The evolution of Man: What CAN we become?

Once upon a time, shortly after the completion of our social research on eco awareness, The Green Chronicles, we propagated that producers/manufacturers should not stop their consumer purchase cycle at 'consumption' but at 'disposal'.  When it is put into their mandatory action list, I am very sure it will drastically change the way products are planned and launched (think cameras, think smartphones).  If manufacturers are responsible for products at the disposal stage, then we will have better quality products with longer 'usage' life and a more sustainable eco-system of consumption.

While I shopped at H&M last weekend, that's one brand which recently launched a global awareness campaign on their sustainable recycling strategy.  Simple: Bring in your old clothes and trade for discounts for new ones.  Old clothes will then be recycled into materials which will be used in manufacturing new ones.  This practice now has a label and it's called EPR - Extended Producer Responsibility.  The whole point is not to mindlessly put new stuff into this world - we need to seriously consider how to 'delete' them from our system.  There.  Are.  Just.  Too.  Much.  Stuff.  In.  This.  World.  Seriously.

Now, you may not think much about this tiny little extended marketing program, but assuming the best that ALL manufacturers in this world were put in place to ensure sustainability in their product life cycle; then the first most immediate visible impact would be: NO LANDFILL.  This world will have no more landfill.  If you can't think of a way to dispose and/or recycle your products sustainably then you can't produce.  Period.  Simple as that.  Imagine, a world with no landfill.  NO LANDFILL.  No more rubbish dumps in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that spans for kilometers in diameter.

Watch the video below to get the picture.

p/s: If you're reading this and are in the business of production, please, I beg of you, consider this epic insight.  As starters, I'll even volunteer my time to discuss possibilities if you need an additional thinking buddy (consultation thereafter is chargeable though, ha ha ha).  Well I'm serious, really, think about it.



Obviously, I'm not the only one propagating.  More reading: You see Garbage, I see Value: Let's make the recycling business a no-brainer.

Do I really want to quit my job?

This is brilliant.  The brilliance lies in the stark truth of what the ad is saying to me because... I was about to quit my job! (and I kid you not).  To save the world (I seriously kid you not).

How many of us are locked in the routine cycle of the corporate world, breathing in the mundane money-powered lifestyle and finally realising that there's something missing that's really bigger than our paycheck?  Either after being exposed to a one time pow-wow campaign (think KRONY) or incessant exposure to causes that pull our pity strings in all directions, that we decide to call it quits because we're (true to the following ad below) sad, angry, guilty for not doing what we can to save whatever we feel we should be saving.

Yup.  That's me.

But what if we're all meant to be play our part in this ecosystem of superheroes.  What if we all have different super powers?  There's only one of each in the Avengers.  So it wouldn't work if 80% of us quit to join the 20% Greenpeace advocates to stop the capitalistic world from misbehaving.  I mean, if 100% of us is on the other side fighting the cause, then logically speaking there's no one to fight against anyway, right?  Right.  That's one solution.

But here's another one, probably a better one given there're 80% of us scattered across the globe; Sit at your desk, do what you're skilled to do, live the life you're creating but make better smarter choices.  Maybe it's time for us to redeem our guilt by practising some self-compassion that we're not so bad after all.  We could choose a cuppa from free-trade versus a mugga that's not.  Maybe there is an easier way to do things.  And the easier way is presented here:  Enjoy.

The Green Dilemma.

If you are the government and have a pocket money of $40 million to be a better world citizen, would you:

1) Invest in a research lab to find a roadmap (however hazy it is) that will offset some 'unfavourable side effects' of alternative energy (e.g how not to dump nuclear waste in your neighbour's backyard).

OR

2) Provide grants to manufacturers (one or few, depending how much your millions can stretch but this is just hypothetically speaking), to decrease the highest carbon emission stage in their product lifecycle (which if you don't already know, is the usage stage) under the condition that the impact must be immediate and defined.

?

What would you do?

2012 is really gonna be Armageddon if we don't take care of our oceans now!

We're ready for 2012.  We will be focusing on the seas.

You know we have an extremely irritable habit right?  Whatever us urban folks don't sight, don't mind.  But it's high time we do because if the ocean which covers 71% of the Earth, is screwed, we're screwed.  And you know what?  The 'end-of-the-world' story that everyone has been whimpering about?  It will happen and we don't need no Nostradamus-kind to tell us that.

