Ziwira April Issue 2015 by Ziwira

BUILDING THE FUTURE

SUSTAINABLE

S VER

TOR

BMW i8

BEHOLD THE IMPECCABLE BMW I8 HYBRID

BMW i8 HYBRID

THE MOST PROGRESSIVE

SPORTS CAR ALAN

CARPENTER GM, MARKETING & SALES AL-FUTTAIM MOTORS TOYOTA

WETEX

17 WATER, TECHNOLOGY, & ENVIRONMENT EXHIBITION TH

700 KOALAS PUT TO DEATH

AUSTRALIA EXPERIENCING

CONTROVERSY-KOALA FOUNDATION IN SHOCK

April Issue 4 2015

W W W . Z I W I R A . C O M

CONTENTS

BUILDING THE FUTURE

CONTENTS ZIWIRA APRIL 2015

INDUSTRY 28 Proof of Carbon Dioxide’s Increasing Greenhouse Effect

The evidence has been attributed to rising CO2 levels from fossil fuel emissions.

30 Keep it in the Ground! Fossil fuel divestment can no longer be

COVER STORY TRAVEL 58 Awaroa Lodge, New Zealand

Our next Paciﬁc travel idea takes you even further south of Fiji, to the luscious green state of New Zealand.

56 Turtle Island, a Fijian Nirvana Turtle Island has astonishing untouched beauty, with a community and resort all made possible by one man, who is an environmental advocate. Read on to know more.

ignored. Why fund the search for coal and oil that can never be burned?

COVER STORY 16 Behold the impeccable BMW i8 Hybrid

This eco-friendly vehicle offers a chance

to drive a stunning, stylish car, while also reducing carbon footprint considerably.

ENTERTAINMENT 64 Live Earth

The multiple worldwide environmental awareness concert – will return in June 2015 with Pharrell Williams

65 Sony’s Green Side

INTERVIEW

Saving green by going green.

42 ALAN CARPENTER General Manager of Marketing & Sales – Al-Futtaim Motors Toyota

50 www.ziwira.com

April Issue 4 2015

22 GREEN PERSONALITY 36 Kumi Naidoo Changing the world with one campaign at a time!

ENERGY 32 Eskom under Fire

Rolling blackouts, economic loss, in-

terruption of daily life, and still no real

solution. South Africa’s state-run utility,

FEATURE 22 17th Water, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX)

WORLD 62 Could Cyclone Pam be a result of Climate Change? The connection between climate change,

Eskom, is struggling to power the nation.

ECO-TECH 46 EnviroTec @ARABLAB Expo ArabLab connects people from all over the world, showcasing the latest science instrumentation equipment.

48 Outrageous Green Inventions The world of sustainable technology

and natural disasters being discussed.

is clearly expanding. These zany eco-

60 Costa Rica

The nation that managed to power electricity without burning fossil fuels– hail Costa Rica!

LIFESTYLE 10 Greening the Home Simple steps to making the home a more eco-friendly dwelling.

BUSINESS 14 The Challenges Facing Urban Agriculture International experts met at the GFIA conference.

friendly inventions will have you thinking.

HEALTH 40

The Kazakhstan Sleeping Sickness Villagers are reportedly falling into

sporadic uncontrollable slumbers, with worrying after effects.

WILDLIFE 50 700 Koala’s put to death 52 Australia’s Great Barrier Reef 54 Devastation of Whaling www.ziwira.com

EDITORIAL

Earth Day Cultivate inner peace to save the planet, After all this is the only living planet. Where you have chocolates, ice creams, candies So many natural wonders holding this land is. Cherish these wonders and resources, Don’t spoil these by human forces. Don’t cut trees, don’t peel off the beauty, To protect Earth is our social duty. Forests are the lungs of our land, Helping it to breathe and purify the air, Protect the forests and let the trees grow is fair. We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment, Help make a difference today, protect the environment.

Arushi Madan President of youth community group ‘Students for the Earth’

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April Issue 4 2015

BUILDING THE FUTURE

Publisher Ziwira CEO and Founder Adam Merza adam@ziwira.com Editorial Saba Khan saba.khan@ziwira.com Nasreen Rasool nasreen.rasool@ziwira.com Zane Small zane.small@ziwira.com Marketing Nadir Khan nadir.khan@ziwira.com +971 56 7481747 Design Asif Habib asif.habib@ziwira.com Head Office Techno Hub Building, Office No. 161-162, PO Box No. 341171, Dubai Silicon Oasis, UAE. USA Office Ziwira Inc. 445 Park Avenue 9th Floor

APRIL 2015

EDITORIAL For some the hunger for sumptuous cars is insatiable and what better if you get to gratify it with a sleek, stylish, bold BMW i8 which is not only elegance personiﬁed but also ecofriendly. This month our cover story is all about sustainability and luxury, all in one.

Fossil fuel divestment has taken the fossil fuel industry to task, for its accountability in the climate crunch. By highlighting the moral and ethical dimensions of climate change we hope that the fossil fuel divestment campaign can help break the inﬂuence and foothold

that the fossil fuel industry has on our economy and government. Read our story on (page no. 30).

The features section includes a report from the Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture conference whereby international experts met to discuss the opportunities and challenges

in the urban agriculture, the energy crisis in South Africa, and what Eskom is doing about it. Furthermore, in the green technology section check out outrageous inventions including a light which needs your blood to light up! That sounds gross…

Our green personality this month is Kumi Naidoo who has an incredibly rich history involv-

ing civil rights, as well as women’s rights campaigning, and is also a strong advocator of sustainability.

The travel section this month brings to you the luscious green landscape of Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand) where the Awaora Lodge is situated, an insight into how

Costa Rica managed to power their electricity grid without burning fossil fuels and a look at Turtle Island, astonishing untouched beauty made by an environmental advocate.

And last but not the least, don’t miss our story on the mysterious sleeping sickness (page

no. 40) which has struck the village of Kalachi in Kazakhstan where villagers are reportedly

falling into sporadic uncontrollable slumbers, with worrying after effects – possibly related to uranium exposure. Cheers!

New York City New York 10022 United States of America Canada Ofﬁce Ziwira Inc. Toronto, Canada

Saba Khan E D I T O R

@ZIWIRA

parts, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in

any form or by any means without the prior written

permission of the publisher.

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NEWS & EVENTS

Solar Energy for buildings in Dubai On March 15, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) launched the start

of its ﬁrst smart initiative, the Shams Dubai,

(Shams is Arabic for “sun”) to regulate the generation of solar energy for houses and buildings across Dubai. Residents will now be able to tap solar energy to power

their home or residential property in Dubai and even supply surplus energy to offset their monthly bills. The new initiative will

promote a culture of sustainability among Dubai residents by encouraging them to

in lieu of his future electricity use. Anyone can apply and install

power and connect it to DEWA’s grid. If a resident produces

residential building, or a development. But freehold property

sent to the grid and is then credited to the resident’s account

sociation.

install photovoltaic solar panels on their roofs to produce clean

solar panels in his or her own property whether it be a villa, a

more electricity than his monthly usage, the extra power will be

owners can only do it collectively through their homeowners’ as-

Electric Buses CALSTART is a non-proﬁt group that works with

companies and transit agencies to develop green

transportation technologies. They have produced

electric and fuel cell buses which are taking off in China and the United States. These buses have higher sticker prices, but because they don’t burn

fossil fuels, they cost less to operate and help clean

the air. Bill Van Amurg, senior Vice President of CALSTART expects the number of zero-emission

buses to double in the next year and account for 20 percent of the transit bus market by 2030, in the

United States. His group says 130 were on order or traveling US streets by the end of 2014; most in commercial use debuted within the past three

years. BYD is a subsidiary of a Chinese company

that has made more electric buses‚ about 5,200 worldwide, than any other manufacturer. Once fo-

cused largely on China, it’s now turning to the US market. BYD opened two factories in California, one to make the batteries and the other the buses, and rolled out its ﬁrst vehicles in 2014.

Earth Hour This year Earth Hour was held on Saturday 28 March between 8.30pm and 9.30pm. Earth Hour is a worldwide movement that unites every-

one to protect the planet. It all started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when the whole city turned off their lights for one hour. 172 countries

and territories participated in Earth Hour, and 1,400 major landmarks switched off. Earth Hour encourages people, communities and busi-

nesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to show that they care about the environment. www.ziwira.com

Groundwater could run out in UAE by 2030 According to a recent report by the UAE University called ‘The Challenges of Wa-

ter Scarcity and the Future of Food Security in the United Arab Emirates’, the UAE is consuming more water than it

can provide. The current water supply is estimated to last between 16 to 36 years.

The UAE has around 4,052,000 million

cubic litres of groundwater in aquifers or basins under the land. With negligi-

ble amount of rainfall received annually, these aquifers seldom get replenished, if at all. The UN’s deﬁnition of a ‘water-

scarce country’ is if it has 1,000 cubic meters of water or less available per

person per year. The UAE’s natural water supply provides for less than half this

level, making it one of the world’s most water-scarce nations. Ida Tilch Director

General of Emirates Wildlife Society, believes that a lot of the water consumed

in the UAE is used for landscaping, which is wasteful, and could be tackled through, “more sustainable landscaping such as really looking at plants that are

less water intensive or maybe perhaps

not even using plants. There are also landscapes that look beautiful without having green plants in them.”

World’s First Hydrogen Tram China, with a reputation as one of the

world’s biggest greenhouse gas emissions polluters, made an exciting an-

nouncement in March. The world’s ﬁrst

hydrogen-powered tram has been de-

veloped in China, by Sifang, a subsidiary of China South Rail Corporation, the

ﬁrst being rolled off the assembly line in

Qiangdao, Shandong Province. It is only

now that hydrogen fuel cells have been mastered to be used for trams. Chief en-

gineer Liang Jianying has not given any

indication as to when the tram could be operational, but remains proud of the project saying, “It took two years for Sifang to solve key technological problems, with

the help of research institutions.” There are a number of reasons why hydrogen-

powered trams would be an attractive

mode for the transport industry. Hydrogen is extremely abundant and can be extracted from a variety of sources, both

renewable and non-renewable. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are zero

emission, producing only water. In terms

of ecology, the innovative vehicle will also help to slash energy running costs, as one tank will last for around 100 kilometers (62 miles), and it only takes three minutes to

refuel. It is an exciting step towards a more sustainable future for China.

Update on Solar Impulse 2 After leaving Abu Dhabi on their mission to circumnavigate the

lots presented two solar homes to two women as part of their

dré Borschberg stopped off in Myanmar (Burma). The presence

Impulse’s partner, Swiss Corporation ABB, the leading power

world in their solar plane, Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Anof Solar Impulse brought excitement to the villages in Myanmar. During their time there, the pilots took on an ambitious mission

to provide thousands of villages with solar power, because 70 percent of the population has no access to electricity. The pi-

launch. The joint partnership project was announced by Solar and automation technology group, and PACT, an NGO. This is part of PACT’s plan to develop local solar power production for one million people in Myanmar in the next ﬁve years to improve quality of life.

NEWS & EVENTS

New Zealand march against deep sea oil drilling Greenpeace New Zealand organized a march

in Auckland, New Zealand against deep sea

oil drilling. On March 29, thousands of people

from around the country attended to bang home a message to global oil executives. The march

coincided with the launch of the Advantage New

BMW has praised Dubai for providing EV Charging Stations

Zealand Petroleum Summit, where representa-

tives from the world’s biggest oil corporations met to discuss drilling in New Zealand. This

would see more areas of New Zealand’s ocean

BMW Group, the world’s most sustainable premium car com-

being opened up to mostly foreign oil drillers.

vehicle charging station in Dubai as a signiﬁcant step towards

Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and Oil

Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) debuted the ﬁrst of

march against deep sea drilling. Industry stand-

across the emirate by the end of 2015.

blowout could devastate New Zealand’s coast-

pany, has hailed the recent unveiling of the ﬁrst ever electric

Groups such as Greenpeace New Zealand, 350

a more sustainable future for the emirate. Last week, the Dubai

free Auckland, worked together to organize the

100 charging stations for zero-emission electric cars planned

ard oil spill modelling shows that a deep sea oil

Commenting on the momentous occasion, Johannes Seibert,

lines.

