Resorts World at Sentosa drops shark's fin from menus

Got this from deadorblack...Resorts World at Sentosa drops shark's fin from menus

Shark's fin

Husband was quick to point out to me the newsclip on TV last night that said Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) would not be serving shark's fin (in normal circumstances). Will it be missed? I wouldn't miss it. My ex colleagues always made me out to be some pro fanatic (that "animal welfare" person, ya know), so when I left, they gave me....a shark figurine. The thing is, when I looked at it a few weeks later, I noticed that the fin was GONE. I didn't ask, cos partly I was thinking I may have gone and done it accidentally myself carrying it on the way home. But i'm just not sure...

Singapore's footprint: Going green

A forum letter on Singapore's footprint: Going Green, (mainly on the topic of Climate Change) in ST Online, in response to Saturday's article, 'Beware of doom merchants' by Mr Robert Skidelsky. (thanks to deadorblack for sending it in)

Article - Greening the College

Funny, innovative (?) ways to save energy by a group of college students. One idea includes timing the showers at 3 mins, with a picture of a former senator pasted on top to "encourage" you to take shorter showers. :)

The plastic bag pledge 2

So far so good with the pledge. I haven't taken a plastic bag for my purchases since I started the pledge last week. It's pretty easy if you have your reusable bag in your bag, but I think it will be a problem when you are shopping in bulk. Do I buy another reusable bag?

My other problem is getting the other members of my family to follow suit. My hubby says it's such a pain to carry a reusable bag. You know how men can be with "girly" bags :-) especially those who walk around with their wallet and mobile in their pockets. So, maybe there's a "guys" reusable bag somewhere out there.......

Reusable Bags Part 2 (contributed by Faith)

Ikea and Daiso Reusable bags


- cheap and considered quite big and roomy
- folds down small
- may not be able to hold heavier stuff. good for light weight purchases like clothes or snacks.

Plus pts:
- have short and long handles
- long handles good for shoulder-carry and if you purchase bigger items
- very durable and roomy
- light weight

Minus pts:
- the opening is wider than the base, thus sometimes I have the feeling that the items gonna fall out when I just have a few items inside.
- folds down to slightly bigger than palm size, not petite enough.
- design not as chic becos of its bright blue and material :P

However, the ikea bag may not be available easily as they don't sell this mini size one, they only have the large one. But can redeem using the smale pts (kiddy prog).

(thanks to Faith for the contribution and pictures!)

the plastic bag pledge

It seems concerns of not being able to keep the pledge rather than complete disagreement with it, are why people did not sign up for it (so they have told me). And well, to be frank, I have to agree it's not easy!

I managed to for 1-2 days and then I'd accept a plastic bag, always for food which I cannot carry away just so or stuff in my handbag. And usually it's for an impulsive buy that I didn't plan for and thus did not bring a bag for. A friend was telling me she had to start all over again too, and another friend proposed just substituting the day with another day  - i.e. count whatever days we don't take a bag to make a week in total. Hmmm...I'm not going to be fussy with the details here, just happy that people are willing to try so it's up to you whichever way and however strict you want to be with yourself.

As I was getting breakfast, the stall owner was just about to stuff my food into a plastic bag when I tell him, hold on, and started to unravel a plastic bag I had folded into a simple triangle. He hesitated and looked at me, my bag, and all, with a quizzed look on his face wondering what this woman was doing. Then, he quietly kept his plastic bag. His thoughts? maybe "what does she have against my plastic bag, man?!" or "The crazies you come across these days...".

Reusable Bag Review Part 1

Well, as mentioned, here's a review of some reusable bags and it'll be followed below by some links to resources where you can make your own.

Firstly, these are some things that you should look out for:
a) sturdy material (not thin); preferably waterproof
b) hard base - good for carrying heavy groceries
c) good sewing; no lose ends - I had one with lose ends and the whole thing unraveled when I started using it for heavy stuff.
d) strong handle material and sewn strongly into the bag. Some may cut into the shoulder painfully of the load is heavy.
e) length of handle that you prefer (whether to be shoulder slung or carried on hand).
f) method to fold into portable size (if applicable). Most are folded and buttoned but there's also one you can roll up and flip over like a sock.

