Feel the Wrath of El Nino!!!

I woke up sweating again. It's been super hot these past few days and I read an article on CNA that our dearest friend El Nino is back with a vengeance.

Its the hottest February we had so far and also the driest. (Scientists are still discussing on whether global warming affects El Nino. In my opinion, if the world's temperature is rising, El Nino would be harsher. It just makes sense to me. Our lalangs, grass and vegetations didn't manage to escape the clutches of El Nino as well and are sporadically burning away. I know, you might say "switch on the air-con lah", but unfortunately I can't sleep in an air-conditioned room as I'll wake up with an irritated nose and plus I love the soothing noise of my old fan and the movement of the air created by my old trusty fan puts me to la la land within minutes :)

Thinking about it makes me sleepy on this hot hot day... It was also reported that the dry spell is causing a record water consumption. Around 590 Olympic-sized pool is being consumed daily on average, which is 7 percent more than last February and plus that's a huge amount of water! Its the driest month and yet we are consuming much more water than we should!

I do understand that people want to take an extra shower or two in this heat but maybe we can keep it short and simple. Switch on the tap, rinse yourself and get out. Or better, hit the local swimming pool and have a swim in the cooling water. You'll save water and workout as well! And instead of turning up the air-con throughout the night, maybe you can switch on the air-con and cool down the room first before heading to bed then switch it off and turn on the fan. Or best of all, go to the beach and enjoy the sun and get a tan (I love the sun and the beach!). Frolick in the water or play a game of beach volley ball with your friends and make new friends!

Yes, sometimes I can't stand this heat but hey, on the brighterside of things, you can do much more when it's sunny than in the rain.

Tip of the Day: Please read the above for the tips of the day :)

Welcome to the Air Age.......

Have you seen this car? Well it'll be out in the market this year (but not on our island yet). Its called the AIRPOD and runs on air.

It was invented by French auto engineer Guy Negre, who is in his mid-60's and used to design race engines for Renault. So basically, this neat lil auto runs on compressed fresh air (believe it or not) and produces only a fraction of the carbon emissions of a standard engine, reaches speeds of 30mph and can travel 65 miles on a one minute recharge. Best of all it cost only around $7500, but of course if it reaches our shores that'll be a different story heh heh. These three-wheeled buggies, which will also include a range of four-wheeled, five-door family salons, have a joystick instead of a steering wheel. Thats not the only funny thing, the driver has to use the windshield to enter the car and passengers the rear. Since these air-powered engines run very cold, thick ice quickly forms on the engine, air conditioning is free! A plus point for our hot tropical climate!

Each car has an onboard pump that can refill the tank overnight and dear Mr.Negre has also developed a high-pressure air pump that can fill the tanks in less than a minute. These small nifty cars are great for urban driving but there is also a hybrid, battery assisted version for longer journeys which Negre claims can reach 100mph and travel 900 miles on one gallon of petrol. Well its pretty cute and looks comfortable enough for me and my baby boy to zoom around in and if it's good for Mother Earth then its good enough for me. Peace out!

Tip of the Day: Remember to switch off all main power when you leave the house and when appliance is not in use. Don't get lazy with stand by appliances - they use 'phantom power' too!

Is putting a price tag on nature gonna work?

I just read an article about the UN estimating the cost of damage done by world's top firms which is estimated to be $2.2tn. That sounds like a hell lot of money to me. But is this enough?

I mean, would it actually stop these firms from damaging the earth further and make them change their ways? I'm sure they have the means to pay the hefty fines (if it's imposed on them). It might actually mean nothing to them. Wouldn't it make more sense to punish these people more harshly, make them see and realize the damage they have done and the affects it has made and make sure they change into a more environmentally friendly business instead of slapping a fine on them as if issuing them a speeding ticket? This fine system is just like a short cut for them to me and they probably won't take things seriously. They'll probably whip out their cheque book and write the amount on it without batting their eyelids. Any comments? Maybe you can make me see thing from another perspective.

Tip of the Day: Print on both sides of paper when printing or photocopying!

Claps out to BA!

Good morning everyone! Soon we will be feeling less guilty when traveling to far away destinations, but only if we fly with BA (British Airways).

British Airways, partnering with Solena Group, is to establish Europe's first sustainable jet-fuel plant and plans to use low-carbon fuel to power its fleet. This new eco-friendly fuel is made from waste materials, which is usually destined for landfills. The state-of-the-art facility, located in the UK, will convert 500,000 tonnes of waste per year into 16 million gallons of green jet fuel through a process that offers lifecycle greenhouse gas savings of up to 95% compared to fossil-fuel derived jet kerosene. This is like taking 48,000 cars of the road per year!

