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  The Straits Times 6 Feb 06
Let's talk about GOING GREEN

Rev up the 'hip' factor in green products
By Teo Chin Ker

MY PRODUCT purchases are based overwhelmingly on practical considerations - there is not an iota of environmental concern in my decisions.

Sad, but true. I go for the cheapest and tastiest tuna, and hardly recycle my waste paper. Why should the lofty ideal of saving the dolphins or preserving forests interfere with my practical considerations of price and convenience?

Sure we know that the over-consumption of petrol will eventually destroy earth, but do we really care when we need to get to work or play in the shortest time possible?

Yes, I am apathetic about the environment. Perhaps because, like most of my peers, I have never really had any extended contact with nature - despite our tagline of a 'Garden City'. Our modern environment is where I live, and I have never had an appreciation for the environment.

What can be done to make me and my peers change our ways? Start with the schools - have more field trips to nature reserves. Then, extend these trips to areas where mankind has destroyed the environment...perhaps our reclaimed beaches where rubbish chokes the sea life, or our disappearing mangrove swamps?

The save-the-earth mantra can sink in only when children see the contrast and realise that mankind's actions can have dire consequences on the planet.

Another way to reach out to youth would be to rev up the 'hip' factor in environmentally friendly products. Teenagers have no qualms about buying an overpriced pair of sneakers endorsed by some sports superstar; there is no reason to believe that the same cannot be done for living an eco-friendly lifestyle.

The writer is serving national service.

Eco-friendly? Far more pressing issues on my mind
by Eisen Teo

ENVIRONMENTAL scientists were recently ringing the alarm bells again - '2005 was the hottest year on record', 'Polar ice sheets could begin melting this century', 'Large-scale and irreversible disruption to the planet's climate system'.

The headlines kept screaming but I do not find myself losing much sleep over them. I do not even find myself conserving or recycling paper. As products of a ruthless educational system, my peers and I have mastered the art of photocopying - without batting an eyelid - more than 100 pages at one sitting. If we make a mistake? Never mind - we simply crush the offending sheets and fling them into the nearby bins, each already full with hundreds of similarly crumpled sheets.

I can almost hear protests from the greenies. But for us, it is a matter of 'I can't be bothered' or 'I alone can't do much'. Our mentality is: 'If I save 10 pieces of paper, it'll only be wasted by the next guy who comes along'.

We have far more pressing issues on our minds, like the urgency of schoolwork. And frankly, it is easier to give in and do what everyone else is doing - especially if we can afford it (less than five cents for one sheet of paper).

We are also mostly 'immune' to reports of environmental destruction now, because we are taught to take everything with a (large) pinch of salt and treat even frightening stories about dying polar bears with scepticism and cynicism.

For all our calls for the freedom of civil society, we need the Government to prod us to adopt environmentalism. The awareness is there, but we need more to translate it into action.

The writer is a first-year history major at National University of Singapore.

Technology is one way to save the earth
by Fun Soon Cheong

I HAVE always felt the need to keep the environment clean and green. The ozone layer is being depleted, global warming is happening rapidly. We are responsible for the mess we have made.

On environmental efforts, I feel that the Government is doing enough. There are recycling bins placed in strategic areas. Government campaigns have attempted to nurture more environmental consciousness.

But the problem is that pollution is built into the way we live. Almost every product of this modern age is destructive to the environment. Everything we do - driving, writing on paper - is destroy- ing a little bit of the environment.

Most people think environmental efforts take too much trouble. Others are indifferent to the need to save the environment.

But amid the despair, I think there is one hope. I feel technology would be the key. Recently, I invented a smart aircon system which uses heat sensors to detect human presence. This allows it to switch off when it detects a drop in temperature. We are living in a technology age. We can utilise the resources and the knowledge we have to save the environment.

The writer is an electronics graduate from the Institute of Technical Education.

If only everyone puts in more effort...
by Berton Lim

I TAKE part in various green movements - whether it be recycling efforts, or trying to get everyone to use fewer plastic bags.

But it is very demoralising to know that we are in the minority, and our efforts are simply not enough to have a tangible effect.

Tonnes of paper and fuel are being wasted every day. And some people flippantly say: 'What harm can one more plastic bag do to the environment?'

To me, there is a major flaw in our national effort: The awards given to individuals who do a bit to protect the environment. I feel that being concerned for the environment has now become merely a means to get the awards.

Also, we always expect the Government to initiate protective measures, while we carry on with our daily lives.

Still, we all have to assume some form of responsibility in order to see a collective improvement. If everyone is willing to put in more effort to preserve what we have now, we will not only ensure the survival of our future generations, but also protect the wonders Nature has given us.

The writer is doing his national service.
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