Annotated Sumamry

Barnes, D., Galgani, F., Thompson, R., & Barlaz, M. (2009). Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 1985-1998. http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205

In this article Barnes et al. focus on the impact that plastics debris have on our planet, as it is one of the most severe issues over the years. However, this problem "is still growing and even if stopped immediately will persist for centuries"(Barnes et al. 2009) The authors use data gained through the United States Environmental Protection Agency to try to identify which type of plastics are highest in term of disposal rate. Their research mainly focuses on how plastic has affected our environment. The fragmentation of plastics has accumulated with just a relatively short time ever since the mass production of plastic in the 1950s. While plastics only constitute to around 10% of the waste in total, the plastics represent a higher proportion of the debris in enclosed seas and at water convergences. Due to water pollution, the government agency in many different countries has to spend millions of dollars to do ocean-cleaning annually, as the pollution had affected severely to marine life. This article is useful to my research topic as it shows a clearer picture to me on how the plastics can affects us as a human race on a global scale.

Summary_Reader Response Draft #3

In the article “Green buildings, Singapore’s natural ally for a greener future” by MacKenzie (2017), It was reported that Singapore's continuous growth has redefined utilitarian designs of green buildings, adding weight to its contribution in tackling climate change. Being densely populated, Singapore generates high power consumption. The article also stated that the Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) has planned to overcome the issue by targeting to certify 80 percent of building with the Green Mark by 2030, as well as raising awareness about climate change. Many planners are also starting to enforce eco-friendly systems and materials into buildings. Contrary to popular belief, it is not hefty to integrate environmental elements to the building’s design. The integration would serve as cost-efficient investments that are beneficial in the long run. It involves using light colors, maximizing natural light, leveraging technology, installing suitable elements that promote sustainability and working with stakeholders. In working towards a greener future, it is critical for BCA to make prudent decisions on a building’s design, as it would be a pivotal weapon in Singapore’s fight against climate change.

While the article clearly stated what BCA aimed to achieve, it failed to show how Green Mark Buildings are able to bring water and power consumption down significantly. In addition, the article has also failed to show how Green Mark Buildings are able to bring many benefits other than cost-efficient.

Firstly, there are many environmental benefits with Green Mark Buildings. One will be a reduction in water and power usage. In the BCA summary report survey "Perception towards Green Buildings in Singapore" by Wong, Kaul & Xiu (2017), it highlighted that more than 90% of public and private homeowners agree green buildings do lower the power and water usage and minimize the environmental impact. The usage of solar panels, energy efficient appliances and other energy-saving features in green buildings bring down the operation cost and utility bills significantly. One example of a behavior that homeowners take to help in energy saving is they would rather use fans in their house instead of air-conditioners. More than 70% of the homeowners agreed that using fans helps in energy saving as well as the reduction in the potential negative impact on the environment.

Besides the environmental benefits, the same BCA study had also shown that green buildings also contributed to social benefits. For instance, Wong, Kaul & Xiu  (2017) reported that at least 80% of homeowners say better air quality was ranked as the top reason for health benefits. Boh (2017) mentioned in the article "Green buildings also better for health, not just more energy efficient: BCA study"  that " People who work in 'green' buildings are less likely to suffer from fatigue, headache and even skin irritation". Boh (2017) also mentioned that due to better filters, the green buildings are able to keep particles such as bacteria and fungi out of the buildings. Hence the green buildings able to provide better air quality for people who stay or work in green buildings.

All in all, I believe Green Mark buildings will bring many benefits to our lives. Global and local studies all show that Green Mark building are very cost efficient over their lifetime. For better and healthier living, I believe people will choose green buildings over normal buildings. With many benefits on hands, I believe the awareness will spread among people very soon with the right campaign.

References:
Boh, S. (2017, September 12). Green buildings also better for health, not just more energy efficient: BCA study. Straits Times. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/green-buildings-also-better-for-health-not-just-more-energy-efficient-bca-study

MacKenzie, D. (2017, September 5). Green buildings, Singapore’s natural ally for a greener future. Channel News Asia. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/commentary-green-buildings-singapore-s-natural-ally-for-a-9183380

Wong, R., Kaul, A., & Xiu, W. (2017). Perception towards Green Buildings in Singapore. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.bca.gov.sg/newsroom/others/Summary_Report_Survey_on_BCA_Green_Mark.pdf

Summary_Reader Response Draft #2

In the article “Green buildings, Singapore’s natural ally for a greener future” by MacKenzie (2017), It was reported that Singapore's continuous growth has redefined utilitarian designs of green buildings, adding weight to its contribution in tackling climate change. Being densely populated, Singapore generates high power consumption. The Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) has planned to overcome the issue by targeting to certify 80 percent of building with the Green Mark by 2030, as well as raising awareness about climate change. Many planners are also starting to enforce eco-friendly systems and materials into buildings. Contrary to popular belief, it is not hefty to integrate environmental elements to the building’s design. The integration would serve as cost-efficient investments that are beneficial in the long run. It involves using light colors, maximizing natural light, leveraging technology, installing suitable elements that promote sustainability and working with stakeholders. In working towards a greener future, making prudent decisions on a building’s design is critical, as it would be a pivotal weapon in Singapore’s fight against climate change.

