Comfori

On the 26^th and 27^th September 2011, the 2^nd Annual Green Tech Asia Conference was held at GTower Hotel. It was officiated by Puan Hjh. Nor’Aini bt Abdul Wahab, Deputy Secretary General, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA) on behalf of Y.B. Dato’ Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water whom was unable to attend the conference. In her opening speech, she stressed the importance of adopting green water and waste technology to help improve and obtain the final objective of green building. The conference was hosted by Comfori Sdn Bhd and attended by 100 delegates, which comprised of engineers, developers, building owners and many more.

Green building is the practice of escalating on how efficiently buildings use energy, water, and other resources to reduce their waste and impact on human health and the environment. According to a study by the EPA, commercial buildings account for 18% of the total energy consumption in the U.S. An estimated 30% of this energy is used inefficiently. Commercial buildings also generate an astounding quantity of waste and other by-products that cause impairment to the environment. The 2^nd Annual Green Tech Asia Conference reviewed the effectiveness of water and waste management to help achieve key green building objectives and introduced innovative green technology in line with the aim to reduce cost and energy consumption.

The conference introduced a line-up of high profile speakers that presented their wealth of knowledge and experience in the green building industry in the conference which included:

Prof. Dr. Nor Azazi Chairman River Engineering & Urban Drainage Research Center (REDAC)
Margaret Lee Senior Executive Director PricewaterhouseCoopers Taxation Services
Zul Azri Energy Management Energy Commission of Malaysia
Dr Nazily Mohd Noor Chief Executive Officer Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia)
CK Tang Managing Director GBeat
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Maulud Haji Latif Head of Renewable Policy and Financial Modelling Studies Institute of Hydrogen Economy
Matthias Gelber Greenest Person on the Planet
Melissa Hon Marketing Communications Manager Goldis Berhad

This conference was supported by Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) and Malaysian Water Partnership (MyWP). On-board as media partners for the conference were Green Purchasing Asia, Eco-Business.com, RFP EcoBuild, Macau Business, Green Business Times and Asia is Green.

Issues addressed in this conference included:

Green building standards, rating and policy across the region for commercial and industrial buildings
Holistic view of green building design
Efficient building management
Increasing energy efficiency
Reducing cost and energy consumption
Alternative energy resources
Updates on cutting-edge existing and future green technologies
Transforming less efficient existing buildings to green buildings
Return on investment
Possible collaborations among nations within Asia Pacific

In accordance with Comfori’s aim to adopt green initiatives, Comfori organises many workshops and conferences on sustainability-related issues. For more information, please contact Huey Ying at (603) 5621 3630 ext. 108 or hueyying.leong@comfori.com

Comfori organised a “Buka Puasa” event with Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih, an orphanage situated in Puchong, on 16^th August 2011. Annually, Comfori organises “Buka Puasa” events in celebration of the Ramadhan month to share the joy of giving to the less fortunate. The venue for the event this year, Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih, houses 40 children from 7 to 17 years old. Prior to the event, Comfori raised funds of up to RM4000 that were used to purchase groceries for the orphanage, for example, rice, biscuits, milk, sugar, tea, clothes and many more.

Upon the arrival to the orphanage, activities began with an ice-breaking session in which the orphans introduced themselves. This was followed by speeches from both Mrs. Rabaah, the guardian of the orphanage and Mr. Lawrence, CEO of Comfori. In his speech, Mr. Lawrence mentioned that it was an honour to be able to hold a “Buka Puasa” event at the orphanage and emphasizes on the necessity for Comfori to organise such events again in the future as an initiative to establish a caring community.

After that, all Comfori employees and orphans were divided into four groups to form animal shapes with newspapers. The creativity of Comfori employees and the orphans shone throughout the activity. All the “newspaper animals” created by each group were unique with the special characteristics of each animal perfectly presented. All groups were then awarded with hampers as a reward to the collaborative effort between Comfori employees and the orphans.