Managing Director of BMW Group Middle East, said, “The Dubai Government’s plans to develop and invest in electric

vehicle charging infrastructure is a signiﬁcant step towards

raising awareness with regards to sustainable mobility, and in particular electro mobility.”

The unveiling comes nine months after BMW Group Middle

East launched the all-new BMW i8 plug-in Hybrid vehicle. Seib-

ert believes that by providing easy access to charging stations across the emirate, car users will be given the choice to consid-

er electric vehicles, which are environmentally friendly - as well as support the Dubai government’s aim to be a global leader

in sustainability. “We all have a role to play – the government, automotive companies and the general public to work together to help the Dubai government reach this aim by 2020.”

In addition, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regula-

tory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), Dubai’s integrated free zone technology park, announced in March the installation

of its ﬁrst charging station for electric vehicles at its headquar-

ters, in collaboration with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). Commenting on this step, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, said: “Our com-

mitment to supporting the move towards sustainable living in

the UAE is reﬂected in our efforts to join hands with various entities that seek to support DEWA’s overarching goal of installing 100 charging stations in Dubai by end of 2015.“ , Vice

Chairman and CEO of DSOA said: “At DSOA, we are proud of this important milestone in the direction set by the leadership to position Dubai as the smartest and happiest city in the world.

The success is testimony to the collaborative partnership we share with DEWA.“ www.ziwira.com

World Water Day 22 March marked the annual World Water Day, a day to celebrate one of our most important life sources. It was a day to make a difference for

the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues. It was also a day to

prepare for how we manage water in the future. World Water Day was ﬁrst initiated in 1993 by the

United Nations general Assembly. The day is cel-

ebrated around the world shining the spotlight on

a different issue every year. This year, the theme was ‘Water and Sustainable Development’.

April Issue 4 2015

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LIFESTYLE

GREENING THE HOME Simple steps to making the home a more eco-friendly dwelling.

“

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are, and not be questioned. - Maya Angelou

he home is essentially a sanctuary and a safe haven, where you can kick off your shoes, relax and take in deep breath of air – provided

that air is clean of course. Just as they say charity begins at home, so

should sustainability. Most home activities require energy or water consumption, e.g. heating, cooling, lighting, cooking, washing, and use of electronic appliances such as TVs or Hi-ﬁs.

By consciously making greener choices, you can transform your living space. There are a few steps every individual can take to make their homes more resource-efﬁcient, non-toxic and kind to the earth.

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Sty

me o H il sh

le p Sim

Clean

April Issue 4 2015

sy Li vin g

•

GEYSER: Geysers use up to 60% of the total electricity bill, so invest in a timer or

•

GAS STOVE: Some apartments are no longer built to accommodate for electric

controller for your geyser or simply turn it off when not in use for extended hours.

stoves, forcing tenants to switch to more energy-efﬁcient gas stoves. Of course, this does depend on your budget, but keep it in mind. Perhaps it’s time to shop around for the best deals and invest in a gas stove.

•

SOLAR POWER POOL PUMP: The pool pump is one of the biggest power con-

sumers, using 8-14kWh per day. A solar pump uses just two or three solar modules and is not connected to the mains at all.

•

AC MAINTENANCE: Clean your AC to ensure it functions correctly and is not leak-

•

NON-TOXIC PAINT: Use eco-friendly non-toxic paint for walls or wood treatments,

ing harmful bacteria through the air in your home.

both interior and exterior. Scan the labels for low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content.

•

PLANTS: Add more plants, both indoors and outdoors for cooler, cleaner air and

•

LIGHTING AND SHOWER: Switch to LED lighting and use a water-efﬁcient

natural décor. shower head.

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BUSINESS

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April Issue 4 2015

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BUSINESS

THE CHALLENGES FACING URBAN AGRICULTURE International experts met at the GFIA conference in Abu Dhabi to discuss the opportunities and challenges in urban agriculture and how to make it more sustainable.

ore than 70% of the world’s

proﬁle international delegates and speak-

in cities by 2050. With this in

open air and vertical, of which the latter

population is anticipated to live

mind, it is paramount that we ﬁnd sus-

tainable solutions for food production to

meet the demand. At this year’s Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture con-

ference (GFIA), “Edible Cities” was one of the key topics of discussion. The event, held in Abu Dhabi, was attended by high

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ers.There are two types of urban farming: works with LED lighting and horticulture. The beneﬁts of farming in cities means

increased local production and hence reduced CO2 emissions from transport.

It can also change the urban landscape, help cool the air naturally and boost the economy.

HANS HASSLE

CEO of Plantagon International

April Issue 4 2015

But it comes with a host of other challenges such as high water and energy consumption, which need global input in order to make it more sustainable.

According to Hans Hassle, CEO of Swed-

ish company Plantagon International, vertical farming already addresses the

problem of lack of space in the city. The

company entered the market in 2009 and is dedicated to building sustainable

vertical farming, greenhouses as well as

ﬁnding innovative ways to minimize land, water and energy use and developing

innovative systems and technology for

Hassle says buildings like this can pro-

duce 20,000 tons of leafy greens. But the challenge is no longer in production. The

biggest challenge to vertical farming is consumer behavior.

“We have to ﬁnd ways to distribute sustainably. Will it be privately owned and

should it be licensed? We need to work on business models. There is also the

challenge of building regulations. For example, if you construct a building, you

have to build parking lots, but this does not apply here,” added Hassle.

urban agriculture.

The other problem is that food grown in

One of their projects is Symbio City, a cir-

used. However, Hassle says that with en-

cular building to be built in Sweden that has a conveyor belt system, moving the crops as they grow.

“It’s essentially an automized treehouse. It is energy saving, but no one will buy

this,” says Hassle, who comes from a

CSR background. The solution, he says, is to combine vertical farming with com-

mercial buildings, then it becomes real estate and people will invest.

“Urban farming is like a city lung because it produces oxygen. So this way, CO2 from ofﬁces goes into the green-

house and oxygen from greenhouse goes into the real estate. This adds value to real estate,” he says.

cities cannot be organic, since soil is not

closed systems, there would be no worry of pollution and no need for pesticides.

Despite the challenges though, there are many who believe urban farming has a place in a more sustainable future, and

thus deserves international attention to

try and overcome some of the obstacles. Buildings like this, according to Hassle, can help Singapore go from 40-70% in local production.

“If we’re going reach the target for solving the food crisis in cities, we cannot sit

with a spreadsheet calculating return on investments. It will need political will and

brave leadership both on the ﬁnancial and political side,” he said.

Roger Platt of the US Green Building Council also attended the conference, and stated his support for “regenera-

tive” buildings, that not only reduce carbon emissions, but also give something back to the planet. Another supporter is

Philips, the electronics company, which has for some time been involved in ur-

ban agriculture. They have recently built a horticulture facility in the Netherlands.

Hank de Zeeuw, Senior Advisor at RUAF (International Network of Resource Centers on Urban Agriculture and Food Security), spoke about open air farming in

cities. He said it is often separated from vertical farming, as it is seen as backward and low producing. But open air

farming, according to De Zeeuw, has its own beneﬁts. It combines agriculture

with recreation, and landscape management and has low CO2 emissions per unit. It also reduces urban heat and or-

ganic waste. Its success, however, depends on the geography.

“Vertical farms use energy and water,

so there is a need for renewables in this method. Lighting and cooling have the highest energy consumption,” he said.

“But both vertical and open air ap-

proaches are needed. Land sparing and land sharing. It requires a joint approach

with much more interaction and cooperation.”

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COVER STORY

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April Issue 4 2015

BMW i8 THE HYPER HYBRID

THE MOST PROGESSIVE SPORTS CAR

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COVER STORY

BMW i8 THE HYPER HYBRID

erhaps it is time for James Bond to go hybrid? He could certainly pull it off in this beautiful vehicle. The BMW i8 is a stunning hybrid car, with consummate beauty and excellent performance. It stands out from the crowd with its fold-out wing doors, and sleek aerodynamic structure. Germany has certainly proved that it is home to some of the best technological creations. BMW has not disappointed their fans with this excellent modern innovation. Hats off to BMW for creating technology that is favorable to the environment. The i8 model is an electric plug-in sports car. The 2015 i8 model has been released at a perfect time where battery stations are becoming a lot more common around the world. The ﬁrst turbo-diesel concept car was unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show in Germany, causing a mass stir of interest. The production version of the i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, and was ofﬁcially released in Germany

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in June 2014. Global cumulative sales totaled 2,511 units through February 2015. It has clearly captivated buyers wanting to show off a hot car that is also ecologically sustainable. Such luxury, however, comes at a price. The i8 model sells for about 600,000 AED in Dubai. But don’t let that put you off. The i8 is undeniably good-looking, with a sharp pointed front, and winged-doors. It is elegant and moves very smoothly. A turbocharged three-cylinder engine teams with two electric motors which combined, make it much faster than a BMW M3. The top speed is 155 mph, and fuel economy is less than 30 miles per gallon. The vehicle has sharp, responsive steering, and has excellent brakes. The leather interior adds to the grandness of the driving experience, and all controls are accessible and easy to ﬁnd. However, the seats in the back are very small, possibly there to lower insurance premiums and to make sure that people see the i8 as the Porsche 911 competitor.

April Issue 4 2015

BEHOLD THE IMPECCABLE BMW i8 HYBRID

The BMW i8 hybrid model, is sleek, bold, and beautiful to behold. This vehicle is revolutionary in the way that it offers eco-friendly advocates the chance to drive in a stunning, stylish car, while also reducing their carbon footprint by going electric. Experience elegance and sustainability all in one.

BMW I8 CAPACITIES 7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers an all-electric range of 37km (23 miles). Fuel efficiency of 2.1 L/100 km under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test, with carbon emissions of 49 g/km. Two electric motors for a combined 357 HP. The 3,394-pound i8 moves through a quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds at 116 mph. Top speed of 120 km/h in EV mode. 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) in 4.4 seconds.

ELECTRIC MODE Electric vehicles are the next stage in car evolution. If more people used them, there would be significantly less air pollution. When the BMW i8 is driven in electric vehicle mode (EV), it is very quiet, staying true to this favored benefit of driving electric. The 129-hp motor between the front wheels pulls the vehicle along nicely. A lithium-ion battery pack is situated between the seats in the carbon-fiber structure. Acceleration in EV mode isn’t quick; 60 mph arrives in 9.2 seconds, but it is good enough for comfortable use in heavy traffic. One of the great aspects of the i8 model is that as long as the three-cylinder is running, the vehicles two electric motors, two transmissions, and one engine work together quite harmoniously. There is no surging, no turbo lag, just uninterrupted

linear thrust. The low weight of the vehicle helps it to reach a top speed of 120 km/h in EV mode. Hybrid vehicles are indisputably more sustainable for our environment. When gasoline is burned to produce energy for vehicles, carbon monoxide is created and released into the environment. However, with hybrid cars, much less of this dangerous substance is released into the atmosphere, thus reducing emissions and air pollution. Using a hybrid car also reduces gasoline demand, which in turn means less emissions being released into the atmosphere. The BMW i8 is not only stunning to behold, it is also a much more eco-friendly model compared to conventional vehicles around today, polluting our atmosphere, and eroding our world. www.ziwira.com

COVER STORY

WATERLESS CAR WASH RTU The waterless car wash RTU is by EcoTouch. It is a very easy to use spray

and wipe off cleaner. The cleaner has a cool formula which removes

the dirt from the car paint and leaves the car shining and spotless. The

surfactants in the cleaner break the dirt while the polymers give a scratch

free ďŹ nish. It is non-toxic, phosphatefree, and helps to save up to 20-100 gallons of water per car wash.

ELECTRIC MODE In February, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) launched 16

charging stations around the emirate, so those who prefer to keep their car-

bon footprint minimal, can do so by driving electric.

DEWA plans to roll out another 84

charging stations by the year-end based on demand in malls, air-

ports, government ofďŹ ces, and near

residential communities. DEWA had

budgeted 10 million AED for the 100 charging stations.

