Joanne Ooi

Asia Society: "China's 12th Five-Year Plan: Analysis & Implications"

2011-04-13T23:19:00.001-07:00

Ma Jun

Shift to hi-end mfg (bec of demographics which will lead to a dramatic fall-off in the number of workers) The lack of workers will result in higher wages. Last year, minimum wage already increased 23% last year.

Shift from mfg to svcs

Will achieve BASIC convertibilty of RMB within 5 years. Huge oppty for HK to be an offshore RMB center in the interim.

Big changes will take place bec of mkt and technological forces.

Because of inevitable increase in wages, economy will naturally become more consumption-driven. Moreover, the govt will achieve full social services coverage in the countryside within 5 years.

Prevalence of internet and its shaming capacity will exert an enormous force on politicians' behavior.

David Zweig

Latest 5 year plans acknowledges lots of social problems. A surprise! But no proposals in the plan to address these social grievances through institutionalized mechanisms.

Plan placed a huge emphasis on development of human capital, i.e., education.

Plan also emphasized the environment.

Hu Jintao will try to keep himself in a dominant position for at least 3-4 years.

Jiang era: (unchecked) economic growth. Hu-Wen: introduction of more socialism (safeguards)

Huge boom in number of universities not matched by increase in jobs. Move to a more technologically-intensive economy will exacerbate this problem.

China could permit the creation of more NGOs to absorb new graduates.

David Wong

Two major objectives --

Stability - need education (development of human capital) and rising incomes

Sustainable growth - greater energy efficiency needed in mfg. Need to also move up value chain by creating brands and offer more services.

Raising wages so aggressively in the PRD might be too fast of a change because the labor force dislocation is so hard to manage. "The HK post-industrial economy has not adjusted well over the last 20 years." [Personally, I think you have to be smoking crack to say such a thing.]

Shiu Sin-Por

Plan is "Mission Impossible". "Nothing new" in this plan. "Scientific approach" propounded by Hu Jintao is a paradigm shift, which emphasizes comprehensive management of quality of life, rather than just economic growth.

Party excels at continuity -- with adjustments.

Shortlisted with Christine Loh for TIME's 100 Most Influential People this year, for our work at Clean Air Network (VOTE):
http://ow.ly/4tZk4 (VOTE)

CAN's latest project, the Clean Air Auction
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/business/global/22pollute.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2011/04/04/the-picture-of-pollution/

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi
Follow us @cleanairnetwork

HK solid waste management regime (AmCham talk)

2011-04-11T22:56:00.001-07:00

Talk by Frank Wan

HK's current rate of recycling is 49%, actually, very respectable: city falls between Denmark and Sweden. But our absolute amount of waste per capita is much higher.

Govt has goal of upping the rate to 55% by 2015. But the only ways are to charge for landfill use.

Frank: our government or, rather, this govt, is too weak, politically, to charge for waste. N.B. HK is unusual for NOT charging for waste.

Moreover, HK is unusual because the govt doesn't subsidize recycling, as opposed to N. America and Europe.

Challenges of recycling in HK:
No physical space for sorting at the source (home, kerbside)
Very little mfg takes place in HK. Therefore, difficult to get mfrs to change packaging for products imported into this mkt.

Composition of recycled waste:
39% plastic
32% paper

Shortlisted with Christine Loh for TIME's 100 Most Influential People this year, for our work at Clean Air Network (VOTE):
http://ow.ly/4tZk4 (VOTE)

CAN's latest project, the Clean Air Auction
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/business/global/22pollute.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2011/04/04/the-picture-of-pollution/

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi
Follow us @cleanairnetwork

My Top 5 Songs at the moment

2011-03-24T06:22:00.001-07:00

Viva la Vida, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay
This was a super, massive commercial hit but, who cares? What I love about this song is its sad, yet uplifting momentum. When you do what I do every day, throwing 500 things against the wall and hoping one sticks, canned hope in the form of a very catchy tune goes a long way.

Time to Pretend, Time to Pretend, MGMT
I love the unapologetically cheesy but effective minor key synthesizer riff on this song. It feels morally and aesthetically wrong to enjoy this song. But I do. My 12-year son turned me on to this band.

Glitter Freeze, Plastic Beach, Gorillaz
Actually, after I saw the Gorillaz in concert in December, I became totally obsessed with Plastic Beach. I'm not actually a huge fan of vocal music in general, so it's not a surprise that I love this addictive song so much. That album is a near-faultless mash-up of blues-rock-pop-digital-world music influences. The sophistication and catholicity of the Gorillaz's references doesn't exist anywhere else. If only more music-makers were this adventurous and masterful.

Shadow of the Day, Minutes to Midnight, Linkin Park
I'm someone who loves to listen to music which makes me cry. It's the reason I could listen to this anthem a hundred times in a row. (I'm absolutely crazy about Linkin Park, by the way, because of the sheer power of their melodies and execution which toes the line between too catchy and hard rock.)

Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica") Symphony
I grew up immersed, even submerged, in classical music. No pop music can beat the pay-off of a symphonic climax. In that regard, this symphony is a paragon of psycho-aural redemption. If I had more time, I would spend my life attending Beethoven and Chopin concerts.
Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --
English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

On a serious note, watch Professor Anthony Hedley explain how air pollution can cause permanent and short-term damage to child health,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76-gICUoBU

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
Room A, 2/F
The Standard Chartered Bank Building 102-106 Queen's Road West
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
(852) 3971 0106

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi
Follow us @cleanairnetwork

(Sent by Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.)

Upcoming silly lifestyle interview

2011-02-03T18:51:00.001-08:00

can't seem to shake the moniker, former creative director of shanghai tang. i've been thinking: maybe i should embrace it and re-enter the creative industry soon (NOT full-time of course). maybe create an anti-consumerist brand of some sort.

1. What motivated you to found Ooi Botos Gallery?
Two things: I love artists and I wanted to contribute to the improvement of the over-commercial Hong Kong art scene by introducing more cutting-edge art forms, e.g., photography, video art.

2. What do you aim to achieve with Ooi Botos Gallery?
See above. To raise the level of discourse about art in Hong Kong by introducing NEW artists and creating good materials based on sound writing and scholarship.
3. At your gallery, you celebrate the avant-garde and adventurous. Describe what was the msot revolutionary piece of art you've seen to date.
I wouldn't have seen it yet but it is undoubtedly art which incorporates science and technology. One day, the experience of "looking at art" will take place entirely within our brains, through its direct stimulation by technology. I have no doubt about that.

4. As former creative director of Shanghai Tang, which campaigns were your favourite to work on, and why.
Wow, a huge question. Probably the Chinese Calligraphy campaign. By studying the history of Chinese writing, I decided to learn Mandarin. But I plunged into all the collections by reading heavily about each theme.

?5. Born in Singapore, schooled in the US and moved to Hong Kong. What made you decide to make the move to Hong Kong?
The Wild West entrepreneurial spirit of Hong Kong and the obvious paucity of talent led me to realize quickly that it was the perfect place to leapfrog over the "paying your dues" phase that would have been unavoidable in the US.
6. Is there any country, other than Singapore/US/Hong Kong, that you are familiar with?
England and France.
What do you love about this country?

