Best of our wild blogs: 2 May 18

11 May (Fri): "Albatross" film screening and talk
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

Amazing April at the Marine Park
Sisters' Island Marine Park

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Best of our wild blogs: 1 May 18

12 May (Sat): Lazarus Island dive cleanup with Our Singapore Reefs
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

12 May (Sat)- Want to learn how to be a nature guide? Come join the Chek Jawa Familiarisation Tour with the Naked Hermit Crabs!
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

19 May (Sat): Kayak the Kusu-Lazarus Trail with Kayakasia
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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PUB looking to tap on Bedok and Lower Seletar reservoirs next for solar energy

TOH EE MING Today Online 30 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE — In its latest efforts to harness more solar power, the national water agency PUB announced on Monday (April 30) that it has called a tender to conduct engineering studies for the deployment of floating solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in Bedok Reservoir and Lower Seletar Reservoir.

This latest tender came seven months after the agency called for tenders last September for engineering and environmental studies for such systems in Upper Peirce Reservoir and Tengeh Reservoir. In 2016, the agency successfully rolled out the world's largest floating solar test-bed at Tengeh Reservoir.

The proposed floating solar PV system at Lower Seletar Reservoir will span one hectare and potentially generate 1 gigawatt hour of energy annually. For Bedok reservoir, the system will cover about 1.5 hectare and generate about 1.5 gigawatt hour of energy annually.

The floating solar panels will occupy less than 2 per cent of total surface area at the reservoirs, and will be installed away from the current water activities zones.

Taken together, the solar panels are set to shave off PUB's carbon footprint by 1.3 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide annually, or equivalent to taking about 270 cars off the road every year.

The PUB said this latest tender is in line with its vision to "further tap on its installations to generate renewable energy and reduce carbon footprint", as the energy generated by solar panels installed at the reservoir surfaces and at rooftops of buildings can help replace the grid energy currently needed for its operations – which requires energy throughout the "water loop".

TODAY understands the environmental and engineering studies at Tengeh and Upper Peirce Reservoirs are still ongoing.

Power is needed for pumping of raw water from reservoirs to waterworks, production of drinking water at waterworks, treatment of wastewater, and production of NEWater and desalinated water.

Separately, PUB is also installing a 0.5 megawatt peak solar panel system on the roof of Bedok Waterworks by this year.

Collectively, the solar panels at Bedok Reservoir and Bedok Waterworks will supply energy to the pump station, to pump raw water from the reservoir to its attached waterworks for treatment, and to the Waterworks to pump treated water into the water supply network for households.

For the Lower Seletar Reservoir, the solar energy generated will go the the adjacent Seletar Pump Station to pump raw water to Lower Seletar Waterworks for treatment, and for the transfer of raw water between reservoirs for operational purposes.

Even though the floating solar panels at Bedok and Lower Seletar Reservoirs are "small", PUB's chief executive Ng Joo Hee said they are "significant forays into making the water treatment process greener and less dependent on fossil fuels".

"The more renewables PUB can generate and use, the smaller our carbon footprint and the greater our contribution to Singapore's climate change mitigation effort," he added.

Currently, PUB has installed solar panels on the rooftops of Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, WaterHub, and the Marina Barrage. Other locations planned for solar panel deployment include the Changi Water Reclamation Plant and Tuas Desalination Plant, which will be installed by this year.

In 2016, the Republic invested over S$30 million in alternative energy tests. Besides the test-bed at Tengeh Reservoir, a micro-grid system — which consolidates power generated from multiple renewable energy sources — was also tested at Semakau Island.


PUB to produce solar power at Bedok, Lower Seletar reservoirs for operations
Channel NewsAsia 30 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE: PUB announced on Monday (Apr 30) that it has called a tender to conduct engineering studies for the deployment of floating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Bedok Reservoir and Lower Seletar Reservoir.

In the press release, the national water agency said there was potential to replace some of the grid energy used for the reservoirs' water loop operations with solar energy.

Such operations include the pumping of raw water from reservoirs to waterworks, production of drinking water at waterworks, treatment of wastewater and production of NEWater and desalinated water.

PUB explained that solar power will be generated by panels installed on the roof spaces of existing installations and on the surfaces of the reservoirs.

