KHH Enviros Newsletter #20 - April 2nd, 2010

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KHH Enviros Newsletter - April 2, 2010

 

Hello everyone,

Spring is fast approaching and we can’t figure out if it’s supposed to be hot or cold out. Yes, well, climate change, right?

We’ve got lots of exciting stuff happening now. Our last beach clean up at CiJin was a fantastic success! Thanks to everyone who came out. Our new event – Walking With Trees – has already branched out to the US, Fiji and Canada and we’re seeing people from all over the world looking to participate!

And finally, at long last, we’ve begun the march towards bilingualism!

That’s right, we’ve translated the first couple of pages of our website (it’ll be completely Chinese and English by the end of April) and from now on all of our communiqués will be in Chinese and English (except the newsletter and Green Tips, we need more help for that).

We’ll also be starting a new campaign sometime mid-month using petitions to help save the trees in our new parks and giving out enviro stickers to the public. Look for that later…

Remember to check our Facebook site for the event or head to our website.

KHH Enviros team

khhenviros@gmail.com

khhenviros.110mb.com

1.  Green News from Around the Island

2.  Green Tip – Taiwan’s Food…What Grows When?

3.  Event – Walking With Trees

4.    Enviro Cartoons----

5.    YouTube Videos - The Animals Save the Planet –-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Green News from Around the Island

 

 

Enviro News March 2010


Formosa Plastics to face heavy fines

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced heavy fines on the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) for groundwater pollution at its Jenwu plant.

FPG plant's pollution provokes local protests

The groundwater pollution of the Jenwu plant of the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG), Taiwan's leading petrochemical conglomerate, has provoked protests of local villagers.

Kaohsiung plant pollution under control: Formosa Plastics

The Formosa Plastics Group, Taiwan's leading petrochemical conglomerate, said that it had taken measures to control pollution found in groundwater at its Jenwu plant site in Kaohsiung County and stressed that the contamination had not spread.



Taiwan's first electric postal vehicle unveiled

Taiwan's first electric postal vehicle made its public debut ahead of being put into test runs in April.


Taiwan eats the most meat in East Asia: group

The average Taiwanese person consumes an average of 77.1 kilos meat per year, putting it ahead of nations like China, Japan and South Korea in Asia, according to a foundation for sustainable energy.


Farmland for organic vegetables expands by 550% in last 9 years

The amount of local farmland growing organic agricultural products has surged by 340 percent in the last nine years with that for organic vegetables registering the highest expansion rate of 550 percent in the same period.


Taipei City calls 'lights out' for Earth Hour
Taipei City residents took in an unusual skyline on March 28 without an illuminated Taipei 101, as the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan joined the ranks of world's major landmarks in the call for global climate action.

Environmentalists protest AUO project
Taiwan's biggest LCD panel maker, AU Optronics (AUO), was greeted by protesting students at a headhunting fair at a Hsinchu university over possible pollution to be created by a new plant the company is building.



Yulon puts brakes on local electric car development

Auto maker Yulon Motor Co. announced that the lack of an overall electric car development plan by the government might force the company to suspend a plan of its own to produce electric cars locally and instead start production in China.



Taiwan to join int'l 'Earth Hour' campaign

Lights in areas around the Presidential Office and Taipei City Hall were switched off on March 27 for an hours to show Taiwan's support for the international �Earth Hour� campaign to reduce the planet's carbon footprint.



First electric postal car to hit the road in April

Taiwan's first electric postal vehicle will hit the road in April, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said.


Abandoned factories contain high amounts toxic pollutants

Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced that 28 abandoned factory sites out of the 50 sites inspected were polluted: nine in Taoyuan County, and four in Taipei County, Kaohsiung County, Kaohsiung City each.


Teco unveils 2MW power-generating wind turbine
Teco Electric & Machinery, one of the world's largest producers of industrial motors, debuted a two-megawatt (MW) power-generating wind turbine, officially marking its entry into the alternative energy field.


Academia Sinica scholar receives COA conservation award

Lucia Liu Severinghaus, an Academia Sinica research fellow, received the Forest and Nature Conservation Award from the Council of Agriculture (COA).


