Carolyn Khor's blog

The tiger is often a symbol of strength, courage, and resilience. The most famous tigers are the hallmark logos of Maybank, the Johor Ta’zim Football Club’s logo, followed by the now discarded Proton logo of the Malayan tiger used between 2000 and 2008. Even so, people might wonder why Malayan tigers should be saved from extinction. After all, they are predatory animals that threaten humans when there is conflict. However, the role of the Malayan tiger in forest ecosystems cannot be overstated. As apex predators, they help maintain the balance of the ecosystem by controlling the population of herbivores, which in turn ensures the vegetation is not overgrazed. This balance is critical for the health of the forest, which supports a vast array of biodiversity. “A healthy tiger population indicates a healthy ecosystem,” said Harun Rahman, the Project Lead, who is also the husband of Lara, the president of RIMAU. “The Malayan tiger is a subspecies of tiger found in the tropical forests ...

The episodes of haze has returned yet again, and this is among two of the bad haze conditions faced since 1997 and 2005. There is no exception to human error when the health of the whole region comes under siege annually due to the clearing of land by palm oil and timber companies in Indonesia. So far, eight concessionaires have been identified by the Indonesian Environment Minister and National Disaster Mitigation Board, Balthasar Kambuaya. An environmental group known as Greenpeace claim that these plantations belong to Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean conglomerates. The forest fire are said to originate from Riau and Jambi, the eastern side of Central Sumatra. Based on reports by the NOAA satellite, there are currently 227 hotspots and it is expected to continue burning well into the following month due to the high temperature and dry weather. Efforts for cloud-seeding in the region have borne little results as clouds do not form over the hotspots. It is also imposs...

Much has been said about climate changes in the last few decades with not much being done to address the escalating problem. This is especially unfortunate when the environmentalists are up against corporate giants who silence the policy makers into submission with their huge funding by reaping profits from nature. Climate changes is a term used to acknowledge weather patterns over a period of time and is commonly linked to environmental changes including global warming and the greenhouse effect, significant flooding and even storms – the most recent being Superstorm Sandy. Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economist mentioned in his address during a recent visit to Penang that the term ‘climate change’ was not even uttered once by the re-elected President of the United States during his nationwide election campaign. This shows the severity and the clout of apprehensiveness in acknowledging what deserves to be approached in a more aggressive manner to save the environment. However, a...

Original Article in Mandarin by: Teng Kok Liang Green scenery always makes people feel refreshed. It is wrong to think that living in high rise building prohibits us from keeping plants. On the contrary, there are many indoor plants that we can grow to keep our environment green and beautiful. Penang Green Expo 2012 which was held in September 2012 displayed a variety of indoor plants. The Expo also provided an opportunity to learn more about choosing the correct species for planting and decorating the home. For clean and fresh air, the Cactus, Chlorophytum or Scindaprus tops the list as natural purifiers. These plants should not be underestimated as they can help lower the hazardous substances released from electronic appliances and at the same time help purify air pollutants. An alternate choice is the Sansevieria and Boston fern. These plants contain natural plant anion that absorbs Benzene and Trichloroethylene from the air to restore good air quality. For spa...

Green Building Index In keeping pace with the demands of modern living, designers and builders equally reflect their concerns about the environment through incorporating a voluntary green rating scheme which is managed by a board of registered architects and engineers. The Green Building Index has a total of 290 buildings as at June 2012 and nine townships registered for certification throughout the nation.  According to the Northern Chapter President of Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) and also Penang Green Council committee member, Mr. Lawrence Lim, Penang currently has 30 buildings applying for certification while 10 buildings are on provisionary certification. “Penang was the first state in Malaysia to embrace the Green Building Index,” he added. Among the more notable developments that have applied for the GBI are The Light Project by IJM, The Setia Greens by SP Setia, Brooke Residence and Penaga Hotel, a heritage hotel in George Town.  “Despite the pre...