First Review (more to come... and send in yours)

The foldable Uniqlo zippered bag (around $14):


On first look, the Uniqlo bag may not seem sleek or beautiful in design but I have found it very practical. The big difference I've found between this and other reusable bags is the hard bottom, which is bordered by a zipper that zips up the bag into a neat square, with a small handle. This bottom becomes a stable base for the bag and is good for carrying things that need to remain upright, like liquids (such as milk, etc.) and other fragile items (like cakes even). The other thing I like about this bag is that you only fold it twice before you zip it up, thereby allowing you to keep it in quick time. I also like the length of the handles which are rather long and a good length to be swung on the shoulder. One of the downsides I can see for the bag for some people is ironically the big base, which means it isn't as small as some people might want it (for to keep in purses, etc), but it is small enough to keep in most of the handbags I see people carrying around nowadays. Another thing is that for those of you who want colors and patterns, there's a limited choice. And the worse downside of it all is that it isn't available in Singapore - yet. Uniqlo will be setting up shop here soon, but let's hope the price remains the same as you can get it in Japan.

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More recycling bins

At the airport.
We had a quick look in; looked sorted quite all right but didn't linger to check in detail. ;p

Refashioning/recycle clothes programme

For those of you interested in refashioning, you'll be pleased to know that on the Travel & Living channel there's a new programme about refashioning your old clothes into trendy ones. It starts on the 24 May at 10.30pm.

I'm sure it will definitely get you thinking about what to do with the clothes that have been sitting in your wardrobe and haven't been worn in a year :-)

Pledge at the side

If you haven't noticed, there is a box on the right column for the new Green Issues initiative - pledges. We'll refine it as things go along and later there should be a graphic/pledge badge for you to use after you have pledge. For now we are using pledgebank's system as it's quite straightforward. Only thing is the part about the pledger doing something if 'X' number of people will do the same. Some of you told me that struck you weird. Well, it did to me at first too. Think you were wondering why I needed 20 of you to sign before I would do the same. Well, it's part of the system thing right now. And guess it works better if the two conditions were different, like  I'll give $100 to charity if 20 others will give $5. Whatever it is, I guess it's a sort of "support" system and let's all do it together ya! ;p

And, some of you said it was too difficult, and you can't be sure you can pull it off, etc. Well, I think let's put it this way (to make things simpler?):

1. You need not start at the very next moment after signing. Get prepared with reusable bags, etc. so that you can be more assured of sucess
2. We will not be monitoring you so rest assured we won't hunt you down if you do take the plastic bag.
3. This is meant to be encouraging, and we don't want you to be doing it under duress. Just try.

Help us to forward to your friends too!

Climate Change Exhibition at the Science Centre

A friend just mentioned she didn't notice the post about the Science Centre Exhibition below. I guess it may be because I didn't say much about it in that post due to shortage of time. Actually, perhaps it's also cos I had little to say when I had to rush through keeping my girl's hands and legs out of trouble. I will be going back to check it out so there will be another update, but in the meanwhile, before you go, there's some info too in the Science Centre's press release on this exhibit. It states some interesting stuff which I didn't know was there, including this innovative flower lamp that monitors home energy usage and rewards low usage by 'blooming'. Any way to motivate. it doesn't seem to be for sale tho'.

"New" shoes

I have a pair of shoes which I really like but....

I didn't make this pair of old satin shoes but I've reconstructed them by sticking some lace onto them with craft glue. I'm happy with them! I've taken a pic of one with and without the lace.

Climate Change Exhibition

At the science center. Interesting interactive exhibits with a few static ones like this above.

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Book Swap

Sweeteepye emailed me this article about book swapping. If you buy one book every 2 weeks, it amounts to 1 Canadian Spruce every year. Not to mention the amount of energy and chemicals used to produce these books. According to the article, only 40% of UK's book industry uses recycled paper. What about Singapore's book industry, especially all those exam papers and remedial books that sell like hotcakes at Popular? They should take the initiative to use recycled paper.

