Hi! Have you ever wondered how serious the environmental threats are now? Let me share show you how serious it is and how Singapore can change from being a garden city to a green city. Singapore’s way to be green is by using the hybrid cars and by planting lots of trees. Singapore is a garden city and not a green city because Singapore is only filled with trees and flowers and although we have some ‘green’ measures applied, most of them are unsuccessful because Singaporeans are not well educated on this area enough. It is also because our minister Mr Lee Kwan Yew wanted Singapore to be a garden city to woo investors and soften the harshness of life.
The category that is measured in order to be a green city is building and land use and the emission of carbon dioxide, transportation and quality of air. Singapore has many ways to meet these entire categories, for example, the creation of hybrid cars and building a lot of trees to enhance the quality of the air which can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and improves the quality of the air.
The reason why Singapore is a garden city and not a green city because some of the measures are not working. For example, there were insufficient advertisement or commercials made by celebrities to promote ‘green’ living.
Singapore can be successful to become a green city by borrowing ideas from other countries and improve them to suit Singapore’s way of doing things. Hence, Singapore can learn from Korea and Sweden.
Sweden and Korea is a green city. Sweden is a green role model city. It has many ways to be green, for example, most of the country’s electricity comes from hydropower and nuclear power, its buildings are constructed with sustainable materials and designed to be energy efficient, and its streets are pedestrian and cycle friendly, and the usage of hybrid cars. In Sweden, more than 90 per cent of household waste is recycled, reused or recovered. Korea also has the electric tramps and hybrids cars, which is similar to Singapore. It also has, the green parking and fence breaking project. Fence breaking project is the breaking down of fences of houses which can provide more space to plant plants and trees. This will also enhances the quality of the surrounding air. In order to encourage more recycling, they put together a system where you have to buy government issued bags for your garbage. In other words you can only use these certain bags that they sell for something like $1 a bag for your garbage. This measure is very successful in managing the trash.
The measure used in Singapore, for example, the hybrid cars, is especially successful because Korea and Sweden is using it too, and it has shown positive improvements. Singapore still has many other methods, and it has also try to promote ‘green’ living through education. Singapore has its own ministry of environment which will educate youths and the public to live green. Singapore environment council (SEC) has been working closely with private sector, government, environmental groups and community to meet environmental challenges. Singapore can also create a place for people to dispose their garbage instead of the garbage trucks going to every household to collect garbage. This will discourage people to create a lot a garbage as it would be heavy to carry to the place for collection.
Saving the earth can also be done personally too. Everyone can play his or her part easily. Firstly, shut off electrical appliances when not in use. Thus, it can save more electricity and saves the cost of paying the fees and reduces the amount of fossil fuels being burnt which can cause pollution.
Secondly, copy and print on both sides of paper. By this way, we could save a lot of trees and reduce the amount of deforestation, which will cause a great effect on the global threats.
Thirdly, wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes. This could save the amount of water use, which is a limited source in Singapore.
Just by all this measures done, we could become a green city by reducing the amount of pollution, which results in cleaner environment that can save the earth.
Response questions:
- How do POSOCO high schools educate their students on playing a part in staying green?
- What is the difference between the ways Singaporeans are taught to be green and the ways Koreans are taught to be green. (Can be in terms of public commercials or school education)
Sources:
-http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/eastasia/view/1051222/1/.html
-http://www.sec.org.sg/
-http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm
-http://greenhomehq.blogspot.com/2008/05/waste-management-in-korea.html
Group 5 (:
-shirley, crystal, audrina, michelle, santhya, joey.
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