When Gauri Shukla visited Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2016, she saw first-hand how forests were being slash and burned to make way for oil palm plantations. The Singapore permanent resident, who was 13 years old then, was devastated to see forests burning and piles of logs being removed by cranes. It made her realise how much the environment was abused. That's why Gauri, now 15, and Regina Vanda, 20, launched an online petition last year to get food companies to use environmentally-friendly oil. Not only did it garner more than 8,000 signatures within four months, two companies - Old Chang Kee and Polar Puffs & Cakes - even responded to their petition to say they used sustainable oil. Gauri and Regina met last year through a non-governmental organisation, People's Movement to Stop Haze (PM.Haze). They approached more than 20 local food companies to ask if they were using Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified oil, which is palm oil from sustainable sources. The pair told … [Read more...] about Students’ petition to use sustainable oil draws 8,000 signatures
Sustainability
Minnesota solar facility can be sustainability model
MANKATO, Minnesota: The piece of land just east of Mankato was prairie for thousands of years. A century and a half ago it was plowed into farmland. Last year it was transformed to a massive solar array. And this spring, the parcel will become a first-of-its-kind research laboratory—studying ways to make harmonious neighbors of solar arrays, prairie plants, and agriculture. “We certainly are aiming to demonstrate this in practice as well as theory that solar developments can coexist with agriculture in a very effective way,” said Marcus Krembs, director of sustainability for Enel Green Power North America. “This is a really exciting project.” Enel, which constructed the array as part of its 150-megawatt Aurora solar project, recently reached a research agreement with US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The joint study will examine best practices for vegetation selection and management at three Minnesota solar arrays in the … [Read more...] about Minnesota solar facility can be sustainability model
Sustainability project to be launched today
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he would give details about the project during his visit to Bangkok’s western neighbouring province. “I don’t want to call it the opening ceremony. Rather, I will meet with the people,” Prayut said. He added that after this, members of the project’s different committees from the relevant ministries would start visiting the project areas. The project’s name can be literally translated as “sustainable Thai way”. The PM said that a Thai Niyom website would be available to collect opinions from citizens on what they want the government to do. “This allows us to know about people’s needs. We want to know how bad the economy is in people’s views. We also will listen to people’s suffering regarding their daily lives,” Prayut said. “The goal is to solve the problems correctly. The big data obtained will be used as a database for state agencies to … [Read more...] about Sustainability project to be launched today
AMD’s crypto boost could actually be sustainable
AMD reported earnings on Tuesday that topped all analyst expectations. The company got a solid boost from cryptocurrency miners. Analysts are now convinced the boom will continue. Watch the stock trade in real time here. AMD reported an across the board beat on earnings on Tuesday, and there was one theme that analysts seem focused on: crypto. “While some will argue upside from Crypto should be discounted, we see Blockchain as more sustainable than most and along with the value of AMD’s core IP likely to keep the stock in a $13-15 trading range,” John Pitzer, an analyst at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients. In its report, AMD said that 1/3 of its computing and gaming unit growth in the last quarter was fueled by crypto mining. The company’s graphics cards have been incredibly difficult to find in stock recently, and prices have been driven through … [Read more...] about AMD’s crypto boost could actually be sustainable
Unlocking northern Thailand’s tourism sustainability
International tourists who are familiar with Thailand are likely to have opted to visit popular destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket but Thailand is a vast, variegated land that rewards further exploration. Northern Thailand is one of the most alluring destinations outside of Bangkok as this region offers a staggering range of amazing destinations. The rolling hills, sweeping mountains, lush green forests and nature, and rich melting pot of cultures make northern Thailand one of the most engaging places to visit. At the end of 2016, the tourism revenue of northern Thailand stood at 158 billion baht, with 72% coming from domestic tourists and 28% from international ones. Average expenditure among tourists in 2016 was 2,593 baht per person per day. Therefore, the tourism sector has been one of the major driving forces of the North's economic development.Northern Thailand is cooler than the rest of the usually sweltering country and thus particularly popular between November … [Read more...] about Unlocking northern Thailand’s tourism sustainability