Saving the Earth

The dawning of a new age

2008-01-11T16:02:00.000+08:00

In our kind of climate, the Christmas trees that we buy are made of plastic. These trees do not last many years and usually after a few years, parts of them give way and they have to be thrown away.

Some departmental stores import real pine trees for the Christmas season. They cost a lot more to buy and do not last either. What a waste of a natural resource if these trees are cut from the forests every year just so that they can hold up some glittering ornaments for a few weeks at the end of every year at home and in commercial places like shopping malls and office buildings. When the Christmas holidays were over I was surprised to come across this tree at the entrance to the Newton Hawker Centre.

From a distance I could not tell what it was made of.

As I got closer I saw that the Christmas tree was made from recycled bottles and of all things - LP records. One would have thought them to be too valuable to be used in this manner.

This tree must have been a sight to behold at night for there were wires criss-crossing it with small light bulbs attached.

Just the sight of these records bring back memories of the days when music that I enjoyed came from these huge vinyl records.records. The particular LP that I happened to look at carried the title 'The Age of Aquarius'.

Here's what I remember of the first verse of that song:

When the moon is in the seventh house

and Jupiter aligns with Mars

Then peace is with the planets

and love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius (2X)

Aquarius (2x)

I hope that when people learn to love the earth a little bit more by not hurting it with their rubbish, we will be steered away from self-destruction.

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-10-08T13:37:00.000+08:00

Read about this 2006 Academy Award winning documentary on Global Warming starring Al Gore, the former Vice-President of the United States under President Clinton here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth

I heard about this documentary months ago and only got the chance to watch it with my son last weekend. In fact, it was my son who asked me to buy this CD after he had watched an extract of it in school and was curious to find out more about Global Warming.

In essence, this documentary makes an appeal to the individual to take better care of the earth by not abusing and wasting its precious resources and causing pollution that is damaging to the physical environment of our beautiful planet. It is indeed a scary film because we get to see the big picture about global warming through the presentation of visual images, data and scientific evidence.

The key message in the documentary is that if we continue to ignore the consequences of our actions whether at the level of the individual or giant corporations, Earth will be heading towards certain destruction through drastic climatic changes in the years to come. The blurb on the CD says: "An Inconvenient Truth brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we must act now to save the earth. Each and every one of us can make changes in the way in which we live our lives and become part of the solution". Was the documentary convincing? Yes.

Was it persuasive in the message it is sending about how every individual counts towards saving the earth from destruction? At the end of the documentary while the credits were showing, I took the opportunity to tell my son that having watched the causes and effects of global warming, he should heed the message in the film and be more mindful at home with regards to the use of water and electricity. His reply was "I did not watch this film for you to tell me all this." I asked him why he had wanted to watch the film and he said, "Because it was interesting."

Later in the evening we asked his buddy, who joined us for a late-night supper, what he thought about Global Warming and if he had heard about the "Inconvenient Truth". He had and was of the view that as an individual there was nothing much he could do. If he were to make efforts to conserve energy it would not make any difference if others do not.

Here are at least two young people who will inherit the earth and watch it die in stages because they felt they were powerless as individuals to save the Earth in any way.. They do not, at this point in their lives, realise that the principle of multiplication in Mathematics can be applied in saving humanity and salvation for Earth begins with each of them.

This is what Al Gore is asking people to do - ordinary folks like you and me - that each of us are mindful and conscious in the way we use our resources. By not wasting water and electricity, by not being a use-and- throw society, by simply not buying things that we do not need, by not buying from manufacturers who destroy the environment for profits, by habitual recycling and prolonging usage of what we have instead of trashing things at the slightest wear and tear, we are doing the decent things that a human being can do to save the Earth.

Unfortunately, this message of environmental protection cannot be heard above all the noise and glam generated by corporations that make big bucks selling you products of all types and brands, more than half of which you do not need and most of which have been made or processed at the expense of the health of the planet. The message in "An Inconvenient Truth" is aimed at everyone. Even if you do not believe that one person can make a difference, at least, don't be the one to contribute the Earth's demise.

Al Gore showed a photo of the Earth taken from outer space. It was beautiful and I am privileged to be living in the most beautiful planet in the solar system. I have been doing all that I can in my own little ways not to waste water, electricity and to make conscious efforts to recycle things. I shall continue with these habits and practices even in the hope that more and more individuals will come to realise that athough individuals alone cannot make much of a difference to an issue like Global Warming, collectively they can.

As individuals we can spread the message by reminding and educating friends about good habits such as conservation of resources and recycling. We lead by example so that our respect for the Earth can be seen and emulated by others. Amongst teenagers, these may be absolutely uncool things to do. Think how uncool it is to be living in an overheated and ravaged, years from now.

Al Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 for his efforts in highlighting the effects of Global Warming. The Nobel Peace Prize is given to individuals who have made a difference. Al Gore as an individual has the presence, credentials and means to make a big impact on the world through his sharing of information about Global Warming.

We are only small fries in comparison but our playing field is not the world. It is in our homes, our office, our neighbourhood, our country. We need to believe that we, too, can make a difference no matter how small our contribution might be in helping to curb global warming. We will never win awards for our efforts but we will certainly sleep better knowing that we will not be killed by an unexpected earthquake in our part of the world or be swept away up by a hurricane that has never passed our way before.

Plastics and care

2007-08-16T12:07:00.000+08:00

One of the most versatile man-made materials on earth is present in great quantity here in this elongated make-shift kind of store along Tanjong Kling in Malacca. Imagine all this plastic that is practically indestructible discarded as trash. When we discard a tumbler here and a container there at home, we do not see the significance of what that would do the environment.

What others dispose of, we do not see and therefore we do not care. Now imagine that hundreds of households dump their discards here. That would give a sense of how much indestructible and harmful plastic we are responsible for and the part we play in killing the earth.

The following pictures were taken at Ngee Ann City where a mega sale of toys was taking place. Prices were attractive. People were attracted to the tons of plastic forms that they thought would give their kids endless hours of fun and distraction till the next sale comes along. Then the toys become useless and are thrown away or given to the Salvation Army and new ones made of more plastic replace them. Take a minute to think how much space these plastic toys would take up in rubbish dump and how much poisonous fumes could come from burning them to get rid of them from the face of this earth.

Don't buy things that you do not need. Kids do not need another toy. They just need parents to spend time with them. Housewives do not need to renew what they have in their cupboards just because there are sales everywhere. What we have is good enough, just take good care of them.

Go watch Simpsons, the Movie. What we do not need is a spider pig to amuse us and doughnuts to cause us to lose our sense of responsibility to ourselves, our families and our community. Sometimes, it may take a disaster or a near-disaster to make us value what we do have. It is best to avoid disasters by learning to value what we already have. Learning takes place in many ways. The important thing is to learn from what we have not done right and show it through our attitude and deeds in future.

Live Earth - Concerts for a Planet in Crisis

2007-07-07T23:26:00.000+08:00

Will these concerts make a difference? Find the answers for yourself here:

http://liveearth.msn.com/

Global warming

2007-06-28T19:11:00.000+08:00

The glaciers have melted and have retreated further up the mountains. Whole forests have disappeared and in their place are acres and acres of plantations. Rivers are polluted, fishes die, water becomes undrinkable and whole populations are affected. But we have yet to feel the repercussions of of how the earth has been tortured and abused over years in the name of progress. Cherish the earth's resources because the quality of our lives will be affected badly if we do not take care of them.

