Green Around the Globe » Documenting Sustainability

EXPO 2010 Sustainability – An Editorial

Keith — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:00:08 +0000

“We should have stopped for a couple of days when we changed planes in Germany.”

This thought kept running through my head as we walked around the Urban Best Practices Area of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China.

While the country pavilions in the main area of the EXPO can be very touristy and often have little in the way of displays that speak directly to environmental sustainability, I expected the Urban Best Practices Area to be a showcase of global thought leadership in environmental sustainability. I was looking forward to being presented with case studies from cities around the world, learning about the latest breakthroughs, newest technology, and detailed examples of past successes. There were a handful of exhibits that delivered against these expectations, many of them German. Hence the nagging thought that we should have stayed a couple of days in Germany to see some of their world class efforts towards environmental sustainability which are driven by coordinated private and public sector efforts.

What was conspicuously missing was a leadership presence from the world’s largest economy and per-capita polluter, my home country, America. There was a San Francisco case study listed in our EXPO directory but we could not find it during our day in the Urban Best Practices Area. In the main USA Pavilion (which I review in detail here), there is little attention paid to environmental sustainability. The closest America comes to addressing stewardship of the environment is in the third movie in the pavilion where a young girl works to change attitudes in her urban neighborhood about beautifying an abandoned lot into a small neighborhood park. Hardly the groundbreaking efforts America needs as a way to set an example for the rest of the world to follow. Why is it important that we lead when it comes to environmental sustainability? Because if we do there is a good chance that other countries would buy our innovations and that will create Green Collar jobs and boost our struggling economy.

The message of Green Collar jobs is one that many Americans seem to be tired of hearing about. This is evidenced by the recently increasing number that are skeptical of the negative impacts of climate change, as documented by Yale & George Mason University here, even as the scientific evidence increasingly points to the fact that we are headed towards a global crisis. There is, however, historical precedent of a solution where America can prosper versus struggle in an energy-constrained world. At minute 16 of the TED talk below by Shai Agassi, founder of Better Place, he recalls a story that Bobby Kennedy Jr. related to him about visionary leadership. It is worth spending the next 19 minutes 16 seconds to hear him tell the full story.

If you are short on time (or have a low bandwidth connection) the story is that 200 years ago slavery provided 25% of the “energy” driving the British economy. Parliament debated for months about the economic impacts of outlawing slavery, an institution that was finally seen as morally repugnant. Thankfully, the British parliament had the vision and leadership to make the right decision and outlaw slavery completely and immediately. Within one year of that monumental decision the industrial revolution began and led Britain into a century of unprecedented growth and world leadership. Necessity was the mother of innovation. The private sector rose to the challenge without cumbersome rules and regulations, or marginal targets, like the U.S. Congress is currently debating. By simply banning the morally repugnant “energy” of slavery the British Parliament created the environment for private sector innovators to prosper. We can choose to do the same in the U.S. We can and must act quickly and decisively to rid ourselves of the morally repugnant energy sources of oil and other carbon based fossil fuels.

The missed opportunity at EXPO 2010 for counties like the U.S. is that with the majority of attendees being Chinese (79% of the 70 million attendees expected over 6 months) there will be many top engineers and scientists coming through. If I was an up and coming innovator with great ideas about how to create a more environmentally sustainable future I am not sure the US is where I would go to build that business. Counties like Germany, Canada and even to some extent China have projected a message through the EXPO that they value and reward efforts towards a more sustainable future. It is a shame because for the lack of a meaningful presence there is no shortage of private sector innovation in the U.S. If Congress could get its act together and pass a bill that would clearly create the right economic incentives those efforts would be magnified, as they seem to be in counties like Germany. This thought is also shared by arguably the most successful entrepreneur of all time, Bill Gates. In his TED Talk below he explains a simple formula that will ultimately be brought to equilibrium one way or another. It is simply that in the following equation one variable on the right side must equal zero, and that means that CO₂ has to be brought to zero.

CO₂ = P(people) x S(services/person) x E(energy/service) x C(CO₂/unit energy)

Gates’ argument is that to maintain our lifestyle close to where it is now, the only viable zero variable is the last one, CO₂/unit energy. Meaning we must get to large-scale zero carbon energy. It is not too late for big ideas and innovators. I am just afraid that they may not come from the U.S., and our economy will suffer because of it.