Let's take a look at who's driving some campaigns.

We have Greenpeace advocating against illegal fishing:



We have Nat Geo talking about Giant Jellyfish and Squids taking over the world.

We have Omega launching its Seamaster Planet Ocean to equip our marine warriors to fight evil in the depth of the seas:



And we have WWF advocating the protection and conservation of the Coral Triangle (which spans across 6 countries and is famously known as 'The Cradle of the Seas') - a womb, where most marine life stems from.



We don't need to be divers to know that we should stay away from shark's fin and turtle poaching.  And more importantly, we don't need an Armageddon prediction to tell us we need to sweep our backyard (in this case, the ocean) so that we don't overfish and tip the marine ecosystem off-scale.  We can do something.

1) Support a cause - the easiest, buy a plot of Coral Triangle and take care of it as though it's your own
2) DO NOT CONSUME endangered species!!  Shark's fin?  Turtle soup?  DROP THAT SPOON NOW!  Or... or... I'll BITE you.
3) Try to purchase fishes from your local market and whenever possible, eat ONLY sustainable seafood (there are some companies who fish by bombing and trawling the seabed which either kills or combs everything in the sea!).  We need to give baby seafood sufficient time to grow and reproduce if we want anymore of them on our dinner table :P
4) Spread the news, influence your family and friends - every bit of word helps.

This isn't rocket science and we definitely shouldn't be living in ignorance.  You remember Nemo?  Well, he needs us now.  Try explaining it to your kid what you did to Nemo and his family species/cousins/distant relatives and all and see if you can still sleep at night.

Jokes aside.  I don't know how else to share with you the extremely dire condition our ocean is in.  As a stakeholder, all I'm asking is... if you're not gonna help... at least don't be in the way :)

Listen to this and rise to the occasion:

Beware of the 'Attack of the Giant Jellyfish' even when you're not in the sea.

Attack of the Giant Jellyfish : Programs : Discovery Channel : Discovery Press Web

You need to watch this and understand why we absolutely absolutely absolutely need to protect and breed our turtles. We've been saying no to illegal turtle poaching - eggs and all, without really understanding how important this sea creature is in balancing our ecosystem.

Jellyfish multiplies despite global warming. If at all, warmer sea temperature increases the breeding of these deadly sea-blobs. You may think they are harmless, but to those who have been stung before (and divers) would know how deadly some could be in paralysing one's nervous system, from severe blistering to immediate cardiac arrest. Passively, we're affected when they attack our food supply which is really all our seafood. It's not just about 'aww, I miss my fish for dinner', but we're talking about the possible loss of billion dollars in marine food industry as well as putting the livelihood of millions (tourism, fisheries, etc) at stake because of the imbalance caused by these seemingly innocent heartless, brainless and boneless creatures. Our turtles are one key solution to the possible destruction of marine life. Now you know how important these ninja turtles are and let's do our part in both spreading awareness and advocating actions to protect them. Because they are essentially protecting us without us even realizing all these while.

The Coral Triangle campaign by WWF will be launched on November 3rd. And if you can, buy a plot of the Coral Triangle today and help support them do all they can to protect our sea guardians, above many other things in that area.

If you need any more convincing, watch this:

What's with a plastic bag?

So we've been told again and again to stop using plastic bags when shopping, instead we should carry our own personal eco or canvas bag to carry our goods. Reducing the usage of plastic bags is a quick fix to our problem. But more important than educating the public to reduce usage is to find out what they are using it for. The obvious is to hold shopping goods, but what about the other usage?

In Malaysia, it is not uncommon for homes to re-use plastic shopping bags as rubbish bags, to be disposed daily. I think the more important step is to find an innovative solution to help homes to dispose rubbish that either does not need plastic bags or using biodegradable bags. Once we can replace the re-usage of plastic bags in such way, I believe we can reduce the need for it drastically. No? Hmm.

Consumption barrier to eco products: The myth unveiled?

People are not buying into eco products as much as corporations would like them to is not because they do not support sustainability (I mean, who the hell doesn't!?). It's so easy for anyone to blame it on apathy or the fact that Malaysians just aren't interested in being green. Or is it?

