Saturday, May 9, 2009
My Thoughts : This video is about sea pollution. The seafood we consume is from the polluted sea.
The Industrial waste being discharged from the ships and factories to the sea are
actually poisoning the sea creatures. The poisoned sea creatures which are fished
by the fisher mans are then being sold to us. When we eat them, we are the ones
who are being affected. So why not we stop polluting the environment.
"When we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves". ( David Orr)
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Every day a Singaporean discards 1.1 kilograms of rubbish.During 1999 Singaporeans throw away 2.8 million tons of rubbish.If this amount of rubbish is stacked up to a man height of 1.7 meters it would occupy up to 350 football fields! Illegal dumping of domestic waste Poor waste management from construction sites and industrial estates. It is important to clear land rubbish regularly because of the large amount of waste that can be accumulated. In the early days, as there was no system of sewage and refuse collection, people would just throw their rubbish anywhere and there were no laws against such actions. Thoughts: Are we still going to pollute Singapore? Although now it is more convenient then the past as there were trucks to help us throw away our rubbish.But look at Singapore...People were still throwing litters all around the floor.The singaporeans were too fortunate and became lazy.Now,most of the singaporeans were throwing litters on the floor whenever they like.I hope you will think twice before throwing litters on the floor,think about the future,think what will happen to us.
Land pollution in Singapore occurs mainly in 3 ways:
1. Littering
2. Illegal dumping of domestic waste
3. Poor waste management from construction sites and industrial estates.
Homes and offices also have a big impact on the amount of rubbish as people leave behind and throw away packaging materials, plastic bottles, unfinished food. Piles of dirty and rotting materials may attract rodents and insects that may carry organisms dangerous to our health.
Therefore other physical solutions have to be employed in Singapore to alleviate the problem of illegal dumping.
This factor also causes major pollution. Construction firms burn their waste on-site instead of bringing the rubbish to the proper grounds for disposal.
In doing so, the building contractors hope to save money and time. These errant contractors run the risk of losing their license if they are caught.
It was a tough and extremely difficult task to collect rubbish in the early days. They had only pushing carts to contain their collected rubbish. There were lots of flies buzzing around and the waste is rotting in the open air.
But now, it is totally different, we have modern machinery to help us collect the rubbish. People would just have to tie their rubbish in plastic bags and throw it down into chutes found in their very own houses and there will be rubbish trucks to collect the rubbish regularly everyday.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
My thoughts about this song: Basically Michael Jackson is trying to convey the message that nowadays people are exploiting the Earth' s natural resources leading to the depletion of the ozone layer. High rate of deforestation has led to the loss of forests, depriving the animals and indigenous people of their habitat and livelihood. This song is written in the motive of bringing in more people into believing and supporting the government about ' Save The Earth' scheme.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Singapore's planning for a long-term population of 6.5 million, up nearly 50 percent from the current level, has raised the spectre of overcrowding and pollution in one of Asia's most liveable cities.
The island nation renowned for its gardens, clean surroundings and high living standards can avoid the problems suffered by its neighbours through forward planning and investment in public infrastructure, officials and experts say.
"There's a danger (of overcrowding), but Singapore has the ability to cope with that and cope with it well."Physically, I don't think it's impossible to put in another two million people. "But you must make sure that when you are building at higher densities -- and Singapore is already pretty dense -- then you need to invest in public facilities that will enable people to have a good quality of life. That's important for the competitiveness of Singapore," he told AFP.
Singapore's current population is about 4.4 million, 18 percent of whom are foreigners, according to official statistics. National development minister Mah Bow Tan said that while the figure of 6.5 million is not a target, Singapore needs a "viable and self-sustaining population profile, one that helps us grow a bigger economic pie and a livelier and more vibrant society."
One main concern is the impact of the population rise on Singapore's reputation as a clean and green city. Many Asian cities are already paying a heavy price for urbanisation due to poor planning that results in teeming squatter colonies, massive traffic congestion, pollution and the rationing of water supplies, urban planners say.
As Singapore allots more land to housing, industries, roads and other infrastructure, there are fears the city's treasured parks will shrink. More cars would mean worsening air pollution. Another concern is the effect of the population jump on social ties between locals and foreigners. With Singaporean families not producing enough babies to naturally replenish the population, experts say the bulk of the additional two million people will come from abroad.
To allay fears of the foreign influx, the government must attract not only job-seekers but also "entrepreneur-settlers" who will set up businesses and hire local employees, it suggested. Mah said the recent review of Singapore's plan covering the next 40-50 years concluded there will be "sufficient land ... if we use these limited resources judiciously and wisely." The government will invest more to expand the rail and road network and build power and utilities facilities to meet future needs, he said.
Still, many Singaporeans are worried.
Suggestions by some economists that a larger population is crucial to economic growth may not always be true, member of parliament Magad said, citing Finland which has a population of five million but is one of Europe's richest nations.
"Is there really a need for 6.5 million people or more? At the end of the day the question to ask is: Is this tradeoff worth it?" said Magad, a member of the ruling People's Action Party. "While we want to create buzz and spur economic growth, we must make sure that such efforts will not drive our people out." Over the past four decades Singaporeans have left behind their rural kampungs, or villages, and moved into clusters of highrise apartments as the island urbanised.
Experts like Lindfield said Singapore can draw from its 40-year urban planning experience, often cited as a model for other Asian cities, as it prepares for the future.Lindfield said. "You can still have that density and maintain a high quality of living, providing you plan for it and invest in the facilities.
