We have talked about how Singapore has good macro schemes to help Singaporeans form their identity with the country, the next step is to properly leverage on the identity formation and apply them to specific resource conservation. In Singapore we have had many programs aimed at this leverage, such as Plant-A-Tree program and schools adopting parks and reservoirs under their care. Of course, such programs are only effective in conjunction with Zoo and Parks field trips organised for children to cultivate a sense of identity towards natural places, plants and animals, which they may carry into adolescence and do much more with it. Currently, it seems that there is a lack of programs that can successfully help individuals gain a sense of ownership towards certain natural resources, as institutional ownership, such as schools adopting a park, can only reduce the tragedy of the commons to a lower level as students within the school will move on eventually to be students of other schools and leave behind the ownership with the school that adopted the resource. Furthermore, with such a large group and no explicit roles assigned to each member of the school, bystander effect will occur and responsibility will be diffused (Latané & Nida, 1980).
Perhaps schools can look at inculcating the water conservation habit in each child, which when habituated, can be brought over to other contexts over time. Such habit can be conditioned by education and perhaps taking ownership of water conservation in their own homes, which their assignment is to monitor the base rate of their household water usage, and devise plans with their parents to reduce consumption, which will be reflected accurately in their bill. Not only will there be no lack of resource distribution points to provide to students for adoption, they are measurable and also provides the student with positive reinforcements through their own parents (getting praises for saving money for the household) and from measurable results (feedback mechanism required for conditioning to occur). Perhaps they may also learn how to negotiate for extra pocket money based on how much money they help to save in the bill, which acts as an additional incentive for positive reinforcement.
My personal opinion on conservation schemes for children is that it should be fun to do and easily accessible, as they are severely limited in where they can travel to on their own, as well as maturity in understanding fully the impact of conservation at such young age. There is also a need to use fun and accessibility as a competing factor against mobile devices and games, which provides high level of fun and is easily accessible to children nowadays, serving as a distraction towards more noble goals.