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April Issue 4 2015

PROGRESSIVE DRIVING PLEASURE

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FEATURE

17 WATER, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENVIRONMENT EXHIBITION (WETEX) TH

To add to the list of various sustainability conventions held in Dubai, The Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) hosted the annual 17th Water, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX), from 21-23 April.

he United Arab Emirates Government is set

has a vision to become a fully sustainable world-

world by 2021. The UAE Government Strat-

the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of En-

on becoming one of the best countries in the

egy 2011-2013 has laid the foundations to achieve the UAE Vision 2021, which was launched by HH

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

class utility. WETEX was organized by DEWA under ergy, to achieve the directives set out by the Prime

Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The purpose of WETEX was to promote green solutions in the water, energy, and environmental sectors at local, regional, and international levels.

The 2015 WETEX convention focused on the global

Every year, the WETEX exhibition becomes more

tion presented innovative eco-friendly solutions to

one of the most prominent achievements of Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

challenges in the environment sector. The convensupport economic growth, which is essential to pre-

serving and protecting natural resources and con-

trolling pollution, due to global warming and climate

change. The Dubai Water and Electricity Authority

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and more internationally recognized. It has become economy, and the global exhibition sector. With such a reputation, Dubai will continue to prosper

and initiate interest from all over the globe, positioning it as a city with an enviably green reputation.

April Issue 4 2015

BUSINESS EXHIBITIONS In 2012, a total number of 2,223 people attended WETEX seminars, followed by 3,051 people in 2013, and then 3,439 people

in 2014. With such a rapid increase in popularity, it is no wonder

so many businesses ﬂocked to WETEX to display their amenities in 2015.

This year, WETEX was an exceptionally cosmopolitan affair, with a vast range of cities and countries exhibiting, including UAE,

Taiwan, Egypt, Poland, Turkey, Lithuania, Australia, UK, India, France, Spain, USA, Portugal, Finland, and Switzerland, just to 12,000 visitors attend Wetex 2012

name a few.

The new factory building

ABB ABB, was one of the stand out international exhibitors. ABB is a global leader in power and automation technologies. The

company aims to improve the efﬁciency, productivity, and quality of customers’ operations, while minimizing environmental impact. ABB is a multinational organization based in

Zurich, Switzerland, with 140,000 employees, and operates in about 100 countries. The company specializes in energy efﬁciency, wind power solution, smart grids, and sustainabil-

International Cooperation Team Manager, provided information that Airkorea not only describes and provides real time

data in various forms, but also offers information such as yel-

low dust warning systems, and ozone warning systems. The company strives to prevent the damages to their people from

air pollution. The website (www.airkorea.or.kr) was launched to provide air pollution information.

ity. The company also produces electric vehicle charging sta-

A seminar at WETEX provided excellent information about so-

long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project. “ABB

called Yingli Solar. Yingli had 9% of the solar power market

ries of technology and innovation to achieve a better world.”

tovoltaic (PV) system employs solar panels composed of a

tions. ABB is the company behind Solar Impulse, the Swiss

lar power, presented by Evangelos Lianos from a company

and Solar Impulse are passionate about pushing the bounda-

share in 2013. Lianos explained what a PV Panel is. A pho-

– ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer.

number of solar cells to supply usable solar power. Photovol-

Another impressive company to showcase at WETEX was a

into direct current electricity using semiconducting materials

Korean based organization called Airkorea. This company specializes in providing anyone using the internet to access and view the nationwide air pollution status at a glance. A rep-

resentative of Eugene Kwon, Department of Global Business

taics (PV) is the name of a method of converting solar energy that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Solar panels can be put on

buildings, stadiums, and homes to produce electricity. Solar

energy is an undeniably more sustainable way of producing energy than using fossil fuels.

www.ziwira.com

FEATURE

AUTO EXHIBITIONS Electric vehicles were high on the agenda at WETEX. At

the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority display, a stunning hologram showcased the innovative electric charging station carparks that will soon be available all around Dubai. These charging stations have three levels. •

Fast charger will charge an EV in 20-45 minutes.

•

Medium charger will charge an EV in 2-4 hours.

•

Home charger will charge an EV in 6-8 hours. (Images from WETEX: Left is hologram of EV charging station carpark, right is an EV charging station)

RENAULT •

Two Renault concept models were displayed: Re-

•

4 hours to charge at home.

•

120-130km distance range.

•

120km/h highest speed.

•

Both vehicles are fully electric.

•

The Z.E. Concept is powered by a 70 kW electric mo-

•

Solar panels positioned on the roof power a tempera-

nault Z.E., and Renault Twizy

tor.

ture regulation system.

www.ziwira.com

April Issue 4 2015

TOYOTA •

The Toyota Prius is a hybrid model with a petrol pump on left side of the vehicle, and electric plug-in on the right side.

•

The Prius drives electric until 80km, then auto-

•

95% of all Toyota Prius models sold in the last

•

If the Prius senses it needs more power than

matically switches to petrol.

10 years are still on the road.

the battery can provide, the gas engine will take over.

LEXUS •

Lexus hybrid models were launched in 2005.

•

The Lexus GS models have a 0-40km electric distance capacity, until it automatically switches to petrol.

•

An interesting aspect of the Lexus EV’s is that

they charge as they move, meaning less time having to plug the vehicle into a charging station – very convenient.

•

The Lexus GS sells for AED 434,000.

•

In total, 485,000 Lexus EV’s have been sold worldwide. The Lexus GS Hybrid has “0 emissions, and 0 noise pollution”, according to Saﬁ Nassar, Promotions Manager.

www.ziwira.com

BUSINESS

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April Issue 4 2015

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INDUSTRY

PROOF OF CARBON DIOXIDE’S INCREASING GREENHOUSE EFFECT For the ﬁrst time, scientists have been able to observe an increase in carbon dioxide’s greenhouse effect at the earth’s surface – the evidence has been attributed to rising CO2 levels from fossil fuel emissions.

Green factory pipes with symbolic emission of a CO2 cloud

o understand the full consequence of the

Greenhouse Effect, we only need a look at our solar system neighbor, Venus. Venus,

However, this effect has not been experimentally conﬁrmed outside the laboratory, until now.

surprisingly, is the hottest planet in the solar sys-

Researchers, led by scientists from the US De-

wavelengths can pass through this invisible gas, but

Laboratory, have measured atmospheric carbon di-

sun strikes the ground of Venus, and warms it. The

tion emitted from the earth’s surface over an eleven-

carbon dioxide traps much of it around the planet

upward trend in rising CO2 levels has been linked

happens when you keep your car windows closed

to live with. The results have offered conﬁrmation

us what happens when the process of trapping sun-

human activity. The research provides some conﬁr-

Here on Earth, the inﬂuence of atmospheric CO2 on

models are on track when it comes to representing

tem. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Various

partment of Energy’s Lawrence Berkley National

it is very effective at trapping heat. Light from the

oxide’s increasing capacity to absorb thermal radia-

ground tries to radiate heat back into space, but the

year period at two locations in North America. This

keeping it very warm. This is the same process that

to fossil fuel emissions, a frustrating reality we have

on a hot day. The Venus greenhouse effect shows

about predictions of the greenhouse effect due to

light goes out of control into a runaway process.

mation that the calculations used in today’s climate

the balance between incoming energy from the sun,

the impact of CO2.

and outgoing heat from the earth is well established.

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April Issue 4 2015

Radiactive forcing is a measure of how much the planet’s en-

ergy balance is perturbed by atmospheric changes. Positive

radiactive forcing occurs when the earth absorbs more ener-

gy from solar radiation than it emits as thermal radiation back to space. It can be measured at the earth’s surface or high in the atmosphere. In this particular research, the scientists

focused on the surface. They measured atmospheric carbon dioxide’s contribution to radiactive forcing at two sites, one in Oklahoma and one on the North Slope of Alaska, from 2000 to the end of 2010.

To determine this evidence, incredibly precise spectroscopic instruments were used by the scientists, operated by the

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility. These instruments, located at the ARM research sites in Oklahoma and Alaska, measure thermal infrared energy that

travels down through the atmosphere to the surface. They can detect the unique spectral signature of infrared energy

from CO2. Other instruments at the two locations detect the unique signatures of phenomena that can also emit infrared

energy, such as clouds and water vapor. The combination

The scientists were able to determine that CO2 was responsible for a signiﬁcant up rise in radiactive forcing at both lo-

cations, about two-tenths of a Watt per square meter, per

decade. They linked this trend to the 22 parts-per-million increase in atmospheric CO2 between 2000 and 2010. Un-

fortunately, the scientists have determined that much of the CO2 has been caused by the burning of fossil fuels, accord-

ing to a modelling system that tracks CO2 sources around the world.

of these measurements enabled the scientists to isolate the signals attributed solely to CO2.

The consequences of changing the natural atmospheric

greenhouse are not entirely clear, but some effects can be predicted. Earth will certainly become hotter. Warmer condi-

tions will probably lead to more evaporation and precipitation overall, but individual regions will vary. A stronger greenhouse effect will harm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water will also

“

expand if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise. Furthermore, some crops and other plants may respond favora-

bly to increased atmospheric CO2, growing more vigorously

and using water more efﬁciently. At the same time, higher temperatures and shifting climate patterns may change the

We see, for the first time in the field, the amplification of the greenhouse effect because there’s more CO2 in the atmosphere to absorb what the Earth emits in response to incoming solar radiation

“

Daniel Feldman Scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division.

areas where crops grow best and affect the makeup of natural plant communities.

We may sit back and ignore the fact that our planet is warming, and act as though there is nothing we can do about it.

But the sad reality is that humans have contributed signiﬁcantly to global warming, and now thanks to Berkley Lab, it

has been conﬁrmed. In its Fourth Assessment Report, the In-

tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientiﬁc experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded

there’s more than 90 percent probability that human activities

over the past 250 years have warmed our planet. Perhaps it is time to start making some changes, people of Earth.

www.ziwira.com

INDUSTRY

KEEP IT IN THE GROUND!

by Nasreen Rasool

Fossil fuel divestment can no longer be ignored. Why fund the search for coal and oil that can never be burned? This is the powerful message of a global campaign urging investors to pull out of ‘dirty energy’ in an emotive drive to save the planet.

he Guardian recently launched a campaign calling upon big companies to divest from fossil fuels. To date, they have mustered sup-

port from nearly 200,000 people and the opportunity remains for even more people to join the movement.

The petition is addressed to Bill and Melinda Gates,

founders of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation,

and Jeremy Farrar and Sir William Castell, director

and chair of the Welcome Trust, yet the message should strike a chord with others alike. Both these companies have, through their ﬁscal contributions,

made signiﬁcant investments in human progress and development overall, yet they continue to sup-

port fossil fuels in a time when many other philan-

thropic organizations are pulling out for environmental and health concerns.

The Welcome Trust invested £564m in Shell, BP,

Schlumberger, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton in 2014

and the Gates Foundation has a ﬁnancial stake of over $1bn in fossil fuel companies. Ironically, this is alongside their other noble work in humanitarian and sustainable development projects.

The philosophy behind the Guardian campaign is that since climate change poses a real and dire threat to us all, “it is morally and ﬁnancially misguid-

ed to invest in companies dedicated to ﬁnding and burning more oil, gas and coal.” It calls for investors to divest from the top 200 fossil fuel manufacturers

within ﬁve years and to immediately freeze current investments in those same companies. The campaign is careful not to label them as the “bad guys”

but rather to give them a chance to be the “good guys”.

www.ziwira.com

April Issue 4 2015

A recent study suggests that 80% of the

sooner than we anticipate.

a third of the oil will have to remain in the

Inﬂuential world leaders such as Barack

race are to survive for even the next 30

of the Bank of England have all agreed

awareness and action regarding climate

keep the rise of global temperatures to

the problem itself.

to burn most of the fossil fuel reserves.

