Not your typical ‘greenie’

52? A granny? You’re never too old to hug a tree
Sarah Sum-Campbell, Today Online 5 Jun 09;

SIMON Tay would be proud of our new housekeeper. Just as his wife and child were instrumental in influencing the Singapore Institute of International Affairs chairman to be a better environmentalist, Madam Lee is also going on a green drive to convince those in her social circle to save the earth, by first saving her household.

Mdm Lee does not fit into the typical profile of a greenie. She is 52, a Singaporean, a proud mother and grandmother, and quite illiterate.

Yet she was converted into a “greenie” in just about three hours. As our housekeeper, she is entrusted with food and household shopping. When asked explicitly to avoid buying any products made or produced in China, especially vegetables, she was keen to know the reasons.

We told her about experiments done by my group of friends which proved that vegetables from China could sit in the fridge for a month and still remain green, thereby proving the exorbitant amount of chemicals sprayed on to enable such abnormal sustainability. We also explained the consequences on the environment and on our health. She said that she was very convinced, and wondered why no one had ever told her all that.

She went on to enquire about the lack of bleach and certain brands of cleaning products, toys and clothes in our home. We told her about toxic paints used in China-made toys, lethal infant formula, and so on. The fact that she has little children at home helped strengthen her resolve to keep the diet and air at home healthy.

Saving the Earth is everyone’s business. If we collectively boycott products which are harmful to our health and damage our environment, companies which make their livelihoods out of these cheap nasty goods will be forced to change their ways. With higher demand for pesticide-free/organic/green/environmentally-friendly products, their prices will drop, attracting more consumers.

So often it is the older generation of Singaporeans, especially those with little or no formal education, who control the purse strings of not just their households, but those of their children, too. Many look after their grandchildren, supervise foreign domestic workers, go marketing and prepare food at home, determine what household products to use, and which mode of transport/brand of car to utilise. Yet so often we dismiss them as being unable or unwilling to help save the Earth.

Perhaps we should be focusing our environmental education efforts on them, and not just the young and impressionable future generations.