IEA sees natural gas consumption climbing

KUALA LUMPUR: World natural-gas consumption could grow 17 percent by 2017 as Chinese and US demand rises, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday, potentially curbing growth in use of carbon-spewing coal. “On the long-term, our world energy outlook sees gas demand growing faster than any other fossil fuel to 2035, and it’s likely to overtake coal as the second most popular fuel and can...

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Geothermal power project a smart ‘green’ move

KOTA KINABALU: The State government has welcomed the plan by Tawau Green Energy Sdn. Bhd. to develop Malaysia’s first geothermal power plant project at Apas Kiri, Tawau. When completed the project will put Malaysia on the world geothermal power map, noted Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun. He said the RM480 million project which has been identified by the Minerals...

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Learn more about Global Warming

Global warming is a topic that is never free from debate, whether you have heard about it by this main buzz word or in relation to others such as 'the greenhouse effect' or even 'climate change' as it is more commonly referred to these days, it is something that never fails to spark controversy when spoken about. But what is global warming and is global warming real? This site provides a...

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Benefits of an environmentally friendly green roof

The movement to “go green” has invoked the interest of socially responsible businesses, as well as the general public. Also known as “eco” roofs, environmentally friendly roofs can bear both social responsibility benefits as well as cost savings on materials and energy consumption. Below are just some of the benefits of using green construction and technology for roof construction. One major...

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RM700 mln to install hybrid solar units in Sabah rural schools

BELURAN: The government has allocated RM700 million for the implementation of the hybrid solar supply system for 179 rural schools in Sabah that have yet to receive electricity supply. Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zakarshi said that out of the total, RM300 million had already been spent for the first phase involving 78 schools which had been fully completed. He said another RM400...

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PM: World urgently needs new energy usage paradigm

KUALA LUMPUR: The world urgently needs a new paradigm of development that reflects changing times, namely the huge spike in demand for consumer items that will have an enormous impact on the way the world uses its energy, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He believed natural gas had an important role within the new paradigm, sustaining development at the same time decoupling...

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What is Global Warming?

Polar ice caps: a high-latitude region of the planet that is covered in ice What are the Issues? When you think of "ice caps" you think ice, Arctic and polar bears, but usually not Global Warming and disappearing. The polar ice...

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Types of Geothermal Heat Pump Systems

There are four basic types of ground loop systems. Three of these—horizontal, vertical, and pond/lake—are closed-loop systems. The fourth type of system is the open-loop option. Which one of these is best depends on the climate, soil conditions, available land, and local installation costs at the site. All of these approaches can be used for residential and commercial building applications. Closed-Loop...

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Residential Home Geothermal Systems

A home geothermal system works much more efficiently then ordinary heating and air conditioning units by using the earth’s energy to heat and cool your home. Geothermal systems emits no carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or other harmful greenhouse gases. These are very different from conventional air conditioners and heat pumps, as geothermal units are installed indoors, so they are not subject...

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Google Founder Building Eco-Mansion

Famed progressive thinker and Google co-founder Larry Page is working out the details as he plans his new 6,000-square-foot, eco-friendly house on an acre sized lot in Palo Alto.  The Google house will include solar panels, materials that do not emit toxic chemicals, and paving that allows the rain to seep through, which is a major plus in California, where water planners are looking...

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Habitat for Humanity Building 5,000 Energy Efficient Homes

Habitat for Humanity International (which has built over 300,000 homes) and The Home Depot Foundation are now working together to build 5,000 energy efficient homes over the next five years.  The $30 million Partners in Sustainable Building program will issue grants to Habitat affiliates for homes built following Energy Star, LEED or other nationally recognized green building guidelines. In...

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London Planting 2 Million Trees By 2025

London Mayor Boris Johnson’s environmental adviser, Isabel Dedring, said climate projections show that the average summer temperatures in London could be at least 3.9C higher by 2080, and as much as 6C to 10C on the hottest days.  A recent study suggested that increasing the amount of greenery in a city by 10% could offset the higher temperatures. This caught the attention of Johnson,...

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EPA Wants Companies to Audit Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency is working with the federal government to require companies to start disclosing the amount of greenhouse gases they release into the atmosphere. On Tuesday, the EPA proposed mandatory reporting of the gases blamed for global warming from approximately 13,000 companies that are large emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, such as oil refiners...

