Adopt Green IT and Green Computing Practices

Green IT or green computing usually refers to making the data centre and other IT system or equipment more energy efficient, and to reduce the environmental impacts associated with IT, such as recycling of computing equipment.

You can adopt the following Green IT practices on energy efficiency in your organisation’s data centre, energy efficient office equipment, energy saving tips and recycling of used electronic equipment. Read more

Grants for Singapore Companies to Implement the ISO 14064 Standards on Greenhouse Gas Management

Under the Standards Implementation for Productivity (SIP) Project on Greenhouse Gas Management, SPRING Singapore is providing grants for Singapore registered companies and organisations to implement the ISO 14064 Standards on Greenhouse Gas Management. The SIP pilot projects are funded by SPRING to assist local industries in the implementation of standards for the manufacturing and services sectors. Read more

Reduce the Impact of Your Organisation’s Waste, Water and Transport Management

Besides considering the direct energy usage by your business, you should also look at waste, water and transport management as these activities also contribute to carbon emissions. Find out how your business manages waste, water and transport in your daily operations, and take steps to reduce the impact of these activities.

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Waste Management

Waste minimisation helps to conserve resources and reduce energy usage in the production, transportation, usage and disposal process. Visit the Zero Waste Singapore website to learn more about how you can Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Here are some tips:

• Design and Make Sustainable Products
• Eliminate the Excessive Use of Paper
• Conduct a Waste Audit
• Start Recycling at Work

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has published a Guidebook on Waste Minimisation for Industries to help companies reduce their waste and practise recycling. The guidebook contains information on how to conduct a waste audit, and also how to introduce a waste minimisation programme through tips and case studies.

Your organisation can also make use of the new 3R Fund by NEA to implement waste minimisation and recycling projects.

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Water Management

Energy is required for potable water and wastewater treatment and transport, so reducing the amount of water consumed and discharged will help to lower the energy needed.

Visit the following websites for tips to help your organisation conserve water and save money:

• Water Efficient Buildings programme by PUB
• The 10% Challenge by PUB
• Water Efficiency, Green Building Design Guide by BCA

Your organisation can also make use of the Water Efficiency Fund by PUB to explore efficient ways to manage your water consumption.

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Transport Management

The organisation’s transport vehicles and the mode of commuting by employees contribute to carbon emissions. Here are some tips to help your organisation reduce transport emissions:

• Encourage or incentivise your employees to take public transport or carpool to work
• Arrange for company transport to ferry employees
• Use more videoconferencing to replace the need for business trips overseas
• Educate company drivers on good driving habits and maintenance of their vehicles
• Plan your transport needs to consolidate delivery orders and reduce delivery frequency
• Plan your driving journey to reduce driving time and distance
• Use more fuel efficient vehicles and green vehicles such as CNG vehicles, or use cleaner fuel such as biodiesel

Greening the ICT industry

(This article is contributed by Mr Nick Lambert, Managing Director, Global Markets, Cable&Wireless Worldwide)

The Asia-Pacific information communications technology sector has developed at an exponential rate in the last 10 years. It is also producing a growing environmental footprint which must be managed in the long-term.

Companies the world over are beginning to look at Green IT and sustainability issues in information and communication technology (ICT), which in itself has irrevocably changed the way we work and provided us with solutions to connect, engage, and collaborate.

We see that ICT plays a dual role in being both a cause and a solution for environmental sustainability issues, with a significant amount of energy usage – which generates a large ecological footprint on one hand, and plays a vital role to help address environmental sustainability problems on the other. By recognising and addressing this delicate balance, it is our view that ICT organisations can help employ more energy-conserving ways of working. Read more

NUS and University of Sydney Jointly Organise Singapore’s National Sustainability Conference 2010

Opening Ceremony: Thursday, 29 July 2010, 9.00 am, Amara Singapore Hotel, Ballroom 1 and 2, Level 3, 165 Tanjong Pagar Road Singapore 088539

Guest-of-Honour & Keynote Speaker: Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and Mayor, South West District

Government, educational institutions, not for profit organisations, business representatives and students will gather together at the 2nd National Sustainability Conference on the 29th & 30th of July to discuss the latest sustainable developments in the Asia Pacific region. The theme of this year’s conference is Sustainable Strategies for Singapore and the Asia Pacific Region with a focus on the sustainable workplace. The conference is jointly organised by The Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES), National University of Singapore and the Workplace Research Centre (WRC), University of Sydney.

