Finally, A Toy For Kids To Play, Lose Weight And Conserve Energy

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the world. Mary Bellizzi, an expert with the International Obesity Task Force once said, "We estimate that 22 million of the world's children under 5 are overweight or obese." The figure is alarming as it sheds light to the health problem facing our children today.

In the macro level, the world is battling a much more serious problem - environmental degradation. Global warming is affecting millions of people around the world. Recently, Australia faced one of its worse heat waves this year which led to a record-breaking prolonged high temperatures in the Southeast region of the country. The meteorological phenomenon affected the lives of thousands of citizens there. The threat that environmental disaster pose is real and monumental.

The key to solve the two problems is education. And it is our responsibility to teach the younger generation about proper eating diets and energy conservation. Good eating habits help prevent childhood obesity while energy conservation reduces the amount of pollutants that damage the environment, slows down the global warming process and so on. Early education creates a better tomorrow for our children.



















So how do we solve the two problems at the same time using the principles of education? Well, an environmental entrepreneur has the answer to the question. Introducing Fastronauts, eco-friendly toys that are powered by play. Each Fastronaut comes with a rechargeable battery. The children will need to pedal in order to generate the energy required to power the lights and sound.

That is not all - each Fastronaut is equipped with a power indicator that can be pressed to make the gadget talk. Children receive instant feedback as they create energy, thus providing motivation and encouragement for them to cycle more. (Plus, imagine the cut in the amount of disposable batteries scattered all around our landfills.) When the children pedal more, this in turn helps to burn the fats in their bodies.

In short, Fastronauts not only educate our children about energy conservation and generation, but at the same time making exercising a fun activity for the kids. It is an innovative gadget that can change how our kids live in the future.

Plastic Bags To Be Banned!

The Los Angeles City Council had made a unanimous decision to impose a ban on plastic bags from stores in the city. From July 2010, consumers in LA have two choices to keep in mind before shopping - either to bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag.

"We've gotten to a point where we need to act as a city, where we can have real results," said Councilman Ed Reyes, who proposed the bag ban. "We're trying to do it in a way where we can educate and inform the public of what we're doing."

The main reason why the use of ubiquitous flimsy plastic bags is outlawed is due to its non-biodegradable characteristics. This means that it takes many years for the plastics bags to fully decompose by bacteria. As a result, the city has to incur huge costs to manage the used bags by daily cleanups.

Los Angeles is not the first city to impose the new law aimed at curbing land pollution caused by the plastic bags. San Francisco implemented a similar scheme in early 2007, banning plastic checkout bags at large supermarkets and chain pharmacies. Paper bags are now frequently used by the shoppers.

Nevertheless, some people believed that although the ban will help combat land pollution, other problems such as land and water pollution will rise.

Paper bags, meanwhile, generate 70% more air pollutants and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is because four times as much energy is required to produce paper bags and 85 times as much energy is needed to recycle them. Paper takes up nine times as much space in landfills and doesn't break down there at a substantially faster rate than plastic does.

Are Singaporeans ready for such a ban? In my opinion, we are not ready to embrace such a new ruling yet. I have seen shoppers who are still oblivious of the 'Bring Your Own Bag' day. It will take time before we can fully get ourself involved in the green revolution. As for now, what the Singapore government can do is perhaps to copy paste the system in educational institutions. It may be useful to inculcate the good habit of using lesser plastic bags. Perhaps, the Good News Cafe can have a promotion whereby students who return back their plastic cups will get a stamp on their reward cards. Collect 12 stamps and you receive a free drink.

What do you think?

Hundreds Of Dead Baby Penguins Washed Ashore

AP Photo |

Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches, rescuers and penguin experts said Friday.

More than 400 penguins, most of them young, have been found dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state over the past two months, according to Eduardo Pimenta, superintendent for the state coastal protection and environment agency in the resort city of Cabo Frio.

While it is common here to find some penguins -- both dead and alive -- swept by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, Pimenta said there have been more this year than at any time in recent memory.

Rescuers and those who treat penguins are divided over the possible causes.

