Earth Day in Singapore

800 trees planted as Singapore's tribute to the planet
Tania Tan, Straits Times 23 Apr 08;

ALMOST 800 trees went into the ground yesterday as people across Singapore celebrated Earth Day.

Yesterday's tribute to the planet marked the peak of nearly a month of green activities, including talks, garden tours and workshops designed to shed light on the environment.

Both young and old took part in tree-planting activities around the Republic, including the children from the Intellect Monte Pal Skoolhouse child-care centre.

They were at Pasir Ris Park yesterday morning, along with employees from clothing chain Timberland, to green up the area, known for its mangrove trees.

From now to Saturday, visitors to the park can also view an environmental exhibition organised by the Singapore Soka Association, a Buddhist organisation.

Showcasing the plight of countries facing famine, drought and other natural disasters, the exhibit has been shown in over 17 countries.

'It is not just about being green,' said the guest of honour at the exhibit's opening, Professor Leo Tan, chairman of the National Parks Board's fund-raising arm, the Garden City Fund.

'Think of it as planting to save a life, if not for ourselves, then for our children.'

But you do not have to plant a tree to help fight climate change, said Prof Tan.

Changes in lifestyle, like switching off the lights and using fewer plastic bags, can make a big difference, he explained.

145 trees planted at Pasir Ris Park on Earth Day
Channel NewsAsia 22 Apr 08;

SINGAPORE : A total of 145 trees were planted at Pasir Ris Park on Tuesday, as part of the National Parks Earth Day celebrations.

The trees will be part of NParks' "Native Trail", which will be ready soon.

The tree-planting involves children from Intellect Child Care and adults from SoulCentre, a school behind motivation and leadership education.

One of the highlights of the Earth Day celebrations saw students from 23 schools transforming rubbish bins into their own unique art creations.

Deyi Secondary School and Meridien Primary School were awarded top prizes in the "Paint A Bin Competition", which carries an anti-littering message. - CNA/de

Millions worldwide to take part in Earth Day events
Singaporeans help clean up Manila Bay in annual 'green' campaign
Alastair McIndoe, Straits Times 23 APr 08;

MANILA - SPORTING red caps, members of Manila's Singaporean community joined around 400 local volunteers to clean up Manila Bay to mark Earth Day yesterday.

The organisers of the worldwide campaign said millions of people 'from Tokyo to Togo' were taking part in hundreds of events. They expect this year's Earth Day to be the biggest since the annual event aimed at promoting 'environmental citizenship' was founded in 1970.

This year's theme is water. Among the events in the United States was the Green Apple Festival at the weekend, which culminated on Sunday night with eight free music festivals held simultaneously at landmark locations across the country.

At the same time, Tokyo's Yoyogi Park hosted talks and exhibitions, as well as an organic farmers' market. The entire event was powered by green energy.

And this Saturday, Moscow will host an 'eco-festival', where 10,000 people are expected to take part in river and pond clean-ups, as well as learn about environmental issues.

On the same day in Buenos Aires, there will be an arts and cultural event, including films and music, aimed at raising environmental awareness from 2pm to dawn the next day

Meanwhile, in Manila's Earth Day event yesterday, Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Lim Kheng Hua and her embassy staff led 40 Singaporeans, many of them expats, in helping with the clean-up.

'Manila Bay used to be a favourite tourist draw and unfortunately, it has been polluted over the years. This is not beyond redress, but it will be a long haul,' Ms Lim said as she jabbed a sharpened bamboo stick into a garbage-filled rock pool near a jetty.

'Obviously, today's effort is very modest, but everyone here is trying to create more awareness about the problem.'

Meanwhile, many children from the nearby Tondo slum district, ignoring health warnings, played in the bay's murky water. Anglers occasionally got a bite and reeled in puny-looking fish.

Highlighting water as the Earth Day theme, the Singapore Embassy flew in bottles of Singapore's recycled Newater for the volunteers to sample.

'It is a bit scary, but the taste is neutral, there is no after-taste,' local television presenter Rachel del Mar said after taking a few sips.

Over 780 trees to be planted in celebration of Earth Day 2008
Tree planting among other NParks activities to commemorate the event
NParks press release 14 Apr 08;

Singapore, 14 April 2008 – In celebration of Earth Day, 789 trees will be planted by over 10 companies, schools and organisations in various parks, nature reserves and park connectors around Singapore in the next two weeks.

Among participating schools is Shuqun Primary School, who will be planting 83 trees to commemorate their 83rd anniversary tomorrow. Companies such as Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, SoulCentre, HBO Asia, Deutsche Bank and Cisco Systems will also contribute to Earth Day by planting between 50 and 150 trees each.

The Plant-A-Tree programme was conceptualised by the Singapore Environment Council and the Garden City Fund to provide an avenue for individuals and organisations to do their part for nature through planting of trees at designated parks and nature reserves. To date, over 1,000 trees have been planted by 13 organisations and individuals since its launch in November 2007. About 1,200 trees have been pledged to be planted in the next few months.

In parks and nature reserves around Singapore, the National Parks Board has organised various activities to increase the awareness of the importance of conservation and caring for the environment. They include a special preview of the award winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” on the consequences of global warming at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 20 April 2008. Free guided walks will also be organised for the public at Pasir Ris Park Mangrove, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Fort Canning Park and the HortPark – The Gardening Hub. To increase awareness of the importance of conserving our biodiversity, NParks is organising a series of Biodiversity Talks spanning four weeks from 22 April to 17 May 2008.