Blog| George Woodman |
| Wind farm matters |
| 14.10.2009 04:36:10 | |
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It seems the gloves are off concerning CLP’s proposed wind farm near the Ninepins off Clearwater Bay. The Sai Kung District Council has recently come out against the proposal, to join those concerned about the effects of the wind farm on application for Geopark status for the area and others who are simply concerned about the visual impact.  One of the key arguments raised by opponents is that the amount of power that the wind farm will generate is only around 1% of Hong Kong’s consumption. This figure, it is argued could be easily achieved through better energy conservation. Whilst the observation is correct, what’s clearly missing is any clue about how to motivate people to achieve this level of saving. It’s a long time ago now, but when I was growing up I remember hearing old wives’ tales about the earth being knocked out of it’s orbit if all the people in China were to jump up at the same time. Irrespective of whether the laws of physics would allow for this possibility (they don’t), it’s not worth worrying about waking up next door to Mars any day soon because coordinating the activities of millions of people is a lot more difficult than doing physics calculations. Whilst the debate goes on, it does seem that there is a lot of fiddling going on whilst Rome is burning. Climate change caused by our excessive greenhouse gas emissions is no longer in doubt. What we really need, in Hong Kong as well as the rest of the world, is both energy conservation measures that really work and more renewable energy. It’s not a case of one or the other. Our Cap and Trade programme in schools is designed to promote energy saving by developing real interest in the school community (see Green Visions in October’s ESK). In the process of doing this work, we’ve been looking at energy consumption figures for schools. We calculated the ecological footprint of one school in Hong Kong based on its electricity consumption alone to be 10 square kilometers (this means that 10 square kilometers of forest would be needed to soak up the emissions generated by the school’s electricity consumption). This is an enormous area – 1% of Hong Kong’s total land area – and just for one school. It’s clear that all of us in Hong Kong are using more than our fair share of the earth, and if we truly value the earth then we need to be more creative about how to tackle that problem, and really soon. Tags: Sustainability | Students |
| Judy Love-Eastham |
| Hiram Would Have Hated Them Too! |
| 27.09.2009 23:06:43 | |
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The width of the highway wouldn't be a problem if those buses were made to stop at bus turn-ins only and people got a bit more exercise and walked those extra steps. Then there's the problem of the number of 101 minibuses that ply that road (often flying by would be passengers) and the more energy efficient 792 is almost empty. But....another day, another rant! |
Minibuses - and those #$%^& people who can't walk half a block to catch a bus. Why on earth do they allow the buses to stop anywhere they please (or their customers please) in the middle of a block and....sometimes....just around a corner. | Judy Love-Eastham |
| Chain Store Rip-Off |
| 20.09.2009 23:14:26 | |
 I think good, friendly service is more important than anything else. I know, I know...everyone tells me I go overboard because I often consider giving good service more important than making money (and that's not the way to keep a business afloat). But I do believe that service and the 'perks' you can give customers that cost little and mean so much should be practiced by every business whereever possible.
You all know which shops and restaurants "have it" in Sai Kung and which don't. Consider which ones have been around a long time and which ones come and go. This morning my octopus didn't work properly at a meter so I popped into 7-Eleven to check it. Well....they told me I had to pay $3 just to check whether it worked there or not!! Come on....how much does it cost them to let me just put my octopus on that little screen?? Sadly....7-Eleven will be around a long time :( A very frustrating exception to the rule. Tags: Local Business | 7-Eleven | Octopus |
| Judy Love-Eastham |
| Students DO Care |
| 20.09.2009 23:11:01 | |
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A few years ago I was approached by a professor from HKUST who taught a garduate class in Sustainable Development. He wondered if some of his students could come and ask some questions about Sai Kung. The class was to study various issues relating to development of Sai Kung and one group in particular, had chosen expats in the area. I was thrilled - it showed that at least some at our "local" university were interested in the community in which they were located. I had always felt that they did not care too much to become involved in the community. More university students have come through our doors since and it now seems that even younger students are interested in their community. In the Spring, one young student at Shatin College contacted us and asked for information on the Sai Kung area for a project he was doing. Over the summer there seemed to be quite a number of high school students, from schools on the Island and in Kowloon (but residing in this district) sending emails or coming to the shop asking for everything from very specific to quite general information.  For instance, an Island School student recently asked for help with his study of the history and development of small villages in the area. One of those villages sent me scurrying to a map. While we are merely helping them by giving them specific articles in our four year collection of Explore SK Magazine and pointing the way to resources to which we have access (we're not doing the work for them!) we find it gratifying to see that students are taking such an interest in their local environment. Hopefully they'll be the village reps and politicians of the future! Tags: Sustainability | Students |
