Channel NewsAsia 18 Apr 08;
SINGAPORE : Christ Church Secondary School has emerged as the top winner at this year's Green Audit Awards ceremony.
The school's environmentally-friendly projects have attracted quite a bit of attention.
For example, the students have come up with soaps that are made from used cooking oil, from their school canteen. The soaps are also scented with herbal oils from the school garden.
The students also came up with scented candles that can act as a mosquito-repellent.
Student Ho Jian Xiong said, "During the dengue period, when the dengue cases were very high, we actually added citronella to the aromatic candles. We publicised it during the Lantern Festival period, and during that time, when old folks were bringing their grandchildren out to light up their lanterns, they saw our candles. Grandparents are very conscientious of their family's health, so (the candles) were very popular back at that period."
Another project is a clock that is powered by not batteries but a combination of salt solution and potato skins.
Such creative and green solutions have led Christ Church Secondary to win the top award, three years in a row.
On Friday, it received the Sustained Achievement Award, which also came with a cash prize of S$100.
A total of 161 primary and secondary schools received their Green Audit Awards, which is given out by the Singapore Environment Council, to recognise schools' efforts to reduce and recycle resources.
The Green Audit Award programme was established in 2000.
It calculates the schools' usage of water and electricity, as well as the wastage generated by school facilities, such as canteens, offices, classrooms and gardens. - CNA/ms
