COP15: Track Copenhagen Climate Conference with Twitter and Social Media

COP15 is coming up soon, so learn how to track and share all of the latest climate change news with social media and networking sites.

By Derek Markham
Silver City, NM, USA | Wed Oct 07 13:00:00 GMT 2009

The world's most important climate change event is rapidly approaching, and you can be a part of it, from your couch, your office, or the nearest WiFi equipped coffee shop. Using the incredibly powerful tool of social media, your voice can help to spread the message far and wide. The fifteenth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) will be held from December 7th through the 18th, in Copenhagen, Denmark, and environmentalists around the world will be watching the proceedings with a keen eye for positive changes as a result of the event. The Conference of the Parties (COP) comes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is the highest body of the UNFCCC. It consists of environment ministers who meet once a year to discuss the developments of the convention. Ministers and officials from 189 countries are expected to take part, and at least 10,000 people are expected to attend the conference. Even though most of us aren't able to attend in person, we can still track the progress with social media and networking tools like Twitter and Facebook and share them with others to increase the reach of this important environmental conference.

Using Social Media to Track the COP15 Copenhagen Climate Conference:

Twitter: If you're not already using this popular microblogging service, perhaps now is the time to sign up and follow some of the heavy hitters for COP15. A great place to start is to search for the hashtag #COP15 and save it on your Twitter page or as an RSS feed for your news reader. When you see something that really resonates with you, re-Tweet it for your followers to see. The COP15 Twitter feed is a must-follow. Facebook: You can start off by becoming a fan of the COP15 Facebook page, and all of the stories posted there will show up on your home feed. Got something to say about a story? Leave a comment for others to see. When you see something worth sharing with your friends, hit the 'share' button and send it around. You can also get the 'Share on Facebook' button for your browser, and when reading an article about the climate change conference, use it to share the post with your Facebook friends.

StumbleUpon: The social bookmarking site StumbleUpon has a huge reach with its users, who 'Stumble' through sites on topics they love. Sign up for an account, download the toolbar for your browser, and start submitting COP15 stories to the site. Other environmentalists and greenies will then be able to view, review, and share these stories. digg: digg.com is another huge social bookmarking site which allows users to submit and vote (digg) stories on all sorts of topics. The Environment category covers anything from renewable energy to environmental health to climate change. A story that gets enough diggs to go to the 'front page' can get large amounts of views from the site's users, so if you're a news hound or looking for great content online, set up an account today, and when you see a COP15 story worth sharing, submit it to digg and help raise the awareness of the importance of the climate change issue in our lives.

Social Media Mashup: Here's where it gets really fun - See a cool COP15 article on Twitter? Digg it. See a great piece on digg.com about COP15? Share it from the digg page to Facebook or Twitter. StumbleUpon an important post about COP15? Submit it to digg.com, Tweet it, or share it on Facebook. Got a blog already? Re-blog COP15 stories on your site and link back to the original piece.

Follow Derek on Twitter, and make sure you're following Planet Green as well.

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Ban Ki-Moon Wants to Hear from You (on climate!)

ecologikal notes: sorry guys for the short lead time, please do reply Ban Ki-Moon's plea and stand in the running for a trip to New York!!

Hey Folks,

The UN is running this contest for people to be citizen ambassadors and tell the world leaders what they think for the upcoming General Assembly. Time is short, the deadline is about a day away. But if you can record and upload a video and mark it as a reply to his video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4bYwz-cgxo) who knows. And if they get ENOUGH of these clearly focused on climate, maybe they will 'get it' (the world leaders, not Ban Ki-Moon).

Please give it a view and pass it on through your networks. I think it is a pretty good synthesis of the problem and call to world leaders to fix it.

For the Earth,
Stuart

Green battery to power homes in Malaysia!

Local company’s cheap energy solution for rural areas

Ng Suzhen

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 06:33:00

SOLAR ENERGY: Lee explaining how a lithium-polymer battery system can power up a small household

MALAYSIAN company ETI Tech Corporation Bhd claims to be the first in the world to introduce a lithium-polymer based battery system for solar-powered homes.

“The lithium ion battery is 100 per cent environment-friendly, unlike the more commonly used lead acid battery,” said ETI Tech Corporation Bhd managing director K. K. Lee.

“Also, lead has been banned in Europe as it is poisonous to the environment. What we have here is a battery that is not only green, but also has a higher charging and discharge efficiency and low running cost.

“Less battery packs are also required compared to lead acid batteries.”

Speaking to Malay Mail yesterday at their head office in Kulim, Kedah, Lee and his team had set up a small mock household to demonstrate how their battery system can work better than those that use lead acid batteries.

The mock household consisted of a TV set, a DVD player, three fluorescent lights and a fridge.

Executive director, Y. K. Khor, said that for the same length of battery charge time, the lithium-polymer battery can take in more power with only six pieces of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Lead acid batteries would require 12 panels for optimum load capacity.

Three lithium polymer battery units were used yesterday, with each of the units weighing 18kg — around 7kg lighter than lead acid batteries with similar capacity which weigh about 25kg per unit.