As the time draws nearer to the Ramadhan breaking fast moment, everyone gathered at the dining table to offer their prayers and gratitude for the opportunity to be able spend an enjoyable day together with the orphans. With a healthy appetite, everyone began enjoying the food prepared by the orphanage and Comfori as the clock ticks 7.25pm. A wide variety of food such as porridge, murtabak, sandwiches, rendang chicken and many more were prepared for the break fast meal. Dinner was accompanied with a rendition of Malay songs by a band from the orphanage. After the dinner, the orphans and Comfori employees performed their Maghrib prayers.

The exciting day comes to an end after Maghrib prayers. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience for Comfori employees, as we were able to spend some time with the less fortunate.

Pictures of the event could be viewed here.

One of the biggest surprises to me is that 99 percent of leaders I've encountered on five different continents have seen the movieJAWS!

The reality is that just like the shark in the movie, threats to your change program lurk undetected. Unless you go fishing for threats, and really try to understand them, you’ll end up with a change effort dead on arrival.

Here is what we do to hunt and kill sharks.

1. Scan the Ocean.  Ask your team-- what attitudes, people, systems, and processes are out there than can threaten this change? Allow plenty of time to brainstorm and discuss all the possible threats. The added bonus of this step is that by listening and not challenging employees point of view, you create a forum to get concerns out and help create positive forward momentum.

2. Identify the Killers.  The good news is that in reality, only 1 percent of all sharks species pose a threat to humans. The same is true with the issues listed. Only a small percentage of them really matter. Let the team tell you which are critical. We usually give each person five points. They can distribute them however they want: One point to five problems, all five to one problem, or anything in between. Count up the totals and see the top priorities.

3. Start Your Hunt. Starting with the top problems, give small groups or individuals the task of indentifying how to kill or cage the “shark.” In essence, they indentify what needs to be done to stop this threat. They need to include the following:

Who needs to take action? Make sure employees include a variety of stakeholders, and not just senior management. One rule we use is that for every idea that senior management needs to take, you need to identify two that you can take.
What needs to be done? Outline in order of priority.
When does it need to be done? Include any sequencing here. For example, Step A needs to be done before Step B.

You can do this with any group or team. The group setting provides cover for individuals who are scared to bring up issues for fear of reprisal. Often threats to change are systems or processes that are untouchable. By working in groups, people can safely raise issues that they might not dare do one-on-one. This process always starts important discussions and if action is taken, will lead to the removal of barriers to change.

Source: HRM Today

On the 11^th & 12^th July 2011, the Green Data Center Conference was held at Istana Hotel. It was officiated by Y.Bhg. Datuk Loo Took Gee, Secretary General of Ministry of Energy, Green Technology, and Water Malaysia (KeTTHA). She stressed the importance of green initiatives in data center and encouraged everyone to take a step towards restructuring data center facilities in the region. The conference was hosted by Comfori International Sdn Bhd and attended by 150 delegates, whcih primarily comprised of mainly IT professionals.

Green Data Center Conference aimed to initiate green initiatives in data center following the rapid growth of the global data center capacity. Demand for data center is expected to grow at 10% CAGR over the next decade, as businesses automate more processes, perform more complex analytics, store more granular customer data and employ rich media. Capacity demand in emerging markets like China will rise especially quickly, as institutions there become larger and more sophisticated. A research firm Frost and Sullivan analyst said that demand for data center space in Asia-Pacific significantly outpaces supply in the region and expects growth in the provider market to persist at high rates. Therefore, this conference provided an opportunity and an exclusive platform to bring together world class IT professionals from data center solutions providers, global corporations, government bodies, and government-linked industries worldwide.

The conference introduced a line-up of high profile speakers that presented their wealth of knowledge and experience in the data center industry in the conference which included:

· David Cottingham Director, Global Professional Services for Data Centers and Storage Dimension Data

· Eric Liew Sales Specialist, Data Centre & Storage, Solutions Development Group Dimension Data Malaysia

· Ir. Eric Chang Managing Director PA Vision

· Datuk Badlisham Ghazali Chief Executive Officer Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)

· Heoh Chin Fah Chairman Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) Malaysia

· Ir. Francis Xavier Jacob Director Energy Management Energy Commission of Malaysia

· Matthew Rajendra Regional Director Green Computing Initiative (GCI); Deputy Director-General Asia Centre of Green Computing Research (ACGCR)