"PUB’s tender for engineering studies will look into the detailed designs for a 1 MWp (megawatt peak) floating solar PV system at Lower Seletar Reservoir and a 1.5MWp floating solar PV system at Bedok Reservoir."

Each solar system will occupy 1ha and 1.5ha respectively and will take up less than 2 per cent of total surface area at the reservoirs, said PUB.

The floating panels will also be installed away from current water activities.

PUB added that a 0.5 MWp PV system will be installed on the roof of Bedok Waterworks by this year.

Both systems are estimated to reduce PUB's carbon footprint by about 1.3 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide annually - equivalent to taking around 270 cars off the road every year.

With the additional PV system on Bedok Waterwork's roof, the total carbon footprint will be reduced by at least 1.5 kt of carbon dioxide yearly, said PUB. (Graphic: PUB)

With the additional PV system on Bedok Waterwork's roof, the total carbon footprint will be reduced by at least 1.5 kt of carbon dioxide yearly, said PUB.

PUB's chief executive Ng Joo Hee said that even though the solar PV systems were small, they were "significant forays into making the water treatment process greener and less dependent on fossil fuels".

Source: CNA/ad

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Indonesia: With warning drums and river clean-ups, women head off disasters

Michael Taylor Reuters 30 Apr 18;

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Whenever heavy rains come at night in her neighborhood in the ancient Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, schoolteacher Muryani remembers the worst floods she experienced, almost 35 years ago.

Sleeping with her mother and two young siblings in a bamboo hut to guard a farmer’s goats from thieves, Muryani feared for their lives as flash floods burst through the door.

“Suddenly the water was so high ... it came very fast,” she said. “I was so worried about my mother, who was already quite old. I was afraid we would drown.”

Muryani, 44, who goes by one name only, still lives in the same area, now a small settlement of about 300 residents called Pedak Baru which sits by a river close to Mount Merapi volcano.

As floods have become more frequent over the last five years, Muryani and 25 other local women have teamed up with the YAKKUM Emergency Unit, a project that runs activities to help women protect their communities from disasters in Central Java and Yogyakarta.

Located along the Pacific Rim of Fire, Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands, and faces many natural threats, including earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

The effects of climate change, such as worsening floods and drought, present further risks.

The Indonesian government spends an estimated $300 million-$500 million annually on building back after disasters, according to World Bank resilience officials.

While the Southeast Asian nation has reduced poverty over the last 20 years, many hover just above the poverty line and can easily be pushed back under it by a disaster.

But women can play a crucial role in minimizing the risks for their families and neighbors, experts say.

For Muryani and her family, regular floods have often destroyed their possessions and furniture - which she cannot afford to replace - and forced her two children to miss school.

But the disaster training she has received is helping.

“It gives us an awareness for what to do when flooding happens and how to prepare,” she said.

POLICY CHANGE

Indonesia has experienced an average of 290 significant natural disasters annually over the past 30 years, according to the World Bank officials.

They include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 167,000 Indonesians. After that shock, Jakarta reformed its institutions, laws and policies to better manage disaster risk.

The government introduced a disaster management bill in 2007 that shifted the emphasis from merely responding to disasters toward trying to stop them happening and curbing their impact.

The new approach led to the strengthening of Indonesia’s disaster management agency, with representatives and branches put in place across districts.

The disaster agency now encourages civil society groups like YAKKUM to involve women more in efforts to build resilience.

Despite the huge progress made in recent years, more work is needed, and a larger number of government departments should include disaster risk reduction in their projects, especially at the local level, said Arghya Sinha Roy of the ADB in Manila.

“Every disaster is not on a nationwide scale - it can be a localized district or village-level disaster,” he added.

WOMEN LEFT BEHIND

Often marrying early, Indonesian women’s traditional role in running the household means they are sometimes forgotten when a community draws up plans to deal with disasters.

This can lead to them being left behind at home during evacuations, or being unaware of safety procedures.

“When you look back at the 2004 tsunami, most of the casualties are women,” said Irina Rafliana, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

And women who survive a major catastrophe are often the ones responsible for getting their families back on their feet in tough circumstances, she added.

In Indonesia, as in many Asian countries, women often take care of the family and its finances, meaning they are best placed to suggest ways of protecting lives, property and incomes, experts said.

