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The offical e-publication of ECOwww.eco-singapore.org

2nd IssueJanuary - March 2006

FEATURINGThink Again Before Digging Into That Alaskan King Crab- Are we aware of, however, is that the marine ecosystem is actually in danger, with many species of seafood at risk of commercial extinction at our current rate of fishing

Light Pollution- What is light pollution?

Giving Trees at North East- Singapore’s first major collaborative effort between environmental and volunteer groups in the form of a large-scale exhibition

Biobags- Providing hope for a sustainable future

COVER STORYClimate Change: Natural Disaster- When will we learn our lessons?

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CONTENTSBIODIVERSITYThink Again Before Digging Into That Alaskan King Crab 02

CLIMATE CHANGENatural Disaster 04

HEALTH, WATER & SANITATIONAn “Urgent” Queue 06

POPULATIONUnnatural Disaster 08The Faces Behind The Numbers 10

POLLUTIONPolluted By Light! 12

EVENTSEnvironmexAsia & Watermex Asia 14Clean & Green Week 2005 - Let’s Do Our Bit For Our Garden City 16- School Carnival 17Giving Tree @ North East - ECO Trail 18- Through A Visitor’s Eye 22

KNOWLEDGE CAPSULE Questions & Answers 24How To Care For Your Airplant 25Biobags 26

VOLUNTEER EDITOR Ng Pak Shun - “Pakky”

VOLUNTEER COLUMNISTSChang Yee Ling - “Cocoa Beans” Emmulin Wee - “Dumber” Firdaus Salim - “The Whistling Lark” Freda Yuin - “Dumb” Kala M Kuppusamy - “Guhan” Janice Ng - “Zhenjie” Justine Chan - “Adder” Tan Poh Ching - “Concerned” Wilson Ang - “ShamU”

VOLUNTEER JOURNALISTS Bermadine Huang David Ahern Liao YingTan Jia Ni Yvonne Poon

VOLUNTEER DESIGNER Han

EXPRESS! Newsletter is published 4 times a year by the Environment Challenge Organisation (Singapore), or ECO for short, a non-profit youth organisation registered under the Singapore Registrar of Societies.

INQBUZZ 113 Somerset Road

National Youth Centre #01-02Singapore 238165

Tel: 9147 4541 / 9147 4542 Fax: 6738 1693

Website: www.eco-singapore.org Email: [email protected]

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore). No responsibility is accepted by the organisation or its volunteers for the accuracy of any statement, opinion, or advice contained in the text or advertisements. All materials appearing in EXPRESS! are the exclusive copyright property of the ECO. No part of EXPRESS! may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore).

Foreword...At the start of every year, many of us like to set new year resolutions that we hope can guide our behaviour and thoughts for the rest of the year. We at EXPRESS! would like to set two such resolutions both for ourselves and for you, our readers:

For ourselves, as journalists, we would like to continue providing you with the most updated and pertinent environmental news and analyses. We can only do so much on our own to help protect the environment, but we believe that we can do much more by sharing our opinions and hopes on environmental issues with you. By conducting in-depth analyses of environmental problems that face our world, we hope that our articles will convince you of the need to protect and preserve the environment, or at least make you aware of the dire challenges facing the planet we call home.

For you, our readers, we would like to invite you to continue supporting our publication. We know that we do not have all the answers to the environmental problems we address in the articles. Therefore, we welcome your valuable feedback on how we can improve as a publication, or even your thoughts on how we, as Singaporeans and global citizens, can do to better protect our Earth.

Pak ShunManaging Editor

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Think Again Before

DiggingInto That AlaskanKing Crab

By “Cocoa Beans” Chang Yee Ling

BIODIVERSITY

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With Asia consuming close to 20 million tonnes of seafood each year, the region accounts for up to 30% of the total business of many international fish suppliers. In China alone, annual per capita seafood consumption has soared to more than 22kg in 1999. With increasing prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, demand for seafood can only be expected to outstrip supply. What most consumers are unaware of, however, is that the marine ecosystem is actually in danger, with many species of seafood at risk of commercial extinction at our current rate of fishing.

Poor fishery management is a major reason why 70% of the world’s commercially fished species are overfished. Illegal fishing and piracy are also problems in many fisheries. Oversized fleets and wasteful fishing practices further contribute to the overfishing problem. In particular, approximately one quarter of all fished marine life is discarded each year because of non-selective fishing methods that capture non-targeted species.

Although aquaculture has been one answer to providing marine produce, inappropriately managed and overly intensive aquaculture has proved to be unsustainable to meet the demands of human consumption. The aquaculture industry does not have strong regulations yet, and some aquaculture practices actually threaten wild fish. For example, carnivorous fish are farmed with an unsustainable amount of wild fish as their food. Salmon farming is a case in point, as 1 pound of farmed salmon is fed 3.1 pounds of wild fish. For this reason, farmed vegetarian fish, e.g. catfish and tilapia, are generally considered

more sustainable. Furthermore, many aquaculture operations use chemical inputs, such as antibiotics and growth hormones, which can pollute the waters and surrounding open-water pens when combined with fish waste and feed. Also, diseases are common in crowded pens, and they can spread to wild fish when farmed fish escape their artificial habitat and interfere with the wild stocks in the surrounding waters.

As a consumer, boycotts are not the most effective solution. While boycotts on consuming endangered species of fish might increase public awareness within your immediate network, they usually do not find sufficient supporters to make producers think twice about their catching or rearing methods. Moreover, replacing consumption of one species with another may simply put pressure on the survivability of the new species. Consuming a greater variety of seasonal and sustainable fish and shellfish is a better choice than replacing Chilean sea bass with Wild Alaskan Salmon (both for the marine ecosystem and for the consumer!).

In Southeast Asia, there are tens of thousands of islands scattered in the tropical waters, miles of coastlines and a vast expense of mangrove swamps. In Singapore, we can certainly learn how to better manage our marine environment and play a significant role in this industry. Indeed, the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore was set up for this purpose. Given Singapore’s space constraints, we are more likely to be able to contribute effectively as a skills and technology hub rather than actual aquaculture developments. In our next issue, we will cover the questions you should ask before consuming a species of seafood.

EXPRESS!ALL ABOUT ENVIRONMENT

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Think Again Before

DiggingInto That AlaskanKing Crab

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DisasterNaturalBy “Adder” Justin Chan

CLIMATE CHANGE

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In August 2005, the world witnessed how America experience one of its most destructive hurricane seasons ever. Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Central Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm. It breached the levee system that protected New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River, and subsequently flooded the city. This made Hurricane Katrina the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States, causing damage amounting to more than $70 billion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina) Hurricane Katrina was soon followed by Hurricane Wilma and Hurricane Rita, though both were not as destructive.

