Channel NewsAsia 3 Feb 08;
SINGAPORE: Some elderly Singaporeans from Lions Home For the Elders in Toa Payoh were treated to an environmentally friendly drive on Sunday, ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations.
They were taken on a tour of Chinatown in vehicles running on bio-diesel.
Energy company Alpha Synovate funded the Lunar New Year project at a cost of some S$10,000, filling 12 vehicles with bio-diesel made from waste vegetable oil.
Allan Lim, chief executive officer of Alpha Synovate, said: "We will probably be doing two-and-a-half tonnes to three tonnes carbon offset, which means for every tonne of bio-diesel we produce from waste vegetable oil, we are able to offset carbon by two-and-a-half times."
Bio-diesel is an alternative source of energy that produces zero carbon, unlike carbon dioxide, which is largely blamed for global warming.
A litre of bio-diesel is also about 10 percent cheaper than normal diesel, which retails at about S$1.30 a litre.
The convoy's first stop was the Buddha Relic Temple in Chinatown.
Besides giving the elderly a clean drive, the event also helped to raise awareness of clean energies.- CNA/so
