Google pledges carbon-neutral shipping, recycled plastic for all devices

SAN FRANCISCO -- Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday announced that it would neutralize carbon emissions from delivering consumer hardware by next year and include recycled plastic in each of its products by 2022.

The new commitments step up the competition among tech companies aiming to show consumers and governments that they are curbing the environmental toll from their widening arrays of gadgets.

Anna Meegan, head of sustainability for Google's devices and services unit, said in an interview that the company's transport-related carbon emissions per unit fell 40 percent last year compared to 2017 by relying more on ships instead of planes to move phones, speakers, laptops and other gadgets from factories to customers across the world.

The company will offset remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits, Meegan said.

Three out of nine Google products for which the company has detailed disclosures online contain recycled plastic, ranging from 20 percent to 42 percent in the casings for its Google Home speakers and Chromecast streaming dongles.

In a blog post, Google committed to introducing some recycled plastic to 100 percent of products by 2022.

Meegan acknowledged that Google's 3-year-old hardware business trails far larger hardware rival Apple Inc in some sustainability efforts.

Apple, which in 2017 committed to "one day" only using recycled and renewable materials, has at least 50 percent recycled plastic in some parts of several products, recycled tin in at least 11 products and recycled aluminum in at least two.

But sustainability standards are now a part of Google's hardware planning, Meegan said. Devices cannot clear the second checkpoint in the company's design process unless they show that sustainable packaging and materials and ease of repair have been considered.

"We are fundamentally looking to build sustainability into everything we do," she said. "It's going to take us time to demonstrate progress."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

India gold recycling plan fails to tempt households

MUMBAI - India's ambitious plan to recycle thousands of tonnes of gold lying idle in temples and households looks to have foundered on concerns over high costs and slight returns, in a blow to government hopes of cutting imports of the metal.

After 16 months, temples and households have turned over just seven tonnes of gold out of the 24,000 tonnes believed to be in private hands, two industry sources and a government official said, with almost all the gold coming from temples.

Families that hold about 80 percent of the idle gold have largely shunned the scheme, with some four dozen government-approved centers that opened to test purity still to process a single gram of household gold, said Harshad Ajmera, president of the Indian Association of Hallmarking Centers.

"You hardly earn anything but you have to do so many things to deposit gold under the scheme. Why should I take all this pain?" said 54-year-old clerk Ganpat Shelke, who considered depositing 50 grams of gold.

The struggling scheme was launched with much fanfare by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015, with India seeking ways to stem the spending of billions of dollars on a non-essential commodity that accounted for 27 percent of its trade deficit in the year to March, 2016.

The country is the world's second-biggest gold importer behind China, buying about 800 tonnes a year for wedding gifts, religious donations and as an investment.

The plan was for holders of idle gold to lodge it with banks in return for interest and cash at redemption. The government would melt the gold and auction or rent it to jewelers, reducing the need for imports.

But the scheme logistics mean the owners of the gold must shoulder the cost of testing its purity and melting it down, while the interest rate on offer of just 2.5 percent compares with 7-8 percent that banks offer for cash deposit rates.

"If a consumer wants to have 25 grams jewelry converted the cost of converting and purity testing takes 3-4 percent of total value away," said Shekhar Bhandari, executive vice-president of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

RELUCTANT BANKS

Even when holders of the precious metal want to take part in the scheme they have run into hurdles.

"I visited four banks several times to deposit gold but they could not accept it," said Kushal Chatterjee, a businessmen from the eastern city of Kolkata. "They said they did not know the process."

At least five bank branches visited by Reuters this week in Mumbai said they could not accept gold under the scheme as they had not been given directions by their head offices.

A senior official with the Indian Banks' Association said the current scheme offered banks little or no profit.

"There should be an incentive for banks," said the official, who declined to be named when commenting on a sensitive issue.

Banks are also concerned that provisions allowing gold to be deposited for up to 15 years will raise currency and liquidity risks, the India Gold Policy Center in a recent report.

A finance ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the gold program.

Gold refiners, who more than doubled capacity in recent years in anticipation of higher scrap supplies, are operating at well below capacity, said James Jose, secretary of the Association of Gold Refineries and Mints.

"Except for the banks, all other stakeholders like purity centers, refiners are ready, but they are helpless without banks' participation," he said.

The India Bullion and Jewelers Association urged the government to revisit the scheme, clearing doubts for consumers and putting pressure on banks to participate.

"Otherwise Indian imports will not fall," said Association secretary Surendra Mehta.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Richard Pullin)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

More than flowers: Story behind viral 'Garden Taxi'

MANILA, Philippines – It's quite a fancy cab — driven by 41-year-old Richard Bulaclac — one that blooms with a flowery interior, and which he calls the "Garden Taxi."

The cab has LED-lit plastic roses, all colorful and radiating with positivity, perfectly arranged to ease whatever stress the city life has cast down upon commuters and laborers.

Its floral design matches the driver, Bulaclac, not only because of his surname — a homonym of “bulaklak,” the Filipino word for flower —but also because of his warm and polite personality.

