Environmental Stewardship

The Panel of Evaluators for the Petaling Jaya House Owners' Assessment Rate Rebate Scheme has a discussion on last Thursday. The meeting was to brainstorm and creating understanding as well as consensus on assessing the application for rebate. The Rebate scheme is the first of kind in Malaysia that offered by local authorities to encourage and promote go green initiatives by the house owners. While it is acknowledged that house owners will normally not go for green if it involves cost and time without any significant return on economy, some submissions has shown otherwise. There are submissions on collecting urine for gardening purpose, going round the market to source fruit skin for enzyme making, beautifying the public land on the road shoulder, sending recyclable items to recycling centre for free and etc. These are gestures warrant for recognition, and rightly so highlighted for emulation by others.

The meeting discussed doing the right thing with wrong approach or time too. For example, planting trees or vegetables on road shoulder opposite the house that depriving accessibility and more so without consent from the local authority. Similarly, installing the solar water heater to save on energy but end up with higher consumption because of fixing more air-con units. The meeting agreed that while what have been done by the owners should be encouraged, the negative things carried out should also be discouraged by introducing some form of penalty.

To be regarded as green warrior, one's has to pose with the necessary equipment, supported by a good system and making the effectiveness and efficiency as top priority. It is of no use if the equipment has been installed but lacking of support and do not show the desired result. For example, a rain water harvesting system in place does not necessary mean it is good if you did not do piping to channel the collected water for good use. Even if this done so, it is not effective if the tank did not hold up the water.