Barley & Mushrooms

A stir-fry of shimeiji mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, cooked barley and lotus seeds.

The recipe is here > http://greenissuessingapore.blogspot.sg/2009/08/recipe-for-mushroom-barley-dish.html!

Charlie & Lola Recycle

My son loves Charlie & Lola but I think you have to subscribe to Singtel Mio to watch it in Singapore. Anyway, he watched them on DVDs. This evening he watched an episode called "Look After Our Planet". Charlie explained to his sister about deforestation, air pollution and how they can help save the planet by recycling. There are lots of arguments for and against recycling (the most famous one is by Dr. Matthew Leach) but the act of recycling gets kids thinking about their environment. At least they know that they can do something to help and it will get them to do other things for the environment, like not littering and saving energy at home. Start them young! :-)

I hope you like the cute screen shots :-)

The Big Cover Up

According to news reports there were cover ups under the Bush Administration on various environmental fronts. The worst is the climate change.

a) Deterioration of the Clean Water Act enforcement program - "EPA is keeping hidden from Congressional investigators and the public: namely the details of over 500 clean water enforcement cases that have been dropped or stalled"

b) Toxic cover up

c) Climate change cover ups - including, inconvenient conclusions censored, and researchers warned not to talk about global warming. Also includes classifying evidence that shows melting ice caps (see above,and here). They have now been declassified under Obama.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if other governments do cover-ups. It's all part of the PR and the image of the country, and of course, the economy.....

Bluefin tuna off the menu at 2 HK restaurants

Read this today.

Yin Yang in Wan Chai, HK and Yellow Door Kitchen in Central, HK are serving mostly seafood recommended by WWF.

I can't believe the Singapore WWF guideline on seafood is taking so long. Remember that last year they released a sneek preview of it....

Pic - Jean-Guillaume Dumont (via WWF)

Crocs

Crocs aren't doing so well. According to reports, they've hit saturation in terms of sales and it's now stuck with a surplus of stock and "mountain of debt".

What got me interested was that the Crocs are (in)famous for its durability. In fact, why would you want to buy many pairs of Crocs, especially if your first pair is doing just fine. And that's the irony of it all for some businesses. Do you make durable ones or do you create a less durable product that people will throw away after a few months and buy another? I remember the Scholl clogs were around during the 80s and then they disappeared. The sales lady told my mum that the co. took them off the market as people weren't buying them anymore. True, my mum's lasted 10 years! I'm not joking! In Singapore, we gals know that C&K have really pretty shoes, but we do know that they don't last anywhere near the 6mth mark.

I wonder how you balance it? Consumerism = good business = jobs ? Less consumerism = business goes into decline = fewer jobs ? Oh no, I'm not making sense..... need some zzzz....

Let the force be with you

These are cute!

Sockyoda by Brigid Howard

Medium: Sock, stuffing, felt and thread

Photograph: Bird and Bear

Mango rice

Over the weekend, I made mango rice.

I used brown rice, and cooked it with Japanese mushrooms. After cooling it down I added the following:

a) sesame seeds (I used white sesame seeds, but I think the black ones would have given it more flavour)

b) cashew nuts

c) raisins

d) sliced shallots soaked for a while in lime juice to minimise its sharpness

e) season with black pepper and salt

After mixing this all up, I topped it with fresh sweet mango (I used 2 Indian mangoes. Indian ones are the best, yum!) and seaweed. Mix again before serving but don't overmix as you'd end up with mango mush! I should have taken a pic before I mixed everything up (see top pic) but it tastes nicer than it looks :-)

A nice meal for a hot, hot summer!

Shark's fin off the menu at Fairmont Hotel

Got this via SPCA.

"Since January 2009, the Fairmont Hotel Singapore has ceased to serve and offer shark's fin soup to its diners at Szechuan Court and guests at Raffles City Convention Centre. The hotel aims to educate consumers on the cruelty involved in the production of shark's fin soup, whilst offering alternative dishes to customers. SPCA was invited by the Fairmont Hotel Singapore to collaborate on its specially-designed brochure, "Make our Culinary Choice a Responsible Choice" by providing the write-up on the cruelty involved in the shark's fin trade. It is hoped that other hotels and restaurants will follow after this commendable initiative by Fairmont Hotel Singapore."

DIY Tights

I have been oggling at Park & Cube's website for ages, especially this pair of tights with DIY beads. OK, in Singapore it's rather hot to be wearing tights (I have a few dejected pairs) but I do have a pair of black lace socks that my sis-in-law passed to me. This DIY is perfect to add that sparkle back into them! I'm dreaming about them worn with my red shoes .... heeeeeeeeeeee oggle gogggggglllee...... I'm going to raid my bead stash now!!!! Watch this space!!!!

