Companies not cutting "green" IT spending: survey

Reuters 16 Apr 09;

LONDON (Reuters) - Most businesses are keeping up efforts to improve the energy efficiency of their information technology, despite having less available capital due to the slowdown, a survey by research group Gartner Inc. shows.

Gartner asked 620 organizations worldwide, each with between 1,000 and 10,000 employees, whether they were having to cut back on measures to improve the energy efficiency of their IT systems.

For most businesses, particularly in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, the recession will not reduce the priority of so-called green IT projects, the survey results showed.

The IT sector is energy intensive and contributes 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, about the same amount as the aviation industry.

Outside western Europe, some enterprises assume becoming "greener" costs money and could therefore lower this goal in their list of priorities in tough times, Gartner said.

But businesses are increasingly implementing such measures, mainly due to the potential cost savings rather than their environmental benefits, the survey showed.

"They are low risk, cost saving, and with short-term returns so why wouldn't (firms) pursue them? It's not surprising green project priority has held up quite well in recession as it is about saving money," Simon Mingay, research vice president at Gartner, told Reuters.

Forty percent of U.S., 58 percent of European and 15 percent of Asia Pacific businesses, which currently do not have any IT energy efficiency projects, said they were very likely to launch them this year.

More than a third of survey respondents expected to spend more than 15 percent of their IT budgets on projects to improve energy efficiency.

But the survey also showed that organizations in the United States and Brazil were the most likely to cut back on such "green IT" projects in 2009. It did not give a reason for this.

IT was one of the sectors most likely to scale down energy efficiency measures, according to the survey's results.

Only 20 percent of the European IT firms surveyed have budgets dedicated to improving the efficiency of their technology.

"One possible explanation is that in Europe green IT is considered 'business as usual' by many and does not require any specific special treatment," Gartner said in a statement.

Gartner expects businesses to continue to spend money on making their computers and systems more energy efficient.

"Over the past couple of years we have seen significant growth in spending motivated by increased energy efficiency. I would say this area will continue to grow in the future, rather than remain static," Mingay said.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Anthony Barker)

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Electric dream machines: Are they really the future of motoring?

UK motorists will be given £5,000 to switch to electric cars, but are they really the future of motoring?
Martin Hickman, The Independent 17 Apr 09;

Motorists are to be given up to £5,000 to buy less polluting electric cars in a long-awaited official drive to a low-carbon future.

Under the £250m incentive scheme, drivers will receive Government subsidies to buy a new generation of cars that can be charged up by normal power sockets in homes and garages. Ministers promised that the funding – first announced as a concession for approving Heathrow's third runway in January – would make green cars practicable for everyday drivers.

"Cutting road transport CO2 emissions is a key element of tackling climate change. Less than 0.1 per cent of the UK's 26 million cars are electric, so there is a huge untapped potential to reduce emissions," said the Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon.

"The scale of incentives we're announcing today will mean that an electric car is a real option for motorists as well as helping to make the UK a world leader in low-carbon transport."

Opposition politicians and transport and environmental campaigners gave the plan, revealed by the Prime Minister in The Independent last week, a lukewarm welcome, accusing the Government of doing too little too late to move to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from petrol and diesel cars.

Britain has agreed to cut CO2 emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. The Climate Change Committee, an independent body established under the Climate Change Act to advise the Government on setting carbon budgets, has recommended an initial 42 per cent cut by 2020. The committee is chaired by Lord Turner of Ecchinswell – Adair Turner, the former director general of the Confederation of British Industry.

Launching the programme at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, where he drove an electric Mini, Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, said: "Britain has taken a world lead in setting ambitious targets for carbon reduction. Low-carbon vehicles will play a key role in cutting emissions."

He added that the Government money would spur British industry to invest in low-carbon technology.

In the past two years the Government has committed £123m towards research and development into low-carbon technology and £20m to encourage local authorities and the Royal Mail to run electric vehicles. Under its new £250m scheme, which will take effect from 2011, the Government will back "plug in" cars, rather than existing hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius.

