LEAD MAGAZINE | 2019
instead relied on wood to keep warm. I used to
help out with the wood harvesting, during which
I learned a few things about how proper forest
management could benefit the environment.
We were only allowed to harvest birch wood
from a small plot of land each year, allowing the
harvested land about twenty-five to thirty years
to fully re-grow.
During a visit last summer, I had much pleasure
in finding that one of the plots I had helped to
harvest nearly thirty years ago had fully re-
grown. Certain parts of the forest with bigger
trees were only selectively harvested so that
no one section of land was ever completely
cleared. It was during those days that I learned
about the importance of maintaining the right
balance between economic development and
preservation.
As an environmentalist, I’m not anti-business,
nor am I anti-development. I am, however,
against exploiting the planet so much that we
risk running out of natural resources in the near
future. It’s imperative for all of us to learn to do
more with fewer resources, and to continuously
look for innovative ways to reduce our lifestyle
impact on the environment. Certain parts of
the forest and grasslands in my village were
kept mainly for recreational and preservation
purposes, particularly those with rare species of
flowers and endangered wildlife.
YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
Matthias Gelber comes from Burbach-Lippe,
a small German village surrounded by the
forest. He developed a strong connection
with nature from a young age, and has been a
passionate advocate of green living ever since.
In 2008, he was voted ‘Greenest Person on the
Planet’ in an online competition by 3rdWhale
in Canada. Matthias lives in Malaysia without
a car and a monthly USD$10 electricity bill.
He also started Eco Warriors Malaysia, a
community movement focused on taking
positive action to combat climate change.
Matthias graduated with Masters in
Environmental Science from Brunel University
in the UK and went on to start a successful
environmental consulting company in 1999. In
2007, he co-founded Maleki GmbH, a German
company specialising in high performance,
low carbon footprint construction materials.
He also serves as a Board Member of Solexel
Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Solexel Inc in Silicon Valley.
Matthias is also a consummate speaker
and trainer on environmental issues, and is
often seen giving green talks to corporates,
government organisations and schools in the
South East Asian region. Matthias has recently
published his first book, “The Greenman’s
Guide to Green Living and Working.”
www.greenmanspeaks.com
I recall a guy from the neighbouring village
who used to photograph endangered species,
map them out, and request certain lands be
protected. He wasn’t always popular with the
local community, but he became one of my role
models because he stood up for a worthy cause.
In terms of German education, we were
challenged in school to make a difference in the
world. Germany’s troubled history resulted in a
guilt-ridden population. Nazi Germany inflicted
horrific levels of pain and suffering on Europe
by killing millions both on the battlefield and in
gas chambers. We were thoroughly educated
on the mistakes Germany made that led to
those massacres. We made many field trips to
When it comes to your impact on the planet,
whether positive or negative, the commonly
accepted measurement is the carbon footprint.
This is the measurement of the amount of
emission you are personally responsible for
generating from your choice of transport,
electricity consumption, food choices, etc.
Here is a good video introduction on Wikipedia
about carbon footprints: http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/ Carbon_footprint. I have always
aimed to keep my carbon footprint low through
my lifestyle. My main impact is flying an average
of three times a year back to Germany to visit
my family and to contribute to my German
green building-material’s business, Maleki,
which I cofounded. I consider this essential
travel to spend time with my aging mother, and
to review the business direction of my company
where we have developed a technology that
reduces a carbon footprint by five to ten
thousand tons (per year and rising) of CO2 due
to the product design.
My personal carbon footprint is about 20 tons of
CO2 per year, mainly due to those three return
flights to Europe. To offset this, I have a number
of carbon absorption and credit programs in
place. Two years ago I received a certificate
that commemorates 196 tons of CO2 absorbed
through my Green Pension Scheme in Panama.
The average Malaysian carbon footprint per year
is around ten tons. The global average is about 5
tons and the US average about 16.5 according to
World bank figures from 2013.
My childhood was also shaped by the green
movement in Germany and our education
system. The green movement, through leaders
such as the late Petra Kelly and Joschka Fischer,
successfully made environmental concern
mainstream. It became a cause you could
support and vote for. Political parties couldn’t
afford to ignore it anymore. I was involved in
campaigns rallying against acid rain caused
by factory and power plant pollution. It was
destroying forests due to the acidification of
the soil, which was a critical issue. Germany was
one of the first nations to introduce some of the
toughest air pollution control laws in the world.
A few years later, together with the support of
neighboring European nations, the problem
of acid rain was eventually resolved. It was an
amazing victory for Earth and for us.
The best part is that it didn’t happen at the
expense of the German economy. People often
assume that protecting the environment will
harm the economy. On the contrary, Germany’s
stringent environmental policies turned the
nation into a leader in pollution control and
subsequently a pioneer in innovative green
technology, making it one of the primary
exporters of the world even now. There are
currently more jobs available in the German
green industry than there are in the automotive
industry, which is saying something.
A common measurement most of us tend to use
to measure our goals or successes is money.
Sitting in a coffee shop, you often hear people
talking about money, ROI, and investments.
Maybe 500 years ago it was happiness or the
number of relatives one had.
If you share my vision of a greener and healthier
future, I would like to challenge you to live a
carbon neutral life. Please take action now
and measure your carbon footpring and go
climate neutral with the pledge, measuring
and compensation options at the Web site of
the UNFCCC https://unfccc.int/climate-action/
climate-neutral-now - I hope to see your name
on the pledge page - this is my call to action for
all of you!
historical sites to remind us of those mistakes.
I recall visiting three different Nazi concentration
camps during my time in school and seeing the
bones of those killed by the Nazis. These painful
sights proved as a powerful reminder to us to
never repeat such horrible deeds and to aspire
for a better, more peaceful future — a future
where we as humans live as a single family, with
blood of the same colour running through our
veins. A future where we live in harmony with
the planet and all its inhabitants. The plants
and animals we coexist with are amazing and
beautiful in their own unique ways.
It is our responsibility to look after our one and
only home. There are causes worth making a
stand for. You have the power to control the
impact you make on the world. It’s all in your
hands. The past is over and done with. A new
day and a new life starts today. It’s your choice
whether you choose to be a negative or positive
agent of change for our planet.
Once you achieve your target of being carbon
neutral, you can even aim to be net carbon
positive. This book, for example, is net carbon
positive. Its production process plus the carbon
credits I have purchased make this book a
“carbon sink,” meaning more CO2 emissions
have been absorbed than emitted as a result of
its production and distribution. It’s something I’m
proud of.
Video: https://youtu.be/jYj4cbDqh2o
Lets all take a role of Leadership in healing
the planet for our future generations. The late
Stephen Hawkins adjusted his prediction of
how much time is left for humans on the planet
before he passed away. He reduced it from 1000
years to 100 as problems such as climate change
are increasingly having an impact. I often wonder
what the future of my one year old daughter will
be like?! Think of your children or the kids that
you have interacted with recently. We owe them
our best effort! #GoClimateNeutralNow
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