SPCA ads

A man's best friend..... up for the SPH Ink Awards 09

Via my friend SY

India has top green cred

Nat Geo did a Greendex which measures consumer behaviour in 65 different areas, including housing, transportation, food and consumer goods. India scored the top score of 59.5/100 and the Brazilians were 2nd. China, surprisingly, were 3rd with 56.7 (I was under the impression they would be near the bottom). The Americans, Canadians and Japanese were last.

How did the Indians do it? They got high marks for eathing self-grown food, owning fewer than average large appliances & electronics, and walking and cycling. But, the study shows that India may lose the top spot as it indicates that India showed an increase in bottled water consumption, rise in consumption of imported food, intentions by the individual to buy a vehicle next year .....

They didn't survey anyone from SE Asia.....

Eco-adverts

The Guardian published a set of photos under "The best adverts to save the planet". Well, they can't really save the planet but let's hope they change behaviour. Those 2 are my favourites :-)

Top photo > Photograph: Greenpeace /ACT Responsible

Bottom photo > Photograph: Fondation Nicolas Hulot/ACT Responsible

Vegy

Nausi sent me this game from PETA. It's a bit gruesome for kiddies even though it is cartoonish... but the plucking of the turkey reminds me of the wet markets when they used to slaughter the live chicken right in front of you. Eeks!

They've got a nice vegy recipe site too >> http://www.vegcooking.com/f_holiday_cooking.asp

I've also found a few recommended ones from The Guardian (yeah, yeah, I like to read it most of the time)

Noise control vs. saving our sounds

Did you know that there is a group of people who are interested in preserving the sounds of a city (endangered sounds) because it makes the city sound unique...... it's the difference between vibrant and dead boring ... tee hee.... Anyway, they say that noise control is getting out of control and that urban planners should preserve the sounds and charms of a city. Would you like a city to be dead quiet ? Just imagine yourself inside a cushioned room or a recording study.....

Here are some sounds.....

a) Chimes of Big Ben = London

b) Most people associate the "ding ding" of a tram with HK. I remember when they changed the "ding ding" to a "honk" and a lot of people protested. I'm not sure whether they reversed the decision but it does remind me of my childhood. Then there's the din of the lunch crowd during dim sum.

c) I remember being in Beijing many eons ago and I could hear lots of bicycle bells - ringaling! I don't think you can hear that anymore....

I wonder what sound is characteristic of Singapore? The karanguni man (ragabone man) with his horn ? Hmmm... some people actually complained because they found him annoying, but surprisingly, he's still around and I think it's because Singaporeans are conditioned with this sound since birth!!! I suppose it's like in HK when the airport was at Kai Tak. We all got used to it when all the planes would land and you could almost touch the belly of the plane. Then when the airport got shifted to Lantau, the atmosphere was strange, like something was missing.

Now that I live in Singapore (and I live in a quiet area), I can't stand the din when I go back, especially when we go to the restaurants. I need to escape to the countryside once I'm there....

More info can be found at the BBC project Save our Sounds.

FDA Would Limit Antibiotic Use on U.S. Livestock

"The Food and Drug Administration believes antibiotics should be used on livestock only to cure or prevent disease and not to promote growth, a common use". I think that every country should ban antibiotics and other growth hormones in our livestock.

Eco-Friendly Day Care Center

I think most mums in Singapore put their kids in childcare when they're off at work. I'm not an expert in quality childcare, but I suppose they should at least have clean facilities, teach the kids values and have lots of space for them to run around.

In Japan, JP Holdings, Inc., a major Japanese supplier of childcare services,opened an eco-friendly day care center in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture,on April 1, 2009. The Kids Plaza Asuku Nanakoudai Day Care Center has an eco-friendly play area for kids to interact with nature which includes awell, a hill, a small creek, a pond and a wind turbine. It also has its own farm for the kids to grow their own food! The building is also made of 100% wood and the aircon uses geothermal energy. But the building is designed so that the wind can flow through the building if there's a breeze. I wouldn't mind putting my son there, but then I don't live in Japan :-(

Eco-garden

The ecogarden at the Science Centre is nice for a walk, provided it's not too hot that particular day. Wish I could have one of these at home. Would be so good for gardening too.

Ideas to tackle climate change

Remember the Manchester project I blogged earlier? Ideas have been submitted. I like the one on concentrating solar power in the desert, but sounds like it will be expensive. Then there's the idea on investing on universal family planning access to slow down population growth and therefore reducing future emissions. Hmmmm.... not sure whether that's pushing the blame from developed to developing countries.....

Anyway, you can vote!!!

Carbon calculator (in Singapore' context)

This carbon calculator was launched in Jun 09 by the Singapore Environment Council.