And to make matters worse, politics plays

sequent burning, we will well exceed this

world’s coal, half the gas reserves, and

ground, untouched, if we as a human

Obama, Desmond Tutu and the governor

years. Unfortunately, the level of public

and warned the public that in order to

change is nowhere near the enormity of

a maximum of 2C, we will not be able

an ugly game, and politicians do not always have the public interest at heart. As

Rusbridger puts it, after countless meet-

ings, year after year, “the people who represent us around the UN negotiating

Billiton just invested $27 billion to give life

to a spin-off company, South32, which

but crucial step in the economic transition away from a global economy run on fossil fuels

Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief at the Guardian

and the cost of solar power dropped by two thirds in the past 6 years. All we need

is for big companies to move their money out of fossil fuels and into renewables.

copper, petroleum, coal and potash. And

thing quite overwhelming and divestment

coal port on coast of the Great Barrier

longer be ignored.

pany’s core operations include iron ore,

a fringe campaign is becoming some-

Indian Company Adani, wants to build a

from fossil fuels is something that can no

term returns and care not about future

safely be burned. It is a small

ment in clean energy rose by 16% in 2014

Rusbridger suggests that what began as

such as these are blind sighted by short-

more coal, oil and gas that can’t

glomerate that has injected billions into a

will open additional coal mines. The com-

Reef. This proves one thing: companies

“

On a positive note, it is refreshing to hear

renewable energy project. Global invest-

the Earth’s most untouched places. BHP

tors’ money to search for yet

escalate to catastrophic consequences.

The US may soon approve drilling for oil

destroying the aesthetic beauty of one of

companies that are using inves-

effects on climate change are bound to

every now and then about that multi-con-

of oil spills and pollution, not to mention

mize the business models of

limit by the middle of this century. The

tables have moved inches, not miles.”

in the Arctic, which will increase the risk

Divestment serves to delegiti-

With continuous R&D projects and sub-

generations.

In the midst of this battle between sci-

ence, business and politics, the Guardian is using its newspaper platform as

Anyone with hope of a cleaner future should sign up to this petition. Anyone

with a ﬁnger still in the fossil fuel pie should be red in the face.

Join the Keep it in the Ground Campaign. Sign up here:

prowess to mobilize both the public and

industry professionals to realize the severity of the climate change threat and

how burning more fossil fuels will only

www.theguardian.com/uk/environment

bring us closer to the earth’s end much

www.ziwira.com

ENERGY

ESKOM UNDER FIRE

SOUTH AFRICA’S ENERGY CRISIS Rolling blackouts, economic loss, interruption of daily life, and still no real solution. South Africa’s state-run utility, Eskom, is struggling to power the nation.

“Eskom may be in a shambles.” “Elec-

tricity prices are likely to skyrocket.” “It’s

such a mess.” This is what’s being said

in South African media about the nation’s power utility, Eskom. The country has

for years been coming to terms with the fact that it would not be able to cope with

energy supply in the near future. Power

cuts began, once every few months at

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ﬁrst, and for a while they had stopped

generating experience, which is how it

has worsened drastically and Eskom is

nightmare, with corruption causing an

completely. But this year, the situation being hit from all directions. What is be-

ing done to create more sustainable energy output? For the moment, not much.

About a decade ago, the directors of Es-

kom, South Africa’s state run energy sup-

plier, had strong engineering and power-

should be. Now it has become a political operational meltdown. Ill-equipped people in leadership positions have been

making poorly informed decisions that have led to technical problems, strikes

and a supply-demand energy crisis which affects everyone.

April Issue 4 2015

www.ziwira.com

ENERGY ANC (African National Congress) secre-

tary-general Gwede Mantashe said, “It’s a crisis of demand exceeding supply.”

He referred back to the apartheid re-

gime, saying that during those days 5 million homes were connected to the electricity grid and since democracy,

brought more rights to people of color,

this added another 7 million to the grid,

hence the huge increase in demand. The country’s economic growth may be better than the rest of Africa, but it is only

gas stoves because there is no telling when the lights will go out. It has been

extremely disruptive, interrupting normal household functions, not to mention business activity.

Such power cuts can cost the South African economy up to $7 billion dollars per

month. According to the World Bank, the country’s GDP stands at $350.6 billion. Losses due to load-shedding amounts to nearly 2%.

moderate, and unable to cope.

But the government is slow to catch on to

The year 2015 has been a bad year for

believes that the solution in increasing

Eskom, riddled with a collapsing coal

storage silo, diesel shortages, and maintenance issues. In February, there was a serious technical fault at Koeberg, South Africa’s only nuclear power plant,

trends in sustainable development. It still the intensity of coal mining and increasing the capacity of electricity generators.

It has failed to see this as an opportunity to invest in renewable energy.

which cut nearly 1000MW off the already

A new coal-ﬁred power station was built

country has been thrown into rolling

a long wait before it has any positive re-

strained electricity grid. As a result, the

last month, but authorities say it will be

blackouts on a weekly and sometimes

sults.

even daily basis, as Eskom conducts sporadic load-shedding in an attempt to save power.

Most homes are now equipped with

Some individuals, (those who are fortu-

nate enough to be able to afford it), have

turned to solar power in their homes, moving themselves right off the grid.

Last year the city of Cape Town launched

a small-scale embedded generation programme (SSEG), which allows residents

and commercial users, who already have

solar photovoltaic (PV) systems or small

wind turbines, to sell power back to the grid. Cape Town is aiming to become the

leader in the greening of the country’s economy.

But it will be a long time until solar or wind power becomes accessible to all.

Renewable energy is only just beginning to rear its head among the rich minor-

ity. And while it may help the country to go green, it will mean a major blow for municipalities, who rely on electricity revenue to subsidize their projects. This

is one of the reasons why government is clinging to coal, even though experts have warned that this old model is not sustainable.

The government also feels let down by the private sector.

“Building new capacity was delayed be-

cause there was this mythical belief that the private sector will build additional capacity,” Mantashe told local media.

Eskom’s former Chairman, Zola Tsotsi insist-

ed that there was no crisis. He later resigned, following

suspension

based on a corruption inquiry.

Meanwhile

the

saga

continues, with unstable power supply that ﬁlters

through every aspect of life for South Africans,

affecting the water supply,

health

facilities,

business, trafﬁc man-

agement, and school-

ing. Load-shedding is expected to continue for at least the next two years.

www.ziwira.com

April Issue 4 2015

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GREEN PERSONALITY

KUMI NAIDOO Changing the world - one campaign at a time Kumi Naidoo, the current Executive Director of Greenpeace, has an incredibly rich history involving civil rights campaigning, as well as women’s rights campaigning, and is also a strong advocator of sustainability.

umi Naidoo is a highly respected man. He has been said to have a

heart as big as a mountain, the

courage of a lion, and the tenacity of a

British bull dog. Kumi was 15 when he ﬁrst became involved in human rights

campaigning, during the apartheid in

South Africa. As a result of his anti-apartheid activities, he was expelled from his

high school. He was deeply motivated by human rights and environmental issues.

In 1986, he was arrested and charged for

violating the state of emergency regulations. He went underground for one year

before ﬁnally deciding to live in exile in England until 1989. During this time, he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and

earned a doctorate in political sociology. After Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990, Kumi returned to South Africa to work on

the legalization of the African National Congress.

After achieving his qualiﬁcation, Kumi became the founding Executive Director

of the South African National NGO Coalition, an umbrella agency for the South

African NGO community. He became an activist for women’s rights in 1997, organ-

izing the National Men’s March against Violence on Women and Children. In 1998 he became, and still is today, the

Secretary and Chief Executive Ofﬁcer of

Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, dedicated to strengthening citi-

zen action and civil society. The organization only has 12 staff, but also has a

membership of more than 500 organizations and individuals from 97 countries.

Today, this extraordinary man is a GCAP

(Global Call to Action against Poverty), www.ziwira.com

Member, Secretary General and CEO

of CIVICUS. He was appointed by the United Nations as Secretary General to the Eminent Persons Group on United

Nations Civil Society Relations. Furthermore, in 2009, Kumi became the Execu-

tive Director of Greenpeace International.

for a fair and ambitious global agreement

on climate change to be reached at the 2009 Conference. The campaign com-

municates a sense of urgency as time ticked down to the start of COP15 as well as the level of urgency for taking serious

action to tackle climate change itself. The GCCA is partnered with Greenpeace, as

SUSTAINABILITY ADVOCATE

Kumi Naidoo is an excellent campaigner for human rights, but his heart is also in-

vested in climate change, and a desire to live in a more sustainable world. He has

been an active member of Greenpeace Africa in Johannesburg and Kinshasa since 2008, which was a primary reason

for his placement as international Execu-

tive Director. One of Kumi’s latest projects is focusing on generating change

through a contentious mission to partner

Greenpeace with big corporations in order to yield desired results.

He is also the Chairman of the civil society alliance Global Campaign for Climate

Change (GCCA). The GCCA is a global

alliance of NGO’s, trade unions, and faith

groups, initially formed to inﬂuence the international climate change treaty at the

United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009. The ‘tck tck tck’ campaign was

created by the Global Humanitarian Forum and strategic communications part-

ner Havas Worldwide/Euro RSCG. The

campaign was subsequently adopted as

the unifying symbol for many civil society organizations worldwide, including a coalition of leading NGOs who campaigned

well as Oxfam and World Wildlife Fund.

More recently, Kumi has spoken out

about the exciting news that for the ﬁrst time in 40 years, global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector did not increase. During 2014, the global econ-

omy grew by 3 percent, but emissions remained at 2013 levels. In an article he

posted on March 23 called ‘Is this a blip or a tip in humanity’s onslaught on the climate?’ he commends India for recently

ruling that standing up against the pollut-

ing coal industry doesn’t constitute ‘anti-

nationalism.’ He praises the boldness of thousands of people across the globe,

who are proving their courage in the face

of relentless polluters. Kumi is now looking to the climate agreement in Paris this December, wondering whether govern-

ments will stand up for their citizens and set in stone ambitious targets that will allow for safe limits of the biosphere.

“Renewable energy and energy efﬁciency are already making important inroads

in stemming air pollution. The vast untapped potential for clean energy must

not be lost on governments as they pre-

pare to conclude a new climate agreement in Paris, this December.”

April Issue 4 2015

GREEN PERSONALITY

Kumi Naidoo

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

The world has changed since 2009. Baby steps are no longer enough. To control runaway climate change, we need to sharply change tack and sail with the wind, not against it with unsustainable fossil fuels.

www.ziwira.com

BUSINESS

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April Issue 4 2015

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HEALTH

>> The sleepy village of Kalachi

in Northern Kazakhstan

n our present age of scientiďŹ c health breakthroughs, it is rare that scientists

are unable to treat a sick patient, let

THE KAZAKHSTAN SLEEPING SICKNESS Mystery has struck the sleepy village of Kalachi in Northern Kazakhstan. Villagers are reportedly falling into sporadic uncontrollable slumbers, with worrying after effects â&#x20AC;&#x201C; possibly related to uranium exposure.

alone determine what is actually wrong with them. This appears to be the case in

a small village of 600 people called Kala-

chi in Northern Kazakhstan. In March

2013, reports began to surface of disturbing fatigue attacks. These sudden bursts of heavy sleep were very random,

with no connection to age, sex, health, or destination within the village. The sick-

ness has even affected non-human beings, for example a local woman in the village spoke to a Russian reporter about how her cat fell into a deep sleep after

portraying erratic hyper activity, and attacking a dog. www.ziwira.com

April Issue 4 2015

POSSIBLE CAUSES No deﬁnite cause has yet been linked to the mysterious sleeping sickness. One of the initial hypothesis was the possibil-

ity that it could be a bacterial virus, or a parasitic disease, similar to African tryp-

anosmiasis which has similar effects. But

after conducting several tests, scientists have not determined any link that could suggest that the sickness is bacterial

or viral. Another unconﬁrmed possibility is that carbon monoxide could be a

contributing factor. According to Sergei Lukashenko of Kazakhstan’s National

rication workers, and those exposed to it over a period of time. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease

Registry, the outcomes that may occur with uranium exposure based on both

observed human effects and animal studies include non-malignant respiratory disease degeneration, lesions and cell necrosis.

