Cut down on air-con consumption for cleaner air
I LIVE in a more than 50-year-old bungalow with my 90-year-old father. We do not have any air-cons but, within spitting distance, our upgraded neighbours do, cooling their all-glassed-up semi-detached bungalows, 10 air-cons each. (I sleep under a mosquito net and do not need a fan, my father sleeps under a ceiling fan and does not need a net.)
My friend lives in an HDB flat in Serangoon and does not need an air-con but all her neighbours have their windows shut and air-cons going full blast every night.
Reading in The Straits Times that Hong Kong officials are told to dress down for cleaner air and that air-cons, spewing out pollution, accounted for about one-third of Hong Kong's total electricity consumption ('Dress down for cleaner air, HK officials told'; ST, July 13) makes me ask: 'Well, what about Singapore?'
A popular air-con brand has boldly advertised that it is 100 per cent eco-friendly.
Pest busting companies - fogging pesticides and contributing to Singapore's 'slow killing PM 2.5 (ultra fine air pollutants)' - also blatantly advertise on their vans that they 'protect the environment'.
Get in a taxi, bus or train (during off peak hours) and one freezes. In the Central Business District, one sees office workers dress as if we live in a temperate, not tropical, climate.
It is surely time for a sustained national campaign to make everyone aware that each of us contributes to the overall pollution level in Singapore - and how we can, by a simple change of habits, do our bit to improve our air quality and our health. Note that the asthma death rate here is nearly six times higher than that of Sweden ('Fewer here dying of asthma now'; ST, May 19).
Suggestion No. 1: Increase the cost of electricity in executive and five-room HDB flats and make it proportionally even higher in private homes.
Suggestion No. 2: Train retirees as environmental patrol officers to note down the registration numbers of vehicles (especially diesel-spewing vans, trucks and lorries) that leave the engine running while they make a stop - and the duration of time the engine is kept running with the air-con on.
Betty L. Khoo (Ms)
Excellent piece of work there! Go green! Save our Environment! Save our Planet!
Firstly, Ms. Khoo informed us that she stays in a bungalow... Ok! Rich chick. Note her father is 90 yrs old, and should be retired, and remember this point. Then she mentioned about fans and mosquito nets. I mean, who cares about whether she needs a fan or not. But the big majority of us need this wind blowing equipment as Singapore is bloody hot what! Ms Khoo has a friend in Serangoon who doesn't require air-con... again... who cares?! We need it when it's really hot! Then she goes on... blar blar blar... the interesting part is coming... the suggestions.
"1. Increase the cost of electricity..." Wah lau eh! As if the cost of electricity is not high enough. I'm beginning to think that she has an agenda here... and I don't like it, you know. She from gahment or wat....
Ok, suggestion no. 2.
"2. Train retirees as environmental patrol officers..." you see, she has an agenda.... she wants to help her dad to get a job.... hmm... Retirees should remain retired else they are not consider as retirees, right? (getting a little confuse myself)
And I think she has something against diesel driven commercial vehicles. Is it because that the cost of diesel is lower? Not really that much of a difference you know, when you take consideration of the petrol kiosk discount (and price war!) and loyalty points... etc. I think the petrol driven cars are equally environmental unfriendly and some of the drivers of the petrol driven cars are equally guilty of stopping the vehicles, having the engine running and leaving the air-con on ... but she didn't seem to remember that fact. She probably drives one herself, and conveniently leaves it out. Remember, she's a rich chick.
1 comment:
betty is staying in her own ivory tower. ivories are cooling materials which explains why she don't need aircons.
one thing i am quite concern ...retirees could get very bz if eveytime someone complain about something, we start training them to be patrolmen / women. e.g. never flush toilet after use... train retirees to patrol, never clear tables after a meal in hawker centre... train, patrol, use too much plastic bag... train , patrol...
Post a Comment