This unfortunate incident has brought up many questions among scientists and the layman alike. One of the hotly debated issues was whether natural disasters and climate change are related, or more specifically, whether global warming can or will cause more frequent and stronger tropical cyclones. So far, climatologists agree that a single storm cannot be attributed to a single cause such as global warming or natural variation. The question is thus whether a trend in frequency or strength of cyclones exists that can shine light on the role of climate change in the destructiveness of natural calamities.

K. Emanuel states in his article (2005) (Nature 436, 686–688, preprint) that the potential hurricane destructiveness “is highly correlated with tropical sea surface temperature, reflecting well-documented climate signals, including multidecadal oscillations in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and global warming.” This is just one of several articles that have started to mushroom in recent years, claiming links between climate changes to the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Sadly, more often than not, research reflects a negative correlation between these two elements. But are the increased intensity and frequency of natural disasters largely the result of climate change? And if so, what can we do to remedy the situation?

In recent months, dozens of wildfires have been raging out of control across Portugal, defying attempts to contain them. Portugal, like other areas in southern Europe and North Africa, has been experiencing searing heat and drought this summer. Meanwhile, floods have brought chaos to central Switzerland, triggering landslides and cutting roads and railway lines. Talking to Financial Times Germany, Klaus Töpfer, the executive director of the UN’s environment agency, makes a causal link between the natural disasters hitting Europe in the summer of 2005 and the effects of climate change. “Climate change is already happening,” Töpfer underlined in his interview, clearly indicating a direct link between climate change and this summer’s natural disasters.

With regard to Mr. Töpfer’s comment, the relation drawn can be seen in the increased incidences of flooding. With global warming, the polar ice caps at the north and south pole will melt and the water will be released into the oceans. With this, low-lying areas in the world will therefore be more prone to flooding. Indirectly, the shrinking ice is also a cause for concern as

it acts as the world’s air conditioner, with the ice cooling the Earth. With a decrease in its size, global temperatures will increase, leading to a slow but vicious cycle of meltdown and flooding.

Presented with the above, it can be said that climate change is a highly potential factor of natural disasters. But even with all the evidence, climatologists are still reluctant to make a direct link between climate change and this summer’s natural disasters. Although these scientists predict that climate change will lead to more frequent extreme weather conditions, they say that natural disasters cannot be attributed directly to climate alone. They refuse to discount outside factors, which may have also affected the results. For example, in the case of the Portuguese forest fires, climatologists argue that arsonists could also have played a role in the increased frequency.

But even if a concrete conclusion has not been reached, must we wait till more disasters strike us before we learn our lessons? We must at least make an effort and address the potential root of the problem by reducing the effects of climate change. Natural disasters are not the only negative impacts that global warming has brought us. Air pollution is another health concern too. So let us all step out together and be more eco-minded. Starting with turning the lights off after leaving a room, to driving environmentally friendly cars, we can all contribute in one manner or another to stop, or at least slow down global warming.

Disaster


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“Urgent”Queue

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By “Concerned” Tan Poh Ching

HEALTH, WATER & SANITATION

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As a woman, it is common to have had experienced being stuck in a public toilet. Such frequent experiences made me think that women like me tend to have the urgent need to use a toilet more frequently than men. If you have noticed the usage of public toilets, you might even have seen a long queue of females, which had extended even out of the compound of the females’ toilet, but not so for the males’ toilet. I mentally figured that it might be the different biological makeup of the gender that causes this difference in toilet usage. It can be frustrating to have to wait in the first place and it becomes even worse when the need can be very urgent. Little did I suspect that one of the key reasons for this long wait might be that buildings in Singapore typically have too few toilets for females to use. On November 19, I attended the commemoration ceremony of World Toilet Day Campaign 2005 at Singapore River Promenade. An exhibition on “Sanitation is Dignity” is also organised at the area from November 18 – 22. The objective of the exhibition is to raise awareness of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal for Sanitation by illustrating the plight of 2.6 billion people ( 42% of the world population ) who do not have access to proper sanitation. 19 November was declared as World Toilet Day in 2001 by 17 toilet associations around the world. The purpose of this day is to have people in all countries take action to increase awareness of the rights of toilet users to a better toilet environment, and to demand it from toilet owners. Since then, the World Toilet Day has been celebrated by more and more countries every year. It is good news to ladies like me, as the National Environment Agency has introduced new guidelines on public toilets that will benefit women. In new public loos, there will be as many, if not more female toilet cubicles compared to men’s urinals and toilet cubicles put together. For example, in medium-sized eating establishments, bars and night-clubs of up to 1000 sq m in floor area, five toilet cubicles would be put aside for the ladies and a combination of two urinals and three cubicles would be available for the gentlemen. In places where usage of toilets is expected to be more confined to certain peak periods, such as convention and exhibition halls, theatres and cinemas, women will have more toilets to use compared to men. For example, in an exhibition hall that can hold up to 900 persons, there will be 14 female toilet cubicles compared to only 10 urinals and male toilet cubicles. These changes are introduced to respond to public feedback that there are insufficient female toilets in some of the buildings in Singapore.

I also learnt from the information provided at the event that maintaining the standards of the toilets is more than just cleaning and washing the toilet. The art of toilet management involves technical aspects as well. With the changes, Singapore Polytechnic will be working with the World Toilet College to conduct courses on Restroom Maintenance, Restroom Design and Ecological Sanitation. The Ecological Sanitation course will help train people to build more toilets in the developing countries, resulting in proper toilets that are especially beneficial for women. This is a worthy piece of news for all, especially women, as Singapore celebrated World Toilet Day on November 19. I feel relieved because I can be assured of more toilet cubicles in female loos in the near future without having to bear the discomfort during the “long wait”.

“Hooray! No more Q!” Is perhaps the most fitting slogan that the beautiful ladies from Singapore Polytechnic shouted on this meaningful day for me to remember and envision.


“Urgent”Queue

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By “The Whistling Lark” Firdaus SalimUnnatural

Disaster

POPULATION

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Immiseration and inequality are already infamous themes in the struggle of poverty, by which the current spate of natural disasters has successfully amplified. From the colourful names of the hurricanes in America to the recent earthquakes in Pakistan, it seems that the poor are always taking the brunt of natural calamities.

