Star Bamboo Singapore

Some great news to announce:

The Managing Director of Star Bamboo group of companies, Mr Tan Yin Keong, has been appointed into the SingCham (Fujian), as the Vice-President of the Nanping district.

In case you’re wondering, SingCham (Fujian) is the Fujian Chapter of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.

It was officially launched on 9 August 2007 at a dinner of 600 people, which coincides nicely with Singapore’s 42nd National Day. The purpose is to assist Singapore companies in Fujian by providing easier access to government programmes, and creating opportunities for networking.

Fujian province has seen explosive growth this year, with an annualised GDP growth of 14.3% in the first half of 2007. This is higher than the national average for China. It’s great to be able to join in this boom.

There weren’t many photo opportunities that night, as everyone were busy networking. Here’s a shot before the start of the event:

To the sides of the stage, you can see two large projector screens with the comfortingly familiar broadcast of ChannelNewsAsia.

Congratulations Mr Tan, and a belated happy birthday to Singapore!

I headed down to One Fullerton at 7pm on 07/07/07. I parked further away at Market Street as I was expecting a big crowd to turn up.

There were crowds indeed, but for the National Day Parade rehearsal at the floating platform just across the bay. The driveway at Fullerton Hotel was also packed with cars and guests for one of the many wedding dinners happening all over the island.

Volunteer helpers greeted us with markers at the pledge board, so I penned a short message:

“Save our Trees” (I should really improve my handwriting):

The live telecast of the Live Earth concerts were broadcast on a projector screen at a nearby marquee. The rows of plastic white chairs were mostly vacant, people were checking out the sponsor booths instead:

I suppose if they had wanted to just watch the concert, they could have done so in the comfort of their home.Flyers and freebies were being handed out.

I got a card that proclaimed “Vegetarianism – The Noble Way of Living”. Found out later it was some sort of spiritual cult, so into the bin it went.

Otherwise the event was pretty quiet. Perhaps the crowds would come after the NDP show is over but I had to rush off for a dinner appointment.

Caught the fireworks finale while cruising along Benjamin Sheares Bridge, what a lovely sight. The traffic police with their flashing sirens stationed along the road shoulders added to the spectacle.

So Live Earth came and went over the weekend. I don’t know if anything has changed, or if people treat it as a mega-party.

At the very least, there is definitely greater awareness of climate change and that can only be a good thing.

Question: What do the following names have in common?

1. Madonna
   
2. Sheryl Crow
   
3. Alicia Keys
   
4. Kayne West
   
5. Faith Hill
   
6. The Smashing Pumpkins
   
7. Kelly Clarkson
   
8. Black Eyed Peas
   
9. Bon Jovi
   
10. Red Hot Chilli Peppers
    
11. Beastie Boys
    
12. John Mayer
    
13. Foo Fighters
    
14. Kylie Minogue
    
15. James Blunt
    
16. Snow Patrol
    
17. Lenny Kravitz
    
18. Jennifer Lopez
    
19. Snoop Dogg
    
20. The Police
    
21. Duran Duran

Answer: They will all be performing at the series of Live Earth concerts.

Actually, there are another 130+ names but I don’t recognise them.

I was just thinking that it’s such a marvellous idea having 7 concerts held across 7 continents (Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and New York – OK technically, Tokyo and Shanghai are both in Asia but who’s nitpicking?).

Yes, it is a truly global event.

But the best part that you can feature all these big-name artistes under the same banner and give each of them the limelight and attention they want. After all, who would merely want to be a supporting act?

And none of the singers would have to perform under a hot blazing sun, because each venue is in a different time zone. Although to a television viewer in, say Singapore, the concerts would be tightly synchronised to appear as a single event.

If you can’t stand the blazing hot sun expected on Saturday at One Fullerton, you can always catch all the action live on Channel5.

Catch Madonna performing at the new Wembley stadium, London.

p.s. It was just a throw-away comment about 07.07.07 being the perfect wedding date, but it’s apparent that many people take it very seriously indeed.

Hello everyone,

I’ve just received the programme schedule from SEC for the Singapore leg of the Live Earth event this Saturday. It’s just 4 days away!

Because of the time zone difference, the programme is spread out over 7 and 8 July. So there’s your entire weekend all planned out for you.

