Pointless Road Widening

Near where I live there are a lot of narrow roads, used only by farmers going to their fields and cyclists out exercising. Recently, some of them have been widened for no apparent reason. The one pictured here is typical: The bed of wildflowers, grasses and weeds that used to be alongside the road, between its and the irrigation ditch on the right, has been sealed under asphalt. It wasn't a biodiversity hotspot by any stretch, but it was better than adding non-reflective, heat-absorbing blacktop...

Why has this been done? Not so the road can handle more vehicles. Traffic of the four-wheeled kind is very light indeed. To ease access to houses? Well, the widened section doesn't even reach the one and only house here.

The fact they've done some but not all of the road, and haven't even gone as far as the house, suggests there were budget issues. Government units can award contracts without a competitive tender if the contract is below a certain amount. Did someone in the township government decide this needed to be done, to help a friend out? Couldn't they have thought of something more useful? Pork barrelling is covering this island with concrete.

Beer Miles

More than once, I've heard foreigners in Taiwan decry the environmental carelessness of Taiwanese, and then head to a hypermarket or convenience store to buy beer that's been shipped in from North America, Ireland or Germany...

I minimize my beer miles by drinking the local stuff. Bottles are better than cans (for the planet, and in terms of taste) if you take them back to the store for reuse.

Look at a can or bottle of Taiwan Beer, and you'll notice a letter beside the production date: A, B, or C. The letter tells you where it was brewed. A is Miaoli County (just south of Hsinchu); B is Taichung County; C is Tainan County. My beer is always from C. I know the brewery, it's about 15 kilometers from my house. In terms of food miles, that isn't bad.

Ma Wants Fewer Fireworks

I've been neglecting the news for a few days while trying to get other things done. I picked up Thursday's China Post and immediately saw three environment stories. One is about the weakness of the Environmental Impact Assessment system for industrial and infrastructure projects; another reports on criticism of a TV ad that urges people to replace inefficient air-conditioning units. The third story does not contain any words like "environment" or "eco-friendly," which perhaps shows how unimaginative some reporters are, or how Ma's press people missed a chance to make the new president appear green.

Here's the article in its entirety:

President-elect Ma Ying-jeou has reportedly sharply cut the budget for setting off fireworks in celebration of his inauguration as new president of the Republic of China to NT$5 million from NT$20 million to promote the spirit of prudence. The NT$5 million budget is just one third of the NT$16 million spending on celebration fireworks in 2004, when President Chen Shui-bian assumed his second-term presidency.

Under the limited budget, the ad hoc panel responsible for inauguration affairs has decided to create grand audio and video effects by having an orchestra play the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture.

The Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture is among the most energizing of compositions, with its cannons and bells commemorating the Russian defeat in 1812 of Napoleon interwoven with Russian folk tunes and, of course, the Marseillaise.

In fact, the panel said that when serving as Taipei mayor, Ma also instructed relevant units under the city government to reduce the budget for fireworks set off during celebration festivals.

I'm delighted to read of Ma's decision, not for the money that'll be saved, but rather for the sake of the air we breathe. Fireworks are fun but filthy. Even Taiwan's media has grasped this; reporting last year's record-breaking firecracker in Yanshuei, the TV news mentioned the results of air-quality tests, which were scary.

Earth Day, The Premier & Me

As I type this, government buildings and schools which turned off their lights for an hour to mark Earth Day should be turning them back on. I'll be watching the TV news tonight to see who among Taiwan's great-and-good rode a bicycle to work, or took public transportation.

According to the China Post:

"Only one car will escort the premier to his office, rather than the usual three..."

Also, some members of the Cabinet are going vegetarian for the day. No indication that any of them turned off the air-conditioning in their offices, walked to work, or even worked from home. If Taiwan really wants to cut CO2 emissions and reduce traffic congestion, attitudes to telecommuting are going to have to change.

What have I done? Well, I used my bicycle this morning rather than the motorcycle or car. I remembered to bring my own chopsticks for lunch. I picked up nine small glass bottles that someone dumped beside the road (they'll go in the recycling truck this evening). And I turned the computer off between 8 am and 2 pm (usually it stays on, though typically I don't get much work done in that period).

Are Taxis An Endangered Species?

The opening of Kaohsiung's MRT is reportedly cutting into taxi drivers' earnings. And in Taipei, a city councilor wants the number of taxis reduced because they're so often cruising the streets empty. Some say more taxis should convert from gasoline to LPG or a dual gasoline-LPG system.

Personally, I hope taxis remain plentiful and inexpensive. I think it's better for people to take trains and buses from one city to another, and then a taxi from the station to their final destination, rather than drive their own vehicle the whole way.

Organic Batteries And Eco-Movies

Yilan County is holding its fifth annual Green International Film Festival. The festival's website names some of the movies and documentaries being shown this year, such as Half Life: A Journey to Chenobyl and Texas Gold. In previous years the festival has included the works of Japanese director Tsuchimoto Noriaki.

According to this report, alongside the festival there is an exhibition of organic agricultural produce and eco-friendly products such as organic radical batteries (ORBs) and energy-saving electrical appliances. ORBs could be a very good thing for Taiwan; the battery-recycling rate here has improved but remains dismal, despite incentive programs.

