Malaysia not too hot ‘Greenest Man’ who lives with little air conditioning, electricity

KUALA LUMPUR - Whoever says that Malaysia is getting too hot day by day, they should meet Matthias Gelber - the so-called World’s Greenest Man in 2008-who lives with very little air conditioning and electricity in the country.

Gelber, who does not even own a car, said he would often leave the windows open in his condominium in Malaysia to keep cool.

“My condominium here is very healthy. I open my windows to let the air flow through my unit. Of course, the rain can pose a hazard occasionally, but that doesn’t trouble me too much,” the Star Online quoted him as saying.

Gelber, 41, who was awarded the title by a mobile solutions company in Canada for his environmental work, was originally from Lippe, Germany, which has a population of only 300.

“I have been ‘green’ since my childhood days growing up on a farm in Germany. We planted our own potatoes, fruits and vegetables,” said the expert on environmental management.

Gelber said the simplest way for Malaysians to change into a “green” lifestyle was to be conscious of what they did daily.

“The system which measures our utility bills each month can be likened to the micro-carbon emission meter. We can create awareness towards one’s electricity consumption both at home and in the office.

“Next, we can cultivate discipline in controlling and influencing the use of ‘less green’ things in daily living,” he said. (ANI)