Sunday, May 29, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
A WAKEUP STORY
....And this is how the change begins. Thank you for planting a most important seed of hope. It starts with the information (or sadly with a tragedy) and it blooms into a mighty forest of people with the same intention: To protect our children and create the world they deserve....a world they can truly call HOME! Thank you for planting the seed!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
BOTTLES OF MESS
Isn’t it a waste that we buy water in plastic bottles when it is basically free out of our taps? Even health food stores, which should know better, sell it like crazy. When did Earth’s most abundant and free natural resource become a commercial ‘beverage’?
Bottled water has been a big-selling commercial beverage around the world since the late 1980s. According to the Worldwatch Institute, global bottled water consumption has more than quadrupled since 1990. Today Americans consume over 30 billion liters of water out of some 50 billion (mostly plastic) bottles every year. The Beverage Marketing Association reports that in 2008 bottled water comprised over 28 percent of the U.S. liquid refreshment beverage market. The only bottled drinks Americans consume more of are carbonated sodas like Coke and Pepsi.
And frankly, yes, it is a ridiculous waste that we obtain so much of our drinking water this way when it is free flowing and just as good if not better for you right out of the tap. According to the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), some 2.7 million tons of petroleum-derived plastic are used to bottle water around the world every year. “Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year,” says EPI researcher Emily Arnold. And just because we can recycle these bottles does not mean that we do: The Container Recycling Institute reports that 86 percent of plastic water bottles in the U.S. end up as garbage or litter.
The financial costs to consumers are high, too: According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), bottled water costs up to 1,900 times more than tap water. And the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that 90 percent or more of the money consumers shell out for it pays for everything but the water itself: bottling, packaging, shipping, marketing, other expenses—and, of course, profits.
EWG is particularly appalled at the lack of transparency by leading bottled water sellers as to the sources of their water and whether it is purified or has been tested for contaminants. According to a recent survey by the group, 18 percent of the 173 bottled waters on the U.S. market today fail to list the location of their source; a third disclose nothing about the treatment or purity of the water inside their plastic bottles.
“Among the ten best-selling brands, nine—Pepsi’s Aquafina, Coca-Cola’s Dasani, Crystal Geyser and six of seven Nestlé brands—don’t answer at least one of those questions,” reports EWG. Only Nestlé’s Pure Life Purified Water “discloses its specific geographic water source and treatment method…and offers an 800-number, website or mailing address where consumers can request a water quality test report.”
EWG recommends that consumer resist the urge to buy bottled water and go instead for filtered tap water. “You’ll save money, drink water that’s purer than tap water and help solve the global glut of plastic bottles,” the group advises, adding that it supports stronger federal standards to enforce consumers’ right to know about what’s in their bottled water besides water. Until that day comes, concerned consumes should check out EWG’s Bottled Water Scorecard, a free website that provides information on various bottled water brands, where they originate and whether and how they are treated to remove contaminants.
Source: EarthTalk.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
EASTER SUNDAY IN KUANTAN.
“Investors will only go to clean states like Penang and Selangor. Pahang is not a clean state considering that we welcomed controversial companies to Bukit Koman and Lynas,” said Datuk Fauzi, former MP when kicking off the Citizens of Kuantan Forum. "Take a ride to Kuantan Port and see how busy the port is," he urged me after the Forum. We went.
PORT OF KUANTAN CLOSED ON EASTER SUNDAY?
Only the lonely……
Are you lonesome……tonight
See and Read More HERE
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
THE "REVIEWER" FUMES....
By EMBUN MAJID
embun@thestar.com.my | Mar 28, 2011
Chor: Several technical issues need to be reviewed
ALOR SETAR: Technical glitches have delayed the enforcement of the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Act 2007, which was initially due to be implemented next month.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said the delay was to allow an in-depth study of several technical aspects before the Act was to be enforced.
“The Act was tabled before the Cabinet recently and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, after listening to the enforcement aspects, felt that there were one or two technical issues that needed to be reviewed,” he said ………
ANOTHER MOCKERY, she fumes……..
These people are very good at managing by excuses.... and not managing for results. It looks like the PM’s theme of 1 Malaysia, People First, Perfomance Now doesn’t sink in doing their work. It is scary to even think, if a law need to be passed and yet the implementation and worst, repercussion (so called technical) has not been fully thought out. It can mean 2 things,:
(1) the Consultant ( Kue Low) that the Ministry fully depends are not effective or are more interested in having their relevance being there ( off course with the blessing of relevance tuan pegawai who is so worried about position and pencen, or who are already on pension, now its Pay Off time at the cost of the public) until they MAMPUS, (how I wish the government are transparent in telling how much they are paying these so called consultants), and
(2) my friend thought the Act was bulldozed through during the time by the Ah Keow Minister (for reasons well known to a lot of people – 1 + 1 equals one for you and one for me) so no one must question. Now, we all can see the result. Don’t be ashame Mr. Authroity, what has been done has been done, but since it has yet to be implemented, better take time to think through and implement what is best for 1 Malaysia, People First, Performance Now ( Malaysian are already matured by now if they think that all this are not known to people.