When disasters happen, women tend to quickly grasp the importance of saving key documents, for example.

And because women spend more time in their neighborhoods, they can pinpoint high-risk areas and influence their peers.

“If you compare Indonesia with other countries in Southeast Asia, the role of women ... in disaster risk reduction is among the strongest,” said Rafliana.

FLOODS AND VOLCANOES

Pedak Baru faces twin threats of flooding and damage to infrastructure caused by eruptions from nearby Mount Merapi.

The only access to the settlement is via a narrow, potholed road, while many of its two-storey houses are in a state of disrepair due to regular inundations.

Things are changing, however, especially since YAKKUM began working with women in the community three years ago.

Pedak Baru’s women first mapped out their neighborhood to identify the risks, and now regularly collect rubbish from the river, recycling plastic waste for money.

The women are trained in evacuation procedures and first aid, and help fill and place sandbags along the river’s embankment when waters rise.

Despite scant funding, they have made life-buoys from rope and tyres, and early-warning drums from bamboo.

Signposts on walls point out escape routes and an evacuation point positioned on higher ground.

The women also hold regular talks with the local branch of the Indonesian disaster agency, and are campaigning for the permanent reinforcement of their river embankment.

Pedak Baru resident Farida Estiningrum, 39, said the scheme had been useful in helping young people too.

“We have even trained the children on how to save themselves when the flood comes to the houses,” she said. “We are prepared for everything.”

Reporting by Michael Taylor, Editing by Megan Rowling.

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Indonesia: 13 provinces brace for extreme weather

The Jakarta Post 30 Apr 18;

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned residents of 13 provinces over the potential for heavy rainfall in the next seven to 10 days.

BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said a weather phenomenon called Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) was occurring in the air surrounding the archipelago, bringing extra water vapor to form clouds in the sky of the western and central part of the country.

“Although some parts of Indonesia have entered the dry season, other parts are still in transition from the rainy season to the dry season,” said Dwikorita in Jakarta on Sunday as reported by kompas.com.

She has warned people in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, Central Java, Yogyakarta, North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, North Maluku, Maluku, West Papua and Papua to stay alert concerning this forecast.

Besides rainfall, she also warned of lightning and thunder in the next two days in Central Sumatra, east coast of Sumatra, Banten and northern West Java.

Strong winds and tornadoes may also knock down trees and billboards.

She also said tropical cyclone Flamboyan may also cause high tide in the next two to three days.

“We suggest postponing fishing activities until the waves subside,” she said.

She said 4-meter waves would be seen in waters to the south of Java and to the west of Lampung. (gis/swd)

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Damselflies are rapidly evolving in response to global warming

Not all species will have the genetic tools needed to adapt to rapidly changing temperatures and environmental conditions.
Brooks Hays UPI 30 Apr 18;

April 30 (UPI) -- Damselflies are rapidly evolving in response to climate change, new research shows, experimenting with genetic adaptations as temperatures continue to rise.

"Genes that influence heat tolerance, physiology, and even vision are giving them evolutionary options to help them cope with climate change," Rachael Dudaniec, a researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, said in a news release. "Other insects may not be so lucky."

To measure the damselfly's response to climate change, Dudaniec and her colleagues tracked genetic variations among blue-tailed damselfly, or Ischnura elegans, populations in Sweden.

At different points in a species' genome, a population will feature several different gene variants, or allele. Allele frequency describes the distribution of variants among a population. In the latest study, scientists looked at the shift in allele distribution as they surveyed populations from north to south in Sweden.

"We examined the degree of turnover from one variant of a gene to another variant," said Rachael. "For example, how strongly does one variant of a gene change to another variant as you move to higher latitudes."

In addition to latitude, scientists looked for relationships between allele frequency trends and summertime highs, summertime precipitation and local wind patterns.

As conditions change, the gene variants best suited for the new environs become more common. By analyzing patterns of variation among the damselfly's genome, researchers were able to pinpoint genes allowing the insect to adapt -- genes related to heat tolerance, physiology and visual processing.

"These genes may be helping these insects deal with extreme climates, and how they find food and mates as their distribution shifts into novel northern habitats," said Rachael. "Our research suggests that the blue-tailed damselfly has a wealth of evolutionary strategies available to help it adapt to a changing climate."