Most of the money – £230m – will provide motorists with grants of between £2,000 and £5,000 to buy wholly electric and hybrid cars. A further £20m will fund charging points in two or three "electric cities", making longer journeys feasible.

Ministers hope that the scheme will go a long way to tackling the limited range and high cost of electric cars. At present there are few electric-only models available, the most popular of which is the G-Wiz, which must be charged every 75 miles and has a top speed of 51mph. But over the next year, new models from Mini and Smart – and a plug-in Prius – are expected.

According to statistics from the Department for Transport, of the 28 million cars on Britain's roads in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available, just 2,000 were electric and 16,000 hybrid. The new scheme would fund around 65,000 new electric cars – more than three times the existing number, but still only 0.3 per cent of the total.

Motoring organisations warned that the infratrastructure for electric cars would have to transformed to make them viable. "For electric vehicles to revolutionise our cities we need infrastructure, incentives, clean electricity and affordable, practical vehicles," said the AA's president Edmund King.

While welcoming the new funding, motor traders and manufacturers called for Government support to ensure that the beleaguered car industry remains intact during the downturn and can build more energy-efficient cars when the economy improves.

They also called for motorists to be offered incentives to scrap older, polluting cars and buy new ones. A similar scheme has recently been successfully introduced in Germany, and a version may form part of the Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget next week.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: "The motor industry is in the middle of its greatest economic challenge and immediate action to preserve the UK sector in the short-term is essential if we are to stake our claim in the global development of low-carbon technology for the future."

Opposition politicians responded to the latest announcement by claiming that they would take tougher action to reduce transport pollution. The Conservatives pledged to build a national network of electric charging points, improve the national grid to cope with extra demand from electric vehicles, and divert £200m from road charging into other green transport schemes.

In a speech on green technology yesterday, the shadow Chancellor George Osborne complained that Britain was lagging behind Germany, France, Japan and the US. "Instead of leading the world on green technology, Britain is trailing far behind. So we must all take the Prime Minister's latest announcement on electric cars with a pinch of salt."

According to the Liberal Democrat Transport spokesman Norman Baker, the announcement was like adding "a small dab of green paint to the rusty hulk of the Government's failed transport policy". He said: "Discounts on electric cars are all very well for those who can afford to buy a new car but it cannot hide the fact that the Government has forced up rail fares and destroyed many local bus services."

At the request of The Independent, the Campaign for Better Transport suggested another way of spending the Government's £250m. It proposed allocating £100m for buses, trebling the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant, £50m for 15 sustainable travel towns, £50m for another 50 train carriages spread across the 10 most congested lines, £30m for 50,000 cycle stands, and £20m for car clubs at new developments and workplaces.

Its climate change and roads campaigner Richard George said: "While electric vehicles have a role to play in reducing transport's carbon footprint, we're still waiting to hear how the Government plans to provide enough green energy to make this an environmental initiative. Throwing £5,000 at people to buy a new car feels more like a bail-out for the motoring industry than the sustainable transport strategy we need."

The green cars

G-Wiz

The market leader. Its fragility was revealed by a Top Gear crash test. Seating for two adults and two small children. Old-fashioned batteries in the £8,500 version give a 40-mile range and 50mph top speed. A more advanced £15,000 version will travel 70 miles and can be recharged in 90 minutes.

Mini E

The E sacrifices two seats to the battery stack. Performance is brisk – this Mini will reach 62mph in 8.5 seconds and go on to 95 mph. It has a range of 150 miles. Some 500 have been supplied on lease to customers in California and New York at $850 a month. Made in Oxford and Munich, 40 may be leased in the UK, says Mini owner BMW.

Chevrolet Volt

A version of this, the Vauxhall Ampera, should follow the Chevy's launch in the US in 2011. As a "series plug-in hybrid" it generates its own electricity as well as taking it from the mains, and uses a small petrol motor to power items such as air conditioning. Healthy UK demand will help the case for making it at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port works. Practical, but range still limited to 40 miles.

Smart Fortwo EV

Currently undergoing trials, it may go on sale next year. Expect a top speed of 70mph, a range of 70 miles. Price to be determined.