Not only that, it will reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills thus reducing another global warming agent, methane! The Solena-British Airways BioJetFuel project is completely carbon neutral, hence it will not produce any polluting emissions or undesirable by-products. This will happen from 2014 onwards. It's in another 4 years but hey, at least they are doing something about it and leading the way to a greener aviation industry! I for one, am looking forward to a less guilty plane flight. And maybe the next thing they should be doing is eliminating or cutting down on the usage of plastic cups of where every 6 hours, 1 million cups are used and thrown by the airline industries. Do the maths....

TIP of the Day: Bring your own bottled water (using your own water bottle) instead of buying bottled water in shops. You'll save money and save on plastic as well :)

Earth Hour is back! Show your support

In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour.

Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.

Pledge your support here and turn off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour, 8.30pm, Saturday 27th March 2010.

It’s Showtime! Show what can be done.

A Gentle Green Reminder....

Hello hello....I hope you all had a good weekend and enjoying your Monday:) No more 'Monday Blues' - but instead let's have 'Monday Greens'!

It's not about being "in" or a phase in life but it has to be instilled in our every day life. Not only will it benefit your health and everyone around you, but it will benefit Mother Earth and all living, breathing species which we share our planet with. A little bit of effort from each of us will go a long way. Even if our actions have been obvious (all the extreme weather conditions due to global warming), we are still taking things for granted and moving at a sloth's pace (or a snail, whichever is slower, or maybe a turtle)to change. We should all take a pause from our busy schedule and think about ways which you and I can help heal Mother Earth before its too late and the damage done is irreversible. So having said that, I will leave tips of the day that will help you achieve a greener life.

Today's Green TIP Of The Day: Walk or cycle and take the public transport instead of driving :) Its easy and its free (except for the public transport which does not cost much)!

Eco Friendly Cleaning Franchises Available Now - Come Join Us!!

Are you passionate, looking for a fresh challenge and have a desire to run your own business?

What if you could improve people’s well being and have a positive effect on the environment, whilst making great money and building a successful business for the future?



Interested? Then we’d like to hear from you! Join GREEN CLEANERS - the leading eco friendly cleaning service in Singapore. We're currently seeking interested parties to help launch into Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Adelaide), New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Phillipines and Japan.


Our focus is cleaning to protect health, without harming the environment - through eco friendly cleaning services, products, trained staff, planning and certification. Franchising means working for yourself - but not by yourself! We offer the opportunity to achieve entrepreneurial success, by working together to provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to become successful now and the flexibility to help you grow in the future.


If you are interested in obtaining exclusive development rights to a specific territory using the Green Cleaners brand, training and strategy system - act now and join us in this exciting, rewarding and satisfying green business venture. Contact the Green Cleaners’ Head Office in Singapore for more information sales@greencleaners.asia

We look forward to hearing from you!!

Top 100 Green DIY Skills

Honing your green skills is part of growing and learning to walk softly on the earth. How many things do you really know how to do in order to increase your green and decrease your carbon footprint? Here is a list of 100 essential skills for the green DIY-er.