I love the subversive creativity of England and the L'Art de Vivre of France. This is going to sound weird, but I love going grocery shopping in the former because all produce and meat are frequently locally sourced.

For art, the Tate Modern is a Mecca of the contemporary art world, so always make sure to check that out. My favorite unexpected jewel though is the quirky house of John Soames, which is crammed chockablock with his idiosyncratic collection of curios, art and objects. I love shopping at Gray's Market with its tens of antique dealer stalls,especially if you're looking for beautiful vintage, Edwardian jewelry. For convenience and selection, Dover Street Market and Selfridges simply cannot be beaten.

Suggest a few shopping, art, food or tourist destinations that you think everyone should visit when in this country.

In France, one should visit Provence and make sure to organize your trip around the fantastic photo fair, Les Rencontres d'Arles. Make sure to spend at least one full day in Arles and eat at the two-Michelin-starred Jean-Luc Rabanel, which is surprisingly casual and well-priced (at lunch).

7. If you were introducing a friend to Hong Kong, what offbeat hangouts would you bring him/her to?

Gough Street is the funnest shopping street in Hong Kong. My favorite is the eco-accessories boutique there, ECOLS, at 8-10 Gough Street, which features chic, one-of-a-kind bags made out of candy wrappers and soda can pulls. Addiction is also a wonderful home accessories store with a well-edited witty selection of accessories, both home and fashion. I just bought a flat fluorescent pink digital watch from them. It's located at 15 Gough.

8. Where have you recently travelled for art exhibitions, and which destination left a distinct impression?

I haven't traveled anywhere RECENTLY for art alone, despite having visited Beijing, KL and Singapore these past three weeks. (Mostly, I travel to attend conferences as an environmentalist these days.) In general, NO place in the world can touch Beijing and visiting its artists at home. This month, I paid a visit to China's most important female artist at home, Lin Tianmiao. I was given a private tour of her studio, then sat down to have coffee with her and her husband, Wang Gongxin, also an exalted artist. Their passion, integrity and sense of purpose left me totally inspired and rejuvenated. This sort of experience is emblematic of time spent in Beijing with artists. During the same trip, I met with an artist-activist, Wen Fang (wenfang,org), who inspired me similarly.

Why?

9. In your opinion, which country has the most inspiring arts culture?

China.

Where would you recommend visiting in this country to best experience this culture? Visit 798 or visit artists at home if you are a serious collector and can afford a private guide who can organize entree to various studios.

10. What is your favourite type of art, and where best can you find this type of art?

Video art is my favorite, but I know that that isn't helpful to your readers. Ha! I personally cannot relate to the act of collecting, not at all. To me, the artistic experience is savoured by spending time with artists and thinking and writing about art, more than looking at it. I'm also fascinated with the increasing element of technology in art. If you force me to pick a more collectable category, then, I would choose photography. And, of course, Ooi Botos is a leading purveyor. You can also find great art at Osage and Han Art,the two best all-around galleries in Hong Kong, to my mind.

You can recommend a gallery/street, and can be anywhere in the world.

798, hands down.

11. What is your life philosophy, and how does this philosophy relate to your work?

"Take a big bite out of life every day" and "You can change your entire life in one day" are both my mottos and I have lived (and will die) by them. Did you know, by the way, that I'm now one of Asia's leading environmentalists and am conducting some of the biggest campaigns and projects ever in the region? (www.hongkongcan.org.)

www.ooibotos.com
+852 9310 5878

Sent from a Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.

From: Eunice Lew <eunice.lew@magsint.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:34:12 +0800
To: <ooi@ooibotos.com>
Subject: Re: Interview Opportunity with Joanne Ooi

Hi Joanne

Hope you had a pleasant weekend. Here's my list of questions!

1. What motivated you to found Ooi Botos Gallery?
2. What do you aim to achieve with Ooi Botos Gallery?
3. At your gallery, you celebrate the avant-garde and adventurous. Describe what was the msot revolutionary piece of art you've seen to date.
4. As former creative director of Shanghai Tang, which campaigns were your favourite to work on, and why?
5. Born in Singapore, schooled in the US and moved to Hong Kong. What made you decide to make the move to Hong Kong?
6. Is there any country, other than Singapore/US/Hong Kong, that you are familiar with? What do you love about this country? Suggest a few shopping, art, food or tourist destinations that you think everyone should visit when in this country.
7. If you were introducing a friend to Hong Kong, what offbeat hangouts would you bring him/her to?
8. Where have you recently travelled for art exhibitions, and which destination left a distinct impression? Why?
9. In your opinion, which country has the most inspiring arts culture? Where would you recommend visiting in this country to best experience this culture?
10. What is your favourite type of art, and where best can you find this type of art? You can recommend a gallery/street, and can be anywhere in the world.
11. What is your life philosophy, and how does this philosophy relate to your work?

For all destinations mentioned in your answers, please provide the address where available.

To accompany this 'Frequent Flyer' feature, we also need about 10 high-res photos of the destinations you have travelled to or visited, along with a high-res profile photo of yourself.

If you have any queries regarding the questions, please don't hesitate to drop me an email. Hope you can get back to me soon. Thanks so much Joanne!

Best regards,
Eunice Lew

On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 11:35 AM, Eunice Lew <eunice.lew@magsint.com> wrote:
Hi Joanne

Just want to check a few details before I send over the questions, as the internet is not known for its accuracy.

Are you still creative director of Shanghai Tang? If you're not, when did you leave?

What is your formal job title at Ooi Botos Gallery, and what is your job description?

Hope you can get back to me soon, so that I can send the questions sooner as well. Thanks Joanne!

Best regards,
Eunice Lew

On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 3:22 PM, Eunice Lew <eunice.lew@magsint.com> wrote:
Okay, I'll just use information from the internet then. Will send you the questions within the week!

Sorry if the questions take some time to come, as this is an upcoming feature. Thanks Joanne!

Best regards,
Eunice Lew

On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 3:14 PM, <ooi@ooibotos.com> wrote:

Pls check wikipedia :) fastest. and google me
www.ooibotos.com
+852 9310 5878

Sent from a Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.

From: Eunice Lew <eunice.lew@magsint.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:37:52 +0800
To: <ooi@ooibotos.com>
Subject: Re: Interview Opportunity with Joanne Ooi

Hi Joanne

I require your biography before I draw up the questions, so that I can give you more specific questions rather than general ones. Please send them over! Thanks so much.

Best regards,
Eunice Lew

On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:02 PM, <ooi@ooibotos.com> wrote:
Eunice, send me the q's.
Joanne
www.ooibotos.com
+852 9310 5878

Sent from a Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.

From: Eunice Lew <eunice.lew@magsint.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:41:54 +0800
To: <ooi@ooibotos.com>
Cc: Lisa Botos<Botoslisa@gmail.com>; Tanya Bennett<tanyaobg@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Interview Opportunity with Joanne Ooi

Good morning Joanne!

Thanks for your swift reply! Our circulation is 10,000. I have attached our January contributors page, which includes where our magazine is circulated. We are a local (Singapore) magazine, available on board SIA flights First Class and Business Class, selected Air France airport lounges, and also in the suites of Marina Bay Sands.