Rachael and her colleagues published their findings this week in the journal Molecular Ecology.

Not all species will have the genetic tool needed to adapt to rapidly changing temperatures and environmental conditions.

"Our research highlights the need to further investigate how different species will cope with climate change," said Rachael. "Identifying the species that are going to struggle the most in changing environments will allow us to direct conservation actions more appropriately."

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Rising levels of 'frustration' at UN climate stalemate

Matt McGrath BBC 1 May 18;

Poorer nations are concerned that action on climate change is not fast enough to limit the impacts
Old divisions between rich and poor over money and ambition are again threatening to limit progress in UN climate negotiations.

Discussions between negotiators from nearly 200 countries have resumed in Germany, aiming to flesh out the rules on the Paris climate pact.

But developing countries say they are "frustrated" with the lack of leadership from the developed world.

Commitments to cut carbon are still "woefully inadequate" they said.

2018 marks a critical stage in the global climate negotiations process. By the end of this year, governments will meet in Poland to finalise the so-called "rulebook" of the Paris deal, agreed in the French capital in December 2015.

This is seen as a key test.

The rules will define the ways in which every country reports on their emissions and on their carbon-cutting actions and, importantly, how they will increase these actions in the years ahead.

But while rich and poor countries united in Paris to push through the deal, significant ruptures have re-appeared in wrangles over key technical details.

The developed nations want almost all countries to share the same set of rules on how carbon emissions are measured, reported and verified. This issue, called "transparency" in the negotiations, has run into difficulties with many emerging economies arguing for more "flexibility".

According to some observers, the richer countries believe that some in the talks are trying to turn the clock back to the time when only wealthier countries had any commitments to cut carbon, while developing countries including India and China had no obligations.

"The EU, US, and other developed countries are worried about the slow pace of negotiations on transparency and other elements of the Paris rulebook," said Alden Meyer from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"And what they see as the efforts of some developing countries to reintroduce bifurcation into the climate regime - an argument they thought had been settled in Paris."

The developing nations are, in turn, incensed that enthusiasm for the $100bn per year in climate finance support from the rich, due to start in 2020, has started to wane.

"It has been frustrating to hear some developed countries celebrate their climate leadership even as they fall well short of the modest commitments they have made over the years," said Thoriq Ibrahim, environment minister for the Maldives and chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States, one of the key groups of poorer nations in the talks.

"If we spent as much time working on this problem as we do congratulating ourselves for caring so deeply about it, we would be closer to an outcome worthy of a celebration.

"As it stands, we haven't mobilised nearly enough resources to tackle this problem and until developed countries match their rhetoric with action our survival will continue to hang in the balance."

Talanoa dialogue

The government of Fiji currently holds the presidency of the UN talks and has been trying to inspire greater efforts to cut greenhouse gases - they've introduced an international conversation called the Talanoa Dialogue to push countries to do more. But a UN summary of written submissions to this process reflects the frustrations.

"The scale and pace of climate action must increase dramatically, and immediately so," it says.

While the furore over the decision of US President Donald Trump to withdraw his country from the Paris agreement has died down for now, there are likely to be other flashpoints as the talks progress.

One such issue is the question of the influence of fossil fuel companies on the talks. Some campaigners want the UN to firm up the rules to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

"The fossil fuel industry and its trade association proxies have undermined climate action for decades yet the UN continues to allow these obstructionist to pull a chair up to the table," said Jesse Bragg from Corporate Accountability.

"If we are to avert the worst effects of climate change and truly realize the promise of Paris, parties must first resolve to eject the presence of the very industry at the core of this crisis once and for all."

The talks in Bonn will run until May 10.

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Best of our wild blogs: 30 Apr 18

Of Fireflies and Mangroves: Singapore Story
The Entomologist Lounge

Stealthy sotong and awesome octopuses of Singapore's seagrass meadows
wild shores of singapore

Rough Golden Toadfish (Lagocephalus lunaris) @ Pulau Ubin
Monday Morgue

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Local beekeeper wants to save pollinators from extermination

LOW YOUJIN Today Online 29 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE – Mr Xavier Tan, 52, wishes that more people would give him a buzz when they encounter a beehive in their homes, instead of calling the pestbusters.

