savoy094

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: HARASSMENT OF WILDLIFE CAN NEVER CONSTITUTE ECOTOURISM A video clip and photographs which surfaced on the Internet this week of a group of tourists and snorkelers harassing, restraining and attempting to ride on a sea turtle created an uproar among netizens and necessitated an investigation by the Departments of Fisheries and Marine Parks. What appalled netizens was not only that the tourists were engaging in the thoughtless, cruel and irresponsible act of harassing the turtle, but were encouraged to do so by the tour operator / snorkelling guide as part of their marine holiday experience. There was no regard for the safety, welfare or well-being of the unfortunate turtle, in spite of the obvious consequences that stress would have on the feeding, mating, breeding and resting patterns of a wild sea turtle. All too often, such instances of cruelty to wildlife are passed off by irresponsible tour operators as ecotourism. Tourists are only too happy to have a photo...

PENCINTA ALAM SEPT 2012 ECO KIDS COLUMN A WHEELIE GOOD IDEA: TOY VEHICLES FROM DISCARDED ITEMS By Wong Ee Lynn What's durable, attractive, fun to play with and costs next to nothing? Why, empty laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs, of course! Don't believe us? Check out the photo collage below of various toy vehicles made from discarded household containers and bottle caps and plastic lids. Once the labels have been removed, the "vehicle bodies" don't even need to be painted over, which makes environmental sense as they will be easier to send for recycling once broken or once you get tired of them. (Photo credits: La Bioguia Facebook page.) Designed by artist Martine Camillieri , these toy vehicles are a great example of what happens when creativity meets environmental responsibility. Empty bottles and containers could be reused indefinitely until they break, and then they could be sent for recycling. Although the artist did not provide instructions on how to m...

PENCINTA ALAM SEPTEMBER 2012 GREEN LIVING COLUMN WHAT ARE "E.M. MUDBALLS" AND DO THEY WORK? By Wong Ee Lynn We often hear of "E.M. Mudballs" being thrown into rivers and seas during beach and river cleanup campaigns. These mudballs purportedly contain properties that will purify water, improve water quality and solve sanitation problems. Why is it that we have never heard about these miraculous mud balls before, and what is the science behind them? WHAT DOES "E.M." STAND FOR? An effective microorganism ("E.M.") refers to any of the predominantly anaerobic organisms blended in commercial agricultural amendments, medicines, and nutritional supplements based on the trademarked product originally marketed as EM-1 Microbial Inoculant, aka Effective Microorganisms and EM Technology. These blends are reported to include: * Lactic acid bacteria: Lactobacillus casei * Photosynthetic bacteria: Rhodopseudomonas palustris * Yeast: Saccharomyces c...