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  Today Online 11 Apr 06
S'pore to host eco-fair
Lee U-Wen

Channel NewsAsia 10 April 06
Singapore to host eco-fair showcasing latest green technologies
By Rita Zahara

The Straits Times 11 Apr 06
Semakau to showcase green energy sources
by Radha Basu

ELECTRICITY generated from the wind and the sun will soon help light up Pulau Semakau, Singapore's offshore landfill site which is also a vast patch of green teeming with natural life.

Power from wind- and sun-powered installations will be used to illuminate eco-camp sites where students can learn more about nature and conserving precious resources, the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times yesterday.

Alternative energy sources are being tried out around the world because oil is getting scarcer and costlier. The system, to be installed in the second half of the year, will for a start provide enough electricity to power 12 lamp posts, NEA said.

Wind turbines take up a lot of space, making them difficult to build on the mainland. But Semakau island makes an ideal location as it is also very windy, the agency said.

While the south-east side of the 350ha island is home to the landfill, its north-western shore has become a nature showpiece, replete with coral reefs, thriving mangroves and myriad species of birds and marine life.

That is why the island will feature prominently when Singapore showcases its environmental achievements at an international exhibition on green products and services, MP Amy Khor said at a press conference on Semakau yesterday.

'We are proud to show visitors it is possible to make rubbish look beautiful,' said Dr Khor, who chairs the steering committee that will plan this year's exhibition.

Overseas visitors to the fair will be taken on a tour of the landfill. The Eco-Products International Fair, at Suntec Exhibition Centre from Oct 31 to Nov 2, will be the biggest such event here so far, with more than 100 firms displaying products and services that can be used by companies and consumers alike.

An eco-home section - with energy-saving air-conditioners and refrigerators, and even detergents made from soya bean - is likely to be popular with consumers. While this year's products have yet to be finalised, previous fairs have showcased many innovative items, said Mr Masatoshi Yoda of the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), a key organiser.

These include a special titanium-coated paint which helps building facades remain clean forever and containers made from biodegradable corn and bamboo husks. An inter-governmental organisation with headquarters in Japan, the APO's main aim is to boost productivity.

While most exhibitors are likely to be from overseas, Singapore companies such as Grenidea Technologies are eager to display their wares. The company makes biodegradable trays that can replace the styrofoam ones supermarkets use to pack fruit, vegetables, meat and poultry. Its only market now is Britain, said its marketing and sales manager Ivan Cheng, and it hopes to reach new markets and customers through the eco-fair.

Channel NewsAsia 10 April 06
Singapore to host eco-fair showcasing latest green technologies
By Rita Zahara

SINGAPORE : Singapore is one step closer to achieving its goal of becoming a global hub for environmental excellence. It beat Vietnam and Korea to host the Eco-Products International Fair 2006, which will run from October 31 to November 2.

The biggest ever such fair in Southeast Asia will showcase the latest eco-products and state-of the art environmental technologies and solutions.

Plastic bags that can keep eggs fresh for a month, or washing powder that is so gentle on the skin that the water used can be recycled as fertiliser for the plants -- these and many more Eco-products will be showcased at the fair.

Eco-products are made from improved raw materials; they also use less energy and water resources and produce less waste. Up to 100 companies from Japan, Europe, Australia and the US are expected over the three-day exhibition.

Said Dr Amy Khor, chairperson, EPIF 2006 Steering Committee, "EPIF will be a platform where our local companies who are in the water and environmental sector could network with other companies in similar businesses from other countries. Our local companies can network with them and find business opportunities, in fact expand or collaborate with these companies and perhaps bring in products or export their own local expertise to these countries."

Singapore also hopes to tap into a $2 billion research fund to develop eco-products.

Home-grown company, Grenidea Technologies, which specialises in producing biodegradable food packaging from used agricultural materials, sees the fair as a launch pad to learn best practices of international players and to market themselves overseas.

Said Ivan Cheng of Grenidea Technologies, "Demand and reception has been great. The next step is the US market."

To grow the consumer market, consumers need to know about viable alternatives in order to make educated choices.

Said Michael Ho, chairman, Singapore Waste Management and Recycling Association, "For consumers it will be great to know that there are lots of eco-products in the world today which have not been introduced into Singapore. International groups coming in would mean giving them greater awareness. They may not be expensive, but more useful."

Foreign visitors attending the eco-fair in Singapore will also get to visit the Semakau Landfill. This dumping ground, which is seven kilometres away from mainland Singapore, is a good example of Singapore's efforts in balancing the need of environmental protection and waste disposal.

The fair is expected to attract over 40,000 visitors, nearly twice the number of the fair in Bangkok last year. This is the third time the fair is held outside Japan. The first EPIF was held in Malaysia in 2004. - CNA /ct

Today Online 11 Apr 06
S'pore to host eco-fair
Lee U-Wen

SINGAPORE has been picked to host a major eco-fair later this year, taking a step towards establishing itself as an environmental hub in Asia. Vietnam and South Korea had been keen to host the Eco-Products International Fair.

Some 100 companies and more than 40,000 trade and public visitors will participate, and guided tours will be arranged to places such as the NEWater plants and the Semakau Landfill.

"This is a wonderful chance for our local industry to showcase its environmental technologies," said Dr Amy Khor, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committees for Environment & Water Resources and for National Development.

Several local companies will be setting up booths, including water treatment system company Hyflux and biodegradable packaging manufacturer GPac Technology.

National Research Foundation chairman Dr Tony Tan has singled out environment and water technologies as a new focus area in Singapore's research and development strategy.

Organising the fair--which runs from Oct 31 to Nov 2 at Suntec City--is the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore, Spring Singapore and the Asian Productivity Organisation.
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