What the smell of the air tells us

2007-06-12T15:06:00.000+08:00

I have not known for a long time what fresh air smells like. Air that is just air unpolluted by chemicals around us. It is not just the air that is tainted, it is also the water and the food we eat as well as the things we surround ourselves with in the course of living and working that is scary.

An article titled "The pollution within" in the October 2006 issue of the National Geographic written by a journalist who underwent expensive tests to find out to what extent his blood contains harmful chemical compounds absorbed from the environment.

The article draws attention to the fact that we are not free from exposure to toxins in modern day living. In particular, a two-page spread giving information on the kind of harmful chemicals present in our homes forces us to look around us and see our surroundings with a new awareness. The chemicals, some of which are toxic go by the names of PBDEs, PHTHALATES, PFAs, PCBs, DIOXINs and these together with pesticides and metals and old paint are enough to make us wish we can return to a simple life in the caves.

I take the things in my home for granted not thinking about them as producing harmful substances that are detrimental to my health by their mere presence. For example items like foam mattresses and pillows, carpets, chari cushions, hair-dryers and telephones contain PBDEs that are used as flame retardants and they can build up in people's bodies. In the lab this chemical is causes developmental problems to animals.

Shampoos, soap, hair spray, toothpaste, shower curtains, extension cords contain PHTHALATES that have been tested harmful to the development of animals. PFOA used in non-stick pans in high doses cause cancer in animals. And here is the reason why we should not use plastic bottles countless times especially those plastic drink bottles that we tend to find useful for storing water. Some of these plastic bottles are made with a chemical that could cause harm to fetuses. The advice is to avoid using hard plastic bottles.

There are always strange smells in the air. A whiff of this and a whiff of that. If it's not the aroma coming from my neighbours' cooking, I can correctly say that the rest of the smells are chemical. In fact, it is easy to smell plastic going bad. We just have to be vigilant and sharpen our senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.

As individuals, we can do our bit for the protection of the environment by keeping our needs simple. Now I finally understand why Japanese homes are so neat and uncluttered. The Japanese also live to a ripe old age. There must be some connection between this kind of uncluttered lifestyle and the ability to live long healthy lives.

Ozone depletion

2007-05-23T19:12:00.000+08:00

This photo taken from a hotel in Malacca makes me think of ozone depletion and the hole in the sky.

The hole in the sky
We created it through
years of mistreating the environment
One day we will fry
When the ozone disappears
bit by bit surely as we ignore the signs
The hole in the sky
gets bigger and we will fry

I only write poetry to create awareness. For the scientific explanations of the effects of Ozone Depletion, do visit this excellent website:
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - great videos on the subject:
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/movies/index.html

If you prefer to read about it, here's the link to the website of the EPA.
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/index.html

Stop and take a look

2007-05-22T11:30:00.000+08:00

This beautiful mural was painted some years ago. I caught a glimpse of the man who lovingly painted it while I was driving past it. I never saw him again and there was no mention of who he was anywhere and there was no publicity about this painting that always perked me up when I see it. After so many years of being exposed to rain and shine, the painting looks like it needs some touching up. I wonder how many people really look at the animals that have been painted so realistically and devote a few seconds of their time to admire it or to point out to their kids the different creatures on the wall to interest them in nature.

I will not be surprised if one day this painting is gone forever. It is only a painting, imagine that the polar bears, the kingfishers,the fox, the duck and others disappear from the face of this earth. Do we care?

Flowers for eternity?

2006-11-19T12:24:00.000+08:00

These flowers are artificial and one day they may be all that we have to remind us of nature. Will we miss the real flowers? Will you? Imagine that all the trees in Singapore are replaced with trees like this. Just close your eyes and imagine. If you shudder at that thought, take better care of the environment now so that we can continue to enjoy clean air, greenery and of course, the real flowers. Art installation by a Korean artist at Vivocity.

Creating environmental awareness

2006-11-04T14:02:00.000+08:00

I bought this beautiful photo frame and bookmarks from the Environmental Club of Hillgrove Secondary School at the entrance of Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve. They were made by the students of the club and carried the Nparks and Sungei Buloh stamps. It is great that students are given opportunities to think about the environment through club activities such as this. In applying their creativity to depict nature in fun and attractive ways, they are also spreading the message that all creatures big and small have roles to play and they are not just bugs or food on the table. We need them to balance the ecology and we need to take care of nature and our environment in order to enjoy them for generations to come.

Haze Report

2006-10-09T13:39:00.000+08:00

We expect the haze to be back this afternoon because the winds of change will not be in our favour. Take care.

Fun in Recycling

2006-09-30T16:28:00.000+08:00

Attractive bins that encourage recycling of plastics, aluminium and paper are found in Ocean Park in Hong Kong. There is a 'Talking Tree' that has an owl popping out every few minutes to educate park visitors, especially children, where to throw their empty bottles and cans.

If you cannot read, you will still be able to get the recycling message.

For adults, recycling is presumed to be practised consciously and so the bins are less fanciful.

This is the first time that I have seen such bins in the city. They are just outside the City Hall MRT entrance, next to St Andrew's Cathedral. I pray that these bins will not turn into white elephants. Use them, know that you are doing a good deed when you take the bother to throw the right trash in the correct bin.

Keeping the parks clean

2006-08-29T18:12:00.000+08:00

Kent Ridge Park in Singapore employs a man to operate this machine that vacuums the park premises. The dead leaves are sucked into a gigantic bag mounted at the back of this buggy. The process appears to be cumbersome and slow although it ensures that every leaf that lies in the way of the suction apparatus disappears from view. The machine is noisy and probably stirs up fine dust which explains why the driver has covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief. In contrast, a sweeper was engaged in a park near Beijing to sweep away fallen leaves. Clad in stylish, black leather jacket and pants, the sweeper went about her work producing little noise and went about her job professionally.

Whether using a broom or a high-tech method to keep parks clean, the two park sweepers definitely heeded the call of Martin Luther King, Jr when he said:

"If a man is called to be
a streetsweeper, he should sweep even
as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music,

or Shakespeare wrote poetry.

He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts
of heaven and earth will pause to say,
“Here lived a great streetsweeper.”

I cannot help but wonder if in the name of progress, we sacrifice artistry and flexibility in the things that we do and and at the same time contribute to the pollution of the environment.

West Coast Park

2006-07-25T13:44:00.000+08:00

Why is this park so clean?

I only took notice of something that I had taken for granted in all the visits that I made to this park over the years. One morning as I was brisk-walking in this park, a group of students behind me seemed to be tailing me as their lively chatter never abated despite my fast pace of walking. Out of curiosity, I turned around and I saw a schoolboy holding a black garbage bag flanked by 4 or 5 classmates of his. I concluded that it must have been a school community project where the kids were off-loaded chartered buses to 'clean the park' for a morning. Judging by the pace of their walking, I would say that they did not have to 'work' at all and the community project was literally a walk in the park. Further on, I came across a much bigger group led by a few teachers and I thought they seemed rather lost. It must have been the effects of disbelief or relief and then confusion, when they could not see anything worthy of their garbage bags.