Essential Food Skills

1. Read and understand product labels

2. Bake bread

3. Make your own bread starter and keep it going

4. Make cheese, yogurt, and kefir from local milk

5. Preserve food by canning

6. Preserve food by drying

7. Forage for local wild foods safely

8. Raise a couple of backyard chickens

9. Make your own tofu,tempeh, and soy milk

10. Eat locally and in season

11. Grind your own flour

12. Grow your own produce

13.Grow your own herbs

14.Grow your own sprouts

15. Blend your own herbal tea

16. Have a repertoire of vegetarian recipes you can use for various occasions

17. Fish or hunt responsibly if you eat meat

18. Make homemade pastas and other pantry basics

19. Cook a variety of foods well

20. Utilize a menu to minimize food waste

21. Throw a party without compromising your green values

22. Make Your Own Vanilla Extract

23. Sharpen kitchen knives so they last

24. Make homemade granola bars, granola, waffles, and other breakfast items

25. Make baked goods from "scratch".

26. Understand terms like, "organic", "Fair Trade", "all natural", and "GMO"

Essential Household Skills

27. Sew well enough to repair clothing

28. Sew well enough to make your own clothing and reusable shopping bags

29. Sew fitted cloth diapers for your baby

30 .Knit or crochet dishcloths

31. Know how to reupholster a chair

32. Make your own laundry soap

33. Make your own dishwasher detergent

34. Make your own house cleaning supplies

35. Use diatomaceous earth, bay leaves, and other "eco-friendly" natural pest deterrents

Home Maintenance and Repair Skills

36. Use non-electric appliances rather than electric

37. Know where to find non-electric appliances

38. Program a thermostat

39. Tile a counter top

40. Use 0 VOC paint

41. Repair a screen

42. Use a caulk gun

43. Make simple appliance repairs such as replacing belts

44. Find what you need by bartering, or using CraigsList, eBay, and thrift stores

45. Repair a leaky toilet

46. Repair a leaky faucet

47. Replace a faucet

48. Check your home for energy leaks using incense, a candle, or a device that is created for that purpose

49. Unclog a drain without using Drano or harmful chemicals

50. Insulate an attic with eco-friendly insulation

Gardening Skills

51 .Build a compost system

52. Use compost to enrich your soil

53. Plan a garden for your climate

54. Understand xeriscaping

55. Plant a multi-seasonal vegetable garden

56. Build a simple cold frame for salad all year

57. Build frames for raised bed gardens

58. Make a rainwater catchment system

59. Use a manual reel mower

60. Use companion planting methods to control pests

61.Build a bat house to encourage bats and decrease mosquitoes

62. Use predator insects like Praying Mantis to control garden pests

63. Know what heirloom seeds are and why you should use them

64. How to plant open pollinated vegetables for best yields

65. How to save seeds from your own produce

66. Plant trees and bushes to cut your energy bills

67. Use soaker hoses to conserve water

68. Sharpen and maintain tools

Health Skills

69. Know how to use herbs and natural remedies to treat common illnesses

70. Make your own soap

71. Make your own skin care products

72. Use essential oils for health and cleaning

73. Make your own deodorant

Transportation Skills

74. Tune up a bicycle and make repairs

75. Do simple maintenance on your car

76. Arrange or locate a carpool

77. Learn to use hypermiling techniques

78. Plan eco-friendly air travel

Energy Skills

79. Install exterior solar lighting

80. Install a solar panel

81. Know where to find the most eco-friendly, green power source available to you

82. Connect home electronics to power strips for easy shut off

83. Check the wattage of an appliance

84. Calculate annual kilowatt usage

Conservation Skills

85. Use email rather than conventional mail

86. Switch to a paperless office

87. Locate the local library and use it rather than buying books, DVDs, and tapes

88. Adjust your settings on the computer to make it more energy efficient

89. Use skype and other technology to limit the need for travel to conferences

90. Learn to plan eco-friendly vacations, such as camping (and leave no trace)

91. Replace a hobby with an environmentally friendly hobby

92. Locate and use recreational green spaces such as hiking trails, parks, and public gardens

93. Understand and be able to explain what cradle to cradle means

94. Understand and be able to explain what carbon emissions are

95. Understand and be able to calculate a carbon footprint as well as explain what it is

96. Know where to recycle technological items like computers, microwaves, televisions etc.

97. Identify and sort a variety of recyclable materials

98. Know where reusable items can be substituted for disposables

99. Understand and be able to explain cap-and-trade

Do you agree with all of those? Are there others that you feel are important? Let us know your thoughts!

Join Healthy Child, Healthy World movement

Healthy Child, Healthy World is a site dedicated to improving the wellbeing of our children with so much interesting information and everything explained in easy to understand speak.

Here's a good introductory video on their community. Green Cleaners is more than happy to be part of it too :)

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Ed Miliband declares war on climate change sceptics

Climate secretary Ed Miliband warns against listening to 'siren voices', in an interview with the Observer (UK).

The climate secretary, Ed Miliband, last night warned of the danger of a public backlash against the science of global warming in the face of continuing claims that experts have manipulated data. In an exclusive interview with the Observer, Miliband spoke out for the first time about last month's revelations that climate scientists had withheld and covered up information and the apology made by the influential UN climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which admitted it had exaggerated claims about the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

The perceived failure of global talks on combating climate change in Copenhagen last month has also been blamed for undermining public support. But in the government's first high-level recognition of the growing pressure on public opinion, Miliband declared a "battle" against the "siren voices" who denied global warming was real or caused by humans, or that there was a need to cut carbon emissions to tackle it.

"It's right that there's rigour applied to all the reports about climate change, but I think it would be wrong that when a mistake is made it's somehow used to undermine the overwhelming picture that's there," he said.

