Malaysia In Right Path Towards 'Greener" Place

By Farhana Poniman KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is going in the right direction, in terms of focus and understanding of the opportunities in transforming the country into a "greener" place, says Roger Frechette, president of the American-based Positive Energy Practices. "The first step towards reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is by benchmarking it in the different sectors. "Once they do the benchmarking process, for example, in the transportation or the infrastructure sector, it becomes easier to analyse the biggest problem and which sectors they come from," he told Bernama at the Green Construction Conference 2012 here Wednesday. Frechette also said there were a lot of opportunities to reduce CO2 emission, particularly in Putrajaya. "We are working with KFM Holdings to upgrade the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya, to make it more eco-friendly and leading by example for others to follow. "The project is still under design, and will begin construction later this year. It is designed to reduce energy as much as 110 kilowatt hour per square meter per year," he added. Meanwhile, Dr Kaarin Taipale from the Finland Ministry of Energy and former chair of International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives said, for a hot climate country like Malaysia, buildings with heavy stone walls were more eco-friendly. "The stone wall exterior is heat-absorbing during the day and vice versa at night. This would neutralise the atmostphere in the building without the need for heavy machinery of air-conditioning. A lot of the new construction that look hi-tech and fancy become more obsolete faster, she added. She also said that older buildings were more sustainable and in better condition as they were built in a more solid way. --BERNAMA