Although we often reel in horror at the immediate might of these disasters and the destruction that they leave behind, it is often the extended aftermath of such disasters that inflicts the most damage.

Sadly enough such tragedies have a knack of re-enacting

Pardon my bluntness, but we all grow bored when we watch a re-run, evident in the recent South Asia quake, as the amount of financial aid raised for that particular round of disaster relief is much less than the previous effort for the Asian tsunami. Only 30 percent of the expected amount of aid for emergency relief had been collected 6 weeks after the South Asia quake whereas the Asian tsunami garnered 80 percent of its appeal amount after just 10 days.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that we all are ruthless, selfish beings, self-centred and plastic in conscience, where we complement televised suffering with a bucket of popcorn at hand. If anything, I believe we behave in the opposite.

However re-runs do lose their appeal no matter how tragic and dramatic their endings. Perhaps the world has seen too many a tragedy repeat itself, perhaps the tragic stories of suffering have lost their emotional appeal, perhaps sub-consciously we have grown to accept the fact that disasters and the related onset of extreme suffering are only natural.

In times like these the disposition of the word natural is often taken for granted.

There is nothing ‘natural’ about the scale of destruction from natural disasters. It is neither the prowess of the hurricane nor the tremor of the earthquake that really dictates the amplitude of damage. Rather, the eventual malevolence of a disaster is directly dependent on an ‘intangible’ calculation of a nation’s wealth: the economic measurement of a country’s GDP.

Between 1991 and 2001, 2,557 natural disasters were reported worldwide. Of those who died in these floods, earthquakes, famines, droughts and epidemics, just 2 percent hailed from countries that are considered ‘highly developed’ in international rankings. It comes as no surprise that two-thirds of the dead came from the world’s ‘least developed countries’. To rephrase this information in another way, an average of 23 people would die in disasters in developed countries versus 1,052 in the developing nations.

One good example of such disparities in disaster impact is to look at

the case studies of Peru and Japan, two countries which though are continents apart share a similar woe; regular earthquakes of coincident magnitude. The similarities fall short when death tolls are compared: Peru averages 2,900 fatalities each year, Japan averages just 63.

Or take the impact of extremely heavy rainfall during 1999 in Venezuela and France. Both countries lost approximately US$3 billion in infrastructure, but the death toll was much higher in Venezuela, with total fatalities amounting to 50,000. In comparison, only 123 died in France from the destruction by the heavy rain.

The fact of the matter is that natural disasters will perpetuate poverty in already afflicted nations, oftentimes wiping out years of development. Without the financial capability to engage in risk management using insurance, a large proportion of the recovery cost would have to be borne by loans that had previously been allocated for future development.

Developing nations account for the highest rates of population growth, with some projecting their population to double in less than 30 years. During this same period the frequency of natural disasters is expected to escalate due to the pressures of global warming. Piecing all these indicators together, these developing states are in dire need of a concrete plan for action, such that, with the help of the global community, the unnaturalness of these natural disasters can be averted. Either that or we’ll have to brace ourselves for more tragic re-runs to come.


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POPULATION

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Jamel was pulled from the rubble that was once his home, a scene littered with bodies of his neighbours, knots of twisted wires and blocks of crumbled cement. The stench of a queer mixture of blood, panic, hopelessness and death greeted him as the rays of the sun shone on his face since three days ago. While being shuffled out of the destruction, Jamel could only stare at the spot where only a few days ago his mother stood with his newborn sister cradled in her arms. He was considered lucky though, to be alive. His parents and siblings are presumably dead, still buried deep within the debris, and so are another 60,000 of his countrymen. The quake of magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale, which centred just outside the Pakistani capital, is estimated to cause a loss of employment for 1.1 million workers, a loss of not only monetary incentives but an abolition of livelihood for an additional 2.4 million people. Surely this would be the last thing that a child like Jamel would have to worry about. However, in a district where half of the population is below the age of 15 and where the majority was already living below the poverty line (of $2 a day) before the disaster struck, the impending cruelty of reality is hard to ignore.

It has been a while since the tsunami struck Banda Aceh in December 2004, but the livid memories of the vast destruction remain hard to forget. Leyila, a fourteen-year-old orphan, spends yet another day clutching the tattered pieces of her mother’s blouse. Up to date 243,530 people have perished in Indonesia alone from the tsunami. 35 percent of all school aged children in Aceh were killed, the remaining of whom more than half are girls like Leyila, emotionally stranded, housed in precarious living conditions, and vulnerable to rampant child trafficking in Indonesia’s thriving sex trafficking market. 77 health centres around the Aceh province have been damaged. Food supplies remain very basic, comprising mainly high of energy biscuits, rice and noodles, which lack the micro-nutrients children need for good health.

Every day, Chanaka wakes up with an obvious glint of wetness in his eyes, as he scavenges the battered shores which once fed his family. Sri Lanka was the second worst affected area by the Asian tsunami, with around 1.5 million people displaced and living in destitute. The inhabitants of the worst hit areas, which are scattered along the coastline, have lost all means of livelihood. 80 percent of fishing boats had been destroyed, tipping the already fragile labour system into disarray with 275,000 people left unemployed.

All in all, approximately 100,000 lives are lost each year due to natural disasters, it comes as no surprise that 97% of them come from developing countries. Of course, to look at fatalities alone is to trivialise the tragedy, as natural disasters exacerbate a ‘domino effect’. Where the initial natural destruction brought about by disasters can lead to other environmental and social effects, the aftermath of hurricane Katrina is a perfect example where the social fabric of the society itself was put to the test as social ills such as rape, murder and looting have been reported after the hurricane.

The malady that greets us after every natural disaster is as sad as the saddest novel that fiction can conjure, the common themes of immiseration, poverty and inequality are re-enacted like a weary play. Only the actors are different, but the sad plot remains.

* The names used are created merely for the article and do not represent any specific individual but rather represent the general plight of the people.


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The picture on your left is that of our Earth, exposed over various time periods. The one on your right is that of a streetlight.

What you see is the amount of light emitted from one lamppost in one street in one city in one state in one country. Imagine the whole world lighted up by such streetlights, what a sight to behold. However, little do we realise the amount of damage this happily lighted world is inflicting on us.

Far away in the galaxy, a star reaches the end of its lifetime and its core collapses in a matter of milliseconds, sending the rest of its matter hurtling into space in an awesome explosion of a supernova. After a 15 million year voyage, a tiny amount of the supernova’s light reaches Earth to narrate its life history. But are we able to see this spectacular cosmic drama? Unfortunately, only a few of the 6 billion inhabitants here on Earth will get to witness its story. Why? The supernova’s story is being drowned in the sea of light pollution!

