Page 219 - Shaping A Sustainable Future

Based on its current air-conditioner usage, the company Student’s Reflection
uses 390,960 kWh (32,580 kWh X 12) of energy. The
carbon footprint of the air-conditioner system is 136,054 Before embarking on this
kgCO per year. If Shalom adopts the recommended eco- Environmental Review project,
2
solutions, a reduction of up to 44,898 kgCO per year, my knowledge of carbon
2
based on a 33% reduction in air-conditioner usage, can footprints was limited. Refer to
be achieved. Figure 6 for the Environmental
Sustainability team for this
Based on the company’s average monthly water usage environmental project
of 1,000 litres per month, we suspect that pipe leakages
are the main reason for the water loss. Water is used However, after completing
for washing its fleet of vehicles and maintenance of Wei Yeh the environmental review, I
its office premises. The company has been actively discovered that there is more to
recycling its water from its daily operations to reduce its reducing carbon footprints than just limiting the usage
water consumption. We recommend routine inspection of plastic materials. Based on the exchanges with the
of pipes to detect leakage. We also propose replacing its company’s employees, we learned that technology has
existing manual water taps with automated taps to save a big part in helping companies be more eco-friendly
up to 70% on everyday water consumption. This could and reduce their carbon footprints. For example, with
lead to water consumption savings of up to 700 litres hybrid vehicles becoming more common in Singapore,
per month or 8,400 litres per year. other companies should follow Shalom to improve their
environmental performance and save fuel costs.
Review of Eco-solutions
My team members and I believed
Shalom’s management and its employees support the that most companies do not
Environmental Sustainability team’s eco-solutions to have eco-friendly practices, as
reduce energy consumption. Furthermore, the company it requires coordination and
is now seriously considering replacing its current fleet of budgets set aside for recycling
24-foot diesel vehicles with hybrid or hydrogen trucks efforts. This is not an easy task,
when they become available in the market to achieve as businesses have to manage
better fuel mileage, lower fuel costs, and reduce carbon their bottom line to stay afloat
footprint. in the current Covid-19 situation.
Izuan
Therefore, communication is
Regarding the eco-solution of replacing its manual taps key to ensuring all stakeholders, from the SME owners
with automatic taps, the company will consider adopting to its employees, understand their role in helping the
this recommendation if water consumption increases in company to reduce its carbon footprints to enhance
the future. environmental sustainability and reduce business
operating costs.

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