Worst sandstorms in history spread to southern Taiwan
The worst-ever sandstorms in Taiwan's history moved southwards March 23, obscuring the southern skies and causing severe air pollution in southern cities, after blanketing northern Taiwan.

Sandstorms from Mongolia reach HK and Taiwan
Sandstorms whipping across China shrouded cities in an unhealthy cloud of sand and grit on March 22, with winds carrying the pollution outside the mainland as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Huge sandstorm hits Taiwan
The biggest-ever sandstorm hit the whole of Taiwan, obscuring the whole island in thick dust-clouds that caused air pollution and a big jump in the number of outpatients in hospitals.

Taiwan to help Kiribati battle rising sea levels
Taiwan will not sit idly by and watch its South Pacific ally battle rising sea levels resulting from global warming, President Ma Ying-jeou said in Kiribati.


Taiwan donating supplies to Marshall Islands: Ma

During a trip to the Marshall Islands, Ma Ying-jeou announced that his administration will donate NT$4 million (US$125,786) worth of medical supplies to the Marshall Islands. Also on the agenda, Ma and the Republic of Marshall Islands President, Zedkaia, held formal talks in which they confirmed the importance for their two island countries to work together to fight global warming. Zedkaia reaffirmed support for Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The two presidents jointly hosted a tree planting ceremony in which Ma planted a sapling to highlight the importance of forestation, energy conservation and carbon reduction in the current fight against global warming.



Taipei 101 heading toward tallest green building: management

The Taipei 101 skyscraper is applying for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification as part of efforts to make it the tallest green building in the world, " according to Taipei Financial Center Corp. (TFCC) Assistant Vice President Cathy Yang.



Global warming threatens survival of ROC's Pacific allies: envoys

For Taiwan's South Pacific allies of Kiribati and Tuvalu, global warming is a life-threatening disaster because it is causing rising sea levels that could eventually submerge their homelands, according to diplomatic sources.


ROC embassies in South Pacific help deal with garbage problem

As the only embassy in the island republic of Tuvalu , the Republic of China's mission is appreciated by local people for its assistance with economic development and in dealing with a serious garbage problem there.


'10 butterfly road protection scheme begins

Taiwan has launched its annual effort to prevent migratory butterflies from being killed by vehicles traveling in central Taiwan's Yunlin County, the freeway bureau said.


Taiwan Power to complete nation's largest solar plant

Taiwan Power Co. expects to complete the island's biggest solar plant by the end of August next year, doubling the state-run utility's capacity to produce electricity from sunlight.


Three green pavilions unveiled for Taipei floral expo
Three environmentally friendly buildings that will be among the showpieces of the Taipei International Flora Exposition were unveiled by the city government.


EPA nixes idea of local gov'ts imposing energy taxes

Taiwan's top environmental official rejected the idea of local governments imposing energy taxes on businesses under their jurisdiction, saying it should be the job of the Executive Yuan.



Taiwan eyes waste recycling market in China

Taiwan and China will cooperate to recycle the soaring volume of electronic waste in China, an official with the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.



Local experts cooperate on ocean energy development

Three local institutes signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly set up a facility � the first of its kind in Taiwan � for field experiments on ocean power generation as part of efforts to explore alternative energy sources.


Ma urges the public to help reduce carbon dioxide
On March 12, President Ma Ying-jeou urged the public to plant trees to help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as he planted one himself to mark Arbor Day.



Taiwan soil found to be environmentally fragile

Taiwan's soil has become even more fragile and vulnerable to natural disasters since the onslaught of Typhoon Morakot last August, according to a report carried in the latest issue of CommonWealth Magazine.


Schools encouraged to offer vegetarian lunches

Ministry of Education officials said that elementary and junior high schools should provide one vegetarian lunch per week to students to promote healthy lifestyles and help reduce global warming.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Green Tip -Taiwan’s Food…What Grows When?

To view our Green Tip please Click Here

Walking With Trees

It's easy...
From your house walk to the first tree and count your steps. Send us your city and your steps and we put it all together.