Alternatives
a) Why not get your books from our local library
b) Use a local book swap group
c) There are a lot of 2nd hand book stores in Singapore (there's probably one near you!):

• Bras Basah Complex aka “City of Books”Blk 231 Bain Street (next to the Singapore National Library)
• San Bookshop - Tampine Mall #03-08
• Sunny Bookshop#03-58 Far East Plaza
• EMF Bookstore - Holland Road Shopping Centre, Causeway Point, Blk 507 Bishan St 11 #01-398
• Plaza Book Shop- 587 Bukit Timah Road #02-07

Baking Soda

My son spilt lemon tea over his new T-shirt while we were having lunch with friends 2 weeks back. He's almost 3 so I forgive him :-)

Once we were home, I made some baking soda paste (about 2 tsp and a little water) and rubbed it onto the stains. I remembered to take some photos this time to show you the effect! This is the 2nd time I'm removing stains without using bleach.

The baking soda I got is from NTUC, but you can get them at any supermarket in the baking section. It's also sold at the pharmacists but it's slightly more expensive.

Results: OK, this time round it didn't work miracles. I had to soak it overnight in vinegar to get the stubborn stain out. I think it only works for food stains. Recall the last time, I had blobs of oil on my Tshirt and it did work. The only problem was I didn't have my camera!

Quick Greening

This sometimes amusing and enlightening article of how a town in Alaksa cut its electricity use by 30% real quick, partly for green purposes (supposedly) but guess mostly cos it costs 400% more after an avalanche destroyed several major transmission towers. Apparently, on record, "The day before the avalanche, the city consumed 1,006 megawatt hours of electricity; on Friday, the number was 625."
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, as one person says of how to avoid the ironing her clothes - "massage them to get the wrinkles out while they're still on the hanger". :) I always have to laugh when I hear that word massage when it isn't referring to the spa type of activity (e.g. massaging text)

No more laundry (almost)!

I hate doing the laundry; it's a lot of work especially in Singapore's unpredictable weather. If it's sunny and windy then I have no problem. But once it starts to rain (and rain forever), my pet peeve is the clothes are still damp and they have a mouldy smell. I also feel guilty cos I use my dryer.

So, you can imagine how I felt when I saw this article in New Scientist "Enzyme-coated plastic could mean self-cleaning fabrics"!!!

Untitled

Guess by now you may have heard of this NEA challenge that awards you with a chance to win a Hybrid car (amongst other things) if you can reduce your energy consumption by 10%.

Check out their website for more.

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public transport competition

SMRT is now having a contest in their Go Green with SMRT promotion at http://www.gogreenwithsmrt.com to try to get people to take the public transport as a more environmentally friendly choice. Interesting website - shows the buses/trains on top going going gone and the cars below apparently stuck in a long jam. :)

what to do with old jeans

SA12
Originally uploaded by mamabyrd12

Was jus thinking of getting an apron recently and looking at these makes me think it may be possible to make one instead of buy one.

Now all I need is to find a pair of jeans no one is wearing anymore

Pattern here.

Upmarket Secondhand Shop

Have you heard of the Oxfam Shop? I haven't seen any Oxfam Shops in Singapore, but there are Family Thrift stores run by the Salvation Army. Anyway, Oxfam Shops in England are really popular (well, at least that's how I remember it!) and you can find all sorts of secondhand stuff there.

According to the Guardian, Oxfam Shops have gone upmarket. Their secondhand clothes are now revamped by student designers (for free I hope!) and will then sold in selected Oxfam Shops, along with other clothes from ethical fashion labels such as People Tree. They've just opened one shop (boutique?) in London! The prices seem rather expensive though, but it is for charity, and it IS London!

I think this is a great idea Salvation Army or other thrift stores in Singapore can consider. It is a win-win situation (I like win-win); not only can the store become more fashion conscious and attract more clientele to buy secondhand clothes, but it's also a good avenue for our local fashion designers to express themselves and show they can do a good job with second hand materials.

Check out the pics of the grand opening in London - c'est tres chic!

