Month: January 2019

On 15 Jan 2019, Community Engagement from Earthlink NTU hosted a Local Community Involvement Project (LCIP) in Corporation Primary School (CPS). The target audience of this LCIP 2019 were the members of the Environmental Club from CPS. 21 Earthlink members volunteered in this LCIP which was designed to raise environmental awareness among the newer generations as well as to expose Earthlink members to volunteerism.

It was the first time Earthlink had ever conducted a LCIP in a primary school. Several portfolios from Earthlink NTU contributed to conduct lessons for the Environmental Club members. One of our portfolios, Nature Guiding, conducted a biodiversity sharing session with the students. Throughout the session, students seemed to be interested in topics regarding biodiversity. They were quite responsive and willing to answer questions raised by our volunteers.

Our Resources and Event Executive Overseas portfolios collaborated by giving lessons on recycling. To make the lesson livelier and more fun, students threw “bowling balls” made from newspaper onto the correct plastic bottle “pin” to answer questions related to recycling. This was to gain points for their teams during the versus game. It created a good atmosphere for students to learn whilst having fun. Additionally, students were taught to craft origami frogs using flyers and magazines to encourage “reuse” in our daily lives.

LCIP 2019 was carried out smoothly and was a successful first step in having Earthlink organise more community activities in the future. Both CPS students and our volunteers greatly benefitted from this precious and meaningful experience, and we hope that they will take what they have learnt and apply it to their everyday lives.

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park opened its doors to the public in late 2012. Nestled in the heart of Bishan, the 62-hectare park undoubtably became an instant favourite amongst nature-loving Singaporeans and avid joggers. As a matter of fact, social media addicts also would be enchanted with this urban park, for its lush hills and calm streams are extremely Instagram-worthy!

That said, it is of no wonder that the Earthlink NTU Nature Guiding Committee decided to hold its first Urban Park Expedition there. Earthlings, the NTU community, and members of the public excitedly gathered at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on Saturday, the 27th of October, to explore what this sanctuary had to offer.

The Nature Guides kickstarted the trail with the Cleansing Biotope. It is a series of specially engineered wetland cells to facilitate water filtration and treatment. Subsequently, the filtered water will be used for the children’s water playground in the vicinity. It is indeed a stroke of genius, for a beautiful-looking environment can be maintained without having to tap on Singapore’s precious water supply! Furthermore, the Biotope is home to many small, shelled creatures. Snail-lovers were especially thrilled to find the Biotope’s cattails dotted with numerous Golden Apple Snails and their coral-pink eggs.

After admiring the Cleansing Biotope, the participants were introduced to Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park’s massive trees. The participants were blown away by the allure of the willowy Rhu trees and flabbergasted to know that Strangler Fig trees thrive by engulfing and “strangling” their hosts! About an hour into the Expedition, the participants also caught a glimpse of impressive-looking birds such as the Purple Heron and Stock Bill Kingfisher. In fact, Earthlink NTU Nature Guide Ng Wei Soon was astonished at how lucky the participants were to chance upon the majestic Kingfisher: “There normally [is or] are only one or two of them in a park.”

Two hours later, the Expedition ended with a mini wrap-up conducted by the Nature Guides. All in all, the number of green spaces in tiny Singapore may be limited. However, the latter is an inaccurate indicator of the sheer size of biodiversity we house in our concrete jungle. Hence, to all readers out there: do remember to slow your pace and take in the scenery around you. And who knows, you may spot a new species of an animal/plant or two!

Article by: Lim Jia Ying
Picture credit: Lim Jia Ying

The Student Leaders’ Night is an annual affair organised by the Students Affairs Office to recognise the contributions of student organisations towards the school and the welfare of fellow students. This year marks the third year of its running. During the pre-event interaction period, student ambassadors from Earthlink engaged guests and other student leaders to encourage them to sign up for Eco-Promise.

Eco-Promise was carried out by Earthlink to build closer ties with other NTU stakeholders, including its businesses, student clubs, and school authorities. This movement was initiated to encourage members of the school to practice more sustainable and eco-friendly habits. It also aimed to guide NTU’s stakeholders in taking steps towards building an eco-friendlier campus. Organisations that made efforts to keep their promises were acknowledged and received recognition during the annual Greenfest festival. Student associations also pledged to incorporate environmentally-friendly actions in their club activities and practices. Examples of such actions included not providing disposable cutleries during events, engaging caterers who provide reusable cutleries and plates, and minimizing the over-ordering of food which leads to wastage. Additionally, props should be recycled or reused, and excessive purchases should also be avoided. Clubs would also find it more worthwhile to share their resources.

During the event, Prof Kam Chan Hin, Provost (Education), highlighted the responsibilities of various organisations and applauded them on their movement and activities. Regarding sustainability, Eco-Promise was launched by Earthlink in March 2017 to encourage green movements by various organisations of the school. The Eco-Promise movement was one where student organisations pledged to support environmentally friendly practices and take measures to protect our planet. Earthlink also won the Mr and Mrs Kok Chin Yan Award for Student Initiative for Greenfest 2018. The goal of Greenfest is to educate and empower the NTU community to create a more sustainable environment and emphasize the need for action to mitigate climate change.

Earthlink’s initiative, “Ditch Da Disposables”, was also highlighted during this event in which no disposable cutleries were provided at the buffet station. Earthlink highlighted the importance of ditching disposable cutleries and encouraged attendees to bring their own. Earthlink also took the opportunity to set up a booth where reusable cutleries were sold at affordable prices.

Article by: Kerk Hwee Wen