"We know there's a physical effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leading to higher temperatures, that's a question of physics; we know CO2 concentrations are at their highest for 6,000 years; we know there are observed increases in temperatures; and we know there are observed effects that point to the existence of human-made climate change. That's what the vast majority of scientists tell us."

Mistakes and attempts to hide contradictory data had to be seen in the light of the thousands of pages of evidence in the IPCC's four-volume report in 2007, said Miliband. The most recent accusation about the panel's work is that its chairman, Rajendra Pachauri, may have known before the Copenhagen summit that its assessment report had seriously exaggerated the rate of melting of the Himalayan glaciers.

However, Miliband was adamant that the IPCC was on the right track. "It's worth saying that no doubt when the next report comes out it will suggest there have been areas where things have been happening more dramatically than the 2007 report implied," he said.

The danger of climate scepticism was that it would undermine public support for unpopular decisions needed to curb carbon emissions, including the likelihood of higher energy bills for households, and issues such as the visual impact of wind turbines, said Miliband, who is also energy secretary.

If the UK did not invest in renewable, clean energy, it would lose jobs and investment to other countries, have less energy security because of the dependence on oil and gas imports and contribute to damaging temperature rises for future generations. "There are a whole variety of people who are sceptical, but who they are is less important than what they are saying, and what they are saying is profoundly dangerous," he said. "Every­thing we know about life is that we should obey the precautionary principle; to take what the sceptics say seriously would be a profound risk."

The Copenhagen conference in December ended with no formal agreement to make deep cuts in global emissions, or even set a timetable, but Miliband warned activists against "despair".

The UN conference was a "disappointment", he said, but there were important achievements, including the agreement by countries responsible for 80% of emissions to set domestic carbon targets by today. "There's a message for people who take these things seriously: don't mourn, organise," said Miliband, who has previously called for a Make Poverty History-style mass public campaign to pressure politicians into cutting emissions.

Lord Smith, the Environment Agency chairman, said: "The [Himalayan] glaciers may not melt by 2035, but they are melting and there's a serious problem that's going to affect substantial parts of Asia over the course of the next 100 or more years."

I live without cash – and I manage just fine

Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, Mark Boyle gave up using cash....

In six years of studying economics, not once did I hear the word "ecology". So if it hadn't have been for the chance purchase of a video called Gandhi in the final term of my degree, I'd probably have ended up earning a fine living in a very respectable job persuading Indian farmers to go GM, or something useful like that. The little chap in the loincloth taught me one huge lesson – to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Trouble was, I had no idea back then what that change was.

After managing a couple of organic food companies made me realise that even "ethical business" would never be quite enough, an afternoon's philosophising with a mate changed everything. We were looking at the world's issues – environmental destruction, sweatshops, factory farms, wars over resources – and wondering which of them we should dedicate our lives to. But I realised that I was looking at the world in the same way a western medical practitioner looks at a patient, seeing symptoms and wondering how to firefight them, without any thought for their root cause. So I decided instead to become a social homeopath, a pro-activist, and to investigate the root cause of these symptoms.

One of the critical causes of those symptoms is the fact we no longer have to see the direct repercussions our purchases have on the people, environment and animals they affect. The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that we're completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering embodied in the stuff we buy. The tool that has enabled this separation is money.

If we grew our own food, we wouldn't waste a third of it as we do today. If we made our own tables and chairs, we wouldn't throw them out the moment we changed the interior decor. If we had to clean our own drinking water, we probably wouldn't contaminate it.

So to be the change I wanted to see in the world, it unfortunately meant I was going to have to give up cash, which I initially decided to do for a year. I got myself a caravan, parked it up on an organic farm where I was volunteering and kitted it out to be off-grid. Cooking would now be outside – rain or shine – on a rocket stove; mobile and laptop would be run off solar; I'd use wood I either coppiced or scavenged to heat my humble abode, and a compost loo for humanure.

Food was the next essential. There are four legs to the food-for-free table: foraging wild food, growing your own, bartering, and using waste grub, of which there is loads. On my first day, I fed 150 people a three-course meal with waste and foraged food. Most of the year, though, I ate my own crops.

To get around, I had a bike and trailer, and the 34-mile commute to the city doubled up as my gym subscription. For loo roll I'd relieve the local newsagents of its papers (I once wiped my arse with a story about myself); it's not double-quilted, but I quickly got used to it. For toothpaste I used washed-up cuttlefish bone with wild fennel seeds, an oddity for a vegan.