The "Garden Taxi" became viral on social media courtesy of satisfied and inspired customers.

"Pagsakay ko pa lang, napa-whoa na ako sa loob ng taxi niya. Flowers, although plastic, pero sa isang umaga na galing ka sa LRT at apat na oras lang ang tulog, malaking bagay na ito ang sasalubong sa 'yo," said Clarisse Inao in a viral Facebook post.

But all things said about the taxi are just beauty-at-a-glance — just flowery words for a flowery machine — because the “Garden Taxi” and its driver has something more to tell about life.

Bulaclac ng Maynila

Bulaclac, a father of three, lives and works in Manila, over 1,000 kilometers away from his family in Davao del Sur.

Through thick and thin traffic or the risk of being robbed, he braves the roads of Metro Manila everyday, hoping to earn enough money to send to his family.

He used to earn up to P2,500 on a good day. But now because of the horrendous metro traffic, he only earns up to P1,000.

"Hindi nga nakakamatay pero unti-unti ka namang pinapatay dahil wala ka nang kikitahin," Bulaclac told ABS-CBNnews.com, referring to the daily metro traffic, just one of the many problems of the public utility vehicle drivers.

"May gas pa, boundary pa," he added.

With these problems, it's easy to resort to shortcuts, such as overcharging, "kontrata" in Filipino slang, or criminal acts like the infamous "taxi spray modus."

But Bulaclac, having been in dark times himself, has always sought the side of light.

"Takot ako [na gumawa ng masama]," he said. "Ang design ko, God's love."

Recycling, instead of crime

Bulaclac educated himself, attending livelihood seminars during his free days.

He learned the art of turning plastic scrap into pouches, bags and wallets, and sold his handmade products to passengers instead of charging additional money on bad-traffic days.

"Gawa 'to sa mga basyo ng kape, mga sitsirya... Binaligtad 'yan, huhugasan muna, gugupitin nang uniform, tapos gagawing parang banig," he said.

Bulaclac said he initially made 50 samples. It was an instant hit among his passengers.

"Nang makita ng pasahero, sabi, 'bibili ako ng lima.' Ubos agad!" he recalled.

Finding scrap enough to make bags and pouches is not as hard as it sounds, especially in the metro. One just has to be resourceful.

Bulaclac said he buys plastic materials from eateries where he usually hangs out.

"'Yung eatery, 'di na nila kinalat 'yung basura, iniipon na nila kasi binibili ko rin, P100. Ngayon, sisipagin na sila kasi P100 din 'yun," he said.

Aside from eateries, passengers inspired by his way of life also give him plastic materials so he can make and sell more pouches.

"Dito lang ako nakakabawi sa products na ginagawa ko galing sa recycled materials," he said. "Ngayon, kahit maliit ang kita, no need na akong mangontrata."

Paying it forward

Goodness never stops, it only flows on and on like a river. That's why as more help pours in for Bulaclac, he felt the urge to pay it forward.

One of the simple ways he thought of was to give the first his passengers on the first Monday and last Friday of the month, and even on his birthday, a free ride to anywhere.

He also grabs every opportunity to do good, the least he can do not only as a cabbie, but as a human being.

"May natulungan akong mag-ama makauwi ng Tarlac," he recalled. "Papunta ako sa SM Bicutan, nandoon na sila sa gutter. Buti 'yung problema nila, isinulat na nila sa karton."

"Hinatid ko muna 'yung pasahero ko sa SM Bicutan galing airport. Pagbalik ko nandoon pa rin sila, sinakay ko na," he added.

Bulaclac said the father and his kids were in Manila to look for his wife who was working somewhere in Merville, Parañaque as a housemaid.

The man tracked down the address, but never found his wife. There was no money left when the search was over.

He was saddened by the situation of the man and his kids, so he decided to pay for his tickets back to Tarlac.

Bulaclac said he felt good that time because the man texted him a few days after, thanking him.

"Nag-text sa akin, ang daming mayaman, bakit ikaw pa ang gumawa."

Garden Taxi's environmental thrust

Aside from helping people when he can, Bulaclac said he is also happy helping Mother Nature with his recycling "business."

"Nakakaambag ako sa kalikasan, na-motivate ko ang tao na h'wag magkalat," he said.

Bulaclac calls his simple idea — the Garden Taxi and everything he does with it — a war against the destruction of nature.

He considers the Garden Taxi — a vehicle not even his — the eateries, his passengers, buyers, the people, and the community are his "business partners."

Bulaclac he said he got this idea nearly six years ago, the year when the wrath of typhoon "Ondoy" came upon Metro Manila.

The calamities, he said, are eye-opening. He was even inspired to compose a song, entitled "Kalikasan, Pag-ingatan Natin."

His realizations, he said, pushed him to think of ideas on how to make a living, while helping people and helping Mother Nature all at the same time in a self-sustaining fashion, like a garden.

"Para bang 'yung umiikot lang mag-isa," he said.

The vehicle Bulaclac is renting, is the lone Garden Taxi in the metro, or maybe even in the Philippines, but he is hoping he can inspire others to do the same.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com