It's a neat way to see how green your city is.
Put your info on our Facebook Group or send us an SMS
+886 987 085 683
----------------------
很 簡單，
你從你家走到最附近的樹。數數需要幾步路，然后告訴我們你的城市和你的步數。

很有趣的方法看你的城市有多接受近綠色的
放 你的info在我們的團體的Facebook Group, 或 給我們SMS
+886 987 085 683

Enviro Cartoons

YouTube Videos - The Animals Save the Planet

Have a look at this hilarious series of animals that are lookin to save our planet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBZdUA8zxJ0&feature=channel

--Tim

Managing Director

Green Tip - In Taiwan, What Grows When?

What you eat is so important. Think about the emphasis our culture puts on food… "You are what you eat," "You're the apple of my eye," "Out of the frying pan and into the fire," "Bring home the bacon."

These days our connection with food is not what it used to be. We eat foods grown, raised, packaged, processed and fiddled with on the other side of the world. We don't know our farmers and they don't know us. AND farmers are now not even the person most responsible for the way food looks or tastes when it arrives on our plate. 

In this Green Tip we're combining two old ones and adding some new information as food never stops being of great importance for our health and our planet's health.

First, a little background info:

• Raising 1Kg of beef is about the same CO2 as driving a European car about 250km
  
• Meat protein takes about 10x more energy to make than plant protein
  

Not eating meat ever again is a choice most people won't make. It sucks, but it's true. What we're advocating is the same thing Paul McCartney from the Beatles is trying set up with his wife Linda: Meat Free Mondays.

 

If you wanna give up meat entirely, we can help. But for those of us who can't live without their McDonald's hamburger or their steak on Sunday night, try giving it up for one day a week.

Eating less meat would have a far greater impact than changing to an electric car OR changing all the lights in your house OR buying energy efficient appliances.

It is not a replacement for those things, but it's a big step toward helping.
 

Here's some veggie Chinese:

Useful Phrases for Vegetarian Travelers to Taiwan
	Say	Chinese
I eat vegetarian	wǒ​ chī​ sù​	我吃素
I do not want...	wǒ​ bù​ yào​	我不要...
I do not want MSG	wǒ​ bù​ yào​ wèi​ jīng​	我不要味精
I do not eat meat	wǒ​ bù chī​ ròu​	我不吃肉
I do not eat fish	wǒ​ bù chī​ wú​	我不吃鱼
I do not eat eggs	wǒ​ bù chī​ dàn​	我不吃蛋

 

Where's Yer Food From?

Food miles…how far has your food come to get to your plate? It's important, don't you think?

A study in Toronto, Canada found that supermarket food from abroad traveled an average 5,364km. The same product bought at a farmer's market traveled an average 101km; so imported food has more than 53x the distance and more than 1000x the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. 

The simple act of buying an apple from a farmer instead of a supermarket can save more emissions than commuting in your car for a month!

So….we went out to the markets and found out what was local and what wasn't.

The most common imported fruit is apples. I know, that sucks because I love apples.

Here's a collection of what we found to be local and when it's growing season in Taiwan happens.

(The names and seasons are below the slideshow OR click "fullscreen" and then "info")

1) 琵琶 pípa (Feb to Apr)
2) 鳳梨 fènglí Pineapple (May to August) (Jan to Dec)
3) 香瓜 xiāngguā Cantaloupe (Nov to May)
    哈密瓜 hāmìguā Honey Dew Melon (May to July)
4) 柳丁liǔdīng Tangerine (Nov to Jan)
5) 檸檬níngméng Lemon (July to Nov; Dec to Jun)
6) 釋迦shìjiā Sugar Apple (Jun to Mar)
     蜜棗 mìzǎo Dates (Jan to Mar)
7) 西瓜xīguā Watermelon (May to July)
8) 薑 jiāng Ginger
    蒜 suàn Garlic
9) 番茄fānqié Tomato (Nov to Jun)
10) 木瓜mùguā Papaya (Apr to Oct ; Nov to Mar)
11) 楊桃yángtáo Star Fruit (Sat to Nov)
12) 蔥cōng Scallion / Green Onion
13) 香菇xiānggū Mushroom (Oct to Mar)
14) 韭菜jiǔcài Garlic Chives or Leeks

Green Tip - Gardening in the City

Gardening in the City

You're at home, the city is quiet in the morning and you're looking out over your beautiful view of the cityscape. Is it green? Do you want it to be?