What have I learned? That friendship, not money, is real security. That most western poverty is of the spiritual kind. That independence is really interdependence. And that if you don't own a plasma screen TV, people think you're an extremist.

People often ask me what I miss about my old world of lucre and business. Stress. Traffic jams. Bank statements. Utility bills.

Well, there was the odd pint of organic ale with my mates down the local.

Mark Boyle is the founder of The Freeconomy Community.

Red Nev goes Green

Manchester United defender Gary Neville has applied for planning permission to build a flower-shaped eco-home in Bolton, UK.

Neville, wants to build a four-bedroom, single-story house with a wind turbine, solar panels and ground-source heating. It will be 8,000 square feet, mostly submerged in the Pennines and covered in a grass roof, making it partially invisible. The former England right-back - known as 'Red' Nev for his loyalty to Manchester United and role as PFA shop-steward - has applied to Bolton Council for the project, which Make Architects claim will be the first of its kind in the North West.

"The client has been heavily involved in the design process and is passionate about preserving the natural beauty of this area," Make's Stuart Fraser said. "It has been a privilege to be given a brief which has allowed us to truly test the boundaries of current sustainable thinking in terms of design and construction and to work along some leading experts in this field."

Work has been penciled in to begin later this year.

Are You Ready To Go Solar At Home?

Solar panels have never been cheaper. How to tell if your house is a good fit.
You recycle, you buy organic, and you drive a hybrid car. What's next if you've got greenbacks burning a hole in your pocket and you want to spend them on something green?

Get your house some solar panels. Soon you will smile with glee as you slash the amount of money you fork over to the electric company every month, while reveling in the satisfaction that your home is producing its own zero-emissions power.

Solar panel prices have plunged by half in the past year as manufacturers have opened new plants, ending a multi-year shortage of silicon for photovoltaic chips. That glut will be bad for manufacturers' profit margins, but good for you. For SGD 20,937 (USD15, 000) installed, a 3.5 kilowatt system could generate 5,000 kwh of electricity a year, about a third of most homes' needs.

And if your time horizon is long enough, your homemade solar power won't cost any more than what you pay the power company. Currently the US federal government gives a 30% investment tax credit, and assuming that one can finance a solar system at the going mortgage rate of around 5%, over 20 years his/her solar power will cost between 10 cents and 13 cents per kwh.

Costs will be even lower if you can finance the system yourself with cash you have sitting around collecting 0.1% interest in a money market fund. John Berger, chief executive of Houston-based solar installer Standard Renewable Energy, maintains that because many additional state and local green energy incentives will run out of money or expire by the end of next year, there's never been a better time to install a solar system.

You've heard of smart meters? When your solar system is installed you get a genius meter that shows how much power your solar panels are generating, how much power your house is drawing from the electric utility and (if you're really power-frugal) how much power you're sending back to the grid. Lazy summer day? Grab a beer and watch the metering levels flip around as clouds wander over your neighborhood and block the sun for a few minutes.

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for the high-tech early-adopter nerd in your life who has everything? Solar panels are better on the environment than a new high-def TV, less annoying than a robotic dog and probably about as much fun to drive as an all-electric car (kidding). There are some caveats: Panels don't work if you have a big tree blocking the sun. And in some of your more uptight (i.e., "nicer") neighborhoods, the local spy agency (i.e., homeowners association) won't let you install them.

At least $58 million raised by "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon

The "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon, shown Friday on 25 different networks around the world, had by Saturday raised $58 million, with organizers saying that donations continue to be received.

Hosted jointly, from three different locations, by Wyclef Jean, George Clooney and CNN's Anderson Cooper, the telethon featured performances from some of the best-known names in music. Anderson Cooper was actually reporting live from Haiti, struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on January 12, during the event. And in addition to viewers being able to watch the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Shakira, Beyonce, and Mary J. Blige perform some of those calling in to make donations had, says MTV, the opportunity to speak to one of more than 100 of the biggest names in film, television and music who were helping professional operators man the phones.

Jon Stewart, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood were among those thanking callers for their donations and CNN reports that one donor was told by the actress Reese Witherspoon: "Thank you so much for your donation. You can't imagine how much love and great, wonderful energy is here today. People are doing everything they can to make a difference in these people's lives."

The figure of $58 million includes donations made by phone, online and mobile but not those that have been promised by corporations. Nor does it include the largest of the private donations or the money generated by iTunes sales.

