October
26th 2007
Posted under Applemilky
Tips for being green in Singapore
Written by Dionne Teo and Abigayle Ng
You can do your part for the environment in small ways - no effort is too small. Here are some ways you can start being green-conscious!
- Choose less packaging
Many products you find on the shelves this day come in an obscene amount of packaging. Opt for products that don’t come wrapped in plastic and then placed in an unnecessarily large box. You also don’t have to accept that tiny plastic bag they give you when you buy a small item. - Refuse plastic bags
If you’re carrying a tote or a bag large enough, why not refuse the plastic bag when you’re purchasing something? Better yet, carry a shopping bag with you when you go out. There are many pretty shopping bags on sale these days in Singapore and you can look fashionable while being green! - Choose refillable products
Many brands of toiletries and cosmetics offer refills for their products. Opting for these products means you’re supporting less packaging. If your favourite body foam doesn’t come in a refillable packaging, why not write a letter to the manufacturer requesting for it? - Eat on-the-go but opt for non-disposables!
Many of us lead hectic lives and end up da-paoing (packing) our food to have in the office or school. If you do this regularly, how about buying a reusable plastic container to pack your food in? Or at least save those disposable plastic containers for putting leftover biscuits or fruits in. Have a non-disposable coffee mug that you keep in the office and bring it along when you go get your daily fix. That’ll save you one disposable cup a day - that’s a whole lot of cups in the long run! - If you’re a female…
Make a lifestyle change by using reusable menstrual cups or washable cloth pads instead of disposable sanitary products. It may seem like a gross idea at the start but once you start doing it, you’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel about yourself and your “monthly inconvenience”. You can also feel good about not producing a large amount of non-biodegradable trash every month. - Do you really need that?
The next time you are tempted to buy something (especially on impulse), be it fashionable stuff or stuff that (you think) is necessary.Take a sec to rethink if you really need that item. How many pairs of shoes do you really need? How many tee shirts can you really wear till they reach ‘tattered and torn’ stage? Many of us are blessed with more than what we really need to live on this planet, which simply enlarges our eco-footprints as we consume more resources. Think of the number of cows/pigs/crocodiles you will spare with fewer leather products purchased! - Join Singapore’s freecycle community
Your trash might be another person’s treasure! Instead of throwing away what you think might be useless, why not offer it to others. It might just be the thing they’re looking for. Or you could organize your own second hand flea market or garage sale! Will be a great chance to get rid of undesired stuff, maybe exchange for something you fancy, and even earn a few extra bucks! - Support local products
While products bearing the “Made in Singapore” may be slightly costlier, they didn’t have to travel a great distance to get here, thus contributing less to the to air pollution and global warming from transportation. Buying local organic produce also helps to conserve the energy taken to produce synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. It’s also good for you! - If the water runs dry…if the power dies…
Being the second smallest country in Asia of about 700km2 in land area, Singapore’s daily water consumption is a whooping 300 million gallons a day*, i.e. enough to fill approximately 520 Olympic sized swimming pools! 2001 records highlighted that the total energy consumption in Singapore was 29,158 thousand metric tonnes^! 86% comes from oil while 14% from natural gas – both of which are not even available naturally here! Have you ever thought what will happen if you turn on the tap tomorrow and there is no water? What if you are faced with an island wide blackout? Water and energy are essential components in life that we cannot live without. You can do your part in saving earth’s precious resources and it really can be quite easy, starting from home.
*Source: Department of Statistics (Singapore) ^Source: www.earthtrends.wri.org