Recently I was asked to clarify a few rumors about balcony gardens and it turned into our next green tip: Gardening in the City.

First off, gardening, no matter how you do it, is always a good idea (unless you're gardening people in some sort of futuristic slavery-agro-compound, that's no good). But, there are certain methods you can use in order to garden a little more energy and water efficiently.

Plant choice

Try to choose plants that use less water and require little maintenance (usually one comes with the other). How do you know which ones to choose? Generally water efficient plants have one or more of the following:

-         little fuzzy hairs on their leaves

-         succulent leaves (makes it look like it's made from plastic, great for keeping water inside)

-         white, or lighter colouring in the leaves and stem

-         are perennial (come back every year) NOT annual (annuals die off every year)

-         have deep root systems made for looking for water in the ground

Watering Schedule

You can usually tell with most plants, when they need water. The leaves start to droop. This does not mean it's already too late; it's just your plant's way of conserving energy. It's a good thing! But, you shouldn't let them droop too long or your plants won't be healthy.

Remember, you can also teach your plants to need less water. When you first plant them, give them lots of water to make sure they set healthy roots, then start to water less frequently. At first, maybe 3-5 times a week, then back it off to 2-3 times a week and finally down to 1 time a week. Most plants should be able to live comfortably on 1 (deep) watering each week. If it can't, then it's made for a very water loving environment.

Soil

The question that gave rise to this Green Tip was “is it true putting coffee grinds in your pots helps?” The answer is, it only helps if you're gardening in a real garden, not potted plants. In its normal environment (ahem, nature) plants have little creatures in the soil that eat fallen leaves and help make new soil to give plants more energy. Potted plants don't have these creatures, but they still need more energy than just water can provide.

The first solution people think of is fertilizer...STOP THERE. Fertilizer is NOT NECESSARY. Fertilizer as you probably know comes from fossil fuels and requires a lot more energy to produce.

Instead, just change the soil in your pots now and again. A bag of soil half the size of you only costs $100NT and it's much healthier for your plants, too. Watch the soil to see when it looks like it's turning to dust on top. Rich, dark black soil is what you want. The closer it gets to sandy texture and colour, the sooner you should change the soil. You'll know when it's really needed if you plants start to look unhealthy, no matter how much water you give them.

Blankets of Love and Mulch

Soil, in the really real world, is almost never exposed directly to the sun, there's always something on top of it. Think about it, you walk in a forest; there are leaves everywhere and a canopy to cover it. Open fields have thick grasses, which shade the soil. There's good reason for this: evaporation. If you want to keep water in the soil and not flying off into the sunset, cover your soil with something. Some suggestions are:

-         Pretty white or coloured rocks

-         Dead leaves

-         Wood Chips

-         Old clothes or dish towels

Anything that lets air in and out is good as long as you can pour water through it into the soil. Experiment a little and watch your plants to make sure they're comfortable. 

Gardening is one of the best ways to connect yourself to nature, which we find way outside our huge, Taiwanese city. If

KHH Enviros Newsletter #19 - March 2nd, 2010

KHH Enviros Newsletter –March 2, 2010

Hello everyone,

Summer, it seems has exploded into being as our nasty Chinese New Year weather has left us.

The year of the Tiger has come and it’s time for environmentalism to really take hold in Taiwan.

There’s been some good movement in the government to encourage foreign companies to put up more renewable energy, and we’re adding more and more people to our list of members.

If you’re not yet a member of our Facebook group we’ve jumped over the 200 mark.

Let’s double that number before next month, shall we?

Also, remember that this weekend is our next Hunting GREEN People event at Kaohsiung arena.

You can view the video from our first one on YouTube or on our Facebook Group.

Apologies also that we’re a day late this month, I’ve been a bit sick and wanted to put some last minute additions in.