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Top Exhibits in Urban Best Practices Area

Freiburg, Germany
Freiburg in the south of Germany showcased their innovative approach to green building and urban planning. There are examples of positive energy construction of houses that create more energy than they use; environmentally neutral firehouses; and urban planning that results in car reduced areas. Our Logan Square neighborhood association back home in Philadelphia would be up in arms over this policy. At developer presentations for new buildings inevitably the first question always asked is: “What about parking? How many parking spaces will it have?”

Montreal, Canada
This exhibit centers on an effort to reclaim a strip mine turned landfill on Montreal Island just northeast of downtown. What I found interesting is that this effort was in full swing during the 7 months I was living in Montreal in 2002, but I first learned about it in Shanghai. Although in talking with one of the exhibit workers I learned that it was not unusual for life long residents of Montreal to be in the dark about their city’s effort to reclaim this scarred land and transform it into an environmental technology park that is home to some of Canada’s top innovators in environmental sustainability.

Vanke 2049
While technically not in the UBP area, it is located right next to it. The pavilion is a series of 5 well produced videos and multi-media presentations that deal with key environmental challenges China is facing and what they are doing to address them. There is also an effort to engage the regular tourist in pledging their support of the environment. At the end of the 3rd movie in a futuristic theater that presents examples of individual Chinese that have made a significant effort towards creating a more environmentally sustainable future, the voiceover asks each viewer to place their hand on a glowing control panel next to their seat and pledge their support for the environment and that they have the ability through their actions to make a difference. I found this very different from the prevailing attitude in China that there are so many people and the government has such tight control, what one person does is of little consequence.

For more pictures of the EXPO and China be sure to check out our picture albums here.

Secret Doors in Shanghai

Keith — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:00:22 +0000

After reading this article in the New York Times about the creativity and resourcefulness of the Shanghai bootleg DVD merchants, I had to see one of the stores for myself, secret door and all. I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a special password needed to get into the secret section where the bootleg DVDs were displayed, but luckily just walking in the door was good enough.

Despite my anxiety that we would not be understood, as soon as we walked into a DVD shop in the French Concession area of Shanghai we were whisked to a corner of the store with a red shelf that had a couple of DVDs displayed on it. Without pausing the clerk pulled the left side of the shelf and it swung toward her allowing her to knock on what appeared to be a wall. A couple of seconds later the wall opened and we were shown to the back room where bootleg DVDs, Blu-Ray disks, CDs, books and even magazines were for sale.

In an attempt to document this eyewitness reporter style, I used my new iCamcorder app for my iPhone 3G to record the very shaky and low quality 15 second clip of how we left the back room of the store. While not very good quality, at least it was discrete.

Along with rearranging the bootleg DVD shops around town, the EXPO has had a tremendous impact on the city of Shanghai. The 300 kilometers of new Metro lines opened in the last year is just one of the many additions to the city. All of this rapid construction, however, comes at a cost. According to the Associated Press, each Shanghai family will receive a free Expo ticket and a 200 yuan ($29) prepaid transportation card from the government as partial compensation for inconveniences such as traffic and mandatory bag scans at subway stations.

And perhaps most discouraging is that all of the effort, money ($55 billion in total by some accounts) and resources dedicated to the monumental effort of putting on the EXPO may not have a lasting positive impact. We found that after being opened for only 4 days there were many examples of EXPO construction falling apart. Paint was peeling off benches and light poles were leaning precariously as they had come loose. It seems that the old adage holds true, you can have only two of the following three attributes for a project: Fast, Cheap or Good. It seems the Chinese always opt for the first two. This has created a huge branding problem that the 1.3 billion Chinese will be dealing with for the foreseeable future as they look to build an economy not solely based on exporting the cheapest, least value-added products to the rest of the world.

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Curiosities in Bhutan

Keith — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:00:03 +0000

During our nine days in Bhutan, Amy and I were often presented with the striking architecture of ancient Dzongs, the jaw dropping Himalayan vistas and the tremendous warmth of the Bhutanese people. There were some surprises though. I have listed out my top 4 below. If you have been to Bhutan and there was something else that was a surprise to you, please let us know in the comments.

