Contents - March 2012

Posted: March 2, 2012
From the
managing editor’s desk
 
OPPORTUNITIES
Clean energy to continue attracting investment to China
Fifteen percent of China’s total energy use by 2020 to be from clean sources
Zero-waste solution adds green earnings for palm oil millers
“It took extensive research for many years to develop an optimal way to treat and recycle palm oil mill waste.”

Ronnie Tan, managing director of CMS Waste Management Sdn Bhd
China’s PV industry remains bullish
Proper retrofits can slash building energy use by half
“There is no single silver bullet for energy efficiency in any existing building.”

CK Tang, gBEET
 

COVER

CITIES 2.0: REVITALISING OLD CITIES
As “green” becomes the norm for rising new metropolises of Asia, older cities are confronting the urgent need for revitalisation. With the help of innovative funding solutions, municipal-scale retrofit projects are yielding long-term dividends in economic competitiveness, energy security, climate management and social cohesion.  Read more...
           
   
Cities 2.0 = Sustainability, dynamism + liveability
“The economic growth of Asian cities is heavily dependent on the private sector contributing where governments cannot.”

Vind Sidhu, Siemens Malaysia
London: Saving the planet by saving the pocket
RE:FIT and RE:NEW initiatives to promote energy-saving retrofits
New super-sized Auckland will expand Waitakere eco-city's pioneering efforts
Guardian of a green legacy
Interview with deputy mayor of Auckland City, Penny Hulse
   
Sustainable Melbourne Fund's retrofit financing paves city's push towards carbon neutrality
“Environmental upgrade finance is a significant breakthrough in financing retrofitting of commercial buildings.”

Scott Bocskay, chief executive of Sustainable Melbourne Fund
Singapore's Punggol Eco-Town a test-bed for energy, water and waste management technologies  
Korea’s idyllic Jeju island a test-bed for low-carbon and smart grid technologies
Kanazawa, rainy city of north-western Japan, taps hydropower from its canals
What it takes to turn Malaysia's Putrajaya into a low-carbon city
Indonesia to transform five cities using Eco2 Cities approach: Case overview of Jakarta, Surabaya, Palembang, Makassar & Balikpapan  
             
CASE STUDIES
Sustainable world trade centre rises from the ashes of 9/11
One World Trade Centre will be one of the most environmentally-sustainable buildings in the world when completed in April next year
Rice husk to keep rural Cambodia growing
Cambodian government promotes rice husk-powered electricity generators to help boost the kingdom’s productivity
   
PEOPLE  
Photographer with a cause  
“We are all in this together and the sooner we accept that we are first and foremost global citizens, the better.”

Michael Hall, award-winning photographer
 
Ben Taube and Jan Dekker discuss cleantech’s big opportunities for 2012/13  
Cleantech Ventures MD Jan Dekker places his bets on solar, transportation and energy efficiency
 
 
Energy’s two revolutions: An interview with Amory Lovins
“There are two revolutions going on in electricity. One is saving most of it that’s now wasted, and the other is making it differently.”

Amory Lovins, chief scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute
 
EDITORIAL
Local “climate changes” from wind and solar power generation facilities
Automobiles trending from gasoline to gas-electric
Reimagining the future with a sustainable world economy
New biobased ecolabel helps drive greener product development
   
INFORMATION
Solar and wind power to  wind down this year
Global clean energy investment: 2011 in numbers
Climate change and insurance: Why everyone is affected
“It can’t be ignored that environmental risks and financial risks are interconnected.”

Ernst Rauch, head of corporate climate centre, Munich Re
News briefs
Homework
The Necessary Revolution 
(Peter Senge)
& 
Thriving Beyond Sustainability (Andres Edwards)