Reuse, recycle, reflect - the mantra for item designers and those attending parade alike
Royston Sim Straits Times 23 Jun 11;
SOME items in this year's National Day Parade (NDP) takeaway goodie bagare intended to have a life beyond the parade festivities.
For example, the maracas found in each of these 'fun packs', as the bags have come to be called, turn from percussion instruments into containers.
The mini Singapore flag comes with a stand, so it can serve as a decorative item and namecard holder; the NDP light stick comes with a customised base, which transforms it into a table lamp.
Eco-friendliness is a theme in the fun pack, which was designed with the concepts of 'reuse', 'recycle' and 'reflect' in mind, said Major Chan Ming Hoe, who chairs the NDP logistics and finance committee.
He told reporters at a briefing yesterday: 'The committee felt that these items should be reused, instead of chucked to one side in the storeroom and left to go to waste.'
Other items in the fun pack sound the same eco-friendly note: The sun visor and hand fan are made from recycled materials, and the tote bag is biodegradable.
Major Chan said the parade organisers wanted to play their part in being environmentally friendly, given the scarce resources in Singapore.
The fun pack also contains a collectible NDP 2011 pin, a collection of short stories titled Stories Of The Singapore Spirit, and a card for parade- goers to pen their thoughts on the Singapore Spirit. These items are aimed at encouraging the audience to reflect on this year's NDP theme: Majulah! The Singapore Spirit.
As with previous years, the fun pack will also contain snacks, drinks and items such as a souvenir magazine and a discount-coupon booklet.
The tote bag itself, with its compartments for laptops and cellphones, invites reuse after the parade.
Parade-goers will each take home one of four designs created by designer Jesline Teo, a 21-year-old graduate of Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Design. Each version portrays iconic Singaporean images, such as the Merlion and Changi Airport, rendered like a watercolour painting and in pastel-coloured lines.
She said: 'I chose those icons that were very identifiable... that I felt people could connect and relate to. I wanted to portray how beautiful Singapore is.'
The back of each bag features a design by Rebekah Lee, 16, who won the NDP 2011 T-shirt design competition with her design of Singapore island made up of various words.
This year's bag tag was designed by manager Mas Shafreen, 39, who put an image of the Marina Bay skyline on the tag.
Noting that this would be the first NDP held against a skyline complete with the ArtScience Museum, he said: 'The fireworks are always set against the cityscape. What's fantastic is that year on year, the cityscape changes. I did my design in one uninterrupted line to represent the unceasing efforts of all Singaporeans to get Singapore to where it is.'
Major Chan said: 'We hope this fun pack will be well liked by people of all ages, and will be useful.'
NDP fun packs go green this year
Sara Grosse Today Online 23 Jun 11;
SINGAPORE - Save the light sticks from the National Day Parade (NDP) fun pack and reuse them as table lamps, with this year's packs and their contents have been designed to be kinder to the environment.
The tote bag itself is biodegradable, and created with more compartments for items like laptops, books and mobile devices, to encourage spectators to reuse them after the parade, and key items inside will be made to be reusable.
"For example the maracas can be converted to a container. The LED light sticks can be used as a table lamp. The mini Singapore flag can be used as a name card holder," said chairman of the NDP logistics and finance committee, Major Chan Ming Hoe.
Other items such as the sun-visor and the hand-fan were made from recycled materials.
The front of the fun packs will come in four designs depicting various Singapore icons, like the Merlion, Changi Airport and Housing and Development Board flats.
They are the creations of 21-year old Jesline Teo, a Nanyang Polytechnic graduate, who used water-colour effects and pastel lines to get the desired effect. "These designs portray some feelings I have for Singapore. Like how we are a colourful city," she said.
The back of the fun pack is designed by 16-year old Rebekah Lee, a student from St Margaret's Secondary School. It is an image of the island, composed of words that name various landmarks and colloquialisms unique to Singapore.
In addition to food items, the fun pack also has a collection of short stories and an NDP 2011 pin.