Please check our Facebook site for the event or head to our website.

KHH Enviros team

khhenviros@gmail.com

khhenviros.110mb.com

1.  Green News from Around the Island

2.  Green Tip – Gardening in the City

3.  Event – Hunting GREEN People

4.    Enviro Cartoons ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Green News from Around the Island

 

WRA clarifies surcharge, vouches for water safety

Officials at the Water Resource Agency (WRA) clarified that all the water fee surcharge collected from consumers has been used for water source protection projects.

Taipower to collect energy surcharge soon

Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) is set to collect the renewable energy surcharge starting in April or May. Most households in Taiwan are expected to face a minor rise in electricity bills to help Taipower in establishing a renewable energy fund to raise money for the development of sustainable energy sources. As the sole power distributor in Taiwan, Taipower is said to collect the renewable energy surcharge on behalf of the government.

Control Yuan investigating gasoline fee over-charges

The highest watchdog body interviewed economics and environmental officials in a probe into over-charged gasoline prices.  The Control Yuan's investigation was prompted by information that the state-run CPC Corporation and the private Formosa Petrochemicals had over-charged motorists for the pollution fees bundled with the gasoline prices. In response, gasoline prices were cut three times in the week prior to the Chinese New Year holidays earlier this month, as a gesture of compensation to the motorists.  As a result of the investigation, the EPA is helping the CPC create a new version of the fuel price formula to replace the existing one.

CSC Group to inaugurate fifth blast furnace today

Dragon Steel, a subsidiary of CSC Group, inaugurated its first blast furnace, adding to five the total number of such facilities owned by the country's leading steel refinery.

Wind power firm to reduce its local operations

German wind power firm InfraVest has started laying off staff in Taiwan and will also halt new investment projects here as the company sees a lack of strong commitment from the government to the development of renewable energy industry, according to a report in the United Evening Daily (UED).

Climate change solutions should be a top priority: film

More than one-tenth of the land in Taiwan could be under water if global warming increased the Earth's temperature by two degrees, according to Taiwan's first documentary, “±2°C,”  on the impact of climate change.The film made its debut February 23 in Taipei while hundreds of audience members shouted, “Save the Earth!”

 

South Taiwan may face water shortage

The rainfall during the Chinese New Year holiday provided sufficient water supply for the central and northern Taiwan while the south may face a potential lack of water supply after April.

CPC to restart Kaohsiung refinery's gasoline unit

CPC Corp., Taiwan's state-owned oil company, said it plans to restart a gasoline producing unit at its Kaohsiung refinery after a five-month stoppage as demand for the fuel improves.

Oil leak causes pollution of irrigation source

Large amounts of oil were leaked from a Pingtung County recycling business, contaminating an irrigation ditch and polluting a nearby stream, February 23.

Taoyuai Oceanarium to close at end of February

The Taoyuai Oceanarium closes at the end of February but many of its large marine residents are still looking for placement.

Energy use fell 2.3% in 2009 from 2008: MOEA

Taiwan's total energy consumption last year fell 2.3 percent from 2008, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

EPA to boost battery recycling for festival

Over one million dry cell batteries are predicted to be sold this year in Taiwan during the upcoming lantern festival.

Activist promotes solar cooking, urban gardens

To Peter Morehead, cooking a meal does not require the use of natural gas. Sunlight is good enough.

EPA considers reducing LED light intensities

Most commercial-use LED lights in Taiwan's metropolises have exceeded the international standard for luminous intensity and may cause damage to the eye, found a survey conducted by the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) recently.

Draft act passed to steady water supply in the south

To speed up the restoration of steady water supplies to the southern districts, Executive Yuan has passed the draft of a special act to govern the management of the reservoirs in the south.

Gov't urged to check Chinese tea over pesticide concerns

The government should step up its inspection of tea imported from China through Vietnam as it contains excessive levels of pesticides and poses a serious health threat, according to local tea farmers and an opposition lawmaker.

China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder

China found another 170 tons of tainted milk powder in an emergency crackdown that has made it increasingly clear many products discovered in the country's 2008 milk scandal were repackaged for sale instead of destroyed.

