Taking baby steps

Today,  I would like to share about this website that I discovered recently. It covers a wide range of sustainability aspects from gardening to health to everyday living and this website is called Sustainable Baby Steps (SBS). It is managed by a lady named Tara together with her husband and they are based in Northwest Florida.

Out of the many articles, I have chosen one to share with all of you.The reason for choosing this particular article is due to this saying by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), a Russian novelist, philosopher & educational reformer. He once said "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself". To change the world, we have to first change ourselves. It is not just a dream, but it is a goal that is achievable with everyone on board. 

This article, Going Green At Home talks about some tips that are simple, cost efficient and at the same time able to make our surroundings more natural and sustainable at the same time and it starts at home! Honestly, most of us do not spend most of our time at home isn't it? We, in fact, spend more time at work/school as compared to at home. In this competitive and fast-paced world, we spend long hours working or studying. Thus, these practices are not only applicable to our homes but also can be adapted in our workplaces or bring along with us. I would like to highlight some of the tips mentioned like using baking soda to remove odours, placing English Ivy (Scientific name: Hedera helix) indoors to clean the air and making natural household cleaning liquid using water and vinegar. 

Firstly, baking soda is a natural deodoriser which is able to absorb odours. It can be easily done by placing a bowl of it in the fridge to remove all the various smells from food, sprinkling it into your shoes or adding it into hot soapy water used for wiping your trash bin. 

Secondly, English Ivy is well-known for purifying air. It can remove benzene, a carcinogen found in detergents, pesticides, cigarette smoke and the off-gasing of other synthetic materials. It is very beneficial for people with allergies and asthma as the air will be cleaner. It is also able to filter out and remove formaldehye (can be found in some household cleaning products). Although English Ivy can be invasive, at the same time, it is ideal to be put in a pot and be placed indoors. In addition, English Ivy can be easily found in Singapore making it a feasible idea! However, be careful not to ingest this plant as it is poisonous!

English Ivy

Lastly, pour 9 parts of water together with 1 part of vinegar and mix well. You can add a few drops of dishwashing soap and essential oil if the vinegar smell is too strong. Your all purpose natural household cleaner is created!

One very interesting and creative idea in this website is the 7 Day Treehugger Kickstart where it provides a guide for 7 days that claims to make the "biggest, greenest, most affordable changes in the shortest amount of time" (SBS, n.d.). How true is it? Find out for yourself!

Microplastics Part 2 (In Singapore)

Continuing on the topic of microplastics from the previous post, this brings to my mind about a presentation by Hazimah, a student from NUS during one of the Environmental Engineering lectures weeks ago. She  researched and published a journal article, Microplastics in Singapore's Coastal Mangrove Ecosystems. It is about the distribution of microplastics in Singapore's coastal ecosystems. Her research showed that microplastics can be found in all seven intertidal mangroves habitat in Singapore namely Pasir Ris, Changi, Lim Chu Kang, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Semakau, Sungei Buloh and Berlayar Creek (Mohamed Nor & Obbard, 2014). From Hazimah's presentation, I learnt that the highest concentration of microplastics is found in Lim Chu Kang where fish farms are located. The concentrations of microplastics in these sites are reported to be much higher as compared to the previous study conducted in Singapore in 2004 and are reported to be up to 3 times higher than a study conducted UK (Mohamed Nor & Obbard, 2014). 

Many countries are starting to ban these harmful and damaging substances, but  microplastic is currently still not banned in Singapore. This means that products that contain these microbeads can still be found on the shelves.  As small organisms can ingest microplastic and bioaccumulate in their bodies, mangrove systems and fish resources from nearby fish farms in Singapore may be potentially harmed ((Mohamed Nor & Obbard, 2014). Looking forward, do you think this is sustainable? With the potential harm that it may bring to us in the long run and future generations, this is definitely not sustainable as marine life would be adversely affected together with our health. As this problem worsens, we should do something about it before it gets too late. Instead of just using words, let's act on it and support the banning of such products. A simple way to start would be looking out for these products and read carefully before purchasing them. Choose products that use natural ingredients for the production of the beads or select products that don't even contain these microbeads in the first place. I believe all of us will be able to do it! 

Reference:

• Mohamed Nor, N. H., & Obbard, J. P. (2014). Microplastics in singapore's coastal mangrove ecosystems. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 79(1-2), 278-283. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.11.025

What are microplastics?

Hey guys! I  chanced upon this video was surfing Youtube and I find it really interesting so I would like to share it with all of you! This video gives an introduction to microplastic and the impacts of it. You may ask what is microplastic? Check it out below!