The Live Earth, ahem, live screening is interspersed with local performances and talks. Click on the thumbnails below to see the timings, so you can catch the items you want.

Hope to see you there!

Question: What is 07.07.07?

Answer: The perfect wedding date.

Just kidding. It’s also the date of Live Earth, a series of live concerts around the world to raise awareness of global warming.

It’s like Live Aid’s younger brother.

It’s also Al Gore’s latest project. Formerly known as the person who lost a US Presidential Election, he is now the face of the crusade against global warming:

The “7” in the dates also stands for the 7 continents where the various concerts will be held. Isn’t that cool?

As Star Bamboo is a Green Label recipient, I got an email on what’s happening in Singapore from our friends over at Singapore Environment Council (SEC):

Dear Green Label members and SEC Friends

On 7th July Saturday at Merlion Park One Fullerton, there will be a LIVE EARTH Satellite Concert Screening. (http://www.liveearth.org)

The screening will kick off in the morning (as Australia Sydney will be the first to start the ball rolling). We are pleased to have a big screen at One Fullerton to bring you the best from all over 7 continents. It is Free Admission.

The concert is set to feature over 100 headlining music acts, across all seven continents. Artists such as Madonna, Alicia Keys, The Smashing Pumpkins, Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Kylie Minogue, Snow Patrol and Jennifer Lopez are among the big names who will grace the show.

If you are attending, as a please bring your own tupperware for drinks and food, as concert shows always produces a lot of trash.

Reduce Waste First, followed by Recycling.

The Singapore Environmental Council will also be there.

—
Singapore Environment Council
Website: www.sec.org.sg

So do mark down the date in your diaries/PDAs. Enjoy the free concert and make merry, hopefully we’ll remember the real message after the hangover wears off.

Yesterday I helped to publicise the Eco Action Day event on 5 June, which is organised to coincide with World Environment Day (WED).

What’s WED, you ask? To be honest, I’ve never heard of it either until 3 days ago.

It is a United Nations initiated global initiative, and the first was held way back in 1972. Each year, a city will host a week-long international exposition to discuss various environmental issues.

For example, this year’s topic is “Melting Ice – A Hot Topic?” and will be focusing on climate changes and the effects on ice- and snowcovered areas of the world.

That description pretty much sums up why after more than three decades, you’d struggle to find anyone familiar with this.

1. Lack of a permanent home: It is organised by the UN and rotated annually among different countries. I couldn’t even find an official WED web site. Instead, a new one sprouts up every year.
2. Lack of hands-on action: The programme is dominated by conferences and discussions.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s of no use. In fact, it’s probably an excellent opportunity for academics and policy makers to exchange ideas.

But for the typical man in the street, this day will simply pass us by.

Which is why Star Bamboo supports the Eco Action Day:

1. It is local: It is not happening in some faraway, exotic city, but right where you work.
2. It is hands-on: It is not about attending lectures or discussions, but practical steps that you can take to reduce the amount of energy that you use.

I have two suggestions to make it even more meaningful:

Firstly, encourage participating companies to carry on beyond 5 June. Don’t just do it for a day, do it every day.

Secondly, it’s not just for the office – you can do the same at home as well.

Good luck!

The Singapore Environment Council is organising an Eco Action Day on 5 June 2007, to raise awareness of environmental issues among companies.

Not much effort is required, just a simple flick of the switch to turn off any unnecessary lighting or office equipment.

I have already signed up Star Bamboo for this programme, to show our support and commitment to reduce energy wastage. The lights for our Singapore warehouse are usually turned on whenever we step into the adjoining office. Now, we will only turn on the lights when we actually retrieve stocks from it.

It’s a simple act, but it will save us 1/3 off our lighting bills. It’s so simple that we will be practising it every day starting right now – why limit yourself to 5 June?

Although this Eco Action Day programme is meant for Singapore companies only, all overseas visitors reading this are welcome to start similar initiatives in your company.

It’s easy, it’s simple, and speaks volumes of your commitment to the environment. If you decide to join in this effort, please drop me an email to tell me all about it. I’m all ears!

OK, better sign up first because the 28 May deadline is just around the corner. Click here to register now!