Tesla Roadster

Lotus helped develop this sexy model, which hits 60mph in a Ferrari-bashing 3.9 seconds and has a range of 250 miles. The snag? Its price – £96,000. It is available to order now; UK deliveries next month. Tesla are also said to be planning a saloon.

Aixam Mega City

This is a French take on the concept and has similar performance to the basic G-Wiz. It's conventional rather than stylish, and the finish is a little rough. Available as a two- or four-seater.

Reviews by Sean O'Grady

Britons offered cash grants to buy electric cars
Yahoo News 16 Apr 09;

LONDON (AFP) – British motorists could receive up to 5,000 pounds (5,700 euros, 7,500 dollars) if they buy an electric car under government proposals unveiled Thursday.

The plan comes as part of a 250-million-pound scheme to make motoring greener, and ministers hope it will help Britain meet its target of slashing carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said he wanted electric cars to become a much more common sight on Britain's streets.

"What we've got to get people used to is the idea that electric cars will become quite normal, quite usual, that it won't be exceptional and, without being slightly unkind to existing electric vehicles, they won't be slightly odd," he told the Guardian newspaper.

The scheme also includes 20 million pounds to build more charging points and other infrastructure needed for people to use electric cars regularly.

Unveiling the scheme with Hoon, business minister Peter Mandelson urged Britain's auto industry -- which has been hit hard by the world economic slowdown -- "to be a leader in the low carbon future".

While welcoming the announcement, John Proctor, a spokesman for industry body Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said the car sector needed support to stay afloat in the short-term.

"The key thing is that the industry is in the middle of its biggest-ever economic challenge," he said.

"We need something in the short-term if we're going to stake our claim in developing low-carbon technology in the medium and long-term."

The SMMT is urging the government to announce a scrappage scheme, which would pay motorists to ditch old cars for new, in next week's annual budget.

The proposed incentives would be introduced in 2011, by which time ministers believe more electric and plug-in hybrid cars will be on the market.

Their introduction depends on Prime Minister Gordon Brown's currently unpopular government winning the next general election, expected to be held next year.

The main opposition Conservatives, who have a double-digit lead in most opinion polls, have put the environment at the heart of their policies.

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Australia launches 'clean coal' institute

Yahoo News 16 Apr 09;

CANBERRA (AFP) – Australia has launched what it described as a major initiative to develop clean coal technology, saying it could play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute's launch showed Australia was facing up to its responsibilities as the world's largest coal exporter.

Rudd said the institute, founded with 100 million dollars (70 million US) of government money, would help develop technology that allowed coal emissions to be captured and safely stored.

"Carbon capture and storage is not the only answer to the climate change challenge," he said.

"But it is a very important part of the global transition to a lower carbon global economy, a transformation of the global economy every bit as significant as the industrial revolution in the 18th century and the information revolution of recent times."

The institute's goal is to develop technology capable of "geosequestration" -- where carbon dioxide gases from coal that are blamed for global warming are captured, compressed and stored in stable rock formations in the Earth's crust.

It aims to develop 20 commercially viable carbon capture and storage plants globally by 2020.

Rudd said such technology was necessary because it was a "cold, hard reality" that coal would remain the globe's major source of energy for many years to come.

He said 85 nations, corporations and institutions had signed up to join the institute since it was first proposed seven months ago.

General Electric Australia and New Zealand chief executive Steve Sargent said the institute could help develop a way to reduce coal emissions.

"The long-term viability of this industry depends on our ability to use our technology and know-how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the process of generating electricity from coal," he said.

But Greenpeace said the institute was a public relations exercise designed to take the heat off the heavily polluting coal industry, describing the goal of building 20 plants by 2020 as "impossible."

"The government is making sure that Australia remains dependant on dirty coal well into the future, even though the government itself admits that emissions from coal are directly related to climate change," Greenpeace said.

"This goal is impossible and the government knows that -- they?re just using spin to try and buy an extension for their fossil fuel industry buddies."