I just did my carbon footprint and it comes out to 2192kg CO2e/year compared with the 9200 , the Singapore average. Hmmm...not really sure whether I keyed int the correct figures. It covers everything used in the house, and transport to work. It doesn't cover the fact that I'm not at home and spend most of my time at work :-)

There's also the Carbon Footprint of Nations calculator developed by the Norwegian University of Science & Technology. No Singapore on the list though....

More climate change

There's been a lot of news on climate change recently, but I've picked 3:

a) There's Obama 's US climate change bill passing the key Congress vote and they're now waiting to see if it will go through the Senate. I thought a lot of people in the US would support this Bill, but there seemed to be a lot of "bashing" on this website (I think it's to do with job losses). I hope they're in the minority.



b) They maybe the largest solar panel producers in the world, but China is on the verge of being a major market for solar panels. China being a major market for solar panels. According to Reuters, China's government said in March it will offer to pay 20 yuan ($2.90) per watt of solar systems fixed to roofs and which have a capacity of more than 50 kilowatt peak (kwp).
The subsidy, which could cover half the cost of installing the system, was popular among developers, attracting applications equivalent to the building of 1 gigawatt of solar power.


c) UNEP and the WTO just published a joint report on Climate Change and Free Trade last month. They're trying to convince people that global trade is good for the environment too (though they're not admitting that the boom is responsible for all the climate change). By breaking down trade barriers, developed nations can export their green technology to less developed or other developed nations to help them in their fight against climate change. Honestly, it's going to take a lot more than exporting green technology. There is still going to be a need for concrete moves & commitments towards emissions reductions. To me, exporting green tech to another country just so that they can expand an industry may not result in overall emission reductions.

Fighting over the environment

When I read this article (extracted from today's The Standard), I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"A 58-year-old woman was slapped and hit by a flying plastic soda bottle in an altercation over environmental protection at a Tin Shui Wai store.

A 58-year-old woman was slapped and hit by a flying plastic soda bottle in an altercation over environmental protection at a Tin Shui Wai store.
The incident happened at 8.30am yesterday in a ParknShop at the Tin Shui Shopping Centre in Tin Shui Estate during a reusable bag giveaway when long queues for the freebies disrupted other checkout lines.
A ParknShop spokeswoman said two women "had a disagreement over their views on environmental protection," and were not fighting over giveaways.
The victim, surnamed Ngai, allegedly bumped into another woman with her trolley and the two then started to argue.
Ngai told police the other shopper then slapped her across the face and hurled a plastic soda bottle at her before running away. She was taken to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment.
Police are looking for a 1.64-meter-tall woman, aged 30 to 40 years, who was wearing jeans and a pink shirt. "


Then, I read this. I can't believe it!

"Meanwhile, the environmental chief has hit out at prepackaged goods threatening to undermine the plastic bag levy. Some manufacturers - from drinks to detergent makers - have started to package goods in plastic bags complete with handles.
Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah said it goes "against the spirit of the levy, public consensus and environmental protection. Stores that stock these prepackaged goods could see their reputation damaged."
To drive the message home, Undersecretary for the Environment Kitty Poon Kit handed out refrigerator magnets in Chinese, English, Tagalog, Indonesian and Thai to domestic helpers in Central.
But a green group's survey has found that the public does not understand the 50 HK cents-per- plastic-bag scheme and its purpose, which is to change consumer behavior and not to create another source of government revenue, as many think.
The levy, which starts tomorrow, applies to any chain store that sells either food, drink or hygiene products and has at least five locations with over 200 square feet of retail space each. Dedicated checkout counters are required for items covered in the levy in department store grocery areas. "

My completed flowery blouse

So, no more cough and meds meant that I could finish my blouse. No drastic changes, only subtle touches.... managed to get my hubby to take the photos.

With a different brooch I made.....

Before:

Ginger and mint

I'm feeling a lot better and I think I've just about recovered from my flu. Mum skyped me and said that I should drink ginger and mint tea. I quickly went to the market to get a bunch of fresh mint and made a cup of the tea for my hubs and me.

Here's the recipe. The amts are estimates (ie. "agaration" in Singaporean):

Ingredients

a) fresh ginger (size of your thumb)

b) mint leaves (as many as you like, but you can use a mint tea bag)

c) enough water for 2 large mugs of water. I used about 500ml

d) honey to taste ( you can use brown sugar or rock sugar too)

Method

i) grate the ginger (don't remove the skin)

ii) put the grated ginger (skin, flesh & juice) into the boiling water

iii) tear your mint leaves and add into the water

iv) cover and boil for about 5-10 minutes

v) strain and enjoy with honey (if you're adding honey, let the tea cool for a bit before hand)

Other good home remedies that my mum taught me are:
a) thick slices of lemon with hot water and honey. Just use your spoon and attack the lemons once they hit the water :-)

b) hot coca cola with thick slices of lemon or grated ginger - okay, this is a little wierd, and not so natural, but everyone in Hong Kong swears by it. Just pour your can of coca cola into a pan and add your lemon (remember to get the flavour out with a ladle) or grated ginger. Boil it for a few minutes and then enjoy! Good for colds and a bit like hot chocolate for cold weather! Hmmmm....