Rather than using pesticide to exterminate the entire colony, which is what commercial pestbusters do, Mr Tan offers a non-destructive alternative: He removes beehives by locating the queen bee and its larvae, placing them in a box, and coaxing the rest of the colony to follow.

The hives are then transplanted to locations such as The Ashram – a halfway house in Sembawang – and other parts of Singapore, which he declined to reveal.

It is a time-consuming process that can take up to six hours, and has to be done in the evening when a majority of the bees have returned to the hive after a day spent foraging.

“People want a humane way of removing the hives … so my customers were glad when they found out about my services,” said the founder and owner of Nutrinest, a one-man operation in Singapore that conducts educational workshops, humane bee removal and beekeeping.

Charging between S$150 and S$300 for his hive removal services, depending on the complexity of the task, Mr Tan has been receiving an average of about two requests a week. He started offering his services in 2014, after learning that pest controllers in Singapore remove beehives using pesticide, which result in the extermination of the entire colony.

“In France, it’s a crime to kill bees with pesticide,” said the beekeeper who has launched a petition urging the Singapore Government to pass a similar bill. France adopted a law in 2016 that would effectively ban bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides this year.

But Mr Tan is a long way from his goal of gathering 500 signatures; as of April 27, he has less than 40.

A PASSION FOR BEES

In an island where apiculture – or beekeeping is uncommon – the former global logistics manager at software company Hewlett-Packard stumbled onto the hobby in 2009, after he was given the “golden handshake”.

He picked up the trade from a veteran beekeeper from Malaysia, who got him interested in the pollinators’ conservation, particularly around 2010 when forests were being cleared and hives needed to be saved. Since then, he has invested in an apiary in Malaysia with his mentor.

Asked about his passion for bees, paraphrasing a quote by the famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, Mr Tan said: “Without bees in the world, in four years’ time, humans would be extinct.”

Scientists discovered the Colony Collapse Disorder in 2006, a disease that decimated the bee population worldwide. As the pollinators are responsible for a third of the world’s food crops, the discovery naturally sparked a panic about a potential food shortage.

While the bee population have since risen, Mr Tan remains concerned.

MISUNDERSTOOD POLLINATORS

“Bees don’t go around stinging people for no reason … it kills them too,” the tanned apiarist told TODAY, adding that misconceptions about bees are the reason why most people fear them.

To prove a point, Mr Tan built an arched garden trellis within The Ashram that he says will attract the bees. And on May 20, he intends to mark Singapore’s first World Bee Day by inviting the public to walk through the arch and experience how harmless the bees are.

He is on a mission to educate the public on the benefits of bees and to embrace beekeeping. For example, before offering his humane beehive removal service, he would try to convince his clients to keep the hives if they do not pose any danger. But only 10 per cent take up his suggestion.

“It is a rare opportunity for children to learn about bees … just don’t disturb them and you should be fine,” said Mr Tan, who advises anyone who encounters a beehive to move slowly around them.

In fact, he went on to explain that a beehive serves as a barometer of health for its surroundings. The existence of a beehive in one’s property is a good thing because it indicates a hale and hearty eco-system, which is turn beneficial for people.

“If you see see a lot of bees disappearing, it probably means the area has a lot of chemicals,” added Mr Tan, who joked that anyone looking to purchase a new landed property should seek one with a beehive.

GAINING PUBLIC RECOGNITION

Getting a beekeeping licence in Singapore would help him and other beekeepers in making apiaries more mainstream, and give the public greater confidence that what they do is legal, he said.

But according to Mr Tan, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) would not issue a relevant beekeeping license, citing a lack of a suitable entity that could provide the licensing framework.

Responding to media queries, the AVA did not address the licensing issue. An AVA spokesperson said: “Hobbyists keeping bees in their own private residences should exercise caution to prevent causing inconvenience to the community and posing a risk to public safety”.

Meanwhile, Mr Tan said the National Parks Board and an international school did express some interest about establishing an apiary, but they wanted only the stingless variety – the Trigona.

It is a proposition that Mr Tan does not agree with, as he does not want people to form the wrong perception that bees do not sting.