While the article clearly stated what BCA aimed to achieve, it failed to show how Green Mark Buildings be able to bring power consumption down significantly. In addition, the authority has also failed to show Green Buildings can actually bring many benefits other than cost-efficient.

Firstly, there are many environmental benefits with Green Buildings. One will be a reduction in water and power usage. In the BCA summary report survey "Perception towards Green Buildings in Singapore" by Wong, Kaul & Xiu Wei (2017), it highlighted that more than 90% of public and private homeowners agree green buildings do lower the power and water usage and minimize the environmental impact. The usage of solar panels, energy efficient appliances and having other energy-saving features in green buildings bring down the operation cost and utility bills significantly. More than 70% of the homeowners would rather use fans in their house instead of air-conditioners, as it helps in energy saving as well as the reduction in the potential negative impact on the environment.

Besides the environmental benefits, BCA study had shown that Green Buildings also contributed to social benefits. For instance, Wong, Kaul & Xiu Wei (2017) reported that at least 80% of homeowners say better air quality was rank as the top reason for health benefits. In the article "Green buildings also better for health, not just more energy efficient: BCA study" by Boh (2017), it was mentioned that " People who work in 'green' buildings are less likely to suffer from fatigue, headache and even skin irritation". Boh (2017) also mentioned that due to better filters, the green buildings are able to keep particles such as bacteria and fungi out of the buildings. Hence the green buildings able to provide better air quality for people who stay or work in green buildings.

All in all, I believe Green Mark building will bring many benefits to our lives. Global and local studies all show that Green Mark building are very cost efficient over their lifetime. With many benefits on hands, I believe the awareness will spread among people very soon with the right campaign.

References:

MacKenzie (2017). Green buildings, Singapore’s natural ally for a greener future. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/commentary-green-buildings-singapore-s-natural-ally-for-a-9183380 

Wong, Kaul & Xiu Wei (2017). Perception towards Green Buildings in Singapore. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.bca.gov.sg/newsroom/others/Summary_Report_Survey_on_BCA_Green_Mark.pdf 

Boh (2017). Green buildings also better for health, not just more energy efficient: BCA study. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/green-buildings-also-better-for-health-not-just-more-energy-efficient-bca-study 

Summary_Reader Response Draft #1

In the article “Green buildings, Singapore’s natural ally for a greener future” by MacKenzie (2017), It was reported that Singapore's continuous growth has redefined utilitarian designs of green buildings, adding weight to its contribution in tackling climate change. Being densely populated,
Singapore generates high power consumption. The Building Construction Authority of Singapore has planned to overcome the issue by targeting to certify 80 percent of building with the Green Mark by 2030, as well as raising awareness about climate change. Many planners are also starting to enforce eco-friendly systems and materials into buildings. Contrary to popular belief, it is not hefty to integrate environmental elements to building’s design. The integration would serve as cost-efficient investments that are beneficial in the long run. It involves using light colors, maximizing natural light, leveraging technology, installing suitable elements that promote sustainability and working with stakeholders. In working towards a greener future, making prudent decisions on a building’s design is critical, as it would be a pivotal weapon in Singapore’s fight against climate change.

While the article clearly stated what BCA aimed to achieve, it failed to show how Green Mark Buildings be able to bring power consumption down significantly. In addition, the authority has also failed to show Green Buildings can actually bring many benefits other than cost-efficient.

Firstly, there are many environmental benefits with Green Buildings. One will be a reduction in water and power usage. In the BCA summary report survey "Perception towards Green Buildings in Singapore" by Wong, Kaul & Xiu Wei (2017), it highlighted that more than 90% of public and private homeowners agree green buildings do lower the power and water usage and minimize the environmental impact. The usage of solar panels, energy efficient appliances and having other energy-saving features in green buildings bring down the operation cost and utility bills significantly. More than 70% of the homeowners would rather use fans in their house instead of air-conditioners, as it helps in energy saving as well as the reduction in the potential negative impact on the environment.

Besides the environmental benefits, Green Buildings also contributed to the social benefits. For instance, at least 80% of homeowners mentioned in the report that better air quality was rank as the top reason for health benefits. In the article "Green buildings also better for health, not just more energy efficient: BCA study" by Straits Times (2017), it was mentioned that " People who work in 'green' buildings are less likely to suffer from fatigue, headache and even skin irritation". The article also reported that due to better filters, the green buildings are able to keep particles such as bacteria and fungi out of the buildings. Hence the green buildings able to provide better air quality for people who stay or work in green buildings.

All in all, I believe Green Mark building will bring many benefits to our lives. Global and local studies all show that Green Mark building are very cost efficient over their lifetime. With many benefits on hands, I believe the awareness will spread among people very soon with the right campaign.