When I got home and saw the photos I had taken, it suddenly dawned on me that West Coast Park, like those other parks I have been to, is really sparkling clean. They dazzle with cleanliness because every morning there is a regular group of cleaners who systematically(see picture below) comb the park for litter and to sweep away fallen leaves and flowers on the ground. If there are lessons to be learned for these students, then our parks are not the appropriate places. I think they should each bring a photo of their study desk or their rooms to class and talk about them with their classmates and teachers. As the saying goes: "Charity begins at home", habits of cleanliness, neatness, tidiness that are the building blocks of good character and attitude of kindness towards the environment starts with how much we care about the state of home.

Useless things

2006-07-23T15:38:00.000+08:00

Why don't you throw half the things in the house away?" - this was said in exasperation by my son when I was hounding him to keep his things in order and to clear cupboard space for his files and folders from schoolI.

If I don't use them, I keep them." - this was in response to my question on what are the stuff that he has no use for anymore. This time I was exasperated because I see totally no logic in keeping things if they do not serve any purpose in your life anymore.

"At the end of the scene that has been repeated many times before, I made off with 5 empty boxes with solid plastic frames that used to contain his toy cars, 3 old Reader's Digests, one pencil case that used to belong to his sister that was bulging with pens, pencils, ruler, erasers and what-not, and an old file. Now there is an empty shelf in his cupboard that I hope will be filled with things that matter to him.

The photos below show how I have given those useless objects a new lease of useful existence. The flattened boxes will be given to recycling projects, the plastic frames have been transformed into stationery holders and as for the pencil case and the contents, I shall give them to people who need them but have no money to buy them.

As for the 3 issues of Readers' Digests, why I haven't read them and when I am done with them I shall give them to people who would read them.

Shred and Save

2006-07-12T18:21:00.000+08:00

For many years, I have been keeping a lot of papers that I thought contained my job knowledge. But really, with the wonderful resources and possibilities offered by the internet, I decided that that job knowledge is no more static and therefore the papers I have been hoarding are really useless and worse still, they taking up precious space and cluttering up my life. I made up my mind to let go, to shred and save myself from wallowing in redundant information and to have a new beginning by sending boxes of these papers to a school that has an on-going recycling project. With the internet, nothing is static anymore and our knowledge of the world becomes dynamic, fluid and exciting. Save the earth by weeding out all the papers you have been storing in your cupboards. All we need is just a keyboard away - for me anyway!

Environmental consciousness

2006-06-20T22:49:00.000+08:00

From afar, zoom into the square window in the

tall building on the right.

You will see that this is a recess into the facade and it houses small trees.

Perhaps this is a message to all that while we may make leaps and bounds in economic progress and are able to reach great heights in our achievements, we should always remember that it is the earth that we owe our existence to. These trees that are so many stories above ground could have been given that special niche in the concrete building because someone believed in their importance.

Treeless in Singapore

2006-06-14T22:08:00.000+08:00

This I imagine is how Singapore would look if there wasn't a single tree in the city. Now imagine Orchard Road with no trees. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle paper and wood products. Appreciate nature, look at the trees around you. For now they are everywhere because we have come a long way from a Garden City to being a City in a Garden. Isn't that great? Love nature and nature will love you in return.

Love the trees

2006-06-03T23:02:00.000+08:00

These trees are for asthetics, for shade and for cleansing the air. But trees in the forests are indiscriminately felled for their wood to feed the hunger of consumer societies. They perish because we keep buying more than what we really need. We buy because of the successes of advertisements, promotions, sales and marketing pitches that convinced us that material things are essential to our existence. So we own duplicates and multiples of things in different forms, colour and texture made from wood, plastics, metals and sythetic materials. Actually, we can do without most of them. But if we limit our consuming to the basics, the economy will suffer and if we help the economy thrive, the earth will be clogged up with unnecessary discards. So really, we need to find a balance between our needs and the needs of the good earth by not going to extremes when we go shopping and by our acts of kindness to the earth through habits and practices of reducing, reusing and recycling. Make a start by appreciating the beautiful trees in Singapore:

http://flowersinsingapore.com/Albums/TreesinSingapore/

The business of recycling

2006-05-21T15:48:00.000+08:00

This picture was taken yesterday when I was in Chinatown. No doubt these boxes will bring in the needed income for the man who had painstakingly collected these cardbords and boxes for the recycling business. But for those of us who are not doing this for a living, we could do so for the well-being of the earth. No matter that we are only individuals but our collective (ion) efforts are for a good cause. So take note of the recycling days in your neighbourhood and put out your discarded plastic bottles, containers, glass containers, papers etc. If this man makes it his business to recycle, we can do the same.

Earth Day at Sungei Buloh

2006-04-22T18:27:00.000+08:00

Today is Earth Day at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the day was celebrated with activities to create awareness and care for the natural environment. I joined in the Stone Painting Activity and learned the basics of this art from the artist, Tham Pui San, whose Stone Painting Exhibition was launched today at Sungei Buloh.

Though this piece of my little effort is a far cry from the beautifully painted pieces drawn by the artist, I would like to post it here as my contribution to Earth Day and to convey that in conservation and preservation of the Earth's beauty and resources, we can do our part in various ways. We can offer what we do best at be it our physical effort in cleaning up the swamps or just adding some colours to a piece of stone the way I have done. This humble contribution of mine is my milestone to do more for myself, for others and for the Earth.

http://www.sbwr.org.sg/news/onlinebulletin/index.htm#earthday

Multiple conversations

2006-04-09T16:02:00.000+08:00

Are we serious about saving the earth?
Yes we are
Can we really make a difference?
Depends
How many people really bother?
A minority of people who care enough
What about the rest?
No time, let others do it

Meanwhile...

Everything we do not need goes into the garbage
Things we have no use for, we throw
Food that cannot be finished, cannot be kept
Then why cook or order so much?
Cos' it is not easy to estimate
The Chinese have a saying, "The eye is wider than the stomach"
Don't you feel guilty about wasting food?
It's really not that much we throw away
What about water that runs down the tap
while you soap yourself in the shower
That's part and parcel of keeping clean
Imagine so much water running down the sink
good, clean water disappearing, wasted while we
brush our teeth, rinse our cups, wash our hands
sparkling water that is cleaner than the water in the
drains, the khlongs where people do 101 things in their daily lives
Food, water, electricity
Do we waste them?
No, cos we can afford to pay for them, so they are at our disposal
Do you know that the less you waste, the more we will have?
What for? I may not live another day.

Meanwhile...

The hole in the sky gets bigger
The icebergs melt and the sea level rise
The weather goes crazy
And we can do nothing but watch life slip from our Mother Earth
Children of a supposedly better age
Have no time to spare
a thought for the Earth
Though they are so wired, they are disconnected
with the earth's message warning of
global warming, but then I won't suffer in my time
cos' it will take years and I'd be gone

Meanwhile...
There is so much living to do
We need that new TV, PC, Camera, Car, House
Who has time to think about saving the earth
Need meh?

Don't feed the monkeys - values and beliefs

2006-03-22T22:45:00.000+08:00

When we are kind to the earth we are also kind to all living beings. We should not intentionally hurt another person or animal. Increasingly we are reading reports about people killing others, abuse of children, extreme cruelty to animals. These reports got me thinking about what I should do about this blog. The intention was to create awareness amongst colleagues about the need make recycling a part of their lives whether at home or at work.