What is Light Pollution?Light pollution occurs when too much artificial illumination enters the night sky and reflects off airborne water droplets and dust particles, causing a condition known as skyglow. Improperly managed light, which emits glare from unshielded light fixtures, causes uninvited illumination. Think of skyglow this way: imagine when you are driving in a car and the oncoming vehicle shines its headlight straight onto the path of your vehicle, your vision will be blocked. Similarly, the skyglow that contributes to light pollution obstructs our view of the natural night sky.

Why Bother?You might ask, why bother or what does it matter that we do not see the stars or witness the cosmic drama of our neighbors in the milky way? Isn’t our daily living is of more immediate importance and concern? When we are inundated with catastrophes of our own making eg, terrorism, global warming, poverty, and catastrophes by nature – hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes – why does

it matter when we are not able to see a few hundreds or thousands of stars at night? This will only matter to the starry eyed and not to capitalists, entrepreneurs, CEOs of colossal firms – firms which have the most proprnsity to manipulate our daily existence in the present world.

It is here that I have to differ with the general opinion. It matters almost as much as everything else the world is concerned with now. Just like the need to ensure that our coral reefs are saved, the beetles in the Amazon forest are kept in existence, the need to mitigate on light pollution is real and pressing. Our quality of life is much affected by light pollution.

How so?Healthy living is generally equated with exercising, eating right and having a healthy outlook towards life. Little do we realize that lighting also affects our health! Research has shown that our bodies are best suited to function in daylight and rest at night. However, with the invention of electricity and light bulbs, we work round the clock. With globalisation, it is a necessity to be able to compete and work on a 24 hours basis.

Artificial light has been found to have very adverse effects on our health by disrupting natural hormone production that our bodies require. Research has discovered links to some very interesting medical questions about how natural circadian rhythms, when disrupted, can increase the risk of certain types of cancer. Disrupted sleeping patterns have been found to affect the ability of the pineal gland to produce melatonin. Research has further shown that natural hormonal production is not being governed by visual response but rather by autonomic responses when even small amounts of light penetrate the eyelids over a

By Light! By “Guhan” Kala M Kuppusamy

Polluted

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POLLUTION

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period of several hours during sleep. I am sure all of you are very aware how a person who does not have proper sleep tends to function the morning after, and we are closer to finding that culprit than we know!

Light pollution also robs us of our right to privacy and light trespasses abuse our legal right of space. It robs us of our right to a good night’s sleep when illumination from poorly aimed and unshielded light fixtures shines glare into our bedrooms at night. I wonder how many suffer silently from light of your neighbours’ apartments at the block opposite that glares directly into your bedroom. To avoid that you have put thick curtains (which are more suited for cool climate) and that results in your room being hot and stuffy. To counter that, you have your air conditioners switched on for hours on end. This chain of events make you a potential contributor to to the phenomenon of global warming.

Effects on us and ours!Besides us humans, birds and animals are affected too by poor illumination. In that regard, it makes me wonder about our night safari – are we abusing the animals not only by holding them in captivity but aggravating the abuse by not allowing them to rest even when twilight descends. They seem to ‘work’ hard for the food we feed them, in every sense of the word. Well, numerous reports have documented incidents of birds flying off course towards lights on buildings or towers, like that of moths being attracted to flame, and end up being confused or blinded by the glare which can be destructive to them.

Studies have shown that animals in general are very sensitive to light, which is a powerful stimulus on behavior. Too much light tends to make animals behave the way they do during daylight, just like we humans when we work round the clock. But we, at least, know how to rest our bodies after our nocturnal work. We get back home, shut our windows, draw our thick blinds, turn on our air conditioners, before creeping into our cozy beds to rest, even if the sun is blazing out in the sky. But the animals do not have such sedative comforts.

Impact on CrimeIt is a common perception that bright lights ward off criminals. Is this true? Due to lack of space, I will just touch very briefly on the impact street lights have on crime. For this, I have to rely on a study done in UK. No evidence was found to support the hypothesis that improved street lighting reduces reported crime. Though improved street lighting was welcomed by the public and provided reassurance to some people who were fearful in their use of public space, it did not reflect in reduced reported crime rate.

Now, let us look at the lighting system used in Singapore. Well, sadly I was not able to derive any information on the lighting system used here from the Ministry of Environment. Apart from a standard reply that it is their policy to encourage proper use of lights, I draw a blank response to my query on the rules, regulations governing our lighting system in our city state.

Now, can we excuse ourselves? Can we say that, because we live in a tiny city state with a population of almost 4 million, hence we cannot have the luxury of many open spaces, fewer high rise buildings, or specifically, more efficient use of light? For instance, can we switch off at least some rows of lights that are kept on throughout the night in our HDB car park? Observe the frivolous and “abusive” use of light all around us. Each time I pass condominiums, shopping centers, it saddens me to realize the inefficient use and the wastage done on lighting.

Local Action?A growing number of cities in United States, Canada and Europe have passed ordinances that restrict the types of lighting to be used. Since, I do not have any information on rules and regulations other than the general policy of the Ministry, I am not able to throw any light on the local scene. Nonetheless a recent article in the Today newspaper ‘emitted’ some light on what is being in the neighbourhoods here. It is reported that 14 town councils have experimented by replacing conventional fluorescent light fittings in HDB precincts with energy-saving light fittings, and this switch has yielded $2.7 million of savings for the town councils. Well, since there is money to be made (saved) I am certain that other town councils will embark on such schemes, and in time to come, I may have some appropriate response on regulations with regard to our system of lighting.

I am glad to end this brief article on this positive note. It shows all is not lost after all. There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel after all!

