Besides recycling at home and using reusable food containers, he also finds his work taking on an eco-friendly spin. -myp
Victoria Barker My Paper AsiaOne 18 Nov 10;
ACTOR Edmund Chen takes environmental issues very seriously.
So seriously, in fact, that besides cultivating habits like recycling at home and using reusable food containers for takeaway orders, he also finds his work taking on an eco-friendly spin.
But the prolific 46-year-old, who has starred in Singapore- made Mandarin television dramas like Perfect Cut 2, as well as Hollywood movie Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li last year, told my paper that going green wasn't always a priority.
"When I was first confronted with the idea of going green, it seemed like rocket science...(I thought) it was about things like fixing the ozone layer," the affable Chen said in an interview last week.
"It didn't seem like something an individual could do."
Still, his "love for nature" motivated him to find out more.
"I later realised that just small steps here and there, like putting the three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) into practice, could make a difference in the long run," he enthused.
Now, one of his best eco-friendly habits is to "tapau" (takeaway in Cantonese) his meals using his own containers.
He packs food from eateries for about half of his meals, he revealed.
"The practice is not only good for the environment, but it also brings back fond childhood memories of my grandparents packing food and taking it to me in school," the father of two, who is married to actress Xiang Yun, explained.
Back then, his school canteen did not offer many food choices, he added, "so the feeling of having someone bring you wholesome, home-cooked food was great".
These days, Chen, who owns an events and public-relations firm, Asiatainment, usually packs soupy dishes like yong tau foo from his favourite hawker stalls for himself and his wife, and for his children, "anything of their choice".
His 19-year-old son, Yi Xi, is currently serving national service, while daughter Yi Xin, 10, is in primary school.
Though taking along one's own containers for takeaways is currently not a common practice in Singapore, Chen hopes that the habit will catch on one day.
"We must not think of it as unglamorous to do so," he said. "It's something I will encourage my kids to pick up later on as well."
Indeed, during this interview at VivoCity's Banquet foodcourt, the rosy-cheeked actor - who looks much younger than his age, thanks to his healthy eating habits - seemed right at home filling his bright-yellow Tupperware container with beancurd and vegetables from a yong tau foo stall.
On the career front, Chen has added "children's book author" to his resume.
His foray into publishing has resulted in five books so far. The latest, a Chinese book entitled Dino Rulez, was released in September. Even that project came with a "green" message.
"It's about two siblings who stumble into a hole which takes them to the centre of the earth...a new environment where the air is fresher, the fruit are sweeter and the leaves are greener," he said.
"The message is that we need to keep our world like that...I wanted to make it very relatable to the children," he added.
Next up, he hopes to organise a series of workshops to encourage youth to learn about publishing and the international film industry.
Chen, who is also the Cleanliness Ambassador for the National Environment Agency, is working on a project with the National Parks Board, for which he will be drawing a series of Singapore plants.
His ultimate goal: To spread the word that every little morsel of environmental consciousness makes a difference.
"Just a little bit of effort can go a long way in giving us a better world," he said.