If you need more information about our magazine, please go to our website at www.epicureasia.com.

Hope this information is enough!

Best regards,
Eunice Lew

On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 11:21 AM, <ooi@ooibotos.com> wrote:

I'm flattered but please tell me where and how this magazine is distributed, plus its circulation in terms of subscription, newstand sales and territories covered?
www.ooibotos.com
+852 9310 5878

Sent from a Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.
From: Eunice Lew <eunice.lew@magsint.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:17:50 +0800
To: <ooi@ooibotos.com>
Subject: Interview Opportunity with Joanne Ooi

Hi Joanne

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Eunice from epicure, a monthly gourmet lifestyle magazine in Singapore, and I'm interested to interview you for our monthly Frequent Flyer feature. I was referred to you by my editor Adeline, whom I believe you met while she was on a press trip to Hong Kong and visited your gallery.

If you're agreeable to this email interview, please provide me with your bio as well as a high-resolution profile photo of yourself, before I come up with a list of questions. I've also attached a previous Frequent Flyer feature for your reference, so that you can have an idea of how the article will be published.

Hope you can get back to me soon. Thanks Joanne!!

Best regards,
Eunice Lew

--
Join us on Facebook for daily updates on food, travel and lifestyle news!

Writer
epicure - Life's Refinements
Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd
16 Tannery Lane #02-00
Singapore 347778
Office: 6848 6884
Mobile: 9488 9868
Email: eunice.lew@magsint.com
www.epicureasia.com
www.magsint.com

--
Join us on Facebook for daily updates on food, travel and lifestyle news!

Writer
epicure - Life's Refinements
Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd
16 Tannery Lane #02-00
Singapore 347778
Office: 6848 6884
Mobile: 9488 9868
Email: eunice.lew@magsint.com
www.epicureasia.com
www.magsint.com

--
Join us on Facebook for daily updates on food, travel and lifestyle news!

Editorial Assistant
epicure - Life's Refinements
Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd
16 Tannery Lane #02-00
Singapore 347778
Office: 6848 6884
Mobile: 9488 9868
Email: eunice.lew@magsint.com
www.epicureasia.com
www.magsint.com

--
Join us on Facebook for daily updates on food, travel and lifestyle news!

Editorial Assistant
epicure - Life's Refinements
Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd
16 Tannery Lane #02-00
Singapore 347778
Office: 6848 6884
Mobile: 9488 9868
Email: eunice.lew@magsint.com
www.epicureasia.com
www.magsint.com

--
Join us on Facebook for daily updates on food, travel and lifestyle news!

Editorial Assistant
epicure - Life's Refinements
Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd
16 Tannery Lane #02-00
Singapore 347778
Office: 6848 6884
Mobile: 9488 9868
Email: eunice.lew@magsint.com
www.epicureasia.com
www.magsint.com

--
Join us on Facebook for daily updates on food, travel and lifestyle news!

Editorial Assistant
epicure - Life's Refinements
Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd
16 Tannery Lane #02-00
Singapore 347778
Office: 6848 6884
Mobile: 9488 9868
Email: eunice.lew@magsint.com
www.epicureasia.com
www.magsint.com

Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --

English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

On a serious note, watch Professor Anthony Hedley explain how air pollution can cause permanent and short-term damage to child health,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76-gICUoBU

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
Room A, 2/F
The Standard Chartered Bank Building 102-106 Queen's Road West
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
(852) 3971 0106

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi

Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --

English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi

Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --

English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi

Letter to a friend (?)

2011-01-25T15:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, this is a REAL note penned to a REAL friend ---

Dude,

Why should I help you? You are unreliable, inconsiderate and nombrilistic. Every attempt to see you taxes my tolerance. Your puerile habits of chronic tardiness, sneering contempt and name dropping are what I suffer to engage in increasingly rare conversations filled with occasional flashes of brilliance -- twinged, if I'm
lucky, with humanity.

I'm not mad -- just amused.

To cut to the chase, what favor have you ever done me? Or, rather, how could I ever rely on YOU to RETURN a favor? You are so unreliable, narcissistic and inconsiderate that I can't imagine that ever happening.

Love,
Joanne
Twitter @joanneooi
www.hongkongcan.org
www.ooibotos.com

(Sent by Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.)

INTVW for Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities, http://www.clc.org.sg/

2010-11-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

1) Can you share a bit about what inspired you to take on the role of CEO at Clean Air Network?
I attended a clean air conference convened by Christine Loh's think tank, NGO, Civic Exchange, in January 2008 and was immediately struck by how so many audience members asked about the health effects of air pollution. I assumed that there would be an online resource directly addressing such concerns. But, no! At that point, I didn't know a thing about air pollution - let alone anyone working at an NGO. Undaunted, I immersed myself in the topic, then, through, Professor Anthony Hedley, Hong Kong's most tireless public health advocate (who just retired due to air pollution), secured a meeting with Loh. Instead of launching my own NGO, I agreed to assist Loh on launching a "Clean Air Coalition" NGO.
But, to really answer your question, one of the main reasons I'm doing this is because air pollution is Hong Kong's BIGGEST environmental and public health problem, bar none. With my career at the point that it was at the end of 2008, I was asking myself, what can I do with my skills, credibility and influence that will be a much better use of my life? THEN, in July 2009, the Hong Kong Government announced its intention to overhaul the city's air quality management policy for the first time in 20 years. And I thought, Eureka, I need to do this.
Finally, I also believe very much in leading with the example of my own life. The way I look at it, if I can make the shift from private to public sector, anyone can!
It's the best decision I've ever made in my life.

2) In your opinion, how does what role does clean air play in achieving high quality living in Hong Kong?
100% of the Hong Kong population is affected by our dire air pollution, so, obviously, air pollution is central to the Hong Kong experience. Plus, since it results in 6 million doctor visits per year, it obviously diminishes our quality of life -- a lot - every day. By the way, those stats are based on the Hedley Environmental Index, which is a real-time public health calculator of SHORT-TERM health effects from air pollution, used by the Government itself and considered a very conservative base case calculation. Note, those 6 million visits are the exclusive result of air pollution - not visits that would have occurred otherwise.
To elaborate further on your question, air pollution lowers my immunity, shortens my lifespan, causes my son to have months-long bouts of coughing (extremely common) and could ultimately impair the size and quality of his lungs permanently. So, does it affect our quality of life? Most emphatically, YES!
3) Do you think progress is a double edged sword?
This is a huge question. My shortest answer: progress in a capitalist system measured by GDP per capita, in a world of finite resources, is not even a two-edged sword. It has only one end game which is now jeopardizing the earth as we know it. I can't say that our current vision of progress has made us less selfish or more enlightened, sadly, only "richer" by a purely materialistic, technological definition. Those riches now seem like dust in our mouths.
Why?
4) What are you happy about, living in Hong Kong?
The city's inimitable efficiency, the ability to get huge things done in short time spans, the no-holds-barred frenetic, can-do entrepreneurial spirit.
5) What are some of the issues about living in Hong Kong that bug you?
Culturally and intellectually, the city is utterly barren. The government has virtually no grasp of the antecedents of what makes a city great, leading to superficial, half-baked approaches to art, culture and, obviously, the environment.
Why? Do you think the government is doing enough to address these issues?
In general, greatness is borne of quantum leaps -- of thinking, in direction, etc. Our government seems fundamentally incapable of setting ambitious goals for itself then working towards them. Rather, the entire policymaking approach is one cowed by what exists and obstructs presently. For example, in the area of the environment, the government seeks the buy-in of their policies from polluters before promulgating them! Thus, the cart is always ahead of the horse!
6) Why do you think it is important that Hong Kongers sit up and pay attention to air?
See above. PLUS, the issue of air is what I call, Civic Engagement 101, an easy, uncontroversial topic on which, for the first time, the apathetic HK public can engage. And, from that gratifying first experience of civic participation, I hope more HK people will be encouraged to both care and speak out more -- on a larger, wider variety of issues.
7) How do you view the future of living in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong will flourish for at least 20 more years, but China will increasingly begin to eclipse us. Already, China's proactive, science-driven, aggressive approach to its environment based on publicly owning up to the magnitude of the country's devastation, is leaving Hong Kong's policymakers in the dust. A similar phenomenon is occurring in science and technology. As China realizes that it must become a value-added economy instead of one driven by exports, it has begun to invest heavily in R&D and the repatriation of the best ethnically Chinese scientific talent from all over the world.

Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --
English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

On a serious note, watch Professor Anthony Hedley explain how air pollution can cause permanent and short-term damage to child health,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76-gICUoBU

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
Room A, 2/F
The Standard Chartered Bank Building 102-106 Queen's Road West
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
(852) 3971 0106

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi
Follow us @cleanairnetwork

(Sent by Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.)

From: Jean QW Loo <jeanlooqingwen@gmail.com>

Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:48:34 +0800

To: <joanneooican@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Hello

Dear Joanne,

Thanks your your prompt reply! My name is Jean Loo and I am a writer-photographer from Singapore working on an article under a publication on urban living for the Centre for Livable Cities Singapore (http://www.clc.org.sg/).

In June 2010, I interviewed Hong Kong's Secretary of Development Mrs Carrie Lam when she was in Singapore for the World Cities Summit and we had a one-hour interview for my article on the Quality of Living in Hong Kong, where Mrs Lam spoke about the Development Bureau's plans for the city, her views on urban regeneration, heritage, air pollution and so on. This article on Hong Kong, together with other cities like Rizhao, China and Singapore, will be compiled into the publication due to be published in mid-2011.

I stumbled upon the CAN website and read about you online. Thought it would be meaningful to have your voice in the article because of the work you do with respect to CAN. I've left most of the questions more open-ended, please feel free to elaborate based on your personal experience living in HK share your work at CAN.:

1) Can you share a bit about what inspired you to take on the role of CEO at Clean Air Network?

2) In your opinion, how does what role does clean air play in achieving high quality living in Hong Kong?

3) Do you think progress is a double edged sword? Why?

4) What are you happy about, living in Hong Kong?

5) What are some of the issues about living in Hong Kong that bug you? Why? Do you think the government is doing enough to address these issues?

6) Why do you think it is important that Hong Kongers sit up and pay attention to air?

7) How do you view the future of living in Hong Kong?

Thank you very much Joanne.

Hope to hear from you, and if possible by 14 Nov (Sun). Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I'm running off to the Orient Express train now but will definitely follow up with a call next week.

Jean

On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 9:18 AM, Joanne Ooi (CAN) <joanneooican@gmail.com> wrote:

Jean, I'm here!
What publication are you writing for?
Happy to chat. 9310 5878
Joanne
Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --
English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

On a serious note, watch Professor Anthony Hedley explain how air pollution can cause permanent and short-term damage to child health,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76-gICUoBU

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
Room A, 2/F
The Standard Chartered Bank Building 102-106 Queen's Road West
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
(852) 3971 0106

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi
Follow us @cleanairnetwork

(Sent by Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.)

--
Jean Qingwen LOO
Photographer/Writer

m: +65 9363 9799

e: di@logue.sg

w: http://logue.sg || http://childrenofmekong.org

whereabouts:

@On The Orient Express (11 - 14 nov)

@Shanghai (24 − 28 nov)

@Los Angeles, San Francisco (16 dec - 04 jan'11)

@Beijing, Shanghai (14 − 24 jan'11)

“Not all those who wander are lost.” -- J. R. R. Tolkien

TED

2010-10-29T17:17:00.001-07:00

I'm prepared. And psyched to give my speech today!
Thanks to Chris Dillon kicking me in the ass 8 days ago, I put nose to grindstone this week and practiced diligently. And probably rehearsed my speech in FULL at least 8 times, culminating with yesterday afternoon's inebriated dress rehearsal which went off without a glitch. To which I dragged Jimmy Wales, after enjoying a boozy, al fresco repast at Deep Water Bay. There's no doubt: alcohol helps! A lot! I say that unapologetically.
...
I'm already here at TED this morning. I wanted to see Jose -- and the gutsy and beautiful Annabelle Bond give the opening speech at 9 am. She inspired me when we rehearsed together with Chris the other week.
...

Can't breathe today? Buy some Fresh Air from Daniel Wu --
English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH3xCpOSW8
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KB9-LzALPk

On a serious note, watch Professor Anthony Hedley explain how air pollution can cause permanent and short-term damage to child health,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76-gICUoBU

Joanne Ooi
CEO
Clean Air Network
Room A, 2/F
The Standard Chartered Bank Building 102-106 Queen's Road West
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
(852) 3971 0106

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

www.hongkongcan.org

Follow me @joanneooi
Follow us @cleanairnetwork

(Sent by Blackberry, so please forgive infelicities of style or grammar.)

Green energy: Google v. Facebook

2010-02-10T07:21:00.000-08:00

Facebook just announced that its new data center would be cooled by coal-fired electricity. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/facebook-grows-coal.php
This is a huge disappointment considering that FB could have chosen power from an electric company offering a menu of choices, including renewable options. Presumably, the plant in Idaho powering FB's data center derives electricity from coal only. Or, worse yet, when faced with different options from the same plant, FB went for the cheapest option - coal. Of course, renewable energy can cost more sometimes, but, considering Facebook's mindshare of 350 million, the company should have taken the high road and chosen the environmentally sound option of clean energy, influencing individual attitudes and business culture in the process.

In STARK contrast, Google clearly lays out its approach to choosing electricity for data centers, http://www.google.com/corporate/green/footprint.html
"[W]hen buying power for our data centers, Google will use a “shadow price” for carbon. This voluntary pricing of carbon will enable us to calculate a more accurate cost of power as one of the key criteria in site selection for our data centers. The cost of carbon is not yet recognized by the U.S. market, but may soon become so through legislation. Pricing carbon is an important tool to reducing the financial risk that our energy investments face. Moreover, when evaluating power options, using a shadow price for carbon puts renewable energy on a more level playing field." http://www.google.com/corporate/green/footprint.html So, in contrast to FB, Google is willing to factor into the price of the energy it purchases for its data centers the negative externalities of environmental damage caused by carbon emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. And as if that were not commendable enough, Google has committed funding and grants to renewable energy research: "Google.org is taking several significant steps to advance RE
Through its choice of coal-fired electricity, you can infer a lot about FB's ethos: greed clearly takes priority over any desire to be a positive, transformative force in society. In this case, my hat really goes off to Google. Not only does their green energy mission statement, clearly explained on their website, amount to excellent corporate PR but they've actually put their money where their mouth is -- in terms of adopting a "shadow price" for carbon AND committing funds to renewable energy research.