Mr Tan said pairing a Trigona colony with a stinging variety such as the Apis cerana would serve as an important education tool. He believes people must learn to respect both varieties and to co-exist with them.

PRODUCING LIQUID GOLD

In the meantime, Mr Tan does what he can to spread the word about the benefits of bees. Besides humane beehive removal, he produces honey too from the 20 hives he maintains in Singapore, which is sold to hotels, restaurants and cafes.

While the frequency of honey extraction is subjective on the “strength of the bee colony” as well as the availability of flowers, Mr Tan estimates he does a harvest every three to four months.

A mature hive is able to yield between two and three kilograms worth of honey at each extraction, which Mr Tan sells for S$100 per kilogram.

“It is very light, fragrant and sweet … the taste is complex because of the variety of pollen the bees forage from.”

One client, The Grand Hyatt, said Mr Tan’s honey fits its food philosophy of sourcing from cooperative growers and local farmers.

The hotel’s director of culinary operations Lucas Glanville said that the beekeeper’s honeys “possess unique taste properties which are not available elsewhere”, and guests who tried it at the recent Farm to Table dinner in March were impressed.

He also sells the liquid gold to honey lovers at farmers’ markets or from his website. Be warned though, the wait time for his Singapore-made honey can be up to half a year.

Supply is limited, and Mr Tan has no intentions of taxing his busy bees for commercial profit.

DID YOU KNOW?

Singapore has four species of bees: the stingless bee (Trigona), Asian Honey Bee (Apis cerana), Dwarf Honey Bee (Apis andreniformis), Giant Honey Bee (Apis dorsata)
The colony size of an average hive is about 10,000 to 20,000 bees.
Bees will travel up to 2km from their hive to forage for food.
A single bee will seek out up to 2,000 flowers in a day.
There are two ways to tell if store-bought honey is authentic: it should not freeze when left in the freezer, and it should crystallize at the base over time.
The taste of honey is determined by where the majority of the collected pollen comes from.

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Marsiling Park opens with new mangrove habitat, enhanced amenities for residents

CYNTHIA CHOO Today Online 29 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE – After almost two years of redevelopment works, a popular park at Marsiling now has a new name and improved facilities for residents.

Marsiling Park, formerly known as Woodlands Town Garden, was opened on Sunday (April 29) after a 22-month overhaul that gave the park a new mangrove habitat and enhanced recreational amenities.

Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who is also the adviser to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Grassroots Organisations (GROs), graced the opening on Sunday morning with some 800 residents who attended a community event held in conjunction with the park's opening.

The 13-hectare park near Marsiling MRT station now features an enhanced mangrove forest with more than 1000 saplings of mangrove species, such as Api Api and White Teruntum.

Previously, the mangrove forest was blocked from public view by a dense layer of vegetation, which prevented the growth of new mangrove saplings.

Mangrove species that were endangered locally, like the Berembang, were also reintroduced.

The redevelopment works will open up opportunities for the public to learn more about mangrove ecosystems, said the National Parks Board (NParks).

Students from schools in the area, such as Marsiling Secondary School, will be involved in the monitoring of the flora and fauna at the mangrove area and document fauna species sighted throughout the park.

The data collected will help guide the development of long-term conservation management strategies, NParks added.

First opened in 1983 as Woodlands Town Garden, the park was renamed in 2016 after a public consultation process. At the time, residents expressed a strong interest in the renaming and the name Marsiling Park was eventually chosen.

Acting upon the feedback from residents, who stated that they wished to enjoy the park at all times of the day, NParks also installed more lamp posts to allow visitors to take evening strolls in the park.

Activity areas for children were also improved. For example, the butterfly playground has been complemented with educational interpretive boards to inform visitors about butterfly species that can be found within the park.

At another play area, equipment that makes musical sounds when played creates a different play experience for children. To cater to families, the park also has a new food and beverage outlet that is open round the clock.

To encourage residents in the Marsiling precinct to frequent the park more regularly, a community brisk walk event was also held on Sunday morning.

More activities, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, will also be held at the park later this year, said NParks.

Marsiling park known for vice activities reopens after two-year facelift
Vanessa Lim Channel NewsAsia 29 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE: A park in Marsiling that became infamous for its vice activities reopened on Sunday (Apr 29) after nearly two years of enhancement works.