MTV, the production company responsible for the telethon - developed in conjunction with George Clooney and setting a new record for donations by the general public to a televised event raising funds for disaster relief - confirms that the "Hope for Haiti Now" album is "the biggest one-day album pre-order in iTunes history ", having gone to number one in 18 different countries.

In addition "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)", the track that Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna prerecorded in London for the telethon, which had the official title "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief", is currently the most popular iTunes song in 12 countries.

Donations for "Hope for Haiti Now" will be accepted for another six months and the money received will be distributed to seven organizations working to bring relief to the survivors of the Haiti earthquake, including a fund established by former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation/Fund are the seven organizations in question.

With the exception of the fund set up by Mr Clinton and Mr Bush the other organizations were, notes MTV, selected because of their "history of operation and collaboration within the nongovernmental organization (NGO) community in Haiti".

On Sunday the government in Haiti announced an official death toll of 150,000. In recent days the final toll was being estimated at 200,000, a figure that has apparently been revised upwards to 300,000.

To make a donation please visit The Red Cross website.

5 Tips for CNY Green Spring Cleaning Bliss!

Get into The Chinese New Year groove with these eco friendly spring cleaning tips

Spring brings many things: budding flowers, April showers, birds chirping and mops mopping. Yes, besides the new signs of life popping up all around you, spring also brings upon the ritual of spring cleaning. It’s a dirty task, but somebody has to do it, or the mess of the last few winter months will continue to cultivate in your home. Instead of making a bigger mess this spring, make a few smaller changes that will be great for your home and green for the environment. Here are 5 tips that you can follow to have an eco friendly spring cleaning experience:

1. V is for vendetta and vinegar
Vinegar wages a personal vendetta again germs in your house this spring! This acidic liquid can be added to baking soda to make a natural drain cleaner, and it can be added with salt to make a pasty chrome sink cleaner. Want to learn other eco-friendly uses for vinegar? Check out the website below.

2. Become friends with your windows
This means to release them from the bonds of locks and to open them up. Let them enjoy the cool spring air as it comes into your home, and give them a good, clean scrubbing. Your windows will look great and you’ll be reducing your energy bill.

3. Switch from paper to cloth
Reduce your household paper waste consumption by using cloth dish rags or pieces of old clothing to wipe counters and other surfaces. Instead of using wads of paper towels, you can use the rags to clean what you need to. Then the rags can be washed and reused over again. Click on the picture to access a cool blog post on how to make cleaning rags from old clothes.

4. Sweep in sustainable style
Spring brings pollen, buds, loose dirt and other wonders from nature that get tracked into your home and on your porch or deck. Instead of using a vacuum and consuming energy, grab a green broom that will sweep away the mess! Try a Dinuba Broom, which is made with 100% recycled plastic bristles and sustainable wood.

5. Get rid of clutter with recycled storage units
Organization plays a big role in spring cleaning, especially inside your home. You can organize what’s inside your home (after you’ve cleaned and de-cluttered it) with a recycled storage unit. Way Basics is a cool company that offers completely recycled and easy to put together storage units. The best part about the company, besides its cool creations, is that its employees work towards helping victims of natural disasters obtain the furniture that they desperately need. Oh, and they plant trees at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge.

Just try a few of these tips this spring, and you’ll see just how nice it feels being happy with yourself, your cleaning habits and your environment.

Global oil reserves and fossil fuel consumption

The world is showing no sign of weaning itself off fossil fuels: in the 28-year span covered by the BP data below, worldwide reserves of oil fell only twice – in 1998 and 2008.

Oil has been the world's fossil fuel of choice since the late 1960s and our taste for it doesn't seem likely to diminish in the short term. Oil companies are still keen to secure any undiscovered reserves while continuing to be a powerful lobbying presence. You may think that with pressing concerns over peak oil and global warming, the world would be slowly weaning itself off the energy-rich liquid. But in the 28-year span covered by the BP data below, worldwide reserves fell only twice – in 1998, and a decade later in 2008.

Opec nations control the lion's share, with 76% of the world's reserves. Interestingly, many of the Opec countries' proven reserves have barely changed in the past 20 years, despite massive exporting activity.

The largest percentage growth in oil wealth is in Vietnam, with a 39% surge in its proven oil reserves from 2007-08. This newfound wealth corresponds to 1.3bn barrels, which may sound like a lot, but would feed the world demand for less than three weeks (17 days) at 2008 levels of consumption.