This video is talking about the microbeads found in our toothpaste, facial cleansers and body wash that have exfoliating effects or deep cleansing effects. These products contain microbeads that are made of plastic as plastic is a cheaper material as compared to natural materials. Microplastic is defined by the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection  (GESAMP) as "microparticulate size plastic of range 5mm in diameter of less". Due to these beads being extremely tiny, they are unable to be detected in purifying systems and thus, they would flow together with the treated water back into the seas and oceans. This is a serious problem as these microplastics are very absorbent of substances around them, thus, taking in all the pollutants around them. This means that the microbeads can be many times more polluted than the water around them. Just imagine marine organisms like fishes and sea turtles mistaking them for food and ingesting them... How dire the consequences will be!

Products containing microplastics

 A study published reported that about 90 percent of seabirds today have plastic in their bodies (Wilcox, Sebille & Hardesty, 2015) and it exponentially increased since the past few decades from 10 percent in the 1980s. It is expected to reach 99 percent by 2050 if plastic ingestion increases in seabirds (Wilcox et al., 2015). Similarly for other marine creatures like sea turtles and fishes, microplastics accumulates in their guts too and poison them. However, effective waste management can reduce this threat (Wilcox et al., 2015).

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• References:

Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection. (2015). Fate and Effects of Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Global Assessment. GESAMP Reports and Studies, 90 (98). Retrieved from http://www.gesamp.org/data/gesamp/files/media/Publications/Reports_and_studies_90/gallery_2230/object_2500_large.pdf   

• Wilcox, C., Sebille, E. V., & Hardesty, B. D. (2015). Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(38), 11899. doi:10.1073/pnas.1502108112

Food... How are we eating?

Does the mention of sambal stingray, fish and chips or chili crab make you start salivating? Ever hear before of eating sustainably? Before you rush off to satisfy your hunger, carry on reading before you make your decision on what to eat!

Seafood

Looking at the way we have been all along producing and consuming our food, there are many ways we can make our food production and consumption more sustainable. In the past, we are not aware that the species that we are eating maybe overfished or captured by methods that are harmful to the marine environment. Many of Singapore seafood imports come from places which have been overfished for many years. So what can we do about it, you may ask. It requires effort from the various stakeholders like consumers, the government, corporations and the farmers.

Focusing on consumers which are us, it is important for us to reduce our wastage. Buy what you can eat and do not waste! Especially in Singapore where over 600 000 tonnes of food waste is generated in 2014 (National Environment Agency [NEA], n.d.), much can be done to reduce it! One simple way would be to place food that will spoil or rot quickly nearer to the door or shelf te remind us to eat them first before they spoil or the expiry date has pass that leaves us no options but to throw them away. Other than that, another way would be to think twice before buying too much food that we can't finish eating. Many of a time, the leftover food would get thrown away at the end of a meal. In 2014, only 13 percent of the food waste was recycled (National Environment Agency [NEA], n.d.).

We can also make the choice to buy sustainable food. This is a powerful tool and incentive for fisheries to improve the way fisheries are managed by demanding for sustainable sources. We can choose to buy our seafood like fishes from places that are certified that their fishes come from sustainable fisheries by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). They can be identified by the blue tick which their MSC logo. Isn't this a simple way for you to 

identify and purchase fish from well-managed sources? Some places in Singapore that you can find fishes from sustainable sources would be Fish 4 Ever at some Cold Storage outlets and Fish Wives a Bukit Timah Road. If you are craving for seafood, you may consider restaurants like Absinthe and Mezza9 where their seafood comes from sustainable sources. You can try out Loving Hut for tasty vegan food where it promotes a sustainable lifestyle. If you are cooking, you may try out these recipes provided by World Wildlife (WWF) Singapore like Oyster Omelette (Or Luak) or a simpler dish would be a grilled fish sandwich. One very interesting recipe that looks really interesting is the salmon fish cake! I would love to try it out.

Here are the links for the recipes:
Oyster Omelette (Or Luak):
http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/or_luak__oyster_omelette__recipe.pdf
Grilled Fish Sanwich: http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/grilled_fish_sandwich_recipe.pdf
Salmon Fish Cake: http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/salmon_fish_cakes_recipe.pdf
For more recipes:  http://www.wwf.sg/what_we_do/save_our_seas/celebrate_our_world_s_oceans/sustainable_seafood_recipes/

That's all for now! Think twice before selecting your ingredients/food place to eat!

References:

National Environment Agency. (n.d.). Waste Statistics and Overall Recycling. Retrieved from http://www.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/waste-management/waste-statistics-and-overall-recycling

Unilever

Did you hear before of  the brand Sunsilk? What about Lipton? Or Rexona? Ben & Jerry's? Persil? Dove? Vaseline? These are all brands owned by one of the world's leading consumer goods companies, Unilever with more than 400 brands, operations in over 100 countries and sales in 190. Consumers buy 170 billion Unilever packs around the world every year, and their products are used over two billion times a day (CSRWire 2015; Unilever, 2015). Unknowingly, we may be using one of these products by Unilever everyday!

Having won the 2011 Green International Awards, they have set sustainability as one of their goals since 1996 and has the Plan to achieve the targets they set by 2020.

