’ suited for various sizes of fish
in order to sustain the underwater eco-system and
by preserving the biodiversity of marine species at
Datai Bay. The units were crafted by our teammates
at Langkawi Plant.
There will be roughly 50 artificial reef modules
that will be deployed over a 500 square-metre area
throughout the first year of the pilot project with the
hopes of a development period of about five years.
Furthermore, a total of 5 ARMS were produced by
the teammates at the Langkawi Plant for the pilot
phase. The ARMS were co-launched by Lafarge
Malaysia, The Andaman and UKM and officially
deployed it into the water at the beach front of The
Andaman on 8th of June in conjunction with the
World Oceans Day.
This partnership has marked a momentous
milestone for Lafarge Malaysia as it stamped the
company’s commitment as a significant employer in
Langkawi and its role to continue to be highly involved
in the well being of the local community and the state
of the environment. We hope to create a positive
impact in protecting the marine eco-system and to
increase the eco-tourism around Langkawi.
Lafarge Malaysia’s involvement include sponsoring
materials as well as solutions that are required
to construct and assemble the modules, and at the
same time, offering their expertise on how to create
modules that could be easily deployed into the shore.
Did you know that, World Oceans Day was
officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008
although it was first introduced in 1992. The World
Oceans Day helps to raise awareness of the crucial
role the sea plays as being an important source for
food, oxygen and medicines and is witnessed on the
8th June each year.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 23

ARCHITECTURE
together to participate in the
development and testing of new
ideas and solutions at the CDL. By
involving and working hand-inhand
with these stakeholders, the
CDL is able to understand the local
requirements and construction
needs and this will enable the team
from CDL to feedback to LCR.
The CDL houses three labs - a cement,
a concrete and an aggregates
lab, with state-of-the-art testing
equipment for quality control and
assurance of its products. It also
has an open testing space for prototypes
and demonstrations of new
systems and structures. Located
nearby the CDL is a ready-mixed
concrete batching plant which
makes it ideal for tests and demonstrations
to be carried out.
“In our showroom located
within the CDL, our solutions such
as Agilia, Artevia, Hydromedia are
showcased. Our customers and
visitors will be able to appreciate
our solutions better where they
can see for themselves the many
possibilities on how to use them for
their construction needs,” Shirley
said excitedly.
Offers and Solutions for Local
Requirements
At Lafarge, innovation is the key
driver of the business. Delivering
added value to Lafarge Malaysia’s
customers means offering them
more innovative solutions by addressing
and anticipating their
needs.
“We listen to our customers and
understand their requirements
and we stay close to the market
to get feedback. By bringing the
CDL nearer to the customers, it will
enable us to develop new systems
and solutions at a much quicker
pace to meet the local demand,”
Shirley said.
As well as having a suite of solutions
and the technical expertise
to meet the local construction and
building needs, Lafarge Malaysia
Lafarge launches South East Asia’s 1st
Construction Development Lab
Lafarge Malaysia Berhad
has been and still is a
major player in the Malaysian
construction industry,
contributing towards Building
Better Cities.
Lafarge Malaysia provides
solutions that allow cities
and townships develop with
more housing, making them
more compact, durable, more
beautiful and better connected.
Headquartered in the
Klang Valley, Lafarge Malaysia
has a network of facilities
that include three integrated
cement plants in Langkawi,
Kanthan and Rawang, a grinding
station in Pasir Gudang,
more than 30 ready-mixed
concrete batching plants
and six aggregate quarries
throughout Peninsular
Malaysia.
On June 23 this year,
Lafarge Malaysia opened its
Construction Development
Laboratory (CDL), making it
the first in South East Asia,
which demonstrates the
company’s commitment
to Building Better Cities in
Malaysia. The CDL, also currently
the sixth in the world
is strategically located in the
Klang Valley, in Petaling Jaya to
be exact and it aims to promote
construction efficiency by
adapting innovative solutions
The CDL will enable us to test, adapt and tailor
innovative solutions developed by the Group’s
Research Centre. This will accelerate the
development and delivery of offerings to better
meet local construction needs,
- Bradley Mulroney, President and
Chief Executive of Lafarge
to better meet local construction
and building needs.
“The CDL will enable us to
test, adapt and tailor innovative
solutions developed by
the Group’s Research Centre.
This will accelerate the
development and delivery of
offerings to better meet local
construction needs,” said
Bradley Mulroney, President
and Chief Executive of Lafarge
in regards to the commitment
to contributing towards
sustainable construction by
providing the construction
industry in Malaysia with
solutions that can help promote
construction efficiency.
The Lafarge Group already
dedicates more than RM500
million annually to research
and development; where research
is being undertaken in
Lafarge’s Centre of Research
located in Lyon, France, the
world’s leading research
facility in building materials. It
has more than 200 employees
and a portfolio of more than
1,000 patents.
Lafarge is also expecting
to host experts from Lyon
on a regular basis, who will
be instrumental in the company’s
plan for technology
transfer to Malaysia. Through
the CDL, Lafarge is able to tap
into its Group’s global experience
and technical know-how
for the benefit of the local
construction industry.
Additionally, the CDL will
serve as a collaboration hub
for Lafarge to work closely
with its stakeholders to further
the industry’s local needs
and challenges. Architects,
developers, engineers and
others can come together to
participate in the development
and testing of new ideas
and solutions.
The CDL houses three labs
- a cement, a concrete and an
aggregates lab, with state-ofthe-art
testing equipment for
quality control and assurance
of its products. It also has an
open testing space for prototypes
and demonstrations of
new systems and structures.
The opening of CDL is
the latest of a number of
initiatives by Lafarge to
contribute towards its ambition
to build better cities. Last year,
Lafarge signed a MoU with
the Construction Industry
Development Board Malaysia
(CIDB) to provide training and
development to construction
personnel to raise construction
standards. This was followed
by the opening of its state-ofthe-art,
enclosed, ready-mixed
concrete plant on Jalan Chan
Sow Lin in March 2014,
This environmentally
friendly plant is the first and
only plant in Malaysia that has
the facility to reclaim concrete
and is the answer to raising
standards of concrete production,
particularly in terms of
quality, customization and
environmental protection.
24
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

ARCHITECTURE
is also the preferred partner for
highly technical projects.
As a testament to this, Lafarge
Malaysia was selected as the sole
supplier of building solutions to
build the new and beautiful airport
which was opened on 2 May
2014.
“Although the KLIA2 project
was challenging, we had the
technical expertise and the right
solutions to support the demanding
project,” Shirley added.
Malaysia, like most countries
in the world, is facing a shortage of
skilled workers.
“In Malaysia, the construction
industry is still labour-intensive
and more than half of the total
number of construction workers
are made up of foreign workers. To
address the high dependence on
foreign labour and the inconsistency
of skills, Lafarge introduced
a self-compacting, self-placing
concrete called Agilia which
minimises the need for labour
at construction sites. Our Agilia
improves construction efficiency
and reduces the need for labour at
work sites.
“Agilia is a highly fluid concrete.
It could be used outdoor as well as
indoor. The process of applying
normal concrete is labour intensive,
requiring four to five people to
handle it and the process is noisy.
“However, with Agilia, due
to its high fluidity as it flows like
soup, the concrete can be applied
by one person and it does not
require vibration. With less time
for placement and less labour, it
ultimately reduces construction
cost,” Shirley added.
Besides introducing solutions
to mitigate the issues faced
by the construction industry,
Lafarge Malaysia is collaborating
with the Construction Industry
Development Board of Malaysia
(CIDB) to raise the construction
standards in Malaysia.
CIDB plans to capitalise on the
local workforce potential, reduce
the dependency on foreign labour
and enhance the skills level of
existing construction personnel
by providing specialised skills
training.
Through the collaboration with
CIDB, Lafarge Malaysia will share,
promote and transfer information
in the area of cement and concrete
usage with the aim to provide a
consistent stream of trained and
certified construction personnel in
Malaysia.
The Hydromedia pavement at Lafarge
A Long Standing
Commitment to Sustainable
Development
For the past 60 years, Lafarge
Malaysia has played a significant
role in the infrastructure development
of Malaysia. “Building Better
Cities”, Lafarge’s global ambition,
and corporate brand positioning,
was launched in Malaysia in conjunction
with its 60th Anniversary
celebrations last year.
In Malaysia, “Building Better
Cities” reflects the company’s
continued support as the nation
fulfils its 2020 vision of becoming a
high income nation and affirms its
commitment to contributing to the
development of the construction
landscape of tomorrow.
“We believe we can continue to
contribute to the development of
the construction landscape with
more innovative solutions to meet
the challenges of affordability
and sustainability development,”
Shirley said.
To do this, Lafarge have developed
solutions that conserve
natural resources. Examples
are its cement products, such as
Mascrete Eco, Mascrete LH and
Phoenix, which are manufactured
using pulverised fuel ash or PFA.
The Phoenix and Mascrete LH have
been awarded the Sirim Eco-label,
Samples from
the uses and
development of
Lafarge.
the Green Label and Green Building
product recognition.
In March 2014, Lafarge
Malaysia opened its first enclosed
ready-mixed concrete batching
plant located adjacent to the Kuala
Lumpur City Centre on Jalan Chan
Sow Lin. This state-of-the-art
plant, which is environmentally
friendly, is currently the only plant
in Malaysia that has the ability to
fully reclaimed concrete which is
then recycled back into the batching
process. In addition, the plant
is capable to producing highly
technical concrete that is required
in the more sophisticated engineered
buildings and structures
of today.
In addition, Lafarge Malaysia is
committed to work towards reducing
the environment footprint.
One of Lafarge Malaysia’s efforts
on conserving the environment is
working with The Andaman and
University Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM) to create Artificial Reef
Module System or ARMs to help the
regeneration of the fringing coral
reefs within the vicinity of Datai
Bay. Together with The Andaman
and UKM, a total of five ARMs were
produced by Lafarge Malaysia
and deployed into the water at the
beach front of The Andaman on 8
June 2013.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 25

feature
KeTTHA INDUSTRY DIALOGUE 2014
Dr Maximus
‘turun padang’
Past year has seen several changes and challenges
By JOHNSON FERNANDEZ
Firstly, it allows
my ministry to
intimate to the
industry players
the government’s
new standards,
efforts and
initiatives with
regards the three
sectors by ‘turun
padang’.
The government intends
to touch base
and feel the pulse of
the grassroots in pushing
the nation’s green
agenda forward.
It is with that in mind that
the second Industry Dialogue
was staged by the Ministry of
Energy, Green Technology and
Water (KeTTHA) at the Putrajaya
International Convention Centre
(PICC) on August 14 this year.
KeTTHA Minister Datuk Seri
Panglima Dr Maximus Johnity
Ongkili said he appreciated the
opportunity for the Industry
Dialogue for two specific reasons.
“Firstly, it allows my ministry
to intimate to the industry players
the government’s new standards,
efforts and initiatives with regards
the three sectors by ‘turun
padang’,” said Dr Maximus to the
participants in his welcoming
address.
“Secondly, it allows the
Ministry to listen and receive
feedback from the industry players
to achieve the best benefits
from the three sectors which form
the foundation for the economic
development of the country.
“The feedback and input
from this dialogue will allow the
Ministry to plan the development
of the three sectors in the 11th
Malaysia Plan in 2016.”
Dr Maximus pointed out the
past year has seen several challenges
and changes with the
industry players in all three sectors
– Energy, Green Technology
and Water. As the key proponent
in supporting the development of
the country, from the social and
economic aspects, it was critical
for KeTTHA to connect with every
stakeholder as it’s the aspiration
26
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

of the government to see the layman,
traders, NGOs and even civil
societies benefit from KeTTHA’s
efforts.
“I believe it is, and should be,
everyone’s agenda to support
the wellbeing of the country. The
input and feedback from last
year’s dialogue session was put
into practice.
“And I would like to see again
that this session will further
enhance our goal to take the
three sectors – Energy, Green
Technology and Water – to a
higher level,” added Dr Maximus.
Dr Maximus also spoke about
the new initiatives, among which
are:
Under the National Green
Technology Policy, KeTTHA
encouraged the growth of
green technology by setting
up the Green Technology and
Climate Changes Committee at
State level.
Green Technology Financing
Scheme (GTFS), including
introducing the Green
Technology Investment Tax.
Tax exemption for the development
of green technology.
Creation of markets for green
products and services through
the MyHijau programme.
Setting up Government Green
Procurement (GGP), with
strategic cooperation with
Ministry of Human Resources,
Ministry of Education and
the private sector to create a
workforce specifically for the
green sector.
Focus on green lifestyle by
setting up Green Foundation
(YaHijau), with special attention
on youths.
“The restructuring of the water
supply industry will be a focus for
KeTTHA. Special attention will be
paid to Selangor where I already
see a solution with the signing
of the Heads of Agreement on
August 1 this year. This ensures
the continuation of the Langat 2
Water Treatment Project (LRAL2).
“I have been informed that
similar discussions in Kelantan,
Kedah and Pahang are showing
positive signs. To mitigate the El
Nino phenomenon, the government
has agreed to the proposal
for ‘mobile treatment plants’. I’ve
asked SPAN to facilitate this immediately,”
added Dr Maximus.
As for the way forward, Dr
Maximus said KeTTHA was committed
to:
Electric and water supply
that’s reliable, sufficient and
safe.
Supporting of energy and
water industries, and development
of green technology
industries through
Government-to-Business
and Private Finance Initiatives
(PFI).
Providing of incentives for the
promotion of industrial development
and strengthening of
the legal framework.
Revising and reviewing regulations
of related industries.
Ensuring that efforts and capacities
are further enhanced.
The future of green technology
to be a major catalyst in certain
fields such as transport, agriculture
and automotive.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 27

feature
KeTTHA Industry
Dialogue 2014
Ensuring sustainable development of three sectors that
are the main pillars of economic development
BY RANESSA
THEYAKARAJA
The Industry
Dialogue
2014’s main
objective
was aimed
at informing
industry
players about
new policies
and actions
put into place
to drive the
growth of the
energy, green
technology
and water
sector.
The Ministry of Energy,
Green Technology and
Water (KeTTHA) advocated
their second
Industry Dialogue
on 14th August at the Putrajaya
International Convention Centre
(PICC).
The Industry Dialogue was
chaired by none other than
KeTTHA Minister, Datuk Seri
Panglima Maximus Johnity
Ongkili. There was participation
by 250 representatives from the
energy, green technology and
water industry.
Also present were KeTTHA
Deputy Minister Datuk Seri
DiRaja Mahdzir Khalid, Energy
Commission representative,
Water Commission representative
(SPAN), Sustainable Energy
Development Authority (SEDA),
Malaysian Green Technology
Corporation (MGTC) as well as
representatives of government
departments and agencies.
The Industry Dialogue 2014’s
main objective was aimed at
informing industry players about
new policies and actions put into
place to drive the growth of the
energy, green technology and
water sector.
The objective is to also obtain
direct input from the industry in
looking for the best methodical
ways to ensure the sustainable
development of the three sectors
that are the main pillars of economic
development.
At the end of the afternoon
session, the Minister had addressed
and responded to some of
the issues that were raised in matters
related to the three sectors.
With the energy sector, several
measures of improvements to the
Feed-in Tariff (FiT) are already underway,
including ensuring a more
transparent and fair distribution
of the Feed-in Tariff quotas and
generating speed of the Feed-in
Tariff payment by TNB from the
Renewable Energy Fund.
As for solar photovoltaic, the
ministry, along with SEDA, will
develop the framework for the
implementation of Nett Metering
and Reverse Bidding to enhance
the use of renewable energy in the
country.
KeTTHA also held a series of
discussions with the Ministry of
Finance on the implications of
the implementation of Goods and
Service Tax (GST) with regards to
the energy sector, in particular
to ensure that it does not burden
domestic consumers.
To encourage the implementation
of energy efficiency (EE),
the Ministry will also review the
proposal to replace planting-up
electric powered plants in the
future in order to promote the use
of EE elements.
With that said, KeTTHA will be
conducting a stakeholders’ engagement
session in the near future
to acquire feedback from the
industry on the National Energy
Efficiency Action Plan draft. The
ministry is prepared to consider
proposals for co-generation as
well to be promoted as a source of
energy in remote areas that have
trouble receiving energy.
Towards the green technology
sector, GreenTech held
discussions with banks involved
to facilitate the channeling of
loans under the GreenTech Fund
Scheme. GreenTech has also
examined other methods such as
‘experience sharing’ by successful
companies and case studies in
encouraging green practices.
KeTTHA will also formulate
an action plan for green product
certification that can be improved.
The labeling scheme for goods or
green products or Green Building
Index practiced is in voluntary
form.
Cumulatively, the reduction
in carbon intensity contributed
by the energy, green technology
and water sectors for the period
of 2013 to July 2014 is estimated
at 8.692 tCO2e. This figure represents
5.5% of the overall target of
40% reduction in carbon intensity
by 2020.
Through SPAN, KeTTHA will
ensure water is not a long-lasting
scheduled outage. This includes
enforcing the requirements under
the Rules of the Water Services
Industry (Water Reticulation and
Pipe Fittings) 2014, that is water
load storage capacity has to be at
least in two days of use.
SPAN has also developed mitigation
plans with water operators
in the States to overcome the
problem of water supply.
KeTTHA will then be working
with State governments to find
other sources of water, including
groundwater. Intensified steps will
be taken in order for reduction in
non-revenue water loss (NRW)
that now stands at 35%. KeTTHA
will pay attention to the Water
Efficiency Program, including the
aspects of policy development
related to water demand management.
KeTTHA would specifically
concentrate in drafting a plan of
action to address the issues raised
at the dialogue. In respect of operational
issues, action to resolve
the same was taken. In respect
of issues relating to government
policies, sufficient time is required
in drafting and planning a comprehensive
solution.
28
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

