Green Consumerism II

In my earlier post, I mentioned how greenhouses cause air pollution. Another blogger, Pandabonium, suggested a few ways to preserve the environment, namely:

Buy local. In season. Organic.

Let’s take a closer look…

Buy local

This is Malaysia, a tropical country. Thou shalt not eat apples, oranges, pears, kiwi fruits etc. as they are not grown locally .

OK, perhaps I can travel to New Zealand if I wish to eat kiwi fruits. But I shall not fly, as air plane pollutes the air. Instead, I must sail with a wave-powered boat.

wave-powered boat

In season

We buy ‘in season’ so that we don’t need to rely on greenhouses. Many years ago my aunt, who lived in the Netherlands, told me that she ate lots of meat in winter when veggies were too expensive. By the time warm days returned, she was completely sick of meat.

Vegetables are out of season in winter, but I can’t imagine not eating them for two or three months. And don’t tell vegetarians to change their lifestyle.

Please help me! I want to save our planet, but are there simpler ways to accomplish this?

P/S To learn more about the wave-powered boat, read Pandabonium's post.

陶杰

最近买了一本陶杰的散文集，其中一篇文章的题目为《乱给汽水盖》，顿时想起：“噢，对了，我们小时也把勋章戏称为汽水盖。”

陶杰，香港人。作品尖酸刻薄，而且敢于批评别人不敢提的事。我虽不完全赞同他的看法，却不得不赞他有才华。

2003年，中国首位太空人升空，举国人民欢腾。身为中国香港人的陶杰，却大泼冷水：

太空船升空，太空人上天后的第一句话，必纪录于历史。这句话，力量千钧，太空人不会说，应该由政府教他说。苏联太空人加加林上太空，第一句话是“我看不见上帝”，代表了共产党的无神论，向西方下战书。

一九六九年，美国太阳神火箭登月，太空人艾德灵和杭思朗步出太空舱，留下一句世纪名言：“这是我迈出的一小步，却是人类迈出的一大步。”

相比之下，中国的太空人说：“自我感觉很好”，“自我感觉良好”，在大陆，这句话是用来嘲讽自以为是之人，浪费了最好的广告时间。

Efficiency vs. Effectiveness

How is effectiveness different from efficiency?

In MBA, we often say:

To be efficient is to do the thing right.

To be effective is to do the right thing.

Confused? Here is a real example…

Dell outsourced its call centers from North America to India, where wages were low. In doing so, it successfully cut operating costs. Unfortunately, not all American customers of the PC manufacturer were happy. They complained that the Indians spoke an accent that was hard to comprehend, or that they did not understand the customers who were half-way around the globe so well.

Dell’s decision to outsource the call centers was an efficient one, but it may NOT be very effective.

Indian call center

Green Consumerism

Are you a green consumer? Do you bring your own bag or basket when you shop for groceries? Do you shop at stores that use bio-degradable plastic bags?

Environmentalists encourage us to buy produce grown locally. The logic is that imported produce has to be air-freighted, and cargo planes are air polluters.

Now, suppose that you live in UK. You want to buy roses, and you have two options. You can buy roses that are grown in Netherlands, and imported in boats or trains. Alternatively, you can buy roses that are flown in from Kenya. What is your choice?

Apparently, from the perspective of environmentalism, you should buy Dutch roses. But if we boycott Kenya, we may put flower farmers in the African nation out of jobs. Remember that Kenya is a 3^rd world country.

So, tell us your choice…

Dutch rose...

... or Kenyan rose?

OK, here is the reality. According to a study at Cranfield University, the carbon footprint of the Dutch roses turns out to be six times as large because they have to be grown in heated greenhouses.

Green consumerism isn’t always as green as we think…

Reference:
The Economist, January 19-25, 2008 issue

Related posts:
Sins of Recycling
Sins of Recycling II

Langkawi in 2009

The hard-line Islamist party of Malaysia, PAS, scored big victories in the general election held recently. It has taken the state of Kedah, and its state commissioner has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister. (Read the news here.)

What does this mean to business?

The Langkawi Island, off the coast of Kedah, is a popular tourist destination with white sandy beaches and crystal clear sea water...

