GREEN  BUSINESS  TIMES

Venue: International Conference Centre, 29 Heng Mui Keng Terrace (beside the National University of Singapore)

Energy Carta is organising the Asian Youth Energy Summit 2008 from 30 to 31 Oct 2008, as part of the International Energy Week. The conference includes panel discussions and exhibitions on clean energy and sustainable development, and speakers include:

• Claire Chiang, Senior Vice President, Banyan Tree Holdings
• Joachim Luther, CEO Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS)
• Robert Dixon, Head of Energy Technology Policy Division, International Energy Agency
• Neil McGregor, Managing Director, PowerSeraya
• Ichiro Kawada, President, JAIC Asia Capital Pte Ltd

For details and registration, visit http://www.AYES2008.com.

Local News

• ‘Green’ meetings take off here (Straits Times via Wildsingapore) - More companies are starting to hold green meetings and requesting for eco-friendly measures to be included in the hotels and convention centres.
• A green meeting place (Today Online) - City Development Limited’s new eco-friendly City Square Mall will be opened at the end of next year, and one of the anchor tenants, NTUC FairPrice, has pledged to implement green practices such as checkout lanes for shoppers with reusable bags, a section for organic products, and motion sensor lighting in its office and storeroom.
• Green makes dollar sense (Business Times via Infocomm123) - Infocomm vendors are promoting Green IT, which refers to the application of technology and practices that cut unnecessary energy use. Some practices include the virtualisation of servers and using less power-consuming computers.
• More individuals, firms doing their part to save water (Channel NewsAsia) - More individuals and organisations are doing their part to save water, as the PUB saw a 140% increase in its “Friends of Water” membership last year.
• Trials on new system of buying electricity start later this year (Channel NewsAsia) - The Electricity Vending System will go on trial in Nov this year and will give households the freedom to choose different electricity packages from suppliers. Home owners can buy electricity from vending machines and via the Internet and mobile phones. This system would help consumers to be more aware of how much electricity they use and save energy.

Global News

• U.N. chief warns against waiting for climate deal (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that countries should aim for a meaningful breakthrough on negotiations for the successor deal to the Kyoto Protocol in Poland this December, and not wait till the Copenhagen summit in end 2009.
• First Draft of Sustainable Biofuels Standard Released (ClimateBiz) - The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels has released the first draft of a biofuels global standard, which will guide worldwide biofuel production and processing.

Speaker: Mr Poul E Kristensen, Managing Director, IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Venue: Seminar Room II, ISEAS

This seminar discusses the need for buildings to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions. The speaker will explain that it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of buildings by a factor of 4 through energy efficiency and local cogeneration using natural gas or biofuel. Case studies and the necessary technologies will also be discussed. For details and registration, visit the ISEAS website.

The Singapore Energy Conference, held at the Raffles City Convention Centre, is the flagship event of the International Energy Week (3-7 November 2008). It will be a forum for policymakers from government or industry, to engage in dialogue with each other and also with experts and representatives from various research institutes, policy think tanks, and energy industry players and other partners on the challenges, possibilities and solutions to powering cities of the future.

Programme Highlights

• Singapore Energy Lecture by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
• Ministerial Dialogue and Keynote Addresses from leading energy experts and officials
• Presentations by industry leaders and multi-national energy companies – including Shell, ExxonMobil, Neste Oil, Keppel and GHK Company
• Interactive panel discussions to provide speaker-delegate interaction
• Roundtable discussion forums to develop policy briefs
• Singapore Energy Conference Dinner

Speakers

• Prof S. Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Singapore
• Mr S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Singapore
• Mr Malcolm Wicks, M.P., Minister of State for Energy, United Kingdom
• Mr Peter Schwartz, Cofounder and Chairman, Global Business Network
• Mr Robert A. Hefner, Founder and Owner, GHK Company
• Ms Eileen Claussen, President, Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Strategies for the Global Environment
• Prof John Deutch, Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Visit: www.singaporeenergyconference.com or call: Rita @ 65 6835 5160 for more information.

Green Business Times is the Media Partner of Singapore Energy Conference.