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Column
PART I
Cost-saving projects through
energy performance contracting
Procurement process must suit the EPC business model and process flow
Energy users have several
options to implement
energy saving
measures identified
from the energy audit.
For low and no cost measures,
many organizations may be able
to allocate some budget internally
but for measures that require bigger
amount of budget with some
degree of risks to consider for such
investments, Energy Performance
Contracting (EPC) is one of the
practical options to achieve significant
energy cost reduction.
EPC model has been identified
as one of the strategic initiatives
that will encourage domestic direct
investments by the private sector
by PEMANDU in the Economic
Transformation Program (ETP)
which was launched by the Prime
Minister in 2010. To kick-off EPC
projects implementation, the
government has committed to
implement EPC projects under the
Government Lead by Example approach
under Entry Point Project 9
in Oil, Gas and Energy Sector where
the Ministry of Energy, Green
Technology and Water is the lead
ministry for this energy efficiency
initiative.
What is Energy Performance
Contracting?
EPC concept for energy saving
measure implementation is
through direct investments by
ESCO with “Zero Upfront Costs”
concept to the owner or the management
of building or industrial
facilities. The returns from the investments
will be used to pay back
the ESCO only from the actual energy
savings achieved from the
implementation of energy conservation
measures by ESCO based
on shared- saving contract with
conditions agreed by both parties.
In simple terms, EPC is a project
approach that utilizes the energy
savings and revenue gains from
the implementation to pay for the
project costs.
The adoption of EPC has been
By Zaini
Abdul Wahab
widely practiced in the private
sectors and also in many countries
such as United States, Thailand,
Taiwan and Japan which offers the
following benefits:
i) Ability to implement energy
saving measures with “ZERO”
investment from the facilities
owners through performance
based concept and to invest
savings achieved into other
projects;
ii) To ensure sustainable mechanism
and funding sources to
implement energy saving
measures for more efficient
management of energy;
iii) One single contract to tackle
multiple energy-saving projects
through implementation of each
energy saving measure identified
from detailed energy audits;
iv) Risks transferred to competent
third parties on profit sharing
basis with proven technologies
and expertise; and
v) Effective measures to implement
energy saving measures
to promote energy conservation
in government and private
facilities by market mechanisms-private
investments
For the government sector,
the adoption of EPC concept will
ease the financial burdens of the
government spending to implement
sustainable energy saving
measures in its buildings and the
money would be able to be spent
for other purposes.
For private companies, the EPC
will enable competent third parties
to identify and implement energy
saving measures while they are
focusing on their core businesses.
In both sectors, the EPC mechanism
will allow them to transfer
the financial commitment and
risks to invest in EE projects to the
third party and in the same time to
be assured the savings which will
benefit the in a long run.
Who can perform
EPC project?
EPC is performed by an
entity generally known as Energy
Service Company (ESCO) which
develop and implement turnkey,
comprehensive energy efficiency
projects. ESCOs offer performance-based
contracts (i.e., contracts
that tie the compensation
of the ESCO to the energy savings
generated by the project) as a significant
part of their business.
ESCOs must also demonstrate
the ability to provide the full range
of services required for a comprehensive
energy efficiency project
covering:
+ Detailed energy audit
+ Project financing for implementation
+ Consultancy in energy efficiency
projects
+ Design of energy efficient systems
and solutions.
+ Implementation and project
management
+ Construction management
+ Testing and commissioning
+ Operation and maintenance
+ Energy performance monitoring
and verification performance.
How to make EPC works?
To have a workable EPC im plementation,
the procurement process
must suit the EPC business
model and process flow and to
have that the government officers
and decision makers responsible
to manage EPC must understand
what EPC is and how it can work.
EPC cannot be treated like a typical
conventional procurement of
products or services by the government.
Some have tried using
the typical tendering process but
failed and one of the reasons is no
ESCOs were interested due to impractical
conditions and limitations.
For example, a detailed energy
audit it a costly exercise and no
one would be willing to performed
it with no certainty that they will
be awarded the EPC contract.
Secondly, feasible EPC projects
are only about installing new energy
efficient equipment or installing
30
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Column
logy
nite
s to
reen
the
and
and
.
d in
n to
on
energy saving devices and thirdly,
the sharing from the achieved
savings between the ESCO and
the client must be from the actual
and measured performance rather
than from the calculated quantity
when the proposal was made and
agreed.
A full-fledged EPC player in
shared-savings model should
have the capacity to perform the
full scope works involved in the
EPC itself. It is very crucial to gauge
the commitment of the prospects
from the beginning if they are
really keen on EPC model to save
energy costs at their facilities.
Normally facilities owners are
keen due the so called zero upfront
cost concept when actually the
whole process is not truly zero
cost but absorbed by ESCO as a
part of EPC business process. For
example, to conduct a detailed
energy audit is a cost as well as the
implementation and later followed
by the monitoring, measurement
of energy performance to establish
baselines and actual savings,
operation and maintenance of
affected energy using systems.
From the building owners’ point
of view is there is actually zero cost
upfront especially in conducting
detailed energy audit and investments
for the implementation.
They just need to pay back all the
costs incurred in the whole process
totally from the actual savings
achieved from the energy saving
measures implemented by ESCO.
In normal cases of EPC, it would
take quite a long time to get everyone
on the same page on EPC
concept although all parties have
indicated their interest from the
start because in most cases too,
the final decision is not with the
technical personnel( as always).
This lengthy process and discussions
to reach and agree with the
contract’s conditions with the
ESCO and key decision makers at
the client’s side is to avoid future
disputes especially when the
payment to be made to the ESCO
which will involve so many questions
on the measurement and
verification of savings.
In fact, we also need to be very
clear on the actual definition of energy
cost savings achieved. I came
across facilities owners signed
EPC contracts based on actual
savings achieved but it is purely
from theoretical calculations for
certain period of time. In EPC,
ESCOs should be paid or rewarded
based on the actual performance
and that actual performance must
be based measured data from the
agreed baselines which is also
based on measured indicators at
agreed operating conditions.
EPC is not just about a technical
exercise which involves technical
solutions and paying back from the
savings achieved from it. To make
it happen, one more important element
is to gain the trust and confidence
of the prospects that EPC
will benefits them in more than just
energy cost reduction. EPC could
also be seen one way to let ESCO as
the expert to perform the energy
management tasks for the client
and ESCO to play significant roles
that will make them as a strategic
partner rather than just as a service
provider or product supplier.
With the average five to 10 years
of typical EPC contract period, a lot
to consider before it can be signed
by both parties especially on the
ESCO’s side when so much risks at
stake when investment made.
On top of that it is also crucial
to determine the viability to invest
under EPC. This is what happened
few years ago when a government
agency tried to implement EPC
as a pilot project and later did not
manage to attract any single ESCO
to participate. Then they reviewed
the contract period to make it
more feasible but unfortunately
the tendering process does not
suit the EPC business model and
therefore some projects that have
been identified still could not find
the break through.
The challenges for EPC
projects implementation
Yes, the real challenge is how ESCO
can recoup their investments and
making profits at agreed period.
This is actually the most tricky
and challenging part of adopting
EPC model that will lead to one
big question: HOW CONFIDENT
OF THE ESCO TO GUARANTEE
THE PROJECTED SAVINGS FROM
WHAT THEY PROPOSED TO THE
CLIENT?
This type of question normally
comes from the decision makers
especially from financial controllers
and also the possible financiers
where the failure to convince
them may end up with the big
NO for them to proceed and even
they agree to proceed, projects
implemented will open to further
disputes when actual performance
to be verified. Usually when
invoice is sent to them by ESCO to
pay from the energy cost savings
that claimed has been achieved.
Most users prefer not have EPC
financing to be in their balance
sheet and in the same time, they
need to be educated on long term
benefits and risks on ESCOs when
they invested through EPC shared
saving model.
To my knowledge, there are not
many big scare investments and
comprehensive EPC contracts that
covered total energy saving solutions
being implemented by ESCOs
in the current market in Malaysia
even though in the private sector.
Most ESCOs are focused on certain
solutions such as HVAC and lighting
for commercial buildings. There
some EPC contracts involved technologies
called as energy saving
device where it is claimed to save
energy when installed at certain
points in the internal electricity
distribution systems.
For government sector, more
need to be done to educate different
level of people in the administration
and decision making. A series
of consultations, workshops,
dialogues and discussions have
been taken place in recent years
to promote EPC model which will
also ease the financial burdens of
the government in managing its
utility costs and to source extra
budgets to implement energy saving
measures.
At least the Ministry of Finance
has accepted the idea and EPC has
been formalized through the creation
of a new registration code for
ESCOs with the ministry. Payment
to ESCOs also is allowed to be made
under EPC by utilizing existing payment
codes for the expenditure.
In the same time quite numbers
of relevant personnel in the
Department of Works have started
some initiatives to move towards
EPC implementation for the
purpose of implementing energy
saving projects at government
buildings.
Now the focus must be more
on the actual target groups which
is the management or the owners
of government buildings facilities
on the EPC option to reduce their
operating costs especially with the
increase of energy cost from the
energy subsidies rationalization
program that has been implemented
by the government.
PART 2: Next issue - Key steps in
the implementation process
Zaini Abdul
Wahab is
a principal
consultant
& director at
Connecys Sdn
Bhd which
specializes in
consultancy
for sustainable
energy
management
system. He was
also the Director
of Energy
Efficiency at
Sustainable
Energy
Development
Authority
(SEDA) Malaysia
and l;ed the
national EE
initiatives
under ETP and
also was the
key resource
person in the
drafting of EE
& Conservation
Act by the
Ministry of
Energy, Green
Technology and
Water.
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COLUMN
Saving the sinking boat of
mankind, where is Malaysia at?
Malaysians believe we are geographically blessed for being free
from natural disaster
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed group photo with participants of Singapore Power Shift, a movement under 350.org, the world’s
largest environmental movement.
Gene-Harn
currently works as
a Green Building
Consultant at
IEN Consultants
based in Bangsar.
The architecture
fresh graduate is
also passionate
towards the
potential benefits
of sustainable
urban design and
green buildings
towards the
aspect of social,
environment
and economy in
Malaysia. He is
also the founder
of www.MESYM.
com, Malaysia’s
virtual integrated
platform for
environmental
sustainability
movements.
Yes you heard it
right, the analogy
is as what described
by the former
Maldivian President
Mohamed Nasheed, who famously
held a cabinet meeting
6 meters underwater in 2009 to
pass a resolution calling for action
at the Copenhagen climate
change talks. During a meet with
Nasheed in conjunction with
Singapore’s Power Shift event
last July, he highlighted agonizingly
on the need for global effort
in mitigating the effects of global
climate destabilization as the
survival of Maldives is at stake.
“Imagine a boat with all the
nations on board, if one does not
cut down his carbon emission,
the boat will be overweighed and
everyone else drowns together,
and in this case, the signs are
showing in Maldives, we are
drowning, literally speaking.”
Rising Temperature, Rising
Sea Levels
The best available science predicts
that sea levels will rise 0.5 to 2 meters
by the end of the 21st century,
assuming global warming increases
average temperature to 4
degrees Celsius. An archipelago
of around 1,200 islands with just
an average of 1.5 meters above the
Indian Ocean, the Maldives was in
good reason to shout out loud during
the 2009 Copenhagen Climate
Summit despite the modest size
of the country. Imagine the day by
day disappearance of coastal land
daily and there is no higher ground
to go to, your home is going to be
beneath the sea level soon. That
is what portrayed in “The Island
President”, a multi award documentary
which captured
Nasheed’s presidency term in addressing
this global issue from
the very bottom of grass root up
to the top-level global assembly
of Conference of Parties (COP 15)
during then. However, a deeper
reality concern is that the rising
sea level is also a global threat to
hundreds of coastal cities such as
Shanghai, New York, New Orleans,
Kolkata, Bangladesh, Bangkok,
Manila, just to name a few. To
make matters worse, most developing
countries are being either
skeptical or not ready to mitigate
the consequences of rising
sea level but rather placing priority
in economy and population
growth which makes them even
more vulnerable to the future uncertainties
posed by climate destabilization.
More Than Just Feeling
“Hotter”
Despite what climate change deniers
say, the global statistics
speak for themselves. However,
one must understand that the
increasing mean temperature
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COLUMN
across the globe translates
more than just ‘global warming’,
it is also the extreme weather
events, they are unpredictable
and sometimes, unexplainable.
In 2012, the U.S. experienced one
of its worst droughts in 25 years,
which had a huge impact on the
agriculture sector, particularly
planted corn and soybean, to
lose more than a billion dollar.
Meanwhile in the Philippines last
November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan
is one of the strongest tropical
cyclones ever recorded that took
more than 11,000 people lives
and incurred losses estimated
US$686 million. Earlier January
this year, temperatures across
half the U.S. were plummeting
to record low readings due
to weaken polar vortex which
suspects the increasing melting
rate of Arctic sea ice during
summer months to be the cause.
These examples are just the tip
of the iceberg and experts fear
for the worst yet to come. Climate
change is undoubtedly one of the
many global challenges facing
mankind in this 21st century; it
will result in competition for new
resources, territorial changes,
energy security, water security,
food security and disruption in
trade patterns. Climate destabilization
is a global issue that is affecting
every corner of the world,
including you. But what does this
mean to the average Malaysian?
Typical river level of Pasig River in Manila that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Manila metro has a
majority of its 12 million population living on flood prone area.
Is Malaysia truly safe from
Natural Disaster?
The general public still perceives
climate change as a distant
threat, and also holding on
that Malaysia is geographically
blessed for being free from natural
disaster. However, Malaysia
has already felt the pinch.
Although this year is regarded as
one of the warmest, as strange
as it may seem, Malaysia recorded
the coldest temperature of
15.7°C in the northern states in
February this year. The extreme
weather Malaysians are experiencing
today will become more
frequent. This means that if it
rains, it would be very heavy with
severe thunderstorms. And if it is
hot, the hot days would be longer
and dryer. The extreme dry spell
that affected greater Klang Valley
earlier this year has put the urban
population to a water rationing
exercise too. Malacca was
without rain for 67 rains, while
Subang and Petaling Jaya recorded
22 and 18 days without rainfall
respectively. On the contrary,
Kemaman had one of its worst
floods in 40 years, causing more
than 13,000 people to evacuate
their homes in December of 2013.
Hard Truth from the Numbers
The weathermen recorded an
average of 26.7°C in Peninsular
Malaysia during 1969. In 2013, 44
years later, more than 300 meteorological
stations across the
country gave an average temperature
of 27.4°C, or an increase of
0.7 degrees. An analysis of the sea
level variations for six areas in the
Malaysian seas have been investigated
using 15 years of altimeter
Altimeter data
from satellites
from 1993-2008 of
6 locations around
Malaysian Seas has
shown rising mean
sea level over the
period.
data obtained from various satellites.
The altimeter sea level time
series revealed that since 1993, the
mean sea level in Malaysian Seas
has been rising at a rate of between
1.42-4.08 mm/year. (1). But
what does this really mean? This
can also be seen a rising of 0.02°C
in the mean temperature annually,
or 0.2 degrees every decade,
as well as a rising sea level of 14 -
41cm in 100 years.
Malaysia’s Not So Ambitious
40% Reduction Target
Global climate destabilization is
real, and many of us are too smart
to be complacent about a steadily
deteriorating situation, just like
a frog in boiling water, until it is
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 33

COLUMN
eleventh hour to take concrete
actions. Malaysia has voluntary
pledge in the United Nations
Climate Change Conference 2009
(COP15) by stating Malaysia would
cut 40% of its 2005 GDP carbon
emission intensity levels by 2020
subject to assistance from developed
countries. However one
must clearly understand the difference
of GDP carbon emission
intensity levels in comparison
with absolute carbon emission
as illustrated in the graph below.
In actual case, instead, we have a
100% increase of absolute carbon
emission in the year of 2020 compared
to 2005 level. On the other
hand, Maldives has set targets to
be the world’s first carbon neutral
country by 2020. Does Malaysia’s
40% carbon emission reduction
commitment signify any urgency
or is it a play safe number that still
prioritizes economic gains?
Are We Doing Enough to Save
the Drowning Boat?
Despite the targets, it is irrefutably
true that there are some efforts
in various approaches to reduce
the carbon emission, be it
governance, legislation and policy.
In 2009, we see the establishment
of Ministry of Energy, Green
Technology, and Water as well as
the National Green Technology
Policy. Various institutes have
been formed since then to assist
the implementation of various
policies, such as MGTC Malaysia
Green Technology Corporation
and GTC Green Technology Council
to stimulate the growth of Green
Technology; and SEDA Sustainable
Development Authority to administer
Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy efforts such as
Feed In Tariffs. Green Technology
Financing Scheme (GTFS) was announced
in National Budget 2010.
Various green township and building
rating tools have also been
used such as LCCF Low Carbon
City Framework, Green Building
Index, GreenRe, GreenPAS, and
many more. Even recently,
Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment and UNDP Malaysia
initiated a 2-year programme for
a National Corporate Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) Reporting Programme,
also known as MyCarbon. Green
Foundation, or also known as Ya
Hijau, was also established with
an initial launching grant of RM15
million to promote the development
of Green Technology in the
Chart illustration
showing Malaysia
Carbon Emission
Reduction
Projections
comparing
Malaysia’s
voluntary pledge
in COP15 and
an absolute
reduction of 40% in
comparison.
country. Despite there are many
deliverables on the track, the
question still remains. “Are these
efforts sufficient to address our
promise in COP 15 back in 2009?”
Is the Orchestra Team
Delivering the Result?
We see many different agencies,
ministries and level of governments
having their own environmental
sustainability agenda to
dance along the call to reduce carbon
emission. However, is there
a dedicated task force supervising
this? Did we duplicate our efforts
as a nation in addressing the
same problem? Where is our carbon
reduction framework? We
have many players in the orchestra
team trying to outperform the
others, but where is the conductor
to ensure the deliverables can
meet the expectation? Is there
a 20-30 years long term planning
to address this action plan?
Even 10 years is seen by our policymakers
as crystal ball gazing.
We need a strong leadership, policy
and mandate to cut across the
red tapes and personal interests to
prioritize the survival of our future
generation. Aren’t we supposed to
be held accountable to answer our
future generations in the next 30
or 50 years on the opportunity for
us to fix this problem?
Debating Environmental
Issues in the Political Arena
There is no doubt that environmental
issues and politics go hand
in hand. It’s time to have frank debate
between political parties on
the sustainable growth context
of energy security, water security
as well as food security. The good
news is that we do not have to reinvent
the wheel, as we have the
technology and experts in doing
the deliverables. But, what we really
need is the political will, the
willingness of different policy
makers crossing boundaries regardless
of background and political
stand to move things forward.
It is time to move on from the secrecy
culture and the government
has to be brave in making the unpopular
decisions for the better of
the country.
Rakyat Needs to Involve for the
Sake of Their Future
It is also important that
the public needs to change its
mindset that Malaysia is a land of
abundance in natural resources.
This is simply untrue and not
sustainable as we are a nation of
wastage when it comes to food,
water and energy. The Rakyat has
to play their role by practicing the
democracy stand in demanding
for answers from their leaders
and participate in public engagement
sessions, instead of just
criticizing behind or being a keyboard
warrior spreading hatred on
social media. Most of us could be
talking about the security of our
future offspring, be it monetary
or education or moral context,
but why are we not taking in
energy and water security issue
which are equally important to be
thought of?
Questioning Humanity’s
Survival
In the bigger picture, this
directly questions if Malaysia is
doing her part in saving the one
and only race on this planet, the
human race. We share the same
air that we breathe, the same
water that we drink, on the only
habitable planet regardless of
which corner we belong to. The
planet resource is finite and it now
supports a population of seven
billion, growing to 9.2 billion by
2050, which you can expect energy
security, water security and
food security to be a real concern.
What makes you think we are
living in a care free world when
we have so many questions that
have yet to be answered for the
sake of humanity’s survival?
What gives you the confident that
your future generation will have
the luxury of choices we have today?
As the former United States
vice president Al Gore once said
“Making mistakes in centuries
and generations past would have
consequences that we could
overcome. We don’t have that
luxury anymore.”
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COLUMN
In the Wood Horse year, the
existence of strong Wood element
clashes with the Earth
element
When we talk about Green
colour, we will automatically link it
with the Ecology, Save-The-Earth,
“GO!”,”OK!”, health. Thus, it is a
word and colour filled with lots of
positive ambience and Qi.
From the Good Feng Shui
viewpoint, Green is related to
the Wood element, it tastes sour,
located in the East and Southeast
sectors, links with liver-function
and eyesight.
2014 is the year of the Wood-
Horse that’s dominantly influenced
by the availability of strong
Wood and Fire elements.
In the first half of the year,
Good Feng Shui had predicted
that land and property prices,
and their rental rates shall turn
softer, at least it would not surge
as high as like before. Some
areas will face stagnancy in the
property transactions, especially
amongst high-rise condominiums
and office blocks partially due to
uncertainties in the economy
outlook and more stringent loan
facility application imposed by the
Bank Negara.
The excess in the supply will
lead to the situation of sellers
outnumbering buyers. Only upon
entering the third quarter, especially
from mid-August onwards,
the market will be gradually more
stable. Therefore, those who are
keen on acquiring or investing in
new properties will have more and
better choices in terms of prices
and quality.
We also predicted that the prices
of gold, iron, copper, steel and
other metal-, petroleum-related
products are likely to be unstable
or softened. This is because of the
existence of strong Wood and Fire
elements this year that exhaust
much the power of Metal element.
Due to weakening Metal
element, the various currency
exchange rates become more
volatile. The higher inflation rates
leads to the increase in prices of
goods, thus burdening the general
public.
The bank interest rates continue
to be on the low side even
though it will gradually increase,
and this usually serves as a
catalyst for the stock market. The
stock market would become more
active especially entering into
mid-August onwards.
2014 is the GREEN
Feng Shui Year
In the Wood Horse year, the existence of strong Wood
element clashes with the Earth element
Kenny: We are
witnessing now
there are more
and more property
developers are
injecting good Feng
Shui ideas.
In 2014 till the first half of
2015, those involved in Wood
and Fire-related industries, such
as plantation, glove, education,
tyre, petroleum, electrical, energy,
entertainment, and food and
beverage (F&B) will have greater
business opportunities, thus more
aggressive and active business
plans and operations will lead to
greater harvests.
In 2014, the Wood Horse year,
the existence of strong Wood
element clashes with the Earth
element. Therefore, businesses
related to the Earth-related
industries, such as land, property,
construction, mining, etc. would
have to be more patient, to step
up efforts, re-plan or re-structure
investment portfolio in order to
generate greater success and attain
new horizons.
We are witnessing now there
are more and more property developers
are injecting good Feng
Shui ideas and implementation
into their current and future
projects in order to cater to the
increasing needs by the prospective
purchasers. Indeed, the
availability of good Feng Shui in a
particular project could affect its
sale performance.
The Metal-related industries,
such as the banking, finance,
steel, gold, car, will face more
pressure and stress in this year
36
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