Maybe, just maybe. Like all else, they don't want to be tied to a brand not of their choice just to do their 'little' bit in saving Earth. What did we learn from modern history? Human nature tends to focus on their interests inwards even though there's a big pressing picture that says otherwise (only a few legendary ones are exempted).

Maybe the experience itself unlike the consumption of other things, is simply not fulfilling enough? We need a healthy dose of eco choices. We don't want to choose between a Civic Hybrid and a Toyota Prius. What if I don't like both? What we need is just more choices.

Malaysia's first sustainable seafood guide.

The good people in WWF and MNS joined hands to bring you Malaysia's first (and only) sustainable seafood guide. So that you are better informed instead of stuffing mindlessly on shrimps and sotongs and what not every other week.

Coincidentally, I've had a shrimp dinner galore at Bubba Gump last weekend (I wonder out loud where they got their shrimps from...). The same weekend, RedFM also organised a competition on 'how much shrimps you can chomp in 60 seconds'. Well... I feel a little guilty now cause four mouths, there were REALLY a lot of shrimps. Can you imagine how many millions of them, scampi that go into Malaysian tummies in one month!? They better be regenerating as fast as us eating em' otherwise our children will know no shrimps in the future!

Read more about what Sparks thought on sustainable seafood consumption in Malaysia (published almost exactly one year ago, freaky) and the rate we're going at globally which is faster than we can say pesce (which is Italian for fish). I think the whole idea is, to be a bit more balanced in our diet yea, which is a good thing anyway. I'm just thinking with all these women trying to replace carbs with protein, hmm... poor fishy fishy fishy...

Dulux Paint Bank - a great green marketing idea!

Dulux recently launched a campaign called the Dulux Paint Bank where they rally the public to 'donate' leftover paint back to the brand. The paint (if usable) will be used to cheer up the dull walls of charity homes. If it's unusable, it will be treated and disposed of correctly and most importantly, safely, with great considerations to the care of the environment.

When I first saw the video posted on FB done by Dulux which says a shocking 96% Malaysians disposed paint in the sink or drain (WTH!?!), I found that utterly unbelievable. Then after checking with the people behind the campaign, which they claimed true (well... I still have reservations) then I really think there is no better time for all manufacturers to really reconsider having 'disposal' as part of the consumer purchase loop. Seriously.

Anyway, I think this campaign is a really fantastic idea. A lot of people are very willing to help out, we just have to provide an access. And when there is one, the scale will tip. Looking forward to more of such great ideas!

What are you waiting for? If you have leftover paint, get rid of them and get rid of them SUSTAINABLY now! Join Dulux's fan page to find out more.

Be conscious of what you put in your mouth a'ight?

About a year back, I questioned if we're depleting our protein source faster than we can say fish. Because of our disgustingly huge appetite for all things natural and swimming, our grandchildren may really think all fishes look like Nemo in decades down the road. Here's a snippet of a really interesting article which I'd like to share. Originally published in TimeOut KL, July issue: All you can't eat, pg 30.

***

“Eating a bluefin tuna is like eating a rhino,” claims WWF Hong Kong conservation director Dr Andy Cornish. Extreme as this might sound, the comparison is accurate. The world’s relentless demand for seafood has pushed many fish to the verge of extinction.

Humans rely on seafood as a source of nutrition and as a livelihood. According to London-based international charity the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), established by the WWF and Unilever in 1997, the diets of 2.6 billion people depend on fish as a source of animal protein. They estimate that 52 per cent of fish stocks are ‘fully exploited’, which means they are being fished at their ‘maximum biological capacity’.

Human consumption of fish has risen from 93.6 million tonnes in 1998 to 100.7 million tonnes in 2002. The MSC doesn’t want people to stop eating fish. Instead, it wants people to ensure consumers source their seafood from a well-managed fishery, which in turn guartantees a future for the industry and all those who depend on it for their livelihood. Shoppers who want to minimise the environmental and social consequences of eating fish should look out for MSC-certified products, which display a distinctive blue fish on the packaging.

Nevertheless, there are other ways to reduce your impact on the the world’s fish supplies. A few years back, WWF survey released a pocket-sized guide (visit http://www.wwf.org.hk/ to download it for free) that categorises 60 types of fish according to their sustainability. Alaskan Pacific salmon, North American black cod and Western Australian rock lobster (which are also availale MSC certified) are fine for consumption because they are not over fished. But shoppers should steer clear of Chinese shrimp, Hong Kong grouper and orange roughy (which share the endangered list with the bluefin tuna).

