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Recycling paper to earn cash part of sustainability drive in 15 towns managed by PAP

Posted on December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 by dishanth

You will get six cents for every 1kg of paper deposited at a recycling machine.

That is the carrot dangled at 78 machines in Housing Board estates islandwide, under a new initiative that aims to bring green living to all 15 towns managed by the People’s Action Party.

The Action for Green Towns drive will see other measures being implemented by 2025, including energy-saving smart sensors in common areas.

Details of how these efforts will be rolled out were announced on Saturday (Dec 4) by the PAP at Block 68 Geylang Bahru, one of 58 locations which already have paper recycling machines.

The remaining 20 will be set up at various locations with high residential footfall such as shopping malls and markets by the end of December.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan, coordinating chairman for PAP town councils, said: “What you will see is that people bring the newspaper down and dump it at (bins at) the void deck. That’s a fire hazard and we will have to see whether a karung guni man comes and collects it.

“So it’s either dump at the dustbin and not earn anything or you can bring it (to the machines), do your part to recycle and earn some money in the process.”

Launched in May, the Action for Green Towns initiative will see MPs from each of the 15 PAP town councils work closely with residents to support sustainability.

The paper recycling machines each aims to recycle one tonne of paper every month.ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC who chairs the Action for Green Towns task force, said ambassadors will be deployed at the recycling machines to share more about the sustainability push with residents.

For now, the task force is focusing on raising awareness among residents and engaging with stakeholders such as sustainability experts.

Dr Wan Rizal said: “We are trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to come on board before we move further.”

Future initiatives could include the greening of lift lobbies and corridors.

To enhance energy efficiency, smart sensors will be installed in common areas with lower traffic, such that when no motion is detected, the lights can be dimmed or turned off.

This measure is expected to reduce up to 62 million kWh of energy usage by 2025, equivalent to the energy used by 14,452 four-room HDB homes in a year.

The Action for Green Towns drive will see other measures being implemented by 2025 including energy-saving smart sensors in common areas. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Meanwhile, the paper recycling machines each aims to recycle one tonne of paper every month.

This will save 17 trees from being cut to obtain the pulp needed to produce one tonne of paper.

Civil servant Lau Chun Wai, 41, a resident of Block 65 that is a three-minute walk from the recycling machine at Block 68, said it is more convenient for him to recycle paper products now.

“During the pandemic, when we work from home or shop online, we would have accumulated paper products like cardboard or documents. In the offices, cleaners can help to clear the trash or we would shred them.

“But at home, we don’t have a shredder, so having such machines can help us recycle,” he noted.

Source The Straits Times

Renewable energy has ‘another record year of growth’ says IEA

Posted on December 2, 2021 by dishanth

It has been another record year for renewable energy, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and rising costs for raw materials around the world, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

About 290GW of new renewable energy generation capacity, mostly in the form of wind turbines and solar panels, has been installed around the world this year, beating the previous record last year. On current trends, renewable energy generating capacity will exceed that of fossil fuels and nuclear energy combined by 2026.

New climate and energy policies in many countries around the world have driven the growth, with many governments setting out higher ambitions on cutting greenhouse gas emissions before and at the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow last month.

However, this level of growth is still only about half that required to meet net zero carbon emissions by mid-century.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, said: “This year’s record renewable energy additions are yet another sign that a new global energy economy is emerging. The high commodity and energy prices we are seeing today pose new challenges for the renewable industry, but elevated fossil fuel prices also make renewables even more competitive.”

According to the IEA report, published on Wednesday, renewables will account for about 95% of the increase in global power-generation capacity from now to the end of 2026, with solar power alone providing about half of the increase.

Raw material prices have risen as the world has emerged from the Covid pandemic and on the back of the energy price rises around the world. These price increases have cancelled out some of the cost falls of recent years in the renewable sector. If they continue next year the cost of wind power will return to levels last seen in 2015, and two to three years of cost falls in solar power will be wiped out.

Heymi Bahar, lead author of the report, said that commodity prices were not the main obstacles to growth, however. Wind and solar would still be cheaper than fossil fuels in most areas, he noted. Permitting was the main barrier to new wind energy projects around the world, and policy measures were needed to expand use of solar power for consumers and industry.

