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Of Beautiful Malls, Wind Farms, and Displaced Birds

Every afternoon just before dusk, thousands of birds flock together outside a popular shopping mall in Quezon City, Philippines. Some of the birds (known locally as Tarat, in the shrike family) roost on power lines, or under the mall’s eaves,…

neoli6 March 2013

Blog

Self-Healing Cement Just Got Better

Self-healing cement that seals up its own cracks and magically repairs itself seems like the stuff of science fiction. After all, concrete’s not supposed to do that once it sets into a hard, permanent mass. But there’s really nothing sci-fi…

neoli4 March 2013

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Why China Needs Its Green Building System As Much as It Needs LEED

Back in 2006, China developed its own Green Building Design Label aka Three Star as a response to LEED. It was meant to complement the prestigious green building standard started by USGBC, not replace it or restrict it in any…

neoli27 February 2013

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Deciding Green Building for the Military | LEED Rules Once Again

Less than three weeks ago, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) was seeking public comments regarding which green building certification to use for U.S. federal buildings, most especially the military. In the interest of fairness, GSA wasn’t taking sides among…

neoli21 February 2013

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What’s in a Chinese Horoscope? | And Why I Believe in the Chinese Zodiac Signs than in Western Astrology

With the Chinese New Year looming before us in a matter of hours, most of us have already checked what’s in store for your Zodiac sign this Year of the Water Snake. Just Googling Chinese horoscopes 2013 brings up 24…

neoli9 February 2013

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Instead of | Green Valentine’s Day Ideas for You and Your Special One

With Valentine’s Day just a few days way, it’s time to rethink the ways in which we’ve always celebrated this most romantic day of the year. We’ve come up with an Instead Of List, to show some green alternatives for…

neoli9 February 2013

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China Needs to Get Serious On Wind Energy. Now.

China needs to harness its wind energy now more than ever. Last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a chart describing the coal consumption of China compared to the rest of the world. The verdict: as seen below:…

neoli5 February 2013

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What We Can Do About the Smog Problem in China

If you still haven’t heard, smog has been making headlines these past two weeks. This is not just some icky news. When the first news reports came in, pollution levels of PM2.5 recorded by the U.S. Embassy in China reached…

neoli29 January 2013

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Green Hotels in Asia | Rosedale Hotel Kowloon Profile

For some, green hotels might still seem like an oxymoron. After all, hotels are often venues of luxurious amenities, lavish opulence, and well, sometimes pampered excesses too. Naturally, we've come to expect a lot from hotels--specifically high living which we…

neoli27 January 2013

Blog

Green Building with Bamboo Might Not Be So Green After All

For as long as they can remember, folks in the rural areas of Asian countries have been living in houses ingeniously made out of bamboo. It’s only logical since the grass grows rampant in the tropical setting. (Yes, bamboo, for…

neoli23 January 2013