Green Cities

Terminologies such as sustainability dividend, productivity dividend, global reporting initiative, life cycle analysis, return of investment, cost benefit analysis, SPEAR, environmental accounting, carbon trading and etc were brought up countless during the 2-day Green Cities Conference held in Putrajaya last week. Many participants might have heard about them or some might have understood them, but I believe many have not applied them in their works or daily practice. None of the Local Authorities in Malaysia has even incorporated the terms in their master plans and programmes. The closer we have, I think is talking about climate change briefly in the report. Therefore, it must be an eye opener to many local participants hearing the foreign speakers sharing their experiences. Similarly, it must be refreshing listening to accountant from Australia talking about accounting in sustainable cities and property man spoke on strategic and total asset management. Sustainable development and climate change is responsibility of everyone, contradict to the believe of many city managers in Malaysia that the topic is confined to town planners and environmentalist.

While climate change is real and attempts are forthcoming from all stakeholders to overcome it, the real challenge to me must be creating common stand and agreeing on common target. Everyone agrees that human factor is chief amongst the many factors determining the success of minimising impact from global warming. People as the end user of resources as well as the polluter has personal responsibility to reduce his/her ecological footprint. And doing so, means changing the way of life and lavish lifestyle. While the people from developed countries except North American have realised it and moving towards less consumption lifestyle, the people from developing countries is considering of having lavish lifestyle a symbol of higher social status.

Everyone is talking about reducing carbon emission through innovative approaches and technologies on transportation, land use planning, structural change of governance system and management of cities. At the end of the day, it is leadership and initiation of people. The President of Putrajaya Corporation and community leader of Sukunan, Indonesia vindicated the importance of political and management will in greening the city. We need a mover, initiator and builder for sustainability.

The terms of sustainable city, livable city, green city, knowledge city, healthy city and etc are mentioned and quoted throughout the Conference. Many have spoken passionately about various initiatives. While some agencies or individual are ego and tend to protective on championing their own initiative under different terms, it must be acknowledged that all these programmes are trying to achieve same goal, that is to preserve a quality living environment for all within the carrying capacity of our Mother Nature. To me, it is OK for having many individual championing various agenda as above as long as we are talking about the same ultimate goal. Processes and approaches are, thus secondary.

The Conference has also brought up changing focus of urban challenges from environment to climate change and to integrated land use planning. It must be amazing to Malaysian city managers that evolution has been so actively done in other part of the World, even China has produced many eco cities. Believe me, we have long way to go. Perhaps Putrajaya and Cyberjaya as Green Technologies City as designated by the Federal Government would have to do it fast.

No Plastic Campaign at MBPJ

I am glad that MBPJ's clinic became the first department to decline plastic bag provision. A notice was put in at the dispensary counter to notify patients on the non-provision of plastic bag recently. A move that in conjunction with the No Plastic Campaign launched by the Selangor State Government in early January 2010.

What a wonderful gesture towards environment if MBPJ's canteen starts to do the same, the PR Department distributes the corporate gifts with environmental friendly in mind, the Community Development Department can instill personal responsibility onto residents and in this case the green environment. The list is endless when it comes to what MBPJ as local authority can do in complimenting the efforts on protecting the environment.

Low Carbon Chinese New Year Celebration

The celebration for this year Chinese New Year comes to an end with the life comes back to normal. Students are going to school again this coming Monday and many especially the Hokkien clan will get the festive mood over after the 9th Day of the CNY.

One of the reports attracted me the most is about low carbon celebration. It was reported that in China, many youth have less spending on unsustainable consumption and lifestyle as a good gesture towards carbon emission reduction and challenge of climate change. They went for non-motorised travelling, ate more vegetables, burn less fire works and fire crackers as well as practicing 3R for excessive stuffs. The sudden awareness on green was due to the failure of Copenhagen Roundatable in agreeing to curb the problems of climate change.