“We need a gear change to meet net zero,” he said. “We have already seen a very important gear change in recent years but we need to move up another gear now. It is possible, we have the tools. Governments need to show more ambition, not just on targets but on policy measures and plans.”

China installed the most new renewable energy capacity this year, and is now expected to reach 1,200GW of wind and solar capacity in 2026, four years earlier than its target of 2030. China is the world’s biggest carbon emitter, but the government was reluctant at Cop26 to commit to the strengthening of its emissions-cutting targets, which many observers had hoped for.

China is targeting a peak in emissions by 2030, which many analysts say is much too late if the world is to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the Paris agreement target that was the focus of the Cop26 talks.

Birol said China’s rapid expansion of renewable energy suggested the country could reach an emissions peak “well before 2030”.

India, the world’s third-biggest emitter, also experienced strong growth in renewable energy capacity in the past year, but its target – set out at Cop26 – of reaching net zero by 2070 is also regarded as too weak by many. Birol said: “The growth of renewables in India is outstanding, supporting the government’s newly announced goal of reaching 500GW of renewable power capacity by 2030 and highlighting India’s broader potential to accelerate its clean energy transition.”

Source The Guardian

Orange Sky creates the world’s first solar-powered laundry van to support people experiencing homelessness

Posted on December 1, 2021 by dishanth

Australian not-for-profit Orange Sky, supported by Australian electronics manufacturer, REDARC and global visual communications platform, Canva, launch solar powered laundry van to support people experiencing homelessness in Australian remote communities.
Equipped with a REDARC solar and lithium battery management system, the RV3.0 laundry van has the ability to produce more power than it uses, decreasing electrical consumption by up to 80% per shift.
A total of eight RV3.0 vehicles and three retrofit RV3.0 vehicles will be built at the Orange Sky headquarters and introduced to remote communities including Maningrida, Wadeye, Fitzroy Crossing, Bidyadanga and Palm Island to meet the demand for laundry services.

After launching the Waru Dryer – the world’s first fuel-powered and solar battery-operated clothes dryer just last month, Aussie not-for-profit Orange Sky have today launched another world first – a solar-powered laundry van equipped with three washers and three dryers.

Orange Sky provides access to free laundry services, warm showers and genuine, non-judgmental conversation and connection to community members doing it tough, across Australia and New Zealand via bright orange mobile vans.

With their dedicated ‘Imagination and Innovation’ department, the organisation strives to think outside the box to create smarter and more efficient ways to drive greater impact, with their most recent innovation, the RV3.0 vehicle, doing just that.

The Orange Sky innovation team undertook the preliminary ideation, developing the schematic of the vehicle using Canva, with the global visual communications platform integral to rapidly iterating concepts during early stages of design.

The RV3.0 vehicle is powered by four 180-watt REDARC solar panels, 600-amp hours in lithium batteries and a battery management and charging system to effectively capture, store and use the renewable energy harnessed, giving the vehicle the ability to produce more power than it uses, reducing electrical consumption by up to 80% per shift.

“The fit out of solar powered technology allows us to eliminate our diesel generator entirely. By doing so, we hope to see a significant decrease in vehicle servicing and maintenance downtime,” Orange Sky Lead Engineer, Ben Battaglia said.

“The RV3.0 vehicles are also fitted with our newly created Waru Dryers, which reduces the electrical consumption from that of a regular clothes dryer by 90%.”

Orange Sky Co-Founder, Nic Marchesi says exploring new and better ways to scale their impact and reach communities they never could have before is at the heart of what Orange Sky do.

“The thought of creating a more reliable, environmentally sustainable vehicle that has the ability to complete more loads of washing and drying and reduce maintenance requirements was something myself and the whole team were working towards for our remote community expansion, and thanks to the generous support of Canva and REDARC, our ideas have now come to life,” Mr Marchesi said.

“The demand for washing and drying services in remote Australian communities is very prevalent, however in our efforts to support the remote communities, we found that due to the geographic remoteness, terrain and demand for laundry services, we needed to create a reliable vehicle that was built for the climate and greater usage, so that’s where the RV3.0 came in,” Mr Marchesi said.