COLUMN
generally and they will only do
better especially entering the
third quarter of the year.
The Water-related industries
such as traveling (airplane, in
particularly), logistics, tourism,
hotel, drinks, fishery will face
influences from various external
uncertainties.
However, by working together
hand-in-hand with the noble
working-partners in investment,
business creation or maintenance,
they will eventually attain greater
success.
In the first half of 2014 we saw
the stock market and real estate
market were softer, but as long
as market research homework is
properly done, and wise choices
are made to invest in visionary,
reputable companies, or real
estate properties having good
location and Feng Shui implementation,
the opportunities remain
promising.
Even in situations where
the trend is soft, the ability to
grasp opportunities to discover
reasonably-priced, high-quality
stocks or real estate properties
will result in worthwhile returns
and gains when the economy
starts to recover from the third
quarter.
The Early Heaven wealth luck
brought forth by the Year 2014 will
just be fairly general and unexceptional.
Therefore, in this year,
one should identify beneficial
and noble working partners to
face and conquer any challenges
together, and move forward to
explore new opportunities ahead.
Within this year, one should
avoid excessive decorations
or paint having the Red or
Yellow colours in the East and
Northwest sectors of the home or
office. Instead, the recommendation
for this sector is to have it
painted Blue or Whiten order to
ward off unwanted effects from
the Number 5-Yellow Star. Avoid
placing any aquariums or moving
water features in these sectors, in
order to avoid triggering negative
energies within the sector.
The most influential Good Feng
Shui colour in the year of 2014 is
the Green colour, namely the Teal
colour.
In particular, the colour Green,
for example the Teal colour, is the
“booster” of positive Qi namely
Number 9-Purple Star that is
located in the North sector of the
house or office. Painting a feature
Kenny: The most influential Good Feng Shui colour in the year of 2014 is the
Green colour, namely the Teal colour.
wall in the North sector of the
house or company with mainly
Green colour and mixing where
appropriate with some Purple or
Red colours, can bring forth plenty
of positive energies and greater
fortunes to promote good health,
wealth, harmony and prosperity
till 3 Feb, 2015.
Having a feature wall painted
in the South sector of the house or
office premises with Light Yellow
or Brown colours can also bring
forth lots of positive energy and
greater fortune that promotes
good wealth and prosperity in
year 2014. As for the Southeast
sector, painting a Purple or
Reddish colour feature wall in this
sector can help to avoid potential
legal issues or arguments with
others.
In general, the socio-economy
in Malaysia will be much better
especially entering to September
2014 onwards.
Master Kenny
Hoo is the
Founder & Chief
Researcher
of GOOD
FENG SHUI®
Geomantic
Research, a
research-based
company that
actively involves
in providing
professional
Feng Shui
(Geomantic
science)
research,
authoring,
seminars and
consultation
services for
domestic home,
business, factory,
hotels & resorts,
township,
property
development
& ancestral
graveyard. To
find out more
about Kenny
and his Feng
Shui please
visit www.
goodfengshui.
com.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 37

feature
Catherine’s first
100 days at SEDA
In less than three years of the FiT’s
operation, SEDA has achieved more
RE capacities than the previous SREP
programme
Catherine Ridu was
under-secretary of
the Regulatory and
Industry Development
Division, Ministry of
Green Technology and Water
when she was appointed Chief
Executive Officer of Sustainable
Energy Development Authority
(SEDA) with effect from June 2,
2014.
By mid-October, she would
have completed 100 days in her
new role.
In conjunction with that, she
speaks with Green+ about the
challenges at SEDA and about her
hopes and aspirations to take the
department to the next level.
What are your viewpoints on the
roadmap of SEDA and plans for
the near future. What have been
the SEDA’s challenges so far?
The roadmap of SEDA is framed by
the National Renewable Energy
Policy and Action Plan (NREPAP)
in which SEDA is obliged to
fulfil the five strategic thrusts
meted in the NREPAP document.
Although SEDA is only 3-yearsold,
it has made some commendable
achievements in each strategic
thrust; the achievements are
spelt out in detail in the recentlyreleased
annual report for SEDA
2013. In addition to what SEDA is
tasked with in the NREPAP, SEDA
is also spearheading Energy
Demand Management (EDM) in
which the team is very much involved
with the Energy Efficiency
(EE) industry and academics to
facilitate deploying and promoting
EDM measures together with
the Energy Commission as well
as the Ministry of Energy, Green
Technology and Water.
The challenges that SEDA has
encountered can be divided into
immediate challenges faced and
challenges to achieve long-term
goals:
Immediate Challenges:
+ RE Target: how to meet/
achieve the RE targets
stipulated in the National RE
Policy and Action Plan (2010)
as the targets are constrained
by the size of the RE Fund.
SEDA needs to consider other
mechanisms to increase the
RE target and not to depend
solely on the RE Fund or the
FiT mechanism.
+ RE Fund: how to increase the
contribution to the RE Fund.
The NREPAP assumed a 2%
additional charge on electricity
bills commencing 1st January
2011 but only 1% was imposed
on 1st December 2011 and another
additional 0.6% imposed
on 1st January 2014, making
a total of 1.6%. The public may
not be able to accept another
increase of 0.4% on electricity
bills as there are other subsidy
rationalisation exercises (such
as petrol, electricity, sugar,
GST) going on.
+ Trust perception: SEDA is
entrusted to manage the RE
Fund with financial efficiency
guided by SEDA’s core values.
SEDA is required to look into
ways of how SEDA can earn
greater trust from the public in
managing the RE Fund.
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feature
Challenges to achieve long
term goals: Sustainable
Energy Development and to
grow RE.
+ Sustainable Energy
Development so the vision of
SEDA can be achieved. The vision
of SEDA is to promote the
deployment of sustainable energy
measures as part of the
solutions towards achieving
energy security and autonomy.
This development needs to
consider the economic, social
and environmental impact;
“Development to meet the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their own needs”. (Brundtland
Report, World Commission on
Environment & Development,
1987, United Nations)
+ Look into measures to increase
RE in the electricity generating
capacity mix. Currently, RE
from the FiT programme constitutes
less than 1% (~ 0.7%) of
the total electricity generating
capacity in the country. With
depleting fossil fuel, there is a
need to increase the proportion
of RE in the electricity
mix and also to engage more
Energy Efficiency measures
to improve both the supply
and demand side management
of energy. The scope of
sustainable energy development
encompasses both
the Renewable Energy and
Energy Efficiency (Supply Side
Management & Demand Side
Management) so the national
objective of achieving energy
security and autonomy can be
partially met.
What was the outcome of the
stakeholders’ engagement workshop
to discuss the revision of
degression rates for solar photovoltaic
(PV) for projects achieving
commercial operation in 2015?
The stakeholders’ engagement
workshop held recently
in Putrajaya (12th September
2014) and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
(19th September 2014) met with
most positive responses. This is
the 3rd year in which SEDA has
carried out regular stakeholders’
engagement and the degression
rates proposed were deemed reasonable,
hence there were very
little objection to the proposed
digression rates.
We understand SEDA withdrew
some applications for biomass/
biogas quota for 2015-16. What
were the reasons for that?
The main reason was that the
applicants made mistakes in
their applications and they have
requested to withdraw their
applications to submit fresh
ones. Common mistakes made
were incorrect interpretation of
requirements, submitting wrong
information (e.g. installed/export
capacity), and submitting insufficient
documentations. These
mistakes arose because these
applicants were largely new to
the FiT and, therefore, were not
well-versed with the requirements.
What are the critical milestones
achieved by SEDA in administering
and managing the implementation
of the feed-in tariff
mechanism which was mandated
under the Renewable Energy Act
2011?
The achievements in SEDA are
best expressed in terms of number
of approvals and number of
projects achieving commercial
operation. In less than three years
of the FiT’s operation, SEDA has
achieved more RE capacities than
the previous SREP programme;
the latter only achieved slightly
over 60 MW connected to the
grid after a decade of programme.
The FiT figures represented in
the table below are as at end of
August 2014.
Important message
on Solar Residential
PV scams
SEDA would like to take this opportunity to draw to
the public’s attention about the recent bout of solar
PV residential scams that prey on house owners.
SEDA has received several complaints from the
public on cases of being cheated by PV companies
guaranteeing them solar PV quota in exchange for
a hefty deposit. Some of these complainants never
get to see the sales agent once the deposit is paid.
Suffice to say, these complainants are not aware that
SEDA is not even issuing any more new quota for
2014 and 2015, and that there is never any guaranteeing
of quota from SEDA to any applicants, and yet
there are some unscrupulous people who are still
taking the opportunity to make easy money from
the public with fabricated information.
These scams are hurting an emerging residential
solar PV market which is intended for the betterment
of the future by providing energy security to
the country, energy autonomy to the individuals,
and environment protection measures against
climate change. These scams destroy the public’s
confidence about investing in solar PV systems and
most of these individuals will have difficulties recovering
their hard earned savings. SEDA would like
to warn the public on this scam. Please visit SEDA’s
booth @ IGEM 2014 to receive a copy of the customer
guide for solar PV systems for the households.
No. Renewable Approved Commercial Operational
Resources No. Capacity % of No. Capacity % of
App. (MW)* total App. (MW) overall
1 Biogas 49 81.04 9.99% 6 11.73 5.8%
2 Biomass 24 233.14 28.74% 5 52.30 25.8%
3 Small hydro 32 246.34 30.37% 5 15.70 7.7%
4 Solar PV (Ind) 4,062 40.13 4.95% 164 99.17 11.9%
5 Solar PV (non-ind) 370 210.53 25.95% 2,386 203.09 48.8%
Total 4,537 811.18 100% 2,386 203.09 100%
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 39

Architecture
Greeted at entrance of Lost World of Tambun.
Ipoh is known for its limestone
landscape. The city
is surrounded by splendid,
bountiful greenery where the
Lost World of Tambun is strategically
placed.
A picturesque view of steep
cliffs covered with jungle flora
form the background of the theme
park when you enter Ipoh’s version
of Sunway Lagoon in Kuala
Lumpur. It has all the trappings of
excitement -- water park, amusement
park, hot springs & spa, Tiger
Valley, petting zoo, Tin Valley and
Team Building Park -- surrounded
by greenery and exquisite breathtaking
limestone features.
The Lost World of Tambun
is known to be one of the very
few eco-friendly theme parks in
Malaysia. From animals that are
not kept too far from their natural
habitats, to the hotsprings retreat
where water is conserved by
utilising geothermal spring water
Find yourself with
nature at the Lost
World of Tambun
By Tania Knutt and Ranessa Theyakaraja
for irrigation of the landscape and
the team building park where
the limestone and solid rocks are
utilised to its fullest for activities
such as rock climbing.
We were first taken to the
famous Lost World of Tambun
Petting Zoo. There we were greeted
by an informative guide who
took us around. Racoons roamed
the area freely.
The petting area is set on about
100,000 sq ft, built around its
natural habitat.
There have been 55 different
species -- herbivores, carnivores
and omnivores. It was obvious
the animals were kept as close as
possible to their natural environment.
Visitors are allowed to feel,
40
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Architecture
feed and play with the animals,
giving those looking for more
personal encounters, a closer
perspective.
Each segment was specifically
built to maintain the animals’ natural
habitat and survival. As it is
surrounded by its natural greens
all around, no drastic construction
was needed to allow the animals
feel close to home.
One of the processes used
to maintain and provide for
sufficient amount of clean air
and sunlight for the animals is
the Basking Process. In the zoo
culture, it is vital for the Rangers
to provide natural supplements
to the animals, like fresh oxygen,
green surroundings and sufficient
sunlight without the need to tear
down more trees. In other words,
basking is an important process
to improve and maintain the
health of the animals to ensure
longer life span.
One of the many critical things
in a petting zoo is hygiene. Usually
in zoos, specifically petting zoos,
hygiene is a major concern to
everyone, from the environment
to the cleanliness of the animals
in the enclosed areas.
However, over at the petting
zoo here, it was pleasant to see
that hygiene was top priority and
the cleanliness of the environment
as well as the cleanliness
of the animals were very well
maintained. One of the ways they
achieve this is by making full use
of the Eco-Bio Block and Zeolite. It
is especially placed in aquariums
of snakes and iguanas.
The Eco-Bio Block (EBB)
serves as a cleanser.
The EBB is a concrete block with
seals good bacteria which purifies
and improves water quality.
EBB is a bioremediation product
that contains effective bacteria
in a dormant condition until immersed
in water. Bacteria then begins
to multiply and cleanse water
by consuming organic matters.
Lost World of Tambun
Tour guides. Mariatul
(L) and Asri (R).
Basking process area.
By immersing the EBB in water,
the effective bacteria contained
within it will multiply, degrading
ammonia which causes bad
odours in any water bodies and
therefore purifies the water.
Additionally, Zeolite is microporous
aluminosilicate minerals
used as commercial absorbents.
Zeolite, through ion- exchange,
can be used in pollution control
and remediation. The Zeolite
has been used in agriculture,
agronomy, aquaculture, animal
husbandry, water waste treatment
and pollution control.
Not only do they have EBB,
they have also natural, chemicalfree
and organic liquid solutions
which is also known as the
Effective Microorganisms (EM).
The Effective Microorganisms is
a liquid solution of effective microorganisms.
“Effective” in that
the microorganisms can change
and improve the environment in
which they are applied.
EM is produced through a fermentation
process and consists
of water, molasses, lactic acid
bacteria, yeast and phototrophic
bacteria, which is a bacteria whose
energy for growth is derived from
sunlight.
To go back to a little history
of the EM, Dr. Teruo Higa was the
one who discovered the simple
idea of this as he was looking
for an alternative to agricultural
chemicals. Through extensive
research, he had discovered
that microorganisms can be a
powerful tool and after countless
attempts.
He found out that the key was
actually the combination of certain
naturally existing, beneficial,
non-toxic and non-pathogenic
microorganisms which can be
obtained from fermentation of
certain fruits. The EM is then
sprayed around the petting zoo
that wards off unpleasant odour.
With building a petting zoo
around the animals’ natural habitat,
other wild animals that roam
freely in the forest, specifically
monkeys, are allowed to swing by
the enclosed area as rangers from
the petting zoo will provide food
for them.
Lost World Of Tambun is
definitely one of the very few
eco-friendly petting zoos and is
surrounded by natural greens.
It is definitely an experience one
must not miss as it also serves for
educational purposes.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 41

Energy
A container vessel docking at Westports at Port Klang.
Curbing emissions and pollution from ships is a matter of
priority for IMO as shipping activities increase to support
growing global trade volumes, exploration and production
of offshore oil and gas and other economic activities.
Vehicles emission study of high
volume traffic in Selangor
Emissions from motor vehicles are the single most significant source of air
pollution in many Malaysian urban areas
In reality, the combustion
process cannot be perfect
and automotive engines
emit several types of pollutants.
Therefore, it is important
to develop and deploy methods
for obtaining real-world,
on-road micro-scaled measurements
of vehicle emissions to
estimate the pollutants. In this
work, several high traffic roads in
Selangor will be selected for the
road air-quality measurement
and analysis.
Comparisons with simulations
results, using the Operational
Street Pollution Model (OSPM)
are shown. The study shows that
there were no serious of air pollution
recorded in the period of
January 2012. Air quality trends
for the criteria pollutants in this
month generally are continuing to
show downward trends or stable
trends well below the level of the
Malaysian Ambient Air Quality
Guideline (RMG).
However, PM10 and groundlevel
O3 are the crucial pollutants
in Selangor. The study revealed
that moving vehicles creates a
significant impact in air quality on
the specific locations. Comparison
with simulated data also showed
good agreement thus indicating
suitability of the model to be used
in Malaysia condition.
By Ahmad
Fadzil Ahmad
Shuhaili,
Sany Izan
Ihsan,
Waleed Fekry
Faris
Introduction
Emissions from motor vehicles are
the single most significant source
of air pollution in many Malaysian
urban areas. Improved knowledge
about the quantity of pollutants
that the vehicle fleet is emitting
into the air has becoming a high
priority research question for authorities
who are responsible for
managing vehicle emission impacts
on air quality, especially in
urban areas (Cadle et al, 2003). In
internal combustion engines processes,
the actual process is usually
far from perfect combustion
due to many factors.
Historically in testing process,
individual vehicle emissions
have been measured using
dynamometer testing and drive
cycles. Dynamometer testing is
a labor-intensive process and, as
such, the number of vehicle tests
undertaken tends to be limited.
Due to the intrusive nature of the
testing programme it is very difficult
to obtain a random set of
vehicles for testing.
Dynamometer testing tends
toward using a better maintained
and/or biased vehicle sample
(Zhu et al, 2006). The implications
of relatively low vehicle numbers
and a biased test sample is that the
results may not be representative
of real world vehicle emissions.
On the other hand, overseas
experience, especially in the
United States and New Zealand,
has shown that field-visit on site
measurement is a very effective
method for assessing the quantity
of pollutants discharged from
large numbers of the on-road
vehicle fleet (Makra, 2004).
This study involves on the field
measurement of roadside vehicle
emissions, followed by an analysis
of the data. Fives high traffic
locations were identified and field
sites were conducted. It is therefore
expected that the results of
this work could further be used
for estimation of environmental
impact associated with vehicle
emissions.
Subsequently, a simulation of
traffic and emission were conducted
to compare with the actual
on the rod data. Since there is no
similar work conducted before in
Selangor, this project will provide
for the first time the actual picture
and situation of on-road emissions
in this State.
Experimental set up
+ Design of Experiment
Several high traffic roads in
Selangor were selected for the
road air-quality measurement
and analysis. Field measurements
along with the traffic
42
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Energy
information were collected
for several days. Meanwhile,
the latest data measures carbon
monoxide, nitrogen monoxide,
hydrocarbon and particulate
emissions and other
necessary information were
obtained from the Department
of Environments (DOE)
Malaysia. An analysis of the
vehicle fleet emission data and
other relevant data that must
be completed for simulations
were obtained from the specified
locations (Department Of
Environment Malaysia, 2011).
Subsequently, simulation
analysis was conducted using
traffic software based on
Operational Street Pollution
Model (OSPM).
+ Experimental Procedure
Several measuring site was
identified in connection
with a permanent pollution
monitoring station, operating
by DOE, which are in Kuala
Selangor, Port Klang, Petaling
Jaya, Banting and Shah Alam.
Continuous traffic counts were
collected on the traffic flow.
The meteorological data used
for the model calculations
with OSPM was also obtained
from DOE and Malaysian
Metrological Department
(MMD). Measurements of
wind speed and direction,
temperature, humidity and
global radiation were obtained
from several agencies
such as ASEAN Specialized
Meteorological Centre (ASMC)
and Public Works Department
of Malaysia.
Mathematical modelling
Concentrations of exhaust gases
are calculated using a combination
of a plume model for the direct
contribution and a box model
for the recirculation part of the
pollutants in the street. The model
can be used for streets with irregular
buildings or even buildings on
one side only but it is best suited
for regular street-canyon configurations.
The model should not be used
for crossings or for locations far
away from the traffic lanes. The
model is designed to work with
input and output in the form of
one-hour averages (Berkowicz et
al, 1996). The required input data
are hourly values of wind speed,
wind direction, temperature and
global radiation.
The model requires also hourly
values of urban background
concentrations of the modeled
pollutants. Beside the hourly input
parameters, the model requires
also the data on the street geometry
and the traffic in the street.
The basic equations used for
description of the mean flow are
the continuity equation:
ui
(1)
0
x
i
and the steady state momentum
conservation equation
ui
ui
p
(2)
' ' 1
uj v uu i j
; i1, 2,3
xj x
j
x
j xi
where
+ ui
are the three mean velocity
components (i=1, 2, 3 or x, y, z),
'
+ u
i are the turbulent fluctuation
components (deviations
from the mean velocity); the
over bar means time averaging,
+ p is the pressure,
+ ρ is the air density
Modeling dispersion of pollutants
in streets is inevitably
connected with wind flow modeling
(Mestayer et al, 1995). The
mathematical principles are basically
the same, for example, the
governing equation is the steady
state mass conservation equation
for a scalar,
c
' '
u
(3)
j
cu
j
S
x
x
j
j
where c denotes the mean concentration
and c’ is the deviation
from the mean value. S represents
here all possible sources and sink
terms, for example emission or
chemical reactions. Turbulence
represents the irregularity or
randomness of the flow. For this
purpose, a method of Reynolds
averaging is used. The wind
velocity at the inlet is not uniform
due to roughness and topography
and for this reason a wind profile,
turbulent kinetic energy and
turbulence dissipation rate was
introduced as a user defined function
(UDF) in the selected traffic
simulation software (Yamartino
et al, 1986).
The k–epsilon turbulence
model is the most used for modelling
flow and turbulence in street
canyons and it was also used in
this study, more precisely the
RNG k–epsilon turbulence model.
This model derived from the standard
k–epsilon turbulence model,
using a mathematical technique
called renormalization group
methods (Bishop et al, 2000). This
model improves the accuracy
for rapidly strained flows and for
swirling flows, provides an analytical
formula for turbulent Prandtl
numbers and an analyticallyderived
differential formula for
effective viscosity that accounts
for low Reynolds number effects
(Efisio et al, 2009). The wind profile
is represented by the following
equations:
U
f y
y
0
(4)
U( y)
ln
k y0
where
+ U
( y)
is the wind speed at the
height y (m/s),
+ k is the Von Karman constant
(0.42),
+ y0 is the roughness (m),
An important reason for nonuniversality
of the constants in the
k-epsilon model is that the model
is not a first principle turbulence
closure model, but entails several
assumptions and approximations
that may result in different coefficients,
when important aspects
of the flows are different.
Theoretically, the difference
between industrial and atmospheric
flows is the much larger
length-scale interval available to
atmospheric flows which means
that for the same dissipation and
turbulence stress, the turbulent
kinetic energy will usually be
much larger in the atmosphere
than in a tunnel simulation
(Briggs, 2007).
Nevertheless, the approach
flow-boundary layer conditions
used in this study have been well
defined by the software used, with
the wind normal to the main canyon
axis, and measurements have
been taken of canyon wall and air
temperatures and profile of mean
velocities as well as turbulence
intensities.
Results and discussion
The trend of the pollutant can be
observed onwards when the average
daily between measurement
and simulation are compared according
to the month. In this study,
first quarter of year 2012 is selected.
Three places that recorded
highest concentration for each
pollutant are shown in Figure 1-2
to see their pattern.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 43