The former Woodlands Town Garden, now known as Marsiling Park, was closed for upgrading in July 2016 following feedback from residents.

Media reports had said residents complained about vice activities at the park, and those living in the area had avoided the park as they felt unsafe.

Speaking at the park’s reopening on Sunday, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said: "In the last few years, as you saw from the media reports, we had some vice activities in this area."

The park has now been transformed with the help of grassroots leaders, NParks as well as President Halimah Yaacob, who pushed for the park to be upgraded during her time as Member of Parliament for Marsiling, Mr Wong said.

The 13ha park now has a new butterfly-shaped playground – the only one of its kind in Singapore – a new boardwalk, heritage corner as well as a cafe that is open around the clock.

Lighting has also been improved and activity areas are now well-lit to allow visitors to enjoy the park and use its facilities in the evenings, NParks said.

The mangrove area has also been enhanced to allow visitors to get closer to nature. More than 1,000 saplings of mangrove species such as Api Api and White Teruntum were planted. Critically endangered local mangrove species such as the Berembang have also been reintroduced to boost the biodiversity and ecological resilience of the mangrove.

The park is part of the six “star attractions” that was introduced last year to revitalise the Woodlands estate. Other attractions include new recreational and residential developments.

As part of the third batch of estates under the Housing and Development Board’s Remaking Our Heartlands programme, the Woodlands estate will be spruced up over the next five to 10 years.

Source: CNA/cy

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Consumer works to avoid disposables with own utensils

Low Li Ping Today Online 30 Apr 18;

Since January, Miss Khee Shihui has avoided using more than 200 single-use disposable utensils, straws, plates, bowls, cups and takeaway boxes - all made from plastic and styrofoam.

The 35-year-old freelance facilitator does so by bringing reusable utensils such as cups and lunchbox wherever she goes.

As @tabaogirl on Instagram, she regularly posts about her successes and failures at avoiding disposables.

It all started last May when she found out about the frightening extent of coral bleaching, caused by global warming, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

In her journey to zero waste, she has received mixed responses from food and beverage (F&B) businesses here.

REJECTED

Workers at one place once rejected her request to put the cold drink in her own cup for fear that she would complain on social media that she received "less quantity", Miss Khee told The New Paper.

But she has also encountered accommodating workers at F&B outlets who have even offered to help wash her containers.

Local halal F&B chain Stuff'd started allowing customers to use their own containers from last month.

Previously, it did not allow that due to the possibility of cross contamination.

Mr Chin Zheng, a customer service officer at Stuff'd, said: "Since then, we reached out to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) again for clarification, and they reassured us that as long the containers are clean, dry and empty, food can be packed into them."

Ms Sandra Zhang, 45, a project manager at Food from the Heart, a non-profit organisation that distributes food to the needy, said hawkers have never rejected her request to use her own containers.

"Some remember my special requests when I bring my own food containers," she said.

"It is such a shame to throw away plastic food containers that have only been used for less than an hour but took so much more time and resources to make." - LOW LI PING

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Runners race for a greener planet at Income Eco Run

Audrey Tan Straits Times 29 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE - Mass runs are usually known for generating huge amounts of waste, but insurance company Income is trying to change that with its annual Income Eco Run.

Some 9,000 participants laced up their running shoes for the run on Sunday (April 29) not just to get their hearts pumping, but also in a race for a greener planet.

Of the participants, 2,000 of them were Zero Waste runners who declined to receive a finisher tees, race medal, or both.

Other waste-reducing measures at the event include the recycling of all paper cups used, as well as the composting of some 700kg of banana peels. The fruit is usually distributed during mass run events.

The green efforts from the run, now in its ninth edition, will be incorporated into a report by the Singapore Environment Council to calculate the waste generated per capita during the event. It is the first time that this is being done for the Income Eco Run.

Results of the report will be released next month, and Income will use the insights to set new green targets for the next run.

Income chief marketing officer Marcus Chew said it was encouraging to see runners committing to a journey towards zero waste.

He said: "Building a more sustainable future requires the collective effort of everyone, and we want to thank all our runners for coming down today. We hope that participants will leave today's run feeling inspired to take a step, big or small, to create a greener world and help Singapore become more future ready."

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