Facebook has suspended or shut down several politically sensitive fan pages/groups this week

2010-02-06T03:05:00.001-08:00

[Excerpts from SCMP article]

"Kelvin Sit Tak-O, who runs a discussion group that opposes the pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), said his group's Facebook page was shut down without notice on Thursday. The group had 84,298 members and was aiming for 100,000.

'Apart from my own group, I've heard that other groups with an anti-DAB message have also been closed. We've written complaint letters, but we've only received standard replies about how [Facebook] is working on this case,' Sit said.
.....
Christina Chan Hau-man, a student protester who waved a Tibetan flag during the torch relay and used Facebook to rally support, had her account closed days before the event. At the time, she said she was told her page had been closed because of 'persistent misuse of the site'.

Politicians yesterday urged Facebook to explain the recent closures, stressing that such discussion on the website encouraged more youth participation in politics."

[My own remarks based on my conversation with Kelvin Sit just now...]

Kelvin told me that although the original page is still down, he relaunched a new page, which has already hit 50,000 members since it launched 3 days ago.

Feeling very passionately about this issue because FREE SPEECH is integrally connected to being an environmental activist, I am urging international media based in HK to cover the story.

I hope you will do the same, as well as retweet and post this information, to increase the visibility of this shut-down, so that it becomes an issue of international notoriety. After all, this is the flipside of the Google China story and Hong Kong is the last bastion of free speech in greater China. (By the way, here is my op-ed letter to the IHT about Google and China which was published in the wake of that imbroglio. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/opinion/16iht-edlet.html
Note that my views are entirely different in this case because Hong Kong is NOT China! No way!)
CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

Learn more about air pollution: watch and SHARE this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_QaOjOHzw

Please sign the Petition for Clean Air, http://hongkongcan.org/eng/

FOLLOW US, FOLOW ME
http://twitter.com/cleanairnetwork
http://twitter.com/joanneooi
http://cleanairnetwork.blogspot.com/

JOIN US at www.facebook.com/cleanairnetwork

New post: Because EVERYONE always asks, How can I make a (C02) difference? Mechanisms for reducing carbon emissions at the grassroots indiv & community level

2010-01-27T22:26:00.001-08:00

Although CAN isn't primarily focused on climate change and we take pains to avoid confusing the issue with air pollution, here is a new Huffington Post series by my friend, David Gershon, about how eco-teams within a community can reinforce collective behavioral change, based on his game-changing book, The Low Carbon Diet. Be patient: the first installment in the series doesn't describe the best parts of The Diet, just the backdrop of how the concept of the Low Carbon Diet arose.
www.huffingtonpost.com/david-gershon/empowering-a-climate-chan_b_434874.html

While the book's underlying premise that individual behavioral change is commendable, let's not forget that the primary drivers of carbon reduction must always be governmental policies, which provide price cues, mandate energy efficiency and encourage investment in technology.

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

Learn more about air pollution: watch and SHARE this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_QaOjOHzw

Please sign the Petition for Clean Air, http://hongkongcan.org/eng/

FOLLOW US, FOLOW ME
http://twitter.com/cleanairnetwork
http://twitter.com/joanneooi
http://cleanairnetwork.blogspot.com/

JOIN US at www.facebook.com/cleanairnetwork

Blog: Fighting for what is right and the relationship between the environment & democracy (free speech)

2010-01-17T04:55:00.001-08:00

Our grassroots movement seeks to transform the relationship between the citizen and the government to one where a clean safe environment becomes an entitlement, NOT a luxury. It is the duty of a govt to provide this indispensable public good to its citizens. Indeed, protecting public health is deemed one of the major justifications for the existence of any government, however elected, formed or appointed.

On the role of democracy, civic engagement, and free speech, and how these values relate to clean air: the people of Hong Kong need to speak out if we are to claim what properly belongs to us. Again, why else would people submit to government and agree to the pact of civil society (taxes and obedience to the law) if the government is not going to provide even those basic necessities universally deemed indispensable to human livelihood, i.e., safe food, clean water and CLEAN AIR?

CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

Learn more about air pollution: watch and SHARE this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_QaOjOHzw

Please sign the Petition for Clean Air, http://hongkongcan.org/eng/

FOLLOW US, FOLOW ME
http://twitter.com/cleanairnetwork
http://twitter.com/joanneooi
http://cleanairnetwork.blogspot.com/

JOIN US at www.facebook.com/cleanairnetwork

BLOG: GOVT'S FOCUS ON MONITORING GENERAL, INSTEAD OF ROADSIDE, AIR QUALITY SHOWS THAT PRIORITIES ARE UPSIDE DOWN

2010-01-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the news that Hong Kong's roadside pollution reached life-threatening levels in 2009, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gE0Vya-Hwgdo2D2YLPT0skOGy1Gg, DAB LegCo member Chan Hak-kan rightly posed the question to the EPD, will the EPD consider installing more roadside monitors? No, was the answer from Kitty Poon Kit, the EPD's spokesperson. Apparently, the Government feels that the current monitoring network is sufficient.

But a quick analysis of results derived from HKUST's recent mobile air pollution monitoring study shows that the roadside pollution in Wanchai was actually the worst in HK, even though the Government monitoring stations are located in only Central, Causeway Bay and Mongkok. The Government's justification for not needing additional monitors is that these three monitors are sufficiently accurate proxies for roadside monitoring at other highly trafficked locations all over Hong Kong. The case of Wanchai obviously challenges the prudence of this assumption. Furthermore, the HKUST study showed big variations between different streets in the same district and between different districts.

http://hongkongcan.org/eng/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Mapresult.pdf

What's more disturbing, however, in the big picture, is the fact that the Government's monitoring network -- 11 of 14 stations measuring ambient air quality, rather than roadside emissions -- is predicated on their outdated concern about overall pollutant tonnage, rather than adverse impacts to human health. OBVIOUSLY, it's the spumes of diesel particles blowing in a person's face, on the street, which affect human health the most. One ton of PM emitted by a coal-fired power plant 30 meters above ground is obviously going to be a lot less damaging to human beings than the same weight of emissions beging emitted at street level.

The mentality which dominated 20 years ago is no longer relevant or useful to the public health crisis we are confronting today. If a resident of Hong Kong needs to know the pollution reading on any given day, it is the ROADSIDE reading which is highly relevant and useful -- NOT an ambient reading! In the same vein, Government should be formulating air quality management policy based on COMPREHENSIVE readings of ROADSIDE pollution throughout Hong Kong. When it comes to human health, these are the MAIN readings which count. And, lest anyone have failed to read the newspaper recently, roadside pollution is, at best, the same, if not deteriorating.

(For the sake of argument, let's assume the 3 roadside monitors ARE a decent proxy for all of HK's roadside pollution, the fact that there are only 3 compared to 11 general monitors STILL points to the outmoded policy and mentality which led to the building of such a network in the first place. Unfortunately, the mentality which led to the building of the monitoring network is the same one proposing public policy today.)

Thus, the locations of the official monitors should actually be inverted if the Government wants to live up to its stated intention of protecting public health.
_____________
CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

Learn more about air pollution: watch and SHARE this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_QaOjOHzw

Please sign the Petition for Clean Air, http://hongkongcan.org/eng/

FOLLOW US, FOLLOW ME
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GOOGLE OPENLY PROVOKES CONFRONTATION WITH CHINA

2010-01-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

Google's official statement today that it MAY withdraw from China due to hacks into the accounts of Chinese human rights activists is NOT a triumph for free speech and democracy, but, rather, the opposite.

Below are official Google blog post excerpts from TechCrunch's article of this morning, http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/12/google-china-attacks/:
"We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists....we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties."

TechCrunch's gloss: "The company ... has come to the alarming conclusion that the attacks were targeting the information of Chinese human rights activists. Google found that these attacks were not just going after Google’s data, but were also targeting at least twenty other major companies spanning sectors including Internet, finance, chemicals, and more. Google has also discovered that phishing attacks have been used to compromise the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists around the world."

SUBTEXT: THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS ATTACKED THE CYBERSECURITY OF GOOGLE WITHIN AND WITHOUT CHINA, JEOPARDIZING THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THE SERVICE'S EXISTENCE -- ITS SECURITY WORLDWIDE. I emphasized "worldwide" to underscore the seriousness of the hack. If the attack had been confined to China alone, perhaps Google would have considered that an acceptable business risk of operating in the country. Attacks outside of China obviously undermine the confidence and jeopardize the security of ALL users.

To my mind, Google's blog posts and official statements are tantamount to openly accusing the Chinese Government of sabotaging and attacking it. Not a propitious or conducive manner by which to open a "dialogue" with the Chinese Government on whether it will be able to serve up unfiltered search results from now on in China. Moreover, Google's statement that it will operate in China without restrictions or not at all will undoubtedly dim such prospects further. For those of us who live in Greater China, we know that China does not react well to theatrical throw-downs of the gauntlet. Rather, China tends to squash such opponents mercilessly. Obama HIMSELF is cognizant of the right approach and would NEVER openly CONFRONT the Chinese Government with a publicly stated binary proposition of "DO this or ELSE.... "

Let's please remember that both Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China. Those incidents were not preceded by any public showdown between the Government and the companies. Moreover, those services are comparatively marginal (even if they do enable a higher degree of social mobilization) compared to the universal functionality and usefulness of the Google search engine. Why would China tolerate unfiltered search results from Google when it can hardly deal with social networks? Again, it's even less likely that China will engage in constructive discourse with Google after being called out as a blackguard of democracy and free speech.

It strikes me as impossible that Google does NOT understand the niceties of publicly interacting with the Chinese Government and has already taken decision to shutter its operations in the country. If they were truly sincere in their intention to doggedly persevere in that country, would they have so publicly challenged the Chinese Government? If they were sincere in their attempt to stay operating in China, they would have negotiated quietly with the Chinese government FIRST, before announcing their intention to operate in a manner which clearly defies long-established official government strictures (i.e., no filters).

Anyway, it's a dark day for both free speech and democracy -- with one less hope that China and its people will have the opportunity to be exposed to the moderating influence of more ideas and the open debate of the internet.

_______
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @joanneooi
www.hongkoncan.org

BLOG: I DON'T TALK LIKE A TREEHUGGER AND I NEVER WILL

2010-01-11T05:45:00.000-08:00

INTERVIEW QUESTION: How is your previous career useful in your current position?

ANSWER: One of the reasons I'm effective is because I'm from the private sector. I don't talk like a treehugger and I never will. Secondly, my marketing background has been indispensable to creating momentum and lots of noise for CAN. Since we have to stretch every dollar, more ingenuity and guerrilla tactics are required from me than ever before. I have embraced this challenge as a way to buff my skill set even further. Right now, I'm plunging into social media, a comparatively new domain for me and totally virgin territory for most HK organizations. Finally, it goes without saying that the skills of writing, thinking and argumentation, which have been well honed over the years, are the indispensable tools of my stock-in-trade on a daily basis. But this is no different than if i were helming any business organization.

Follow me at http://twitter.com/joanneooi
http://cleanairnetwork.blogspot.com/

BLOG: "Conserving Central": a slap in the face to HK's people

2010-01-10T00:11:00.001-08:00

I just walked by the HK Govt's display at IFC on the same level as the footbridge, describing its plans to preserve some of Central's most historic architectural landmarks. This initiative was the centerpiece of Donald Tsang's policy address in 2009. While such a project is laudable and important if HK is to retain some of its unique historic character, it is ironically short-sighted.
The apparent purpose of such an initiative is to make HK a more attractive city -- literally. But the emphasis on optics is misplaced when one of the very pillars of our daily urban existence has crumbled. Of course, I refer to our air quality. Along with safe food and clean water, can there be a more universally important precondition to living in a society, ostensibly governed by leaders who seek to protect and advance the health and livelihood of residents? That said, spending money on buildings instead of people is actually a sort of slap in the face of the HK people!
No doubt "Conserving Central" is the centerpiece of Donald's effort to boost HK's standing among world cities. But fewer media and opinion leaders around the world take note of the paucity of historic buildings than our city's appalling air pollution. Thus, even if we do manage to upgrade the aesthetics of our urban center, will it upgrade our standing in the world? Of course not! Let's not forget that HK occupied the lower ranks of Gallup's recent Net Migration Index, with the likes of Iraq, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago. Respondents explained that our low ranking was the result of air pollution, traffic congestion and overcrowding.
"Conserving Central" is obviously a politically easy and facile way to demonstrate Tsang's leadership. After all, virtually all the affected buildings belong to the Govt itself, thereby sidestepping issues of vested private sector interests. But it is just a bandaid on the gaping wound of HK's environment.
When it comes to fiscal and policymaking priorities for HK, "Conserving Central" should be dessert, not the main course!
CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

Learn more about air pollution: watch and SHARE this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_QaOjOHzw

Please sign the Petition for Clean Air, http://hongkongcan.org/eng/

FOLLOW US, FOLOW ME
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http://twitter.com/joanneooi
http://cleanairnetwork.blogspot.com/

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BLOG: Kurosawa 7 Samurai

2010-01-09T02:49:00.001-08:00

visceral, heroic, eternal & redemptive unlike any movie made in the last 15 yrs. Cameron, Bay, Bruckheimer: please sit down and take a lesson. Modern hollywood movies ignore plot, suspense, drama, humanity in favor of pedantic moralizing, special effects and pat one-dimensional characters. there's real value in the saying, "show, don't tell". Genuine human morality and values are trivialized by the cringe-worthy lines mouthed by stillborn characters who, these days, are mere placeholders in the landscape of special effects. THAT's today's modern movie. While uplifted by watching kurosawa's masterpiece today -- 3+ hours which sped by more quickly than avatar, at least to my perception -- it provides a timely occasion to comment on the decline of the modern american moviemaking.
CAN is the #1 resource for health, news, policy about air pollution with a special focus on Hong Kong policy and events.

Learn more about air pollution: watch and SHARE this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_QaOjOHzw

Please sign the Petition for Clean Air, http://hongkongcan.org/eng/

FOLLOW US, FOLOW ME
http://twitter.com/cleanairnetwork
http://twitter.com/joanneooi
http://cleanairnetwork.blogspot.com/

JOIN US at www.facebook.com/cleanairnetwork

BLOG: "Trying to become balanced would be like trying to withdraw from heroin"

2010-01-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

Please describe your career path?
The trajectory of my career can only be likened to a pinball game. How did you get into your profession? I never imagined I would work at an NGO. But, as with most of my career, I ended up at CAN through a combination of serendipity and an enduring desire to influence people's minds. Over the years, I have built up quite a rolodex and a solid bully pulpit. It seemed like a waste of my skill set, credibility and relationships to just keep on selling "stuff". It's obvious that there is a dearth of zealous, committed, able people in the NGO world, especially in HK, where most people think you're crazy if you leave your well-paid private sector job to head up an NGO.

Have there been any low times?
Besides the constant ribbing of jokes like, "Look outside. You haven't cleaned it up yet," NO! Honestly, I've never been happier in my entire life. I'm one of those people who never gets depressed. EVER. Also, 95% of the individuals and corporations we've approached have supported Clean Air Network. How can I complain or feel low?

Were you always ambitious?
Being too ambitious is probably my greatest character defect. The frisson of achievement or recognition lasts a maximum of 24 hours. Then, it's back to the grindstone, because I'm never satisfied. I also take an eagle's-eye assessment of my career every few months to determine if it all makes sense in terms of trajectory, learning and gratification.

Could you have imagined doing this job when you started?
NEVER. Being the daughter of two Chinese immigrant doctors growing up in the Midwest, I was trained to desire a career that was obvious, prosaic and remunerative. Even I myself am frequently surprised by the twists and turns of my career. What do you like best about what you are doing now? I love educating and inspiring people. That's always been my forte. At heart, I'm a preacher. I also love communicating with younger people, because they're still idealistic -- like me. At an NGO, you can give your idealism full rein. How many situations, let alone job situations, permit you to do that -- without apology or compunction?

What are your greatest challenges?
Waking up every day and believing that I can make a difference to a problem which so difficult and enormous.

What are your future aspirations?
I never give conscious thought to this issue. It is my innate tendency to seek bigger, more daring challenges. But, to answer your question, in the short term, to use social media to enable greater civic engagement and democratic participation in Hong Kong society -- inspired, of course, by the weathervane issue of air pollution. Since it's an issue that virtually everyone agrees on, it's easy way for first-timers to get involved in civil society and engage - with each other, with Government. Another reason I got involved with this issue and cause is because I think it takes someone from the private sector to demonstrate that this is NOT an issue confined to treehuggers or radicals.

How have you been able to balance your career and your life?
I'm not a balanced person. Full stop. When I'm not talking about air pollution, I'm reading up on it -- or social media. I can't do Stairmaster without my Blackberry and at least 2 newspapers. I'm obsessed with productivity and efficiency. I don't really care about balance. Trying to become balanced would be like trying to withdraw from heroin. At the same time, I do have some new rules in my life: for example, at least 10 hours per week with my 10-year old son with NO devices. With me, it can't work unless there are very strict rules and concrete guideposts. That's the most "balance" I can do.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
In terms of career, I haven't done anything I was proud of for more than 24 hours. I'm referring to a specific achievement. But I'm a good mom. Actually, being a good parent is incredibly difficult because it's not something you can decide you're going to master. It's not really within your control to a large extent. Parenting is not subject to the same rules of achievement as all the other projects and goals in my life.

What would you change if you were to have your time again?
Honestly, I wish I cared more about money, because, then, I'd have some -- and that could be a cushion which could afford me more freedom and flexibility. I was also recently thinking that I should have had some sort of career in media -- as a talking head. Finally, I would have learned Chinese instead of French when I was growing up. This is probably the biggest regret of my life -- that, despite studying Mandarin for many years, I still cannot speak it fluently -- indeed, far from it.

What is the most useful lesson you have learned?
That, as a general rule, never be overprepared. It's an utter waste of time. For that matter, barring a few exceptional situations (like a board meeting or a major photo shoot), I strongly prefer to do things at the last minute. it's a personal style which isn't for everybody, but it's a very efficient way to get enormous amounts of stuff done.

What do you like to do in your free time?
If not sleeping, then, some form of learning. "Free" time means I can enrich my mind with activities which fall outside the remit of my professional responsibilities. These days, I'm catching up on all the bit.ly's in my twitter stream!

The above is excerpted from an upcoming interview.

JOANNE OOI IS THE CEO OF CLEAN AIR NETWORK, THE FASTEST-GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL NGO IN HONG KONG AND THE BIGGEST SINGLE-ISSUE NGO FOCUSED ON HONG KONG AIR POLLUTION. www.hongkongcan.org. Prior to heading CAN, Joanne was the Chief Marketing Officer of Filligent, the biotech company, and the Creative Director of Shanghai Tang, the Chinese luxury brand owned by the Richemont Group.

WHY TWITTER ISN'T JUST FOR VAPID TEENAGERS WITH LOGORRHEA

2010-01-02T17:38:00.001-08:00

rather, based on my own experience, twitter has already significantly enriched my life and mind. every time i log on (with my blackberry) to @joanneooi, i treat myself to a welcome onslaught of statistics, anecdotes, testimonials, learnings, the magnificent quantum of which would have been unthinkable a few years ago before the advent of such a fantastically efficient learning tool. granted, i'm not following friends, but the most popular and authoritative tweeters in the tech industry. (check out my SMM list) here is a fantastic testimonial from a leading business professor who specializes in issues of entrepreneurship. his article about why twitter is the only SM platform he uses handily encapsulates the efficiencies of group learning, iteration and thinking. it goes without saying that 1) his mind rocks 2) i've already learned tons from tuning into his though-stream 3) not a single tweet is wasted on social or intellectual frippery. i could only have discovered and learned so much from this one person in the last 24 hours by dint of twitter! here's the story of vivek wadhwa(@vwadhwa)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010100662.html

here's a great article in the nytimes.com which just came out on "why twitter will endure" too. unfortunately, i couldnt' find any link but the one to the nytimes mobile site! http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/weekinreview/03carr.xml
i recommend that you try to find this on the website in a couple of days when it comes out, hopefully. for now, read it on your smartphone!

and, of course, it goes without saying, follow me at @joanneooi and follow Clean Air Network at @cleanairnetwork

POST-MORTEM ON 2009

2009-12-27T23:33:00.000-08:00

the financial/employment malaise made life much LESS FUN during the first half of the year. things became DEAD SERIOUS, LIFE OR DEATH rather than OPTIONAL or GRATUITOUS or ENTERTANING. putting one's head down for 6 months is really no fun, not even when you're blessed with copious doses of inborn prozac like me...
....
the financial meltdown continued to be a serious tailwind on the asian art business. considering that our eponymous operation, ooibotos.com, specializes in cutting edge avant-garde works, it made the customary uphill battle (inculcate THEN sell) twice as steep.
...
i attended civic exchange's "The air we breathe" conference in January, which inspired me to found a new ngo about air pollution. but i soon found myself coopted into the "clean air coalition" by christine loh in february. and, thank god, because christine's oorganization already had the backing of hk's leading environmentalists. clean air coalition is now Clean Air Network (www.hongkongcan.org). of more below…
....
in april of this year, i was on a roadshow in europe to launch Filligent's revolutionary anti-microbial BioMask, when swine flu broke out. it's the first time in my life i thought my blackberry would actually explode. the second day of the outbreak, we distributed a press release over pr newswire, which resulted in my personal filligent email address receiving over 3000 emails in the course of that week. swine flu made the BioMask the world's hottest product. the month of may 2009 was probably the busiest month of my entire life, bar none, due to the confluence of swine flu, the launch of the BioMask and the hong kong art fair. for the same reason, it was probably one of the most memorable, hard to believe periods of my life. the timing of events was uncannily serendipitous and unforgettable. but also a massively nervewracking emotional drain. frankly, i hope to never undergo such an experience (2-3 months in all) again.
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the hard work continued through the summer of 2009. but, in late june, christine loh asked me to head up clean air network and i agreed. the board (of which I was a member) had begun to discuss how we needed a CEO in may 09. in my heart of hearts, i really wanted to do it, then, but i couldn't imagine leaving my well-paid private sector job to head up CAN, let alone during a period of such intense work demands from filligent (during swine flu). in the end, though, my heart won out. or, rather, i rationalized the massive salary cut to myself, so that i could accept the ngo post. in july, i decided to take the leap and agreed to head up CAN full-time on 1 October, while winding down my full-time post at filligent. (I remain a consultant to filligent.)
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the transition was a full-throttle commitment, requiring me to do two full-time jobs during the months of august and september. filligent was inking distribution agreements around the world, while the HK Government announced its new proposed air quality management strategy at the end of July. As with most things in my life, time was of the essence. But in this case, charged with the responsibility of mobilizing public opinion to pressure the govt to enact much stricter air quality standards for hk, i felt the time pressure much more keenly than ever before in my life. The government will amend hk’s standards at the end of 2010 giving me approximately 1 year to get the issue of air pollution on to the radar of the hk people. And, so I have thrown myself into my new job with the full quantum of my life force. I don’t make such statements but rarely, so, believe it when I say that I feel the pressure and overhang of responsibility above my head like a sword of Damocles every day.
To date, we (CAN) have a following of approximately 15,000 people – no small feat, since that stacks up quite impressively next to all the other environmental ngos which have existed for more than 10 years in hk. but the real challenge is creating a genuine movement by building a genuine social media marketing platform. It’s easy enough to talk about “community” “viral content” “blogging”, etc, but to do it is a sustained promethean effort which no other organization, private or public, has EVER done properly in hk. there IS no silver bullet OBVIOUSLY. It takes really hard work and continuous monitoring of data flows and generation of content. WRITING content EVERY DAY becomes paramount. For that matter, it will take at least 6 months to create a genuinely strong and durable following which acknowledges the value of the content we are creating every day. Let me just confess squarely that I’m totally unaccustomed to waiting THAT long for my efforts to bear fruit in any industry. It is in fact the ultimate irony that social media, an instantaneous medium, is forcing me to be more patient and persistent than I have ever been in my professional life. Luckily, though, the newfound vocation of writer/blogger/content generator fits like a happy glove. I’m happy to report that I’ve never been happier in my life. At the same time, I’ve never tackled anything as daunting and monumental as public policy. I am learning to navigate the world of hk politics too, a murky and laborious task, which, considering the countless face to face meetings, seems a thankless and distinctly stone age project. The word “leverage” has no application in this world where there is no substitute for one-on-one meetings and handshakes. Nevertheless, I’m heartened at the size of our following and the response from huge blue chip corporations but I know that my work is cut out for me the next year. There’s not a minute for delusion or waste.
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Other front s:
John and I are in a perpetual state of “about to get married”…. I’ll leave it at that and just say that we continue to be incredibly happy and settled together.
Sam is at a critical point in his education: it is no longer realistic to expect him to be able to get on top of his Chinese schoolwork – even with massive amounts of additional home study. So, gus and I are thinking of when and to what school he should matriculate. We find all the international schools deficient and posh, an obviously terrible combination. On the other hand, the local schools are too regimented and traditional in their approaches. It all leads to the resounding conclusion that bringing up a child’s MIND in hk is a very difficult task; and that I need to get more involved in sam’s education, if he is to think more creatively and independently. I’m happy to report that now that I’m the boss, it’s much more feasible to spend quality creative educational time with him. Now, if only I could think of what to do! He’s now sitting next to me (in our villa in koh samui) helping me rewrite storylines for our CAN’s kid’s storybook, I’m happy to report : )
My brother and his wife had a son only about a month ago – Oscar. I hope to take sam for a visit in april. more than ever, family is important to me, something I’m now prepared to make time for, even if it does seem more difficult than ever to stay connected. One is nowadays more – and less – connected…. I suppose that that's the raison d'etre of THIS blog entry today.

ABOUT CREATIVITY AND WHY IT DOESN'T FLOURISH IN HK

2009-12-22T03:52:00.000-08:00

1. How can governments nurture a spirit of innovation?
Governments need to provide cheap space and resources in order for artists to pursue their vocation full time. Art and creativity require a high degree of risk-taking and trailblazing. Recognition and reward are never overnight. For example, rents in Hong Kong severely penalize commercial uncertainty, making it very difficult for would-be artists to hang out their shingle and do something unprecedented and daring.
2. What do you appreciate most about Hong Kong?
No doubt about it: I love the efficiency and can-do attitude of Hong Kong and its people. Besides that, though, it's generally a cultural desert, where you live in an artistic-creative-intellectual terrarium of your own making. If you don't possess the capacity for self-nurturing, intellectually, HK is a tough place.
3. What is Hong Kong’s position on the global creative map?
Hong Kong is well-known to be devoid of cultural leadership or even inspiration. This is a place where commercial ambition takes pride of place in society, unfortunately. Hong Kong is better known as a crossroads of finance and trade, rather than for any artistic achievements or destinations.
4. What should the world know about your work (e.g. values, successes, creative process)?
Whatever I'm doing, I seek to influence minds, whatever the substance of the message. Despite the seeming zigzag of my career from design to biotech to environmentalism, the entire thing is underpinned by my desire to engineer perceptual shifts in consumption and culture. Whether I have been even partially successful is a totally different question! I choose new topics and challenges which force me to confront my total ignorance and attain mastery of totally new areas of knowledge and thinking.

these answers were written for a "book project on the subject of Creative Industries, that will be published in April 2010 by the Creative Industries Office of Austrian Trade and Folio Publishers in Vienna....the book reflects on recent developments in Creative Industries hubs such as London, Hong Kong, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo.... we [have] invite[d] four personalities from each city who either live or work there or know it very well to answer four questions, especially related to their area of work. Amongst others, designers Alberto Alessi (Italy) and Alfredo Häberli (Switzerland), artist/architect Vito Acconci (USA), author Tom Lanoye (Belgium), and architect Ben van Berkel (the Netherlands) have already sent us their answers to these questions.