Energy
Ahmad Fadzil
Ahmad Shuhaili
was a student
at IIUM doing
his Masters.
He is currently
pursuing his
PhD at UTP.
Dr. Sany Izan
Ihsan is a
lecturer in the
Mechanical
Engineering
Department,
working in the
area of vehicle
dynamics,
modeling and
simulation,
vibration and
renewable
energy. He
is currently
seconded to the
International
Islamic College
(IIC) as Deputy
CEO (Academic).
Dr. Waleed
Fekry Faris is
a Professor in
the Mechanical
Engineering
Department,
working in the
area of vehicle
dynamics,
internal
combustion
engine design
and dynamics,
nonlinear
systems,
vibrations and
modeling and
simulation. He
is currently the
Director of the
International
Institute for
Muslim Unity
(IIMU)
Concentrations of PM10 have
shown on average a decreasing
trend. The limit values were not
exceeded, in any of the measurement
locations on the daily
averages. However, still there is
exception to this situation when
very unfavorable metrological
conditions for particulate matter,
such as too little rainfall in the
middle of the year 2012.
For ozone, in first quarter year
of 2012, unusually low temperatures
and the associated circulation
patterns are responsible for
the lowest ozone observed at
most of these places. During the
heat wave of February 2012 by
shows that ozone was drastically
decreased throughout the boundary
layer of the atmosphere.
Also levels of nitrogen dioxide
have shown a steady increase.
Nitrogen dioxide is a fraction of
the concentration of nitrogen
oxides (NOX), which consist of NO
and NO2. The decrease in NO2 is
smaller than the decrease in the
measured concentration of NOX.
This is probably due to the fact that
the fraction of directly emitted
NO2 by road traffic has increased.
If this trend in measured NO2
concentrations continues, then
compliance with the limit value
for 2012 cannot be guaranteed in
some locations.
Meanwhile, average daily
carbon monoxide concentrations
have shown inconsistent
measurement. All monitoring stations
have statistically significant
decreasing trends, except for Port
Klang. The highest carbon monoxide
concentrations are found in
large city centres, which at Port
Klang and Shah Alam.
Conclusion
The analysis presented has revealed
that moving vehicles creates
a significant impact in air
quality on the specific locations.
Good correlations between measured
and modeled data also indicate
that OSPM simulation can be
used to predict the actual readings
of air pollution in Malaysia’s environment.
More knowledge and information
should be acquired on
local meteorological phenomenon,
road condition, traffic volume
and driver’s mobility and vehicle
profile. Also, the impact of nonprecipitation
weather elements
such as wind, sunlight and temperature
should be explored further.
Figure 1: Daily Averages for ozone in January-April
Figure 2: Daily Averages for NO2 in January-April
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful and wishes to thank Department of Environmental
of Selangor Branch, Department of Transport Malaysia and Meteorology
Centre for providing environmental data from the pollution monitoring
stations and assisting in the research. The Research Management Centre
(RMC), International Islamic University (IIUM) is also acknowledged for providing
the financial support for the work.
44
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

www.pollutec.com/gb
Malaysia’s Premier Eco-friendly,
Sustainable and Green Business Magazine

Energy
JKR and UNDP’s
Building Sector Energy
Efficiency Project
Contributions to the building industry
Current energy
consumption trends
Building sector electricity consumption
is increasing at a rapid
rate. As figure 1 shows, electricity
consumption in Malaysian buildings
has grown at an increasing
rate in a highly predictable manner
since 1990. If this trend was
continued to 2020, building sector
electricity consumption
will be 50% higher than in 2012.
Furthermore building sector electricity
consumption has grown at
a faster rate than GDP (constant
prices). In 2012 building sector
electricity consumption intensity
was 49% higher per unit of GDP
than in 1997.
What is BSEEP and what
is BSEEP’s contribution to
Malaysia
The Building Sector Energy
Efficiency Project (BSEEP),
with financial support of Global
Environment Facility (GEF) /
By Kevin Hor
(Project Manager
and Component 3
Consultant)
kevin.hor@jkr.
gov.my
UNDP, and implemented through
JKR (Public Works Department),
aims to reduce the annual growth
rate of GHG emissions from the
Malaysia buildings sector. BSEEP
aims to do so by improving the
energy utilization efficiency in
Malaysian buildings, particularly
those in the commercial and government
sectors by promoting
the energy conserving design of
new buildings and by improving
the energy utilization efficiency
in the operation of existing buildings.
The realization of this objective
will be facilitated through
the removal of barriers to the uptake
of building energy efficiency
technologies, systems and practices
(https://www.jkr.gov.my/
bseep/).
BSEEP strives to assist
Malaysia to meet its commitments
to reduce its CO2 emissions
by 40% by the year 2020. This
commitment made at the 15th
Conference of Parties (COP 15) in
Figure 1 - Trend line of
building sector electricity
consumption projected
forward to 2020. Based on
Energy Commission (EC) for
Malaysia on the Malaysian
Energy Information Hub,
in accordance with the
following categories:
Agricultural, Transport,
Commercial, Residential
(Domestic) and Industrial,
with Commercial and
Residential assumed to
represent building sector
electricity consumption. GDP
is based on data published by
the Malaysian department of
statistics, with a reference of
the year 2000 = 100.
Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009,
was ambitious especially for the
building sector in Malaysia.
Is it possible to decouple
energy use and GDP
Energy efficiency can break this
trend and provide other benefits.
It is possible to have GDP growth
without ever increasing energy
use. In the UK between 2000
and 2012 GDP grew by 58%, yet
energy use dropped by 12%. In
Australia electricity consumption
in the National Electricity
Market has dropped 8% since
2008/09, yet GDP has continued
to grow. Belarus, whose GDP and
GDP growth matches Malaysia’s,
reduced its energy intensity per
unit of GDP by two-thirds between
1990 and 2010.
Why consider energy
efficiency
Broadly speaking it costs much
less to save one megawatt-hour
(MWh) of electricity than it does
to purchase one MWh of electricity.
BSEEPs modelling indicates
that energy efficiency can
cost effectively deliver large savings
at a cost of roughly RM 0.15/
kWh, far lower than the RM 0.30/
kWh required to generate electricity
from fossil fuels as reported
by the Malaysian media.
To meet the growth in electricity
demand it is cheaper to invest
in energy efficiency at the point
where energy is used – in buildings
– rather than investing in
new power plants, transmission
and distribution infrastructure.
Treating energy efficiency as the
first fuel – as California has done
since the 1970s – provides wide
ranging economic, environmental
and social benefits.
The most cost effective time to
undertake energy efficiency in a
building is at the design stage, and
with strong rates of construction,
Malaysia has the opportunity to
deliver savings at lower costs than
in developed countries where
retrofits form the backbone of
energy efficiency policy. Malaysia
has had an active green building
community since 2007, focussed
on reducing the energy consumption
of new buildings. Based
on data estimates for the first 50
green certified buildings provided
by the Malaysian Green Building
Index (GBI), BSEEP calculates that
every ringgit invested in making
a building more efficient reduces
46
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Energy
electricity consumption by RM
0.30 per year. Over a 25 year
building lifetime this results in a
total return of RM 7.50 for every
RM 1 invested.
However for existing buildings
there is also opportunity
to cost effectively improve the
performance buildings. This is
particularly the case at the time
of refurbishment, which typically
happens every 15 to 20 years.
Upgrading to the most efficient
lighting or air conditioning has
a lower lifetime cost than purchasing
a cheaper less efficient
system.
Malaysia’s electricity supply
has over recent years moved to
greater dependency on imported
coal. As a result the greenhouse
gas emissions factor – the amount
of greenhouse gas produced for
each MWh of electricity generated
– has increased.
Energy efficiency reduces
carbon emissions, a key environmental
benefit. Energy efficiency
is labour intensive, unlike electricity
production which is fuel
intensive. As a result more jobs
are created when investment is
made in energy efficiency than
when it is invested in generation.
There are, however, a range of
barriers that require government
intervention in order to capture
the benefits of EE. These barriers
have not yet been effectively
addressed in Malaysia, with the
consequence of ever increasing
electricity consumption as shown
in figure 1.
Benefits of energy efficiency
yet to be realised in
Malaysia
As figure 1 shows, electricity consumption
in Malaysian buildings
has grown at an increasing
rate in a highly predictable manner
since 1990. A number of EE
building sector initiatives have
been undertaken – for example
rebates on energy efficiency
chillers – and whilst these
initiative have been effective in
reducing energy use in individual
buildings, they have not be done
so at a sufficiently large scale to
make an observable impact on
Malaysia’s overall building sector
electricity consumption.
If this trend was continued
to 2020, building sector
electricity consumption would
be 94,000,000 MWh in 2020, and
50% higher than in 2012.
Compared with other countries,
Malaysia’s building sector
EE policies are still predominantly
voluntary as illustrated in a poor
score shown in Figure 2 above as
postulated by BSEEP.
Policy recommendations
BSEEP has carried out work to
assess the energy efficiency scenario
in Malaysia and has come up
with the following recommended
strategy to drive the adoption of
energy efficiency by the industry
and public. These are: enable the
market, create a stable financing
mechanism, incentivise the market,
have government lead by example,
strengthen institutions,
and monitor and evaluate.
Enabling the market:
+ The Uniform Building By Laws,
2012, which incorporate energy
efficiency provisions from
MS 1525, need to be gazetted
by the states and municipalities
who have not done so in
Malaysia (readers should note
that only the state of Selangor
has gazetted this).
+ Energy usage and the opportunity
provided by energy efficiency
needs to become more
visible through the mandatory
disclosure of energy building
performance. To enable this an
energy efficiency rating tool
Figure 2 - Malaysia’s
Building Sector
Energy Efficiency
Policy Score. As
reported in the
2014 International
Energy Efficiency
Scorecard, ACEEE.
*Malaysia’s policy
performance was
not reported in
the scorecard, but
has been derived
by BSEEP using
the methodology
presented in the
scorecard
for existing buildings which
covers a range of building
types needs to be available.
+ A National Building Energy
Consumption Database
(NBECD) needs to be developed.
+ Awareness should be raised
through Appliance and
Equipment Standards and
Labelling (S&L) and expansion
of the S&L program to cover
commercial equipment, notably
chillers and commercial
air-conditioners.
+ Subsidies on electricity prices
should be totally removed.
Create a stable financing
mechanism and tools
+ Create a public-private for profit
investment fund dedicated to
energy efficiency projects
+ Create a revolving fund for
large energy users to access
ESCO delivered project
+ To setup a on bill financing
schemes
Create the market
+ As mandatory disclosure is
introduced incentives can be
used to drive early compliance.
+ Create market based incentives
using methods which
clearly enable energy savings
to be determined, should be
used. When energy savings
can be clearly quantified,
incentives can be created (and
funded) based on the “negative
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 47

Energy
watts” saved, which can be
priced to compete with generated
megawatts. A Utility
Energy Efficiency Obligation
or dedicated Energy Efficiency
Generator could be established
to enable this.
Have government lead by
example
+ Government ministries should
be required to adhere to energy
performance requirements for
their buildings.
+ Mechanisms and contracts
should be in place to enable
ESCOS to deliver EE to government
+ Government should adopt
green procurement principles.
+ Greatly increase resourcing
for the administration of EE
programs
+ Enhance capacity including
cooperation with the private
sector
Monitor and Evaluate.
+ Compliance with MS1525
+ The disclosure of building
energy consumption (enabled
through analysis of data in
the National Building Energy
Consumption Database)
+ Monitor compliance with
Standards and labelling
+ Monitor the impact and effectiveness
of incentives
+ Improve the monitoring of how
well government is leading by
example (i.e. PEMANDU)
+ Input the results of monitoring
and evaluation into
the Malaysian Sustainable
Consumption and Production
Indicators (MYSCPI) – a comprehensive
SCP monitoring
system
Public offerings
BSEEP has produced a range of
useful design guidelines and reviews
which can be access for free
by the public. These documents
provide readers with information
on how to design and manage effectively
the energy use of a building.
The documents below can be
downloaded:
+ Review of best practices
around the world for Energy
Management programs
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.
com/u/40344193/EM%20
Program%20Report%20
%28final%29.pdf
+ Energy Management
Guidelines (Draft)
+ Energy Efficiency Policy
Reviews and Proposals
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.
com/u/40344193/BSEEP-
EE_policy_for_bldgs.pdf
+ Energy Efficiency Financing
Best Practices
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.
com/u/40344193/
BSEEP_A1_EE_financing_best_practices_v6.pdf
+ Report on Building Energy
Intensity Calculation
Methodology
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.
com/u/40344193/
Report%20on%20
the%20Development%20
of%20Proposed%20
BEI%20Computation%20
Methodology%20-%20
Part%202.docx
+ Assessment report on viability
of local industry to manufacture
EE building materials,
equipment and components
(C5)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.
com/u/40344193/
BachelorThesis_S.
Kupfer_FinalDraft.pdf
+ Active and passive technical
design guideline
http://www.scpmalaysia.gov.
my/?q=node/73
Conclusion
As living standards and comfort
expectations rise in Malaysia, energy
use per building is increasing.
The rapid construction rate –
at current rates of growth in 2031
Malaysia will have twice the number
of electricity consumers that
is now has in 2014 – is also causing
building sector consumption
to rise.
The building sector accounts for
54% of Malaysia’s electricity use.
Building sector electricity consumption
is growing faster than
industrial electricity consumption,
and at current growth rates
by 2020 buildings will use 50%
more electricity than they did in
2012. Carbon emissions and coal
imports will increase accordingly.
This trend of ever increasing
consumption can be halted with
energy efficiency (EE) – using
less energy to provide the same
outcome. For example using less
energy to illuminate a workspace.
Energy efficiency provides three
key benefits:
Economic benefits. These benefits
can be very high. For example,
investing RM 1 million to make
a building more efficient can yield
up to RM 15 million in lifetime energy
savings. Over the 20 years
from 2016 to 2035, RM 34 b of government
investment in building
sector EE could yield RM 174 b in
energy savings across Malaysia.
It costs less to save 1 GWh than it
takes to generate 1 GWh of electricity.
Which is why globally
there is a shift to make energy efficiency
the “first fuel”.
Environmental benefits. The
building sector represents around
15% of Malaysia’s greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions. 274 million
tonnes of GHG could be saved by
2035 with the investment outlined
above, reducing building
sector emissions by one third
compared with Business as Usual
(BAU).
Social benefits. Investments in
energy efficiency are labour intensive
and geographically dispersed.
Roughly 5 times as many
jobs are created in EE than when
the same amount of money is invested
in building and operating
fossil fuel power plants. 15,000
jobs could be created by 2025 with
the investment in building sector
EE outlined above. EE creates jobs
and builds skills for the growing
global green economy.
Whilst energy efficiency (EE)
is economically, environmentally
and socially more beneficial than
building more power plants, government
intervention is required
to address the barriers to EE and
create a market for EE.
The barriers to building sector
EE include a widely disconnected
market between developers
and occupants of buildings, low
awareness of the value of energy
efficiency, fragmented and weak
institutional setups, gaps in
regulation and enforcement and
lack of data on building energy
use.
Addressing these barriers
involves enabling and incentivising
the market, creating a stable
financing mechanism, having
government lead by example,
strengthening institutions, and
monitoring and evaluation.
48
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

GREEN ECOLABEL SEMINAR
NEXT GREEN ECOLABEL SEMINAR
2-3rd DEC 2014
Greentech Malaysia International Conference on Eco-labels
13-18th DEC 2014
Study Mission on Construction and Demolition Waste Perth, Australia.
Earn 10 CCD points from CIDB
www.gpnm.org

Architecture
The makings of a hybrid city
Marriage of old, contemporary and futuristic will form new architecture
Fresh from hosting City
Time Traveller, a 12-part
architectural travel series
that recently aired
on Channel NewsAsia,
award-winning Singapore-based
British eco architect and professor
Jason Pomeroy shares reason
for the inspiration behind his love
of design, his favourite project and
what cities may look like in the future.
1 Tell us what eco-architecture is
all about, and what is a sustainable
building
Eco-architecture pays particular
respect for the natural
environment and harnesses
the elements (sun, wind, rain)
in a positive way to drive down
our daily water and energy
consumption - thus preserving
the environment, and our
resources for future generations.
What the ‘eco’ appendage
also suggests is that there is a
Jason Pameroy.
particular emphasis on ecology
and bio – diversity, thus ensuring
that whole life eco-systems
that include insects, birds, flora
and fauna live in balance with
humans in building designs that
are not only sensitive to these
inhabitants, but enhance their
prospects. Our work embraces
such ideas but goes further in
its sustainable building quest
to balance the importance of
human needs to create places
that draw the essence from a
peoples cultures and traditions.
2 What inspired your love for
architecture?
Strangely, it was playing in my
parents back garden – a humble,
yet lush green space with
an abundance of flora, fauna
and a pine tree. It is not only
where I got up close and personal
with nature, but where I
learned to ride my bike, build
earthern enclosures and set
up a whig wham tent – early
forays into sustainable architecture!
But a visit to St Pauls
Cathedral when I was 8 years
old sealed my fate and quest to
be an architect – I was blown
away by the domed structure
and the lofty interior of this
amazing building. Everytime
I return to London, which is
usually twice a year, I will
always return to this cathedral
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Architecture
that was designed by the great
court architect Sir Christopher
Wren. I also tend to visit
Cambridge, my alma mater,
once a year for research, and
enjoy some of Wren’s other
buildings, like Trinity college
library.
3. Why were you drawn to ecoarchitecture
in particular?
I guess I’ve been conditioned by
the places where I have lived. I
grew up in London, for me one
of the great cities of the World
that has wonderful parks,
garden squares interspersed
within the urban habitat. So
when studying architecture at
Canterbury I was interested in
high-density cities, like Hong
Kong and Singapore, and how
they try to salvage open space
for recreation and retain low
carbon footprints despite their
potentially energy intensive,
high-density settings. That
led me to doing my research
degree at Cambridge, where
I explored high – rise ecoarchitecture
and the role of
skycourts and skygardens. I’m
thankful to be now working in
a part of the World that allows
me to utilize this knowledge
and to see our projects coming
to fruition in some major Asian
cities, such as Manila, Kuala
Lumpur, Jakarta, Beijing, and
Singapore.
4. What is your favourite green
building you have executed
here in Asia? Tell us why it’s
your choice.
For now, I think the Idea House
– the first zero carbon house
in Asia, which was certainly
advanced for its time. I was
fortunate to be able to pre and
post-project demonstrate its
green credentials through
a book (‘Idea House: Future
Tropical Living Today’, published
by Oro Editions) and a
documentary, which helped
spread the importance of
zero carbon development
in the interests of owners
never having an energy bill
again. The lessons learned
from this exercise is allowing
us to design a pair of carbon
negative (i.e generates more
energy than the occupant can
use) bungalows in Singapore
at the same cost of the average
landed bungalows. The sooner
developers and designers
realise that the key to zero
carbon design is a return to
highly passive structures
with optimized thermal performance,
the sooner we can
de-bunk the myth that it is
more costly, and we can have
a greener built environment.
5. For most people, a building is
just a building. As an architect,
what is the first thing you see
when you look at a building?
I’m particularly passionate
about passive design in
order to reduce consumption
- something that architects
have been doing since the
beginning of time. The
Georgian terraced houses in
London stick in my mind as
incredibly versatile buildings
that embrace natural light and
ventilation. Technology has
allowed us to forget this, and
consequently increases our
carbon woes by relying on energy
consuming light fittings
and air conditioning. A return
to basic design principles is
key to successful sustainable
design that balances functionality,
emotional content, cost
efficiency and environmentally
responsiveness. So I tend to be
drawn to traditional buildings
as a starting point for design
reinterpretation. This allows
my Studio to create sustainable
buildings that have a low
carbon footprint, are modern
and yet bear the essence of
traditional cultures.
6. Do you think more can be done
in terms of green building in
the region and in your opinion,
are Asian architects/builders
moving in the right direction?
The shift towards more
sustainable development is
slowly happening. Boutique
developers seeking first mover
advantage by highlighting
energy and water savings
in addition to quality design;
bigger corporate developers
satisfying corporate social
responsibilities, or green
governmental legislation
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 51