The conference will be opened by the Guest-of-Honour for the event, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, and Mayor, South West District, and she will be delivering the keynote address.

What is Singapore doing to mitigate climate change and how is this filtering down to our major corporations and enterprises? These are some of the questions that will be answered at this year’s conference. Business Leaders and Policy Makers from both Asia and Australia will be presenting on topics such as Sustainable Leadership, Achieving Sustainable Business Practices, the Economics of Climate Change, Green Jobs and the Future of the Sustainable Development in the Asia Pacific Region.

Some of the prominent speakers include Mr Ong Seng Eng, Director of the Resource Conservation Department at the National Environment Agency (NEA) – the country’s major statutory board for environmental protection, Associate Professor Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs and former Chair of the NEA, as well as Dr. John Buchanan, Director of the Workplace Research Centre, University of Sydney and Mr. John Person, Head of the UK Regional Climate Change Network in Southeast Asia.

The National Sustainability Conference will take place in the Amara Hotel, 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088539. It will be a great insight into Singapore’s present responses to Climate Change and the emerging opportunities in the area as well as an excellent platform of interaction and connection for anyone who is passionate about achieving a more sustainable Singapore.

Visit the National Sustainability Conference website for registration and details.

Conduct an Energy Survey to Identify Energy Saving Opportunities

An energy survey is a simple assessment of the energy use in your organisation and the aim is to identify and correct bad energy habits and practices. Start by forming a small team to conduct the energy survey, appointing an energy manager as the team leader and recruiting staff from different departments as team members.

The team will conduct the energy survey by taking a walk around the offices, building and facilities to observe what is happening on the ground, identify bad and wasteful energy use and habits, and identify opportunities for energy saving.

The survey should be conducted at different timings so as to find out the different energy usage throughout the day and at different periods. Surveys can be carried out:

• At a normal weekday during office hours
• At busy and peak hours
• At lunchtime
• After office hours
• During weekends

Use past and current utility bills, meter data, maintenance records and other energy information to help keep track of the energy usage in your organisation.

Here are some areas to take note of during the energy survey:

Office Equipment

• Are office equipment left on standby after office hours and during weekends? Can we switch them off easily?
• Does the computers, printers, photocopiers and other equipment have built-in energy saving features? Are we using these features and do we know how to use them?
• Can we use software to switch equipment off after office hours?
• Are vending machines and water coolers left on at night? Can we use timers to switch them off after office hours?

Lighting

• Are lights switched off in unoccupied areas or if there is sufficient daylight? Can we reduce unnecessary lighting?
• Can we use motion sensors for the stairs and carpark?
• Are lights switched off when no one is in the room or office? Who is responsible to switch off the lights after office hours?
• Are external and facade lighting switched off during the day? Can we adjust the timers to switch off the lighting earlier?
• Are light fittings arranged strategically and light switches labelled properly?
• Are we still using inefficient lighting? Can we change to energy efficient light bulbs and tubes?

Air-Conditioning and Ventilation

• Is the office too warm or cold? Can we adjust the air-conditioning temperature up to about 25 degree Celsius or at a comfortable high temperature?
• When is the air conditioning switched off and on during the day?
• Are the windows and doors open when the air-conditioning is on?
• Are the air-conditioning and ventilation system maintained and serviced regularly? Are the settings optimised and correct?
• Are there obstructions at air inlets and outlets?

Industrial Equipment

• Do boilers, pumps, fans and other equipment have the correct and optimised settings?
• Are the equipment serviced and maintained regularly?
• Are the equipment misused by operators who are not trained properly?
• Are there any compressed air, refrigerant or steam leaks?
• Are there opportunities to tap waste heat from equipment and exhaust gases?