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Growing wind, solar power challenge U.S. grid: study

Eileen O'Grady, Reuters 16 Apr 09;

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The push to add more renewable wind and solar megawatts to the U.S. electric mix will force changes in the way the power grid operates to keep electricity flowing reliably, said an industry watchdog on Thursday.

Climate-change concerns have led more than half of U.S. states to mandate that a percentage of future electric supply come from less-polluting resources, such as wind and solar power that emit no greenhouse gas.

U.S. legislators are also discussing a federal mandate.

However, a report from the North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) issued Thursday points out that many types of renewable power are much different from power plants that burn coal or natural gas, plants that can be turned off and on as needed to meet power demand.

That lack of control, or variability, creates thorny integration issues for operators of the bulk-power network - the large power lines that move electricity from plants to neighborhoods, NERC said.

The push for more renewable power, "has the potential to fundamentally change how the system is planned, operated and used - from the grid operator right down to the customer," said Rick Sergel, NERC president.

In 2008, a record 8,300 MW of wind generation was installed in the United States, according to the wind industry. NERC estimates that 145,000 MW of all types of variable generation could be added to grid in the next 10 years.

"Even if only half of this capacity comes into service, it will represent a 350 percent increase of variable power from 2008," said Mark Lauby, a NERC director.

Already recognized is the need for thousands of miles of new transmission lines to connect distant wind and solar facilities to power-hungry cities. About 7 percent of the U.S. population lives in the 10 states where the capacity for wind generation is the greatest, the grid group said.

While daunting, that is just one challenge facing the industry as it seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electric production, NERC said.

Another issue is the tendency for wind generation to be strongest at night when electric demand is low and weak during the day when power use soars.

Managing the often rapid jump or drop in wind output is another obstacle for other power plants on the grid since electricity is consumed in real-time and can't be stored in large amounts, NERC said.

If electric demand is high and wind generation falls off, other power plants must increase output quickly to balance the system to prevent blackouts or other disruption.

NERC's study calls for reducing obstacles to build power lines. Other recommendations include better wind forecasting and spreading variable resources across large geographic areas to lessen the impact of weather changes on output.

NERC's recommendations may fall short of some renewable power industry goals. Some want new transmission lines to be dedicated to "renewable-only" generation and have suggested that NERC relax some long-standing operating standards related to grid frequency.

Lauby, however, said the NERC study calls for wind and solar generation to be integrated within NERC's current operating requirements.

(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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Oslo sets limit on Arctic seabed, short of North Pole

Alister Doyle, Reuters 16 Apr 09;

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway became on Wednesday the first Arctic state to agree limits to its northern seabed, stopping short of the North Pole in a regional territorial scramble driven partly by hopes of finding oil and gas.

Norway's newly defined continental shelf covers 235,000 sq kms (90,740 sq miles), or three-quarters the size of mainland Norway, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said.

To the north, the shelf ends in deep water 550 kms (341.8 miles) from the Pole that is claimed by both Russia and Denmark.

"Norway is the first polar nation to complete this work," Stoere told a news conference of talks with a U.N. Commission that is trying to agree limits to continental shelves of coastal states as part of a revisions to the U.N. Law of the Sea.

Agreement on shelf limits gives states the right to exploit resources on and beneath the seabed, such as oil and gas or the genes of marine organisms, officials said.

A U.S. official report last year said the Arctic contains enough oil and gas to meet current world demand for three years, or 90 billion barrels. And global warming may make the region more accessible.

Norway accepted adjustments by Commission experts to a submission Oslo made in 2006 and would write the new limits into national law, Stoere said. Other states ringing the Arctic Ocean are the United States, Russia, Canada and Denmark via Greenland.

Stoere said boundaries were set between Norway and Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes.

"In the discussion about who owns the North Pole -- it's definitely not us," he said.

RUSSIAN FLAG

Russia planted a flag on the seabed 4,261 meters (13,980 ft) beneath the Pole in 2007 in a symbolic claim. Denmark has also said that the Pole is Danish, because of a subsea ridge running north from Greenland toward Russia.