Environmental awareness

Environmental awareness has also been around for a long time too. I saw a reprint of a letter from The Times, 7 August 1933, in the Acoustics Bulletin (Jul/Aug 2009 edition). I remember reading a few letters in the Today paper complaining about the noise from the SMRT trains in Singapore after they increased the train frequency. One of the readers even complained about one of the letters saying that he actually enjoys listening to the noise of the train!! Must be a train fanatic :-) Anyway, the letter to The Times reads:

"Damnable" inventions other than steam are being applied to ships. The Times has often voiced complaints against street noises - the organ-grinder has long been regarded as a public nuisance and even the street band: both are now rare, if not extinct. Unfortunately, the organ-grinder is reappearing on ship board, in the far less tolerable form of the raucous, very loud-speaker gramophone and wireless so called "music". All my life I have been a traveller on the Thames. I went recently to Ramesgate and back. A more perfect day for the water could not have been, but in gooing to sea we seek peac and content, the enjoyment of clean air, and getting away from the town. Instead of which, except during rare intervals, we were brayed at from every angle by a horrible noise-producing mechanism which only occasionally simulated music; on deck our ears were everywhere offended by the noise; the saloon was a veritable pandemonium, worse than the streets of Rome. Quiet talk with a neighbour, even reading, was impossible; proper enjoyment of the charms of river and sea was ruled out. On these trips the beauty of the side waves and of the ship's wake is enough to fill the eye wit joy; the throb of the engines, the beat of the paddles, is a sufficient and the only appropriate music.

Just in case you're wondering, the organ-grinder is that hand-cranked music machine you see in the silent movies :-)

Green tech through the ages

I'm getting old... can't really remember whether I wrote about it. Oh well, the article and photos caught my eye. Manchester International Festival is looking for green technologies that are feasible, have impact and commercial potential. Actually, green tech has been around since the turn of the last century..... are you impressed? I am, but a little annoyed that things are only beginning to speed up at the turn of THIS century!!!

Caption for this picture "6 August 1882: The operation of a solar-powered printing press, which produced copies of Le Chaleur Solaire by Augustin Mouchot, a newspaper that he created especially for the event. The press rattled off 500 copies an hour. The experiment was conducted in the Garden of Tuileries, Paris, for the festival of L'Union Francaises de la JeuenessePhotograph: /Corbis "

i

elephants and sweet potatoes

Osaka will be using elephant dung and sweet potatoes to mitigate the urban heat island effect in summer. Actually, they will be planting sweet potatoes on the rooftop of City Hall and using the plant vines and leaves that are usually disposed of after harvesting them, to feed the elephants in Tennoji zoo. Elephant dung is then used as fertilizer to grow sweet potatoes. Ingenious! It's literally a closed-loop system.

Osaka also has plans to green other govt. offices as welll as schools with"green curtains" of goya (bitter gourd).

A bag from plastic bags...

Caption says it all! Get your knitting needles out! (or if you can crochet, your hooks!)

Photograph: Martin Argles (via Guardian)

Oh no...

A certain friend who worked at a certain government ministry said that his colleagues were not into recycling their paper. They would only print on one side and trash it. He ended up having to ask everyone to send him their used bits of paper so he could re-use them. All his colleagues didn't understand. Hello? What happened to the environmental initiative in Singapore? AND in a government office too!!!

Wonky vegetables?

I thought this was rather funny that for the past 20 years, the EU has had restrictions on the size and shape of 26 types of fruit and vegetables. I wonder what the purpose of the restriction was? It's one thing to have the EU members' policies in line with each other, but getting down to fruit & veggies?!?! Well, it's lifted today, and it would mean less food waste! I don't mind a funny looking potato as long as it's edible :-)

Take a look at some of the funny photos in the Guardian. Sorry, can't post some of the naughty ones here :-)

Photograph: Geoff Robinson/Rex Features (via The Guardian)

Another good ad

Nausica emailed me about this climate change ad. Thanks!

Very nice, and it sums everything up well. It's by Ferdi Rizkiyanto (hope I have acknowledged the correct artist).

Refashioning so far.....

Been sick....with a cough and a runny nose, and on meds, there's no way I can focus my eyes on sewing.... ugh.... hope I'm better by this weekend to finish the blouse.... :-)