The Only One Who Ever Wanted Me Was You!

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Life is not about the number of breaths you take but the number of things that take your breath away. We should live our everyday to the fullest. Till now, I am still trying to be the person who help more, reject less, praise more, criticise less, comfort more, upset less, cheer more, jeer less, love more, hate less........... And maybe I can succeed one day with the strength given to me by God, the Almighty and also the encouragement and love showered upon me by my loved ones.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | 8:13 AM

8 Days Go Green

This week’s issue of 8 Days has gone “green”! Like what the writer explained, the cover page photo of Zoe Tay was taken some time ago but it was not published. So, they re-used the photo instead of wasting resources to arrange for another round of photo shoot. Good job! Yet, I somewhat suspect the sustainability of such approach from the magazine creator. We shall see then.

Before I touch on some of the contents in the magazine, I like to applaud my parents for adopting a resource-conserving method when purchasing magazines like 8 Days and I-weekly. After we finish reading them, my parents will return them to the vendor in exchange for some discounts for the next issues. The vendor has her own way of disposing these magazines in an environmentally friendly way. Of course, I think this is vendor-specific. Hence, we are able to avoid magazines being piled up in the house. Cheers!

Flipping through the pages of 8 Days, I came across articles that displayed the carbon footprint of some celebrities. These members of the entertainment circle quite openly shared their “non-green” habits like using the air-conditioner all day long and driving around even when not necessary. Surprisingly, they also announced their monthly utilities bills as a result of their lifestyle. Most importantly, they tried to make a commitment in altering or improving their way of life to consider more for the environment in the future. I do have some uncertainty in their willingness to change but I shall give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being.

The magazine, like all campaigns by the government and NGOs, listed out some ways to conserve energy and be “green”. I am quite satisfied of my performance here.
1) Turn off appliances at power sockets - Pass with flying colours! I always switch off both the electric device and the power socket. Occasionally, like one in 50 times, I forgot.
2) Don’t use air-con - Just pass! I only switch on the air-con earlier in the evening to cool my room and will off it when going to sleep. I will have the fan working when I am sleeping.
3) Take cold showers - Fail! I bathe in warm water unless when I am doing my In Camp Training.
4) Don’t take plastic bags - Just pass! When I buy things, if it is within my ability, I will request not to have plastic bags. If I know beforehand that I am going to the supermarket, I will bring along the recyclable bag. For hygiene purpose, plastic bags may still be required to separate the different categories of food (e.g. meat, vegetables, fruits, canned food etc.)
5) Car pool or cab pool. Better yet, take public transport. Even better, walk - Just fail! I take bus or MRT to work and only use the car at night for short and necessary travelling. During weekends, I may cover more mileage even when not needed sometimes.
6) Go paperless as much as possible - Pass with flying colours! I am still using my university notes as rough papers for work and home administration. I graduated one year ago. I applied for e-statements, if available, for my bills. As much as possible, I maximize usage for a piece of paper.
7) Bring your own coffee mug and non-disposable utensils - Pass with flying colours!
8) Recycle and reuse clothes �C Just pass! I donate old clothes to the church or give them to someone else.

People who know me may wonder whether I have conflicts in my beliefs and values since I am an environmentalist and a sales person in the petrochemical (plastics) industry. To me, I see them as rather separate issues. As an environmentalist, I inculcate in myself a sense of environmental conservation. When I have the opportunity, I will promote such awareness. As much as possible, I practice what I preach except during times when the flesh is extremely weak. As an employee selling plastic raw materials, my job is to generate revenue for the company. Due to the nature of the industry, demand and supply is mainly controlled at a macro level by market players. I do not advise my customers to buy fewer materials so as to produce less waste. The customers have to cover their bottom-line by taking care of the demand. With constant worldwide population increase, demand for polymers is predicted to go up. As a sales person, I am not worried of the consumption of our materials and hence the performance of the company. I just hope that when consumers cultivate environmentally friendly practices, we will eventually reach a balance between supply and demand which is sustainable. Of course, that is the ideal scenario.