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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Will Polar Bears Be OK?
Courtesy of Newsweek
How to talk to kids worried about global warming.
Sean Hussey and his twin sister, Erin, are only 9 years old, but they already know all about global warming. And they're worried, very worried. Teachers at their Hillsborough, Calif., school have shown them pictures of melting glaciers. Sean fears that polar bears will be left homeless. "I like polar bears a lot," he explains. Erin is also concerned about what she calls "the animal side" of climate change. "There are lots of animals that shouldn't die," she says. "The humans are the ones who are causing it." Their mother, Pam Hussey, is worried, too, and not just about global warming. She doesn't want her twins to think they're on the edge of disaster. Hussey tells them they can make things better by using less energy. "We are not doomed to failure," she tells them. "Every kid needs hope."
With so much attention focused on potential devastation from climate change, it's not surprising that the message has reached the planet's youngest residents. Images of liquefying glaciers in movies like "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" are as frightening to these kids as pictures of a mushroom cloud were to youngsters growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Remembering their own childhood fears of nuclear annihilation, parents struggle to find a balance between scaring young kids to death and helping them understand a very real problem that they will inherit someday. (A recent poll by a supermarket chain found that 15 percent of British kids blame their parents for the crisis.) "What they need is the truth," says environmental activist Laurie David, author of a upcoming children's book called "The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming." "And then they need solutions." Here's some advice from experts on how to send a message that will encourage youngsters without provoking needless anxiety.
Assure them that they are safe. Before anything else, parents need to provide support and nurturing, says child psychiatrist Elizabeth Berger, author of "Raising Kids with Character." "If the child is anxious, then you offer your lap and say, 'Don't worry, honey, the grown-ups who are supposed to be dealing with it are going to deal with it." Berger's own daughter once came home from elementary school terrified about the hole in the ozone. "Young kids can be very concrete," Berger says. "When you say there's a hole in the ozone, that's like saying there's a hole in the basement." When they're worried about polar bears dying, they may be thinking about whether that means their mom or dad will die, too. "You want to minimize the worry," Berger says.
Turn off the TV. "What scares kids are these horrible images of bad weather ... like Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami and all the tornadoes and that sort of thing, which seem to be part of global warming," says psychologist Joanne Cantor, a professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin and author of "Teddy's TV Troubles," a children's book about dealing with frightening media. Television makes it worse by constantly replaying scary images of houses washing away. Children under 7 "don't really understand the concept of videotape and that it's not happening over and over again," says Cantor.
Explain the time frame. Parents should make clear that global warming is a "very slow" process, says Lawrence Balter, a professor of applied psychology at New York University and author of "Dr. Balter's Child Sense." "It's very different from a cataclysmic event, like an explosion," he says. "There's an opportunity for us to learn about how it works and an opportunity to see if we can do something about it."
Teach them to help. Kids are reassured if they can take action. Emphasize that doom is not inevitable. "Participating in some activity makes you feel like you're part of the solution and less of a victim," Balter says. That strategy has worked for the Tjoelker family in Bryan, Texas. Mark Tjoelker, a forest ecologist who studies global change, discusses scientific news at dinner with his kids, ages 10, 7 and 2. The family motto: reuse, reduce, recycle. To do their part, the older kids walk a half mile to school. "I say, 'I'm not going to drive you. That burns fossil fuels'," says their mother, Elaine. They're doing their part to turn things around, one small step at a time.
How to talk to kids worried about global warming.
Sean Hussey and his twin sister, Erin, are only 9 years old, but they already know all about global warming. And they're worried, very worried. Teachers at their Hillsborough, Calif., school have shown them pictures of melting glaciers. Sean fears that polar bears will be left homeless. "I like polar bears a lot," he explains. Erin is also concerned about what she calls "the animal side" of climate change. "There are lots of animals that shouldn't die," she says. "The humans are the ones who are causing it." Their mother, Pam Hussey, is worried, too, and not just about global warming. She doesn't want her twins to think they're on the edge of disaster. Hussey tells them they can make things better by using less energy. "We are not doomed to failure," she tells them. "Every kid needs hope."