Kalachi village, and its strange weather

illnesses in the Kazakhstan region, rang-

to go down instead of up. Carbon mon-

defects and other deformities. Shortly af-

aches, vomiting, and dizziness, and

stan became the scene of nuclear weap-

toms, it does not explain the very spe-

were conducted in what was considered

because of the peculiar location of the

caused a number of genetic defects and

patterns, chimney smoke is often forced

ing from cancers, to impotency, to birth

oxide poisoning usually causes head-

ter World War II, the steppes of Kazakh-

while there may be an overlap in symp-

on testing by the Soviet Union. Tests

ciﬁc behavior of the sleeping sickness.

to be one of the most remote places on

The strongest possible cause for the

pelago of Novaya Zemlya, as well as in

nuclear weapons program. The Kalachi village is located near Krasnogorsk

(about 37 miles away), which was once

a popular mining town that produced

do little more than nurse their victims

observed in uranium mine, mill, and fab-

Nuclear testing by the Soviet Union

nium, and the legacy of the Soviet Union

panic within the village, as hospitals can

related to uranium exposure have been

Nuclear Centre Institute, he believes that

sleeping sickness so far, is linked to ura-

The unresolved sickness is causing

The majority of adverse health outcomes

uranium ore for the Soviet Union nuclear program. In the Krasnogorsk region, radon concentrations are four or ﬁve times

earth – the mountainous Russian archi-

the Urals and at the Missile Test Range area in Kazakhstan. In the Kazak area, it

is estimated that the region endures double the worldwide cancer rate and that

half its people have suffered damage

to their reproductive cells, which means

their offspring are likely to be afﬂicted by genetic complaints.

what is considered normal. The mine

All of these genetic complications could

ades, but radon gas could be emitting

ing sleeping condition that the village

colorless and odorless radioactive gas

a clear indication of the horriﬁc effects

water, and rock. Radon has been linked

such disregard. The nuclear weapons

do not typically match up with the sleep-

village has clearly had a negative effect

has not been operational for two dec-

have something to do with the disturb-

from underneath the ground. Radon is a

people in Kalachi are experiencing. It is

formed by uranium breakdown in soil,

of mankind treating his environment with

to lung cancer, however the symptoms

program that took place near the Kalachi

ing sickness.

on the health of people, and certainly

than when the ground is frozen. Some

A connection has been made between

ment either. These people will have to

nection to wind direction. The most plau-

esthesiologists often use a similar gas,

effects of nuclear weapons testing.

of the gas within an hour after surgery.

through the experience. The bizarre twist

in the story is that those who experience the sleeping sickness, wake up feeling

disorientated and confused, and experi-

ence substantial memory loss. Since the

ﬁrst outbreak in 2013, 122 people in the

village have fallen victim to the mysterious disease. The sleeping periods tend to come in waves, with people experiencing the sickness more during a thaw,

believe that there could also be a con-

the gas and the sickness because an-

sible cause is related to the damaging

but patients wake up from the effects

would not be beneﬁcial to the environdeal with the negative effects of the Sovi-

et Union on their health and environment for generations to come.

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INTERVIEW

TOYOTA

HYBRID GENERATION Without a doubt, Toyota is recognized as one of the outstanding leaders of the hybrid generation of vehicles. Toyota has retained the crown as the world’s biggest selling auto company for a third year, with annual sales of 10.23m vehicles. With this level of success, the brand has been able to develop, and explore new, more sustainable horizons. Alan Carpenter, GM of Sales & Marketing, Al-Futtaim Motors Toyota, spoke to Ziwira in an exclusive interview about Toyota’s Hybrid collection, and the future of sustainable motoring.

y the end of 2006, there were ap-

proximately 15 hybrid vehicles

from various car makers available

in the United States. By May 2007, Toyota sold its ﬁrst million hybrids and had

sold a total of two million hybrids at the end of August 2009. Dubai in particular, has grasped the opportunity to make the

most of hybrid vehicles by incorporat-

agreement with Dubai Municipality that will see the organization take hold of a total of three Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

cars that will be used and evaluated for

future wide-scale deployment. This deal will further improve the nation’s sustainable transportation credentials in line with Expo 2020’s vision.

ing them into taxi transport. In-line with

Globally, cumulative Toyota hybrid vehi-

to a low-carbon society, Al-Futtaim Mo-

sulting in approximately 49 million fewer

the UAE, has expanded its alternative

been emitted by gasoline-powered ve-

contributions

cle sales have surpassed 7 million, re-

tors, exclusive distributor of Toyota in

tons of CO2 emissions that would have

fuel vehicles offerings, culminating in an

hicles of similar size and driving perfor-

Toyota’s

environmental

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mance. Toyota also estimates that its hy-

brid vehicles have saved approximately 18 million kilolitres of gasoline compared

to the amount used by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar sizes. The handover to Dubai Municipality, which took place at

the 17th Water, Energy, Technology, and

Environment Exhibition (WETEX), was at-

tended by Humaid Saeed Almarri, Director of Transportation Department, Dubai Municipality, as well as Alan Carpenter,

General Manager of Sales & Marketing, Al-Futtaim Motors – Toyota.

April Issue 4 2015

INTERVIEW

GENERAL MANAGER, MARKETING & SALES – AL-FUTTAIM MOTORS TOYOTA

ALAN CARPENTER

Q. Do you see hybrid vehicles increasing in popularity in the UAE?

A. We believe that green mobility is the future, which is why we have introduced hybrid vehicles into commercial operation with taxi ﬂeets in the UAE, such as Dubai

Taxi Corporation and Cars Taxi. We are also trialing plug-in hybrid technology with Dubai Municipality in line with our recent announcement. This development

is in line with the UAE government’s strategic environmental agenda and Dubai’s

erators, including Cars Taxi are a very

fuel costs and parts.

all ﬂeet operators, taxi companies ap-

Q. Can you differentiate between a hy-

ability that are synonymous with Toyota

cle?

important customer group for us. Like preciate the Quality, Durability and Reli-

vehicles as well as the aftersales services provided by Al-Futtaim Motors. Our cars have been part of the UAE mobility

scene for decades, with more than 70% of Dubai Taxi Corporation’s ﬁrst ever ﬂeet

in 1995, comprising over 70% of Toyota Camry cars.

Integrated Energy Strategy plan which

As technology and the needs of the city

by 2030 and diversify the energy mix with

brid ﬂeet was handed over to Dubai Taxi

aims to reduce energy demand by 30% 71% from natural gas, 24% from nuclear

and clean coal, and 5% from solar energy.

Q. How successful have hybrid vehi-

progressed, the ﬁrst Toyota Camry Hy-

Corporation in 2013, soon followed by Cars Taxi who witnessed the ﬁnancial

and environmental beneﬁts that the new hybrid ﬂeet offers.

brid vehicle and a plug-in hybrid vehi-

A. The word Hybrid simply means a

combination of two or more things. In the case of a Toyota this means two sources of power: an electric motor and a combustion engine.

At Toyota we don’t just talk about eco cars

and lowering CO2, we lead the way with technology that we believe will help deliver our aim to zero emissions. At the heart

of our strategy is Hybrid Synergy Drive,

a full hybrid technology that Toyota has been developing for years. The principle

behind Hybrid Synergy Drive is simple; in vehicles equipped with conventional

cles become?

Q. How much is actually saved by us-

powertrain, energy is wasted mainly due

A. Toyota is the world leader in hybrid

fuel, and CO2 emissions?

Drive recovers most of this energy, stores

ﬁeld, having launched the Toyota Prius in

A. During a typical 700,000km lifecycle, a

most appropriate time through an electric

best-selling hybrid vehicle in the world,

of 35 percent reduction in fuel consump-

technology, and is the pioneer in this 1997. Since then, Prius has become the in over 80 countries, and being rated as

among the cleanest vehicles sold in the

United States. Overall, Toyota has sold over 7 million hybrid vehicles worldwide.

Q. What is the future of Al-Futtaim Motors’ partnership with Cars Taxi? Can

we expect to see more hybrid taxi’s in

ing a hybrid vehicle in terms of money,

Toyota Hybrid Camry will achieve a total

it in a battery and then it is re-used at the motor.

tion compared to a conventional vehicle

A plug-in hybrid vehicle works essentially

more than AED 50,000 in fuel costs.

driving range for enhanced fuel efﬁcien-

Q. How do they cater to the well-being

cars that were handed over to Dubai Mu-

of the same category saving its owner

of the environment?

A. Direct research by Cars Taxi saw that

the UAE?

the 55 Camry vehicles in the ﬂeet have

A. We enjoy a strong relationship with

3,085 tonnes over 700,000kms, while

ﬂeet operators across the UAE. Taxi op-

to continuous braking. Hybrid Synergy

achieved CO2 emission reduction of

the same, but has an extended electric cy, such as with the Prius Plug-in Hybrid nicipality recently. With a fully charged

battery, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid can provide up to an EPA-rated 95 MPGe3 in EV

Mode having been charged from a mains electricity charging station.

shaving off more than AED 3 million in

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INTERVIEW

Q. Electric vehicles are still a relative-

ducing water as the only by-product of

cles in the future (for example Toyota

much longer, and have had more time

The car has been launched in Japan and

A. We enjoy reasonably low fuel prices in

more maintenance and attention at

adopted globally in the near future.

rest of the world. As a result, people didn’t

ly new concept, as opposed to petrol

run vehicles which have been around to evolve. Do electric vehicles require this stage?

the whole process.

we hope to see this technology being

Q. What are the future plans of Toyota

A. In the case of Toyota hybrid the oppo-

UAE regarding sustainability? Are you

the millions of kilometers driven by taxi

models?

site has been proved to be true through operators in Dubai. They have seen re-

ductions in service costs and tire costs as well as the fuel savings.

planning to expand on your hybrid

A. We are in talks with several government and private companies to assess

the feasibility of expanding hybrid vehicle

We are looking at even more advanced

usage in the UAE. The ﬁrst process was

announced the Mirai, the ﬁrst Toyota

in Hybrid vehicles to Dubai Municipality,

sion car that works on hydrogen fuel cell

future wide-scale deployment.

technology at this stage. Toyota recently

the delivery of three Toyota Prius Plug-

Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV), a zero emis-

which will be assessed and evaluated for

technology, which runs on electric power

produced with hydrogen and oxygen in

specially developed fuel cell stacks, pro-

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Q. Does Toyota UAE have any plans to distribute fully battery operated vehi-

iQ EV)? Or are hybrids here to stay?

the UAE, and the region, compared to the feel the urgent need to shift to alternative fuel sources. However, new regulations will eventually come into place which

necessitate considering different energy options, whether electric or hybrid, with the government already implementing 16

charging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Dubai, with a further 84 to be operational by the end of the year.

From our side, our corporate customers have been extremely satisﬁed and impressed with the results of their hybrid

ﬂeet operation, and we hope this will translate into demand on the retail front.

April Issue 4 2015

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ECO-TECH

By Zane Small

ENVIROTEC @ARABLAB EXPO The ArabLab Expo is the largest technology show serving the Middle East and Africa. It is the number one technology showpiece for the Indian SubContinent. ArabLab connects people from all over the world, showcasing the latest science instrumentation equipment.

he ArabLab Expo was held at the Dubai Inter-

immediately impressed by the scale of it. Everywhere I

March 23-26. This year, the ArabLab Expo held

nies displaying new cutting-edge technology. However,

national Convention & Exhibition Centre from

a sub-section event called EnviroTec. I decided to go and check out this event, and discover for myself what it had to offer. The EnviroTec show was described as

the International Show for Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Environmental

Technology. As I walked through the grand entrance of the convention center and entered the show, I was

looked, there was an impressive showcase by compaI was only interested in getting to know those who had

that eco-friendly spark. As I walked through the massive

halls, gawking at the displays, I soon found a few com-

panies that particularly caught my eye. Here I present to you, my readers, some information I gathered from my time at the ArabLab Expo.

FLUID MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FMS) At the FMS display, I spoke to Phil. M. Germansder-

that all laboratories have today, for example, analyz-

talk about his display. FMS was founded in 1985, and

water, responding to natural or man-made disasters, or

fer. He was a very pleasant man and was eager to specializes in designing, manufacturing, and supporting analytical instruments used by scientists to perform

extraction, cleanup, fractionation and concentration of

environmental samples prior to chemical analysis. FMS designs automated sample preparation systems designed to replace outdated, labor-intensive techniques that hinder productivity.

What particularly impressed me about this company, is

its dedication to facing the environmental challenges

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ing contaminants in waste water, the purity of drinking

identifying emerging contaminants. To meet these challenges, all FMS products and consumables are guar-

anteed and manufactured in Class 10,000 and Class 1,000 cleanroom environments (a controlled environ-

ment that has a low level of pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles, and chemical va-

pors) and both instruments and consumables are made in the USA.