Stoere said the Norwegian shelf still has some undefined areas because of long-running disputes with Russia to the east and over how to define the area around the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard -- open to all signatories of a 1920 treaty.

Under the Law of the Sea, coastal states own the seabed beyond existing 200 nautical mile zones if it is part of a continental shelf of shallower waters.

Some shelves stretch hundreds of kms before reaching the deep ocean floor, which is owned by no state. Stoere said that Norway was not gaining territory, merely defining what was its under international law.

The Commission has set a deadline of May 13 this year for most coastal states to submit limits on their shelves. Countries such as the United States, which have not ratified the Law of the Sea, are exempt.

Elsewhwere in the world, a few nations including Australia and New Zealand have completed similar negotiations as Norway.

(Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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Best of our wild blogs: 16 Apr 09

“The state and conservation of Southeast Asian biodiversity”
by Sodhi et al on the Biodiversity crew @ NUS blog

Animals Unrestrained: Sungei Buloh photo competition
on the wild shores of singapore blog

How is charcoal made from mangroves?
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Slimey green giant
on the annotated budak blog and harey and hunter digger

Sunbirds harvesting nectar from Lumnitzera
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Oriental Pied Hornbill Nesting at Changi Village
on the Glorious Birds blog

Smarter than your average spider
on the annotated budak blog

Strange insect spotted at Botanic Gardens
on the Lazy Lizard's Tales blog

Malthusian Catastrophe
on the blooooooooooo blog

“Invasive aliens on tropical East Asian islands”
by Richard Corlett on the Biodiversity crew @ NUS blog

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Live animals sold in supermarkets: It's unhygienic and cruel, says SPCA

Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 16 Apr 09;

LIVE animals don't belong in supermarkets - for two reasons.

This is the response of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to recent reports that supermarkets are selling exotic live animals.
It has expressed 'serious concern' over the welfare of such animals like freshwater turtles and bullfrogs that are being sold in Sheng Siong supermarkets.

That is not its only concern, especially in light of the recent fatal food-poisoning saga in Geylang Serai.

These live animals are also carriers of potentially deadly bacteria.

SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss said: 'Even with the existence of guidelines, how is humane slaughter monitored and guaranteed? Unless a skilled person is carrying it out, the animal is bound to suffer.'

She said the SPCA has been protesting the issue of live slaughter in markets and eating establishments since 2001 as the animals are often kept in cramped conditions before being killed.

She said: 'It's so widely accepted here that most people don't even question it. But think about it, crabs in restaurants are tied up for who knows how long.

'Some may go faster, but some are confined for hours and hours in unnatural conditions. The food may be fresh but it's at the expense of the animals.'

The Singapore Environment Council is also against the selling of live animals in supermarkets.

Its executive director, Mr Howard Shaw, said: 'Although supermarkets boast about freshness, they are not supposed to function as traditional slaughter houses, so there are potential public health risks. There's also the issue of cruelty as animals are kept in confined spaces.

'Just for the sake of seeing something live before you take it home, I think the cons outweigh the pros.'

Introducing livestock into the retail environment could also lead to trade in threatened species, Mr Shaw said.

'I know that AVA (Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority) monitors Singapore's commitment against illegal wildlife trade. But when exotics appear in the mass retail market, it can be difficult to monitor,' he said.

A recent case is the Sheng Siong Supermarket in Commonwealth, which kept turtles in two red plastic containers as seen in photographs taken last week.

'Pitiful'

Ms Christina Kwan, 27, a civil servant who sent the pictures, wrote to the AVA last Thursday to ask them to investigate the supermarket for the 'pitiful' way the animals were being kept.

There were more than 10 turtles in each container, whose length and width were roughly the size of The New Paper when opened up.

Quoting the Animals and Birds Act, which gives AVA the power to enter and search any premises on suspicion of cruelty, she said: 'Cramming them into containers is not acceptable as their welfare is being compromised. The likelihood of (them) not being fed is high.'

AVA replied to Ms Kwan that when its officers visited the outlet on Monday, they did not see any turtles.