1. Best Friends
Looking at Bhutan on a map it appears to be a small country wedged tightly between two of the biggest superpowers on earth, India and China. With that geographic proximity, I expected that there would be significant influence from both countries within Bhutan and thought that the Chinese would have a larger presence due to their strong influence throughout the rest of the region. I quickly saw that while Bhutan has its own unique culture, it is strongly linked to India. This is due somewhat to geographic constraints; the road south to India is an easy one compared to the one north to Tibet and China. The other factor is China’s annexation and treatment of Tibet. Bhutan witnessed this and knew that strong regional alliances were going to be critical if it wanted to maintain its independence. So Bhutan prioritized the development of strong trade, commercial and even military alliances with India. India’s military even has multiple bases within Bhutan, which is quite surprising for a country that is so fiercely independent.

2. Critical Use of Hydroelectric Power

Notice the PV Panel on the Roof

Bhutan not only generates 100% of it domestic electricity from hydro-power, but by exporting the excess to India hydro-power generates the single largest source of revenue for the government, at approximately 30%. Many of these projects are initially funded by India and are repaid by Bhutan by supplying cheap hydroelectric power. The Bhutanese government promotes this cheap and environmentally friendly electricity source as an alternative to the use of wood or other carbon-dependent energy sources. Our guide mentioned that there is a goal of moving to nearly free electricity for the rural Bhutanese. And for the most remote yak herders at the highest elevations in the mountains the government provides free photovoltaic panels. And while this free electricity initially sounded like an amazing idea, I worry that providing any limited resource for free is not a sustainable course. Eventually Bhutan will run out of hydro capacity and will then need to begin focusing on efficiency. Instead of waiting until that day comes, why not create an incentive structure that promotes the initial adoption of electricity while also encouraging efficiency from the beginning?

Six Levels of Reincarnation

3. Where’s the Beef?
There is plenty of meat on the menu in Bhutan – beef, pork and even fish. So learning that no animals in the country are raised for their meat was peculiar. Where does all the meat come from? Turns out it is all brought in from India already butchered as Bhutan is a strict Buddhist country and prohibits the killing of any animals within its boarders. As we learned in the Punakha Dzong, in Buddhism there are 6 states of reincarnation: Nirvana, God-like, Human, Animal, Hungry Ghost and Hell. The goal is to move towards Nirvana, but if you lead a life filled with lies, murder and deceit then you risk moving down a state and being reincarnated as a cow. With these beliefs I can understand the desire not to kill a pig that has a chance of being the reincarnation of your nasty old uncle. But outsourcing to India seems to be upholding the letter but not the spirit of the law.

4. No nacho chips?
With the amount of chilies and cheese that are consumed in Bhutan you would think that there would be a huge market for nacho chips. The national dish is a condiment/topping/spice that in the words of our guide, “without chilies and cheese the Bhutanese would die.” So no surprise that they have a bowl of the spicy concoction at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I came to really enjoy it on the meals of rice, vegetables and imported meat. The cheese is a soft cow’s cheese that is cooked into the sliced chilies. The biggest challenge with this dish is the huge variability in heat. Just when I thought I had figured out the exact amount to add to my meal I would get a surprise with a batch that was twice as spicy as the last. The green chilies they use seem to be pretty variable in how spicy they are thus keeping me on my toes. But I am convinced that a business selling crisp corn tortilla chips to the tourists would make a killing. It would be a great snack along with the local brew, Druk 11,000, whose tagline is “Super Strong Beer”.

Happy Earth Day!

Amy — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 04:01:29 +0000

In honor of Earth Day we thought we’d offer a little photo recap of some of the sustainability efforts we’ve seen as we’ve traveled around the world. We hope to see and document more sustainability efforts as we continue our trip. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out and comment on our case studies here. Enjoy!

Christmas sustainability campaign, Malacca, Malaysia

Traffic congestion pricing scheme, Singapore

Trail sign, Bhutan

Solar-powered parking meter, Dubai, UAE

Also, if you are feeling like purchasing more sustainable products or even trading in some old textbooks, Amazon.com has some great options and deals going on right now so be sure to check it out.

Case Study #4: Cambodian Sustainability

Keith — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:00:23 +0000

We are pleased to present our 4th Sustainability Case Study today. It is a more detailed account of the three organizations (Bloom, SME-RE and RE-I) we thanked for their time here. We are also happy to showcase the Google PDF viewer we have rolled out on the site so that our readers can view Case Studies without having to download a PDF (although the resolution is better when you download).

