Selangor To Launch Green Council

Dear YB Elizabeth Wong, 

Based on your comments, you are probably the first politician who articulates very well in the subject of Malaysia GHG reduction commitment. We do hope Selangor state will be the first in the country to declare its CO2 reduction target ! As residents in Selangor, we are more than happy to be part of the stakeholders to provide our inputs :)

Cheers.... 

we @ sdmalaysia

Selangor To Launch Green Council

-The Sun- by Tan Yi Liang
PETALING JAYA ( June 7, 2010 ): The Selangor government will be launching a Green Council to plan environmentally-friendly policies and initiatives.This was announced yesterday by Selangor Executive Councillor for Tourism, Consumer Affairs and the Environment Elizabeth Wong.

“We will be establishing the Selangor Green Council. It is a forum consisting of entrepreneurs, civil societies, scientists, educators who will help us formulate green policies and initiatives,” said Wong.

“This council will undertake activities to raise public awareness of climate change and the need to undertake policy shifts with regard to our approaches towards development,” she added.

Wong, who delivered the opening speech at the Greener Governance Talk organized by the Selangor Government said that Selangor had to take the lead as it was Malaysia’s most industrialized state.

“Selangor must take the lead in realizing Malaysia’s pledge at Copenhagen in October last year to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions,” said Wong, who revealed state government initiatives in that direction.

“We have initiated a special study to determine what would be our emissions,” she said.

“Selangor as a state can, and must play its part in the global solution to climate change by introducing sustainable development policies that include mitigation and adaptation,” added Wong, who pointed out that such developments could in fact be good for businesses.

“We are fully aware of the need to create jobs and business opportunities to increase Selangor’s prosperity. The council, along with entrepreneurs and businesses will recommend to the state pro-growth green initiatives.”

“Our efforts to address climate change should open new windows for entrepreneurs and businesses, including social entrepreneurs whose prime motivation is to provide social goods to the community,” said Wong.

“We need to mainstream climate change in sustainable development, and as a state government we must do our part in solidarity with the global community to address this issue,” added Wong. – theSun

Green Technology Budget for Malaysia: Leading by example

This is a another good news from the Prime Minister. You lead by example when you have your own office installed with Green features. Can't wait to see the results..... 

Source: BERNAMA

More Emphasis To Green Technology In 2011 Budget, Says Najib

PUTRAJAYA, July 6 (Bernama) -- Green technology will be one of the key areas to be given priority in the 2011 Budget, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"We need to go green. We have to provide enough incentives for private and public sectors to invest in green technology," he said.

For a start, the Government recently approved that the Prime Minister's Office must be a green building, he said.

"That would set as a benchmark. That has already been decided by the cabinet and is being implemented," he said in his closing remarks at the 2011 Budget consultation meeting here Tuesday.

"I am very keen to see what is happening in my office," he said.

On the meeting, Najib said he was pleased with the discussions that drew 455 participants.

They are from government agencies, government-linked companies (GLCs), business and corporate bodies, professional organisations, chambers of commerce and industry, academics and non-governmental organisations.

Najib said the Finance Ministry received 64 memorandums covering a wide spectrum of macro-economics, sectoral and social issues.

They're very useful ideas that we can pick up. I will combine these (ideas) with the initiatives carried out by the National Key Economic Areas labs.

"The labs will also come up with very useful suggestions to take on board as the 2011 Budget is the beginning of the next push towards Vision 2020," he said.

Najib said the 10 broad areas identified for discussions are human capital for the new economy, seizing local opportunities, enhancing renewable energy for sustainable environment and strengthening corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

"There is a need to encourage CSR activities for our companies to look after their employees' welfare," he said.

In some sub-sectors like plantations, there was a need to enhance some of the support that has been given to employees, he said.

"Terms and conditions of service and facilities provided, especially by GLCs, should be a model or benchmark and not the other way round," he added.

-- BERNAMA

STUDY: WHICH IS THE GREENEST CITY IN ASIA?

If you ask me, Kuala Lumpur might now win this award this year. We still have a long way to go when we compare to cities like Singapore or Tokyo based on the categories to be measured. 

SINGAPORE, June 29 (Bernama) -– Which is the greenest city in Asia? The answer to this question will only be known by the end of this year when the Asian Green City Index is out.

Siemens and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) announced today that they are conducting an environmental performance study on 20 leading Asian cities from 11 countries.

The countries are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

In a statement released in conjunction with the on-going World Cities Summit here, Siemens said the cities would be compared in terms of their environmental sustainability.

The cities will be assessed in eight environmental categories: energy supply and CO2 emissions, transportation, buildings and land use, water, sanitation, waste, air quality and green governance.

SD is Sexy for an MCA Politician ;)

I've mentioned in one of my previous postings on the increasing use of the SD term by  Malaysians from all walks of life in the 21st century. The article below is an example of how a senior minister talks the SD lingo. 

Kudos to Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha for stressing the importance of SD beyond the green aspect and taking the initative for his ministry to review the Uniform Building By-Laws.  

YB Mr Minister

We know that now you have been assigned to the transport ministry but hopefully we hope your successor will continue in making SD a sexy subject in this country. It is indeed a sexy topic and if you dont believe me; just join this facebook group called Sustainable Development Is Sexy.

 

Many developers yet to go green

Source: btimes.com.my  

Many developers have yet to seriously consider the potential of sustainable development via the use of green technologies, a senior minister said.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, however, noted that several industry players had taken up the green challenge. “Several of the industry’s players are well on their way to creating the first batch of sustainable development in the country,” Kong said. He spoke to reporters after opening “The Green Solutions for Property Development 2010″ conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. It was organised by the Eastern Regional Organisation for Planning and Human Settlement (EAROPH Malaysia) and the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda). Kong said developers had yet to come to terms with balancing their bottomline with the incremental costs that comes with developing a green project. To promote the use of green technologies in buildings, the ministry is reviewing the Uniform Building By-Laws. “Some green technologies will be considered from the practical aspects to be incorporated into it in order to create a more sustainable living environment for homeowners, their families and the community at large,” he said. Kong said 2009 was a watershed year for green in Malaysia, with the introduction of various initiatives and incentives.

This included the launch in May the Green Building Index (GBI), an accreditation program with specific rating tools to encourage green building development.

The GBI rating tool is seen as a major undertaking as it seeks a good energy-efficient design, indoor environmental quality, site planning and management, materials, resources, water efficiency and innovation.