They reminded the outlet manager to keep the turtles in clean water and to provide sufficient space.

AVA added it would conduct follow-up visits.

Ms Kwan told The New Paper: 'Hopefully, supermarkets will exercise diligent care in their daily handling of live animals and treat them with due respect and dignity.'

Besides animal cruelty, there are also concerns that selling live animals in such a manner provides a source for the outbreak of potentially deadly diseases.

Ms Moss said: 'If such exotic animals are to be eaten, their slaughter should be in regulated conditions as is the case with other meats for consumption which are sold chilled.

Salmonella bacteria, which live on the skin of reptiles and are also found in the faeces of other animals, can be passed on to humans, causing diarrhoea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

In response to our queries about animal welfare, Sheng Siong's spokesman said: 'We try to create an environment that is similar to their habitat. Our personnel are trained to handle live animals with swift and precise actions to ensure that they do not suffer.'

As for public health concerns, the spokesman said: 'To prevent transmission of disease, we urge all consumers to exercise good hygiene habits after contact with animal faeces.

'We strive to provide our customers with a clean and safe shopping environment constantly.'

Related article
Singapore supermarkets to offer more live food: Supermarkets go LIVE - Move draws eager customers and chains see a spike in sales, Jessica Lim, Straits Times 11 Apr 09;

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Email hoax on earthquake, tsunami in Asia on July 22

Tan Yew Guan, Channel NewsAsia 15 Apr 09;

SINGAPORE: An email is going around warning about an impending earthquake and tsunami hitting parts of Asia, including Singapore. It claims that disaster will strike on July 22, the same day as a solar eclipse.

The email says that apart from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, the giant wave may also hit countries as far as Japan, Australia and India.

But the credibility of the email is questionable. For one, it is riddled with spelling errors, and two, it does not cite any credible source.

While it is true that a solar eclipse will occur on July 22, experts said there is no connection between an eclipse and an earthquake.

Professor Kerry Sieh, director, Earth Observatory of Singapore, said: "In the last 110 years or so, there have been about 85 really big earthquakes – 8 (on the Richter magnitude scale) or greater. And only two of those occurred on the same day as an eclipse. And even those were a partial eclipse, not a total eclipse. They happened in a different place from where the eclipse happened."

While the professor does not think the email holds water, he warns that research does show that parts of Asia facing the Pacific Ocean could be hit by a tsunami. He said the impact on Singapore will be minimal, but not so for cities further up north.

"It turns out that by the time the wave produced by the underwater disturbance got to Singapore, it would be only about a metre high. But in Macau and Hong Kong, it would about 10 to 15 metres high," said Professor Sieh.

He said more work needs to be done to determine if the fault lines along the Pacific Ocean floor will break in such a way that could see a repeat of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

On July 22, those in Singapore can see a partial eclipse, beginning at about 8.40am till about 9.40am.


- CNA/so

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Dengue cases on the rise

There were 1,526 cases in first 13 weeks of the year; anti-dengue drive launched in Clementi
Leow Si Wan, Straits Times 16 Apr 09;

WITH warmer weather looming, the number of dengue cases is set to rise.

The total number of cases for the first 13 weeks of the year was 1,526, a 22 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

There are 14 hot spots with two or more infections identified so far, mostly in the West Coast areas.

Most of the cases involve the Den-2 virus, one of the two common types found in Singapore.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) maintains that weekly fluctuations in cases are to be expected in the normal course of the disease.

But with the coming warm weather likely to increase the mosquito population, South West District Mayor Amy Khor has expressed concern over a possible surge in dengue cases in the next few months.

Anticipating this, the South West Community Development Council swung into action, launching an anti- dengue initiative at Clementi Avenue 5 yesterday.

It is working with the NEA, town councils, grassroots organisations and schools.

The main thrust of the initiative is to prevent mosquitoes from finding fertile breeding spots.

Said Dr Khor: 'The period from April to September every year is always very conducive to dengue and mosquito breeding. This year, we are launching the Mcaps Outreach@South West Programme to reduce the probability of mosquito breeding at home.'

The new Mcaps, or Mosquito Caps, cover clothes pole holders and close automatically when the poles are removed from the holders. Each cap costs $3.50.

Clementi was chosen to kick off the South West anti-dengue movement, said an NEA official, because schools in the area were very supportive. In all, 15 were roped in to help distribute the caps to needy residents.

Clementi Avenue 5 is also one of the current dengue clusters.

Student volunteers were briefed and provided with insect repellent. Some 480 of them from five secondary schools in the South-West Green School programme went around the neighbourhood distributing Mcaps to 2,000 needy households yesterday.

One recipient was Madam Soon Ya Li. The 62-year-old housewife said: 'In the past, I often forgot to replace the caps when I removed the bamboo poles. This new cap will make things easier.'

Until September, the schools in the programme will also take turns to scour the neighbourhood for receptacles containing stagnant water. Their job is to flip these containers over and paste 'You Got Flipped!' stickers on them.

They will also distribute guidebooks, mosquito repellent and other materials to spread the anti-dengue message.

Last year, there were 7,032 dengue cases in Singapore. At the height of the last epidemic here in 2005, more than 14,000 people were infected and 25 of them died.

Dengue cases usually follow a six- to seven-year cyclical trend, with each year surpassing the one before. Singapore is in the third year of a cycle that began in 2007.

siwan@sph.com.sg

Top five clusters

A DENGUE cluster is formed by two or more cases occurring within 14 days, and when the victims' homes are less than 150m apart.

A cluster is closed when no new case is reported 14 days after the last one.

The West Coast area has the highest number of dengue cases currently. The first cluster, in West Coast Drive (Blocks 505, 506, 507, 508, 510 and 511), has 13 cases.

The second cluster, in West Coast Drive (Blocks 95 and 113A) and West Coast Lane/West Coast Place, has eight cases.

Two other clusters - Sirat Road/Highland Road and Boon Keng Road - each have six. Clementi Avenue 3 (Blocks 428, 430, 431 and 445) rounds up the top five clusters with four cases.

For updates on dengue clusters, please visit the NEA's dengue website at www.dengue.gov.sg

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New eco-friendly facility to cut SPH storage costs

Alvin Foo, Straits Times 16 Apr 09;

MULTIMEDIA group Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) unveiled a new $5.5 million eco-friendly warehouse at its print centre in Jurong yesterday.

The facility is set to deliver significant cost-savings to the company.

Situated within the premises of South-east Asia's largest single printing site, it was officially opened by SPH chief executive Alan Chan.

He said: 'Newspapers are the core of SPH's business...at a time when companies are cutting back on investments, SPH is positioning itself for the future.'

The new site will eliminate the need for external storage, resulting in cost-savings of about $80,000 per month from rent and logistics, according to SPH assistant vice-president of production Lim Swee Yeow.

Prior to this, SPH's use of outside storage meant that it incurred additional rental, transportation and handling costs.

Mr Chan said: 'We were subjected to fluctuations in rental charges in land-scarce Singapore, which hindered us from stocking our newsprint at an optimal level.'

SPH previously owned a warehouse at Thomson Road, which made way for the District 11 freehold Sky@eleven condominium in 2006.

With this latest addition able to hold up to 9,000 tonnes of newsprint, the SPH Print Centre now boasts three warehouses with a total storage capacity of 36,000 tonnes - or about four months of newsprint supply.

The new warehouse has been designed with the environment in mind and maximises the use of natural lighting and ventilation, thus removing the need for conventional mechanical ventilation ducts.

Mr Chan said: 'These eco-friendly features will reap us cost-savings in terms of electricity usage and maintenance.'

Its green characteristics will lower electricity and maintenance bills by about $5,000 a month, estimated Mr Lim.

He also noted that the price of newsprint had dropped to about US$500 (S$751) a tonne since hitting a peak of US$860 in the third quarter of last year.

Earlier this week, SPH said it had reduced staff costs - its biggest cost category - by 13.6 per cent to $69.4 million in its second quarter ended Feb 28, compared with the same period last year.

