How important is the environment in our daily lives?

Honestly when we look at the market today, we find a substantial amount of products and brands beginning to advertise that they are eco-friendly and that people in general are becoming more conscious of the environment. From using less plastic bags, to opting for a car with lower fuel consumption, is the reason why we are doing this for the environment or is it really for ourselves?

I can see that in today's society, we live in a very 'me' world. Everything is about 'me' and what is in it for 'me'. Everything else is secondary in our lives. We go for the latest product because it makes us feel good about ourselves and it would enhance our image amongst our friends and make them jealous. In short, it truly is what makes us cool.

Green isn't cool just yet. It is a thing which is more mainstream yes, and it is no longer just associated with hippies, environmentalists and NGOs. People are making a conscious effort, but then again, they won't open their wallets to it as they don't see why it should cost more than anything at the moment.

The main issues that people look at when they make a purchase is three things:

1. Value
2. Quality
3. Attributes

In all honesty, that is the average consumer's thought process. In other words, they ask themselves:

-How much is it?
-Is it worth it?
-How good is the quality?
-Do I need such good quality?
-(optional) Is is environmentally/socially responsible?

More often that not, the last question doesn't even register. Based on our study and survey, less than 1 in 10 Malaysians give a damn about the environment. Despite natural disasters happening all the time, and tonnes of talk about going Green on the media, people are generally stubborn, and point the finger at the government to ask them to sort it out. But for the government it is a catch 22 as going Green may mean displeasing some industries who are hugely energy inefficient but are government linked, and if they don't do anything, they bear the wrath of the NGOs and the media.

All in all, we can see that it is a long journey to truly get the public to make a conscious buy of eco-friendly products over conventional products. I have faith we shall get there eventually.

Going Greener than Ever!

This is a fantastic blog entry by Leon Teh from Sunway College. Thanks Leon!

From http://leoncoffeeteaorme.blogspot.com/

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

Going Greener than Ever!

As we go through yet another hectic day of our modern lifestyles in our bustling towns and cities, we are constantly reminded to adopt a greener lifestyle. On the radio, through the television and by the various campaigns set up, the importance of saving our beloved earth continues to be hammered into us. You see, Mother Nature is getting old, and she’s been forced to smoke too much. Her home is getting warmer with the staggering amounts of carbon dioxide our modern world has produced. She’s also fed up with the number of natural disasters that she has to put up with- she does not take too well with floods as it ruins her pristine furniture. She gets very ill when toxic chemicals are dumped into her blood streams by factories. To say that earth is in dire need of change would be an understatement. Perhaps it is time we learn what it truly means to being ‘Green’.

A wise approach to forming a ‘green’ mentality would be to target the younger demographics. The members of Sunway University College’s Student Council in collaboration with Sunway Health and Safety Department launched the ambitious and no doubt successful Go Green campaign which kicked off from the 17th to the 19th of August this year. Their goal was simple: to expose the students of Sunway to the growing importance of being environmentally friendly. We’re talking recycling, reducing waste production, reusing materials and practicing a more civic and responsible attitude towards planet earth. But it was the reduction of polystyrene or Styrofoam as known to many that takes the limelight for this event.

Yes, the light-weight, petroleum-based plastic used that is used to make your disposal cups, food packages and plates due to its good insulation and relatively harmless properties is the main target that Go Green aims to eliminate. Many are confused about the difference between the term polystyrene and the name Styrofoam. The more commonly known name, Styrofoam in which many people will immediately identify as the white-foam moulded packaging our chicken rice and other food stuffs are packaged in is actually a registered trademark name of The Dow Chemical Company Inc. The substance of which these packaging are made of is polystyrene. Polystyrene is non-biodegradable, it crumbles into smaller fragments when disposed thus causing landfill and ocean pollution. So why not recycle it you ask? Well, technically it can be recycled but the recycling rates are low. The recycling of polystyrene is diminishing. In certain communities, recycling companies do not accept polystyrene anymore as people prefer to simply dispose of them. The manufacturing process pollutes the air and creates large amounts of liquid and solid wastes. Animals also choke on disposed polystyrene.