" Singapore is already adding valuable space through land reclamation and construction of taller buildings, but must become more creative, Mah said. Last month, it started construction of a massive underground oil storage facility, the first in Southeast Asia.
Singapore's economic development programme is "framed in the larger and more holistic perspective of developing Singapore into a dynamic, distinctive and delightful global city." Singapore has shown "that cities do not need to accept concrete jungles and unsustainable urban growth as inevitable.". "Other options are possible with forward urban planning."
Sunday, May 3, 2009
These days everyone knows what smoking cigarettes does to our bodies, but the knowledge of what smoking does to the Earth is not as common. There are some things that every smoker who has any concern for environmental issues should know. Cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals which are exhaled and released into the air and the atmosphere. Approximately 30% of North Americans are smokers, and the percentage goes much higher in developing countries, which means there is a massive amount of pollution being released into the air every day. Trees are often compared to the lungs in our bodies because they perform basically the same functions as our lungs do on a global scale. With all of the pollutants that the trees filter out for us already it seems almost crazy to add more to the air that doesn’t need to be added. We need to breathe, but no one needs to smoke. Please DO NOT smoke!!!
It is fairly obvious that smoking pollutes the air and quite often the ground. However, it is not always obvious how or how much smoking pollutes. 
The pollution caused by cigarettes does not stop in our bodies or the air; it also affects the land we live on and the water that we drink.
April 28, 2009
Speaking at the launch of the 130-page report yesterday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan (third from left) acknowledged that the document comes amid Singapore's worst recession since independence. -- PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
SINGAPORE'S policymakers have unveiled a sweeping blueprint, 15 months in the making, to help build a greener, more energy efficient and sustainable nation.
The $1 billion plan, to be implemented over the next five years, will change everything from the cityscape and landscape here, to the way Singaporeans live and the way businesses are run.
If successful, it will make energy usage here more efficient, reduce pollution and expand the nation's green spaces - even as the demand for resources rises along with economic growth.
The report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) - co-authored by five different ministries - also pledges to advance Singapore's ambition to be a clean technology and urban environmental solutions hub.
This sector is set to add an estimated $3.4 billion to economic output and create 18,000 'green collar' jobs by 2015.
Speaking at the launch of the 130-page report on Monday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan acknowledged that the document comes amid Singapore's worst recession since independence.
'The temptation is to slow down our efforts in the area of sustainable development while we tackle the immediate economic challenges. However, the two are not mutually exclusive,' he said.
'If we want to face the challenges of the future, we really have to start now, today. It's going to take us a long time... but we're financially committed to it.'
The report outlines the findings and recommendations of the IMCSD, which was set up in January last year to look at ways to create a sustainable nation in the wake of increasing global awareness of the world's dwindling natural resources and climate change.
Over the past year, more than 700 people including members of the public, leaders of non-governmental organizations, businesses, grassroots organizations, academics, and media figures offered views through various focus group discussions.
By Jessica Cheam
Friday, May 1, 2009
Singapore's air quality reached unhealthy levels as smoke haze from forest fires in Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia blanketed the city-state for a second week.
The pollutants standards index, a gauge of air quality, stood at 128 as of 6 p.m. local time, according to the National Environment Agency's Web site. It reached 130 at 5 p.m., the highest since Oct. 7. A reading above 100 is considered unhealthy and the public is advised to reduce vigorous outdoor activity, the agency said. The readings reflect a three-hour average.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apologized last week after parts of neighboring Malaysia and Singapore were shrouded in smoke haze. Ash and dust from forest fires cloud the region annually as farmers on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra clear land by burning trees and bushes.
``Indonesia's credibility, capacity and political will to deal with this problem really should be at the center of the issue,'' Simon Tay, chairman of Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said in an interview today. ``The Indonesian government says they will tackle it. We have to see what they will do.''
Smoke haze in 1997 and 1998 caused economic losses of almost $9 billion after travelers shunned the region and health-care costs increased. Jakarta-based budget carrier PT Adam Skyconnection Airlines has suffered at least 1 billion rupiah ($108,630) in losses this month because the smoke haze disrupted flights, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Oct. 14.
Malaysian Provinces
The haze stretched north from Singapore to Johor, Malaysia's most southerly state, and Melaka, which is south of the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The air was considered unhealthy in three of four monitored areas in Johor and in both locations in Melaka at 5 p.m. today, according to the Web site of Malaysia's environment department. Kuala Lumpur registered 85, a reading classed as moderate.
Still, of the 51 sites across the country that are monitored by the Malaysian government, only seven had an unhealthy reading compare with 14 on Oct. 9.
Singapore's National Environment Agency warned yesterday that air quality may deteriorate further as winds from the southeast bring more smoke from forest fires in Borneo.
Satellite pictures yesterday detected 57 hotspots in Sumatra, Indonesia, and 297 in Kalimantan, Borneo, the National Environment Agency said. Hotspots are areas about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) wide where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Environment ministers of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand on Oct. 13 decided to set up panel to oversee the implementation of measures to combat the haze.
The ministers will meet once every three months to discuss and monitor progress of measures put in place to deal with smoke haze, Singapore's Sunday Times said, citing the country's Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.
It is well known that Singapore has done a great job in pollution control and implementing strict standards in controlling air pollution but sometimes one wonders if it’s totally eradicated when you see images like this. Check out the hazy smog that gets trapped near the ground before the noon sun comes out to dissipate it. This totally reminds me of how Bangkok is like when you view it from the tallest building, perpetually living under a cover of smog.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities
