Plant trees on Earth Day? Groups try new activities
Grace Chua, Straits Times 22 Apr 10;
MARKING Earth Day, which is today, usually involves planting one or more trees or shrubs.
Of the National Parks Board's (NParks) list of 14 companies, groups and individuals holding Earth Day events, 12 will do or have done just that.
But two companies are trying something different.
Outdoor-wear retailer Timberland set 40 of its employees loose in Pasir Ris Park's mangrove swamps last Friday to pick up rubbish, collect mangrove seedlings for the park's nursery and dig trenches to channel seawater into the swamps.
And employees from GlaxoSmithKline will spend today removing pest plants that are spreading fast through the Dairy Farm Nature Park and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
NParks has no shortage of ideas for such pro-environment community activities. Besides tree planting, mangrove cleanups and weeding, interested groups can also undertake reforestation projects and plant propagation.
Timberland Singapore has been working with NParks to maintain the mangrove swamps since 2005, said Mr Stewart Whitney, its managing director for Asia-Pacific.
Explaining the company's choice of activity, he said: 'We work closely with NParks to find out what it needs instead of doing what we want. That's why we did the mangrove cleanup and planting, because that is what's crucial at this point.'
An NParks spokesman said: 'In recent years, we have seen a growing interest in conservation and biodiversity from the community, which is keen to do something for nature and the environment.'
Tree planting is still popular. Nearly 460 trees will be planted this week and the next to mark Earth Day. More than 8,000 trees have been planted since 2007, when NParks' Garden City Fund's tree-planting programme began.
Earth Day, founded in 1970 by then United States Senator Gaylord Nelson to raise awareness of the environment, is usually celebrated on or around April 22.
Other groups have found their own ways to mark the day.
The staff and students of Singapore Polytechnic (SP) will leave their cars at home today and get to campus by public transport instead.
Its principal Tan Hang Cheong, who will lead by example by taking a bus and train from his home in Telok Blangah to the campus in Dover Road, quipped: 'We call this the BMW method - bus, MRT, walk.'
He said SP will launch a four-month drive today to recycle resources and save energy. A car-free day may also be observed once a semester or even once a month, depending on the response today.
SP's staff and students are not alone in relying on public transport, if only for a day. Last Saturday, real estate developer City Developments sent 260 youths traversing the island on public transport, on foot, by dragon boat and even on the electric two-wheeled Segway in an Amazing Race-style competition with a 'green transport' theme.
Painting the town green
Straits Times 22 Apr 10;
# NParks' Exhibition: The National Parks Board will mount an exhibition at Pasir Ris Park's Carpark B from today to Saturday. Displays include art from recycled objects and examples of solar-powered technology.
# Poly's 'Go Green' Day: Singapore Polytechnic (SP) marks its 'Go Green' day from 9am today with a bazaar, an exhibition, a concert and fashion show.
The event at SP's Dover Road campus is open to visitors. SP staff, students and visitors are encouraged to take public transport.
# Green website debuts: Eco Singapore will launch its 'Million Acts of Green' website (www.eco-singapore.org) from 2pm today to collect pro-environment ideas from netizens.
# Buy a bag, raise funds: From today until May 9, NTUC FairPrice Foundation will donate to charity a sum that matches the proceeds from the sale of its reusable grocery bags.
Shoppers at the City Square Mall NTUC FairPrice, Ang Mo Kio Hub FairPrice Xtra and Marine Parade FairPrice Finest outlets may also bring in cans and bottles for recycling.
These items may be left in 'reverse vending machines' there. FairPrice Foundation will donate $1 for each item put into these machines.
The funds raised will go to the Rainbow Centre for special-needs children, Ain Society for disadvantaged youths and the Bizlink Centre, which helps the disabled find jobs. FairPrice Foundation aims to raise $60,000.
# Nominations wanted: Nominations open today for the President's Award for the Environment, which recognises individuals' or organisations' contributions to the environment.
Nomination forms and more information on criteria can be found at www.mewr.gov.sg/presidentsaward.
GRACE CHUA
Green is the new black for big firms on Earth Day
Efforts range from tree planting to energy saving
Joyce Hooi, Business Times 22 Apr 10;
(SINGAPORE) As fears of slipping into the red recede, large firms have turned their attention to all things green for Earth Day this year.
An all-star line-up of local and multinational companies (MNCs) has come out in support of Earth Day - which is today - running the gamut of tree-planting, eco-movie screenings and energy-saving quests.