In this video, Unilever has introduced their rational for working towards being a more sustainable company and as mentioned in the video, with more concentrated laundry detergent, it will reduce the transportation needed etc and thus, reducing the energy required. For consumers like us, we are unknowingly living more sustainably when we use their products as we reduce the amount of water and electricity which together, we can reduce 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission in a year. Thus, making the choice to buy brands that are doing their part to produce using more sustainable methods is a decision that we as consumers can make although it may cost a little more. If we can afford it, why not just do a little bit more and make a wise choice?

Diagram 1: Unilever's Business Model

Their business model is different from the traditional business model as they believe that sustainability does not deter growth but on the contrary, sustainability promotes growth and helps to increase profits. Diagram 1 shows their current business model which focuses on sustainable living. They aim to increase their business size while decreasing their carbon footprint. Apparently, they are doing a great job and are constantly having breakthroughs through Research & Development (R&D). One good example would be their newly developed MuCell® Technology that they announced in 2014 (Unilever, 2014). It uses 15% less plastic in Dove Body Wash bottles that are sold in Europe and can reduce up to 275 tonnes of plastic a year (CSRWire, 2014; Unilever2015)! Isn't that absolutely fantastic? An even better news is that other manufacturers are able to follow and make use of this technology for their brands and products as Unilever waived specific exclusivity rights in January earlier this year (Unilever, 2015). Thus, it will definitely have positive changes to the entire industry and therefore, has a significant reduction in the overall environmental impact by the market. This definitely helps Unilever to build their corporate identity and fulfills their social responsibility.

Unilever has moved many steps forward to bring about changes in the way they produce their goods and it is a great step ahead to encourage their users to do so as well.

References:

CSRwire, 2014. Unilever Launches Breakthrough Packaging Technology That Uses 15% Less Plastic. Available at: <http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/36962-Unilever-Launches-Breakthrough-Packaging-Technology-That-Uses-15-Less-Plastic>. [Accessed 19 September 2015]

CSRWire, 2015. Unilever - Corporate Social Responsibility News, Reports and Events – CSRwire.com.Available at: <http://www.csrwire.com/members/16348-Unilever>. [Accessed 19 Sep. 2015].

Unilever Global Company, 2015. Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2014. Available at:  <https://www.unilever.com/Images/ir_Strategic_Report_AR14_tcm244-421555.pdf>. [Accessed 19 September 2015].

Unilever Global Company, 2015. About Unilever. Available at: <https://www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/about-Unilever/>. [Accessed 19 September 2015].

Sustainability

Taken from: smallbiztrends.com 

What does sustainability exactly means? Just as the author of this journal article, Sustainability: Living with Imperfections says, this word sustainability in itself is a very big and broad word that does not have very definite meaning thus it can be interpreted differently by everyone. In the gist, the author mainly takes the view that sustainability in itself is an imperfect word that gets different definition with the fact that it is an idea that is too broad and vague. He also explored all the different definitions that ecologists, biologists and environmentalists came up with like linking it to energy, putting an economic value to sustainability and such.

Personally, I am in line with Browne as mentioned in the article on the view that sustainability means to use our existing resources more efficiently and use them wisely to prevent wastage and at the same time carrying out our lives in a way such that there is minimal negative impact on the environment and our future generations to bear.

In conclusion, sustainability and narrowing down to sustainable living, are complex and broad concepts that does not have a definite meaning which we at the 21st century are aiming and moving towards. However, even with slight differences in meaning we are moving in a similar direction which is for the betterment of humankind as well as the non-humankind biodiversity.

References:

• Ehrenfeld, D. (2005). Sustainability: Living with the imperfections. Conservation Biology, 19(1), 33-35. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.0456a.x 

Changing Living Habits

During GEM1917 Understanding and Critiquing lecture this week, we were encouraged to take up a pledge that was offered by the Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) to commit to one or more action(s) when we are in campus.

Using this chance, I'll publicly promise to commit to make these changes to my lifestyle:

- Walk short distances between faculties/ canteens/ sport facilities on campus

- Always opt for the stairs instead of the lifts

-Use the internal shuttle bus for longer distance journeys around campus

-Plan journeys well so that you do not have to travel unnecessarily 

-Limit your air travel as much as possible - this form of transport has the greatest carbon footprint

I shall add one more personalised action that I am determined to change and that would be to reducing my bathing time by 5 minutes. It is quite a challenge for me but I'll try my best!

All in all, we can lead a more sustainable lifestyle by adhering to the 3 Rs-Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, live efficiently as well as to use energy and resources only when necessary. 

Oh! Before I forget, there's an event on e-waste collection coming up at utown next week and it's a great chance to clear old and spoilt electronic stuff! Hope you will participate along with me and more details can be found here, e-Waste • we-Recycle 2015 . Thank you for reading and till next time!