Architecture
have made buildings green.
According to the World Bank,
by 2015, half of the World’s new
building construction will take
place in China, which has one
of the largest carbon footprints
in the World. This necessitates
swift action to kerb emissions,
and so the government seeks
to reduce energy consumption
by 45% by 2020. Coupled with
China’s major expansion into
renewable energy technologies
(they are now the largest
producer of solar cells and
wind turbines) we will be seeing
more green projects from
this Asian super-power that
seek to reconcile economic
progress with more sustainable
developments.
7. What do you think are some of
the challenges in green building?
The biggest challenge is
perception. People need to
understand that it’s not what
a sustainable building costs,
but actually what it saves.
Hopefully, the stigma of green
design costing 30% more
than normal buildings will
continue to be challenged and
de-mystified as more and
more green buildings are assessed
in terms of their capital
costs and operational costs
in comparison to non-green
buildings. Common perceptions
that sustainable design
is costly will then continue
to change, with an increased
awakening that the costs
initially associated with green
design are marginal (1-5%
over non-green buildings) and
the upsides considerably outweigh
the former. Improved
habitable conditions, reduced
energy and water consumption
and therefore utility bills
and greater social mobility all
contribute to an increase in
savvy property purchasers
basing their decisions on such
tangible savings and lifestyle
improvements.
8. In your opinion, which country
(if you could pick one) is leading
the green building pack?
Singapore is taking bold steps
towards greening the urban
habitat. The garden city is
quite literally greening many
a hardened city surface area
through the exploration of
skycourts and skygardens. In
many respects, I’m delighted to
see that the ideas from my recent
book are being executed
in reality, with Singapore
taking active steps to consider
the social, economic, cultural
and environmental benefits
of urban greenery. Its next
wave of development though
needs to be resolutely cultural,
as the eco-architecture being
created still remains within
a slightly superficial realm of
people’s common perception
of sustainability – i.e solar
technology or recycled and / or
natural materials.
9. Why is eco/sustainable architecture
the way forward in
building terms?
80 million barrels of oil are
consumed on a daily basis
to satiate our consumerist
lifestyles – enough to fill five
pyramids of Giza! The built
environment constitutes 45%
of global carbon emissions,
and at our rate of current development
we will be heading
towards cataclysmic climatic
changes that will result in
transmigration of populations
given drought, tsunami and
food shortage. Needless to
say, designing with nature
in mind to stave off climate
change is key to our survival.
The natural environment is
important to our design works.
Temperature, humidity, sun
and wind path, noise, and the
natural greenery and biodiversity
of a place are the starting
points to our design creations,
as are the local socio-cultural
forces that are ripe for reinterpretation
and abstraction.
These elements allow us to
create award-winning green
cities, buildings, landscapes
and interiors.
10. What did you learn about the
sites (some ancient) you visited
during the filming of City
Time Traveller?
Aesthetics may change with
time but the basic spatial
and cultural needs of man
have remained the same for
hundreds if not thousands of
years. I’ve had the privilege
of researching and exploring
many different Asian civilizations,
and the buildings and
places they created. They
have been forged through an
almost Darwinian process of
natural selection, where only
the strongest design ideas
survive. Superfluous detail
gets quickly erased in history
– what is retained is what is often
key to people’s living habits.
In Asian cultures, we see
the heightened importance of
the kitchen as the centre of
the home, the verandah as a
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Architecture
social space, and occasionally
the courtyard as the provider
of natural light and ventilation.
These elements transcend
geographic location, and we
can see similar models from
Thailand to India.
11. Were ancient builders already
implementing aspects of green
building back then? Have you
come across an example of
this?
The places I visited have
spanned the breadths of time,
ranging from the 7th century
ancient city of Varanasi, rich
in spiritual content, through
to the majestic Palaces of
Hue, and the magical ruins of
Ayutthaya. What transcends
culture though is an indigenous
civilization’s understanding of
basic environmental and social
needs, embodied in many
of these historical buildings.
Shelter from the elements,
natural light, natural ventilation,
locally sourced materials
and a spatial ‘encoding’ as to
who can come in and occupy
a particular space, and who
must stay outside, can be
found in all. This insight as to
how people once lived before
the advent of technology,
and how many of the basic
principles of the past can be
distilled to sustain communities
for the present and future,
is what has become applicable
in our green building design
method - from the macro scale
of the city to the micro scale of
the dwelling.
12 If you could single out just one
experience on the show, which
would be the most memorable
to you? Tell us why.
It’s hard to single out one
experience. After all, it isn’t
everyday that you get to explore
12 cities in six countries
in a 3-month period! It’s like
cramming years of architectural
education and research
over a long weekend! I’ve had
the privilege of travelling the
World extensively, but the
more you travel, the more you
realise how little you actually
know, which is an amazingly
humbling experience. I’ve
watched the Hindu rituals on
the river Ganges in Varanasi,
I’ve participated in the ancient
tea ceremony in Kyoto, I’ve
stood at the pinnacle of the
Birds Nest in Beijing and
observed the skyline, I’ve
climbed the ancient ruins
of Wat Chai Wattanaram in
Ayutthaya, and paid respect
to the altar of Emperor Khai
Dinh in his ‘palace of death’ in
Hue. All have left their indelible
mark on me, and I look
forward to sharing stories with
my family and friends.
13. Which places (top two spots)
would you recommend people
visit to take in the architecture?
London. This is where I was
born, raised and previously
worked. It’s the perfect blend
of ancient, historic architecture
and contemporary architecture.
I love the Roman ruins
in the old city; Sir Christopher
Wren’s Baroque masterpiece
- St Pauls Cathedral; and
modern interventions, such
as Renzo Piano’s tallest mixed
use building in Europe - the
Shard. The street and market
culture is also captivating,
and the structures that retain
them, such as Borough Market.
As the poet Ben Jonson said, ‘if
you’re tired of London, you’re
tired of life’.
Venice. Its one of the places
where I lecture every summer
in an urban design workshop
at the University of Venice.
Every little alleyway and canal
explored reveals something
more about this historic city
that was an epicenter for trade,
commerce and culture for centuries
under the Ducal rulers of
this magnificent city. Arabian,
Asian and European traders of
the past have been replaced by
tourists today, but the vestiges
of its former glory are preserved
as an urban museum of nostalgia
which I constantly enjoy
wandering around.
14. What is the future of architecture?
What would buildings
look like 50 years down the
road and what are some of the
technologies that we can look
forward to in building terms?
The 19th century colonial or
indigenous past (the ubiquitous
shophouses of Telok Ayer
in Singapore, or the Hutongs
in Beijing) will be retained as
urban artefacts of nostalgia to
remind us of yesteryear. The
layering of the contemporary
(the tall buildings and new
structures) will act as a reminder
of economic progress
and technological advancement
in the 20th century. A
marriage of old, contemporary
and futuristic will form new
architecture within the ‘hybrid
city’. By the end of the 21st
century however, layering
will come as a result of climate
change, inner city migration /
population increase and further
technological advancement.
Buildings may not need
unsustainable demolishing
- they will parasitically extend
above the rooftops and will be
interlinked to other structures
via skybridges. Skygardens
will be in abundance given
the need for alternative social
spaces for people to interact
with such increasing inner
city densities. They would also
provide an opportunity for roof
top urban farming as well as
help reduce the noxious pollutants
in the atmosphere and
the searing heat of the city. –
travel3Sixty.
For more
information
on Prof Jason
Pomeroy,
Pomeroy Studio
and Design
Green! please
visit: HYPERLINK
“http://www.
pomeroystudio.
sg” www.
pomeroystudio.sg
To view episodes
of City Time
Traveller, please
visit: HYPERLINK
“http://www.
channelnewsasia.
com/tv”
http://www.
channelnewsasia.
com/tv
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 53

ARCHITECTURE
BCA’S 2nd green
building masterplan
80% of buildings will be green by 2030
By the year 2030, BCA’s
2nd Green Building
Masterplan has set to
achieve the BCA Green
Mark Certified rating
and to have a target of 80% of its
buildings in Singapore Green that
the Inter-Ministerial Committee
on Sustainable Development
(IMCSD) has set for Singapore’s
built environment.
To achieve this target, the
Building and Construction
Authority (BCA) is progressing
onto its 2nd Green Building
Masterplan in which is a roadmap
that sets out specific initiatives to
achieve a viable and sustainable
built environment in Singapore by
the year 2030.
This 2nd Green Building
Masterplan will result in annual
savings of 1.6 billion in terms of
energy cost reductions as and
when it is fully implemented.
The heightened increase in
the number of BCA Green Mark
Certified new building in 2007 is
proof of the success of BCA’s 1st
Green Building Masterplan that
was launched in 2006 that placed
an emphasis on new buildings
and those undergoing major
reconstruction.
To boost the potential for
cost-effective energy saving in
its built environment, BCA’S 2nd
Green Building Masterplan will be
expanding to cover three main
development areas, specifically its
New Buildings, Existing Buildings
and Beyond Buildings.
BCA’s 2nd Green Building
Masterplan places special
emphasis on ‘Greening’ existing
buildings as with the large existing
building stock consumes a
third of or our national end-use
electricity.
Recognising its financial
considerations as one of the key
barriers for building owners to
upgrade the building energy
performance and to jumpstart the
‘greening’ of existing buildings in
the private sector, BCA is introducing
a sum of S$100 million for
its Green Mark Incentive scheme
for existing buildings.
In wanting to achieve the improvements
in energy efficiency,
this cash incentive scheme aims
to encourage private owners of
existing buildings to undertake
retrofitting works. When the cofunding
scheme has been fully
implemented, private building
owners would be able to enjoy
collective energy savings of about
$120 million per year.
BCA and the Urban Redevelopment
Authority (URA)
have decided to offer incentives
in the form of bonus Gross Floor
Area (GFA) to encourage private
developers to construct new
buildings that attain a higher tier
Green Mark rating for example;
Green Mark Platinum or Green
Mark GoldPlus. .
URA will contribute additional
floor area over and above the
Master Plan Gross Plot Ratio (GPR)
control for developments attaining
to the Green Mark Platinum or
GoldPlus
URA’s Group Director of
Development Control, Han Yong
Hoe, said: “The bonus GFA scheme
is a mechanism used by URA
to incentivise the provision of
desirable building features like
balconies in residential buildings.
We are happy to extend this to
BCA Green Mark to contribute to
the vision of making Singapore a
more green and sustainable city.”
In order to achieve higher
Green Mark standards for projects
developed on government sales
sites, the higher Green Mark standards
will also be set as land sales
conditions for new developments
in selected new strategic growth
areas to ensure that these land
sales projects are truly green, high
quality and distinctive.
Added BCA Director of the
Technology Development, Tan
Tian Chong: “This will help
to accelerate the adoption of
environmentally-friendly green
building technologies and building
design practices to enable the development
of more economically
viable green buildings in the long
haul.”
BCA’s 2nd
Green
Building
Masterplan
places special
emphasis on
‘Greening’
existing
buildings
as with the
large existing
building stock
consumes
a third of or
our national
end-use
electricity.
54
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

GPNM AdNEW OutlineAA.pdf 1 10/10/14 11:57 PM
Architecture
Eco-smart new home has
highest green credentials
New property harnesses host of renewable energy and
eco-friendly construction techniques
It is not only large-scale
commercial projects that are
now adopting Web Earth’s
approach to eco-responsible
design excellence.
The practice is involved
in a number of cutting-edge
residential projects, including
the massively innovative Barlow
Residence in Kuala Lumpur.
Web Earth is currently working
with award winning architects
Hijjas Kasturi Associates (Hijjas)
to help create this high-end
residential property near to the
centre of the city.
The new property, being built
for a private developer, is harnessing
a host of renewable energy
and eco-friendly construction
techniques.
Hijjas, founded in 1977, deliberately
develops designs that reconcile
contemporary space and
function with a modern aesthetic
quality.
The introduction of ‘intelligent’
features to temper climate and
conserve energy allows Hijjas’
recent designs to evolve towards
organic form and detail that can
exploit construction systems for
new solutions.
Web Earth has set a target
for Barlow Residence of not just
a Green Building Index Platinum
Certificate but zero energy consumption.
Richard Outhwaite, director of
Web Earth, says that target can
be achieved without reducing the
quality of the development or its
striking architectural appearance.
He explains: “We are rising to
the challenge of creating a zero
energy property in a number of
ways, including the installation
of an integrated photovoltaic array
- a linked collection of solar
panels - as part of the design
process.
“This has been designed in
such a way as to not detract from
the aesthetics of the building,
but to add to the striking design
concept of the house as a modern,
high-end residential property.”
However, the concept goes
far beyond renewable energy.
Every aspect of the design and
construction process is part of the
drive to achieve the zero energy
target.
Richard continues: “Zero energy
grade concrete is being used
in the building process and that
is made possible through a large
amount of passive design.
“The orientation of the building
is really important, to get the right
amount of shading needed for
the glazed area and strategicallyplaced
balconies are also being
utilised in this process.
“We are also trying to avoid the
use of any external fasciae and
finishing, the concept throughout
being that less is more. And
wherever possible we are using
materials with very low embodied
energy.
“The client has embraced all
the design aspects needed to
create a zero energy property and
we are using them in a variety of
ways to reach the target required.”
He added: “We’re working on
a number of similar zero energy
projects for clients who want their
properties to be something special.
“An important aspect of
projects such as these is that
you don’t have to spend large
amounts of additional money to
achieve the aim.
“And it is an investment in the
future, because the fact is you are
going to get the money you have
spent back.”
Web Earth is at the forefront of
developing passive design solutions
to construction.
Passive design responds to
local climate and site conditions
to minimise energy use by using
free, renewable sources of energy
such as sun and wind to provide
household heating, cooling,
ventilation and lighting, thereby
reducing or removing the need
for mechanical heating or air
conditioning. – www.webearth.
com.sg
56
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Architecture
Taking a two-way approach
to hotel energy systems
Façade will be highly insulated, using a variety of highperformance
glass and materials to shield it from the sun
Web Earth’s environmental
experts
are taking
a two-way
approach to
their work helping create Kuala
Lumpur’s first eco-responsible
hotel.
At the heart of their innovative
designs for the new £95 million
52-storey mixed development of
hotel and office is a system that
recycles waste energy and water
from the proposed building.
Heat from the hotel floors will
be used in the hotel’s hot water
system after being recovered using
heat exchangers.
And in a move in the opposite
direction, water from the hotel’s
showers and long-baths will be
treated and filtered – and then
reused in the cooling towers of
the hotel air-conditioning system.
It’s just one part of the ecoresponsible
approach being taken
by Web Earth in the construction
of the new development replacing
the landmark Hotel Equatorial
that was part of the KL skyline for
almost 40 years before its demolition
last year.
Built in the 1970s, it hosted
international dignitaries, statesmen,
sports personalities and celebrities
from the entertainment
world during its lifetime.
The one million sq ft hotel and
office complex is being designed
by acclaimed architects GDP
for Hotel Equatorial’s owneroperators
as they look to create a
new and stylish iconic building in
the city.
It has a host of eco-responsible,
carbon-reducing features
brought to the project by Web
Earth.
The façade will be highly
insulated, using a variety of high
performance glass and other
materials to shield it from the sun.
There will also be large
amounts of vegetated space to
help reduce the “urban heatisland
effect” and reduce the
buildings’ air conditioning load
Richard Outhwaite,
Director of Web
Earth
and energy consumption.
As much as practically possible,
daylight will be used to light
internal spaces. Rain water is also
being harvested for use in the
buildings.
Web Earth has also adopted
a stringent life cycle strategy.
Construction involves the use of
locally sourced and recycled materials
and the structural frame is
being created with alternatives to
high carbon producing cement.
Hotel Equatorial’s owners are
targeting the new building for local
Green Building Index certificate to
establish it as an environmentally
friendly leader in the hotel sector.
Richard Outhwaite, director
of Web Earth, says: “The new
development has been created
with high levels of passive design,
energy efficiency and waste
recovery.
“We’ve looked at the two different
usages in the development
and created what we believe is a
symbiotic relationship between
them.
“It includes the creation of a
plant room in the building to synchronise
the recycling operation.
“We’ve ensured that all the
components of recycling and
energy saving do actually make
a difference.
We’re not doing this because it
is trendy or because it is required
by legislation; we are doing this
because it makes economic and
environmental sense for this
building.”
In keeping with the ecofriendly
approach to the development,
which is set to open its
doors in 2018, rubble from the
demolition of the old hotel was
used locally on another nearby
development site as aggregate. –
www.webearth.com.sg
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 57

COLUMN
When something
is lost forever,
we can no longer
sustain, we can
no longer care
for it or nurture it nor revive it.
Imagine the globe without the
ozone layer? A world without
sufficient drinking water? Earth
without fertile land? Countries
without adequate food supply?
We have read about these
phenomena happening somewhere,
affecting someone else.
Have you thought for a moment
what if this happens to you?
Most of us are oblivious to the
gradual strain we are causing
mother earth through our daily
consumption lifestyle.
Some make small changes in
their daily routine. They participate
in recycling projects in the office.
Some adhere to the no plastic
bag rule on Saturdays, on March
30th most observe Earth Hour. In
one way or another we make an
effort to play a part in Sustainable
Living.
Sustainability creates and
maintains the conditions under
which humans and nature can
exist in productive harmony,
that permit fulfilling the social,
economic and other requirements
of present and future generations.
Sustainability is important to
ensure we have and will continue
Sustainability
emerged because of
significant concerns
It’s about how much responsibility one assumes
By Sunita Devi
Appukuttan
to have, drinking water, materials,
and resources to protect human
health and our environment.
Sustainability has emerged
as a result of significant concerns
about the unintended social,
environmental, and economic
consequences of rapid population
growth, economic growth
and consumption of our natural
resources. Every nation now has
got Sustainability in its national
agenda and policies.
The difference is one derives
results while the other stays as a
policy. NGOs usually take to become
environmental watchdogs,
striving to ensure that industries
meet legal requirements to control
pollution, while governments develop
theory, tools, and practices
that enabled it to move from controlling
pollution to preventing it.
Today, sustainability is
upscaled to the next level by
drawing on advances in science
and technology to protect human
health and the environment, and
promoting innovative green business
practices.
My personal awakening with
Sustainability started almost four
decades too late due to my work.
One day I was asked to interview
green product producers in our
country and the background
homework led me into a whole
new world of knowledge.
At first it was rather perplexing
due to the various jargons the
industry and businesses have
adopted, this includes book titles.
I have been enlightened that in a
nutshell, Sustainability is about
how much Responsibility one
assumes, as a policy maker, as a
businessman as the general public
in protecting the place we live
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COLUMN
in so that we may continuously
enjoy what we have now.
In pursuit of refining this new
knowledge I embarked on a post
doctorate research on the same
topic in the attempt to identify
how effective are government
policies in real life practice. As
preliminary search, I went back to
basics, academia.
An article featuring the first in
Sustainable research by Taylor’s
University tells the story in this
issue alongside an industry approach
in long term CSR results as
in the Green Ranger movement by
a property developer.
In the next issue I look forward
to share with you our national
Sustainable Consumption Policy
progress, a story of a Sustainable
City in this country, right here
in the state of Selangor. As we
move along I look forward to
your feedback and would love to
read about your experience with
Sustainability.
Moving forward methods
and jargons in Sustainability will
be unraveled for businesses to
leverage on their Sustainability
issues or goals in a more practical
manner.
+ Purpose: The purpose of
this research paper is to
explore the understanding of
sustainable development and
sustainability reporting concepts
among Malaysian local
authorities’ personnel.
+ Design/methodology/
approach: The research involved
interviews with 23
respondents from 16 selected
councils in Malaysia. Interview
results were analysed by using
the interpretive textual analysis.
+ Findings: The meaning of
the sustainable development
concept is quite broad from the
local authority’s perspective
in Malaysia. Local authorities’
personnel view sustainable
development as: societalist,
ecologist and individualist.
Only staff directly involved
in the sustainable development
activity implementation understood
the meaning of the sustainable
development concept.
The respondents indicated the
importance of educating people
on the awareness of sustainable
development in their understanding
on this concept. Consistent
with the western values, 13 councils
(81 per cent) agreed with the
definition by GRI.
+ Research limitations/
implications: The research
is restricted to Malaysian local
authorities and is descriptive
in nature. The findings are limited
to case studies in several
states, thus generalizing the
results is not possible at this
stage.
+ Practical implications:
There is a deeper appreciation
of where local authority personnel
gain their understanding
of sustainable development
issues, and how they
participate in the discourse
around sustainable development.
+ Originality/value: Very
little research has been
undertaken into how local
authority personnel gain
their knowledge, either about
sustainable development
and sustainability reporting
or about their views on the
subject. The research attempts
to fill this gap and the way for
similar work to be undertaken
overseas. Accordingly, this
paper calls for further discussion
on local authorities’ role in
achieving sustainable development
and on the public sector
interpretation of sustainable
development in general.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 59

