wild places | wild happenings | wild news
make a difference for our wild places

home | links | search the site
  all articles latest | past | articles by topics | search wildnews
wild news on wildsingapore
  Business Times 28 Aug 07
SPH presents film to spread global warming message

Straits Times 28 Aug 07
SPH eco-friendly from production to print
By Arti Mulchand

WHEN it comes to going green, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) shows how serious it is by walking the talk.

Up to 95 per cent of the company's newspapers are printed on recycled newsprint. Everything from print outs to ink cartridges are recycled, the company said in its green report card, released yesterday. That is up from just 20 per cent in the 1990s.

By year-end, new energy-efficient air-conditioning chillers at Media Centre in Genting Lane, plus a more efficient chiller unit at the Toa Payoh North News Centre, will bring about $500,000 in energy savings each year. Regularly changing the filters in News Centre's cooling systems also helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The moves follow an energy audit last year of News Centre, Media Centre and the Print Centre in Jurong to ensure the three were energy efficient and eco-smart. Paragon shopping centre will also be audited in the coming months.

The effects of global warming are becoming more apparent, calling for an urgent response, said Ms Ginney Lim, SPH's executive vice-president of legal and corporate communications.

'As a regional media player, SPH would like to be part of the solution to the climate crisis and management of the earth's resources,'' she added.

The green thrust extends to all SPH properties, including the upcoming Sky@Eleven, its first luxury condominium. Picture windows on both sides will allow for cross ventilation and allow in more natural light. Lush landscaping will further help keep the condominium cool.

Water use is also watched - a host of water-saving measures put into place this year earned Print Centre the title of a 'water-efficient building' by the PUB, the national water agency, just two weeks ago.

These measures include reducing water usage and flush volume, and recycling and reusing water. A water storage tank on the building's roof also collects rainwater, which is used for watering plants and cleaning purposes. Gutters also channel rainwater into the water tanks of its air-conditioning system's cooling tower.

SPH has also been a keen supporter of conservation in Singapore, and to further spread the message, it will host close to 1,000 staff and business partners at the local premiere of eco-documentary Arctic Tale tomorrow.

Before the screening, SPH Foundation will present a cheque for $120,000 to Wildlife Conservation Singapore which will help support, for example, the breeding of proboscis monkeys at the SPH Foundation Conservation Centre.

Since 2004, SPH and SPH Foundation have contributed over $1 million to conservation efforts in Singapore.

Business Times 28 Aug 07
SPH presents film to spread global warming message

SINGAPORE Press Holdings will present an acclaimed movie and make a substantial donation to help spread the message about the threat of global warming.

The media company will present the local premiere of the conservation message of Arctic Tale tomorrow - and donate $120,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Singapore Fund (WCSF). Arctic Tale is an animated comedy about how polar bears and walruses cope with the melting of the ice near the North Pole - a consequence of global warming.

Produced by National Geographic Films - which also made March of the Penguins, a documentary about the annual pilgrimage that emperor penguins make to mate and rear their chicks Arctic Tale looks at the lives of polar bear cub Nanu and walrus pup Seela over eight years from their birth.

The SPH Foundation, the company's charity arm, will present a cheque for $120,000 to WCSF for the Singapore Zoo's conservation programmes, such as the adoption of Inuka the polar bear and a breeding programme for proboscis monkeys.

SPH and its foundation have contributed more than $1 million to conservation efforts in Singapore since 2004.

SPH also expects to cut $500,000 a year from its power use by installing energy-efficient air-conditioning chillers. The company carried out an energy audit of its News, Media and Print centres in 2006 and plans to audit its Paragon Shopping Centre this year.

On Aug 14, the Public Utilities Board named SPH's Print Centre a 'Water Efficient Building', thanks to water-saving measures such as reducing flush volume and collecting rainwater to water plants, clean the grounds and use in air-con cooling towers.

Up to 95 per cent of SPH newspapers are printed on recycled newsprint.

'With the effects of global warming becoming more widely felt throughout the world, it has become an urgent matter that all individuals and corporations contribute to saving the earth,' said Ginney Lim, SPH's executive vice-president for legal and corporate communications.

'As a regional media player, SPH would like to be part of the solution to the climate crisis and management of the earth's resources.'
links
Related articles on Singapore: general environmental issues
about the site | email ria
  News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes.
 

website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com