Another friend voiced out his concern that, with this so called “ the period to correct technical glitches” , all this give rise to “kawanlonies” to quicky grab whatever projects they could ( of course through the comrades in the power that be) in the name of technologically advance company ( in actual fact without the relevant track record ) but being backed up by the KONSULTANS ) while things are grey, so much so by the time the Act is in being implemented and, the PEMUTIHAN is now complemented, and everybody lives happily ever after.
One other friend also was curious, and asked why with so many independent reports provided by third parties (some sponsored by UN and at times by our government), why don’t they go along with the recommendations, rather they (KONSULTANS) will tell our pegawai what to do (according to their plans). I think its high time, those reports should be made available for public to comment rather than hiding in the closet. Post it into the virtual library. Then at least the public can see that they WALK THE TALK, and NOT TALK THE C_ _K.
Reviewer of Sanitary Board
Monday, March 28, 2011
BUILT ON LANDFILLS.
The demand for public housing is a never-ending problem as the population keeps increasing but the high cost and scarcity of land, especially in the urban areas, are a big constraint on the authorities in their bid to build affordable houses for the people.
So, it is ironic that five blocks of 13-storey flats built under the Public Housing Projects (PPR) programme in Kelana Jaya, with 1,580 fully completed units, are left to rot for several years.
No notice board has been put up at the PPR project site to explain what the problem is, but word is going around that the buildings built on a former landfill are not fit for occupation.
Maintenance workers at the site said they had heard claims that the soil emitted contaminated gas which could cause health problems.
According to the workers, the buildings had actually been left empty for nearly five years.
A clue to this heavily cloaked mystery was literally “unearthed” when a family of a nearby terrace house renovated their house in May last year.
The family was shocked to discover that their house was standing precariously on just a thin layer of soil measuring only 15cm in depth and there was nothing but compressed garbage underneath.
“Plastic bags, tyres, styrofoams — these were what we found. That is the foundation of our house,” Nana Tan said.
“We bought the house with our life savings. This is our only house and we are still paying for it with our hard-earned money. Imagine the big blow when we found out what lay underneath our home,” she said.
Tan said she had no choice but to spend a big sum of money to excavate the garbage and fill up the hollow with soil.
“The workers dug out tonnes of rubbish. The lorries had to make almost 20 trips just to dispose of the mess,” she said.
The complaint was brought to the attention of Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne and Subang MP R. Sivarasa,
Loh and Sivarasa’s aide Aloysius Francis Pinto visited the site last year and filed a report with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the Selangor state government.
Loh told StarMetro yesterday that they had checked through many channels and had pressed for a solution, but their efforts came to a dead end when they found out that the housing estate was developed by a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).
“The state is in need of more PPR housing units for the people and the five blocks are as good as abandoned. This is a waste of ratepayers’ money and the people must be told what is happening,” Pinto said, when contacted.
“Termite infestation, foul smell, mosquitoes, all these are there but why isn’t any action taken?” he asked.
Today, six months after their site visit, they are still unable to get an answer from the authorities.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by the solid waste laboratory of Universiti Malaya confirmed the area’s surface soil contamination and residents are advised to refrain from agricultural activities.
The study revealed that the landfill closed in 2000 was formerly a mining area.
During its operational period, it received a total volume of 1.57 million cubic metres of solid waste.
The lack of a liner system caused the land to be contaminated by waste residue, leachate and landfill gases.
About half of the houses are unoccupied. A check with the current occupants, who are mostly tenants, revealed that they knew little about soil contamination, let alone the questionable stability of the buildings’ foundation.
A house owner, who had just bought the property, said he did not know about the area’s landfill problem but heard that he was not supposed to plant fruit trees there.
“I like this place. It is peaceful and strategically located,” he said.
It is apparent that cracks are appearing in many of the houses, while the grounds have shown some signs of cave-in.
The fact that a condominium is standing right next to these terrace houses is also worrying.
But developer Selaman Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Yaacob Jailani insisted that the company’s houses built near the PPR site had a strong foundation and there was no risk to the residents.
“It is safe to stay there because the houses are on piles, and had been further reinforced with suspended slabs. There is no reason for worry,” he said when contacted.
Yaacob said the landfill had been closed for quite some time and the company’s consultant engineers had confirmed that the area was fit for development, adding that the MBPJ had granted them approval.
He said the 120 terrace houses in the area and two blocks of low-cost five-storey apartments further away, had received the certificate of fitness for occupation three years ago.
Yaacob said he did not know what was wrong with the PPR flats because they were under another developer.
Efforts to contact the MBPJ on the matter were futile.
NEXT
MAYBE…..after I do some homework…but it will come!
On an adjacent landfill next to these 5 blocks of PPR abandoned flats
will rise a 5 blocks 15 storey commercial complex. I pass this everyday.
The developer is now excavating the remains of the landfill and trucks after trucks line two exits.