April Issue 4 2015

DECAGON DEVICES When I approached the Decagon Devices display, Matt Gallo-

way was more than happy to talk to me about some of the products and services offered by Decagon. Decagon was founded by Dr. Gaylon Campbell in 1983. Dr. Campbell is a renowned scientist at Washington State University. When he wanted to

measure something, he built an instrument to measure it. Other

people wanted his creations, and eventually he couldn’t keep up with the demand. Decagon was formed to build and sell his in-

struments. Decagon, after 25 years, is a thriving company where research scientists work to build what they and their colleagues need, to do good research.

To provide for environmental research, Decagon offers the DS-2 Sonic Anemometer. The DS-2 is a rugged, research-grade two-

dimensional sonic anemometer built speciﬁcally for agricultural,

forestry, and environmental research applications. It is customized for environmental research. Wind speed and direction are

fundamental measurements necessary for a wide range of agricultural, forestry, and micrometeorological applications. The

DS-2 was designed to put the accuracy and low maintenance beneﬁts of sonic anemometers in a sensor built speciﬁcally for these applications.

BRISTOL INDUSTRIAL & RESEARCH ASSOCIATES LTD (BIRAL) During my time at EnviroTec, I also spoke to Nathan Neal, the

Sales & Marketing Director for Biral. Biral designs, manufactures

and distributes high quality meteorological sensors for profes-

sional markets, including aviation, offshore platforms and wind

energy. The company has a rich history in designing and making innovative products including advanced weather sensors cov-

ering precipitation, wind speed and direction, temperature, visibility and thunderstorm detection through to aerosol analyzers.

Nathan spoke to me about Biral’s Visibility Sensors which can

be used to, “detect lightning, radio frequencies, and measure

electrostatic charge in the atmosphere”. These detectors which are new to the market, can be used by sustainable wind-power

farms to detect any potential devastating storms, as well as protecting airﬁelds.

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ECO-TECH

OUTRAGEOUS GREEN INVENTIONS The world of sustainable technology is clearly expanding. These zany eco-friendly inventions will have you thinking: “How did they come up with that?”

BLOOD LAMP Mike Thompson, a designer based in the United States, has invented a rather extremist way of getting people to save more energy. On an average, Americans use 3,383 kWh of

energy annually, which is the same as leaving the light on in four bedrooms for 12 months. Mike believes that just as losing too much blood can put your life in danger, so can

using too much energy and putting the environment at risk.

He asked himself, “What if power came at a cost to the individual?” Voila, he developed the Blood Lamp, which requires

a drop of blood to be activated. The lamp’s secret ingredient is luminol, the chemical forensic scientists use to check for

blood, because it glows blue when it reacts with the iron in red blood cells. In order to light the lamp, you have to break

the top off, dissolving the powder, and then use your blood to

light the simple light. However, the lamp can only be turned on once, so the user must carefully consider when light is needed the most, forcing them to rethink how careless they are with energy, and how precious it really is.

Blood Lamp by Mike Thompson @ Discovery 09

GREEN WARRIOR SHOWER CURTAIN This product is sure to make you reconsider how much water you use. Yes, everyone knows that taking a long, relaxing

hot shower is heavenly, but it is also very wasteful. Elisabeth Buecher, a French textile designer based in London, wanted

to create something to force people to notice their excessive water consumption. She has labelled her invention, “Design

for pain, and for our own good”. Her ‘My Shower Curtain is a Green Warrior’ collection is a series of shower curtains that

Shower Curtain is a green warrior” @ ICFF

act as timers that will supposedly force people to use less

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water. One of the curtain designs is called ‘Trap’. The device allows you to shower for four minutes, before it inﬂates

around you, leaving you trapped in the shower. Her other design is called ‘Spiky’, which also allows you to shower for

four minutes, before it inﬂates air-ﬁlled plastic spikes, shov-

ing you out of the shower. Beucher understand that her designs are considered to be rather radical, but she doesn’t care. She hoped that her curtain designs would provoke a

debate around water issues. She believes that with giant spikes pushing you out of the shower, you will be more likely

to understand the message that the product is designed to

make you think. According to Buecher, “If you don’t want to get trapped you have to get out before it does, and stop damaging the environment.”

April Issue 4 2015

POOR LITTLE FISH BOWL SINK This invention will separate the environmentalists from the commoners. Designer Yan Lu has created his appropriately titled ‘Poor Little Fish Bowl Sink’, as a way to create a direct

incentive to minimize the amount of water we waste. For ex-

ample, how long do you leave the water running when you

are brushing your teeth? The device works by decreasing the amount of water in a ﬁsh bowl above the sink, as you turn

the faucet on. But never fear, the water sources to the ﬁsh bowel and the faucet are completely separate. You would not

be washing your hands in ﬁsh excrement, or sending soapy

water back to the ﬁsh bowl. The ﬁsh’s “aquarium” is simply designed to lower its water level until you stop washing your

hands, although it never drains completely. Although a very

innovative idea, the concept could raise some voices about animal cruelty, as the rapidly changing environment could be

tough and confusing for the ﬁsh. However, it does make the ﬁsh’s situation ironically similar to life in the real world. Speaking about his invention, Lu says the sink is, “An emotional

way to persuade consumers to think about saving water.”

However, PETA has informed Lu otherwise, sending him a chilling letter which said, “Environmental education does not require cruelty to animals”.

WHITE GOAT MACHINE The White Goat Machine is very unconventional, very useful,

and very expensive! Japanese company Oriental has invent-

ed an incredible machine that recycles ofﬁce paper into toilet paper, all within an enclosed unit. It is as simple as putting

paper into the machine, and within 30 minutes out comes a roll of toilet paper. During the process, the White Goat re-

moves any stray staples that might be present. It then shreds the paper, mixing it with water, ﬂattens the pulp, dries it, and

rolls it into the bathroom tissue. It takes 40 sheets of paper to make one roll, and each roll costs 10-12 cents. However, the

down side is that the enormous machine weighs a whopping 1,300 pounds, stands 6 feet tall, and costs $100,000. If you

were to purchase the machine for economical purposes, you

would need to produce 200,000 rolls of toilet paper to pay for itself, which would require it to run continuously for 11 years.

However, the environmental beneﬁts of the machine cannot

be overlooked. While running the machine would require a lot of energy to run, it is innovative ideas such as this that have

the potential to create change in the world. As the inventors

continue to work on the machine, it will undoubtedly become smaller, more efﬁcient, and less expensive.

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WILDLIFE

KOALA

FACTS ABOUT KOALAS Koalas are natives of eastern and southeastern Australia. Their natural habitat is in eucalyptus trees. They can consume up to two and a half pounds of eucalyptus leaves per day. Koalas don’t drink much water. They get most of their moisture from the leaves they eat. Koalas are not bears and should not be called ‘Koala bears’. They are known as marsupials, or pouched animals, whose young are born immature and further develop in the pouch. Before colonization almost 10 million koalas thrived along the coastline. They are hunted ruthlessly for their fur and numbers are now in sharp decline. Koalas are mostly nocturnal and sleep for 18-20 hours each day and only part of the night. Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia are the only states where Koalas are found naturally in the wild.

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700 KOALAS PUT TO DEATH Australia is experiencing controversy, after close to 700 Koalas were terminated because of over population. The Australian Koala Foundation was shocked and imminently demanded an explanation.

native creatures, its closest

living relative being Wombats. Koalas are found mainly in the eastern areas of Australia including Queens-

land, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

Regrettably, between 2013 and

2014, about 700 Koalas were put

down due to an apparent over population. The particular Koalas that

were euthanized were from Cape Otway near the Great Ocean Road.

Victoria State Environment Minister Lisa Neville has defended the actions of the animals being put down,

stating the area where the Koalas

had been living “smelt like death”.

She further added that “The intervention was necessary to prevent suffer-

ing of koalas because they weren’t

able to ﬁnd enough food.” Neville felt

that it was unfair to leave the Koalas to suffer in poor health, so the

decision was made to humanely kill

686 Koalas that were found in poor health, by veterinarians. Neville had apparently considered the idea of relocating the Koalas, but had found

previous evidence of it not working in most cases.

Chief Executive of the Australian

Koala Foundation believed the news of the Koala deaths to be “shocking”, saying that the deaths wouldn’t

have been necessary, had the man-

agement of the Cape Otway popu-

lation been more sufﬁcient. Almost 20 years ago, the Foundation had

advised the government to improve

the koalas’ habitat by creating path-

ways for them to travel for food. The Foundation is now calling for a Koala Protection Act to be introduced na-

tionwide. It estimates that there are fewer than 100,000 of the animals remaining.

Koalas are not listed as an endan-

gered species by the International

Union for Conservation of Nature,

but they have been identiﬁed by the Australian government as ‘vulnerable’ and by the US as ‘threatened’.

Thousands were slaughtered for their fur during the past century.

The Koalas at Cape Otway were

initially moved there from French

Island, off Victoria in the 1980s. The

Koalas have similar ﬁngerprints to humans

most beloved and well-known

island had been a safe haven for the animals from hunting for their pelts in

the 1900s. However, by the 1980s, the Koala population on French Island was getting too big, so some

of the animals had to be relocated.

One of the reasons why the Koalas

have ﬂourished at Cape Otway is because they are protected, and

therefore remain far from the reach of any natural predators which include wedge-tailed eagles, or even

bush ﬁres which happen often during Australia’s dry seasons.

Koalas cannot be kept legally as pets

he Koala is one of Australia’s

Koalas eat eucalypt leaves and almost nothing else

April Issue 4 2015

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WILDLIFE

AUSTRALIA’S

GREAT BARRIER REEF Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott assures the international community that protecting Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, is a top priority of the Australian Government.

to be in a poor and worsening condition. The reef has

In June, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will de-

a plague of coral-eating starﬁsh. The greatest long-term

he United Nations Educational, Scientiﬁc and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has expressed concern about the continuously decreasing well-

being of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. cide if the reef is to be listed as ‘in danger’. The Australian

government has submitted a long term plan to improve

the reef called the ‘Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. The plan sets a number of targets to reduce pollu-

tion running on to the reef, including an 80% reduction in nitrogen and a 50% cut in sediment by 2025.

To contribute to the plan, the Federal Government of Queensland (new labor government), is now banning

dumping in the reef’s marine park and announced a further $100m in funding for the Reef Trust, a body that will

work with landowners to ensure chemicals are not ﬂowing

into the coral ecosystem. Australian Prime Minister Tony

Abbott has spoken out about his concern for the Great Barrier Reef, announcing to the world that Australia will do all that it can to keep it from being listed as ‘in danger’.

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Government scientists believe that the reef is considered

lost over half of its coral during the past 30 years. It has

also been further damaged by coastal development and threat to the reef is climate change, with scientists criticiz-

ing the draft reef 2050 plan for its lack of attention to the issue. Tony Abbott has addressed the climate change situation, believing it to be very important, stressing that climate change, “impacts upon our entire world, it’s relevant

for all reefs including this, the world’s greatest reef”. But he added that it was “important to continue to strengthen

our economy because a strong economy and a better environment should go hand in hand.”

Abbott was referring to the potential development of nine

large mines in the Galilee Basin region of Queensland which would, if all operated at full capacity, produce coal

that would emit an estimated 705m tonnes of carbon di-

oxide a year which is far more than Australia’s national total.

April Issue 4 2015

increase in global temperatures. When oceans warm up, it causes coral bleaching, which is when the algae (zooxanthallae) that lives inside the coral leaves, exposing the

white skeleton of the coral. The warmer temperature upsets the balance between the coral and the algae, which pro-

vides up to 90% of their food and energy source. The Great Barrier Reef has experienced two mass coral bleaching events in 1998 and 2002. Bleaching was more severe in 2002, when aerial surveys showed that over 50% of reefs experienced some coral bleaching.

Coral reefs are important for many reasons. Most importantly, they provide protection and shelter for many differ-

ent species of ﬁsh. Without coral reefs, these ﬁsh are left homeless with nowhere to live and nowhere to have their

babies. Losing the Great Barrier Reef would be a huge loss to our world, as it is an ancient system which has existed

“

Australia is telling its

international partners that we are utterly committed as an

entire nation to the protection of the Great Barrier Reef,

one of the natural wonders of the world. We’re making our position clear right around the world; this is a number

one priority of the Australian government to protect the Great Barrier Reef

for 500,000 years. Hopefully, the Australian government with the help of other countries and NGOs, can ensure its vibrant survival.

