One Chapter Soon Finished

Dear 1-earth Blog Readers,

The MSc. in Environmental Management that I am currently taking at National University of Singapore is soon drawing to an end as the last semester's exams are coming up. I have therefore recently been very busy preparing for the exams, the dissertation and at the same looking for work in the environmental field. This last task will soon be my highest priority as I hope to get out there and work for the environment and put what I have learned into practice as soon as my dissertation has been submitted (in June).

There are in particular two areas in the environmental field that I would like to work in and they are:

1. Global Climate Change
2. Conservation/Biodoversity.

Although these two areas are the closest to my heart I would also consider working in other areas. My main working experience is from ASEAN, China (including Hong Kong) and Taiwan. As I want to leverage my extensive experience from these geographic regions in my future environmental career I hope to find work that deals with these geographic regions.

I am very committed to the environment and to work for change on the ground and with the public, governments, the private sector, NGO's and other stakeholders. I am particularly interested in policy related research and lobbying. So if you hear of any opportunities out there that could be of interest please drop me a note.

Have a happy GREEN day everyone!

Trond Lovdal

UNEP-COBSEA part-time research assistant

UNEP is building a marine database under the The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia or COBSEA programme and Tropical Marine Science Institute at NUS is in charge of putting this database together. I have now been hired on a part-time basis as a research assistant for this project. As I am currently researching and writing my dissertation on the topic "The case for a Marine Protected Area in Singapore - A Future Catalyst for Singapore's Integrated Marine and Coastal Management" this project will be a very interesting project for me to work on as I can learn a great deal about what other countries' governments are doing with regard to marine conservation and environmental protection. It will also help me see how Singapore's efforts in marine environmental conservation fit within the broader Asian context.

I will be researching the following three areas for the database:

- Member Country Profiles,
- State of the Marine Environment, and
- Regional Activities

This will indeed be an exciting project to work on over the next few weeks and months.

10 ways you can help the environment.

There are many ways you can help the environment and reduce heat trapping emissions. I have found this excellent website by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The website lists ten areas in which an individual can have a major impact in helping reduce the global warming impact. They are:

1. The car you drive: the most important personal climate decision.
2. Choose clean power.
3. Look for Energy Star.
4. Unplug a freezer.
5. Get a home energy audit.
6. Light bulbs matter.
7. Think before you drive.
8. Buy good wood.
9. Plant a tree.
10. Let policymakers know you are concerned about global warming.

Not of all of these are equally applicable to where you might live, but there may be other ways that you can think of to supplement these 10 ways.

Please go visit: Ten ways you can help the environment for a more detailed description of what you can do to help care for our global home.

The websites also has a lot MORE great information on the environment. It is a great resource for those interested in learning more about the environment and how we can change our thinking and lifestyle to positively effect the global climate and environment. As a resource I would rate it ten out of ten!

Vandana Shiva: Planting the Seeds for Change

"Vandana Shiva is one of the world's most powerful voices for global environmental justice and cultural and ecological diversity. She is the founding director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in New Delhi. Vandana Shiva is also the author of numerous books including Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. Series: "Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs]"



This google video is a bit old, about 1.5 years old and also quite long at more than 50 minutes. But the speech given by Vandana has a very imoportant message for us all and should be watched. Much of what Vandana Shiva discusses is a sound basis for humanity's relationship with earth and if all cultures of today could but observe a small part of her message we would have a lot less problems. Her viewpoints on biopiracy is refreshing and she turns the whole issue of biopiracy around and argues very well how large corporations actually help destroy today's biodiversity and thus take control the world's food chain.

To learn more about the center and their work check out: Navdanya

Navdanya is actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. It has created awareness on the hazards of genetic negineering, defended people's knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalisation. It has its own seed bank and organic farm spread over an area of 20 acres in Uttranchal, north India.

Practical Earth Care

How we live our daily lives have a great impact on Earth and sustainability. Besides changing our lifestyle one can also start volunteering for organizations whose aim it is to improve our environment. If we all pitch in 1-2 days a month (or even in a year) helping out, a lot can be accomplished. l have listed 3 organizations in the links section that I volunteer for. There are many others out there. You can also become a member and thereby support these organizations or give memberships as gifts to friends and family. If you cannot spend the time for whatever reason most of these organizations also accept donations. Other ways to volunteer is to write stories for newsletters, local newspapers, etc.

To see me in action please refer to the links below:

NUS Kentridge Park
Labrador Park Clean Up

Thanks for the links Anbu.

The first photo below is from the Labrador Park Clean Up (I am third from the left). In the second picture I am volunteering at Kent Ridge Park, helping in clearing and controlling invasive species (Smilax). As you can see I literally had the work "cut out" for me. We removed something like 20 huge bags of smilax that day.

1-EARTH Start up kit

I guess that so far only a few of my friends and possibly a couple of my classmates have had the fortune (or misfortune) of reading my blog that I have just started. As the name indicates it is all about Earth care. Unfortunately I believe that not many people understand or are concerned with taking care about the most precious thing to all of us in the universe: EARTH.

Earth cares for us by giving us life, shelter, nourishment, a livelihood, entertainment, and so forth. Is it not about time that we reciprocate? This blog will be a starter for me on my path towards informing friends, family, classmates and the wider public about what we can do in our own small ways to help care for Earth. As there are already many websites out there discussing issues related to climate change, biodiversity conservation and other urgent environmental issues I will help direct my readers towards some of these sites that I have found more useful.

Please feel free to write in any comments and suggestions you may have on how to improve on this blog. Photographs and stories are also welcome, but they must be related to Earth care or global environmental issues. Also if you have any innovative ideas, found a good webiste, etc. on how to be a responsible earth citizen and how to care for Earth please also post it here.

So here we go, the official launch of the 1-EARTH blog.