Energy
Low carbon economy
Truly green companies will apply sustainable
practices throughout their operations
After the first two
decades of our life,
economy may seem
to make sense.
Usually this happens
when we begin earning
an income, when one becomes
a contributor to the economic
growth of a company and country.
Traditional economic models are
drawn based on simple logic, price,
demand and supply.
Moving into the 21st century
and ahead many countries have
come to realise the pains and
constraints of the “Conservative
Consumption Economy”. From
such solution seeking efforts
emerge the “Conservation
Economy”. There are growth opportunities
in moving to a “Low
Carbon Economy”.
Briefly, societies and organisations
realised achieving continuous
economic success required
care for the environment or
Sustainable Development Plans.
There was clear focus on economic
progress that minimizes
damage to the environment and
delivers better quality of life to
communities through Sustainable
Economic Development.
The root cause of such development
was to mitigate the adverse
effects of Climate Change in other
words, reducing greenhouse gas
By SUNITA DEVI
APPUKUTTAN
emissions more significantly the
human race evolution, through
adaptation activities, just as how it
had done in the past.
Now this brought about
the emergence of Low Carbon
Economy which supports jobs and
businesses in response to the climate
change pressures. Countries
reviewed strategies and drew policies
that involves changing how
energy is produced and used, and
extends to areas like low carbon
supply chains, skills, infrastructure
and leadership.
This clearly enables the quality
of life to become an increasingly
important indicator of the prosperity
of society and promote
health benefits as well as wider
social benefits.
The conventional rationale for
what economic growth is meant
to deliver is often assumed rather
than stated, but logically it is based
on the idea that growth not only
supports quality of life through
providing income, work and the
ability to buy things, but that it
also drives tax revenue and therefore
the ability of governments
to spend money on services or
infrastructure that society needs.
The problem with this model
was that it did not give a holistic
mitigation measure and consideration
for the after-effects towards
the environment. Typically, high
growth is associated with higher
carbon emissions; whilst social
inequalities persisted due to
differentiation in environmental
advantages and disadvantages.
The advancing technologies
contributed both to merits and
demerits of growth.
Now with the advent of Low
Carbon Economy, the principles
for such large scale economic
transitions begin with influencing
smaller communities to take
charge of climate change and
adapt. Although an upscaled
activity commonly drives results,
from the low carbon economy
perspective, bigger economic
opportunities can be enjoyed with
least cost.
Evidently, some countries are
still struggling to manage the cost
of climate change effects.
Therefore, it makes economic
common sense to move towards
Low Carbon Economy because
of the substantial cost savings
components, in many sectors
and subsectors of an economy
through effective use of resource
and energy efficiency actions.
However, without public
policies to drive such initiatives,
everything will be in vain. The
low carbon approach to management
of resources and business,
only enhances the resilience and
security of an economy ensuring
that the benefits flow to all sections
of society, and that most
vulnerable communities, individuals
and businesses are well
supported such transitions.
The scale of change required
across the whole economy is
something that the market
may be well-placed to deliver.
However, without sufficient levels
of investment any ambitious
statutory targets for emissions
reduction will not be achieved as
planned.
Securing such levels of investments
should be made wisely
with the help of regional communities
and organizations that fund
growth in those given regions.
The United Nation’s Commissions,
the European Union and the Asian
Development Bank webpage will
provide you loads of information
on projects they fund all over
the world. In 2014, there were 86
Switch-Asia grant projects in 16
different countries with an average
grant amount of 1.7million
Euro.
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Going green is becoming
increasingly attractive as a business
strategy, because green
industry practices not only enjoy
benevolent public sentiment and
the psychic income of a lower carbon
footprint, but increased cost
savings, supportive government
policies, and ever-increasing
profitability as well.
Trends in consumption,
government policy, and costs all
point towards even more green
industry business opportunities
in the years ahead.
Leaders make sustainability
a key consideration in decisionmaking
throughout the organization.
Recognising the importance
of our planet’s dwindling natural
resources, the green industry
seeks to meet the demands of
today without compromising the
needs of tomorrow.
From energy-saving light
bulbs to insulation made from
recycled denim, there are varying
degrees of going green. Large factories
may install solar panels to
reduce energy costs while a local
restaurant may deliver by bicycle
to reduce emissions.
Increasingly, companies are
recognising the potential profitability
of going green and are taking
steps, small and large, toward
greater sustainability. While any
effort can be considered positive
for the environment, many
companies are guilty of “green
washing”, in which they market
themselves as green while merely
going through the motions.
Some companies, for example,
tout their organic products but fail
to mention the pollution caused
by their factories or the energy
inefficiency of their supply chain.
It is not enough to simply go
paperless or use hybrid vehicles;
truly green companies will apply
sustainable practices throughout
their operations.
Before purchasing products,
investing in shares, or considering
green franchise opportunities,
it’s best to make sure companies
practice what they preach. There
are a number of standards and
guidelines to help find out if a
company or product truly fits
within the green industry.
In our increasingly connected
world, consumers are becoming
better educated about the
dangers of a growing population
competing over rapidly depleting
natural resources, and many are
looking for ways to lessen their impact on our environment.
Though the scientific cause and effect of many environmental
issues remains debated by some, what is undeniable
is a growing consumer interest in environmentally
friendly business practices and products. Clearly, consumers
care more now than ever about green industry and
have the resources to find the products that meet their
requirements.
From huge multinational companies and local businesses
to the meaningful growth in green opportunities,
the green movement is in full swing and reaping benefits.
And the trend is not driven by customer interest alone, as
sustainable business practices help companies save money
over time.
PricewaterhouseCoopers indicates that companies
reporting sustainability efforts have a greater return on assets
than companies that do not. It may cost more to install
solar panels but monthly savings on energy bills add up
fast. Increasingly, businesses are looking to enhance their
operating efficiency through sustainability efforts, and opportunities
in the sector will continue to abound for years
to come. Here are some examples of Green and Sustainable
Business opportunities world over.
Landscaping professionals can now focus on reducing
pesticides and chemical fertilizer while returning valuable
organic material to the soil through composting
and mulching.
+ Energy Auditing can help home and business owners
reduce monthly bills and lower reliance on the traditional
energy grid. Increasingly in demand, efficiency
experts help modernize and green existing structures.
+ Cleaning Services provide traditional services with
eco-friendly products and processes. Opportunities
exist for pet cleaners, maids, car washes and more.
+ Solar Installations are growing as panels are becoming
smaller and more efficient. From rooftop installs
to small data transmitters to decorative displays, solar
energy use is one the rise.
+ Restaurants using fresh organic produce are serving
up nutritious meals in environmentally efficient settings
to attract health conscious consumers.
+ Home Improvement can be a combination of several
services such as increased energy efficiency or the
use of environmentally-friendly building materials.
+ Organic Food Production can take place on large and
small scales. Franchisees focus on installation and
cultivation within homes, schools and businesses.
+ Printer Ink Recycling franchisees provide a valuable
service to their community while significantly reducing
environmental waste.
Green industry is on the rise because they’re increasingly
demanded by consumers, sought after by shareholders, and
required by governments. Sustainable business practices
acknowledge the finite resources available and reduce costs
through renewable and reusable inputs; they attract niche
customers early and have enormous potential to grow into
the mainstream.
Having looked at opportunities,
here are some common threats
that’s contributory to the growth
in Low Carbon Economy.
+ Fossil fuel is more expensive:
Hybrid cars, electric vehicles,
car pooling, public transportation
are trends emerging out of
this effect.
+ Producing greenhouse
gases is causing more
damage to the pocket:
Taking advantage of this trend
the renewable energy and
energy efficient technologies
have become more popular.
Government policies for
sustainability, tax incentives
for carbon offsets and environmental
sustainability reporting
systems are evident to a large
extent now.
+ Appreciate one most
scarce resource: Water!
Water conservation technologies
are hot. Grey water
management systems give
competitive advantage in business.
Experts in these areas
are an asset to manufacturing
sector.
+ Conserve Energy:
The “Earth Hour” has become
strong branding element.
Business opportunities are
there for green brands. Explore!
+ Research and Develop
Renewable Energy:
Wind and solar power are clean,
renewable and proven technologies
and have paved the
way for growth in the supporting
Small Medium Entreprise
(SME) services which supports
these large conglomerates
who invest highly on Research
and Development of such
technologies and outsource
conventional business management
functions.
+ Increase Brand Value with
Green Certification:
Just get certified and make the
best of marketing exercises.
Companies did this with the
ISO, now its another certification
process, which helps
increase revenue and gives
visibility to business.
We are seeing the economy
shift in a new direction, a shift
with long-term implications. The
shift from consumer to conserver
holds a wealth of opportunities
for businesses in Low Carbon
Economy.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 61

Energy
Building dams:
The Sarawak Project
What are often preconceived and speculative opinions serves only
to rob Sarawak of its chance to tap into its hydropower potential
Experts in the field
of hydropower, such
as the President of
the International
Commission of Large
Dams, Chairman of the British
Dam Society and international accredited
engineers view hydropower
dam projects as a resource
that can support the economic advancement
of developing nations.
Foreign Investment garnered
from energy-intensive industries’
ventures into the State will be reinvested,
contributing to the development
of Sarawak’s interiors,
creating job opportunities, and,
consequently elevating the socioeconomic
conditions of those most
important of stakeholders – the
Sarawakian people themselves.
But current conversations surrounding
Sarawak’s hydropower
projects have centred one-sidedly
on the overrun of costs, construction
times and the alleged intrusions
into the lands of Sarawak’s
indigenous people.
The Cost Benefit Analysis offers
a thorough view into the greatest
excess benefit over cost, evaluating
non-monetary and monetary
evaluations. It is absolutely vital to
understand the cost to benefits
ratio of hydropower dam projects
based on the facts before forming
opinions.
What are often preconceived
and speculative opinions serves
only to rob Sarawak of its chance
to tap into its hydropower potential;
incredible potential that can support
the socio-economic development
of Sarawak, while safeguarding
Malaysia’s energy security.
What are hydropower dams?
The mechanics of dams are often
overlooked, which is highly unfortunate,
given a dam’s simplicity,
effectiveness and environmentally-friendly
credentials. The waterwheel
placed in the centre of the
river starts to turn as water flows
through.
As the waterwheel starts to
turn, the mechanism within the
mill starts working after being
propelled by the force of moving
water.
Flowing water when captured
can be turned into power, known
as hydropower. The technologies
of hydropower have a long history,
and today is still is a powerful
resource that can help countries
generate clean, renewable and
sustainable power.
Kinetic energy is harnessed
from the motion and flow of water
converted into mechanical power
to turn turbines. The rotation of
turbines within a hydroelectric
plant is transferred to a generator
that generates electricity.
Put simply, water can be a resource
for countries to meet their
energy demands sustainably by
using the power of Mother Nature.
How does Hydroelectric
Plants (HEPs) essential
work?
Basically, there are several methods
by which hydropower technologies
can generate electricity.
Most large-scale hydropower
projects today use the
impoundment system whereby
water is stored in a reservoir, and,
upon the release of stored water
from that reservoir, the motion of
flowing water rotates the turbine
within the hydroelectric dam to
generate electricity.
Hydropower dams can also
be built as a power storage facility.
When demand for electricity
is at its peak, the pumped storage
hydropower dam operates like any
other ordinary traditional hydropower
dam by releasing water to
turn the dam’s turbine to generate
electricity.
However, when the demand
for electricity is low, the pumped
storage hydropower system operates
backwards and pumps water
to an upper reservoir. Water is
then stored in the reservoir until it
is needed to meet high electricity
demands.
A third type of hydropower
project is a diversion hydropower
system, also known as the runof-the-river
system. The diversion
hydropower system can be
thought of as a roadblock in rivers.
The system diverts a portion
of the flowing water to a canal (or
pressurised pipeline) known as a
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Energy
penstock to move a waterwheel
or turbine. The rotating
turbine then moves a shaft
that can be used to pump
water, power a generator or
generate electricity.
This technology is also
known as a micro dam, and
does not require the construction
of large dams, instead
utilising the natural flow of
water to generate power.
According to a study
Navigant Consulting, the
hydropower industry currently
accounts for more than
200,000 jobsnd promises to
create millions of direct and
indirect full-time job opportunities
by 2025. With more than
37,500 thousand dams in the
world, hydropower is moving
mainstream.
Building the Sarawak
dam projects
The Sarawak Corridor of
Renewable Energy (SCORE),
established in 2009, is an initiative
to tap into Sarawak’s
abundance of resources, especially
renewable energy.
More energy-intensive
industries are turning to
Sarawak for cheap energy produced
from renewable sources.
Sarawak’s natural typography
and an annual precipitation of
4000mm attributes to its suitability
for the implementation
of hydroelectric plants (HEPs).
The construction of hydropower
dams paves the way
for foreign direct investments
(FDIs) in the renewable power
industry and energy-intensive
industries in its Samalaju
Industrial Park, acting as a
catalyst for the development of
the State.
Sarawak’s energy output
currently stands at 1,182MW at
its peak, while demand is close
to 1,000MW. Current energy
output does meet the current
nergy demand but in the coming
years, the development
of SCORE and the Samalaju
Industrial Park will see an
increase in energy demand to
a projected 6,000MW in the
coming years.
The constructed Bakun
dam, with an installed capacity
of 2,400MW, will not be
adequate to meet SCORE’s projected
future energy demands,
especially for energy-intensive
Collectively, these agreements represent a
total of 2,560 megawatts (MW), which means
that the entire output of the Bakun and Murum
hydroelectric facilities and the Balingian coal-fired
project have already been sold or committed.
– Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan
Second Minister of Resource Planning and the Environment
industries whose energy bills
can be up to 30% of their total
operating costs.
Tapping into Sarawak’s
hydropower potential, HEP
projects are essential. The first
of which is the Murum dam,
which will support the State
in meeting future energy
demands of energy-intensive
industries, while offering clean,
steady and reliable electricity
at a competitive rate.
“Collectively, these agreements
represent a total of
2,560 megawatts (MW), which
means that the entire output
of the Bakun and Murum
hydroelectric facilities and the
Balingian coal-fired project
have already been sold or committed,”
said Second Minister
of Resource Planning and the
Environment, Datuk Amar
Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
As these industries start
to invest and build their businesses
in Sarawak, the increasing
opportunities and FDIs will
in turn stimulate Sarawak’s
business and investment environment.
This will enable the
State to re-invest in itself and
industrialise quickly to create
high-income job opportunities
for the people.
To a greater extent, as
new industrial and economic
activities develop, a domino
effect will entail, spurred on
by greater economic growth
as well as the creation of more
direct and indirect job opportunities.
Minister of Welfare, Women
and Family Development,
Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, said:
“The direct job may be filled…
based on person’s qualifications,
from the unskilled to
the highest position. However,
women also can get involved
in SCORE through services
such as catering, food supply,
laundry and so forth.”
Manpower demand for
various industries stimulated
by the growth of SCORE is estimated
at a total of 836,000 jobs
by 2030. This will help elevate
the socio-economic standards
of Sarawakians and move the
State to a high-income status.
Hydropower dams’
social impact
Of course, with any hydropower
project, there is a need to
consider the merit of a dam’s
construction by assessing the
many facets of each project.
A dam project may have
social and environmental
impact that includes the need
to resettle people as well as
the impact to wildlife, flora and
fauna, as well as other environmental
factors.
Over the years, with continuous
research and advances in
hydropower technologies, the
sustainability of hydropower
dams has improved immeasurably.
Dam projects around
the world have taken measures
to address this through
‘impact assessments,’ such as
the Social and Environment
Impact Assessment (SEIA).
A case in point is Sarawak’s
Murum dam.
The Social and Environment
Impact Assessment (SEIA)
was conducted to assess the
feasibility of the proposed dam
and the scale of the impact in
order to ensure that the implementation
of such projects is
consistent with the wishes of
the surrounding communities,
environment, and many other
factors.
For the Murum dam, active
community consultation
commenced with the State,
the District Office and the
directly affected communities
in 2008. The affected
communities were engaged
continuously to ensure that
they had all the facts, and so
that their opinions were heard,
respected and acted upon. The
proposed resettlement came
with the consent of the affected
communities and their
wishes as part of the agreement
were ensured alongside
the Government through the
Murum Resettlement Action
Plan.
The Wildlife Monitoring and
Rescue Operation (WiMOR)
was also implemented by
the constructor – Sarawak
Energy, the State’s leading
energy provider – in collaboration
with the Sarawak Forestry
Corporation. The agreement
saw hundreds of wildlife, flora
and fauna – many of which are
listed as protected species –
taken out of the affected area
of the Murum hydroelectric
dam and relocated to preassessed
suitable locations.
Are hydropower dams
damned projects?
There is no doubt social and environmental
impacts are absolutely
essential pre-requisites
in the development of larger
hydropower electric plants.
On one side, they dams
are viewed with scepticism,
or even hostility, giving rise
to inflammatory and often
spurious claims by third parties,
including some NGOs. To
the other, dam projects are an
environmentally-friendly investment
to drive the development
of developing countries
through FDIs and domestic
investment.
The only certainty is that to
go down the road of speculation
and assumptions, without
an objective and balanced
analysis of the facts, is to do
the people of Sarawak a huge
disservice.
The people of Sarawak
deserve transparency and
honesty. If they are afforded
both these virtues, they will
surely resolve that the benefits
– with safeguards – far
outweigh the negatives, and
so the promise of economic
growth and energy security for
future generations can finally
be realised.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 63

