Singapore Tatler is a high society magazine, which I only read while in my dentist’s waiting room.

So when I had to actually buy it, I searched high and low for it. It’s not available in the magazine racks at the petrol stations, nor could I find it in Popular and Times Bookstores.

Finally I managed to buy a copy of the June 2009 issue from a magazine kiosk in IMM.

Tatler comes in many editions. Make sure you get the right issue, it’s the one with Nadya on the front page. This issue’s focus is on the environment, and here’s our article:

[Update on 26 Jun: Click here for full-sized image]

We’ve got a full-page photo of one of our bamboo flooring projects. This is our Carbonised Horizontal bamboo flooring.

Just a short quote from my interview: ” We get feedback from customers all the time that they would have chosen bamboo flooring if they had known of such an eco-friendly product.”

All too true.

The main feature is “Earth Angels”, highlighting four celebrities who are doing their part to save the earth.

There’s our perennial favourite eco-celeb, Nadya. Check out her new web site – Green Kampung. It’s shaping up nicely with lots of good content. She wasn’t kidding when she said she’s kicking off a series of media initiatives to drum up publicity for her web site.

There’s Howard Shaw too, who’s the executive director of Singapore Environment Council (SEC). SEC is the body that gives us our Green Label certification. SEC’s recent charity screening of “Home” was held at Shaw Lido, so I’m guessing that he’s related to Shaw Cinemas.

Claire Chiang is up next. Together with Ho Kwon Ping, she’s one half of the husband-and-wife team behind the Banyan Tree Resorts. Running a successful chain of resorts means she has the chance to actively practise what she preaches for the environment, and the Banyan Tree group is well-known for their environmental efforts.

The last Angel is Audrey Tay of the Hour Glass family. I’m actually not too familiar with her eco-efforts, but apparently she’s a regular in fund-raisers for groups such as SEC and the Save Our Planet Foundation.

The articles are well worth a read. As a bonus, there are lots of photos of beautiful people too.

So pick up your copy today!

Actually the web site has been live since last year, but it has undergone a recent facelift.

And we’re honoured to be one of the first companies to be featured:

It’s early days yet, but I’m sure she has a whole list of exciting initiatives all lined up.

So go check it out today at www.greenkampung.com!

I had the pleasure of meeting Nadya last week as she wanted to find out more about our eco-friendly bamboo flooring.

Yes she is indeed gorgeous in person, and positively glowing in her pregnancy.

Blame the noisy acoustics at the cafe, it was only upon reading this article that I realised how far she wanted to go with her eco-house project – do read the article for more details.

Just to highlight 3 of my favourite bits:

1. Use of eco-friendly materials

When the media highlights eco-friendly developments, it usually focuses on energy and water-saving systems. That’s a good thing of course, but people have neglected to add eco-friendly building materials into the equation.

Nadya will be using recycled, renewable, sustainable and even low-VOC materials in her house. Rather comprehensive.

2. Rainwater catchment tank

Nadya is installing a rainwater catchment tank to collect rainwater. I’m not sure if it’ll be fully integrated into the toilet flushing system. However, that would be an expensive proposition.

Now, we have various metal barrels around the house to collect rainwater for watering the plants. Unsightly, but it gets the job done.

3. Organic look

Nadya’s house is designed to blend in with the natural environment e.g. exterior walls covered with creepers.

I agree with this whole-heartedly. Too often, houses in Singapore stick out like a sore thumb.

Being eco-conscious means being able to co-exist in harmony with the natural environment. This should extend to the design as well.

Eco-architecture should not pummel nature into submission, but rather, the two should come together in an harmonious blend.

If you’d like more information on Nadya’s eco house, check out her husband Desmond Koh’s blog.