Going green in the park

Jessica Jaganathan, Straits Times 19 Nov 07;

THE invitation was to 'Come out and play, it's no TV day'.

Residents of North West District responded by turning out at Admiralty Park for an eco-picnic, hike, flea market, outdoor games and performances.

The picnic was a competition organised by National Environment Agency (NEA) to see who could be 'greenest'.

Mrs Siti Kartini Kamis, 35, among the 200 picnickers, turned up decked in green, right down to a green umbrella and a re-usable bag for her food and drinks.

Like other participants, she laid out re-usable food containers instead of disposable ones. For her efforts, she won second prize.

The community event was part of North West District's way of supporting the Clean and Green Singapore drive.

The guests of honour were Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Dr Teo Ho Pin, mayor of North West District.

'We want to encourage Singaporeans to love the environment and do more outdoor activities,' said Dr Teo.