With so much attention focused on potential devastation from climate change, it's not surprising that the message has reached the planet's youngest residents. Images of liquefying glaciers in movies like "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" are as frightening to these kids as pictures of a mushroom cloud were to youngsters growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Remembering their own childhood fears of nuclear annihilation, parents struggle to find a balance between scaring young kids to death and helping them understand a very real problem that they will inherit someday. (A recent poll by a supermarket chain found that 15 percent of British kids blame their parents for the crisis.) "What they need is the truth," says environmental activist Laurie David, author of a upcoming children's book called "The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming." "And then they need solutions." Here's some advice from experts on how to send a message that will encourage youngsters without provoking needless anxiety.
Assure them that they are safe. Before anything else, parents need to provide support and nurturing, says child psychiatrist Elizabeth Berger, author of "Raising Kids with Character." "If the child is anxious, then you offer your lap and say, 'Don't worry, honey, the grown-ups who are supposed to be dealing with it are going to deal with it." Berger's own daughter once came home from elementary school terrified about the hole in the ozone. "Young kids can be very concrete," Berger says. "When you say there's a hole in the ozone, that's like saying there's a hole in the basement." When they're worried about polar bears dying, they may be thinking about whether that means their mom or dad will die, too. "You want to minimize the worry," Berger says.
Turn off the TV. "What scares kids are these horrible images of bad weather ... like Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami and all the tornadoes and that sort of thing, which seem to be part of global warming," says psychologist Joanne Cantor, a professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin and author of "Teddy's TV Troubles," a children's book about dealing with frightening media. Television makes it worse by constantly replaying scary images of houses washing away. Children under 7 "don't really understand the concept of videotape and that it's not happening over and over again," says Cantor.
Explain the time frame. Parents should make clear that global warming is a "very slow" process, says Lawrence Balter, a professor of applied psychology at New York University and author of "Dr. Balter's Child Sense." "It's very different from a cataclysmic event, like an explosion," he says. "There's an opportunity for us to learn about how it works and an opportunity to see if we can do something about it."
Teach them to help. Kids are reassured if they can take action. Emphasize that doom is not inevitable. "Participating in some activity makes you feel like you're part of the solution and less of a victim," Balter says. That strategy has worked for the Tjoelker family in Bryan, Texas. Mark Tjoelker, a forest ecologist who studies global change, discusses scientific news at dinner with his kids, ages 10, 7 and 2. The family motto: reuse, reduce, recycle. To do their part, the older kids walk a half mile to school. "I say, 'I'm not going to drive you. That burns fossil fuels'," says their mother, Elaine. They're doing their part to turn things around, one small step at a time.
Friday, September 26, 2008
It's Hip To Be Green
Courtesy of Newsweek
Just before the first amplified chords of Guster's hit single "Satellite" filled the hall, lead singer Ryan Miller stepped up to the mike. Instead of belting out a song or urging the audience to buy the band's latest CD, he encouraged them to pick up a free pamphlet on the environment. "I don't want to get all preachy," said the slight, scraggly-bearded musician, 34, "but if one out of 10 of you did it, it would make a difference." Then it was back to the music.
For the last year and a half, Guster, a popular indie rock band, has been on a mission to spread green wisdom to its fans along with its music. On each of their stops, band members invite their audiences—mostly undergrads who turn out for their Campus Consciousness Tour—into their bus, where they tout the benefits of biodiesel, show off their biodegradable tableware (made from corn and potatoes), explain that they use only rechargeable batteries onstage and soy ink in their liner notes, and urge fans to buy carbon credits to offset their car rides to the concert. "We don't want to be soapboxy, because that could backfire," says guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner. "But it's something we just want to make available to people. And if they're not interested, then here's the next song."
There's no question that young people have woken up to the realities of global warming. A new poll from Gallup shows that 44 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 believe we need to take "immediate, drastic" action on the environment, compared with 38 percent of those between the ages of 35 and 54, and 33 percent of those 55 and older. A higher percentage of young people also say they understand global warming well and believe it results from human activities as opposed to natural changes in the environment.