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Google US’s Largest Geothermal Research Investor

Google, which has a huge interest in affordable power to run its ever-growing numbers of server farms, is heavily investing in research into the development of geothermal power. In the US, Google is the largest funding source for geothermal research. MIT researchers estimate that the America could develop 100 gigawatts of generating capacity from geothermal over the next 40 years at a...

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Renewed Interest in Renewable Energy

  The Obama economic stimulus package, which invested so heavily in renewable energy like wind and solar power, is finally having an effect on the green industries. In a statement to the NY Times the vice-president of Sharp Solar, Ron Kenedi, said that although December, January and February had been “miserable,” things are starting to pick up. “I call this the green shoots period....

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Sabah poised to be world’s 3rd largest palm oil producer

LABUAN: If Sabah were an independent country, it would be the world’s third largest pro­ducer of palm oil. Such a statement was an indication of how important the role palm oil has played in the state’s growth to date – and what is in store for the future. According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), in 2009, Sabah had the largest area under oil palm cultivation than any state, at 1.36...

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Amir launches marine environment protection campaign

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, in the presence of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, inaugurated yesterday the national campaign to preserve the marine environment “Sinyar 6″ at Bayan Palace.  His Highness the Amir received President of the Voluntary Work Center Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was...

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Asia Leading the World In Solar Cell Manufacturing

Asia will produce over 80% of all crystalline silicon solar cells by 2012, according to Greentech Media Research. As of last year, Asia manufactured just over 70% of all solar cells on the planet. With continued and increased assistance from government programs and lower labor costs, Asia will expand their production and hopes to become the global leader in this increasingly important and...

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2.65M Solar and Wind Energy Jobs in Nine Years

A Clean Edge report released today says that the wind and solar energy industries will be responsible for generating 2.65 million jobs globally in less than a decade. This expected number is about four and half times more than...

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The Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997

The Wildlife Conservation Enactment (No. 6 of 1997) was gazetted on 24th December 1997. It makes provisions for the conservation and management of wildlife and its habitats in the State of Sabah for the benefit and enjoyment of...

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Pakistan Breaks Tree Planting Record

Three hundred volunteers in Pakistan planted 541,176 mangrove trees (by hand) in one day, subsequently breaking the Guinness World Record for tree planting.  The volunteers managed to do it all without the aid of mechanical equipment. They planted the mangroves in the Indus River Delta wetland ecosystem in the Southern Sindh Province of Pakistan. WWF awarded Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi,...

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What is Buckypaper?

Buckypaper is a material that ten times lighter than steel, but 500 times stronger when sheets are pressed together to form a composite material.  Made of carbon nanotubes that have been disbursed in a liquid suspension and filtered through fine mesh to make a thin film, scientists think buckypaper will lead to consumer applications possibly within a year. Buckypaper is excellent...

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Sabah may become No.1 ginger State

Kota Kinabalu: The State Government is currently formulating strategies to make Sabah the biggest producer of ginger in the country. Assistant Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Musbah Haji Jamli said this was following the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman’s recommendation, considering Sabah’s ginger is known to be the best of its kind in the country. “This is part of the...

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5 Tips for Green Office

Guest column by Rubela Jhonnie. There has been a lot of hoopla around sustainable living lately. To give a push to this eco friendly drive, one must adopt green living diktats on a larger scale. This can be done by taking on green living fundamentals not only at home but also in office. Countless items such as newspapers, magazines, tissues, cartons, eatables and cutlery are used in...

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Rehabilitation and breeding centre for wildlife on the horizon

KINABATANGAN: Sukau assemblyman Datuk Saddi Haji Abdul Rahman disclosed yesterday that a world-class rehabilitation and breeding centre for wildlife on the verge of extinction and unique to Borneo, is currently being set up in...

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What Are Solar Cells?

Photovoltaic cells, better known as solar panels, are plates made of extremely sensitive semiconductors – which are special silicone based compounds – that are able to absorb electrons transmitted from sunlight rays. The energy rattles the electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely, and then be absorbed to flow in a specific direction and create electric current that later on can be used...

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Making A More Sustainable Office

The best way to reduce office waste is not to produce it in the first place. Before buying any kind of supplies for your office, ask yourself if you need to buy the goods or materials, or if you are simply buying too much.  Use electronic communication whenever possible to reduce printing and faxing, and try to encourage staff not to print out documents or emails if possible. Reuse...

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