Local News

• Got a plan to harvest solar energy? (Today Online) - The Clean Energy Programme Office (Cepo) is calling for research proposals to develop roof-mounted solar harvesting devices and systems for the tropical region.
• Energy sector can fuel Singapore manufacturing growth (Business Times via Wildsingapore) - The Director of the Warwick Manufacturing Group said that Singapore has a talent pool that can take advantage of the clean energy industry to fuel future manufacturing growth.
• Firms, go on energy ‘diet’ (Today Online) - The new chairwoman of the National Environment Agency (NEA) wants to get more businesses to go green and reduce their energy consumption, and also wants to see more societal participation on environmental issues.
• The green light to save earth (Digital Life, The Straits Times) and Enjoy tech the eco way (Digital Life, The Straits Times) - Learn how companies are implementing green solutions and greening their IT products, and also how green techies do their part.

Global News

• Reuse and Recycle. But First, Virtualize. (GreenerComputing) - Virtualization software can help to green data centers by allowing the consolidation of servers and reducing energy costs by as much as 80%.
• Buildings That Can Breathe (Newsweek) - Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria speaks to well-known architect, William McDonough, about energy efficiency in buildings, the concept of Cradle to Cradle, and renewable energy.
• Green Retailers Six Key Focus Areas (Environmental Leader) - A new Aberdeen Group report shows that green retailers are focused on achieving sustainability in procurement, pacakging, waste management, supply chain and product lifecycle.
• Carnegie Mellon Researchers Urge Industry to Broaden Carbon Footprint Calculations (Carnegie Mellon) - Carnegie Mellon University researchers are urging companies to include carbon emissions from all tiers such as their own activities, electricity purchased, and their entire supply chain of goods and services, in their carbon footprint calculations.

Buildings account for about 35% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to research by the World Green Buildings Council, and there is much scope to reduce the impact of buildings on climate change. Asia is stepping up to the challenge of promoting environmental sustainability for buildings, with more green building legislation and green building projects.

Green Buildings Asia 2008 will be held from 5 to 7 Nov at the Intercontinental Hotel, Singapore. This conference will help participants understand the issues, solutions and trends associated with green buildings and sustainable architecture in Asia. The speakers will give presentations on the following topics:

• Trends and Updates on Green Building Standards and Legislation in Asia
• Green Building Technology and Innovation: A Focus on Renewable Energy
• Understanding the Green Value of Real Estate and Marketing Excellence of Green Building
• Green Materials and Alternative Resources
• Achieving Zero Energy, Carbon Neutral and Zero Waste Cities
• The Future of Urban Planning
• Financial Schemes Surrounding Green Buildings
• Understanding the Integrated Real Estate Perspective to Green Investment
• Redevelopment and Retrofitting Excellence in Converting Existing Buildings to Green Buildings

Read the rest

Gary Hirshberg is the CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm, which is the largest organic yogurt manufacturer in the world. In his book, he describes how his company incorporates environmental principals and embraces sustainability, while making money at the same time.

He also shares similar environmental efforts by other companies such as Whole Foods, Timberland, Wal-Mart, Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Honest Tea and Terracycle.

It is possible to go green, save money and increase profits. Learn more about the book and read reviews from the AsiaIsGreen Bookstore.

Green Buildings Asia 2008 will be held from 5 to 7 Nov at the Intercontinental Hotel, Singapore. This conference will help participants understand the issues, solutions and trends associated with green buildings and sustainable architecture in Asia. Regional authorities, industry leaders and experts from the World Green Building Council, World Bank, Building and Construction Authority (BCA), National Environment Agency (NEA), Keppel Land and Jones Lang Lasalle will share strategies, concepts, legislation and standards for green buildings. For more details and registration, pls contact:

Ms Rita Parasurum

Tel: +65 6835 5160

Fax: + 65 6733 5087

Email: rita.parasurum@ibcasia.com.sg

URL: www.ibc-asia.com/greenbuildings

The National Environment Agency (NEA) launched the $500,000 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Documentation Grant yesterday. This is a co-funding scheme to encourage companies to develop CDM projects in Singapore and support them in engaging carbon consultancy services for the documentation needed.

The funding is capped at $100,000 for each CDM project and would be provided for up to 30% or 50% of the qualifying cost of engaging a carbon consultant to develop a Project Design Document (PDD), which depends on the need to develop a new methodology or just to use an existing approved methodology. The cost of implementing the CDM project would not be supported under the grant. Read the rest