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CIA2005, EnvironmexAsia & WatermexAsia Provide A One-Stop Sourcing Ground

EVENTS

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Singapore – December 4, 2005 – CIA2005, EnvironmexAsia and WatermexAsia, which ended on December 2, provided a meeting point for process engineering, instrumentation and analytical technology suppliers and their respective clientele in the chemical & petrochemical processing, refining, F&B Processing, biotechnology, life sciences, pharmaceutical, as well as pulp and paper industries. Visitors to the exhibitions were not only impressed by the display of new technologies, they were also able to find the products and suppliers they were looking for. Exhibitors, on the other hand, made plenty of industry contacts, secured prospective business deals and generated new sales leads. They were also pleased with the enthusiastic responses of the visitors at CIA2005. CIA2005 was attended by 6,020 visitors, with 25 percent of the visitors from overseas. EnvironmexAsia had an attendance of 4,515, with a quarter of those visitors from abroad. Internationally renowned conference to be held with EnvironmexAsia2007 Energex conference, an esteemed conference for the energy sector, is coming for the first time to Singapore in 2007 and will be held in conjunction with EnvironmexAsia. Dr Peter Catania, Chairman of the International Energy Foundation (IEF) said: “We decided to hold Energex 2007 in Singapore because it is the heart of business trade for Asia, which makes it easier for us to transfer technologies around and in between countries. Asia is the fastest growing energy market on a global basis.” Previously held in China, Korea, Bahrain, USA, Canada, Korea, Bahrain, Poland, and Portugal, the conference has been graced by Ministers as well as industry movers and shakers over the years. The conference targets academics, government authorities, energy sector professionals, politicians, industrial representatives, policymakers and researchers from the private and public sectors.

The Singapore Association for Environmental Occupational Health & Safety Companies (SAFEco), in collaboration with IEF, will be organising the Energex 2007 conference. The conference organisers expect 300 speakers and 400 to 600 delegates from about 70 countries worldwide for the event. Mr Boon Teong Tee, Project Director for Engineering Events, Singapore Exhibition Services said: “We are pleased to have the Energex 2007 conference located alongside Environmex2007. Energex is a widely acclaimed and well-respected forum for the energy sector, so the mutual benefits of co-locating this conference at our exhibitions are enormous. This is an opportunity for people from related industries at all levels to interact and form partnerships for potential business.” The next CIA and EnvironmexAsia will return in 2007 from November 27 to 30 to Suntec Singapore.

About CIA2005CIA2005 is a four-day exhibition showcasing the latest in process engineering, instrumentation and analytical technologies. This event caters to the chemical & petrochemical processing, refining, F&B Processing, biotechnology, life sciences, pharmaceutical, as well as pulp and paper industries.

About EnvironmexAsia and WatermexAsia2005EnvironmexAsia and WatermexAsia2005, a four day exhibition, presents the latest environmental and water management technologies in environmental control and pollution management, water purification, waste management treatment and disposal, waste recycling, measurement, testing and calibration and many others. The primary objective of the exhibition is to provide a showcase of the latest environmental management and sustainable solutions for Asia to address its urban and industrial environmental issues resulting from the rapid economic progress

For more information, please contact: Ms Sophia Heng, Senior PR ExecutiveSingapore Exhibition Services Pte LtdE-mail: [email protected]


CIA2005, EnvironmexAsia & WatermexAsia Provide A One-Stop Sourcing Ground

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On the 12th and 13th of November 2005, the event: ‘Clean and Green Week: Community in Bloom Carnival’ kicked off at Bishan Park. This event was organized primarily to promote environmental friendliness in our community.

At the event, edutainment stalls sold a variety of plants and gardening products. Other activities at the Carnival included balloon sculpting, face painting, candy floss, craft workshop with hands-on demonstrations on flower arrangement, pressed flowers, container gardening, airplants, etc. Gracing this event, was guest of honour: Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, the Minister for Health and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC. Mr. Khaw was a proud gardener as he helped plant a tree at the site of the carnival in Bishan Park! The ‘planting-of-the-tree ceremony’ signals the importance of keeping our garden city clean and green.

Guest stars such as, Mark Lee, Lina Ng and Eileen Chong made special appearances to support this event. There were also several performances, one of which was a ballet and guitar ensemble by students from North Springs Primary School. This event saw a healthy turnout of people and it also attracted many shoppers eager for good bargains.

Clean & Green Week 2005Let’s Do Our Bit

For Our Garden City

One special point to highlight was the creative way that, Ngee Ann Polytechnic students came up with to fight mosquitoes. Students thought of using empty wine bottles inverted into a tight-fitting container, with all the opening crevices sealed by sscotch tape to prevent water from being trapped! Shown above is a picture of this innovative invention.

Overall, the event made a great number of heartlanders more aware of environmental conservation. For more information on airplants, please refer to the next article: trivia on airplants.

By Bernadine Huang & Liao Ying

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EVENTS

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On the 15th and 16th of November 2005, the National Environment Agency (NEA) organised a carnival for primary, secondary and tertiary students to showcase their projects related to environment protection and conservation. Also on display were exhibits of Gardenasia kids, Singapore Environment Council and other environmental conservation groups. During an interview with Mr. Ng Meng Hiong, the head of education and partnership department of the NEA, he emphasised the point that “environmental responsibility is all encompassing” and “engaging the young is the key”. The main focus of this event was to imbue in the young the importance of environmental conservation. The carnival at the Suntec City Convention Centre saw a dazzling number of exhibits put up by schools such as Raffles Institution, Chongfu Primary School and Catholic Junior College. The Rafflesian boys entertained the audience by hosting an exciting quiz competition entitled ‘the Green Game’. In this quiz, questions were based on a web presentation Garden City, Singapore. Attractive prizes were up for grabs for the teams that emerged winners! Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water resources, was the Guest of Honour for the event.

This event was considered an overall success with an estimated number of 15000 students and parents visiting this carnival. To sum it all up, this event was a terrific learning ground for the youngsters of Singapore to learn about environmental responsibility. Kudos to NEA and all involved for this event!

Clean & Green Week 2005School Carnival By Bernadine Huang

& Liao Ying

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ECO Trail

By “ShamU” Wilson Ang

EVENTS

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ECO Coordinating OrganisationEnvironmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore), or ECO for short, is a non-profit, non-government organization. ECO aims to establish a voluntary environmental movement in Singapore by packaging environmental issues holistically to Singaporeans, so that they will be motivated to cultivate environmentally sustainable lifestyles. At the same time, it places great focus on reaching out to youths, so as to make them interested in the environment early in their life and become responsible global citizens. With these ends in mind, ECO coordinated with many local environmental groups in organizing the “ECO Trail” in December 2005. This ECO Trail was one major highlight of Giving Tree @ North East from 2nd to 31st December, an event organised by Heartware Network, together with National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC, North East Community Development Council and Institute of Technical Education). Giving Tree @ North East featured Singapore’s Largest Volunteer Fair, where the public was encouraged to pledge volunteer hours and donate. In line with the ECO mission, the ECO Trail aims to propagate messages of environmental issue holistically in order to raise public awareness and motivate the public to play a part in protecting our environment.