Reared on MTV, YouTube and celebrity magazines, young people are attacking the environmental movement with a different strategy than those who became politically active in the 1970s. Speth says the approach is a more subtle one. Some call it "light green." Rather than boycotting companies and organizing violent demonstrations, many activists are marshaling savvy marketing and technology skills in order to attract a wider, more diverse group of people to the cause. "We're hopefully trying to move the conversation into the mainstream," says Lauren Sullivan, who, with her husband, Guster's Gardner, founded Reverb, an organization that helps musicians like Sheryl Crow and Barenaked Ladies make their tours more green. The group sets up tents before each show, where audiences can meet representatives from local environmental groups and sample organic products.
Danny Seo, 29, a pioneer in the field of eco-living, says, "For a long time I think people have been saying you gotta go green because it's good for you, because it's good for the planet. But no one wants to do that for that reason alone. You have to make it affordable and stylish and exciting, because at the end of the day, that's what good marketing is."
Some are critical of this softer approach. Fred Meyerson, a professor of demography, ecology and environmental policy at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, says that many groups have started to shy away from important environmental issues like population control because they've deemed them too contentious. "They don't really push the envelope the way people did in the '70s and '80s." And, whatever the approach, even the most optimistic of Gen-Xers aren't convinced that environmentalism is here to stay. "We need to make sure this environment boom isn't just a two-year trendy thing, but that green becomes embedded in our culture," says Grist.org's Giller. No matter how it gets done.
Just before the first amplified chords of Guster's hit single "Satellite" filled the hall, lead singer Ryan Miller stepped up to the mike. Instead of belting out a song or urging the audience to buy the band's latest CD, he encouraged them to pick up a free pamphlet on the environment. "I don't want to get all preachy," said the slight, scraggly-bearded musician, 34, "but if one out of 10 of you did it, it would make a difference." Then it was back to the music.
For the last year and a half, Guster, a popular indie rock band, has been on a mission to spread green wisdom to its fans along with its music. On each of their stops, band members invite their audiences—mostly undergrads who turn out for their Campus Consciousness Tour—into their bus, where they tout the benefits of biodiesel, show off their biodegradable tableware (made from corn and potatoes), explain that they use only rechargeable batteries onstage and soy ink in their liner notes, and urge fans to buy carbon credits to offset their car rides to the concert. "We don't want to be soapboxy, because that could backfire," says guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner. "But it's something we just want to make available to people. And if they're not interested, then here's the next song."
There's no question that young people have woken up to the realities of global warming. A new poll from Gallup shows that 44 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 believe we need to take "immediate, drastic" action on the environment, compared with 38 percent of those between the ages of 35 and 54, and 33 percent of those 55 and older. A higher percentage of young people also say they understand global warming well and believe it results from human activities as opposed to natural changes in the environment.
Reared on MTV, YouTube and celebrity magazines, young people are attacking the environmental movement with a different strategy than those who became politically active in the 1970s. Speth says the approach is a more subtle one. Some call it "light green." Rather than boycotting companies and organizing violent demonstrations, many activists are marshaling savvy marketing and technology skills in order to attract a wider, more diverse group of people to the cause. "We're hopefully trying to move the conversation into the mainstream," says Lauren Sullivan, who, with her husband, Guster's Gardner, founded Reverb, an organization that helps musicians like Sheryl Crow and Barenaked Ladies make their tours more green. The group sets up tents before each show, where audiences can meet representatives from local environmental groups and sample organic products.
Danny Seo, 29, a pioneer in the field of eco-living, says, "For a long time I think people have been saying you gotta go green because it's good for you, because it's good for the planet. But no one wants to do that for that reason alone. You have to make it affordable and stylish and exciting, because at the end of the day, that's what good marketing is."
Some are critical of this softer approach. Fred Meyerson, a professor of demography, ecology and environmental policy at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, says that many groups have started to shy away from important environmental issues like population control because they've deemed them too contentious. "They don't really push the envelope the way people did in the '70s and '80s." And, whatever the approach, even the most optimistic of Gen-Xers aren't convinced that environmentalism is here to stay. "We need to make sure this environment boom isn't just a two-year trendy thing, but that green becomes embedded in our culture," says Grist.org's Giller. No matter how it gets done.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Partner sought for Brunei solar panel plant
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
HAMIDJOJO Development Sdn Bhd is in talks with a potential local partner for Brunei's proposed solar photovoltaic manufacturing plant tentatively scheduled to start operations by 2010.
The proponent of the solar panel plant, estimated to cost US$150 million ($212.3 million), is awaiting approval from the ministry concerned on the project itself and the land allocation in Lambak Kanan.
If everything goes on schedule, the site evaluation and groundbreaking ceremonies would be held at the end of the year and operations would start in the middle of 2010.
"In total, there will be enough jobs for 150 employees where we are estimating 50 per cent of the jobs to be taken up by foreigners and the other half by locals," said Joseph Sequeira, Hamidjojo Development project manager.
The business strategy and development company expects talks with the potential partner to be concluded by the end of this month, Sequeira said in an interview.
In the event Hamidjojo Development fails to get a local partner, the company may consider looking for a site in another country, he added.
The logistics requirements and research scope of the job have already been completed, Sequeira said, adding that the only thing left to do is to build the plant.
"With the rising oil and gas prices and the greenhouse effect being a concern, renewable energy sources is what everyone is talking about, and solar energy has reached its peak where people understand that solar energy can work and help the environment," he said.
He added that the idea initially came about because Hamidjojo Development wanted to develop a glass factory in Brunei which has an abundance of silica sand, a key ingredient in glass manufacturing.
However, due to the lack of available power and oil needed to support such a plant, the project was shelved.
"At the same time, there were some businessmen interested in solar panels, so we attended some seminars in Milan, and found that glass is needed to produce solar panels. If this plant comes into operation, Brunei will have one of the few factories in the world that produces solar panels," said Sequeira.
In earlier reports, Rubyanto Hamidjojo, CEO of Hamidjojo Development, said that the project could potentially take Brunei off its hydrocarbon addiction by 2015.
At the moment Brunei depends on oil to generate its yearly demand of around 600 megawatts of electricity, and future consumption is projected to be at 1,000 megawatts in around half a century.
The Brunei Times
Note: Good news for the environment and economy.
The proponent of the solar panel plant, estimated to cost US$150 million ($212.3 million), is awaiting approval from the ministry concerned on the project itself and the land allocation in Lambak Kanan.
If everything goes on schedule, the site evaluation and groundbreaking ceremonies would be held at the end of the year and operations would start in the middle of 2010.
"In total, there will be enough jobs for 150 employees where we are estimating 50 per cent of the jobs to be taken up by foreigners and the other half by locals," said Joseph Sequeira, Hamidjojo Development project manager.
The business strategy and development company expects talks with the potential partner to be concluded by the end of this month, Sequeira said in an interview.
In the event Hamidjojo Development fails to get a local partner, the company may consider looking for a site in another country, he added.
The logistics requirements and research scope of the job have already been completed, Sequeira said, adding that the only thing left to do is to build the plant.
"With the rising oil and gas prices and the greenhouse effect being a concern, renewable energy sources is what everyone is talking about, and solar energy has reached its peak where people understand that solar energy can work and help the environment," he said.
He added that the idea initially came about because Hamidjojo Development wanted to develop a glass factory in Brunei which has an abundance of silica sand, a key ingredient in glass manufacturing.
However, due to the lack of available power and oil needed to support such a plant, the project was shelved.
"At the same time, there were some businessmen interested in solar panels, so we attended some seminars in Milan, and found that glass is needed to produce solar panels. If this plant comes into operation, Brunei will have one of the few factories in the world that produces solar panels," said Sequeira.
In earlier reports, Rubyanto Hamidjojo, CEO of Hamidjojo Development, said that the project could potentially take Brunei off its hydrocarbon addiction by 2015.
At the moment Brunei depends on oil to generate its yearly demand of around 600 megawatts of electricity, and future consumption is projected to be at 1,000 megawatts in around half a century.
The Brunei Times
Note: Good news for the environment and economy.
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