Now, the ultra-conservative state government controlled by PAS may pass new law to ban beachwear in Langkawi. What you will see, instead, is the burkini…

经典电视剧

相信很多华人都喜欢看香港电视剧，尤其是无线 (TVB) 的。但说也奇怪，我最喜欢的香港电视剧中，有两部是丽的电视（亚视前身）的，那就是《大地恩情》和它的续集《金山梦》。

《金山梦》描述华工在美国加州的辛酸史。何文若（伍卫国饰）以火药炸金矿不慎毁了容，发了达却不敢回乡和妻儿团聚。失意的他借酒消愁，喝醉后透露了金矿的秘密，引来外人迄于。同伴李大石（陈观泰饰）为保卫金矿而不辛牺牲。杨九斤（刘志荣饰）较辛运。杨妻病逝于广东，他回乡办理后事完毕，又重返美国，因为那儿另有一个女人在等他。

Tune Hotels vs. Backpackers’ Guesthouses

AirAsia is one of the most successful airlines in Asia. This budget airline has transformed the aviation industry in Southeast Asia. No content with his success, AirAsia’s founder Tony Fernandes is venturing into hospitality industry with his Tune Hotels.

Like AirAsia, the Tune Hotels group is run on the “no frills” concept. From what I heard, Tony Fernandez plans to set up Tune Hotels in every city served by AirAsia. This will put them in direct competition with budget guesthouses long favored by backpackers to Southeast Asia. How will they fare? Since I personally am a backpacker and MBA student, I am interested in analyzing the two options we have.

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Price

Tune Hotels’ webpage says that the room rate starts “from RM9.99”. That’s cheaper than what backpackers’ guesthouses could offer. So, price-wise, Tune Hotels win, provided that you book your room well in advance. (I am assuming that Tune Hotels have the same pricing policies as AirAsia.)

Flexibility

Well, I said “book well in advance.” If you don't, you may have to pay several times more than the amount advertised. One thing Tony Fernandes hasn’t learned is: backpackers’ don’t like fixed itinerary. We change our plans frequently. That will make booking in advance difficult.

Experience

When I visited Bali in 2005, I stayed in guesthouses that were transformed from traditional Balinese houses, and equipped with aesthetic traditional furniture and gardens.

Tune Hotels are likely to have similar, nondescript design everywhere they are built. The staffs are likely to wear the same set of red uniform. Also, since Tune Hotels emphasize (over-emphasize) efficiency and cost-cutting, their employees would have to abide by lots of "standard operating procedures", making them more robot-like.

Location

Guesthouses are usually small. They can be found in metropolis like Bangkok, medium size cities like Chiang Mai, small cities like Chiang Rai and even villages like Mae Salong. Tune Hotels are big, so you are less likely to see one in Chiang Rai. Mae Salong? No way!

Brand

AirAsia is big in Malaysia. Tony Fernandes is one of the most famous Malaysian entrepreneurs. Apparently, the Tune Hotels group can leverage the brand power of its sister company. Malaysians who fly with AirAsia have a very good chance of checking in Tune Hotels too.

But wait a minute. Majority of backpackers are Westerners, with a significant number from Japan. The AirAsia/Tune Hotels brand may have little impact on them.

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So, how will Tune Hotels fare? I believe they will do well in Malaysia, but more work is needed in Bali, Thailand or Vietnam. For now, I will still choose guesthouses over Tune Hotels.

Employees of Tune Hotels are unlikely to be as friendly as this pretty lady of Shinsane Guesthouse in Mae Salong.

Cameron Highlands vs. Mae Salong

During the Chinese New Year of 2008, I traveled to Cameron Highlands. It reminded me of Mae Salong where I visited in January 2007.

Cameron Highlands of Malaysia and Mae Salong in Northern Thailand share many similarities: both are hill resorts; both are famous for tea production; Cameron Highlands is known for its flowers while Mae Salong is dotted with sakura in late December or January. But there is one aspect they differ significantly: Cameron Highlands is big; Mae Salong remains small, for now.

Cherry blossom in Mae Salong

Cameron Highlands actually consists of several towns. They are, from north to south, Kampung Raja, Kuala Terla, Tringkap, Brinchang, Tanah Rata and Ringlet. Tanah Rata and Ringlet used to be the more developed towns. However, since the opening of a new access road in early 2000s, the other towns to the north are fast catching up. During my trip, I saw lots of constructions going on.

I believe Cameron Highlands is over-developed. Clearing up of forests for development has already caused the mercury to rise. Not to mention the dreaded gridlock during peak tourist season.

Mae Salong, on the other hand, still maintains a small town charm. Now I hope it will not make the same mistake as Cameron Highlands did.

Related posts:

Mae Salong

Wat Santikiri, Mae Salong

Cherry Blossom, Mae Salong

Shinsane Guesthouse, Mae Salong

Hilltribes of Northern Thailand

Camelia