By Sherry Koh | Mar 30, 2010

Feeling the heat? It’s up to you to do something.

Al Gore, Leonardo diCaprio, Julia Roberts. What do they have in common? They are celebrity eco-champions! Al Gore has his Oscar winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”, Julia Roberts showed her compost skills on Oprah, while Leonardo diCaprio has a foundation that fosters awareness of environmental issues.

Mars is currently inhabitable. So that leaves us with the one that we are on, Planet Earth. Toting Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” carrier bag or the likes of it is a first step to “green-ville”. Here are a few more steps you can take.

Megaman energy-saving bulbs

1. Energy

• Make the sun your friend – opt for solar power!

• Use energy-efficient bulbs from companies such as Megaman® (in Bangsar Village II), Philips and Panasonic. The traditional light bulb (also called incandescent light bulbs) will no longer be available by January 2014, as announced by Power, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin on March 18, 2010. The Government will stop all production, import and sales of the bulbs by that date as part of efforts to save power. But you don’t have to wait till then to switch to energy-efficient bulbs!

Assistant general manager of Megaman Sam Lo says, “Every kilowatt of energy saved results in a reduction of 0.4kgs worth of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. In view of global warming, and the depleting resources of the earth, Megaman wholeheartedly supports the Phase Out Schedule, working to create more and more products and solutions to replace traditional energy-guzzling lighting.

Matthias Gelber answering questions at a media briefing for Malaysia’s first carbon-neutral property conference

“We encourage consumers to reduce the use of power in general, taking small steps to change the way they live. Opt for dimmers, to enable control of the brightness required at different times of the day/night, and the use of energy-saving lighting with sensors so that lights come on only when the inhabitants are present. The recycling of light bulbs is also important, so that the materials can be reused.”

• Reducing air-conditioning by 2°C can reduce 900kg of carbon dioxide per year.* In the recent media briefing for an upcoming carbon-neutral property conference, Mr Matthias Gelber from Initiator, Maleki GmbH, Germany, who was also voted as “Greenest Man on the Planet” by 3rdwhale based in Canada and one of the speakers for the conference made an important point.

“At night, even if it is cooler outside, we still feel the heat inside. Because heat goes into the concrete (in the day time), and (is) released at night. Therefore, we feel hot inside (the home). Look at the kampong houses. The way it is insulated, there is no need for air-conditioning at night,” he said.

• Turn off electrical appliances and lights when not in use.

2. Transport

• Consider purchasing fuel-efficient cars. Think Hybrid.

• Walk, cycle or use public transport when possible.

• Improve petrol mileage by more than 3% by keeping tyres inflated. For every 4.4 liters saving in petrol, 9kg of carbon dioxide will be removed.*

3. Material

• Use paint such as Dulux Eco-Guard that contains no formaldehyde, no added lead and mercury.

• Use palm wood. It is certified by the Malaysian Government as 100% eco-friendly timber and is harvested from plantations going through its replanting process (cycle of every 25 years). No toxins or pressing with glue is used in the manufacturing of palm wood and is free of formaldehyde. It is estimated that there are 12 million oil palm trees to be felled for replanting each year at the oil palm estates throughout Malaysia. So, there’s abundant supply!

• Sleep on 100% natural coconut fibre mattress. Good for the environment, good for your back! Fibre Star has a range of mattresses made from 100%  natural coconut fibre.

Clockwise (from left): Lamps made from cat food tins, Tetrapak milk cartons and Yakult bottles

4. Reduce, reuse, recycle

• Think before you throw! Everything you throw goes to a landfill. This creates methane that is twenty times more detrimental than emission of carbon dioxide.

• Reuse it like Ng Sek San of Seksan Design. A landscape architect by profession, he is a maestro at creating something new from something unwanted/used. Tetrapak milk carton, cat food tins, Yakult bottles are fashioned into lamps. Steel and wooden doors are reused for residential projects. Take a look at his eco-chic haven in Bangsar.

Natural & Eco Republic kiosk. Inset: Katherine Loo, the founder of  Natural & Eco Republic

5. Skincare

• Use natural or plant-based personal care products with biodegradable ingredients.

“My partner, Nicholas, and I wanted to do something different, something meaningful and beneficial to people and environment. All our products are natural, free from harmful chemicals, harsh detergents, artificial fragrances and preservatives,” says Katherine Loo, founder of Natural & Eco Republic products which are available at Sunway Giza and Tropicana City Mall.

Go eco!
The green message is gaining momentum and with good reason. Isn’t the current hot and dry, or hazy and suffocating weather a good motivator to do something, no matter how small? At the risk of sounding too kumbaya, here’s quoting the late Michael Jackson, “Make it a better place for you and for me, and the entire human race.”

* Source: Megaman®

Read other green articles:
Chic eco haven in Bangsar
Beautiful Home Series: The 'Iron Leaf'