For City Developments Limited (CDL), its Earth Day activities started well in advance, with an eco-themed national competition styled after the Amazing Race, last Saturday.
The competition, which saw 260 youths taking part, had competitors taking off on eco-friendly and newfangled vehicles such as Segways and electric scooters.
Its involvement with the youth and the planet will continue through its partnership with CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School for the latter's Earth Day activities.
'We are happy to see that the secondary students will be engaged in an artistic egg painting cum pledge exercise with the egg representing the fragility of the Earth,' said Esther An, head of CSR at CDL.
Other corporations such as Banyan Tree will be focusing their education efforts internally today. Its employees will be treated to a screening of Home, a 2009 documentary that will show how the ecological balance of the earth is coming under threat.
'What we do wrong today robs our children of their future enjoyment and opportunities; thus, each of us has a civic duty to affect change in small as well as big ways,' said Claire Chiang, chairman of the Banyan Tree Global Foundation.
On the MNC front, Chevron Singapore has been working with 47 primary and secondary schools in the South West district since March to conserve energy.
Whatever these schools save on energy from March to May, Chevron and the South West Community Development Council (CDC) have pledged to match dollar for dollar.
Through this and other activities, they hope to raise $135,000 to benefit up to 1,500 needy students.
'Through our partnership with South West CDC, we hope to educate, inspire and empower students to make energy conservation a way of life,' said Lorrain Chong, Chevron's Asia-Pacific regional manager for policy, government and public affairs.
Over at Pasir Ris Park, Stewart Whitney, managing director of Timberland Asia Pacific, had been knee-deep in muck along with 60 Timberland employees and partners, last Friday. In conjunction with Earth Day, the group had engaged in a four-hour clean-up of the mangrove swamp.
For 300 Yahoo! employees here, an Amazon Kindle hangs in the balance as one of the prizes available from its intra-office Earth Day competitions this year.
The growing involvement of Big Business with Earth Day goes past the day itself but is an offshoot of larger initiatives that trickle down to the bottom line.
At the Yahoo! office here, for example, all its meeting rooms have been equipped with motion sensors to conserve energy when they are empty, according to Yvonne Chang, head of South East Asia, Yahoo!.
Over at Proctor & Gamble (P&G), conservation efforts have taken on regional proportions.
Over the last two years, the P&G Asia operations have reduced solid waste disposal per unit of production by 69.3 per cent, carbon dioxide emissions by 21.8 per cent, water consumption by 17.8 per cent and energy usage by 15.1 per cent.
Where going green is concerned, Big Business also means business in terms of outlay.
Sembcorp Industries will spend $1 million over five years on a living gallery of giant tree species called the Sembcorp Forest of Giants, it announced yesterday.
While Sembcorp plants trees, Golden Village Multiplex will be saving them. The cinema chain will be launching its mobile ticketing system today, in becoming a more paperless operation.
'We do hope that our patrons will support us towards this green cause in reducing the need for printed ticket stubs,' said David Glass, managing director of Golden Village Multiplexes.
And in the ultimate marriage of going green and staying in the black, Golden Village will charge a convenience fee of $0.80 per mobile ticket transaction.
Schools and businesses do their part for Earth Day
Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 22 Apr 10;
SINGAPORE : Singaporeans on Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which falls on April 22 every year.
Schools and businesses all over the island chipped in to do their bit for the environment.
Going green has its perks! The Regent Hotel in Singapore gave out donuts and fresh fruits to those who rode on two wheels instead of four.
Over at Singapore Polytechnic, students and staff were told to take public transport to school on Thursday. No one, not even the principal, was allowed to drive to school!
Some students say going green takes some getting used to.
Max Tan, a final-year student at Singapore Polytechnic, said: "Before I had my car licence, I had to take bus and train down to school, so it's like reverting to my old status quo. The only thing that I have to do, maybe, is just to wake up earlier.
Koh Han Pin, another final-year student at the same polytechnic, said: "Personally, I think it's quite inconvenient, but I think if you take a bit of effort to try, actually it's not that much of an inconvenience."
Tan Hang Cheong, Principal, Singapore Polytechnic, said: "You may not be able to say, leave the car every day at home, but perhaps once a month, once a week, make it a point to say, I will have a car-free day for myself.
The polytechnic said holding campaigns like this can help to drive home the message that protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility.
- CNA/al
