TITLE OF THE RESEARCH (GROUP PROJECT): A study of the implementation of 'cleaner, greener Penang' initiative by Majlis Perbandaran Pulau

Pinang (MPPP).

REASONS: 1. 2. Climate change is one of the largest threats to future development. According to Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007), 11 of the 12 years between 1995 and 2006 ranked among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature since 1850. Global sea level has risen since 1960 at an average rate of 1.8 mm/year and since 1993 at 3.1 mm/year which has considerable impact on future development especially for island (IPCC,2007) There is broad consensus that global climate change has caused by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions which come from both natural and manmade sources (Environment Agency, 2005). In this play of global development South East Asia occupies an increasingly important role in the production process as the world becomes more tightly knit because of globalization that makes South East Asia a cheaper production house. Therefore, as the majority of the manufacturing will be transfer to this region, it will becomes vital to address the associated environmental issues, which otherwise could lead to serious environmental burden (Hart, 1997). Recent regional policy initiatives are concerned with sustainability of a region rather than with the more narrow concern for income and trade performance (Gleeson,2003) It is widely acknowledged that industrial pollution, species decline, loss of habitat, increasing demand on fresh water, the erosion of beaches and coastal lands and global warming are directly attributable to human activity (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt & Perraton, 1999; IPCC, 2001)

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

OBJECTIVES:

1.

To assess the "Cleaner Greener Penang" initiative as the road map for the Penang and its citizens to restore the living environment to deliver a cleaner and greener city, and improve the quality of life.

2.

To explore more about the cleaner, greener Penang initiative, how far this initiative will be extended and the future plans for this initiative.

3.

To evaluate the 3 approaches that is emphasized under the cleaner greener Penang initiative. The approaches of this initiative are initiated by creating cleaner and greener neighborhoods, followed by achieving waste minimization through 3R and last but not least, by transforming mindset towards a responsible citizenship.

4.

To assess the collaboration of stakeholders with the state government (represented by MPPP) in this initiative. The stakeholders may be the elected representatives, Government agencies, or Non-governmental organizations (ngos).

5.

To explore the participation of community in this cleaner greener Penang initiative. It is a Government lead project; however without the cooperation from the public, the initiative will not succeed.

6.

To evaluate how public participate and interact in this initiative in order to achieve a better living environment.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

For over hundreds of years, the expansion of economic progress has made the environment to suffer. Environmental pollution occurs at various stages of production and consumption of goods and services. As the human race is becoming persistently committed to the ideologies of consumerism and hedonism, production of goods and services is taking place at an alarming rate

which increasing the number of smoking factories, churning out goods for the consuming masses of the world which led to serious threat to the environment health of the globe (Rao, 2004).

No country in history including Malaysia has emerged as a major industrial power without creating a legacy of environmental damage that can take decades and big dollops of public wealth to undo. The rise of China as industrialized country has caused its environment to degrade and now become severe, with such stark domestic and international effects, the pollution poses not only a major long term burden on the Chinese public but also an acute political challenge to the ruling Communist Party (The New York Times, 26 August 2007). In Malaysia alone, issue of sustainability of water resources has become a serious matter, based on the Water Sustainability Index (WSI) a decrease from 64% in 1992 to 33% in 2002 has happen which is shows that Malaysias water resources are rapidly depleting and have been managed unsustainably (WWFMalaysia, 2002). Water availability directly affects the sustainability of water resources and therefore, the countrys overall sustainable development.

With most of the parts in the world including Malaysia now are facing with environmental degradation, sustainability of the world for future generations seem uncertain. The full sustainable development agenda is much broader and engages resilience at a number of levels including economic, social and ethical issues (Brandon, 2012). It requires directs practical attention to the complex mutuality of human and ecological system. Economic health, ecological integrity, social justice and responsibility to the future must be integrated to address multiple global problems within a coherent, durable and moral social vision (Jenkins, 2008).

Therefore, the government continuously promoting programs that seek to improve the sustainability development in securing the future. However measuring sustainability is a complex issue and is often place specific, as each city operates within distinct ecosystem and social cultural context (Dekker & Singer, 2011). For that reason, there is an urgent need to examine the implementation of the sustainable development among local authority and also the effectiveness of the implementation in producing better lives towards peoples.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

1. What is the green city concept? Is there any relationship between green concept and cleaner greener Penang initiative?

city

2. What are the frameworks of cleaner greener Penang initiative?

3. What policies that are related to the cleaner, greener initiatives in Penang?

4. How far does Cleaner, Greener Penang successfully promoting in Penang and creating better lives to its peoples.

sustainability

5. The awareness of people about cleaner, greener Penang initiative is imperative to ensure the active participation from public. What are the best ways to educate and motivate people to join this initiative?

