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LETTER TO THE EDITOR RETAIN BUKIT KIARA AS A GREEN LUNG While concerned citizens and civil society groups are heartened by the large turnout at the "Save Bukit Kiara" walk to show solidarity in the matter of the construction work taking place within Bukit Kiara (The Star, July 15), we are disconcerted by the Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung's somewhat contradictory explanation that the construction and clearing work was for the purpose of protecting the park from illegal encroachment and to develop the park as a big-scale public park. It must be pointed out that the construction of the 3.5m-high security fence by the National Landscape Department entailed the felling and destruction of thousands of mature indigenous forest trees. Further, the fence restricts the movement of wildlife. The construction of a road in order to put up a fence to protect the park from "illegal encroachment" also has the ironic effect of ope...

PENCINTA ALAM AUGUST 2012 GREEN LIVING COLUMN PAPER, POLYSTYRENE OR PLASTIC CUPS? Edited and compiled by Wong Ee Lynn There is a lot of debate over whether paper cups are preferable to polystyrene cups from an environmental point of view. Due to consumer pressure, many fast food and snack food franchises have even switched to paper or cardboard cups. The question is, however, whether paper is really better for the environment than polystyrene cups. The 3 main choices for disposable cups are paper, polystyrene and PET plastic. PAPER is the most expensive choice, and despite popular belief, not all paper cups are biodegradable. Many are lined with wax or petrochemical products to waterproof them. Paper production can cause almost twice as much CO2 emissions and energy consumption as creating plastic or polystyrene products. Some paper cups are also not recyclable if they have a wax coating on them. Producing paper cups can also take more material by weight to produce for proper insulatio...