(Photo - Guardian)

"green"/recycled play toys

I think almost every kid, even boys, have a kitchen/utensil/cutlery set, which is traditionally called playing "masak-masak" (correct spelling?) here. My girl got a small kitchen with stove and sink for her second birthday, which she has been playing with. Frankly if I were to do the buying I may not have been able to choose anything. Everything looks so plastick-y (no duh) and don't think there's any safety information. Probably none are recycled?

Saw this set by Green Toys on Z Recommends which was well reviewed but at US$40 (not including shipping) it may have limited appeal for parents here, who are more used to a maybe S$10 small set at the local small toy shop. This is how Z Recommends describes it in their post: "...the exact target market Green Toys is trying to reach: Parents who generally buy fewer toys but are prepared to pay for quality when they do, and are willing to consider all kinds of external factors when making purchases - environmental cost, potential health impacts, workers' rights, and quality - especially when those factors are presented to them as an affirmative consumer choice rather than as a form of self-denial."

Not sure if parents here will fit into this category mentioned above.

BPA and containers

Rubbermaid has got clear graphics on which of their products are BPA free.

via ohdeedoh

food prices

Days of cheap food are gone and biofuels bearing the blame of the present food crisis are the main points of the new UN food advisor's comments to Le Monde.

Tests show shark meat samples contain high levels of mercury

Think we've all seen the photos of sharks bleeding to death in the seas but now here's a new reason not to eat shark's fin:
Tests show shark meat samples contain high levels of mercury

They're Young and Wealthy but Normal (??) - saving the world

Deadorblack sent me this link: They're Young and Wealthy but Normal

with the comment:

"don't understand the 'but' there. anyhoo, article's is about the post yuppie generation. greenie and all that. "

I agree - what's with the "but normal" bit?

Speaking of toilets...reminded me of this one I used in Tasmania...

Simply Peaceable Singapore Online Store Tea Room

Hi all, someone suggested to have a marketplace for things that could be reused, recycled, given, bartered/swapped, etc. Simply Peaceable has a Marketplace forum that has just started which you can use. Just post details of your items there and as a need arises there will be more categories to help organise different items. Go ahead, give it a try! :) You can also post up green issues topics and concerns there too!

survivors

This article is a very good comprehensive introduction to the "survivalists". Makes me wanna grow more stuff and all, if only I had the land that is. Didn't know Jaime Oliver was promoting it...maybe for the fresh herbs for cooking, but think we're talking growing potatoes and all.

Introduction:
Rising oil prices, global food shortages and the economic crisis are proof for many survivalists that society is on the brink of meltdown. But are their predictions all gloom and doom - or a chance to create new communities? Harriet Green reports

what going green means...another two

going green means ... choosing the bicycle to get around
Not - printing on loads of new sheets of paper, using the excuse that they can be recycled on the back later, is not with the mode of going green coz it's still wanton consuming
- Jeanette

going green to me means .... cutting down on all wastage of consumption and using reusable container and cup for food and drinks whenever possible.
going green does NOT mean deliberately not having any offspring with the reason that more humans on earth means more 'damage' to the earth or whatever (rubbish!!)
- Izyani

Dual Flush Loos

I've read about the use of dual flush loos to help us conserve our water. I think PUB recommends using the low capacity flushing loos (ie 3.5 - 4.5 litres per flush), but there are loos which allow us to choose a half flush or a full flush. In other words, for a non-solid flush or a solid (ahem, you know what I mean) flush. According to PUB, a half flush uses 4.5litres less than a full flush system.

But it seems like those in the UK don't think they are a good thing afterall. I have used a dual flush system in my office and it seems I have to flush twice for the half flush as the loo paper gets stuck or doesn't flush properly.... no point then. Anyone using a dual flush loo out there?

http://timesonline.typepad.com/environment/2008/04/dual-flush-toil.html

Earth Day Dustbins

Remember my post on Earth Day Activities: Trees planted at Pasir Ris Park and the dustbins? Well, seems like I've to be the photographer for this one...serendipity led me to pass by these and I snapped a few.