Oil consumption fell by 0.29% from 2007-08, while its more polluting relation coal saw a 3% increase in its use. Reasons for coal's recent rise include the low price of emissions trading permits and the fuel's increasing promotion as key for 'energy security'.

Make your own face masks, foot scrubs and more!!

Right now, schedule yourself an at-home spa day. The holidays are a perfect time to do so because you may have some time off of work (or someone else who can watch the kids for a few hours does). And, the holidays are stressful, so you deserve a moment of release.

You don’t need to break the bank. And, you don’t need to expose yourself to questionable chemicals. Here are some DIY recipes to get your gorgeous self glowing again. (Hint, hint – some of these make great gifts, too!)

Refreshing Orange Scrub
This recipe is courtesy of Noreen Finneran "Incredible Edible Spa"
1/2 of an Orange
4 T Cornmeal

Squeeze orange juice and pulp into a bowl and add the cornmeal. Mix into a paste. Apply onto freshly washed face and body. Scrub gently for 2-3 minutes. Rinse, tone, moisturize.

Chocolate Facial Mask
This recipe is courtesy of Practically Green by Micaela Preston
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T plain yogurt
1 T honey

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Apply to face and neck, avoiding eye area. Kick back, relax and enjoy the delicious aroma for about 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Lavender-Honey Milk Bath
This recipe is courtesy of The National Honey Board
3 Tablespoons dried lavender flowers*
1-1/2 cups whole milk, cream or combination
1/3 cup honey

Process lavender flowers in a blender until they become a powder, turning off the blender and scraping down the sides as necessary. Whisk together lavender powder, milk and honey in a glass bowl, then pour into a jar. Before each use, shake the jar and pour half of the mixture into the bath. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes enough for 2 baths.
*Dried lavender flowers can be found in the spice section of gourmet and specialty stores.

Smoothing Skin Lotion
This recipe is courtesy of The National Honey Board
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix together honey, vegetable oil and lemon juice. Rub into hands, elbows, heels and anywhere that feels dry. Leave on 10 minutes. Rinse off with water.

Avocado Foot Softener
2 T cornmeal

2 T mashed avocado or avocado oil

Mix ingredients in a small bowl until they form a paste. Apply to feet, working the gritty paste into calluses and rough spots, and up and around the toes. Rinse with warm water and dry feet thoroughly. For maximum softening, repeat once or twice a week.

Lemon Facial Toner
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon
1 cup distilled water (any water should do)
2/3 cup witch hazel (you can get this at any drugstore)

Shake well before use, apply with cotton balls until face is clean. Keeps one month.

Banana Hair Mask
1 banana
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Mash ingredients until creamy. Apply to hair, cover head with plastic wrap, let sit for 15-30 minutes - in the sun if possible. Rinse completely and shampoo as usual.

The greatest threat of the 21st century: not AGW but Eco-Fascism

This is Peter Spencer, he’s a farmer in New South Wales, and his livelihood has been stolen by the Australian government in the name of – you guessed it – “combatting climate change.”

That’s why he is now sitting atop that windblown tower you see in the photograph, on sheep farmland rendered useless by eco-legislation, starving himself to death in protest at his government’s callous disregard for his property rights. This is his 46th day on hunger strike.

Jo Nova from the Telegraph (UK) has been following the story closely. Here’s the eco-political background:

As a part of Australia’s commitment to protect native vegetation and to reduce carbon emissions under the Kyoto protocol, Peter Spencer and thousands of farmers like him, have been subjected to a government imposed ban on land clearing.

The saved trees are natural carbon sinks worth an estimated $10.8 billion to the government in reduced carbon emissions, should Kevin Rudd’s emissions trading scheme go ahead. But the farmers, who can no longer develop this land have received no compensation.

Peter Spencer is among the victims of this legalised theft. He first told his story here in 2006.

In recent decades, thousands of farms have become economically marginal and have gone out of business. What is not widely known is that this “marginality” has often been the result not of market forces but of government regulation. In particular, governments in pursuit of urban green votes have imposed a vast range of devastating new costs on farmers.

My farm is probably one of the worst affected in Australia, so I can speak about this with some knowledge. “Saarahnlee” is at Shannons Flat in NSW. Our northern boundary fence is the southern boundary of the ACT and its Namadgi National Park.

The farm consists of about 14,000 acres, about 60 per cent of which was cleared before World War II. When I bought it in the 1980s, I had been working overseas to earn the money to buy the place. Unfortunately, I was unable to farm it for some time so extensive regrowth occurred. When I returned to Australia to begin to farm, I found that various laws to preserve native vegetation had been enacted in the meantime, and I was unable to “reclear” the land.

