Apathy towards ‘green’ activities in Tampines visible from “Clean & Green” carnival turnout

As global warming is on the rise, some find it important to adopt the 'green' lifestyle. Events are organised to promote such a lifestyle, but is the message being received?

Stage area at the North East Clean & Green carnival

From the 17^th to the 18^th of November, the “North East Clean & Green Singapore Carnival” took place at Tampines Community Plaza. The carnival was organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), North East Community Development Council (NECDC) and Tampines Grassroots Organisations (GROs).

The carnival was organised as part of the Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) 2013 campaign, a nationwide initiative organised by NEA for the community. At the North East CGS carnival in 2013, the first ever Environmental Watch Group (E.W.G) will be launched, and volunteers were able to sign up for this programme at this year’s carnival.

The carnival consisted of several stalls set up from different organisations, some of which include the Tampines West YEC Eco Interest Group, Chongzheng Primary School, Tampines West Craft Club, Tampines North Primary School, Homespun, Soap Ministry, Tampines Town Council and NEA.

"Captain Green", NEA's mascot

Despite the fact that NEA expected a turnout of 10,000 people, some of the stall managers have not seen a very satisfactory turnout. One such person is the stall manager for the Eco Interest Group from Tampines West YEC (Youth Executive Committee), 23-year-old Ms Eisha Dadlani.

Ms Eisha Dadlani at the Tampines West YEC Eco Interest Group stall

“The turnout could have been better, it’s been rather quiet. We wanted to encourage youths to join because we feel that the youth of today don’t know much about conservation,” said Ms Dadlani.

Their Eco Interest Group was invited to take part in this carnival through their CC. They participate in activities such as Earth Day, and have workshops where they teach attendees to make arts and craft from recycled products.

However, they would still like to take part in this carnival in the future. “We don’t have that many members right now, and hope to spread awareness about our group and the activities we do,” commented Ms Dadlani.

Ms Samihah (far right) with her students and co-stall manager

Ms Samihah Bte Abdul Kader, stall manager and teacher for Tampines North Primary School’s Eco-club, also believes that the turnout could be better. She said: “I think people take it (the environment) for granted. We need to send out more information and messages. There need to be a sense of urgency to start now.”

When asked what activities the Eco-club conducts to do their part for the environment, she mentioned: “We come up with activities and strategise on how to be more environmentally friendly.”

Ms Trina (right) with her colleague at the Homespun booth

Ms Trina from Homespun, who was there to demonstrate how to make flowers from pandan leaves, also faced a similar situation. “The turnout was ok, but not many people take part. I think they like they to do, but they observe or walk away,” she said.

From left to right, Ms Sherry Han, Ms Afrina and Ms Sih-Zau Leong

Chongzheng Primary also had a stall at the carnival, which was manned by three students and one teacher. Ms Sih-Zau Leong, one of the 10-year-old students has observed this lack of participation and interest in green activities. She said: “We have a rooftop garden in school, but quite a lot of students from our school haven’t been there yet.”

Ms Peggy Ong (left) with Ms Elaine, co-owners of Soap Ministry

On the other hand Ms Peggy Ong’s views differ from the others’. “We’ve had a very good turnout, people who come to our stall have been very enthusiastic to learn about how they can make their own soap with natural ingredients,” commented the co-owner from Soap Ministry.

The E.W.G was first initiated by Punggol North in February this year. The focus of that event was to educate dog owners on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs. Punggol Oceanus RC has won the CGS award for Best Team Effort in the North East district.

                                          A band performing at the North East Clean & Green Carnival 2012  

Check out my photo gallery for more pictures from the event.

PBL Reflection

PBL Reflection 1

On the first week of school, we were introduced to this alien concept of PBL. Honestly, it seems like a tedious process of going back and forth to solve a problem. After doing the mouldy bread tutorial, I could understand it a bit more. It's about identifying a problem, doing research, and coming up with a solution. The FILA chart thought complicated at first, takes time to get used to. It is basically what we would already do for a report, but in a different format.