We welcome your thoughts, opinions or additional questions about our experiences in Cambodia. Also if you know of a higher resolution PDF viewer option for WordPress please it in the comments below.

Download (PDF, 827.11KB)

Panning for Gold in Laos

Keith — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:56:59 +0000

Are those boys are panning for gold? I learned, while kayaking on the Nam Ou River in Laos near Luang Prabang, that in fact they were. Many of the poor rural villagers in this area practice small-scale artisanal gold mining. The average family finds 24 grams of gold through panning at the river during the 4-month dry season (January-April)[1]. In Laos, where the per capita GDP is $1,776[2], that additional $850 represents a significant increase in income for these poor rural families. With the chance of such significant financial rewards it should not have surprised me that there are some people willing to take substantial health risks looking for it.

One of the most surprising aspects were men that walk along the riverbed using homemade “scuba” systems. I observed this firsthand while kayaking in the middle of the river, 25 meters from shore. As I paddled over a bubbly patch of river I looked over to shore and saw a bamboo raft, on top of which was an air compressor with a plastic tube running from it into the water. I asked our kayaking guide, why were the villagers putting air into the river? He told me that there was a “diver” attached to the other end of the tube and he was collecting sand for gold panning. I was at first impressed by the ingenuity while also remembering from my PADI scuba certification that air from a standard air compressor can be very dangerous. The air fed to the “diver” by these petrol-powered compressors is filled with exhaust fumes and dangerous carbon monoxide.

While most of the gold panning on the Nam Ou is done by local villagers, there is also an increasing presence of larger, more commercial efforts. These are marked by the use of heavy machinery that is able to move significant amounts of earth on the banks of the river. And while the villagers have been panning for gold on the Nam Ou for at least 25 years, these industrial scale operations are new in the last couple of years. My guide informed me that the larger scale efforts are largely Chinese, permitted by the Laos government to mine the river in exchange for building badly needed infrastructure projects such as roads and schools.

With much of rural Laos being industrialized by the Chinese, it is only a mater of time before the quiet beauty of this mountainous country is transformed forever. There is no doubt that Laos is changing fast. For those looking to experience its laid back charms, now is the time to visit. I was encouraged and inspired to travel to Laos due in part to Kathy Dragon from TravelDragon. I had the good fortune to make her acquaintance through my work at J&J and she shared with me her amazing pictures and stories from her own travels to Laos. She insisted that Laos was changing very quickly and to be sure to made it there soon. I am very glad we did.

[1] Source: Luang Prabang Artisanal Gold Mining and Sociological Survey, Lao PDR Final Report for UNIDO “Removal of Barriers to the Introduction of Cleaner Artisanal Gold Mining and Extraction Technologies”

[2] Source: http://envirocenter.research.yale.edu, accessed March 27, 2010

Stopping to Smell the Non-Timber Forest Products in Laos

Amy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:01:54 +0000

After three months on the road in Southeast Asia, moving from city to city every three or four days, Keith and I made the decision to slow down the pace of our travel. Part of our decision was rooted in the sheer exhaustion that comes from having to constantly find a new place to stay, figure out how we’re going to get there and learn the lay of a new city. But an even bigger part of our decision to trim down our itinerary was based on our experience in Phnom Penh, where spending a few extra days allowed us to connect with the expat community and learn about all the amazing sustainability efforts under way in Cambodia.

The opportunity to find out about local efforts in sustainability presented itself yet again in Vientiane, Laos as we spent an afternoon wandering around the sleepy capital city. Outside the market we spied a poster on the bulletin board for a presentation about non-timber forest products in Laos. The speaker, Joost Foppes, is a consultant on rights based approaches at Village Focus International. The presentation, sponsored by a women’s expat group, was planned for that evening at a local bookstore. Having plenty of time in Vientiane, we figured why not check it out? We’re glad we did.

Foppes’ presentation focused on the issue of food security in Laos, where Chinese developers are quickly buying up forested land in order to extract and export natural resources back to China. In local villages, much of what is eaten (other than rice) is taken from the forest. This unique wild food culture, where 80% of the population is dependent upon wild foods for sustenance, is linked to the incredible bio-diversity of Laos. The destruction of this bio-diversity has implications that go far beyond the environment; the economic value of the non-timber forest products eaten by villagers is equivalent to 32% of Laos GDP. A more astounding statistic is that the replacement cost for these products is estimated at 120% of current Laos GDP.