In Malaysia, I can sense similar actions for economic reason rather than environmental concern. I went for marketing of roasted meat at SS2 on the new year eve and to my surprise I need not wait for long and went to few shops to buy it. In previous year, I would consider myself lucky for buying the stuff at last minute shopping. Based on last year experience of not getting a restaurant for my family new year eve reunion dinner, I made an advance booking at a restaurant. However, to my pleasant, the restaurant was not fully occupied. Similarly, I was made to understand from the street hawkers that sale for mandarin oranges, decorative items, cookies and etc was not encouraging at all.

While businesses are worried about purchasing pattern during festive season, more people are concern on what can they do for the environment during the festive season. MyCAT, a coalition of NGOs in protecting the tigers and Maybank for example come together to launch a campaign for protecting the tiger during this Lunar "Tiger" Year. MBPJ, Lions Clubs and TetraPak are launching the campaign of collecting beverage packets as festive season always see the number of used packets increasing and being throw away.

Perhaps it is time now for businesses to think about capturing the market for low carbon festive season celebration instead of complaining about losing business sale. The Green Market is obviously lot and more to come.

Criteria for Child Councillors

The Panelists for Child Councillors Interview have a brain storming session two days ago on the interview criteria and guidelines. While everyone agreed that dedication, committment apart from the personality and attitude is important, we find it hard to standardize everyone value system as it is very subjective in measuring these. For example, how to give mark to a children with right attitude? Nevertheless, it provides us a challenge and excitement for selecting the pioneer for the yet to established PJ Child Council.

While individual talent and enthusiasm is critical, we are also mindful of getting team player rather than the lone ranger. The inaugural Council should have comprised children from different background and geographical area as well as able to work together. They have to, as what the current Council of PJ City, stand united to be heard. Individually, nobody will adhere to what they are trying to speak out, but if a suggestion proposed by a group then the chances of getting hear is better.

We have short listed 48 potential candidates from amongst the attendees of the Forum held last June and July 2009 as well as the Leadership Camp on December 2009 for the interview to be held on 20th and 27th February 2010. The Interview Sessions will be a session for children to "sell" him/herself. A session to measure individual talent and group dynamic.

Let's cross the finger for the days to come...

Good 3R Practices

Last week saw the gathering of Local Authority and agencies officers from all over Malaysia in Holiday Inn, Glemmarie to share and exchange lessons learnt on 3R good practices. Pilot waste management community initiatives funded by SWMC-DANIDA and supported by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government were on displayed and dessiminated to the participants. MBPJ together with our partners, namely Beautiful Gates Disabled Foundation, Justlife, Section 19 Residents Association, Global Environmental Centre (GEC), Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (CETDEM) and Ecoknights showcased the outcomes and lessons learnt on our community projects. These include Household Waste Composting, Eco-Enzyme Making, Smart Rangers and Green Award. The projects are participatory in nature and finding waste minimisation solution at source or at the neighbourhood level through capacity building, training and awareness raising. The changing of attitude rather than application of technology is emphasized. We received overwhelming enquiries from other local authorities and community groups for initiating the same programmes.

The Seminar is an end to the pilot experience, but a start for replication process. The trained participants for Household Waste Composting, for instance have tentatively agreed to become mentor to coach others on doing the same. The impact is great with participation from other residents of PJ considering that every participant of the pilot project has reduced an average of 47% of their household waste. The challenge, is however to sustain their momentum and interest, and of course commitment.

2010 Work Plan for Planning Department

My Department has a soul searching session for last week. Staffs were gathered to brainstorm the way forward and work programmes for the year 2010 and beyond. The Director emphasized on professionalism, facilitation, communication and continue improvement in carrying our duties. I spoke about revisiting the core business of planning profession and the Department by looking at the emerging trend such as climate change, globalisation, demography change and local circumstances. It is important of incorporating sustainable development for future strategic planning. Others were also mentioned about the need for efficiency in service delivery, team work and integrity.

I found the session was interesting as staff have opportunities to listen to other section head on the functions and their work plan. Many I believe have heard about Local Agenda 21 Petaling Jaya and even helped out in some of the activities, but have not bothered to understand the terminology better and to translate the principles into work process. I am glad for getting the chance to share.