“

An increase of emissions into our atmosphere, means an

– Tony Abbott

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WILDLIFE

During the 20thCentury, new research suggests that almost three million whales were killed by humans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a terrible scar on the history of mankind.

(Rose Harbor Whaling Station, Canada, 1918)

DEVASTATION OF WHALING

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April Issue 4 2015

hales have been hunted around the world for thousands of years. For Eskimos and indigenous people living in Greenland, the climate was too cold to grow their own produce. Whale meat became a staple diet for them, because it was rich in niacin, iron and protein. Whale blubber could also provide vitamins A, C and D. Every part of the mammal was eaten or used to light lamps and make tools and sleds. Consuming whale meat has also been woven into Japan’s history and culture. Whale meat became a crucial part of the Japanese food supply after World War II, because it was a cheap source of protein for a country that was suffering from postwar poverty. This delicacy was even served to children in school lunches from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Whale oil was another appealing aspect of capturing whales. Whale oil lit lamps and formed candle wax. It also found a place in margarine and other products, like additives in motor oils, automatic transmission ﬂuids, cosmetics, perfumes, detergents and vitamins. An average-size sperm whale could produce approximately 25 to 40 barrels of whale oil. Whale oil fueled the economic growth of many nations, including the United States, Great Britain, Germany and Norway. Robert Roach Jr. of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and his coauthors, have been able to track the number of each species of whale killed by decade as the industry shifted from Blue Whales, to Fin, to Humpbacks, and ﬁnally Minke, as each previous species declined to near extinction. It is estimated today, that there are only 10,000 Blue Whales left after the killing of 150,000 in the 1930s. Despite the killing of Minke whales being more recent, they have recovered to something like their former numbers thanks to a faster breeding cycle than larger cetaceans. According to Rocha, it was only re-

cently that he was able to access more reliable information from the Soviet Union, which enabled him to be able to paint a clearer picture of the amount of whales that have been killed around the world. The authors used data from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) combined with declassified reports from individual nations to produce the estimate. Rocha has said that, “new information is continually being added to the IWC database.” He said that the information was “astonishing” when it began to add up. It wasn’t until the invention of the steam-powered whale catcher in the 1860s that changed the scale of whaling globally. Before the invention of the machine, whaling that was conducted was not big enough to have a significant impact. A paper in Marine Fisheries Review includes a quote from the US Coast Guard in 1938 saying, “One modern factory ship can take more whales in a season than the entire American whaling fleet of 1846 which numbered over 700 vessels.” The majority of modern whale catchers were steam driven, as this is much quieter than a diesel engine, so less alarm was transmitted to the whale. After the Second World War, with the invention of asdic (echo sounder) this device was used to track the whales, thereby speeding up the hunt. The modern harpoon cannon was devised by the Norwegian Sven Foyn from Tønsberg. This device enabled the whalers to shoot the largest rorquals which previously could not be caught. This cannon was mounted on the forecastle of a steam powered vessel. This vessel could eventually outrun these whales, and the type of harpoon which the cannon fired had an explosive warhead which exploded after it entered the whale. During the 20th Century, majority of whaling was conducted in the southern hemisphere, because that

is where whales seemed to be most populous. In 1900, industrial whaling reached the southern seas. In Rocha’s paper, it is estimated that more than two-thirds of the whales hunted between 1900 and 1999 were in the Southern Hemisphere. Whaling even reached as far as New Zealand, which is a country known for having a lot of whale beaching’s. The ﬁrst whaling ship, from America, came to New Zealand waters in 1791. Over the next 10 years, the seas around New Zealand became a popular place to catch whales. There were plenty of them, and New Zealand provided safe waters and a place to stock up on food and wood. A lot of American and French whalers arrived in the 1830s, establishing a popular southern whaling destination for the future century. Whaling in New Zealand was declared illegal in 1978. Sadly, there is now evidence that suggests a link between whaling and environmental damage. Even though whaling exists today on a much smaller scale, it still has an impact on the balance of the ocean. Whales fertilize the ocean by eating in iron and nitrogen-rich waters and defecating where the nutrients are scarce. The massive reduction in this function has impoverished ﬁsh stocks and may have accelerated global warming. Unfortunately whaling does continue today. Despite a commercial ban imposed by the International Whaling Commission (formed in 1946 to monitor the fate of whales), Japan is allowed to hunt whales annually under Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The Japanese government says it’s studying whale populations. Activist groups accuse the Japanese of hunting whales to sell the meat in their country. I think we all know the truth…

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TRAVEL

Turtle Island has astonishing untouched beauty, with a community and resort all made possible by one man, who is an environmental advocate. He stopped at nothing to ensure the ecological success of a place he now calls home.

TURTLE ISLAND A FIJIAN NIRVANA

urtle Island is just one of the 330 islands that make up the island nation of Fiji, in the South Paciﬁc. Of the islands, only one third of them are inhabited.

It was 1972 when Richard Evanson, the previous owner

of a Western Washington cable TV system, decided to

establish himself away from the Western world. It was in Fiji where he purchased an island called Vanuya Levu, a 500-acre, barren, uninhabited island in Fiji’s Yasawa archipelago, and renamed it Turtle Island.

Evanson dedicated himself to revitalizing the land, turnof Fijian natives, who assisted him in planting 300,000 trees. He restored and preserved the island’s beaches and reefs, and re-introduced dozens of species of

indigenous birds and wildlife. Columbia Pictures was

so impressed with Turtle Island that they convinced

Evanson to let them film the 1980 movie The Blue Lagoon there. When filming finished, Evanson turned the

studio’s abandoned cottages into guest suites, and opened the island as a resort. www.ziwira.com

“

ing it into an ecological island paradise with the help

Turtle Island is a precious gift

of nature and something to be treasured and protected.

April Issue 4 2015

The resort is recognized internationally as a leading eco-

tourism destination. In 2000, the resort was awarded Green Hotelier of the Year from the International Hotels

and Restaurants Association. The award recognized innovative initiatives in education, health care, and employment for local people. During the past 40 years, over half a million trees have been planted on Turtle Island, which

was originally barren as a result of being overgrazed by goats. About 100,000 of the trees planted are mahogany. The trees encourage ecological biodiversity, re-establish

indigenous forests, prevent soil erosion, create windbreaks, and add to the natural beauty.

In 2013, a solar farm was installed to harvest the energy

of the sun, to meet the increasing energy requirements of the resort. Now the resort has a clean future, and is

self-sustainable and independent of diesel. The resort

regularly invites environmental and cultural audits by in-

dependent research houses and academics, to ensure that the impact of Turtle Island on the local community

The resort also runs a program dedicated to mangroves

and coconut groves. The resort has introduced fresh water ponds to encourage birdlife, as well as running a

Turtle Release Program which is designed to help save the threatened Green and Hawksbill turtles. Furthermore,

the resort also boasts hydroponic and organic vegetable gardens to produce fresh produce for guests and staff all year.

Today, Evanson’s Turtle Island Community Founda-

tion has opened medical clinics, built classrooms and schools, and has worked to improve water quality, trans-

portation, and a wide variety of other services for the 2,500 residents who live at a basic subsistence level in

eight villages on the six neighboring islands. Evanson clearly favors his new lifestyle and has not looked back on his decision to move to Fiji.

“This kind of work means so much more,” he said.

and the island itself is measured and is positive. In 1999, the environmental auditor concluded that, “t”

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TRAVEL

NEW ZEALAND

AWAROA LODGE Our next PaciďŹ c travel idea takes you even further south of Fiji, to the luscious green state of New Zealand, the home of expansive mountains, gorgeous forest, and many native birds.

ew Zealand is an untouched beauty that sits rea-

The park was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Tas-

because of its very short European histroy. Al-

covers 22,000 hectares, offering breathtakingly beautiful

sonably unchanged, at the bottom of the earth,

though it does possess an expansive, populated city in

the North Island (Auckland), much of the country has remained very peaceful and natural. This is especially

the case in the South Island, with a population of only 1 million.

Awaroa Lodge is located in the Abel Tasman National Park, which sits at the northern peak of the South Island.

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man who visited the country in 1642. The national park

scenic views and elusive river estuaries. Because of the

mild climate, it makes for a great summer holiday destination. The Awaroa Lodge was established in the area

in 1991 by a group of local people from the Golden bay Area. The area was just farmland with a few cows and sheep when the original lodge buildings were erected.

April Issue 4 2015

KIWI SUSTAINABILITY The Awaroa Lodge is considered to be an

eco-lodge. It is a contributor to the Nelson-Tasman Sustainable Tourism Charter, which is a regionally deﬁned vision of what sustainable tourism means for lo-

cal tourism businesses. The key themes of the charter incorporate environmental, social, cultural and economic factors of

sustainability. The charter recognizes that every business in the region is responsi-

ble for its own actions and must be ﬁnancially viable, and help identify practice ac-

tions to improve sustainability and deliver long-term ﬁnancial savings. The lodge has been awarded with an Earth Check Benchmark Bronze Status, an internationally recognized standard for tourism.

Recycling is big on the agenda at Awaroa

Lodge, as maintaining the green, pure landscape is considered to be very important. All national parks in New Zealand

operate on the principal that what you

take in with you, you take out, including your personal rubbish. However, whatever can be recycled at the lodge, will be. All clean material is recycled. Individual

products are packed into woolpacks and sent to the recycling depot in Takaka.

This includes such things as tin, paper, cardboard, and plastics. All excess glass is crushed onsite and used in concrete

products. All food scraps are composted

and recycled as fertilizer for the lodge’s organic garden.

Another favorable aspect of the lodge is the way the chef makes the most of the

seasonal greens and herbs planted vari-

ously around the grounds. Organic produce and breads are sourced for the

health and pleasure of guests. The sourcing of organic foods has a signiﬁcant in-

ﬂuence on the menu, but no one is complaining. The lodge operates on a very unique principal: ‘We feed the soil and

the soil feeds the plants.’ Decomposed materials, green and animal manures

are fed into the soil using two methods.

Worm decomposition is the ﬁrst method, whereby coffee and tea leftovers are fed to the worms, which then produces a humus-like output. The worms are able to

turn organic compost matter into the most natural soil enrichment available.

The second method is called Bokashi,

which is a Japanese term meaning ‘fermented organic matter’. It is an anaerobic

fermentation process where left over food

waste is put through a cycle which also produces a humus-like output, essential for soil. Large black drums are used for

composting, and after several weeks, the

decomposed materials are fed back into the garden.

Because Awaroa Lodge is located in New

Zealand, let us not forget the abundance of wildlife on offer. One of the most beautiful sounds to witness when staying at the

lodge is the singing of the native Tui bird or Bellbird. The team at Awaroa Lodge takes great care to develop and restore

the wetland area so that native plants and animals can thrive in the environment.

Other birds to see during a stay include

the paradise duck, and the native Pukeko bird. Giant eels are also often seen in the

water, amidst the peaceful tranquility of the lodge surroundings. Guests are guar-

anteed to enjoy the many native plants

and trees in the area including the Manuka and Kanuka trees, the Harakeke (ﬂax), as well as native ferns. Furthermore, sea

birds including the Dotterel ad the Tern

can be seen on the coast, and also oysters.

Awaroa Lodge is a perfect majestic getaway. Not only will it draw you away from

the continuous stress of city life, but it will also introduce to you a better, more

sustainable way of living. There is nothing more soothing and totally mind-relaxing than lapping up the serenity of endless

greenery. The Awaroa Lodge has provided an exceptional getaway for those who prefer an ecological existence.

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WORLD

COSTA RICA

Never before has a nation managed to power their electricity grid without burning fossil fuels, until now â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all hail Costa Rica!

www.ziwira.com

April Issue 4 2015

ituated in Central America, Cos-

ta Rica stands alone as the ﬁrst country in the world to produce all

of its electricity from renewable energy, for 75 days straight. This is an extraordi-

nary achievement for such a small coun-

try in the Caribbean. We cannot get too ahead of ourselves, seeing as not all of

Cuba’s energy is sourced from renewables, for example fossil fuels continue to

be burned to power vehicles. However,

the Costa Rican government should be recognized for their efforts, as this result is much better than most countries.