Since my first posting till now, I have given enough evidence of how I have, through reflection and action, consciously practised recycling because I have thought deeply about my own values about the environment around me and my beliefs that I have to do something, no matter how small, to preserve it. At this point, I would like to turn my focus towards nature and how we can do our bit to preserve it in order to save the earth in terms of how we value and obey the laws of nature.

This new angle on 'Saving the Earth' begins with an observation I made at the Upper Peirce Reservoir one weekend. Along the road leading to the reservoir and the park, there were gigantic bill boards the size of a cinema screen with visuals telling visitors NOT to FEED the MONKEYS. There was even a poem on why we should not feed them at the entrance to the reservoir. Despite these, there were people who stopped their cars by the roadside to feed the families of monkeys that are by now trained to take peanuts or bananas from these ignorant adults all out to amuse their clueless offsprings.

What was even worse, I saw a group of adults and kids in the area next to the toilet feeding the monkeys. I would not waste my time and blog space to feature them here except that if you look closely at the photo below, you will see a mother teaching her toddler how to feed a monkey that is about the same size as the little girl. As a mother, I would keep my kids away from wild animals (these monkeys are in no way tame even though they take food from your hands) for fear that they would suddenly turn vicious and attack my child. That I thought was a natural instinct of a mother but I was wrong. I look again at the photo and I think that in order for us to do something in a particular way, we must first examine our values about how we feel about what we have been asked to do. Secondly, I believe that what we value in life is there for all to see in the way we behave towards others and in the way we conduct ourselves.

This photo to me has these messages: If you value nature, you will NOT FEED THE MONKEYS, if you do not value nature, you will feed them for your own entertainment and the monkeys can perish or become a nuisance in the environment for all you care. Message #2: if you value your children, you will not endanger them by doing what the mother did in the photo, unless I am wrong because I am making an assumption that the family did not live in a circus environment where the kids grow up side by side with wild animals as playmates.

Recycling Day again

2006-03-12T10:20:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow is recycling day at my housing estate and I have got my two bags ready for collection. Yesterday, I received a letter to inform me that the National Environment Agency has appointed a new refuse collection service provider from 1 April. Enclosed in the envelope was a blue trash bag and a schedule of the year's collection dates. Ironically, the letter and the schedule were printed on separate sheets when they could have been printed back-to-back and that would have resulted in saving reams of paper. The schedule has this caption "MAKE RECYCLING OURWAY OF LIFE". I wonder if they really mean what they say. Many times, we chant slogans without knowing what the message is about. We can be forgiven but I don't think that a service provider has any justification for not practising what they preach especially when they have been appointed by the NEA. I also wonder if my present garbage collectors who have served this area for as long as I have been here will no longer be seen. I hope they still have their jobs serving other areas in Singapore. Life here seems to be about cutting cost and making profits and we in our bid to become the best always in all aspects of our work to achieve this goal, have also cut our ties with our hearts.

Motivation to recycle

2006-03-04T13:00:00.000+08:00

In the Asia section of today's Straits Times, there was a photo of a woman in Shanghai dragging a large trolley shopping bag across a pavement lined with rubbish and the caption reads "Cash in Trash". The woman was looking for materials for recycling and for her efforts she would be paid for items that could be recyled such as rubber shoes, glass and plastic. According to the article, she could earn up to 500 yuan or S$100 a month. If you could see the photo here or can imagine what this photo is about, you will not envy her or want to be in her shoes. She is not collecting these items to save the earth but to earn a livelihood and she is able to do that because corporations need these materials to save costs. There are two types of motivation - extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation stems from something that is dangled before you such as cash in the case of this Shanghai woman. Intrinsic comes from within us. We who have no need to earn a living by salvaging and selling materials for recycling purposes could take a second look at the picture and ask ourselves whether there is a better way to dispose of our rubbish and in our part of the world where such a scene is not seen, could we also be motivated to recycle our own trash not for cash but to reduce harm to the world.

The toughest job

2006-02-19T23:12:00.000+08:00

Oh look at the dirty beach. Who did that ? The waves? No, the people who threw their trash ino the sea. It could have been you and it could have been me, or someone else. This garbage does not belong here. The beach can be cleaned and that really is the easy part. The toughest part is us.

The invisible line

2006-02-17T21:48:00.000+08:00

Where is this place?

It is where plastic
might one day inherit the earth
Where wood is just planks
not trees and forests
sliced and cut
Where the line between
what is natural and what is man-made
will move in favour of
whichever we humankind
choose to protect.

Think about that line
up or down?
You decide.

Plastic Bag usage - a consumer's report

2006-02-15T22:27:00.000+08:00

NTUC cashiers have been briefed I am sure of that about not using more plastic bags than necessary and most certainly must have received training on packing more in fewer plastic bags. I note that for heavy items like canned food and bottles of shampoo and detergent only single plastic bags are used. In the past they would insist, out of concern or just carrying out instructions, that two plastic bags should be used. I am pleased that for once, they are dropping this damaging practice. It will be interesting to compare the usage of plastic bags at the end of the year to see if the reduction is significant. For once I actually look forward to how numbers will turn out for trash is definitely measurable and the results can actually be assuring and comforting if they indeed indicate that people are not just aware of recycling but are making concerted efforts to protect the environment.

More publicity, more education on going green

2006-02-11T10:58:00.000+08:00

Creating Public Awareness

It appears that there is a surging effort to create public awareness about the benefits of going green. This morning's Straits Times in featuring in its job recruitment section careers in the public sector, highlighted the job of an environmental health officer in the National Environmental Agency who took the opportunity to promote her passion about recycling. I thought what a coincidence it is to see something like this in the newspapers when I had just posted something similar last night (previous post).

First page of job recruitment section of The Straits Times , Sat, Feb 11, 2006

As I continued with my Saturday morning reading of the pile of newspapers for the day, I saw another article that relays a similar environmental message, this time about cutting down on the excessive use of plastic bags.

Weekend Today, Feb 11- 12, 2006, Page4

Campaigns to Educate

There is going to be a new national campaign to discourage the excessive use of plastic bags that will be launched this morning by a minister and participating retailers are leading supermarkets. The article also gives startling figures about our use of these plastic bags. According to the report we dispose of up to 19,000 tons of these bags annually. Just imagine the weight of 19 one-tonner army trucks and imagine how many plastic bags it will take to weigh that much.

I think it takes more than a campaign to get people to adopt the habit of not using and disposing these bags so liberally just because they are given to us free just as liberally. At home I adopt a habit of not allowing food stuff to be thrown in any dustbin in the house other than the one in the kitchen and when I empty dustbins elsewhere in the house I keep the plastic bag in the bin as it is still clean. In this way I use not more than 2 plastic bags a week per bin. The problem I face now is that I have accumulated so many plastic bags that it is a pain to see them. At the same time, I do not want to throw them.

Whom should we educate?