I could have applied for permission to clear, but not only was it unlikely this would have been granted, at that time it would have cost us over $300,000 merely to prepare the necessary farm plan. This was because of the number of different ecosystems present due to the 900 metre altitude variation on the property. There would have been no refund if the plan was rejected. It should be pointed out that under the just-released regulations (December 1, 2005) this cost would now be paid by the relevant department.

The result was that I was left with only 800 acres to farm: not nearly enough to live off and a financial catastrophe. The bank foreclosed on our mortgage and at the moment we are barely hanging on, thanks to the help of our extended families.

I protested to the state government and was told nothing could be done. Our plight has received extensive publicity and it’s worth putting on the record that I haven’t received one message of sympathy from any environmentalist. It appears the Green movement is prepared to destroy the property rights of despised groups such as farmers and devastate their lives in order to achieve its ends.

The rest of the article shows that Peter Spencer was no whingeing slouch. As Jo Nova reports, he really did try everything before resorting to his final, desperate pass.

After the land-clearing laws came into effect, Peter paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up ponds for trout fishing. But new water laws ended that too (and also without compensation). Tenaciously Peter then set up a fine-wool breeding program, but the bushfires of 2003 (that destroyed 500 homes in Canberra, and native forest near Peter) meant that hundreds of wild dogs were forced out of burnt areas. They over-ran his property, killing hundreds of sheep.

Spencer gave a moving interview on ABC radio’s Counterpoint programme.


Every one of my projects is destroyed, every one of my…it’s just disgraceful, Michael, I just feel sick. I was just thinking last night, I can remember going off to court, day after day, sometimes the last eight or nine weeks I would come back, spend one night [unclear], change all my files, back to Sydney again. I spent nearly five weeks there non-stop the last two months. And I’d watch sheep dying in the paddock and I couldn’t go round and shoot them because I had nobody left to help me. I had to let them die on their own, just kicking and struggling because they couldn’t stand up anymore, nothing to feed them with, it was just unbelievable.

One of Spencer’s neighbours wrote to an Australian senator, describing the kind of man Spencer is:

I have known Peter since 1989 when I became one of the Spencer Family’s next door neighbours and the two families spent a lot of time together especially the children as living 42 kilometers from the nearest town..

In those days Peter spent a lot of time in the highlands of Papua New Guinea as he had various… tourism accommodation type businesses and had been operating them for 10-15 years prior to us knowing him. Peter is/was accepted as a Chief in one of the Highland Tribes in Papua New Guinea and has been known to be called in by the then Papua New Guinea Government to negotiate peace between the two… fighting tribes putting his own life on the line in these situations but coming out with very positive results. In 1996/97 there was a riot at his Hotel in Mt Hagan where rascals tried to rob and burn his Hotel, Peter was taken captive and placed on his knees with hands tied behind his back and a gun placed at his head, fortunately for Peter the gun misfired and in the rascals confusion he was able to escape.

Peter Spencer is an example to us all. I’m not suggesting we all go on hunger strike but we ought surely to emulate his clear-eyed courage in facing up to the greatest menace of our age. That menace is not, of course, the illusory threat of AGW which our governments so cheerfully use to fleece us and impose control of over us. That menace is eco-fascism. It’s real, it’s terrifying and it’s time we fought back.

I agree with Gerald Warner. The only way to get our message across that we’re sick to the craw of Green lies, Green taxes, and Green tyranny is to punish all the mainstream parties – and that very much includes Cameron’s Green Conservatives – at the polls.

Singapore Green Landscape 2010

Singapore Green Landscape 2010 gives an overview of the various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), green groups, business associations and groups, green websites, government agencies, and institutes and centres in Singapore, which are related to the environment.

We hope that this publication is useful for everyone who wishes to find and connect with the environmental organisations in Singapore, and explore personal and business opportunities.

This publication is free for download.

Thanks Eugene for the link! :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Green Cleaners

Of course the holiday season is upon us, with lots of magic and merriment. But as wonderful as this time of year is for many of us, the planet isn't quite so happy. The holiday season produces a lot of waste. Household waste jumps an astounding 25 percent in December, according to the EPA. That excess "25 percent" totals 1 million tons of trash.

So as we head into the holiday season, let's all agree to take it easy on the Earth and try to reduce that insane amount of waste that seems to come with our festivities. From us all at Green Cleaners we wish you a Very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

We look forward to seeing you very soon!!