Thiago Muniz, a veterinarian at the Niteroi Zoo, said he believed overfishing has forced the penguins to swim further from shore to find fish to eat "and that leaves them more vulnerable to getting caught up in the strong ocean currents."

Niteroi, the state's biggest zoo, already has already received about 100 penguins for treatment this year and many are drenched in petroleum, Muniz said. The Campos oil field that supplies most of Brazil's oil lies offshore.

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There are two possible theories to explain this phenomenon:

1) Sea pollution is believed to have diminished the animal's immunity, hence allowing funguses and bacteria to weaken their lungs more easily. They are unable to survive while at sea.

2) The young penguins are more prone to sickness as they now have to swim in a more treacherous ocean, with stronger currents and more frequent cyclones, all as a result of global warming. As nature becomes more ferocious, the penguins are having difficulty searching for food.

What is your opinion?

The Green City

Written by azhar.

Let’s go green. Green is the future. Saving Gaia. These are some of the popular campaigns governments all over the world are organizing to make the Earth a better and cleaner place for the future generation. However, there is one problem – how do you really categorize a green city? A city covered with huge acres of greenery?

Several cities around the globe have just revealed their green plans. Chicago, for example, is currently working on a new green initiative known as the Eco-Bridge. It is the last of the major recommendations drafted by the master plan to provide recreational opportunities, views of the city, and calm water for rowing and sailing. There are also suggestions to include wind turbines in the project so as to provide an opportunity for the city to enjoy economic benefits from the project.

















However, this project has been panned by the citizens living in Chicago themselves. One of them commented that it is a way of ‘coating the city with sugar’. He cited an incident whereby he was unable to view the surroundings of the city when standing behind a double-decker bus as it was blowing out black smoke. Some critics even highlighted the difference between a green space and a green city. They questioned the economic benefits that only a few turbines will bring and some went further to describe Chicago’s transportation service as a ‘disaster’. So is constructing a green space in a city enough to label it a green city?

















Chicago is not the only country attempting to be the ideal city of the future. Abu Dhabi, a country synonymous to oil and wealth, is building a waste-free and zero-carbon city known as the Masdar City. The city will derive most of its energy from solar panels, as sunlight is a very abundant resource in the region. Any activity that involves the burning of fossil fuels is not allowed in the city. Cars, or at least those that run on gasoline, will be banned. The project even claims that the city will be zero waste through composting, recycling and sustainable practices. Public transportation systems will exist to substitute the need for cars. It is a city which embraces renewable and sustainable technologies for the future. We may be looking at the Silicon Valley of green technology.

There are several websites in the Internet which showcases initiatives or projects currently being developed by scientists all over the world. One of them is popsci.com, a website which displays the latest inventions that will shape the future of the environment. One of the innovations which is shown there is the Pod Car, an electric car which works like a grocery cart at the supermarket. Take a look at the picture below:















The pod cars can be folded and stacked when parking, thus saving a lot space. The most ingenious feature of the electric car is that it can charge itself with solar panels on the roof. In my opinion, I believe the pod cars look adorable and are helpful in conserving both energy and space. However, I do have doubts regarding the invention. Firstly, since you can stack it, I will assume that we will not have our own personalized cars. It is impossible to get you car out of its parking lot; you have to wait until the first few drivers stacked in front to leave first. Another possible drawback is that the cars may not be suitable for huge families or disabled drivers and passengers. And what if it is raining the whole week?















Another creative innovation that caught my attention is the energy highway. It is basically a highway with wind turbines which will line the highway medians. Cars passing the turbines will generate power. I think this is a very innovative solution to conserve energy. There are many car users in the world today. The only potential limitation with this green idea is that it will be very expensive to install the wind turbines along our highway medians.



If Singapore dreams to be a green city one day, it will need to start bringing in energy-efficient cars into the market. The worse is still yet to come with the surging oil prices. More people are using the public transport, making congestion inevitable. The government may also need to increase the number of bus and train services to keep up with the increasing number of commuters. I appreciate the government’s initiatives to raise awareness regarding methods to help conserve electricity. Perhaps a green city is best defined as a city filled with 'green people'.