· Matthias Gelber Greenest Person on the Planet

· Andy Soon Site and Facilities Consultant IBM Asean

· Thyaga Rajan Technical Director, Basis Bay

· Suresh Ramasamy Technology Strategist/Futurist Digi Telecommunications

This conference attracted sponsors from the IT industry. Dimension Data (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., as platinum sponsor and VMWare, as co-platinum sponsor, were pleased with the level of involvement offered in the conference. As the subject of green data center is still new worldwide, the conference provided a platform for their representatives to associate themselves with data center industry practitioners. Other sponsors include and PA Vision Sdn. Bhd., the gold sponsor in the conference. Similar to Dimension Data Malaysia, PA Vision was satisfied with the networking opportunities with IT professionals involved in the data center industry and comprehensive topic coverage in the conference. Emerson Network Power (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., who participated as an exhibitor in the conference, found the conference as a good starting point for business ventures with government agencies. This conference was also supported by Ministry of Energy, Green Technology, and Water Malaysia (KeTTHA) and Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) Malaysia. On-board as media partners for the conference were Green Purchasing Asia, Data Center Journal, Eco-Business.com, Asian e-Marketing, Green Business Times and Asia is Green.

Issues addressed in this conference included:

· Global pressures to reduce carbon emissions

· Reducing data center operation and management cost

· Revolutionising energy efficiency

· Server density and power consumption

· Managing explosive growth

· Green IT technology

· Latest initiative: Cloud Computing

· Creative solutions in finding qualified staff: urgent need to reduce outsourcing

Five tips to create a healthful diet that you can enjoy.

Learn to think about food in a new way. Years ago, meat and potatoes were the American ideal. Now we know that vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and fish are best.
Experiment with new recipes and meal plans. Be creative and take chances. Instead of dreading your new diet, have fun with it.
Change slowly. By the time you are 40, you'll have eaten some 40,000 meals—and lots of snacks besides. Give yourself time to change, targeting one item a week.

Start with breakfast, switching from eggs, bacon, donuts, white toast, or bagels to oatmeal or bran cereal and fruit. If you just can't spare 10 minutes for a sit-down breakfast, grab high-fiber cereal bars instead of donuts or muffins.

Next, try out salads, low-fat yogurt or low-fat cottage cheese, tuna or peanut butter sandwiches, and fruit for lunch.

Snack on unsalted nuts, trail mix, fruit, raw veggies, Rye Krisp, or graham crackers. Try eating a few handfuls of a crunchy fiber cereal such as Kashi, or nibble on a cereal bar.

For dinner, experiment with fish, skinless poultry, beans, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and, of course, salads and veggies.

Fruit and low-fat frozen desserts are examples of desirable after-dinner treats. And there's nothing wrong with the occasional cake, pie, or chocolates as long as the portions are moderate.

Be relaxed about your diet. You will never find a perfect food. Not everything on your plate needs to have a higher purpose. Take your tastes and preferences into account. If roast beef is your favorite food, it is okay to eat it—but try to make it a Sunday treat instead of a daily staple. The choices are your—and the better your overall diet, the more "wiggle room" you'll have to indulge your passions.

Take a long-range view. Don't get down on yourself if you slip up or "cheat" from time to time. Don't worry about every meal, much less every mouthful. Your nutritional peaks and valleys will balance out if your overall dietary pattern is sound.

Source: Harvard Health Publications

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

featured Slider

2nd Annual Green Tech Asia Conference

Buka Puasa with Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih

Getting Strategic with Compensation

Green Data Center Conference

Interested in a healthy diet?

Connecting the World of Human Resources Community Forum

Featured post

ONLINE TRAINING ON MAR: DEVELOPING CREATIVITY THINKING & INNOVATION IN MANAGEMENT

Blog Archive

FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS

Labels

To register, contact one of our representatives:
Saiful Bahri Tel: (603) 5621 3630 ext 317 H/p: 012-848 1537 Fax: (603) 5638 8248 Email: saiful.bahri@comfori.com	Sofina Safi Tel: (603) 5621 3630 ext 508 H/p: 019-511 1717 Fax: (603) 5638 8248 Email: sofina.sani@comfori.com