Green message taking root among
亚洲新闻台 Channelnewsasia
By Hoe Yeen Nie | Posted: 06 November 2010 1727 hrs
SINGAPORE: It seems the green message is taking root among Singapore's youths.
In a recent survey by the National Environment Agency (NEA), four in five believed that they can make a difference.
The growing involvement of youths was highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the launch of the Clean and Green Singapore 2011 campaign.
Everyone, he said, has a part to play.
"Taking care of the environment is something which concerns all of us. We don't all have to take on global causes, but each of us can contribute locally by keeping Singapore our island clean and green," said Prime Minister Lee.
Many say it is important to get kids started on the green movement from young.
At Punggol Primary School, students have turned old bottles into flower pots, showing that you can easily reduce, reuse and recycle so long as you put some creativity into it.
At Jurong Primary School, students have created bottle gardens, the idea coming from teacher, Mrs Wendy Looi. On Saturday, she received an award for sharing her love for recycling and gardening with her students.
Mrs Looi said: "We've got children who love insects, and they enjoy catching caterpillars. We also have those who are so nervous at the sight of an earthworm they'll scream. So, as teachers, we'll tell them, these are the harmless ones, those are the garden helpers. In fact we take them to gardens so they can see the beautiful flowers, and we remind them of all the beautiful creatures that are the garden helpers that help in the growth of the plants."
Mrs Looi is one of six Community In Bloom Ambassadors recognised by NParks this year for going the extra mile to spread the gardening bug.
Another award winner is 51-year-old Anjalai Ammal, a senior horticulturist with Tampines Town Council, who helped create 36 community gardens in the housing estate.
And to get more people to explore Singapore's biodiversity, NParks has created four new trail guides. You can just print them off the website, and you're good to go on your exploration.
NParks' director of Streetscape, Simon Longman, said: "They will come to appreciate how sustainable it is, and how we help to sustain the biodiversity."
Guides are available for Botanic Gardens, Changi, Pulau Ubin and Fort Canning.
- CNA/ir
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