After the energy survey, look at the findings and decide what actions to take. Implement the no-cost or low-cost actions first, such as educating employees, changing habits and practices, proper maintenance of equipment, changing energy settings and removing unnecessary lighting.

Next, consider the higher-cost actions such as installing new energy efficient lighting and equipment, and using energy saving technologies.

Remember to keep the management and employees informed of the energy survey findings, actions taken and energy savings.

Image credit: dlnny; olimohd; lockstockb.

Measure Your Organisation’s Carbon Footprint or Greenhouse Gas Inventory

For an organisation, the term carbon footprint or greenhouse gas inventory includes the carbon emissions and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated directly from the organisation’s activities or use of fuels, and also indirectly from the use of electricity and from the use and disposal of materials, products and services.

By measuring its carbon footprint or GHG inventory, the organisation can manage and reduce emissions over time, and also use it for disclosure to stakeholders or for marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) purposes.

After calculating the carbon footprint, it is then possible for the organisation to take active steps to manage the emissions. The organisation can:

• Set emissions reduction targets
• Identify opportunities for energy efficiency and reduction of emissions
• Take action to implement emissions reduction projects
• Monitor the performance of the projects and improve accordingly

The approach to an organisation’s carbon footprint usually involves five steps:

1. Define a consistent methodology
2. Specify the boundary and scope involved
3. Obtain the emissions data and calculate the carbon footprint
4. Verify the results with a third party
5. Disclose the carbon footprint in a report and to stakeholders

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GHG Protocol

If your organisation wishes to calculate your carbon footprint or GHG inventory, you can follow the GHG Protocol produced by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD):

The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard provides standards and guidance for companies and other organizations preparing a GHG emissions inventory. It covers the accounting and reporting of the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol — carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

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ISO 14064

You can also follow the ISO 14064 from the International Organization for Standardization, which comprises three standards on specifications and guidance for the organisational and project levels, and for validation and verification. Read more about the standard here.

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Carbon Footprint Calculators

Or you can use these online carbon footprint calculators to estimate your carbon emissions:

• Carbon Trust
• Carbon Footprint
• The CarbonNeutral Company
• ClimateCare

Some of the above websites provide carbon offsets to help your organisation become carbon neutral.

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Carbon Disclosure Project

If you wish to study how companies disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, visit the Carbon Disclosure Project website:

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organisation which holds the largest database of corporate climate change information in the world. The data is obtained from responses to CDP’s annual Information Requests, issued on behalf of institutional investors, purchasing organisations and government bodies. Since its formation in 2000, CDP has become the gold standard for carbon disclosure methodology and process, providing primary climate change data to the global market place.

Image credit: CMSeter; Plusverde.

4 Simple Green Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – Part Two

Continued from Part One.

The first step to our 4 simple green strategies is to keep track of the relevant risks and take immediate actions to reduce them. Here, we present our second step:

2. Reduce Costs

Look at your business operations and the use of resources such as electricity, water, fuel, materials and chemicals. Monitor regularly on your fuel, material and chemical usage, water and electricity consumption, and waste disposed.

Find ways to increase the efficiency and productivity of your operations so as to reduce the use of fuel, materials and chemicals. Find ways to reduce the consumption and disposal so that your business can save on utilities bills and waste disposal fees.

For example, you could conduct an energy survey by taking a walk around the offices, building and facilities to observe what is happening on the ground, identify bad and wasteful energy use and habits, and identify opportunities for energy saving.

Or you could find out how your business manages waste, water and transport in your daily operations, and take steps to reduce the impact of these activities. You could also adopt energy efficient office equipment and energy saving tips.

Or you could start a recycling programme to minimise waste and start recycling at work.

There are many opportunities to reduce unnecessary wastage and inefficient practices in your business. Engage your employees and get them to give suggestions and help improve the use of resources and reduce costs.

To be continued in Part Three.

