– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author and motivational speaker
There are many issues that the community is facing. And only when we take the effort to find out more and keep ourselves up-to-date, can we be part of the solution and change can happen, to truly build a community that cares.
Social entrepreneurs are a force for good
Reclaiming the Future, Empowering Communities, Restoring Dignity and the Environment, and Transforming Lives. These are just some of the missions of social enterprises around us. For such businesses, there’s more than one bottomline. Besides the financials, success is...
Packaging waste piling up as e-commerce soar
Accumulated waste from China's e-commerce and express delivery sectors stands to more than quadruple by 2025 unless action is taken to rein it in, Greenpeace and other non-government bodies said in a report. As e-commerce giants work to extend their reach into rural...
New scheme allows doorstep collection for recyclables
A doorstep collection service has been set up for people living in certain Woodlands estates as part of a pilot programme by Sembcorp Industries to make recycling more convenient. Households with postal codes starting with "73" can now book a collection date and time...
Saving food from the bin
Taking leftover food is all about priorities, a delicate balance of factors such as size and weight, leaky odours, a tolerance for looks from people on the MRT and fridge space. The writer of this article braves stares and join members from Food Rescue @ Events, a...
Stuff’d boss gives free meals to hungry kids
Long before he was in the business of feeding people, Adrian Ang was a hungry teenager, in more ways than one. It was 1997 and he was 16, when the Asian financial crisis was ravaging his parents’ business. Now 37, and the founder of a successful restaurant franchise,...
SIA goes green
Plastic is out and paper straws and reusable cups are in for Singapore Airlines (SIA) as it seeks to shift to more sustainable practices, both in and outside the aircraft. These moves are just one part of the national carrier's push to increase sustainability across...
Singapore’s caregiver extraordinaire wins award
When 80-year-old Liu Xiao Zhong died in his sleep on a cheap mattress on the floor of Mr Lee Cho Poon's one-room rental flat in 2011, Mr Lee arranged his funeral and paid his respects to him. Four years later, another elderly man, Mr Lee Wen Qiang, who was in his 70s,...
Transforming Singapore into a City of Good
Breaking the taboo of discussing end-of-life issues, a law firm and a community organisation worked together to help more than 120 senior citizens understand more about these matters. In July, TSMP Law Corporation and the Cassia Resettlement Team shared information...
Needy children get mentors to help them read
Former banker Tan Cher Ling and her husband Tan Yong Soon wanted to do something for needy pupils. To their delight, the couple, who are both 64, learnt in late 2012 that Westwood Primary School was willing to work with them to help lower-income pupils read better,...
Cafe run by deaf people strives to overcome discrimination
After applying to more than 200 companies and getting rejected by all, a restless Adhika Prakoso confided in his childhood friend, Ms Santoso, who jumped at the proposition of starting a cafe and suggested that they rope in a common friend, Mr Trierwinsyah Putra. They...
Acid-attack victim wants to help others
Having once come close to losing his voice forever, Mr Samuel Lim, 20, now aspires to be a speech therapist. When he was three months old, his upper airway and upper gastrointestinal tract were permanently damaged when a former maid poured sulphuric acid down his...
Employers urged to design more inclusive workplaces
When Sharlyne Lee, 16, graduates from St. Andrew's Autism School (SAAS) in two years, she hopes to work as a jewellery designer or at a food and beverage outlet. Through vocational skills training at the school, she has learnt to make bracelets and necklaces, and also...
Spotlight on depression at YMCA youth event
Around 70 students and members of the public discussed the increasingly pressing topics of depression and mental health at the YMCA Conversation Series 2019 held at Singapore Management University yesterday (21 Sept). The annual one-day event - now in its seventh year...
Learning difficulties spurred her to become an educator
News that her eight-year-old daughter Christa had learning difficulties was devastating for mum Gloria Pereira, but after the initial shock she became determined to make the best of it. Spurred by the therapies and interventions she read about while caring for...
Warming seas may hit seafood availability
An upcoming report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will delve into how climate change is affecting the planet's cryosphere and oceans, including marine ecosystems. Dr Phillip Williamson, one of the authors involved in the report, noted that...
Wasted donated food sparks debate on efforts of volunteers
A Facebook post went viral because of the shocking pictures: Hundreds of instant noodle packets in a one-room rental flat of a 78-year-old man that were spilling out from the kitchen into the central area of his home. These packets, most of them past their expiry...
New student care centre for kids with special needs
For years, 68-year-old Ng Beng Tiaw has been the main caregiver to her granddaughter, who has special needs. Lee Xin Hui, 15, has global developmental delay (GDD), which slows down her development in physical, cognitive, emotional and social skills. But since...
5 ‘Silent Heroes’ win recognition for their good work
Former stock dealer Foo Say Thye was so inspired by his friend, who helped many people with disabilities, that he started doing volunteer work himself. He started his own volunteer group called Heartwarmers in 2007. Among other initiatives, they serve breakfast to the...
Thailand speeds up plans to cut ocean waste
Thailand is stepping up efforts to curb ocean plastic waste and conserve endangered marine life, through a comprehensive programme named after well-loved baby dugong Mariam, who died after consuming plastic. The Mariam Project includes initiatives to increase the...
Overhaul in food supply chain needed
Reducing food waste requires an overhaul in the food supply chain, with surpluses donated or sold at a discount, or having food that may otherwise end up in bins reintroduced as useful by-products, a new study by Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and consultancy...