6. To what extend does Penang state government will take this initiative to it succeed?

make

7. How do the Penang state government and Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) collaborate and cooperate with other stakeholders to strengthen the initiative of cleaner, greener Penang?

8. How much Penang state government (MPPP) spend the budget in this cleaner greener Penang initiative and how they maintain the cost of implementation of this initiative.

9. Is there any future plan to expand and develop the initiative of cleaner, greener Penang to make it better and thorough programme?

RESEARCH STRATEGY

Research strategies provide a logic or a basic procedures for answering research question particularly what and why question. However, there is just not one way to do this. I believe knowledge can only be advanced in the social sciences by using one or more these research strategies. (Blaikie , 2007).

For our research we will like to use the inductive research strategy. This is because the aim for this strategy is to establish limited generalizations about the distribution of and patterns of associations among, observed or measured characteristics of individual and social phenomena.

The research strategy for this research begin by collecting and studying background information about sustainable development happen around the globe and also the situation in Malaysia itself. Questions for the interviews are structured based on the research from significant literature within the sustainable development area. The result from the primary and the secondary data collected will be analyzed and discussed in order to indentify the most important results. Conclusion will be drawn based on the results associated to the research questions.

This strategy is useful for answering what question but rather limited in its capacity to answers why question (Blaikie , 2007). For clear picture, this is what we intend to do in this study using the Inductive strategy.
Observation: In order to evaluate the implementation of cleaner, greener Penang initiative, we have to observe first. We have to view the activity / program so far that has been accomplished by the Penang state government. Besides, to answer the research questions stated, the crystal clear explanation is required. Thus, it can be done through observation and investigation on the Tentative Hypothesis: Pattern: Theory: cleaner, greener Penang initiative. Through the observation, data to prove whether the cleaner, pattern that been found, be As for the research, we pursue collected and the similar on greener Penang prove to the Last but notwill least, formulated. The result of observation and or theories focusing on our study conclusions pattern hypothesis their be we will formulate some general generalization of thefound will on the part the efficient in implementation or otherwise. The study lay determine of on the implementation of cleaner, greener Penang initiative by the Majlis of cleaner, greener hypothesis. Theof initiative research may suggest either the implementation Perbandaran Pulau implementation finding of itself. Through observation, we could see the pattern and regularities Pinang (MPPP). Penang initiative is proving to be efficient or not. on the implementation of the cleaner, greener Penang initiatives.

REFERENCES:

Held, D., McGrew, A.,Goldblatt, D., & Perraton, J. (1999). Global transformation: Politics, economics and culture. Cambridge, UK; Polity Press.

World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hart, S.L. (1997), Beyond greening: Strategies for a sustainable world, Harvard Business Review.

Environment Agency(2005), The climate is changing- time to get ready.

IPCC (2007) climate change 2007: Synthesis Report, Intergovernmental panel on climate change.

Gleeson, B. (2003). Learning about regionalism from Europe: Economic normalization and beyond. Australian Geographical Studies, 41(3), 231236.

Sui Peng Low, Jung Ying Liu, Peng Wu, (2009), Sustainable facilities: Institutional compliance and the Sino- Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Project, Facilities, Vol. 27 Iss: 9 pp. 368-386

Rao P., (2004), Greening production: a South East Asian experience, Inter Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol.24 Iss: 3 pp.289320

Blaikie, N. (2000), Designing Social Research, 1st ed, Polity Press, Cambridge.

Blaikie, N. (2007) Approaches to Social Enquiry: advancing knowledge, 2nd Edition. Polity Press

Brandon, P. (2012), Sustainable development ignorance is fatal- what dont we know? Smart and sustainable Built Environment, Vol. 1 Iss: 1 pp 14-28

Penang state government (2010) .Cleaner, greener Penang .retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://www.cleanergreenerpenang.com/ Jenkins,W. (2008). Global ethics, Christian theology, and sustainability. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 12, 197217.

Dekker, S. & Singer J. (2011). Integrated Community Sustainable Plans: Monitoring and Evaluating success. Canadian International development agency.