Khor said this breakthrough system is perfect for families staying in rural areas — which grid companies such as Tenaga Nasional Bhd have difficulty reaching due to financial and manpower constraints.

ETI Tech is a home-grown green technology company pioneering the use of green energy storage products. They are targeting community level electrification development.

The company also aims to eliminate harmful lead-acid battery use while supplying demand for renewable energy.

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The 4 Pillars of Sustainability: Food, Energy, Transportation, Social Responsibility

City or rural countryside, most action for sustainable living falls into one of these 4 categories.

By Marye Audet
Lancaster, TX, USA | Sat Oct 03 09:00:00 GMT 2009

When you hear the phrase "sustainable living" what do you think of? Do you think of a farm, or a small homestead, or even a Little House on the Prairie episode?

Living gently on the earth is possible anywhere. People often wonder how you can practice sustainable living when you live in the city or a highly populated urban area. It is just a matter of thinking outside the box. Sustainable living is a state of mind.

Can You Live Sustainably in the City?

In some ways, living in the city makes it easier, especially with public transportation. You can grow vegetables in containers on your balcony or shop at farmers markets. There is always a way if you look for it.

Check your lifestyle and see how you can make changes no matter where you live. Like all things, the sustainable living lifestyle is made up of a series of habits and small actions that add up to a big impact over time. It is hard to make huge lifestyle changes but by understanding the principles of the sustainable lifestyle you can make small permanent adjustments to the way you live.

Everyone Can Do Something

If you can make one small change every month in one of these areas you will have made 48 positive changes in your impact on the environment in one year. In 10 years that is 480 positive changes and a really huge impact.

Making those small changes are easy to do. Try making one change a week or one change a month. Keep it doable for you. In 21 days it becomes a new habit. Too often we make these huge changes in our lives and they only last for a few weeks.

Take it slow, make it easy, and make it permanent.

The 4 Categories of Sustainable Living

Everything needed for a lifestyle of sustainability falls into one of the following categories.

1. Food

The way we eat has a huge impact on the environment, either positive or negative. Make small changes in your eating habits to make a big impact on the eco-system. Eating sustainably is not something that just people who live in the country can do. It is more about the choices you make everyday in your own life.

Choosing foods that keep your body healthy, that are free of toxins, and that are local can keep thousands of tons of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere every year. When food is shipped from one place to the other the carbon footprint becomes bigger and the food loses nutrients in the time consuming process.

For some, this will mean eschewing meat, perhaps all animal products. For others it will mean buying organic, and still others will lower their impact by eating less meat, or hunting, or raising their own.

Packaging not only adds to the overall impact of your food because it eventually ends up in the landfill but also because it has to go through the manufacturing process. Trees are cut to make paper, factories must be supplied with power, and gallons of toxic inks used to get that colorful cereal box on the store shelves.

Learn to make your own bread and baked goods or can and preserve fruits and vegetables. The more you do for yourself the smaller impact you have, the more money you save, and the more confident you will become.

2. Energy

Energy is what makes our world go 'round. There are two kinds:

• Renewable energy is that which has been in use since time began. Renewable energy is the kind that you use when you are is hand chopping vegetables rather than using a processor or using solar panels to supply light to your home. Renewable energy does not impact the environment much if at all.
• Non-renewable energy is that which has only been used for the past hundred and fifty years or so. Coal, gasoline, and other petroleum products become depleted as they are used. Once they are gone, they are gone. The impact on the environment both in gathering the product and in manufacturing it is huge. Generally non-renewable energy sources also leave a residue of pollutants and toxins in the environment.

It takes energy to heat our homes, to cool our homes, and to run our computers. We can choose which type of energy we use by choosing power companies that use renewable energy (like Green Mountain) as our providers or even installing solar panels. We can also keep our homes and businesses well maintained and well insulated to ensure we are using energy carefully.

3. Transportation

Transportation once meant walking from one place to another. Later horses, wagons, and bicycles were added and allowed people to travel longer distances. It was the bicycle that had one of the biggest impacts on society, as a matter of fact. Bikes allowed the middle and lower classes to move out of the cities and commute during the late Victorian era.

Cars, planes, ships, and trains all need high amounts of non-renewable resources to get from one place to another. The less these vehicles are used the fewer carbon emissions there are. Shopping locally is important for the economy but also for the savings in transportation costs and pollution. Take this quiz to find out your transportation footprint.

4. Social Responsibility

The last pillar of sustainability is one you don't hear about in that context so much, and that is social responsibility. Social responsibility is the mentality that all organisms are interconnected and exist because of the synergy between them. When I buy clothing that is made by a local seamstress I may pay more for the item but I know that the purchase contributes in a positive way to the earth as a whole.

Donating to a food pantry, knowing your neighbors, pitching in and helping out, and being aware of how your life impacts others positively or negatively are all important ways of protecting the environment and sustainable living.

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No need for a dam in Ampang, Puncak told

ecologikal notes: further from the article highlighted yesterday, please read on this article in response to the 'plan' and why the need for the dam in the first place.

