$80k green fund for Marsiling Secondary School

Straits Times 17 Mar 09;

FOR three years, Marsiling Secondary School students have been brainstorming ways to save the environment.

As part of their Environment Education module, a non-examinable subject, lower secondary students have proposed air-purifying models, suggestions for greener buildings and water-recycling methods.

While these projects often showcase the students' in-depth thinking skills and creativity, the school has never formally recognised their efforts.

This will change with a $80,000 environment education fund presented by technology multinational company Hitachi to the school, in line with the firm's Eco Conference, held for the first time here yesterday.

The fund will go towards three key areas, one of which is rewarding students who have excelled in environment-related projects. Awards will be in the form of book vouchers and educational material.

The fund, which will be used over three years, will also go towards training teachers to keep up to date on environmental issues, and also towards creating learning packages and teaching resources in areas such as waste management and water technology.

The school has been a Centre of Excellence for Environmental Education in North 5 school cluster since 2007.

In the Environment Education module, students spend two hours a week thinking of innovative ways to solve air and water pollution problems that Singapore faces.

At the end of 15 weeks, the students form groups and propose projects to combat these environmental problems.

The guest of honour at the launch of the fund was Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

'The world is heading for an 'ecological credit crunch' far worse than the current financial crisis because people are over-using natural resources,' he said, quoting a recent study by the World Wildlife Fund.

In the light of Hitachi's efforts to become greener, Dr Yaacob urged other companies to continue working towards being environmentally friendly, even during the current harsh economic climate.

JALELAH ABU BAKER

$80k fund for green efforts
Marsiling Secondary School to expand programmes
Ong Dai Lin, Today Online 17 Mar 09;

IT HAS gotten a bit greener at Marsiling Secondary School, thanks to an $80,000 financial boost that will help enhance its environment education.

The money, donated by electronics company Hitachi, will be used over three years to build up the teaching capacity of the school’s teachers, provide incentives such as book vouchers to reward students who do well in projects, and to expand learning programmes.

The school already offers programmes with topics like renewable energy. Now, it is looking at a new programme to teach students about water technology and to work with institutes of higher education, said Ms Beatrice Chong, its vice-principal.

Since 2005, lower secondary students have been attending a compulsory Environment Education Module — a two-hour weekly session for them to learn about issues like water recycling. Upper secondary students can opt to take advanced elective modules on the environment that are held jointly with polytechnics.

The donation came from the Hitachi Environment Education Fund, launched yesterday at the inaugural Hitachi Eco Conference 2009. It will “complement Marsiling’s existing environment education programme”, said Ms Chong.

The school, which was designated as a Centre of Excellence in Environment Education in 2007, is partnering seven primary schools in Woodlands to offer its learning programmes to their pupils. It will now use the extra funds to partner more primary schools.

Mr Takashi Hatchoji, Hitachi’s chief environmental strategy officer, said: “By nurturing eco awareness among the youth, we ensure that future generations will keep our Earth safe.”

Sustainable development, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources,Dr Yaacob Ibrahim at the conference, is not just an environmental and economic imperative” for Singapore but also a “huge economic opportunity”.

Singapore can become “one of the world’s most competitive producers of sustainable technologies and solutions”, he said.