Details of ECO TrailThe ECO Trail was divided mainly into two major segments. The first segment involved the outdoor “ECO Art Park,” where the main sculpture of the well-known Vitruvian Man could be found to be surrounded by trash, highlighting the theme:, “Civilized Trash: We are not Perfect”. The idea behind this sculpture is to let the viewer realize that we are nowhere near perfection with what we are doing now. In the progress of the human race, so much waste have been created with so much

attendant environmental problems and consequences, we must now take action and do something to improve our environment. The waste material used for the sculpture could be found at local places such as reservoirs, parks, nature reserve areas and junkyards. Many visitors were surprised at what “amazing” things one can find at such places, which are supposed to be clean! The sculpture could be viewed from the MRT passengers on the platforms of the Tampines MRT, as well as passengers on the trains. Members of the public who walked pass the exhibition area also caught a glimpse of this fantastic artwork. The ECO Trail also showcased Christmas tree sculptures created by schools during the “Adopt-A-Tree” competition, where student competed with their creative juices to produce the best recyclable Christmas Tree! The second segment of the ECO Trail featured an indoor exhibition, where 15 environmental groups came together for the first time to provide exhibition items for the month long event. Through the exhibition, each group introducde its own unique efforts in protecting and preserving our environment, as well as ways that the public can be involved with its efforts. To gear up the interest of the public, the exhibit was set up in such a way that allows visitors to walk physically through each display in order to find out more about the different environmental organizations. A mini theatrette in the indoor exhibition area played a video that chronicled the efforts of all the environmental groups represented in the exhibition, and little cubes are placed for the audience to rest while enjoying the presentation.

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The 15 environmental groups that were involved in this event are:1. Animal Concerns Research & Education Society - ACRES2. Blue Water Volunteers - BWV3. ECO 4 the World - E4W4. Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore) - ECO5. Raffles Museum ToddyCats! - RMBR6. Restroom Association - RAS7. Nature Society (Singapore) - NSS8. Nature Trekker - NT9. Scholastic Environment Fund - SEF10. Singapore Environment Council - SEC11. Singapore Zoological Garden Docents - SZGD12. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - SPCA13. Sunny Island Tree Climbers - SITC14. Vegetarian Society (Singapore) - VSS15. Waterways Watch Society - WWS

SINGAPORE ENVIRONMENT COUNCILThe SEC evolved from Singaporean’s growing awareness and convergence to a more sophisticated understanding of being part of the global community’s “Green-Consciousness”.http://www.sec.org.sg

WATERWAYS WATCH SOCIETYWaterways Watch Society aims to formulate and implement an on-going action plan to assist in keeping the waterways of Singapore clean and free of pollution. Also, they continuously initiate and organize activities aimed at educating the public on the importance of keeping the waterways clean.http://wwws.org.sg

ANIMAL CONCERNS, RESEARCH and EDUCATION SOCIETY (ACRES)Acres aims to foster respect and compassion for all animals, improve the living conditions and welfare of animal in captivity and to educate people on lifestyle choices which do not involve the abuse of animals and which are environment-friendly http://www.acres.org.sg

NATURE TREKKER Nature Trekker started with a simple mission in mind, to cultivate adventure seekers to better appreciate nature and give it the due respect it deserves. Hence, that simple idea has its mission carved onto their name itself. “Nature” for the aim of appreciating nature was put in front to signify it’s importance and “Trekker” to represent the out door adventure seekers.http://www.naturetrekker.org

NATURE SOCIETY (SINGAPORE)The Nature Society (Singapore) or NSS is a non-government, non-profit organisation dedicated to the appreciation, conservation, study and enjoyment of the natural heritage in Singapore, Malaysia and the surrounding region. http://www.nss.org.sg

SINGAPORE ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN DOCENTOur mission is to complement the educational efforts of the Singapore Zoological Gardens and Night Safari by providing special programmes which educate visitors on awareness and encourage respect for animals. The docents run stations and provide guided tours of the Zoo. The docents also support the Zoo in a variety of activities held to promote awareness and interest in conservation.http://www.szgdocent.org


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RESTROOM ASSOCIATION (SINGAPORE)The Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS) mandate is to educate the general public as well as the tradesmen and professionals involved in toilet design and construction. The Restroom Association’s mission is to create a “clean toilet” culture throughout Singapore and to promote the development and functionality in the design of toilets. The RAS is the founding member of the World Toilet Organisation (WTO).http://www.toilet.org.sg

SOCIETY for the PREVENTION of CRUELTY to ANIMALSThe SPCA has been lobbying the authorities on various animal welfare issues such as reinstating the Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme (a project to sterilise stray cats and return them to their neighbourhood, which was cancelled during SARS), and the lifting of the ban on cats in HDB flats. Add your voice to ours and help make a difference.http://www.spca.org.sg

BLUE WATER VOLUNTEERSThe Blue Water Volunteers (BWV) is a marine conservation volunteer group who seek to complement current research activities and increase awareness and understanding of local marine habitats such as coral reefs. We strive to achieve our aims for marine conservation, awareness and education through our four main programmes: ReefFriends, ReefWalk, ReefTalk and ReefExhibits.http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org

ECO 4 THE WORLDAn organisation that aims to develop high impact environmental content and programs designed to encourage creativity and innovation, educate communities and inspire positive action towards the natural environment.http://www.eco4theworld.com

VEGETARIAN SOCIETYVegetarian Society (Singapore) is a nonprofit organisation run entirely by volunteers, formed in 1999 with the primary objectives of promoting vegetarianism through research and education, and linking individuals and organisations that believe in the principles of vegetarianism. The society has no religious affiliations and seeks to encompass a wide range of vegetarianism. We are the only registered vegetarian society in Singapore, recognised as a member of the International Vegetarian Union, and to have links with other vegetarian societies all around the world. http://www.vegetarian-society.org

SUNNY ISLAND TREE CLIMBERSSunny Island Tree Climbers (SITC) Society is a group of people passionate to see life from a different perspective, and seek beauty in nature, and challenging ourselves to grater heights in life.http://www.treeclimbingasia.org

RAFFLES MUSEUM TODDYCATS!Toddycats! is meant to expose, develop, enthuse and apply students to programmes in conservation, education and research. Toddycats! originally was an attempt to provide capacity building amongst

undergraduates in NUS, to provide a means to contribute immediately towards the greater good of Singapore. It has been open to others in the recognition that all you really need is enthusiasm and commitment!http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/toddycats