The students behind Go Green are determined to slowly but surely replace polystyrene with alternate means of packaging. The Energy Hub at the cafeteria was the centre point of the campaign with various organisations setting up booths to promote their products and to encourage students to participate in the various activities they have installed. Global Environment Centre, a non-government organisation was present to supply interesting information regarding reducing, reusing and recycling through their various posters and pin-ups on the boards. Competitions were aplenty, such as the “Caught on Camera” video challenge where students were tasked to capture bad habits and wasteful practices of people around the college on tape. There was also a rather amusing competition of designing an elegant outfit out of trash and reusable materials (we’ll leave that to your imagination). WWF (World Wildlife Fund) was present to give a talk on the preservation of wildlife. In addition, students were ushered to check their carbon footprints at one of the booths to see just how much their habits have impacted the earth.

Jasa Eco, was also present to promote Go Green’s primary agenda, that is to do away with polystyrene. Jasa Eco supplies a range of disposable food ware developed from cornstarch to help form a greener environment. Disposable cutleries made from cornstarch instead of the usual plastic (hence making them biodegradable) were given out to students. Douglas Tan, Export and Eco Development manager of Jasa Eco was present to oversee to the Jasa Eco booth. “We always look to the bigger organisations to help save our dying environment but we must realise that every household plays an equally important role. They are the ones that contribute to large quantities of wastes. If we want to Go Green, start at home,” Douglas advises. Douglas Tan admits that polystyrene has become an indispensable material, especially in the food industry. “Polystyrene will not disappear in the near future but we must nevertheless strive to kill it off naturally and seek a viable replacement in the market”. He went on to say that polystyrene elimination is just the tip of the iceberg in a world which is becoming ever-dependant on plastics.

Ultimately, it is the consumers that determine the life-span of this detrimental substance. Mentality is the key here as consumers today do not even give it a second thought when using and disposing polystyrene containers. “Attitudes must change! The mental barrier that exists within our consumers is the main issue. They refuse to accept change and are completely fine with disposing plastics and polystyrene,” Douglas claims solemnly.

So how do we reduce the use of polystyrene? Douglas hopes that Jasa Eco can aid in limiting the use of Styrofoam packaging and other polystyrene products through their range of eco-friendly alternatives. “They obviously cost a little more though,” he laughingly comments.

“A concrete approach would be to outright ban the use of Styrofoam packaging. That would be a good start,” he shares. The use of polystyrene packaging has long been banned in certain countries around the world such as the 30 municipalities in California as well as the coastal communities in the United States. The first state to respond to the issue is Penang. Starting the 1st of January next year, a ban will be enforced on the use of polystyrene which will cover all food premises and temporary hawking sites owned by local councils on the island and mainland. It’s a sigh of relief considering the mountain of polystyrene food packages thrown away at the popular spots such as the Gurney Drive hawker centre.
“The industrialists need to step up and speak against polystyrene production and use. When they talk, people listen. When the individuals from NGO’s talk, people ignore them. They have little power and influence. An outright ban should be imposed and when the time comes, companies will either comply with the ban and find other alternatives or be forced into bankruptcy,” he boldly comments. It’s harsh but it should get the job done. Douglas Tan later gave an informative talk regarding a styro-free environment to the students of Sunway University College as part of the Go Green event.

There are people who want to make a difference. But there are also people who see this Go Green culture as a way to make money. Look around you the next time you go shopping and you’ll notice the plethora of products claiming to be eco-friendly. No doubt some are genuine on their intentions, but there are those who use it as a marketing tool. Many companies produce these so-called eco-friendly products which use bio-degradable packaging but some of these plastic packaging merely ‘breakdown’ into smaller fragments of plastic and still remain in the soil for long periods of time. Though fragmentation occurs, incomplete breakdown of these substances means they are not biodegradable.

Some of students of Sunway University College were no doubt eager to participate in the programmes and activities. Even throughout the year, the student council of the college had organised events to ignite the spirit of going green. The G-Race which was similar to the Amazing Race challenge saw participants racing around Sunway, from Monash University to Sunway Pyramid and back to Sunway College to name a few. The participants faced various challenges that required teamwork and knowledge on the environment. The recent Plant-a-Tree programme in the Raja Musa Forest in Batang was also the student council’s idea of exposing students to the beauty of nature as well as the damage we have done to Mother Nature. The forest was once a reserved forest until it was cut down. Participants happily planted new seedlings in the hopes of restoring the forest, even if just a little into the beautiful place it once was.