Costa Rica is a stunning country, no

doubt about it. The landscape is tropical and mountainous. Tropical countries like

Costa Rica often experience substantial rainfall, which in the case of Costa Rica, enabled them to harness energy from hydroelectric power stations, which it has four of. For this reason, following in the

footsteps of Costa Rica for other coun-

tries will not be as straight forward. The country no longer has a military drain-

ing funds from the government, plus its abundance of water and active volcanoes are not found in all other regions of the world. 2015 has proven so far to

bring a lot of rain to Costa Rica, so most of the power they have been harvesting

has been sourced from water. All of the power that was not sourced in this way,

came from a combination of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy.

Today, Costa Rica ranks second among Latin American countries in terms of electricity service provision, second only to Uruguay. Costa Rica has a household

coverage of 99.4%, and thanks to the increase in renewable energy, citizens can

expect a 12% drop in electricity rates this year given that reserves have accumu-

lated. This downward trend is predicted to continue in the second quarter, ac-

cording to Latin American Herald Tribune reports.

a negative effect on ﬁsh. Furthermore,

the country is being closely followed by countries in the EU like Sweden, Bulgaria and Estonia, who have managed to meet

their 2020 renewable energy goals already. China is also investing a lot in re-

newables, which has been proposed as

a key factor in that CO2 emissions stalled in 2014.

Regardless of these slight negatives, Costa Rica continues to strive and create

Costa Rica is a very ambitious little country, which is beginning to establish itself as a leader of sustainable practic-

ing. The government is determined to become carbon-neutral by 2021, which

even though very ambitious, is consid-

ered to be achievable since the country is currently meeting around 94% of its

energy needs from renewables. Around

68% of this is sourced from hydroelectric plants, followed by geothermal energy

that contributes to about 15%. Costa Rica has been consistently ranked in the top ﬁve ecologically friendly countries in

the world, thanks to its dedication to using renewable resources.

worthy goals. The country has begun to

embrace electric and hybrid transportation as part of its carbon neutral target,

as cars are still being run on fossil fuels.

The people of Costa Rica are beginning to recognize the beneﬁts of these tech-

nologies, and how one should be proud

if they are able to reduce their carbon footprint. The government has pledged to support the electric vehicle movement

with incentives, needed to overcome

market barriers during these transitional years, including the higher price tag of

electric vehicles and limited number of charging stations.

If more little countries like Costa Rica

The country has also experienced its fair

share of doubt, being completely reliant

on sustainable energy. For example, if Costa Rica was hit with a terrible drought,

it would completely impede their ability

to produce hydropower. Hydroelectric

sustainable energy, it would be a great way of inﬂuencing massive countries

like China and India to make signiﬁcant changes too. 2015 looks to be a year of

shifting to more renewable energy resources, and thanks to Costa Rica, the revolution has already begun.

AL PA ATIO N ANTO NIO N UEL MAN

LCAN O L VO AREN A

ECO

TOUR ISM

dams have also been linked to having

could stand up to the challenge of using

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WORLD

Tropical Cyclone Pam in Port Vila, Vanuatu, March 14

COULD CYCLONE PAM BE A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE?

CYCLONE PAM Cyclone Pam has been raised as an issue at United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Talks, about the connection between climate change, and natural disasters. Could there be a connection between this super storm, and climate change?

est storms in history, swept through Vanuatu on

March 13 destroying all in its path, with winds

of up to 250km/h. During that time, Vanuatu’s President Baldwin Lonsdale, was in Sendai, Japan, attending the

United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Talks (quite ironic). Baldwin Lonsdale had been assured by early forecasts the cyclone was not heading for his coun-

try. In an emotional address to delegates, Lonsdale described Pam as, “a monster that has hit Vanuatu”

and “wiped out” development. He linked the country’s changing weather patterns to global warming.

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“

yclone Pam, now considered one of the deadli-

We see the level of sea rise… The cyclone seasons, the warm, the rain, all this is affected. This year we have

more than in any year … Yes, climate change is contributing to this.

– Baldwin Lonsdale

April Issue 4 2015 Scientists have always been cautious about

attributing speciﬁc weather events to climate change. The latest Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change report found some signs

that tropical storms are becoming more in-

tense, if not necessarily more frequent. There is, however, a much more direct link between

human-caused greenhouse gas emission

and a rise in sea levels, as there is signiﬁcant melting of polar ice, and warming oceans are

expanding. These changes to the climate are a direct threat to the survival of low-lying is-

lands like Vanuatu, and increases their vulnerability to storms. The UN estimates 87% of natural disasters are linked to climate change. Patterns of ﬂooding and drought are changing as well as major storms.

Ronny Jumeau, climate negotiator for the Seychelles, raised the contentious issue of compensation from historic polluters to those

irreparably impacted by the changing cli-

mate. Known as “loss and damage”, this is one of the big unresolved issues for climate

negotiators aiming to strike a deal in Paris this December. He tweeted “How can you look at the pics of pain and devastation coming out of Vanuatu and not think #lossanddamage?”

Rachel Kyte, climate envoy for the World Bank, was a deﬁnite supporter of the con-

nection between disaster risk and climate change at the Sendai convention. She

doesn’t necessarily feel that climate change directly caused Cyclone Pam. She does how-

ever, believe that during the past three to four

years, there has been a signiﬁcant regularity of category ﬁve storms. Whether or not there

is enough evidence to support the idea that storms like Cyclone Pam are related to cli-

mate change, the possibility must still be explored to reduce the likes of further disasters.

UPDATE ON VANUATU At least 24 people have been killed by Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, with 166,000 people

affected by the cyclone, spread over 22 islands.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable the death toll is

so low,” said Richard Barnes, 43, a property valuer from New Zealand who has lived near

the capital Port Vila, on Efate island for seven years.

In Port Villa, the capital of Vanuatu, 393 people found their homes totally destroyed and are now living in the Freswota School’s

classrooms. The school is run by husband and wife team Regina and Manses Kalo, who

said it was a nominated evacuation center and that aid agency Save the Children was

ﬁrst on the scene after the cyclone churned across the island.

The head of the United Nations’ Disaster As-

sessment and Coordination team, Sebastian

Rhodes Stampa, said there were a number of people who urgently needed food and water supplies and assistance rebuilding hous-

ing and shelter. Aerial surveys of the islands are continuing with troops from Australia,

New Zealand and France all helping in the

relief effort. A New Zealand air force plane ﬂying over Vanuatu’s northern islands has

been surveying the damage and checking on potential water sources for survivors. The United Nations said Vanuatu needed at least

$US2 million in ﬁnancial aid to buy supplies and ship them to the worst-hit islands.

www.discovervanuatu.com.au is a website

dedicated to Australians helping out those who have suffered from Cyclone Pam. The

website encourages Australian people to take a holiday in Vanuatu, and take some

time out to help with repair projects. Recovery efforts are moving quickly and properties

are coming back online and others will continue to over the next few months. The island

of Espiritu Santo has not been affected and is operating normally. The website offers spe-

ciﬁc information about which hotels are open

and which are not, with details about what buildings require extra help. This enables anyone from around the world to access the

information and help out in any way they can. Aid workers are now trying to get aid to iso-

lated islands where airstrips, ports and communications are extensively damaged. Two

helicopters were onboard a French frigate leaving nearby New Caledonia on Thursday,

and Australia and New Zealand were also sending vessels.

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ENTERTAINMENT

LIVE EARTH RETURNS IN 2015 WITH PHARRELL WILLIAMS

‘Live Earth’ – the multiple worldwide environmental awareness concert – will return in June 2015 with Pharrell Williams as the Creative Director.

he smash hit worldwide phenome-

States, France, and even a possible con-

ness and call for more action on climate

The last Live Earth showcase took

broadcast on all major media platforms.

hard to believe we’re all aware we only

non Live Earth is returning in 2015.

place in 2007. Live Earth is a movement,

cert in Antarctica. The concerts will be

where over 100 artists perform in 7 con-

Partners of the organization include the

of climate change. Co-founders Former

UN Framework Convention on Climate

tinents in 24 hours to raise awareness

US Vice President and Philanthropist Al

Gore, and Emmy award winning Producer Kevin Wall, announced that Live Earth would be returning on June 18 this year. They made their announcement

at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. The co-founders were joined on stage by Pharrell Wil-

liams, who was announced as the ofﬁcial Creative Director of Live Earth 2015 Road to Paris.

The Paris reference in the name of the show refers to where the last show will

take place, in Paris, France, which is where the climate conference will take

place in December. So far, Kevin Wall

United Nations, the convening host of the

Change conference (COP21) in Paris,

December 2015. Another partner is Aaron Grosky, the leading producer and distributor of worldwide entertainment, Con-

trol Room’s live productions showcase

the world’s biggest entertainment on a global scale. His credits include Live 8,

Live Earth (2007) and the FIFA World

a lot of young viewers. “My main inspiration for being here today is that we’re in trouble, but we can change that. This earth is our home.” Williams later greeted

young fans who swarmed the General Assembly hall’s stage, sending UN secu-

rity momentarily into panic as it struggled to contain the wave of screaming young people and their parents.

founded by Nobel Laureate and former

as “a ball”. However, he said, “You would

er partner is the Climate Reality Projects,

US Vice President Al Gore. The Climate

Reality Project reaches out to communi-

ties worldwide to raise awareness of the climate crisis and drive action to solve it through a global shift to clean energy.

the world. These locations include Chi-

United Nations Foundation on Interna-

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eral Assembly hall that was crowded with

Williams has recalled playing Live Earth

Pharrell Williams recently spoke at the

na, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, United

have one planet,” Williams said in a Gen-

Cup Kickoff Celebration Concert. Anoth-

has conﬁrmed that the various concerts

will take place in major stadiums around

change. “If you look at our behavior, it’s

United Nations. He partnered with the tional Day of Happiness to raise aware-

in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, describing it

have pundits and comedians who didn’t

understand global warming and we were often ridiculed. We wanted to do something very different this time.” Williams’s

commitment to raising awareness of climate change is longstanding. When he

collaborated with Madonna on the 2007 single ‘Hey You’, 25 cents from each of

the ﬁrst million downloads was donated to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

BOOK REVIEW

SONY’S GREEN SIDE

Saving green by going green.

Green Living - Saving Water: Water your Garden while Conserving our Water Supply

ot many people know that

Sony has its own green production

policy

and

carbon reduction goals, through

which it has committed to “greening” its footprint.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was said to be the most eco-friendly production in the history of Sony pictures.

According to Sony, the entire team, from producers to studio execu-

tives, cast and crew all contributed to the environmental efforts, both

on set and off. The studio helped to

restore benches and plant trees in the East River Park location where

the movie was ﬁlmed. The local community had been devastated

by Superstorm Sandy prior to the ﬁlming. The studio also donated a further 50 trees to the community after the ﬁlming process was completed.

“After years of working to implement sustainable practices on our productions, our efforts

on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 resulted in estimated cost savings of over $400,000. This is more proof that what’s good for the planet can also be good for the bottom line,” said Doug Belgrad, President of Columbia Pictures.

During the making of the movie, real time messages about the eco efforts (such as Spiderman switching off a light) were sent out through the Twitter handle @EcoSpidey.

This enlightening book by Lisa

Shea provides DIY water conservation tips for all types of people

from those who are only beginning to save to those who are already at the stage of setting up water harvesting systems. Useful, informative and a great read! All proceeds

from this book go towards environmental charities.

This was the first Sony Pictures film to have the EMA (Environmental Media Association) Green Seal in it credits. The final credit reads: Sustainable Efforts Made a Difference.

Sony Pictures Entertainment also conﬁrmed its purchase of carbon offsets that would ren-

der the physical production of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as well as its publicity tour, carbon-neutral.

GREEN ACHIEVEMENTS • The production achieved a 52% diversion rate from landﬁll • Recovered 49.7 tons of materials for donation or reuse on other ﬁlms • Avoided 193,000 single-use plastic water bottles, and donated 5,861 meals to local shelters.

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BUSINESS