Image credit: lusi via stock.xchng.

The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business

Author: Giselle Weybrecht

ISBN: 978-0-470-74114-6

Hardcover; 416 pages

Published in November 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Recommended Retail Price: US$34.95 / S$62.01

Available at all major bookstores

Book Review

The Sustainable MBA is for managers and business leaders who wish to learn and apply sustainable practices in their business. The author introduces green trends, explains various aspects of greening businesses, and shares a wide range of concepts, tools and guidelines.

The book is organized like a typical MBA programme with the coverage of core topics such as:

• Accounting
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• Ethics and corporate governance
• Finance
• Marketing
• Operations
• Organizational behaviour
• Strategy

This is a comprehensive book that would give you a good overview of sustainability practices and tips on how to green your business.

Promotion for Green Business Times Readers

Readers in Singapore can now buy the book from John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd at a 20% discount from 9 Feb 2010 to 9 Mar 2010.

1. Place your order to this email address: csd_ord@wiley.com or call: +65 6463 4604

2. Quote the ISBN of the book title

3. Quote the 4 digit promotion code to be entitled to the 20% discount – Promo Code 2465

How Nokia and TES-AMM Recycles Old Mobile Phones

Green Business Times went for a site visit recently to check out how Nokia and its e-waste vendor, TES-AMM (Singapore) Pte Ltd, collects and recycles old mobile phones.

Nokia has the largest voluntary mobile phone recycling scheme worldwide, with takeback and collection facilities in over 5,000 Nokia Care Centres across 85 countries.

In Singapore, Nokia currently has collection points in all Nokia Care Centres at Wheelock Place, Century Square, Parkway Parade, Causeway Point and Suntec City. Take back facilities are also available in NUS, NTU, SMU, Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, St Margaret Secondary, St Hilda Primary and Secondary, and Saint Andrew JC.

In July 2008, Nokia launched the deployment of the Nokia Recycling Kiosks (NRK), which are automated recycling kiosks, in Malaysia and Singapore. Nokia is also running the ‘Recycle A Phone & Adopt A Tree’ program in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. With every phone sent for recycling, customers will receive a tree in their name planted under the NEWTrees initiative. This is a collaboration between Nokia, WWF Indonesia and Equinox Publishing, and Nokia has committed funds towards the planting of 100,000 trees in Indonesia.

In Singapore, Nokia is working with TES-AMM to recycle raw materials from the mobile phones collected. The raw materials recovery rate at TES-AMM is as high as 99%. Many different materials and precious metals can be recycled from mobile phones and made into new products, including:

• Plastic: Plastic is largely used on the covers and external parts of a mobile device. They are turned into plastic pallets to be used in warehousing.
• Stainless Steel: This is used on external detailing phone covers and some internal components. It can be recycled and used again in all sorts of products from mobile devices, to kitchen kettles, ovens and in bicycle frames.
• Copper: Copper is used in a mobile phone’s circuitry and printed wiring boards. It can be recycled into copper pipes or to make musical instruments.
• Gold: Small amounts of gold are used in a mobile phone to coat connectors and electrical surfaces. It can be recycled and used again in other mobile and electronic devices, dental fillings or to make jewellery.
• Platinum: This is used in the electrical components of a mobile phones. It can be reclaimed and used in catalytic convertors for passenger cars, for equipment, dental filling or in jewellery.
• Cobalt and lithium salt: These rare earth metals are recovered from recycled batteries and are re-made into lithium ion batteries.

Here are some photos taken during the site visit at TES-AMM’s recycling facility:

Mobile phone recycling

Manual dismantling of old mobile phones

Sorting of components

Crushing of circuit boards and sieving

Ferrous metal separation

Crushed circuit boards

Crushed circuit boards undergo hammer mill and electrostatic separation to get:

Fibrous powder (for making plastic pallets)

Metal powder (contains 60-70% copper)

Fibrous powder and other waste plastics used to make plastic pallets by heat extrusion

Chemical processes to extract gold from components

Gold melting

Li-ion battery recycling

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