All in all, the Go Green campaign was a huge success with many students finally realising the importance of maintaining and caring for our beloved planet. “The whole thing was quite interesting and the talks were an eye opener,” says student, Nicholas Siew from AUSMAT. Sunway University College students and staff can also look forward to brand new recycling bins brought in somewhere around September to further promote recycling. This no doubt reflects on how determined Sunway University College is in going green. Vice president of Sunway University College Student Council, Eugene Koh reminds the students, “Our Earth is not in a good shape. We must be responsible for our actions and be aware of the issues surrounding the environment.”
So true, it’s time we realise the gravity of our actions on the environment. From the poorest of families to the wealthiest of society, from the smallest of hawker stores to the largest of factories, from the youngest of students to the oldest of adults, it does not matter who or where you are, you can make a difference towards our planet and towards its future by playing your part.

Your's truly, Leon Teh Y.M at 7:46 AM 0 comments

Selamat Hari Raya!

To all our Muslim Friends, on behalf of JASA Eco, I would like to wish you all Selamat Hari Raya!

Thank you for your continuous support and continue to Ride the Green Wave!

LimKokWing and Sunway University College

I have not been able to blog much recently as there have been many exciting developments in the recent months and you all shall be hearing more about that.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank LimKokWing University and Sunway University College for inviting me for a talk entitled "Why Eco-Friendly?" I believe that we can take something away from it and really reconsider how we are able to reduce our overall impact on the environment.

The growth of JASA Eco in the recent months have been very promising and it looks that acceptance is currently at about 17% to 20% of sales when compared against plastic, which beat our initial estimate of 10%. We thank you all for your support and we hope to progress further in the near future.

We shall be available through Giant, Carrefour and Tesco Hypermarkets nationwide, and coming soon to Cold Storage, Mercato, and Parkson!

Talk is cheap

We have now gone into the 3rd month after the official launch of JASA Eco and there have been a substantial amount of development but also a large amount obstacles and frustration.

Having spoken to so many corporates, the MBPJ, the MPPP, and hypermarkets, it is obvious no one is opposed to the idea of going Green, but the fundamental question lies as to how we are to go Green.

No one can criticise you for going Green. In fact, they will praise you and say that's the way to go, that's the future etc. But when it comes to crunchtime and the time to change, how many people are actually willing to go ahead with it?

The problem is that people don't want to pay more to go Green. At the present time, as the material is already more expensive than current plastic, how can the price come down to the same as plastic? In terms of the word 'cheap', how much are we talking about? Is RM5 too expensive and RM1 acceptable? Or is 20 sen a bearable cost but 50 sen is too much? How much does 50 sen matter to us nowadays?

Change can only come about when there is a change in mentality. 50 sen is really not a lot of money, but there is a psychological barrier which has hardwired into our conscience that 50 sen is a lot of money! Once we can associate the fact that we are doing good for the environment, people's perceptions don't change.

Preferences are selfish or emotional, and to part with even 5 sen without seeing the cause is something we would rather not do. It is our job now to change this perception, and more people would be able to see that the environment is really something worth saving and worth putting our 50 sen towards.

Action Now!

As I sat having my lunch at Hong Kong airport, another earthquake struck the southern region of China. in the past two days there have been earthquakes in Mexico and Haiti, blizzards in Haerbin and droughts in Yunnan. Are these disasters as a result of man's actions or lack of? Could we have done anything to prevent them from happening?

We realise that now more than ever, people are hungry for change. For change to happen something must act as a catalyst for that action to occur. You can be that catalyst.

JASA Eco has already been launched at Carrefour Mid Valley and this is only the beginning. We are getting positive feedback and while we appreciate praise, we would like more action. That's why we are calling for your help. We intend to make JASA Eco a global brand, and a leader of the Green Revolution as to how we can go green in our daily lives. Let's go forward in this journey together!

Live Green!

JASA Eco Website Up!

Hey all, our JASA Eco website is finally up. Follow this link:

www.jasa-eco.com

If you have any comments, you can leave them here!

Live Green guys!!