Leave Guandu To The Birds

The TV news talked about this yesterday, and it's in all the newspapers: President-elect Ma Ying-jeou has apparently welcomed suggestions that the Presidential Office be relocated, and that the building currently used for the purpose - the old Japanese governor's residence - be turned into a museum about the Japanese colonization era.

I'm not going to discuss the merits of the museum proposal. I'm more concerned about the environmental impact of moving the Presidential Office.

According to the China Post's report, the Guandu Plain in Taipei County was mentioned as an ideal site for a brand new Presidential Office. However:

"Some said it could cause communication problems and inconveniences for other government agencies and the people if the president's office is moved away from the downtown area of the capital city. The Presidential Office, a six-story red-brick building with a central tower, is within walking distance of the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Judicial Yuan, the Finance Ministry, and the Central Bank."

Of course, civil servants and their bosses don't actually walk anywhere when they can drive or be driven. Still, if the distances are shorter, that's better for everyone.

"Real estate developers said the move will shift the commercial and realty development in the greater Taipei area. The plan will help bring faster development and prosperity to the Guandu area."

What about the birds? Guandu Nature Park is one of Taiwan's most-popular and best-known birding areas.

"The vast plain, lying to the west of Taipei City... has been left idle and undeveloped for many years."

That's typical Taiwanese thinking, I'm sad to say. A piece of land is "idle" - going to waste - if it's not being farmed or hasn't been built on. The idea that it might be visually appealing and be beneficial for those living nearby, never occurs to some people.

Coconut-Fiber Brushes

My wife has been buying these at the local morning market. They're for washing dishes. They're billed as eco-friendly because you don't need to use any detergent - something in the coconut fiber is said to remove oil and grease from pots and dishes. They seem to work well. Also, when you're done with the brush, you can dispose of it naturally - every part can decompose, except for a tiny piece of wire, and the plastic bag it comes in.

Scientists have been experimenting with biodegradable plastic bags made partly of coconut fiber. Also, here in South Taiwan, coconut fiber mats have been used on slopelands to hold soil in place until plants and trees have taken root; this was done along the banks of the Love River.

I'm curious: Was the coconut fiber imported or grown here in Taiwan? How efficiently are the coconut palms used? According to some sources, nearly all parts of the coconut palm are useful.

Toxic Agents On Disposable Chopsticks

Disposable chopsticks may not have other people's saliva or soap suds on them, but that doesn't mean using them is good for your health, according to this article.

A consumers' group leader is quoted as saying: "The best solution is to use your own pair of reusable chopsticks to protect the environment and your health."

How clean are the paper or plastic bags that are given out by hot-food vendors and people selling fruit and vegetables in markets? That's something I'd like to know.

Energy Use Rising

Taiwan's energy use rose for the eighth straight month in February, according to Reuters. Demand last dropped in June 2007, when it fell 2.3 percent.

Industrial growth is the main factor behind increased energy demand, the article says. Industrial output grew 15 percent from a year earlier in February; the information and electronics sectors led with a 29 percent gain. According to a Taipower spokesman, electronics companies take almost 20 percent of Taiwan's electricity output.

Despite the expansion of windpower, Taiwan is still very dependent on imported fuel. Some 98 percent of its energy needs came from overseas in February. To read the entire article, click here.

Millions Have Gone Missing

According to this article in the China Post, about seven million cell phones were sold in Taiwan last year, but the Environmental Protection Administration managed to collect only 2.34 million old phones between April 2006 and February 2008. I'm sure millions of old phones are sitting in people's homes. I'm sure plenty were tossed in with regular trash and incinerated or dumped in landfills. How many were unofficially recycled? Don't tell me there are no unlicensed breakers operating in the backstreets, especially now the price of gold is so high...

The article is about recycling. No mention is made of refurbishing old phones for reuse by low-income families in Taiwan or people in other countries.

Cell-phone recycling has been mandatory in Taiwan for two years, but enforcement seems to be non-existent. People should be compelled to pay a deposit whenever they get a new handset - NT$1,000 at least - which they'd get back only when they hand the phone in for recycling or refurbishing.

Greening Your Taiwan Home

The always-excellent Tree Hugger has an article called Greening Your Rental. Most of it is applicable to Taiwan.

The ten ways in which you can reduce your impact on the environment through your home are: Location (live near your place of work, and/or near somewhere with public transportation); Living in a small or shared abode (but apartments in Taiwan seem to be getting bigger); Working with your landlord to increase energy efficiency (you can do some things yourself, such as plugging drafts to make air-conditioning more efficient); Good lifestyle habits (turning off appliances when they're not being used); Using renewable power (Taiwan is a good place for solar stoves, but I've never seen one in the flesh; you'd need a big balcony or access to the roof); Replacing incandescent lights with compact fluorescents or LEDs (but what happens to incandescent bulbs that go into the trash?); Saving water (even if the pricing system offers no incentive); Redecorating only with eco-friendly paints; And buying secondhand furniture (there aren't many used-furniture stores in Taiwan, but dumpster diving is a possibility).