It also disclosed a 12.6 per cent slide in quarterly net profits to $87 million, due to the economic downturn which has resulted in businesses cutting back on advertising spending.

New green warehouse a big boost for SPH

Third warehouse brings cost savings, expands newsprint storage capacity
NIsha Ramchandani, Business Times 16 Apr 09;

SINGAPORE Press Holdings (SPH) expects to enjoy significant savings from its new $5.5 million eco-friendly warehouse.

'At a time when companies are cutting back on investments, SPH is positioning itself for the future,' CEO Alan Chan said at the official opening yesterday.

According to SPH's assistant vice-president of engineering (production department) Lim Swee Yeow, about $80,000 a month will be saved on rent and transport, as SPH will no longer need external storage to complement its two other warehouses.

The company will also save $5,000 a month on electricity and maintenance charges, as the new warehouse is designed to allow maximum natural lighting and ventilation.

The addition of the third warehouse will boost newsprint storage capacity to 36,000 tonnes - about four months' supply - at the SPH Print Centre.

This will give SPH greater flexibility when buying newsprint, the price of which can fluctuate dramatically. It now costs around US$500 a tonne, down about 40 per cent since the third quarter of last year.

'Newspapers are the core of SPH's business,' said Mr Chan. 'Over the years, we have consistently improved our suite of newspapers, launched new ones and invested in printing capabilities.'

With eight press-lines, the SPH Print Centre in Jurong Port Road is the largest single printing site in South-east Asia.

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Singapore, Nanjing to build new eco-city

Straits Times 16 Apr 09;

HONG KONG: Singapore will embark on another joint eco-city project in China following a ground-breaking ceremony to be held likely late next month in Nanjing city, a China-funded Hong Kong newspaper reported yesterday.

The site of the eco-city project, the second in China involving the Singapore Government, will be an island in the middle of the Yangzi River called Jiangxinzhou to the south-west of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, said the Ta Kung Pao.

The Nanjing authorities have reached preliminary agreements with the Singapore Government on the construction principles, concept, plan and way of operation for the eco-city, the newspaper quoted Mr Yang Zhongnan, deputy director of the Nanjing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, as saying.

The ground-breaking ceremony is likely to be held some time between May 21 and May 23, said the Ta Kung Pao.

Although a government-led project, the eco-city is also open to private investors, added Mr Yang.

Nanjing mayor Jiang Hongkun had earlier said that the project aims to attract the world's top experts to help make the eco-city a world-class model of its kind.

In November 2007, Singapore and China signed the agreement to build the 30 sq km Tianjin eco-city in northern China.

Following that, Singapore proposed building another eco-city on a smaller scale - about 3 to 5 sq km in area - in Nanjing, said the Ta Kung Pao.

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Vietnam PM halts controversial hotel in park: govt

Hotel is joint venture with Singapore company
Yahoo News 15 Apr 09;

HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam's prime minister has stopped a 40-million-dollar hotel development at a city park amid fears over possible damage to the capital's "green lung", the government said Wednesday.

The project, known as SAS Hanoi Royal, is a joint venture between Hanoi Tourism Company and SIH Investment Limited of Singapore, the government said on its website.

French-based Accor would manage the completed hotel under its Novotel brand, an Accor spokesman said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ordered a "suspension" of construction while an alternate site is sought, the government said.

Dung asked relevant authorities "to choose a different location and recommend that to the investor", the government said, adding that public opinion, including that of architects and planning experts, said building the hotel in Thong Nhat park would seriously affect the city's environment.

Sealed off behind a high green fence in one corner of park, the site has been churned up and metal rods inserted into the ground but there was no evidence of active construction when AFP visited.

Plans called for a five-storey, four-star hotel with 376 rooms, the government said.

Evan Lewis, Accor's regional vice-president of communications, said he received media reports of the prime minister's decision but had not been officially informed, and so declined to comment.

Thong Nhat, once known as Lenin Park, contains neatly-laid flower beds, tree-lined pathways, children's rides and a lake. The park is a popular spot for exercising in the heart of an increasingly congested capital.

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