office of environmental sustainability nus student leaders green issues briefing marcus tay guan...

Office of Environmental Sustainability

NUS Student Leaders‘Green Issues Briefing

Marcus Tay Guan Hock , Sustainability Executive


Contents

• What should we do to save the environment• What is the bare minimum a club should do• What more can a club do?• NUS Green Commitment


What does being Environmentally Friendly means to you?

• Especially as student group?• Canoe to clean trash?• Clear rubbish while you trek?• Tree planting for your YEP?


ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS AS AN URBAN PERSON

What does it mean to you?


Imagine

• A YEAR WITHOUT TOILET PAPER• (mostly) no shopping for anything except food• producing no trash (except compost)• using no carbon-fueled transportation


Zero Impact man?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/garden/22impact.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=the%20year%20without%20toilet%20paper&st=cse


Zero Impact Family- Colin and Michelle, Isabelle Beavan

“That’s the thing about this current wave of environmentalism,” he continued. “It’s not about, how do we protect some abstract pristine space? It’s what can real people do in their home or office or whatever. It’s also very urban. It’s a critical twist in the old wilderness adage: Leave only footprints, take only photographs. But how do you translate that into Manhattan?”


What you do daily is more important

While it is nice to protect pristine nature, it is equally or even more important to manage the daily environmental impacts of your life or club activities.


WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AS A CLUB IN URBAN SINGAPORE?

Bare minimum expected


Bare Minimum “Green” Behavior expected

1. Recycling for your event2. Catering – Reusable plates3. Recycle your Banner. 4. Get useful Door gifts

– Newater bottles?– Post its?

Courtesy of http://chem-eng.blogspot.com

Courtesy of www.confettistationery.com

http://chem-eng.blogspot.com/

http://www.confettistationery.com/


Recycling for your events

NUS Open House 2009Call OED Hotline at 65161515 or write to us at [email protected]

http://www.nus.edu.sg/oes/prog/waste/ppac_events.html


Reusable plates and cutleryfor catering

• Made from Melamine

Caterers who don’t charge or charge a minimum:

Courtesy of www.machio.com

http://www.machio.com/

http://www.teamcatering.com.sg/menu10.html

Recycle your Banners

http://banners2bags.blogspot.com/


WHAT MORE CAN YOU DO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AS A CLUB ?

More environmentally responsible things that you can do but some will bring inconvenience.


Doing more as a environmentally responsible club

1. Ask your camp participants to bring their own spoon and fork and water bottle – for camps.

2. Get more vegetarian food for your catering

3. Bring elderly or other disadvantaged, for nature walks. Can apply for club bonding sessions as well.

4. Rinse your plastic containers after meals and recycle them – for camps

Increasing level of

difficulty


WHY MORE VEGETARIAN IN YOUR CATERING


Dr Rajendra Pachuari Chief of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Links: ABC News

Don't eat meat, do ride a bike, and be

a frugal shopper

Hear from the experts

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/16/2139349.htm


Meat Production

• 18% of GHGs, more than world transport sector(13.5%)

Source: Food and Agricultural Organization of UN.

Report says major improvements could be achieved at

reasonable cost

http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.htm


Reasonable cost???


No more frightening statistics


My personal rules on vegetables (meat out)

• At least a vege meal once a day. • Ask Vege when on course or function

• Indulge at mass meals with family and friends• Indulge at special food spots e.g. Changi Village

As a club either for catering or for camp participants:

LESS MEAT , MORE VEGE





3. Bring elderly or other disadvantaged, for nature walk. Can apply for club bonding sessions as well.

4. Rinse your plastic containers after meals and recycle them – for camps.

Increasing level of

difficulty


What is there to see in Singapore regarding

nature?

Is there anything worth seeing?


Photo of Dolphins by Chim Chee Kongoff St. John's Island, 12 Mar 2004


Dolphin sightings in Singapore(Habitatnews)

• "Best photo ever," of a dolphin in Singapore waters! 21 May 2007• “Dolphins spotted off Raffles Lighthouse." 06 Jan 2006• "Dolphins sighted off St. John's Island." 02 Sep 2005.• "Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin carcass on Labrador Beach." 15 Jun

2005.• "Dolphin's off St. John's island." 01 Feb 2005.• "Dolphins off Pulau Senang." 04 Jan 2005.• "Dolphins sighting at Sisters islands." 22 Jun 2004.• "Dolphins sighted off St John's Islands." 12 Mar 2004.

http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/




Chek Jawa?

On Pulau Ubin


Chek Jawa, high tide


Chek Jawa, low tide


Snakes and sea anemones!


WildSingapore by Ria Tan

- Weekly updates of all Nature Events in Singaporehttp://wildsingaporehappenings.blogspot.com/

- Important to go on a guided session to see more than just trees.

- Most importantly, it is free! (mostly)

http://wildsingaporehappenings.blogspot.com/





3. Bring elderly or other disadvantaged, or for bonding sessions for nature walk

4. Rinse your plastic containers after meals and recycle them – for camps.

Increasing level of

difficulty


Rinsing your plastic containers

Especially for Camps


Plastics Have “Recycling” Number


Plastic Food Containers


Yes! Theoretically, it all can be recycled

- Only plastic bottles allowed in NUS because of infrequent collection and hygiene issue

- Absolutely yes, if you just rinse it


It is still manual sorting


NUS Green Commitment


NUS Environmental Targets

NUS pledge a reduction of:

15%

•Existing Building Emission

20%

•Regularised Laboratory Consumption

30%

•New Building Emissions

by 2015 against a business as usual scenario


Future Development

• 47% increase in total GFA by 2015


• OES was set up in Oct 2008 - sign of NUS’ commitment to the environment.

• OES reports direct to DP (admin).


Conclusion


Conclusion

• Contact us or SAVE if you need help on how to make your events/organisation more green.

• Share with us how you have made your events more environmentally sustainable. We will be keen to highlight to the rest of the campus.

OES Team:http://www.nus.edu.sg/oes/about/ourteam.html

http://www.nus.edu.sg/oes/about/ourteam.htm

http://www.nus.edu.sg/oes/about/ourteam.htm


We need you…

The environmental movement is not something

only for the treehuggers, it is daily lifestyle choices that has to be embraced by

everyone so as to be able to succeed.


“I may be only one, but still I am one and I cannot refuse the thing that I can do.”

———— Helen Keller.

Your club matters…

office of environmental sustainability nus student leaders green issues briefing marcus tay guan...

Documents

sustainability executive

catering slide

transportation slide

daily environmental

bare minimum expected

level of difficulty

nus green commitment

responsible club