Cheers
Dhaneesha

Individual Assignment 1 - Books & Beer promotes "R & R" - Refreshing & Recycling

Entrance of Switch by Timbre on 3rd November

Books & Beer promotes "R & R" - Refreshing & Recycling

On the 3^rd of November, “Books & Beer” was conducted at Switch by Timbre from 5pm-7pm. This travelling book swap was part of the Singapore Writers’ Festival 2012, and promotes recycling old books while enjoying beers at a discounted price.

The Singapore' Writers' Festival (SWF) is an annual literary event that features writer's from not just Singapore but other parts of the world. It is a multilingual event organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) Singapore, and was conducted from the 2nd to the 11th of November 2012. This year's theme for the event was "Origins". "Books & Beer" was one of the free events in conjunction with SWF this year. 

The event was organised by Melissa Low, a 25-year-old Energy Analyst at the Energy Studies Institute with the National University of Singapore and Eileen Lee, a 24-year-old Communications Executive with the Singapore Business Federation.

“We wanted to bring about a revival in the reading culture amongst busy young working adults, which we feel is lacking today. I think that there aren’t many pro-bono event planners out there because it’s time consuming and unless you have an interest in doing it. Whether it’s to meet new people, get a weekend beer, or create a platform to catch up with old friends or family, most people shy away,” said Melissa.

Eileen added: “I think the best part of this is that it’s open to everyone and anyone. As long as you read, and you’ve books you would like to share, we welcome you. Having books as a common topic also helps strangers interact; you get far less of the awkwardness and contrived statements.”

Bar at Switch - here's where you order your discounted drinks

Participants are supposed to bring a maximum of 10 old books, place them where there is space, and take some of the books that are already there. Books left over from the book swap are carried forward to the next book swap or donated to charity. Those who registered for the book swap got the drinks at 10 per cent discount.

People surrounding the book section - place your books here and browse the titles

Nelissa Hernandez, an In-Flight Magazine writer who participated in the event for the first time, said: “I read about this event from the Singapore Writers’ Festival. I like it so far because the organizers don’t hover around you, they give you time to look around.”

When asked about the variety of the books, she commented: “I read a lot, so I’ve read most of the books here. There are so many different people here with different tastes, so you can’t really expect to find mainstream books. I’m looking for travel related books, and I managed to find a couple.”

Nelissa Hernandez (left) with friends at Switch

Amanda Ng, student and first time participant also heard about the book swap online. “I think it’s really cool to have this sort of event in Singapore. There aren't many books around, maybe because not many people are here, but I would definitely come again,” she mentioned.

Joey Dawson, secondary school teacher and first time participant said: “I heard about this from a friend and I thought it was a brilliant idea. You can bring it your old books that you don’t use anymore and exchange it for new ones instead of getting rid of it.” She found the variety limited, but mentioned that she would like to attend again.

Now, the swap is usually conducted at cafes, bars, concept stores and restaurants. The locations that agree for the event allow it to be held there for free for the duration of the book swap, which usually lasts for a couple of hours. Finding a location has been a challenge for the organisers, but they have “managed to work with some very understanding and helpful hosts so far.”

Other free to attend events by SWF this year were the "Rare books tour", which is a tour that allows attendees to view rare materials otherwise not open to the public, "The Ukulele Girls", a musical performance at the Singapore Management University (SMU), and "Suara Dari Muara", which is Malay for "Voices from the Bay", a malay poetry performance.

Organisers Eileen Lee (left) and Melissa Low at the Post-Museum Books & Beer Event

For more information, check out the following links:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/booksandbeersingapore
Tumblr – www.booksandbeersingapore.tumblr.com
Or drop them an email at booksandbeersingapore@gmail.com

Some of the old books

Bar area for participants to order their drinks

Books & Beer logo