SCHOLASTIC ENVIRONMENT FUNDThe Fund aims to foster global and local environmental awareness through collaboration and action amongst youth and educators from different backgrounds.It believes that the future of the earth belongs to the young and they will show us how to cherish and preserve the [email protected]

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE ORGANSIATION (SINGAPORE)Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore), or ECO for short, is a non-profit, non-government organization. ECO aims to establish a voluntary environmental movement, thereby creating opportunities for active involvement by Singaporean youths, instilling a sense of commitment and awareness of environmental issues and global hazards. By providing youths a holistic approach towards environmental issues, ECO’s mission is to encourage youths to take initiative and choose to live environmentally sustainable lifestyles .http://www.eco-singapore.org

Conclusion:Through this ECO Trail, ECO hopes that the public would become more aware of what constitutes an environmental issue and how we can all play a part in our daily decisions to make this planet a better place for us to live in. In the end, we should not only recognize our country’s citizenship, but also take pride in being responsible global citizens.

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The Vitruvian Man is a famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci made around the year 1490. The drawing itself is often used as a symbol of the symmetry of the human body, and by extension, to the universe as a whole.

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North EastGiving Tree @

Through A Visitor’s Eye

Giving Tree @ North East defined itself as Singapore’s first major collaborative effort between environmental and volunteer groups in the form of a large-scale exhibition in the heartland area of Tampines. Located right beside the MRT station, the venue was both convenient and sufficiently large enough to hold a large crowd. When we first saw the preliminary preparations for the event — the setting up of the pavilions, the stage and so on — way back in end-November, we had high hopes for the event, as did everyone else involved in the organization and planning of the entire exhibition. There were promises of daily performances, screenings of environmental films, an Adopt-a-Tree programme, a recycled-material-Christmas-tree making competition… the list goes on. We visited the exhibition in the middle of December — Wednesday 15th December to be exact. The exhibition itself was well-structured; we could read all about organizations we had never even known to have existed, such as the Singapore Zoological Gardens Docents (SZG Docents) and the somewhat more well-known World Toilet Organization (WTO). The phrase “Sanitation is dignity”, printed

on WTO’s exhibition boards, encapsulates the importance of providing basic toilets and amenities for people all around the world. The environment section of the fair was the largest and comprised approximately 15 different groups, which managed to showcase a wide variety of environmental efforts and concerns in Singapore. Most — if not all — of the exhibits were colourful and attractive, with both WTO and SZG Docents warranting extra credit for the former’s creative method of dispensing information leaflets

By Yvonne & Jia Ni

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EVENTS

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and the latter for sheer effort in the creation of their exhibition board. There was indeed much that could be learnt from the exhibition, and information was presented in such a way that people of all ages would be able to digest and understand it easily. The outdoor “ECO Art Park” showcased the drawing of the Vitruvian Man surrounded by trash. It is certainly a remarkable piece of artwork, but what matters more is the simple message behind this creation – ‘What goes around comes around’. In man’s relentless pursuit for a brighter future, man has in fact caused so much pollution and generated so much trash that undesirable consequences are inevitable. It is ironic how the path to destruction is often paved with good intentions. The outdoor exhibition too comprised Christmas trees made of recycled materials. These unconventional Christmas trees just go to show how one can ‘reuse’, should one put his or her mind and heart to saving the earth. Apart from the environment section, other volunteer groups were involved in the exhibition. One of the booths that stood out most clearly in our minds would be the Metta Welfare Association’s stand, where Mr Ang CH, an ex-volunteer with SANA who has been lending his considerable capabilities to Metta for six months now, displayed the epitome of true volunteerism. His enthusiastic and personable discourse told us all we needed to know about his organization, from the directory of their welfare centres and beneficiaries to the clubs and activities that volunteers could join. If all volunteers were as forthcoming as he was, there would be little doubt that the event would surely be a roaring success in terms of garnering support and volunteers for the various volunteer groups involved. However, what was somewhat disconcerting was the altogether dismal traffic flow in the exhibition area itself. We found ourselves wandering from booth to booth, and discovered only a few other

visitors in addition to ourselves. Of course, it might have been the heat or the fact that it was only the afternoon when the exhibition grounds were supposed to fill up closer to the evening, but still — there ought to have been a bit more visitors present! In previous years, the exhibition had always been held in the Orchard area, where it enjoyed a considerable degree of success. The move to the heartlands area was commendable, for it meant reaching out to the grassroots and taking environmental friendliness and volunteerism directly to homes. The move can also be considered a daring decision, for the crowd flow could not be expected to have the same volume as that of an exhibition in the busier streets of town. However, our visit to the fair on Wednesday did show us that there was a fair amount of traffic around the area — so much so that it was almost comparable to Orchard itself. Almost, but not quite -- as could be judged all too well by the way visitors drifted in drips and trickles instead of truly being a steady flow. So, what went wrong? The fault certainly did not lie with the event organizers. There were plenty of attention-drawing segments, from the pasar malam style side fairs and the performances, to the mini-carnival of funfair rides to entice families to visit. Perhaps it all boils down to the fact that Singaporeans are so beguiled by the material aspects of life that they fail to notice — or even care about — the environment around them; an environment that is all too often swallowed up in blocks and blocks of concrete buildings, air-conditioned shopping malls and the like. Until they learn to fully appreciate the importance of the role environment plays in their lives, it is unlikely that events of this sort, especially without the added hype that a location like the town area lends it, will be able to draw the attention it fully merits. Still, all the organizers can do is to continue a labour of love as such, in the hope that someday one day — the public will finally be able to open their eyes to the world around them, and at long last be willing to serve and save our ailing planet.

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How much energy does Singapore consume in a year?In 2004, Singapore consumed 749,000 barrels of imported oil. Including the use of petroleum, natural gas, coal, solar, and other types of energy, our total energy consumption totaled 1.6 quadrillion Btu in year 2002, which is 0.4% of world’s total energy consumption. In the same year, we emitted 113.8 million metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide, which is 0.5% of the world carbon dioxide emissions. Comparing Singapore’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions with the US, the latter gave out 20.0 metric tons of carbon dioxide per American in 2002 which is less than that Singapore, which contributes 27.2 metric tons per Singaporean. While the US is often branded to be responsible for global warming because of its status as one of the highest carbon emitters in the world, Singaporeans are definitely not too insignificant in making individual and corporate changes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by changing their energy consumption behaviour. (Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/singapor.html)

Why is there a difference in the level of devastation caused by hurricanes in Japan and the hurricane Katrina?Japan and New Orleans have different building structures. Japanese buildings are structured in a way that allows them to gently sway in accordance with storms and earthquakes, thus minimizing the risk of collapse. On the other hand, New Orleans buildings are not built with such considerations in mind, which could have mitigated the massive destruction.