Orange Sky undertook a three-month remote venture from March to June this year travelling to a total of 29 remote Indigenous communities from South Australia, the Northern Territory, and the northern ends of Western Australia and Queensland to connect with communities and identify where the most need is for the next Orange Sky service.

Leading the remote expedition, Orange Sky Remote Program Manager, Judith Meiklejohn says they have been inundated with people engaging with their services in every remote location they have visited.

“Many people and families in remote communities don’t have access to basic facilities like washing machines and if they do, they are often overused and don’t last long – with new washing machines being extremely expensive and the geographical location making it challenging to find a technician to repair items,” Judith said.

“Since introducing the RV3.0 vehicle to Wadeye alongside our local partner TDC, during our testing phase, we have been overwhelmed with the response from the community. The laundry van not only meets the strong demand for laundry facilities, but it brings together so many different families and clan groups, which is a really beautiful outcome.”

Signing on to support Orange Sky as a National Power Partner for the next three years, REDARC Electronics Managing Director, Anthony Kittel says they believe in the Orange Sky mission to ‘positively connect communities’, a mission that strongly resonates with REDARC’s values.

“We are delighted to partner with Orange Sky to support their remote community expansion plans. REDARC’s mobile power tech provides a more reliable and sustainable mechanism for Orange Sky to deliver their critical mission,” Mr Kittel said.

Similarly, Canva Co-Founder and COO, Cliff Obrecht says “it’s fantastic to see Canva being used to help raise awareness for important causes and initiatives such as Orange Sky. Their team is doing an incredible job in remote communities across Australia, and we’re glad to be a part of their journey.”

As part of its mission to support the nation’s most vulnerable communities, Orange Sky, in partnership with REDARC and Canva, will be introducing a total of eight RV3.0 laundry vehicles to their fleet, and fitting out three of their current laundry vehicles with the REDARC gear, with all 11 RV3.0 vehicles set to service remote communities.

Source Eco-Voice

Australia Post welcomes first electric trucks to its delivery fleet

Posted on December 1, 2021 by dishanth

Australia Post has welcomed the first of 20 electric trucks to its national delivery fleet, with three Fuso eCanters now delivering parcels to customers in Melbourne ahead of Christmas.

The eCanter adds to Australia Post’s existing electric delivery fleet of more than 2100 electric delivery vehicles and 1400 electric bicycles and follows the successful trial of the Daimler developed truck in late 2019.

Australia Post General Manager Networks, James Dixon said the addition of the Fuso eCanter to Australia Post’s delivery fleet was an exciting step for the organisation.

“We’re very proud to be Australia’s largest electric fleet operator, but up until this point, our electric fleet has consisted solely of smaller delivery vehicles that are used for the last-mile.

“We’ve trialled a range of electric trucks previously, but the Fuso eCanter is the first we’ve found that suits both Australian conditions and our unique operational needs,” Mr Dixon concluded.

Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer Susan Mizrahi said expanding the current electric fleet was an important part of the Australia Post’s 2020-22 Corporate Responsibility plan and its science-based target to reduce emission by 15 per cent by 2025.

“This is an important milestone for our business. We know that every delivery has a carbon footprint which is why we’re committed to reducing our emissions through growing our electric fleet and increasing our renewable energy production to help power these new vehicles,” Ms Mizrahi said.

The Fuso eCanter is the only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) electric truck available in Australia and uses the latest technology from the Daimler Truck group.

Daniel Whitehead, the President and CEO of Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific, which represents the Fuso, Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands, said Australia Post was the perfect first Australian customer for the eCanter.

“Daimler is thrilled to partner with such an iconic brand as Australia Post on a journey towards carbon neutral freight transportation in Australia,” he said.

The remaining 17 eCanters will hit the streets delivering in major capital cities from early 2022, with the rollout of the new vehicles supported by Australia Post Fleet Management Provider SG Fleet.

Australia Post is currently two-thirds of the way through its 2020-22 Group Corporate Responsibility Plan Everyone Matters: Our plan for inclusive and sustainable prosperity. The strategy is available at: auspost.com.au/CR

About Australia Post’s science-based target

Australia Post is committed to reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent by FY2025 (from a FY2019 baseline), aligned with a well-below 2°C pathway.