The unsustainable deforestation resulting from the export of natural resources is creating the need to replace the food and non-timber forest products that nature provides for free at a cost that is greater than the country’s current GDP. Foppes illustrated this fact with the case of the new Nam Theun II hydroelectric plant. The controversial plant was built to produce electricity for export to Thailand. Only a minimal amount of the production remains in Laos, and the cost to the local food system is substantial. For example, the annual economic value of the fish that have been lost since completion of the hydroelectric plant is estimated to be $1.6 million. However, the cost to replace the nutritional value those fish provide each year as food to local villagers turns out to be $7.4 million.

We saw firsthand just how important local fish are to the villagers of Laos. While kayaking on the Nam Song River outside of Vang Vieng, we witnessed local village boys armed with masks and spears fishing for food. They weren’t out on the river for fun; they were hungry and the fish they find will provide the sustenance they and their families need to survive. By taking the time to learn about the issues of non-timber forest products in Laos, what might have been just another quaint photo opportunity was transformed into a meaningful face-to-face interaction with a pressing environmental issue and the people effected by it most.

3 Types of Sustainability in Cambodia

Keith — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:01:27 +0000

As we travel we are always on the lookout for ways to uncover unique and novel efforts towards environmental sustainability. We have found success to date by networking with contacts from home and searching out local efforts such as Green Building Codes in Singapore. And while we had arranged a meeting with a local company, SME Renewable Energy, Ltd., before we arrived, we quickly found out that Cambodia is a tremendous place to find great people working hard to create a more sustainable tomorrow. This post is a thank you to three people, Diana, Seyha and Peter, who took the time and energy to meet with us and explain what they are doing, why it is important, and how it makes a difference in the lives of average Cambodians. We will be exploring the three different approaches used by each of them in a forthcoming case study.

Diana Saw: Founder of Bloom Bags

I wandered into the Bloom store in Siem Reap because when I saw the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” sign on the door I had to find out what this was all about. It turns out that Bloom is a social enterprise that was established in September 2006 with the intention of providing fair-paying jobs to disadvantaged Cambodian women. Bloom does this by reusing rice and fish feed bags and turning them into stylish bags and accessories. Diana agreed to meet us for lunch the following day and from that terrific first conversation discussing the challenges and lessons of starting a social enterprise in Cambodia, she then spent the next three days showing us around Phnom Penh and introducing us to other fascinating expats.

Rin Seyha: Managing Director SME Renewable Energy Ltd.

We were put in contact with Seyha through contacts (made initially by my mom, thanks!) at E+Co, a US-based investment company focusing on clean energy in the developing world. Seyha met with us for 90 minutes and provided a fantastic overview of the development of the energy infrastructure (or lack thereof) within Cambodia since the civil war ended in 1997. He recounted for us stories of creating the first National Rice Millers Association, partnering with huge NGOs and how SME RE found success through an initial grant by Canadians to prove the efficacy of gasifier technology.

Peter Williams: Regional Director for Resource Equality

As we were walking out of the Foreign Correspondent’s Club one afternoon we saw a poster looking for volunteers willing to invest $15 to provide clean water to poor Cambodian villagers. After an email to Peter we had made the arrangements to deliver three ceramic water filters to villagers on Silk Island near Phnom Penh. The water filters, which look just like ceramic planters pots, are simple to maintain and allow the recipient family to avoid spending money on charcoal to boil their water until it is safe to drink. This saves them time and money that can then be spent on other necessities such as school fees.

One final thought: the expat community in Cambodia was amazing. Everyone we met was very generous with their time and willing to share personal stories with a frankness and openness we had not heard elsewhere. Amy and I had not previously thought to reach out to the expat community, but we will be sure to continue to do so in the remaining 6 months of our travels. Expats are often willing to share recommendations for great restaurants off the tourist path, introduce you to businesses and people with shared interests, and are a great resource for travelers interested in how businesses operate on a local level. The entrepreneurial can-do spirit we found in the expat community in Cambodia is very different from the Western Corporate cultural Amy and I are familiar with, and I for one found it exhilarating.