ECO TOURISM
UNWTO’s Tourism
Towards 2030 emphasises
on longterm
sustainability of
tourism destinations
in the world.
It expects growth trends to
continue in 2013 and beyond
somewhere within the 3% to 4%
projected figure.
In order to tap into the growth
potential of tourism and to realise
Malaysia’s aspiration of becoming
a high-income country by 2020,
Malaysia launched the Economic
Transformation Programme
(ETP). Towards this end, tourism
has been identified as one of the
national key economic areas
(NKEAs) to propel this economic
transformation.
In this regard, the Malaysia
Tourism Transformation
Programme (MTTP) was formulated
to achieve the targets of
attracting 36 million international
tourists and generating RM168
billion in terms of tourist receipts.
This translates to an expansion
by 3 times the foreign exchange
earnings, thus contributing RM3
billion (USD1 billion) revenue per
week in 2020.
This strategic ambition will be
achieved through, inter alia, the
12 Entry Point Projects (EPPs)
proposed under the Tourism
NKEA based on the themes of affordable
luxury; family fun; nature
adventure; business tourism;
and international events, spa and
sports.
In 2011, with 24.71 million tourist
arrivals registered, Malaysia
was placed as the ninth most visited
country of the UNWTO top 10
list. In 2012, 25.03million arrivals,
followed by 25.72million arrivals
with receipt of RM65.44 Billion in
2013. In the month of April 2014
2,175,009 arrivals were recorded
bringing the total for the firt
quarter of 2014 to 9,266,442million
arrivals according to Tourism
Malaysia.
Tourism and Culture Ministry
secretary-general Datuk Dr Ong
Hong Peng agrees that the trend
among foreign tourists to stay in
homestays give them a chance to
experience the lifestyle, culture
and food of locals in the rural community.
He added that the domestic
tourists were also choosing
homestays. The revenue from
homestays for the first four
months of 2014 was RM7.3 million
Sustainable rural
tourism in Malaysia
Homestay programmes identified to develop
rural tourism and economy of locals
By SUNITA DEVI APPUKUTTAN
compared with RM6.3 million last
year. Homestay programmes
were one of those identified by
the Ministry of Tourism to develop
rural tourism and the economy of
locals.
There are so far 3,486 homestay
operators registered with
the ministry and 4,834 rooms
available. At its best, rural tourism
combines the virtues of a slower
pace of life, getting closer to nature
and learning about agriculture,
and experiencing authentic local
cultures by living among local
villagers.
The Multi Dimensional
Responsible Rural Tourism
Capacity for Sustainable Tourism
is a fundamental study in innovating
new approaches by developing
indicators to holistically
measure the multi-dimensional
relationships between different
tourism models and the linkages
to local economies and environment
in key natural and rural
destinations in Malaysia.
This collaborative interdisciplinary
and multi-institutional
study consisting of a variety
of stakeholders, government,
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ECO TOURISM
universities, NGOs, and tourism
professionals plays a holistic role
in sustaining the fragile rural
tourism industry of Malaysia.
The study sites included:
+ Bario, Sarawak
+ Lower Kinabatangan River,
Sabah
+ Taman Negara, Pahang
+ Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu
+ Gopeng Ecoadventure, Perak
+ Sipadan/Mabul Island, Sabah
+ Perhentian Island, Terengganu
+ Sg. Kilim Geopark, Langkawi
+ Royal Belum Temenggor, Perak
+ Kuala Selangor, Selangor
+ Island of Semporna & Kota
Kinabalu
+ Linggi, Negeri Sembilan
+ Pulau Pangkor, Perak
+ Pulau Redang, Terengganu
The Programme Leader, Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Vikneswaran Nair of
Taylor’s University, Malaysia had
this to say about the project. He
shares the rubrics of the project
and his personal aspiration in
seeing to the success of this
project, funded by the Ministry of
Higher Education.
1. This is first time such a project
has been awarded to a private
university in Malaysia. In your
opinion, what merits does the
government bestow academia
and industry in doing so?
Indeed, this project was the
pioneering step in awarding
a mammoth research grant
to a private university to
lead. Over the years, Taylor’s
University has proven to be
one of the leading private
universities in the country.
Taylor’s University’s School
of Hospitality, Tourism and
Culinary Arts is the first
to achieve Tier 6, rating as
recognition of the school’s
international reputation for
superior quality as well as
teaching and learning excellence
as deemed by Malaysian
Qualification Agency (MQA).
Thus, this proven track record
was apt for the government to
appoint a private university
in its efforts to develop best
practices in sustainable
tourism development for
Malaysia.
2. Elaborate work has been done
over the year relevant to the
outputs of this Sustainability
Project. As an afterthought,
how could this have derived
more productive results?
This collaborative interdisciplinary
and multi-institutional
study consists of a variety of
stakeholders - government,
universities, NGOs, and tourism
professionals, who play a holistic
role in developing a model to
sustain the fragile rural tourism
industry of Malaysia. The project
objectives are:
+ To discover the various
models used in economic,
socio-cultural and environmental
responsibility and
carrying capacity in rural
tourism destinations;
+ To investigate all stakeholder’s
perspective on the
economic, socio-cultural
and environmental responsibility
and carrying
capacity in rural tourism
destinations;
+ To establish appropriate
economic, socio-cultural
and environmental model
to measure stakeholders’
impacts in rural tourism
destinations;
+ To develop economic, sociocultural
and environmental
responsible and carrying
capacity indicators for rural
tourism destinations; and
+ To develop tourism barometer
to assess and monitor
the economic, sociocultural
and environmental
responsible impact of rural
tourism destinations using
an integrated decision support
system.
A total of six projects are structured
under the programme.
They are:
• Socio-Cultural Responsible
Rural Tourism Framework;
• Economical Responsible
Rural Tourism Framework;
• (3)Environmental
Responsible Rural Tourism
Framework;
• Socio-Economics
Rural Tourism Capacity
Framework;
• Physical-Environmental
Rural Tourism Capacity
Framework; and
• Management and Modeling
System.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 65

ECO TOURISM
The six projects under this
programme are all on track and
currently progressing at 60%
completion, where it is moving
from the fundamental aspect
of the study to the system
development of the barometer.
Currently, the final indicators
are used to evaluate
selected rural destination.
The integrated management
system is developed using
the indicators discussed for
evaluating and monitoring the
status of all rural tourism sites
in Malaysia based on responsibility
and capacity.
As an afterthought, including
some industries and local
authorities as stakeholders to
this project could have had a
complementary effect.
Data Layers for the programme
has been developed
to measure Rural Tourism
Health Index. The health index
is based on the responsibility
and capacity indicators. The
layering of data is outlined in
Figure 2.
A total of 35 postgraduate
students (PhD & Masters) from
both the public and private
universities are involved in the
research project. The project
has to date produced 64 journal
publication with 139 conference
papers. The project has
won several innovation awards
in Malaysia, UK and Germany.
3. To draw complementing similarities
of this project to those
around the world, where international
recognition/ funds
and support have been very
endowing, what would you say
they were?
Malaysia, being a developing
nation that is progressing well
to become a fully developed
nation by 2020, may be at a
disadvantage as far as international
funds are concerned. We
do not qualify for most of these
funds and support as we are
supposed to be self-sufficient
and an exemplary for the other
more developing countries to
benchmark. Hence, it is critical
that Malaysia amulates several
developed nations’ ideas in
sustaining their gross domestic
product (GDP), per capita
income, level of industrialization
and amount of widespread
infrastructure based on
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of Study
Figure 2. Data Layering for the Tourism Barometer
research. What is more important
is the general standard
of living which also includes
managing and sustaining the
eco-system around us namely
the environment (flora and
fauna), the socio-cultural
and the socio-economic aspects.
4. As academia this project has
set precedence not just for
this sector, within the region
but also a far more outreach to
industry. How would you find
industry merit from the project
and its findings? Could you
share in a few lines (pix can
illustrate industry academia
outreach).
This project can cut across
South-east Asia as the
ecosystem and the socio-cultural
setting is almost similar.
Although the cultures may
vary, the indicators that will
determine the success of the
rural tourism destination are
similar. Tourist psychographic
analysis carried out for rural
tourism destinations showed
that the main attractions in all
rural tourism destinations are
based on two types of attractions:
(1) Attraction based on culture
and lifestyle; and
(2) Attraction based on
physical environment and
unique activities.
This is outlined in Figure 1
below.
66
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

ECO TOURISM
Figure 1. Salient elements of rural
tourism psychographics
Rural tourism product is can
be further classified into three
types of products according
to the increasing spatial scale,
namely:
+ Core product;
+ Ancillary product; and
+ Augmented product.
These are essential for rural
tourism to be successful in the
region including Malaysia.
Details of the framework are
outlined in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Rural tourism product
framework
5. You and your team have
through several conditions
achieved tremendous results
and goals as outlined in the
Project plans/ schedules.
Could this have been managed
with more government/
industry/ academia/ general
public support, would you say?
Indeed the project will become
“white-elephant” if there is
no support from the government/
industry/ general public.
Hence, it is important for all
projects to continuously have
engagement with all these
stakeholders as they will become
the beneficiary from this
project. For this project we are
already in close engagement
with the Ministry of Tourism
and Culture in ensuring the
input in developing the tourism
barometer confirms to
the requirement of the bodies
currently managing the sustainability
of the rural tourism
sectors.
6. Your opinions/ words of wisdom
on this project as the key
person spearheading such a
Project.
As rural tourism becomes
increasingly popular, a need
has emerged for both industry
standards and procedures, and
for monitoring compliance
with such requirements. Such
standards and monitoring
procedures can distinguish
valid rural tourism projects
from other enterprises that
have appropriated the rural
tourism label without commitment
to its principles.
Such measurements are also
necessary to help honest rural
tourism projects appraise
their performance and move
closer to the ideal of sustainability.
Today, a need has emerged
for both standards and procedures
to monitor compliance
with these standards. Client
evaluation is a simple procedure
available to all rural
tourism operations that can
serve to both enhance tourist
education and provide a simple
system of monitoring. As an
educational tool it can be used
to focus the tourists’ attention
upon rural tourism criteria. As
a monitoring system it has an
advantage over either surveys
or on-site investigation because
it provides information
by observation supplied over
an extended period of time.
The management of sensitive
ecosystem in the rural
tourism context can one way
protect a country’s heritage
and make it available for local
education and tourism. The
investment in such facilities
is usually repaid through
tourists who come in larger
numbers and stay longer
because there are more things
to see and do and at the same
time be contended that the
sustainability of the site has
been looked into.
In conclusion, as rural
tourism continues to grow,
greater pressure will be placed
on rural tour operators, lodging
establishments, trade
associations and governmental
bodies to ensure a high
quality tourism experience for
its customers, to protect the
natural and cultural resources
that are utilized, and remain
economically sustainable. To
accomplish this goal, the rural
tourism sector in countries,
regions and destination areas
are also going to have to make
tough decisions regarding how
they hope to ensure the future
of the industry. An underlying
tension will always exists
among the different rural tourism
providers on how to best
achieve this goal. The tension
is between self-regulation
by a business, the collective
development and enforcement
of objectives and guidelines
by an ecotourism association,
or through regulation by a
governmental entity.
Rapid questions (only requires
1 - 4 word responses):
a) In one or two words how would
you describe the effect of such
a Project to you personally/ to
your department (the Human
Capital value/ enrichment
from this project.
Eye-opening
b) Who else you think should
emulate/ initiate such Projects
in the future?
The formation of Higher
Institution Centre for
Excellence (HiCoE) for
Sustainable Tourism niche.
c) What would you say is a key
inhibition for achieving goals in
this project?
Team work and persistency.
d) Being a long standing and
award winning academic by
profession for all the work you
have done this far, where do
you see yourself in the next 10
years?
Leading a project under the
banner of United Nations.
e) What is the one aspiration you
wish to convey to other scholars
/academics/ industry/
government relevant to your
work in this project?
Always remember our time
in this world is finite. We need
to do our part for the infinite
generation to experience what
we are enjoying now.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 67

FOREIGN NEWS
Atlanta bikers are pedaling
their way to a greener world
Riding bikes prevents minute particles from entering earth’s atmosphere
If you’ve spent
hours in traffic
making your way
to work in Atlanta,
you probably
understand the
frustrations felt by
many. In addition to
the wasted hours
and the carbon
monoxide, the
activity triples the
toxins polluting the
air as commuters
drive to and from
work each day.
With energy-efficient
appliances
and technological
gadgets becoming
more advanced,
more people are becoming
concerned about how their carbon
footprint negatively affects
the planet. Here are four important
ways riding your bike can save the
world one pedal at a time!
Better Air Quality
While recycling and conserving
water are excellent places to start,
simple exercises such as biking
versus driving can significantly
impact the air quality of the city
for the better. If you drive a car to
work for your entire career, you
have introduced over one billion
cubic yards of contaminated pollutants
to the air!
Generates Less Debris
You’ve probably navigated your
way to work and have seen tires,
hub caps and other car parts littering
the roadway. In addition to air
quality, riding a bike can prevent
unwanted worn vehicle parts, tires,
brakes and other debris from collecting
on your route each day.
Riding your bike to work also
protects the roadway and prevents
minute particles from that
same debris from entering the
earth’s atmosphere.
Increases Productivity
Companies who encourage their
employees to use their bikes can
benefit when it comes to productivity.
Exercise can improve
a person’s mental and physical
health and wellness. Being active
also makes you less lethargic
throughout the day and allows
you to focus on work.
Biking Saves Cost
Atlanta cyclists that have kicked
the car habit will find that they
save money on fuel, maintenance
and parking costs each week.
Now that’s something you can sit
up and notice right away! – www.
examiner.com
68
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Energy
The global warming hoax
Scientists fabricate data to blame humans for climate change
by Jon
Miller,
M.A., M. Div.,
Author, Societal
Analyst &
Wellness Educator
The chemtrail
toxins, as
well as the
methane
that geoengineering
appears to be
releasing, will
choke out life
on this planet
if not stopped.
Carbon emissions from
“fossil fuels“ are blamed
for global warming or
climate change by world
leaders and the minions
they have been able to convince.
The truth that is inconvenient for
the powers that are moving to control
the world by taxing and killing
us for breathing, is that this climate
fraud is being exposed.
Still trying to blame human
life for what they are now calling
“global climate disruption” or the
“climate crisis” to drum up some attention,
the powers promoting this
hoax, use it to justify other actions
they engage. They are testing ever
more serious sounding test phrases
to learn which one resonates best
with the hypnotized public.
There has been an investigation
of the purposeful manipulation of
statistics to support the false theory
of a long term global warming
trend. This notion has been thoroughly
shown to be a sophisticated
hoax by corrupt officials, although
there are still disinformation posts
on propaganda websites to keep
the myth going.
Falsely created and wrongly
interpreted inconclusive statistics
used to suggest consistent global
warming were promoted starting
over 20 years ago. These inaccurate
conclusions were cited for reasons
of politics, profit making and population
control by the powers that
be. Many of the global warming
stats intentionally encouraged and
even funded by the elite, have been
shown to be fraudulent.
Volcanic activity, especially
eruptions, and movements of underground
magma are effecting
the apparent changes in the
climate, and so are solar cycles. The
quiet geo-engineering of the “solar
radiation management” program,
and the manipulation of weather
systems by The High-frequency
Active Auroral Research Project
(HAARP) and other advanced technologies,
are major factors effecting
climate and weather as well.
There is warming in some
areas of the planet, and cooling in
others. The real evidence indicates
that overall, global cooling is more
likely the reality. Some scientists
argue that there is cooling near
the surface and warming in the
stratosphere.
Both the arctic and Antarctic
ice sheets have recently expanded
dramatically, not diminished.
A ship carrying scientists that
believe in global warming was
recently trapped in ice on the way
to Antarctica in summertime! Then
the icebreaker rescue ship got
stuck in the heavy ice as well!
There is actually evidence that
we have been in a period of global
cooling for 17 years, and could be entering
a mini ice-age in conjunction
with the lowest level of sunspots in
100 years. Even during the current
11 year solar maximum there have
been fewer solar flares than normal.
A summer frost could destroy
many crops and create a food crisis.
An exceptionally heavy snow could
lock down and put humans out of
commission for a while. For those in
cold winter weather areas, it is wise
to prepare ahead with a food supply,
water, alternative heat sources,
blankets and other items.
Alternatives theories
of climate change
Most climate variations and
weather disturbances are being
caused by natural Earth and solar
changes, as well as by artificial
manipulation through chemical
and electromagnetic manipulation.
Weather modification was
developed in the mid 20th Century.
It can be used as weapon as it was
in Viet Nam. Today storms can be
generated as well as moved to a
target location.
HAARP and other high tech
methods are used in conjunction
with atmospheric aerosol chemtrails
to generate storms, or on
the other hand to extend drought
conditions in target areas. The
HAARP antenna array in Alaska
can bounce frequencies off of the
metals in the sprays to generate,
guide and intensify weather conditions,
which is now being done from
orbital platforms as well.
People have caught on to the
chemical nucleated snow. It is
being tested by more and more
people due to video postings on
the internet.
Geo-engineering with chemtrail
sprays, which is the real source
of the atmospheric “greenhouse
effect”, causes methane to be unleashed
often from stores beneath
the ocean floor, and sometimes
from melted polar ice when that occurs
in summer. Geo-engineering
and released methane may be one
of the greatest threats to life we
face.
In the areas of the planet where
warmer temperatures have occurred,
it is partly from natural
changes in the sun and the Earth,
and dramatically worsened by the
very geo-engineering manipulation
by the chemtrail spraying, which is
fraudulently justified and mandated
by global bureaucrats to counter the
false “global warming” problem.
The chemtrail toxins, as well as
the methane that geo-engineering
appears to be releasing, will choke
out life on this planet if not stopped.
Further, although CO2 has increased
slightly in recent years, the
current world CO2 level is near the
lowest ever recorded. Plants and
trees need carbon dioxide to grow
and be healthy. Carbon dioxide is a
nutrient to plants, not a pollutant to
the environment. It is an essential
part of the biological cycle needed
by plants and trees in their life
cycle.Carbon dioxide is one of the
best supporters of “green”!
(NOTE: Oil and natural gas are
probably not really from fossilized
ancient biological materials. That is
said by investigative scientists to
be a myth fostered by the petrochemical
industry to convince the
public that these are scarce limited
resources to justify high prices and
controlled usage. The best evidence
is that these substances are naturally
created inside the planet, not
from long dead organic matter.)
Support for green should be
about lowering pollution, but carbon
emissions from energy use is
not the cause of climate changes.
These are natural processes of the
Earth and solar system that are
being manipulated with advanced
technology by the elite powers.
Prepare now for reasonable survival
of the increasing disturbances
of life as we have known it.
70
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

Energy
Size and age of plants
impact their productivity
more than climate
Theory based on new dataset assembled from more
than 1,000 different forest locations across the world
The size and age of
plants has more of an
impact on their productivity
than temperature
and precipitation,
according to a landmark study by
University of Arizona researchers.
UA professor Brian Enquist
and postdoctoral researcher
Sean Michaletz, along with collaborators
Dongliang Cheng from
Fujian Normal University in China
and Drew Kerkhoff from Kenyon
College in Gambier, Ohio, have
combined a new mathematical
theory with data from more than
1,000 forests across the world to
show that climate has a relatively
minor direct effect on net primary
productivity, or the amount of
biomass that plants produce by
harvesting sunlight, water and
carbon dioxide.
The findings will be available as
an advance online publication by
the journal Nature on July 20.
“A fundamental assumption
of our models for understanding
how climate influences the
functioning of ecosystems is that
temperature and precipitation
directly influence how fast plants
can take up and use carbon dioxide,”
said Enquist, a professor in
the UA’s Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology whose
research lab led the study.
“Essentially, warm and wet
environments are thought to allow
plant metabolism to run fast,
while cold and drier environments
slow down metabolism and hence
lower biomass production in ecosystems,”
he said.
“This assumption makes
sense, as we know from countless
experiments that temperature
and water control how fast plants
can grow. However, when applied
to a the scale of entire ecosystems,
this assumption appears to not be
correct.”
Sean Michaletz (left)
and Brian Enquist
take a break from
measuring trees
in an old-growth
forest in Oregon. The
large tree behind
them is an example
of an old, large tree
with a low growth
rate, absorbing
carbon from the
atmosphere and
making food
for animals like
squirrels and birds.
To test the assumption on the
scale of ecosystems, the team
developed a new mathematical
theory that assesses the relative
importance of several hypothesized
drivers of net primary
productivity. That theory was then
evaluated using a massive new
dataset assembled from more
than 1,000 different forest locations
across the world.
The analysis revealed a new
and general mathematical relationship
that governs worldwide
variation in terrestrial ecosystem
net primary productivity. The
team found that plant size and
plant age control most of the
variation in plant productivity, not
temperature and precipitation as
traditionally thought.
“This general relationship
shows that climate doesn’t influence
productivity by changing
the metabolic reaction rates
underlying plant growth, but
instead by determining how large
plants can get and how long they
can live for,” said Sean Michaletz,
lead author of the study and a
postdoctoral researcher at the
UA Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology.
“This means that plants in
warm, wet environments can
grow more because their larger
size and longer growing season
enable them to capture more
resources, not because climate
increases the speed of their metabolism.”
The finding does not, however,
mean that climate is unimportant
for plant productivity, the
researchers said.
“Climate is still an important
factor,” said Michaletz, “but our
understanding of how it influences
ecosystem functioning has
now changed.”
The team’s new findings suggest
that mathematical models
used for predicting the effects
of global climate change can be
improved by accounting for the
effects of plant size and plant age
on net primary productivity.
“Understanding exactly how
climate controls net primary production
is important for understanding
the plant-atmosphere
feedbacks that control climate
change,” said Michaletz.
Enquist said: “In other words,
to better predict how ecosystems
will change with climate, we need
to understand what influences
the amount of plant biomass in a
given area as well as its age.”
72
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