Green energy production value to hit NT$1.15 trillion by 2015

With the government' s efforts to develop green forms of energy, Taiwan's production value in the sector is forecast to have hit NT$1.15 trillion (around US$35.9 billion) by 2015, an official in charge of energy affairs said.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Green Tip - Gardening in the City

Courtesy of Tim Higgs

You're at home, the city is quiet in the morning and you're looking out over your beautiful view of the cityscape. Is it green? Do you want it to be?

Recently I was asked to clarify a few rumors about balcony gardens and it turned into our next green tip: Gardening in the City.

First off, gardening, no matter how you do it, is always a good idea (unless you're gardening people in some sort of futuristic slavery-agro-compound, that's no good). But, there are certain methods you can use in order to garden a little more energy and water efficiently.

Plant choice

Try to choose plants that use less water and require little maintenance (usually one comes with the other). How do you know which ones to choose? Generally water efficient plants have one or more of the following:

l  little fuzzy hairs on their leaves

l  succulent leaves (makes it look like it's made from plastic, great for keeping water inside)

l  white, or lighter colouring in the leaves and stem

l  are perennial (come back every year) NOT annual (annuals die off every year)
l  have deep root systems made for looking for water in the ground

Watering Schedule

You can usually tell with most plants, when they need water. The leaves start to droop. This does not mean it's already too late; it's just your plant's way of conserving energy. It's a good thing! But, you shouldn't let them droop too long or your plants won't be healthy.

Remember, you can also teach your plants to need less water. When you first plant them, give them lots of water to make sure they set healthy roots, then start to water less frequently. At first, maybe 3-5 times a week, then back it off to 2-3 times a week and finally down to 1 time a week. Most plants should be able to live comfortably on 1 (deep) watering each week. If it can't, then it's made for a very water loving environment.

Soil

The question that gave rise to this Green Tip was “is it true putting coffee grinds in your pots helps?” The answer is, it only helps if you're gardening in a real garden, not potted plants. In its normal environment (ahem, nature) plants have little creatures in the soil that eat fallen leaves and help make new soil to give plants more energy. Potted plants don't have these creatures, but they still need more energy than just water can provide.

The first solution people think of is fertilizer...STOP THERE. Fertilizer is NOT NECESSARY. Fertilizer as you probably know comes from fossil fuels and requires a lot more energy to produce.

Instead, just change the soil in your pots now and again. A bag of soil half the size of you only costs $100NT and it's much healthier for your plants, too. Watch the soil to see when it looks like it's turning to dust on top. Rich, dark black soil is what you want. The closer it gets to sandy texture and colour, the sooner you should change the soil. You'll know when it's really needed if you plants start to look unhealthy, no matter how much water you give them.

Blankets of Love and Mulch

Soil, in the really real world, is almost never exposed directly to the sun, there's always something on top of it. Think about it, you walk in a forest; there are leaves everywhere and a canopy to cover it. Open fields have thick grasses, which shade the soil. There's good reason for this: evaporation. If you want to keep water in the soil and not flying off into the sunset, cover your soil with something. Some suggestions are:

l  Pretty white or coloured rocks

l  Dead leaves

l  Wood Chips

l  Old clothes or dish towels

Anything that lets air in and out is good as long as you can pour water through it into the soil. Experiment a little and watch your plants to make sure they're comfortable. 

Gardening is one of the best ways to connect yourself to nature, which we find way outside our huge, Taiwanese city. If

Event - Hunting GREEN People

We’ll meet this Sunday at Kaohsiung Arena MRT station exit 5 at 2pm.

Please wear something GREEN!

                And BRING YOUR CAMERAS

We’ll give you some clipboards and signs.

We’re collecting two things: 
1. Video clips of people saying enviro stuff and 
2. Email addresses

Enviro Cartoons

A new section we’re gonna try out is enviro cartoons.

A lot of the time environmentalism can be depressing and make you sad because it’s all bad news.

With a cartoon each month we’ll try to keep things a little happier and lighter. J

--Tim

Managing Director