Our children - responsibilities of parents and schools

Currently, students are involved in some compulsory community service activities that include cleaning beaches, packing clothes and toys for charity, recycling cans but most times the real learning does not go beyond what they do for the school's activities and projects. For example, my children have gone through all these activities, attended talks on why they should treat the earth well through "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" and yet at home, there is no trace that they truly understand why they have been put through those motions by their schools. I have become tired of nagging at them to keep their rooms clean and to be discrimate about what to throw away and what to keep for resusing or recycling. I have particularly impressed upon them that in this house, I practice the 3Rs. Yet there is no end to my nagging because they just don't get it - that the message of being kind to the earth is not for its own sake like those countless activities they were involved in at school but it is a message to the heart that tells them that they should recycle not because they were told or made to but because they really believe that they are doing something meaningful and good. This is the tough part because it has to do with their values and beliefs which

So recently, I have changed my tactic from nagging to leaving notes for them like what I did last week. I gathered all the items that have long outlived their use from their bathroom and their table tops and put up a mini exhibition in the one of their rooms. The I waited to see how quick the response would be to the appeal in the note. It took all of three days before these items appeared in a plastic bag for my attention and proper disposal on the kitchen sink. However, I will continue with this writing of notes and leaving it on their table. I find this less tiring and more creative on my part. My kids and others like them need constant reminding and to know that I am serious about what I believe in and hopefully they will begin to appreciate what all these efforts about. Not many parents will bother because there are always maids to take care of the rubbish. Then, if we have maids, we should educate them as well.

In school, our children should be given projects in keeping the environment green through educational approaches that require them to examine their values and beliefs first and to relate these to the activities to be carried out. Students should be taught how to reflect and to journal and share their feelings and thoughts at each stage of the activity that they carry out in the name of recycling. I do not know if teachers bring students through a process like this in implementing all of the school's projects that are related to preserving the environment or are these projects just carried out mechanically just to count as a number that goes towards school's countable achievements. Education is not a matter of doing, it is a matter of understanding first why we do the things we do before jumping into action.

Valentine's Day - Have a heart to save the earth

2006-02-10T22:58:00.000+08:00

Valentine's day is so commercialised that yearly we are hoodwinked into frenzied consumption of goods in the name of love. Sometimes we pay an unnecessary premium for ordinary goods because they come in fancy packaging. Actually, it is possible to save that amount of money and donate it to the needy if we do the packaging ourselves with just a little imagination.

Here's how I did it - I came back from a holiday in India with a shawl that I had wanted to give to my colleague. It was beautifully woven and much cheaper when it was bought in India than in some big departmental store here. I used an empty chocolate box from my last trip to Thailand that I had been saving for an occasion like this and lined it with a cut-out piece of a Takashimaya carrier bag (recognise the flowers?) Then I carefully laid the shawl into this home-made packaging, covered it and stuck a pretty ribbon on in and gave my friend a pleasant surprise. Yes, this is another way to recycle stuff - not things that you would otherwise have thrown away like plastic bottles, aluminium cans - but stuff that are really too beautiful to throw away and that you could definitely reuse in other ways. If you need some relaxation and work on developing your creativity, indulge in a creative act - create some parts of a gift instead of buying everything that money can buy.

Some of the boxes that are too good to throw away. You can also hide the origins of the boxes by pasting wrapping paper on them to make them look attractive.

Chek Jawa on TV tonight

2006-02-04T12:18:00.001+08:00

Tonight on Channel News Asia is a programme called "Living Treasures: Cover and Concealment" that shows the beauty of Chek Jawa that would certainly make us appreciate nature that truly is our heritage equal to those that we have seen in countless documentaries of wildlife in other parts of the world. Surely a programme not to be missed by nature lovers. So turn on your TV at 8.30pm. After this programme, think about the possibility that this place may disappear from the face of this earth if we leave the responsiblity to take care of the environment to other people. We always think that there will be someone to do the job even if it is as simple as recycling drink cans discarded at the end of Chinese New Year parties.

Visit http://www.wildsingapore.com to find out more about other beautiful places in Singapore where nature thrives.

Chek Jawa is a delicate enviroment. It is best to have a guide with you and I am glad that visitors are controlled by numbers. We had a very knowledgeable guide, Mr Wong, who showed that above all else, we should respect the environment that we tread on.

The Singapore Environment Council

2006-01-29T21:19:00.000+08:00

This is the website of the Singapore Environment Council :

I came across this website while browsing wildsingapore.com. It contains really helpful information on where to recycle various materials, information that I've always wanted to have. And here it is all on just one page. Just click on the image to get there.

Letting go of our possessions

2006-01-24T23:00:00.000+08:00

This photo shows all the Barbie dolls that I bought for my daughter when she was in primary school. They are as good as new as I think I subconsciously bought them for myself although they were presents given to her on various occasions. They are now in a plastic container because I feel sad to part with them as I am with so many other things. How many people are like me in that I am reluctant to give away:

Clothes and shoes that no longer fit me;
Handbags that take up precious cupboard space
Paper-back novels that we hope one day to read again;
Fridge magnets accumulated over various trips
Souvenirs in the form of vases, key chains, decorative items;
Shawls that I no longer use because I keep buying new ones.

What will predictably happen is that the clothes will be kept for years not benefiting anyone and years later, they become outdated and will be thrown away; the handbags will have mould growing on them, leather will crack from disuse and metal buckles become unsightly; the books will fall apart; the fridge magnets will lose their attractiveness because the material will deteriorate; souvenirs we display and keep boxes for years will be in a state fit for throwing away and my shawls will end up as rags in the worse case scenario.

My Barbie dolls are right now as good as useless objects and I might have stored them somewhere where they can possibly lie forgotten for the next 10 years. Together will all the things that I now have but have no use for, I am potentially a contributor to the landfills of the future. Meanwhile other people who could use these possessions that I have no use for are purchasing the same or similar items. In 10 years' time, all of us will be disposing of similar Barbie dolls, fridge magnets, paper back novels etc. because we are so like each other in the way we buy, keep and discard things.

There must be a way to make those things in our possession useful again so that there is no need to keep spending money on things. Oops, that might not be good for the economy but it sure will do the environment some good. So in saving the earth, we also need to to waste not, want not or is it the other way round. Whichever it is, being kind to the environment is more than consious acts to reduce, reuse and recycle. It really has to do with one's values and beliefs and philosophy of life. I really have to learn to let go and let things go where they will be of use to others instead of cluttering up my home with them. There must be many ways to let go other than the yearly trips to the Salvation Army just before Christmas. But first, I have to learn to let go...

The story of Chek Jawa

2006-01-07T21:49:00.000+08:00

Singaporeans know about Chek Jawa - a small stretch of inter-tidal flats on the eastern edge of Pulau Ubin, a small island to the north-east of Singapore that is now being turned into a recreation island for families and young people keen on nature and outdoor activities. People here also know that Chek Jawa nearly disappeared because of a plan to reclaim land from the sea. Thankfully, Chek Jawa was saved by people who fought for it to remain as it is - a natural heritage where Singaporeans could get to enjoy the wonders of the sea in between tidal changes at specific times in the month. I wonder if the day will come when Singaporeans will unite to save our land and our earth from pollution. All it takes is for every family to make the concious effort to reecycle papers, plastics, bottles and aluminium cans just once or twice a month and we will be doing the earth immeasurable good. Today, we may have saved Chek Jawa but tomorrow does not guarantee that it will not be lost to land reclamation because our garbage is taking up too much precious space. Find out what we will be losing:

http://flowersinsingapore.com/chekJawa1.htm

No time to blog

2006-01-05T23:35:00.000+08:00

I met Marvin who asked why my blog is not up-to-date. Have I lost interest? No I haven't. It's just that there are other blogs to update and no one seems interested in this one. Recycling even amongst my friends is not a habit, not practised and life goes on without thought about the hole in the sky or the pollution of land, sea and air because we just don't get it, yet. By the time we do, it may be way too late. The chemicals we release into the environment through our hairsprays, detergents etc; the tons of plastic bags from our shopping trips and the surplus food that we throw away too easiy; the plastic cups, bottles and containers that we find it more convenient to throw than to recycle - we have no time to think about the consequences and maybe we do not know what they are. Sad!