The discussion was done in very cordial atmosphere and participation is active. I think it is a participatory planning in practice. Under such informal circumstances and without social class barrier between officers and staffs, every one is given the chance to voice their views and suggestion, to me is an achievement. I think, staffs from all level should be allowed more opportunities to voice their views without filtering by others. Hence, the proposal of having Brain Box is very much welcome. Staffs are requested to suggest any ideas in relation to quality, work process or even personal matter at the beginning of every month. The best idea will be rewarded and implemented by the proposer and assisted by others. By doing so, we are encouraging innovation and creativity, and importantly to recognise the individual with good idea. I believe, for any organisation striving for knowledge management, this is pre-perquisite.

3R Community Initiatives

MBPJ was invited to share our experience with participants from other local authorities and agencies last week in implementing 4 community initiatives on waste minimisation and 3R. These include Household Waste Composting, Educating Household in making Eco-Enzyme, Smart Rangers for 3R and Green Awards for Schools in PJ. These initiatives were funded by SWMC-DANIDA and supported by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

Realising that waste management is a challenge that weaken the financial and management capability of the Council, applications were made to the Ministry for funding us in carrying out pilot scheme to experience effective ways of reducing the problems of solid waste management.

These initiatives under Local Agenda 21 Petaling Jaya shared common bottom line, namely stakeholders participation, solution at source, inclusiveness and duplicability.

Stakeholders participation is critical to ensure the sustainability of a programme. As stakeholders are involved from the beginning, follow through the whole process and finally claiming ownership over the project, the successful rate for continuity is higher. Most of the time we witness a programmes started with big bang, but quiet down and then led to natural dead because of sustainability and lack of interest amongst the stakeholders. By getting people involved and well trained can also convert the participants as trainers and mentors for replication exercise later. Our Household Waste Composting Initiative for example, managed to recruit 46 project participants as trainers.

Secondly solution at source should also be promoted. While any methods of 3R is welcome, solution at source is the most logical move, and of course the most effective and "humanised". By promoting solution at source also encourage every individual bears personal responsibility on the waste they generated. It is "polluter paid" principle. Similarly, inclusiveness is emphasized in line with the policy of MBPJ in creating an universal design society. Of course, reducing the resources and thus waste from the premises will also mean reduction of transportation and manpower cost of collecting and disposing the waste.

Duplicability is by far the most important factor as this is what the pilot projects are carried out for. While all the projects can be replicated, the continuity is very much based on the human factor. The participants who have benefited from the pilot projects and their willingness to continue as well as to mentor or coach others to further expand the initiatives.

MBPJ simply cannot afford to lost the momentum or else the efforts of pilot project will be wasted.

SS2 Cares CNY Street Carnival 2010

The Carnival is back for the 7th Year. It is a festive season celebration in conjunction with the Chinese New Year 2010. More than 214 stalls selling variety of foods and goods operating daily from 6am until 1pm at Jalan SS2/62. These include 4 stalls operated by the people with disabilities.

SS2 CARES is a grouping of residents groups, traders, disabled people and agencies to promote community sustainable initiatives in SS2 neighbourhood. It started with the success of stakeholders participatory planning in upgrading the SS2 town park. At that time, town hall alike meetings were called at the park to brain storm and discuss on the upgrading of the park. It was then that, formal partnership was established to plan community development programmes for better utilising the park facilities.

The Carnival is an event to introduce the traders and public on environmental education and awareness. For the past 3 years, booth on recycling campaign was set up to better educate public on 3R concept. Various redemption schemes are on offered to attract participation. Yesterday's launching witnessed the importance of offering incentives to attract participation. Economic instrument rather than voluntary instrument is critical for 3R to be successful. While we have discovered a way to promote 3R, it is also sad to notice that Malaysian have not making 3R as their way of life, even after more than 15 years of the implementation of Recycling Campaign.