Plastic turtles will do no one any good

Letter from Avin Tan, Today Online 5 Jul 08;

I REFER to “Greenback turtle power toSt Pat’s aid” (July 4).

When I read the first line, I thought “Wow, I did not know that Katong was named after a turtle”. So, naturally, I thought this was an article aboutSt Patrick’s School and the environment.

It was indeed about St Pat’s and the environment, but it was about exploiting it, not helping it.

This Saturday, 5,700 plastic toys will be dumped into a canal. What if some of these toys sink and float into open waters, or, get stuck in the canal, causing pollution?

According to the report, “the choice of the turtle — an endangered species — helps to generate awareness of its plight and at the same time raise awareness of the environment”.

How does wasting 5,700 plastic toys help to raise awareness about the environment? Plastic is a non-biodegradable by-product of petroleum, which when burned or buried, causes harm to our volatile environment.

To make matters worse, the money raised is not going back to the environment, but to further destroy it by increasing energy consumption with an air conditioned hall and refurbishing the school field with synthetic turf.

The latter is yet more plastic that also does not contribute to the environment.

Greenback turtle power to St Pat’s aid
Ooi Boon Keong, Today Online 4 Jul 08;

DID you know that Katong is named after an exotic species of sea turtle?

The species may now be extinct but, tomorrow, the canal next toSt Patrick’s school will be brimming with green “turtles”, to celebrate the history of the area and the school.

The event will see some 5,700 plastic greenback turtles racing to cross the finish line of the 150-m-long stretch of water in a contest that is part of a day-long carnival held in conjunction with the school’s 75th anniversary.

The choice of the turtle — an endangered species — helps to generate awareness of its plight and at the same time raise awareness of the environment.

Prior to the race, students and staff were each issued five “turtle adoption” certificates to sell at $10 a piece.

Many of them ended up selling more than what they were given because of overwhelming response from families, friends and old boys of the school. Souvenir turtles — priced at $10 each — were also sold, but these will not be floating down the canal.

The owner of the winning turtle will pocket $3,000 in cash, while second and third place finishers will walk away with $2,000 in cash and a 32” Samsung LCD TV respectively.

Despite the hard work involved, many of the students found the sales exercise fulfilling as it allowed them to do something for their alma mater. So far, a total of $116,000 has been raised.

The money will go towards the maintenance and upgrading of the school’s facilities, in particular, the installation of air-conditioning in the hall and refurbishing the school field with synthetic turf.

But for old boys like Mr Derek Scully, who attended St Patrick’s in the mid-70s, the dollars and cents do not matter as much as having the opportunity to meet up again with fellow schoolmates of yesteryear.