Disposal of Batteries

2005-11-20T15:41:00.000+08:00

In preparing for a talk to my colleagues this coming Friday that I have titled "Heaven and Earth - preserving our natural resources" as a follow up of my first talk on Saving the Earth, I have been searching the internet for information.

http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=electronics/bat_env.asp

I came across this great site called earth911 that really is a gold mine of educational resources that teachers can tap. It is also a good source of information of us to find out how we can be kinder to the earth by not wasting water and electricity, how to dispose of items that would harm the earth.

One of the questions that I've always had is how to dispose of used batteries. My instincts tell me that batteries should not be thrown into the trash but I did not know that when they are burned, the vapours from the metals can pollute lakes and streams amongst other hazards like exposing the environment to lead and acid. Also, batteries that end up in landfills and incinerators could leak into the environment and end up in the food chain.

I have a collection of used batteries and I need to know how to get rid of them here.

Lesson from Jiuzhaigou

2005-11-09T18:01:00.000+08:00

This picturesque scene was taken in the Jiuzhaigou Valley in China that is famous for its beautiful lakes, ponds and waterfalls. Many Singaporeans have visited this place and everyone has come back to praise this fairyland on earth. I was there recently and can confirm that this is really a heaven on earth. Amazingly, even though there were hordes of tourists, the entire place was really litter free. I never saw rubbish of any kind or any size floating in the water or thrown around along the path that was well trampled by thousands of people a day. I'd like to think that it is partly because of trash bins like this coupled with people's love for nature or perhaps fear of authority hidden in their midst that resulted in the preservation of the environment in its natural state of cleanliness of beauty. It is said that "it takes two to tango" - in the preservation of the environment, the likely partners here must be the attitude of the visitor and the conscious effort of the authorities to provide and enforce the rules of nature.

How do I recycle ink cartridges?

2005-10-20T23:15:00.000+08:00

We buy, we use and we throw

In with the new and out with the old

The cartridges are empty, no ink flow

Must we always throw away the old?

These cartridges are still in my office. What can I do with them to ensure that they are reused or recycled?

Chicken rice dinner and what happens after that

2005-10-17T23:23:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, friends came to visit and stayed for dinner. We bought nine packs of chicken rice that came in oblong plastic containers and 2 half-portions of chicken that came in two of those pink plastic carriers. When dinner was over, everyone advised that I disposed of these containers into the garbage bin. It was really simple - just throw them into plastic bags, tie them up and get rid of them. It would have saved me the effort of washing all those oily boxes.

To their surprise, I started to educate them about how these plastic boxes could be recycled and that it would not take too much of our time or effort to do make that happen. I showed them that with some imagination and a commitment to go green at home, the boxes could be cleaned with paper napkins (to remove the oil) and then rinsed with soap. Although the oil could not be removed 100%, the boxes were clean enough to be left to dry without the risk of attracting ants or cockroaches. After one day of airing, the boxes were dry enough to be put into the plastic bags for recycling instead of taking up space in a landfill or poisoning the environment had they gone to the incinerator.

Creating awareness creatively

2005-10-16T11:02:00.000+08:00

On this table are creative ideas on how to recycle trash into objects of beauty that could be given away or used as decorative items. You will see glass bottles naturally coated with barnacles, wave-polished bricks and shells that are used as receptacles for small plants. There are also photo frames made from discarded chocolate and moon-cake boxes. The orange item on the right is an aluminium can that had been cut artistically to look like a peacock and in the centre is a toilet-roll holder made of newspapers and a discarded plastic roll that used to contain specialty paper. It takes very little for two of my colleagues to put this little display together to create awareness amongst staff. All that was needed was an event that we could ride on free of charge and the coming together of like-minded people who wanted to spread the message of recycling to colleagues in a small way.

When will the day be...

2005-10-02T15:28:00.000+08:00

Trash cans on the platform of the Bullet Train station in Osaka.

that we will automatically separate our trash in the interest of the preservation of the earth? By my judgement, a long shot away but it always starts with individual efforts. At home, at work and making it a point to educate others especially children and teenagers whenever there is a teachable moment. We have a long way before we reach the standards achieved by the Japanese but if we start to value and believe that we, and we alone, are responsible for the well-being of the earth, we have moved forward in the way we live our lives.

A small act of recycling

2005-09-23T22:49:00.000+08:00

No, I am not giving free advertisement space to Coca Cola. I went out dinner with a friend and then we bought these two cans of coke after a hearty meal and then we went to the seaside to enjoy the breeze and the thrill of watching incoming aeroplanes flying over us just before they landed on the airport runway next to where we were. My friend was about to throw these into the garbage bin when I told her to give me the empty cans as I would like to recycle them. Although she gave me a skeptical look, she was supportive of my intention and even got me a plastic bag to keep them in.

In the past, I had always thrown used cans away into the garbage bin wherever I might be but having written so much to date on recycling, these cans have become more than trash to me. I now feel that dumping them along with the garbage would be a real waste as this is good metal that can become something useful again. On reflection, I do not think that I would ever have brought the cans home had it not been for all the writing on this blog. Saving two cans of coke from the incinerator was my good deed for today.

Reduce waste with some creativity

2005-08-27T15:25:00.000+08:00

Two more of Audrey's creative ideas. These wave-polished bricks picked up by Audrey along the beach were turned into attractive plant pots. Fashioned by nature, they could have been litter on the beach but see how they have been cleverly recycled as useful objects. On the right, a bottle encrusted with barnacles was recycled into a vase. If we are conscious about the need to reduce waste, we will find that there are many objects in our house that could likewise be converted for other uses. Unfortunately, most of us find it easier to throw things away in the trash than to spend some time to think about how we can reduce our trash.

Precious water

2005-08-23T22:58:00.000+08:00

Water is precious. We need to be conscious of our habits of water usage, especially at home so as not to waste it. It is all about the need for conservation and not whether we can afford to pay for it or not. The picture taken above is not of a lake in China although the scenery might resemble one. It was taken at one of the reservoir parks in Singapore in the late afternoon when the rain has stopped. Treasure this scene for it will not be very pretty without the water in it even if the beauties remain.