NEWS - FOREIGN
Energy aplenty from solar PV
Credit: © Shutterstock
In Europe, PV manufacturers
are optimistic that solar power
will now grow by 20% pa.
Mexico has been doubling its PV
capacity and Japan has more than
doubled solar energy resources.
To record the league tables of “solarity,”
a (very) rough list from -
The Earth Policy Institute:
+ Germany 36.0GW
+ Europe (inclusive) 81.0 GW
+ China 18.3GW
+ Italy 17.6GW
+ USA 12.0 GW
+ UK 4.7GW
+ Canada 1.2 GW
+ Japan 13.6GW
+ Australia 3.3GW
+ India 2.3GW
+ South Korea 1.5GW
+ Thailand 0.7GW
+ Brazil 0.7GW this year
+ Mexico 240MW this year
These figures mirror the great
amounts of energy absorbed
during June this year, as the cloud
cover in Europe disappeared and
the summer sun provided the
necessary. France, Italy, Denmark,
the UK and Germany all reported
solar as supplying record amounts
of their electricity demand. The
solar industry doubled capacity
last year in many parts of Europe,
even though households have lost
government incentive schemes
recently in many countries. This
downward trend meant that new
installations dropped by early
40%!
Elsewhere, with California’s
natural lead, the US is finally
taking to solar power. 4,800 MW
were added in 2013, increasing
capacity by 65%. Although half
of this was in California, Arizona,
North Carolina, New Jersey and
Massachusetts also shone a little
brighter. On the same continent,
Mexico nearly doubled capacity
and Canada built an extra
440MW.
In Australia, the sun demands
25% of homes use solar
power in some states with the
country overall having one in 7
homes with PV capacity. South
Africa’s industrial base means
they dominate n Africa, but the
Chinese have been building a
In the leading solar
energy nation,
it’s possible to
fill up your car in
Hamburg with half
solar energy/half
wind power!
4GW “park” in Ghana and Nigeria
is beginning the installation of
3GW by 2019.
China added at least 11.3GW
in 2013, transforming the table
by overtaking Italy .The far west
has most installations, meaning
the transmission of electricity to
urban centres is a problem there.
However, with a lead in wind
power generation, Chinese systems
look likely to take over the
renewable energy market in th
near future. It seems that Asia is
the future, despite Europe’s early
lead. Japan of course has dumped
nuclear power and is another
rising star, with a 60% increase
last year. Similar boosts to the
electricity grid were added by
South Korea (40%) and Thailand’s
Lopburi Solar Farm (part of an 80%
annual boost.)
PV leads energy technologies
as providing the 40 gigawatts
installed worldwide That 30%
increase in one year should mean
the loss of some fossil fuel development
as similar increases create
a cleaner, and a cooler, world.
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 73

NEWS - FOREIGN
The failure of carbon capture
(CCS) schemes is often put
down to the giant finances
needed for start-up. With fracking
and carbon capture still most popular
in political thinking, the need
for scientific investigation is obvious.
The failure of two British projects
by EON and Scottish Power
and several others in Europe and
the US leads to one conclusion.
Capture Power’s White Rose and
Shell’s Peterhead projects followed
in 2013 and 2014, but completion
by 2020 is highly unlikely.
The carbon targets that nations
are supposed to achieve by 2050
may be reached using carbon capture,
but the direct routes using
renewable energy sources could
prove to be more feasible. More
money will be needed from central
finances for nuclear and CCS
funding, while renewable energies
tend to be more self-supporting.
To save cost, the CCS plants are
“clustered” around transport and
storage hubs. This would save up
to 75% of developing infrastructure.
The whole CCS technology
was created in efforts to correct
the imbalance caused by 515
gigatonnes of carbon we have released
into our atmosphere since
the Industrial Revolution. At the
moment, we look likely to be able
to double that. But temperatures
What to do with CO2
Union Wood at
Ballygawley, Ireland
is one example of
the few remaining
ancient examples
of carbon storage
that covered the
planet.
will certainly rise above the critical
2 degrees Celsius rise in global
temperatures. Industrialists see
the potential of 545 gigatonnes of
carbon storage like a green light
for more burning.
However, the IEA World Energy
Outlook conclusions as recently
as 2013 thought CCS was a distant
objective, although it still thought
is was essential to avoid further
global warming. In Canada, at a
cost of $1 billion, Saskatchewan
will be the very first large-scale
CCS operation. Saskatchewan,
is unfortunately the site of CO2
“leakage” from earlier attempts
at carbon storage. This raises the
Credit: © Shutterstock
natural response that we don’t
have any real evidence that the
gas stays put, after this huge
expense. Only the US and the
United Arab Emirates seem likely
to finalise any other projects in
the near future Funding in Canada
has been encouraged unfortunately
by the prospect of yet more
oil to be forced to the surface by
injecting the carbon dioxide into
wells. The direct route of avoiding
our fossil fuel use is rarely connected
with CCS. Perhaps the
whole idea is a political dinosaur,
doomed because of this perpetual
connection with coal, oil and gas.
Perhaps it’s a paper tiger, too!
Energy aplenty from the tides
The Universities of
Edinburgh and Oxford are
just two of the academic
institutions gambling that some
of their intrepid researchers will
identify the most efficient tidal
energy machine. After numerous
“ducks” and turbines, the engineers
have offered an insight into
how 1.9GW would be gained from
the Pentland Firth alone. The UK is
like a cold and wet version of the
Greek Islands, with its reality being
whirlpools and tidal races as
good as any (in Europe, at least.)
Now computer models can show
up the best systems and locations
for innovative engineering.
42GW is achievable if 100% efficiency
could be achieved within
the strait between Orkney and the
Scottish mainland. With the Crown
Estate leasing the width of the Firth
Credit: © Energy Technologies Institute
Tidal and wave energy
converters abound,
but the monitoring
of their efficiency
is becoming key to
their development
and confidence in
their productivity.
This is a wave energy
converter, shown
by ET.
to various energetic companies.
Oxford’s Guy Houlsby believes a lot
more is possible. He states “The UK
enjoys potentially some of the best
tidal resources worldwide, and if
we exploit them wisely they could
make an important contribution to
our energy supply.” Well, 1.9GW is
half of the Scottish national energy
usage, Professor, so at least one
country could be satisfied.
The PerAWaT project aims to
reduce the level of uncertainty
currently present when science
estimates tidal energy capture
and therefore increase the confidence
that project developers
can have in the return on their
investment. Monitoring and
models from Wave Farmer and
Tidal Farmer produce the kind of
results that gave us these figures
from PerAWaT (Performance
Assessment of Wave and Tidal
Array Systems.)
The European Marine Energy
Centre in Orkney has now
achieved the building of the
largest tidal array in Europe,
great employment potential and
the cooperation of engineers
throughout the British Isles. We
wish them all well, as Scotland,
the UK and the whole of Europe
press ahead with a complete
renewable energy portfolio.
74
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

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NEWS - FOREIGN
The last of the Indonesian forest?
The EU is creating some improvement
in Indonesian
forest conservation. The
sponsored auditing process by
which trees are tagged with serial
numbers is wide open for abuse,
but this is an attempt to introduce
a legal structure to a thoroughly
corrupt system.
The disappearance of two million
hectares (20,000 square km)
of forest lands under mining and
logging “permits” is the sign of a
trend, as we watch species, large
and small become extinct.
Think also Sumatran rhino,
Asian elephant and orang utan, but
also tiny insects, other mammals
and birds. The use of Far Eastern
paper products and palm oil has
to be considered carefully now we
know how they are produced.
The Indonesian jungle leads EU
timber imports from Asia, with
the government hoping to double
its timber exports to $2 billion pa.
However, that clear conscience we
have in western countries is rarely
matched by transactions that
are arranged in Indonesia. Emily
Harwell, who writes for Human
Rights Watch, but obviously cares
about habitat commented: “This
system is basically asking, do you
have a permit, and if you do, that
box is ticked. It’s saying anything
that the government does is considered
legal.”
Emily’s interest also stems
from the reputation of the
Indonesian Forestry Ministry. The
national Corruption Eradication
Commission is hopefully feared
by all such officials. When this
respected KPK comes calling, the
reason is often suspicious logging
permits achieved through sheer
bribery. The necessary environmental
impact assessment or
community consultation (carried
out in only one-sixth of cases) is
often sidelined while the timber
companies carry on regardless.
Many countries run this same
system, corrupt to the very heart
of the wood! Police have been involved
in Indonesia, following the
arrest of Labora Sitorus at his $150
million business in eastern Papua.
His timber products have likely
provided you with cardboard, dining
table and even your beautiful
floor! Other nation’s military are
extensively involved in timber
Wouldn’t you
love to visit the
habitat of the wild
Sumatran tiger? - if
there are any left
when all the wood
has been extracted
from Indonesian
forests. With only a
few hundred tigers
left, in pockets
of less than 50,
Panthera tigris
sumatrae parts
have also been
found, smuggled
out to Taipei and
other Chinese
destinations. There
is obviously no
place left for them
to thrive.
Credit: © Shutterstock
industries, although it is often impossible
to check a top general’s
business interests !
Borneo has been more successful,
with Sumalondo Lestai
Jaya tagging everything it cuts
and using Dayak communities
near Berau to negotiate their
concession’s usage. The locals
get cash, school tuition and some
infrastructure, after this one company
realised they were stripping
the forest and giving nothing back.
The people who changed their
minds were WWWF Indonesia,
who have worked tirelessly in all
the major islands for conservation
of some of the fauna and flora.
The Berau forest is now gone, of
course, but at least that one company
(Sumalondo) can now hope
for the EU Forest Stewardship
Council’s superior certificate of
fair trade and sustainable actions.
The backlash could be that
we need to stop buying timber
completely, even when the claims
of sustainability can be backed
up with a piece of paper. Japan or
Australia, the US or the EU may
then continue buying of course,
unless the agreement at the consumers’
end is international and
as verifiable as the forestry ministries
certificates may become, in
time. The forest is almost gone, in
any case-scenario.
With the rise in ivory
prices in China,
today’s news of
unregulated Thai markets
gives a horrific new insight
into why so many African elephants,
mainly Loxodonta
Africana, are being killed.
In a monthly monitoring by
TRAFFIC, the World Wildlife
Fund report that ivory trading
in Bangkok has trebled
over just 18 months.
Many more Bangkok
outlets are also selling ivory
this year.
In January 2013, 5,865
worked ivory items were
found, but in May 2014,
there were 14,512 ivory
products. With the Thai
government currently in
the hands of the army, the
limited legislation over
ivory in Thailand is being
flaunted the vast majority
of items sold is illegal under
international commitments
by the country.
CITES (the Commission
Solar photovoltaic
cells (PVs) are developing
efficiency fast
and there is no more advancing
area than the optimisation
of usage with suitable
software. One company
that uses its software with
a subsidiary of Macquarie
is the UK’s PassivSystems.
Irradiance-adjusted data
from rooftops has helped
develop the software, with
the future suggesting a
large subscription base of
users, all contributing more
data.
Subscribers are tied to a
5-10 year contract. The “free
solar PV” roll-out targets up
to 25,000 homes’ rooftops.
The software monitoring
platform adjusts to irradiance
and also captures
data and faults so that the
maximum yield is available
at all times. Free solar panels
for residential premises will
be available for 1500 houses
per month, depending on
the installers.
Zero carbon homes in
Italy are the inspiration
behind PassivSystems
various technologies.
76
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

NEWS - FOREIGN
The end of elephants?
Credit: © Shutterstock
African tourism to see the families of elephants intact, or trekking with elephants in Northern Thailand
would seem a much preferable habit for people of any nation, rather than collecting their ivory.
on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora met in Geneva in July.
Countries such as Thailand and
Vietnam will have to account for
their failure to put promises into
action. They seem to be conduits
for ivory to reach China from
ports in Cameroon and many
other African sources of poached
elephant ivory.
The poor old domestic Asian
elephant, Elephas maximus, in
Thailand could contribute only
650kg a year, which is much less
than the mass of ivory on sale. 13
tonnes of African ivory have been
seized in Thailand in six years, but
obviously much more is being allowed
through Bangkok.
The trade in poached elephant
ivory exists only in one or two nations
on either side of the Indian
Ocean. Can we stop their shortsighted
trading, or will the extinction
of these species be upon us
very quickly? With the death
of Satao here - Elephant king is
killed, we perhaps reported one of
the last Kenyan “tuskers”.
Solar electricity comes to your home-free!
Credit: © PassivSystems
While Macquarie are rolling out
up to 25,000 PV installations
on private and social housing
in the UK, PassivSystems
are further enhancing their
software to match the specific
housing types. Nottingham and
Bournemouth are likely to be
among the first to appreciate the
extra efficiency of the software
analytics. The result will be additional
document management,
asset tracking workflow, audit
and management software in
2014.
Individual homeowners can
take advantage of a platform
holding the software in www.
reducemyheatingcosts.com .
21 million UK households have
internet connections, in addition
to cell-phone use (mobiles.) so the
vast majority of the population
will have access to a free system,
Solar energy panels.
paid for by the supplier!
Good news indeed. The followup
of massive solar installations
will hopefully leave Britain with
a solar capacity greater than the
tremendous wind and tidal power
uptake to date. The short-term
winners are the end-users in their
house, with no costs and free daytime
electricity. We have no way of
making the sun shine at night yet,
but you never know.
Income from excess FIT , fed
into the National Grid and subsidised
by the UK government
will be inflation-proofed seems
to go to the companies owning
the equipment. The founder of
PassivSystems is Colin Calder
who is capable of putting it all in
a nutshell with “The way in which
organisations monitor their solar
PV systems can make the difference
between an investment
fully realised and an investment
exposed to unnecessary risk. The
rooftop PV systems managed
on the PassivPro platform will
provide consumers with green
sustainable energy and help to
reduce their energy bills.”
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 77

NEWS - FOREIGN
Wind turbines save your city
Credit: © Shutterstock
Mark Z. Jacobson,
Cristina L. Archer and
Willett Kempton have
written a paper in Nature: Climate
Change that provides a magnificent
excuse to build more wind
farms. Hurricanes are causing
coastal damage as they come onshore
at greater and greater velocities.
Clean electricity is one
thing, but any reduction in the
damage done by storms would be
just as welcome.
The energy extracted by wind
turbines has to go somewhere,
which is, of course, to be converted
into electrical and heat
energy. The natural source is the
kinetic energy of the sub-surface
winds. This kinetic energy has to
be reduced during any transfer of
energy, so a lot of wind turbines
would theoretically reduce wind
force by a large amount.
The same effect happens
whenever a hurricane hits landits
energy begins to reduce, while
over the ocean, it builds up its
power. Large arrays of turbines
produce more than 300GW of energy
for electrical grids. This would
reduce near-surface wind speeds
by between 25 and 41 metres per
second. That is equivalent to 56
-92 mph. The storm surge could
equally be reduced by 6-79%.
The place for these arrays to
have the most benefit would be
to the windward side of a city
or exposed coastal strip. Costs
would be alleviated by the added
benefit of prevention of hurricane
damage, leaving fossil fuels even
more expensive s power station
fuel sources.
Sea walls can cost between
$10 million and $40 million in
some exposed sites. This cost
could also be reduced where
storm damage was less, although
it would be a brave man or woman
to declare that sea walls would not
be needed!
The turbines can currently run
up to wind speeds of 112mph. This
matches the speed of a smaller
hurricane of category 2 or 3, the
advantage being that these wind
speeds would be dramatically
reduced if a very large array of
turbines combated the storm. On
to actual case studies, a computer
model reveals that Hurricane
Katrina could have been reduced
significantly by a massive array of
78,000 turbines in the Gulf.
Amazing though that sounds,
the model indicates a reduction
of 36-44 m/sec (80-98mph)
while the storm surge would have
NASA here shows
a sight we never
want to see. A huge
hurricane like
Katrina approaches
Cuba and the southeast
of the US.
been reduced by a possible 79%.
Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy would
have been reduced in effect in a
similar way, thought the storm
surge from Sandy would only
reduce by 34%.
For reference, Hurricane
Sandy caused $82 billion worth
of damage in the 3 states it blew
over. Reduce that by 34 % for a fair
estimate! Many factors influence
the argument for wind energy.
Though politically in the US, it is
dynamite, with objections even to
a few hundred turbines. Despite
the objections, global warming,
air pollution, energy wastage,
storm damage and flood caused
by storm-surge all reduce, giving
Professor Jacobson good reason
to state that, “these factors, each
on their own, reduce the cost to
society of offshore turbines and
should be sufficient to motivate
their development.”
The three authors hail from
Stanford University and the
University of Delaware and used
Mark’s GATOR--- GCMOM
atmospheric---ocean model
that he developed at Stanford.
More on wind energy and its fruitful
take up in other places can be
found in The Future Offshore is
Wind.
78
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition

NEWS - FOREIGN
Recycling, waste and profit
When those old laptops,
and even worse, desktops
found their way to
a better place, few thought how
they would finish their journey.
The 3kg of lead in some CRT
screens seem pretty obviously
hazardous, but the rare metals
in more modern electronics
should find a market. A typical
circuit board can contain copper,
gold, zinc, beryllium, and tantalum.
Interpol have just released
figure indicating the large quantities
that we have been exporting
to the developing world.
It doesn’t seem to be helping
anybody there much! Ruediger
Kuehr is the executive secretary
of StEP, which monitors every
nation’s e-waste.
He explains: “Christmas will
see a surge in sales and waste
around the world. The explosion
is happening because there’s so
much technical innovation. TVs,
mobile phones and computers are
all being replaced more and more
quickly. The lifetime of products is
also shortening.”
The StEP Report shows up
each country’s purchase and
wastage levels, but Interpol has
fund 30% of containers, leaving
the EU, just an example, contain
Natural systems
have strong
species, able to
hunt, scavenge
and complete
cycles by their
decisive action.
The Botswana
sun doesn’t put
off these young
entrepreneurs.
Maybe our
unnatural
wastage can be
turned around by
industrial systems
that comply
with safety and
moral issues with
recycling.
illegal e-waste.
White goods such as old
fridges, toothbrushes (motorised),
toys, TVs, phones and computers
are involved, and form a growing
stream because of the short lives
enjoyed by technical goods. They
are outdated before they are sold,
leaving a useful but badly-used
mechanism to allow them longer
lifespans with second owners. On
an annual base, each US citizen
“liberates” 29.55kg of his or her
e-goods. Even rapidly-growing
Chinese consumerism manages
a healthy 5kg. Norway and
Liechtenstein lead the European
exodus of goods, with the EU
average around the UK’s level at
21kg.
It’s all very well to throw numbers
around, but what about the
dangers involved? Instead of the
label, “used”, many of these goods
are totally non-functional. West
Africans or Asians receiving the
containers are often individuals
who have few health or pollution
safeguards. Legitimate recycling
would cost more, so the needed
treatment is carried out without
any rules or regulation.
The EEA (European
Environment Agency) are aware
of the used electrical waste,
Credit: © Shutterstock
estimating an annual 250,000 to
1.3m tonnes, depending on their
exact classification.
A spokesman related, “These
goods may subsequently be
processed in dangerous and
inefficient conditions, harming the
health of local people and damaging
the environment.”
In the US, MIT have guessed
that millions of computers,
phones and TVs find their way t
Hong Kong, the Caribbean and
Latin America. Landfill is unfortunately
an alternative “sink” for the
goods - perhaps up to 33%.
As we mentioned, the future
will certainly see us recycling
such incredibly rare and expensive
metals. What is needed right
now is a commercial operation
to recover all of this loot. This is
happening in Africa and Asia, but
there is no need for this careless
dumping onto a less-developed,
even less careful community.
Cars are already recycled by several
major manufacturers, and
so they should be. Perhaps these
industrial icons are the potential
key with which to unlock the
whole industrial system. We must
persuade people involved to be
compliant with a universal code of
recycling. Simple, isn’t it?
green+. IGEM 2014 Special Edition 79

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