Are we at risk of a Tsunami disaster?Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, the Thai meteorologist who predicted the destructive Tsunami last year, also predicted that Singapore and Malaysia would not be spared in future earthquakes or Tsunamis. He

believed that the epicentre of future quakes will shift northwards, north of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Thus, a big earthquake with a more northerly epicenter can potentially generate a tsunami along the Straits of Malacca. Given Singapore’s geographical characteristics, our low-lying landscape would be badly affected. (Source: The Straits Times, Sunday October 16, 2005)

How can we play a part in helping the global poor?We may not be conscious of the fact that many of the products we use are in fact made by bonded poor child labourers who are trapped in the poverty cycle and denied opportunities for education. Many children are made to work on Jamals, an Indonesian fishing that exports seafood to Singapore. Besides donating money and necessities to the needy in third world countries, we can buy less of the products from countries that practice labour exploitation. “If the buying stops, the exploitation can too.”

Why is the avian (bird) flu becoming more prevalent?One potential cause of the prevalence of avian flu is overpopulation in urban areas. For example, due to overcrowding in China, the Chinese have moved in closer proximity to animals, which increases the risk of the spread of animal diseases to humans. Accompanied by globalization and ease of travel, the human base for infection enlarges quickly. Likewise, the seasonal migration of birds also largely contributed to the spread of diseases, of which birds are carriers. All these factors make the containment and control of this disease difficult. As of now, no known cure has been developed for the virus. Y’all do take good care of yourselves to keep your immune systems strong through exercise, good nutrition and sufficient rest.

DuMb + DuMbEr

CapsuleKnowledge

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KNOWLEDGE CAPSULE

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How To CareFor Your Airplant

Tips from Clare Leong of Ang Mo Kio Floral and Landscape Pte Limited:

Airplants are special kinds of plants which do not require any soil to grow. They can be found on trees, wires or rocks in the wild. They make good garden and ornamental plants and are extremely easy to care for. An endangered kind of airplant is the Tillandsia Xerographica, which is also known as the king of airplants! As an endangered plant, only those with government permits are allowed to own the Xerographica.

To take care of your airplant, just place it in bright, filtered sunlight. Airplants cannot be placed under direct sunlight. Also, always put your airplant at a place with good air circulation. Spray mist once a day and never allow water to collect between the leaves, as they make excellent breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Hang the plant upside down to dry its leaves. Lastly, you can place your airplants on a wires, pebbles or seashells. Be creative!

By Bernadine Huang & Liao Ying

For more enquiries on airplants, do contact the shop owner Clare Leong at the following email address: [email protected]

Xerographica


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Providing Biobags:For a Sustainable

By David Ahern

Hope

Future

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KNOWLEDGE CAPSULE

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Biobags:For a Sustainable

The common supermarket plastic bag is an indispensable tool when it comes to carrying groceries and other items. In fact, Singaporeans are known to make good use of these bags long after their grocery trips. Most of us recycle our common supermarket plastic bags by using them as bin liners, but not many of us realise that these bags, when disposed of, do more harm than good. A familiar substitute for plastic bags would be to purchase a reusable and environmentally friendly bag to keep our groceries safe on the journey home. However, for those who find it hard to kick their plastic-bag habit, a guilt-free alternative is available. A Singaporean company called Echotech Supplies and Consulting Services has developed bio bags that are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable. They are made from cornstarch, and, when buried in a landfill, take only two to three months to decompose completely. In contrast, polythene bags stay intact even after thousands of years, and are commonly disposed of by incineration – which in turn contributes to even more environmental pollution by emitting toxic gases into the atomosphere. Displayed at the EnvironmexAsia2005 exhibition in November, Echotech’s bags come in different sizes to meet the different needs of home use as well as commercial use. These bags are also ‘breathable’ as they contain tiny holes that allow air, heat and moisture to pass through – so food items such as bread, fruit and vegetables can be stored effectively without turning soggy or rotten prematurely. The overall concept is simple – store your groceries or hold your trash in them, and when you’re ready to get rid of it, bury it in your back garden or potted plant. Once buried, the food and bag become an unwitting fertilizer, and users can rest assured that everything, including the bag, will be completely gone in a few months. Ecotech has taken their environmental efforts a step further by ensuring that the main ‘ingredient’ in their bags is also Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) free.

Sadly, though, consumers and industries are slow to adopt this environmentally friendly alternative, and Singaporeans still remains overwhelmingly dependent on traditional polythene bags. Yet the market potential for Ecotech’s biodegradable bags is huge in Singapore and the rest of Asia. With the Singapore Green Plan 2012 in action, the emergence of bio bags could not be more timely. What is now needed is their widespread adoption in order to make a small but very significant step towards a sustainable future for all.


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Future

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Volunteering Opportunities at ECO:We are looking for volunteers to become a part of our team in the following positions;Volunteer Marketing OfficersVolunteer Human Resource OfficersVolunteer Liaison OfficersVolunteer JournalistsVolunteer Forum CoordinatorsVolunteer AdministratorVolunteer Web Designers

Visit our website to find out more about us, and be sure to come down for our induction program before you start your volunteer journey with us at “Buzz the Bus”. This induction program is conducted monthly! The aim of this program is to align both our expectations of each other and be able to have a better experience together.

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Environmental Events/activities coverage:We are starting to cover local environmental activities in our publication so that more people can participate. If you have an event, please contact us one week in advance so we can try to schedule our volunteer journalists to cover it. Should you have your own write up, please feel free to email us for editorial arrangements.

The publication team can be contacted at [email protected]

Knowledge Capsule:This column covers environmental issues in a “question & answer” format. Readers that write in can choose to disclose their names or stay anonymous. We will provide and include any pictures or illustrations if possible to make the column more informative. We will use “layman” instead of technical terms for readers to understand specific environmental issues better. If needed, we will include explanations for technical terms used. We will use games and interactive approaches to aid readers in remembering and understanding the issues raised in the questions.

Drop your questions and feedback to [email protected]


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eco express! 02

Documents

environmental issues

nonprofit youth organisation

pertinent environmental

dire challenge

new year resolutions

populationunnatural

volunteer groups

north east eco trail