Trees no more

2005-08-21T16:46:00.000+08:00

A song by Joni Mitchell in the seventies called "Big Yellow Taxi" contained these lines that make me shudder to think that one day it is possible that ther will be no trees left standing in the natural environment:

"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see em"

Aesthetics in Recycling

2005-08-16T23:03:00.000+08:00

Recycling need not be boring as these photos of Audrey's handiwork and artistic efforts clearly illustrate. Stones and shells are common companions at the beach or shoreline. We may collect them separately as hobbies but have you ever thought of putting them together as a conversation piece as well as a receptable for small items eg. paperclips, melon seeds, sweets, earrings? The next photo shows how Audrey has cleverly assembled a piece of wire and a clothes peg to transform a bottle into a functional card holder. Just some imagination and restraint in throwing away every little thing in our house into the garbage bin. More from Audrey in the next blog to inspire and fire up passions to reuse and recycle.

Kentridge Park

2005-08-14T22:25:00.000+08:00

If we want to be close to nature, we need not look very far. Down South Buena Vista Road is Kentridge Park with a boardwalk that takes you amongst the tree tops where you get breath-taking views like this:

A Photo Tribute to our Trees

2005-08-11T22:45:00.000+08:00

If there is one thing that I am grateful for each day is that there is so much lush greenery and beautiful foliage in Singapore that I cannot imagine living without. Amazingly we are a city but think about how true this clever verbal depiction of our city state is - "A City in a Garden"! We should really celebrate our good fortune in having so much nature on so little - land that is.

This particular entry pays tribute to these trees that are around us and that surround us with so much beauty just by virtue of their presence. Enjoy!

Can you identify the road in each of the following photos?

Here are the answers to the photo quiz last week.

Mandai Road, Seletar Reservoir on the left.
Victoria Street towards Parco.
Commonwealth Avenue, near Holland V.
Flyover near the Police Academy
Junction of Buona Vista Road and Holland Drive.

Trees of Life

2005-08-07T08:30:00.000+08:00

When land becomes scarce

These lovely trees will vanish

Into history

What is the relevance of this picture on this blog? Trees are the responsibility of the National Parks Board so what do their disappearance have anything to do with a call to save the earth which is the concern of this blog?

What is waste?

2005-08-04T13:18:00.000+08:00

What is waste?

Other than things we have used and discarded, they are also:

Things we have kept in the store room for years.
Things we never knew we had till we cleaned up the storeroom.
Things we have multiples of that we do not need.

They are just things that are our possessions

until we throw them away.

And then they become waste

upon the face of this earth

They become refuse because they refuse to disappear.

When we burn them, they take different forms,

When we bury them they raise a stink and

pollute our precious environment.

They deplete our ozone layer and

make a hole in the sky and we will die

from all the ill effects caused by

all the things we have no use for.

QUESTION:

What can we do to reduce our waste

so that we can come clean finally

and return the earth back to what it once was?

Collecting precious water

2005-07-30T15:01:00.000+08:00

The week has been rainy most of the days but I had not expected it to end with a cold and wet Saturday. As I have cleared by house cleaning last night, the morning is free for me to do as I please and so as usual I am in my favourite part of the house reading a book. The sky grew grey as the clouds gathered and as they rolled across the sky, the huge droplets pelted down and soon my garden looked like it has a pond.

As I listened to the rain and saw how much water is pouring from the sky, I thought about how much water is going to waste just like that. That water is at least good enough to water my plants in the porch. And then an idea struck me and the photo shows how I have implemented that idea. It is at least worth a 2 dollar Co-op voucher. The rain has stopped but looking at the sky, it is only a brief reprieve. I am sure it rain again. Time to put a few more buckets in the backyard.

Waste Minimisation: Gathering Information

2005-07-30T06:32:00.000+08:00

Having given my talk yesterday on Saving the Earth where I shared my personal efforts in recycling and water conservation and receiving more information from my colleagues who contributed on this blog below, I decided to search for more information.

What I found on our own National Environment Agency (NEA) is really enlightening. While I have a general notion of why and how we could in our own ways exercise our environmental awareness at home and at work, I really need to understand the reasons for those actions. The website of the NEA contains informative materials and I have singled out two aspects that will reinforce our thoughts (no matter how preliminary) on how we can reduce, reuse and recycle:

Waste Minimisation

FAQs on waste minimisation

Reflection on my use of plastic bags

Following up on what was raised earlier by one of our colleagues on the use of plastic bags, I reflected further on what I had shared on reducing the storage of plastic bags to reduce tendencies to dispose of them indiscriminately. I can now see that reducing and reusing plastic bags is only part of the solution and as pointed out by one of our colleagues, plastic bags produce toxic fumes when burnt and they are not biodegradable which means that they are still waste materials that we cannot get rid of from the face of this earth and they will take up precious space on our little island. As advised, we should line our dustbins with biodegradable dustbin bags and I am now beginning to see more of the light. We should aim to reduce the use of plastic bags to the point when it is really necessary and we can consider alternatives such as carrying our own shopping bags and asking the cashiers to use the plastic bags that we bring along.

Actually, I think the only way is for the supermarkets to charge for plastic bags, or give biodegradable ones and at the same time educating the public about the need to change. If the people who supply these bags continue to do so for free, it is very difficult for the majority of us to be mindful of how we make use of or dispose of them.

I will end this post with a quote from the NEA website on the waste minimsation page:

"Wasteful consumption patterns also exploit and diminish the natural resources. The waste also poses harmful effects to the environment, polluting the air and land. In order to save the living environment and conserve the natural resources, there is an obligation for the community to minimise waste output and to recycle as much waste as possible. For instance, recycling of paper reduces air pollution by 74% and water pollution by 35%. Each ton of paper recycled could also save 17 small trees. "

Enquiry: What can I do more, what can we do as an environmentally conscious group?

I could use bin liners that are biodegradable instead of plastic bags to collect my rubbish before taking them out for disposal by the garbage collectors. Currently I am already reusing plastic bags a few times before disposal and it will be good to reduce their use around the house. What do you think?

Reflections & Ideas received from you

2005-07-29T04:50:00.000+08:00

Thank you my colleagues for sharing your thoughts and ideas after my talk on Saving the Earth. I am very glad to receive them and hope that more of you will continue to share, ask questions, challenge yourselves, raise your concerns, reflect and one day we might be able to work as a cohesive group to spread our good practices to more people. This blog is your platform and it will be my pleasure to maintain it at my own time so that the knowledge captured here will benefit everyone. Cheers!

Reflecting on why we should use fewer plastic bags

Your talk this morning touched a chord in my heart. I couldn't agree with you more on several points that you mentioned, specially about how a simple act of folding plastic bags neatly for storage can be so therapeutic...I learnt to fold plastic bags like this from my previous maid...and continued the practice after she left my employment (i don't have a maid now) as I found it aestheticaly pleasing apart from saving storage space. I didn't occur to me that by doing this I was doing my part to save the environment! I use these plastic bags to line the inside of the trash bin and dispose off the garbage, instead of buying those black colour garbage disposal bags.

Somehow, everytime I sit down to fold the plastic bags,and I realize that there are just too many of these, much more than I need to throw away my trash, I cannot help feeling guilty, as by 'asking' for these plastic bags I am creating a demand for their production. These plastic bags are non-biodegradable, and if burned they release toxic fumes, hence contribute to environmental pollution. I have been telling myself for long that I should bring my own cloth bag when I go to NTUC or market to pick up groceries, and decline the offer to bag them in a plastic bag. Yes, that would be major contribution towards saving the environment. After your sharing today, I am going to 'take action' and start following this practice.