THE Selangor government suggested that Puncak Niaga upgrade the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant (WTP) instead of building a new dam in Ampang.

It was reported in StarMetro on Sept 30 (“Syabas plan for a dam in Ampang”) that Syabas has submitted a proposal to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry for a dam to be built in Ampang.

The Salak Tinggi WTP was shutdown for the third time due to raw water pollution this year. According to information provided by Syabas, the shutdown was due to objectional odour, foam and high ammonia content.

State Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said so far the state government had not received any suggestions from Syabas regarding to the matter.

Not safe: The ammonia content at the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant measured 1.72 parts per million (ppm) at 2pm on Sept 28. The permissible level is below 1.5 ppm.

“Syabas should have discussed this with the state government before proposing the plan to the federal government.

“The reason given by Syabas that the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant has to be closed due to raw water contamination caused by high levels of ammonia does not make sense.

“Puncak Niaga, the company responsible for the water treatment plant, cannot assume that raw water that flows through the water treatment plant is below 1.5ppm as it is their responsibility to treat raw water with ammonia levels exceeding 1.5ppm,” she said at a press conference at the state government secretariat.

She added that according to an investigation by the Department of Environment (DoE, the pollution was caused by contaminated water from Sungai Nilai in Negri Sembilan converging with Sungai Labu (Sungai Labu supplies water to the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant).

“Just by shutting down the plant whenever the ammonia level is above 1.5ppm will not solve the problem.

“If the WTP manned by Puncak Niaga shuts down, it will incur high costs for the company and the state government,” she said.

The state government will have a meeting with Puncak Niaga and the DoE next week to solve this problem.

The DoE has advised Puncak Niaga to upgrade the Salak Tinggi WTP since 2006.

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Syabas plan for a dam in Ampang By OH ING YEEN

SYARIKAT Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) has submitted a proposal to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry for a dam to be built in Ampang, its chief executive officer, Datuk Ruslan Hassan, said.

“This will serve as an alternative water source for the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant and other areas during the dry season,” he said during a site visit to the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant (WTP) following its shutdown on Sunday.

This is the third shutdown due to raw water pollution this year. The first occurred on June 26 resulting in a shutdown for 49 hours and the second incident happened on July 6 and only resumed operations on Aug 19 after 47 days.

According to information provided by Syabas, the shutdown was due to objectional odour, foam and high ammonia content.

It’s high: Puncak Niaga manager Basser Ismail (left) showing Ruslan (right) and Puncak Niaga chief operating officer Datuk Lee Miang Koi the ammonia level at the Salak Tinggi water treatment plant.

At the press conference, Syabas general manager (Water resources and environmental surveillance department, Operations division) Roowina Merican said the latest test showed that the ammonia content measured 1.72 parts per million (ppm) at 2pm on Monday. The permissible level is below 1.5 ppm.

Since 2005, this plant has been shutdown 14 times and 2006 recorded the highest number so far, which is a total of six times.

Ruslan said Syabas was concerned if the treatment plant could function properly as the shutdowns occurred frequently.

“It (ammonia content) depends on the rain. If there’s no rain then the water level will not be high enough to be treated and it is also more concentrated.

“There’s a possiblity that the Salak Tinggi WTP may be shut down for good. The Jelutong and Pusu treatment plants have been returned to the state government as it cannot be treated any more. We hope that we do not have to reach that state,” he said of the Salak Tinggi WTP.

“We hope to come up with a permanent solution because right now the shutdown is just a temporary solution,” he said.

He said the best and most cost-effective solution was to raise awareness about water conservation.

“We will have a meeting with the relevant parties that operate in this area once we compile a list to discuss the solutions,” he said.

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Eco Film Fest 2009 @ Palate Palette (3pm onwards, all Sundays in October, 4, 11, 18, 25)

EcoKnights and Palate Palette proudly present ECO FILM FESTIVAL 2009, happening every Sunday (4, 11, 18 and 25) in October starting at 3pm.

In its second year, Eco Film Fest 2009 is an annual festival that combines local and international award-winning environmental films, 100% local unplugged music, and a green exhibition of eco-friendly products and services.

ONE premier movie will be screened every Sunday in the month of October. In between premier movies, there will be additional short films as well as last year’s winning films (please refer below for detailed film screening times). All movies are FREE (simply because we don’t believe in charging anyone who is keen to learn more about the environment).

There will also be green activities a-plenty! Come check out unplugged performances by KL Stompers, Markiza + Peter Hassan and others. There will also be specialty vendors selling innovative products like handbags made from aluminum pull tabs, baskets from used magazines, mobile solar chargers, orang asli crafts and lots of other trendy and cutting-edge green items.

In line with the green theme, Palate Palette's smokin' hot monthly BBQ will be featuring a special organic and meatless BBQ on the first Sunday (4 Oct) of the festival.

The Eco Film Fest is a festival for everyone – old and young. So come on out and shout green!

For more information, please visit: www.ecofilmfest.my

For media enquiries, please email EFF2009@ecoknights.com