But with so little MSC-certified fish in our supermarkets, and even fewer restaurants serving it, the onus still lies with the consumer. But experts believe that even though change must come from the consumer, it is also the restaurant’s job to make sustainable food appealing and to supply their customers with information about the source of their seafood.

It is recently discovered that people are slowly becoming more proactive. In Hong Kong for example, it’s the younger Chinese generations that place around 60 per cent of the orders for MSC fish. Similarly in KL, with more youngsters refusing to consume shark’s fin, it’s a matter of time before we move our environmental consciousness up another notch.

***

(Bold mine)

Statistic from: http://www.dof.gov.my/

Also just to give you a clearer picture of where your fishes are coming from if you're living in Malaysia. Just remember, aquaculture good. Overfishing bad. We're not saying you should stop eating. But hey, keep your knack for exotic endeavours somewhere else perhaps?

Sparks and The Green Buddies support responsible seafood consumption.

Can we drive an environmental car please?

Dubbed Honda OSM, this is the latest sports vehicle from the automaker that vowed to challenge current industry carbon emission standards.

Makes me wonder. All these great cars - the Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius and the great FCX Clarity which, listen to this, produce ZERO emission - heck, you can even drink from the tail pipe! Why on earth are they so groundbreakingly expensive in our country?! Not to mention, we don't even have half of the models mentioned above. And we're not even refering to the Beemer Hybrid. They say, we, (ahem, as in Malaysians) are not ready. Or are we? Who isn't ready? The majority? They never will! It's up to the minority to drive them. And if these earth-friendly machines are not here, then what drive are we talking about!?

I've got it all figured out. For really practical A to B people, they should drive a Puyo, for sports lovers, they should get something like the OSM model, for performance junkie then it has to be the X6 Hybrid (Beemer - can't think of one yet from Honda), for the practical and performance and stylish people with an extremely heavy conscience, they should ride on the FCX Clarity. And there. The world is immediately a cleaner, greener and happier place.

The Green Chronicles.

Just started on a new project with DU called The Green Chronicles. Not sure if that name is apt for the research but I think it should work fine for the blog that was set up to keep up with the reports, activities and archives.

It's gonna be a lot of work but I think there will be a lot of fun too. Great things to come, so follow us on our journey there.

Corporate social accountability.

Many of these roads are being cut through the heart of Cambodia's forests and no doubt many logs are disappearing across the border into Thailand, before resurfacing as garden furniture in Europe - page 59, Lonely Planet Cambodia

This made me wonder. Where on earth (pun intended) does Ikea get its wood supply from? Is there an opportunity for corporations who are truly conscious of their social responsibility to tag and be transparent on the sources of all their material and ingredients? Would that make any difference to their brand and sales? Would consumers care? Not sure about this part of the world, but I'm sure in countries where Greenies are increasingly being converted, I think it will make a huge difference.

Can furniture giants like Ikea state with confidence their supply comes from a non-reserve forest? Can Nike say they've stopped exploiting third world children? Can Estee Lauder justify every single ingredient that went into their make-up?

Can we see more of this?

The team’s commitment to tackling environmental issues was demonstrated at the school. Firstly the changing of the light globes will save 44.8 tonnes of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 - thereby offsetting the team’s entire carbon footprint for the (F1) race itself more than five times. Also on display at the school (Albert Park Primary School, Melbourne, Australia) was Honda’s revolutionary FCX Concept vehicle, the next generation of hydrogen fuel cell car which emits only water. The light globe changing initiative, driven and funded by the Honda Racing F1 Team, will reduce the school’s annual electricity use on lighting by approximately 70%, while saving more than $8,000 per year in electricity bills. - Honda (non-Italic mine)

And less of this?

Nike has caused fury among animal rights campaigners for launching special edition trainers made from crocodile skin. The £1,400 shoes, which have 18-carat gold lace tags, are on sale at the brand’s flagship stores around the world. The limited edition trainers were made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Nike’s Air Force 1 range. - ethicalcorp.com

Sigh. Some never learn.