Lifestyle

The Blue House in Hong Kong's Wanchai District
A new lease of life for Hong Kong’s heritage
Wilson Lau, Civic Exchange
June 15, 2012
The social value of a place has not always been a strong basis for heritage conservation in Hong Kong but a sea of change could be on the horizon. The destruction of some of Hong Kong’s most iconic heritage in the past decade – such as the Central Star Ferry Terminal, Queen’s Pier, and Lee Tung (Wedding Card) Street – created a public uproar. It created recognition that certain places have meaning to society as a whole while Hong Kong government processes have been inadequate in engaging the public to identify the value of such heritage sites. Vocal opposition and resentment generated at the time represented a strong endorsement of social views on heritage issues.
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China residential pricing trial targets power over-users
June 15, 2012
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced Thursday that China will initiate a trial to charge residents more for electricity if their usage exceeds a certain level.
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Seoul plans 100-MW of solar panels for 1,000 public schools
June 14, 2012
The Seoul municipal government said it is seeking to build solar power facilities at about 1,000 of its schools in an effort to cope with the effects of global climate change, the Korea Herald reported yesterday.
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Energy-starved Japan expected to oust incandescent lighting
June 14, 2012
The government is expected to call on major electronics retailers and home appliance makers to voluntarily halt production and sales of energy-consuming incandescent light bulbs to save power this summer, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported today.
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Over 2,000 electric garbage trucks on Beijing roads by year end
June 13, 2012
Beiqi Foton Motor Co Ltd, one of the major electric commercial vehicle manufacturers in China, will deliver 1,000 sanitation vehicles for the Beijing government by the end of June, the China Daily reported today
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Citing India coal deaths, IMF chief warns of rising eco-social crisis
June 13, 2012
International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde said in Washington yesterday that pollution from coal generation plants was resulting in about 70,000 premature deaths every year in India.
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Nissan fund to generate CO2 credits for Japan's LEAF owners
June 12, 2012
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has launched the Nissan Zero Emission Fund, a new fund for individual Nissan electric vehicle (EV) owners in Japan which converts the amount of CO2 emissions that are offset by driving the electric Nissan LEAF to generate credits, according to a report in the Green car Congress..
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UNEP GEO5
Signs of hope but APAC still a leader in global unsustainability
CleanBiz.Asia Staff
June 08, 2012
The world continues to speed down an unsustainable path, despite over 500 internationally agreed goals and objectives to support the sustainable management of the environment and improve human well-being, according to a new and wide-ranging assessment co-ordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The fifth edition of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5), launched Wednesday in Beijing on the eve of the Rio+20 Summit, assessed 90 of the most-important environmental goals and objectives and found that significant progress had only been made in four.
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World Bank issues dire warning of global garbage crisis
June 07, 2012
The World Bank predicted a sharp rise in the amount of garbage generated by urban residents between now and 2025 in a report released yesterday.
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China applies another tax break to boost flagging clean car sales
June 07, 2012
China has announced a second wave of tax cuts for clean-energy cars, specifying 64 new energy-saving vehicles covered by the scheme, Xinhua reported yesterday.
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SunEdison to ‘Eradicate Darkness’ for thousands of rural Indians
May 31, 2012
US solar company SunEdison has launched a new program aimed at bringing renewable power to rural India.
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Japan to lend green expertise to Thailand's eco-town program
May 31, 2012
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has agreed to assist Thailand in developing provincial level eco-towns under the Green Partnership Program between the two countries, it was revealed yesterday.
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Softbank’s new smartphone to come with radiation detector
May 30, 2012
Japanese mobile phone operator Softbank Corp has announced that it will soon begin selling smartphones with radiation detectors, Reuters reported today.
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China pumps another round of subsidies into green vehicles
May 30, 2012
In its continued efforts to kick start the green vehicle industry, China will allocate another 1 to 2 billion yuan (USD158-USD316 million) a year to support the development of new-energy vehicles from this year, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance yesterday.
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S Korea to use 'waste' hydrogen to power pilot town
May 29, 2012
South Korea’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday that it will launch what it calls a "Hydrogen Town Pilot Project" in the first part of a program to establishing a community energy infrastructure that uses waste hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cell technologies, writes The Korea Herald.
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China commits $15.5 bln to 2012 green energy programs
May 26, 2012
China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced Thursday that central government-funded expenditures on energy savings and emission reductions as well as on renewable energies development will total 97.9 billion yuan (USD15.5 billion) this year, up 25.1 billion yuan from 2011.
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KFC denies Greenpeace claim of illegal packaging
May 26, 2012
KFC has denied made by Greenpeace this week that it sells its chicken in buckets produced by controversial paper supplier Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).
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Asian consumers expect more from business
Survey finds Asians have high expectations for societal action
Fergus O'Rorke
May 23, 2012
Consumers in four Asian countries have been identified as being amongst the world’s most involved in societal issues by a new survey carried out by global public relations firm Edelman. China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia are joined by Brazil and the United Arab Emirates in a group dubbed by Edelman as “Purpose Bull Markets” while Japan is among the “Purpose Bear Markets” of Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Edelman says its Goodpurpose study is designed to explore consumer attitudes around social purpose, including their commitment to specific societal issues and their expectations of brands and corporations.
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Runnning toward sustainability
Running catalyzes community and business sustainability
Anna Beech, Civic Exchange
May 21, 2012
Avoiding the accusation of greenwashing is not easy for businesses. How do we judge whether a business is truly interested in reducing its carbon emissions and waste, or just wanting to look as if they are doing so? One way is to look at what community events a business supports. Running is a popular sport worldwide, with millions of people taking part in marathons all over the globe. These races need sponsors and race organisers across the world are trying to make their events greener. Sponsorship can help race organizers introduce green measures to their races and in turn, helps the sponsor become aligned with enabling sustainability education and action in the community.
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China throws $4.2 billion behind green consumer purchases
May 17, 2012
China will provide financial subsidies of 26.5 billion yuan (USD4.2 billion) to stimulate the consumption of energy-saving products, mainly automobiles and household appliances, the State Council announced today.
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