Any emissions generated by the electricity usage from the Fuso eCanter will be offset through the purchase of renewable energy certificates.

Source Eco-Voice

Biodegradable ‘flat-pack’ homes deployed to help wildlife survive after bushfires

Posted on December 1, 2021 by dishanth

It’s the latest flat-pack innovation – a biodegradable shelter that can be rapidly installed to provide refuge for native animals left exposed and vulnerable after a bushfire. Newly designed ‘habitat pods’, developed by Dr Alex Carthey of Macquarie University, are this week being deployed as part of a world-first Australian Wildlife Conservancy research project at North Head Sanctuary.

Intense bushfires can be deadly for wildlife, both during the blaze and in the aftermath. The artificial shelters have been designed to address the high mortality of wild animals that occurs in the weeks and months after a bushfire. Indirect impacts, such as the removal of food and shelter, make this a dangerous period for animals, and the threat is compounded by intense pressure from hungry predators. An estimated three billion vertebrate animals were impacted in the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires which burnt across an area of more than 12 million hectares in eastern Australia.

The pods are now part of a PhD project by ecologist and former Australian Wildlife Conservancy intern, Angela Raña, co-supervised by Sydney University. In 2020, Raña set out to study the role of small native mammals as pollinators of North Head Sanctuary’s diverse banksia scrub. However, a hazard reduction burn that jumped containment lines in October 2020 destroyed her experiments and prompted a rethink.

“I’d been studying and monitoring the plants and animals here for two years, but after the fire we mostly found charred skeletons in the ash. It was heartbreaking.” said Raña of the burn.

“With the thick undergrowth almost completely removed, any surviving animals could just be picked off by birds, foxes and cats.”

Raña’s project will now investigate the effectiveness of the habitat pods. Two hundred of the cardboard shelters are being deployed across parts of the headland that were impacted by the fire, for an experiment that will run for up to 12 months. It is hoped they will offer small animals short-term refuge from the elements and a place to hide from predators like feral cats, which have been shown to take advantage of easier hunting conditions post-fire.

The habitat pods themselves take the shape of a sturdy, six-sided pyramid made from folded cardboard, perforated with multiple small holes where animals can scamper in and out. Unlike the wire and shadecloth structures that have been used as post-fire shelters previously, the pods are light, easy to transport and set up, and entirely biodegradable.

Dr Carthey’s design was informed by her career researching predator-prey relationships and the key realisation that availability of habitat is a critical factor after a burn.

“The Black Summer fires acted as a wake-up call, and that got me thinking about what we could do to help wildlife survive,” Dr Carthey said. “I had some conversations with the team behind the Living Seawalls project (finalists of the inaugural Earthshot Prize), who are also at Macquarie University, and their designer Alex Goad of Reef Design Lab … we even experimented with 3D-printing some moulds for prototypes from recycled paper pulp, but in the end the folded design held up better in testing.”

North Head Sanctuary was chosen for the first ever real-world trial of the habitat pods. The headland is the site of an ambitious mammal reintroduction program run by Australian Wildlife Conservancy, working in partnership with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Three small mammal species which were locally extinct on North Head have been restored since 2017: the Eastern Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus nanus), Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), and Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes). All three species have been recorded since last year’s blaze, and are likely contenders to use and benefit from the installed habitat pods.

The ecologist leading the reintroduction program, Dr Viyanna Leo, had input into the design of the habitat pods, established the research at North Head and co-supervises Raña’s research project.

“I think this work has huge potential,” Dr Leo said. “Large-scale bushfires are an ongoing concern for conservationists, especially as the climate heats up. The habitat pods could be an effective new tool for bushfire response that makes the difference between life and death for thousands of native animals.”

Australian Wildlife Conservancy is contracted by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to deliver research and monitoring projects at North Head, with a particular focus on restoring small mammals. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service provided funding for the bushfire recovery research project.

For more information or to support Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s work restoring small native mammals to North Head, visit: www.australianwildlife.org.

Source Eco-Voice