Some ways to reduce, reuse and recycle in the office.

1. Avoid using disposable cups to drink water during meetings. Bring your own water bottle or your cup if you intend to make yourself a cup of tea/coffee.

2. Keep a cloth towel or handkerchief in your handbag or workstation. Use it, instead of paper tissues, to wipe your wet hand after your toilet visit. We will see a reduction in the usage of toilet rolls.

3. Store your drinking water in a smaller container, enough to last you for a day. This way, you won't need to throw away water at the end of the day.

Simple acts that would conserve water and save our trees - wisdom from my parents
Somehow I have always regarded water as a precious resource, partly because of my childhood experiences with water rationing. When I was young we didn't have a washing machine in our home. All clothes had to be handwashed. It was a standard practice in my home to use the water from the first rinse (soapy) to flush the toilets and soak the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink so that it was easy to scrub them later. Water from the second rinse (clearer)would be used to mop the floor and wash the courtyard.

My mother never discarded the water she used to wash rice before cooking. She would collect it and use it to water her potted plants! My father would consiously keep even the smallest printed paper thrown into our letter box (notices, pamphles etc) and staple them neatly and place by the telephone; we would use it take down telephone messages, write our to do list or leave messages for each other on the fridge. Surely not as fanciful as the stick-it notepads from 3M, but it reduces paper usage and can save a lot of trees! Although I do try to reduce paper wastage, I guess I can do more, if I consiously try.

A Chicken Soup Story

2005-07-22T02:10:00.000+08:00

Still thinking about my talk and contantly on the lookout for ideas and materials that I can use to make my talk interesting. It so happened that a book I borrowed for my son was due for return to the library and I was just casually flipping through the pages when I came across this story called "Love and the Cabby". It is about a man who thanked a New York taxi driver for the ride and complimented him on his superb driving skills. His friend thought he was out of his mind to do so but the man explained that he was trying to bring love back to New York. He believed that that was the only thing that could save New York. His friend asked incredulously, "How could one man save New York?".

Do you know the answer to that question? What if I said that I am setting up this blog and giving a talk to save the earth, would you believe that it is possible and how will it be possible? Your comments are most welcome on this blog! Just click on the comments button below and give your views anonymously.

Tomorrow's presentation will be more activity based with small tokens of appreciation given for your participation. I look forward to your feelings and views on doing our part to save the earth. Cheers!

Walking the Talk

2005-07-20T14:09:00.000+08:00

A talk about environmental awareness and claims to be practising good habits of to safeguard the depletion of the precious resources on this earth needs evidence to convince people that they too can do something for a start at a personal level individually.

What I have been doing over the weekend was to take photos of my good practices at home so that these can be put into presentation slides for the talk next Friday. I am still exploring the scope and depth of the talk. Should I do approach the topic I gave on Saving the Earth from the usual why we must conserve resources and be conscious about the necessity to "reduce, reuse and recycle" or should I start from the standpoint about my values and beliefs as to why I do these things and work from there.

I don't want to be preaching as these have been done and people must have heard these environmental messages from various sources from their primary school days to the present. As I said before, those school activities on protecting the environment mostly never left any lasting impression on students after they were given their ECA points. So I think I should just share my personal motivation and give evidence that shows that I am living out my values of love for this beautiful planet and I believe that any act of kindness to this earth, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to be, is the least we can do in return for the what the earth is giving us.

I can do more I am sure...

2005-07-17T13:43:00.000+08:00

There is going to be a knowledge sharing session at work next Friday and they are in need of one more presentation. Usually the sharing is work related but I could not help but thought about what I had posted previously about us not doing enough to save the earth.

My self-enquiries

Can I do more? What can I do as an individual beyond collecting cans and bottles for recycling? How am I able to influence others to start practising good habits that will be kinder to our mother earth? Where will I find the time to inculcate these habits of caring for the environment since it is not part of my job to do so?

Reflections

Becoming conscious of the beauty of the environment around me

It must have been in recent years when I started to play around with a digital camera. I had started by photographing plants and flowers in our parks and by now I must have hundreds if not a few thousand digital photos of flowers, plants and trees. Because of this habit of photographing everything in nature that catches my fancy, I develop this awareness of the beautiful surroundings in our parks, gardens and then I realised that there are so many trees, shrubs and fowers everywhere, at every corner that we turn, that it is true that we have become a "city in a garden". I began to value our clean water, air and relatively unpolluted environment more and more as I strengthen my connection with nature through my photography.

Becoming aware of reducing wastage and re-cycling

Because of my bond with nature, I became more sensitive to news reports on pollution, the greenhouse effect and re-cycling efforts in the world and at home. I then started to think about how I could do something as an individual to boost the efforts that others are making to save the enviroment and our earth. I believe that if I can practice habits of recycling and conserving water and energy at home, I can teach my family to also respect the environment and their gift of this blessed earth through their actions at home and in the way they live their lives. So I have in the last six months done the following:

Supported the re-cycling efforts of the Town Council and our waste collector by not throwing away anything that is plastic, glass or paper but to collect them for re-cycling.

Consciously worked out various ways to save water at home and to keep educating my children that they should not waste water and electricity.

Enquiry: How can I do more? Why should I? How can I?

I believe that environmental protection is not just an individual's effort because that individual happens to value the environment. I believe that others have not reached a level of awareness to want to bother with efforts like saving water or recycling everyday discards like plastic bottles or waste paper. I believe that if they, like me, see the beauty in their surroundings and take time to reflect on what it would be if we were to suddenly lose all that we have, they would willingly do their part, no matter how small the effort might be. They will, like me, respect the earth by not wasting its resources and do whatever they can to contribute to its recovery.

Action

As a responsible child of this earth that was given to us as a precious gift, I will go beyond the boundaries of my home and my office to reach out to my colleagues. If I can influence them effectively by sharing with them my good habits and practices in conserving water and energy and efforts towards re-cycling projects, I will be most happy. It would be great if after the talk I am giving next Friday, people will post on this blog to let me know what they are doing to save the earth in their own way and from there, collaborative efforts to do even more.

Are we doing enough to save the earth?

2005-07-17T02:18:00.000+08:00

Perspiration just seeps out from every pore in my body. It is late morning only and the temperature is already uncomfortable. Just going out to turn over the pillows that I have left out to sun makes me want to hunt for my sunglasses for my next excursion out to the backyard. We have been warned for years about global warming and despite well-intended efforts and a lot of talk, the hole in the sky is not mending and we are not doing anything about it - enough that is.Our re-cycling projects here are limited to school activities where by and large students collect plastic bottles and tin cans out of a sense of duty to chalk up their community service hours without stopping to think how they could make it a habit to re-cycle these waste materials in their everyday lives. On my part I collect cans and plastic bottles and containers, clean them and give them to the garbage collectors fortnightly as they come around as part of their efforts to save the environment.

If an organisation takes the trouble to organise these collections systematically distributing bags for us to keep our plastics, glass and papers, it is a small effort on my part to fill these bags with what they ask for instead of conveniently throwing away everything that we have no use for.

We don't have to wait for others to tell us what to do. If we truly value this earth as a gift, then we should not destroy it with our apathy and laziness.