Events

Earth Hour is an annual event and global movement where individuals, communities, and organisations are encouraged to switch off their electrical lights for one hour. Since 2014, Earthlink has taken an active role in organising Earth Hour events for the South West Communities of Singapore.

For this year’s event, Earth Hour 2021 was held in partnership with the West Coast Youth Network from West Coast Community Club. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Earthlink livestreamed the entire event on Facebook. Nonetheless, such restrictions did not deter External Liaison; the virtual space flourished with lively, memorable activities that left the audience rapt.

Themed videos featured residents of West Coast sharing their personal practices, habits and visions centred on three topics—Carbon-lite living, Recycling, and Gardening. The videos also showcase students making pledges to save the environment, hawker stall owners sharing their packaging tips, and residents showcasing their wonderful

upcycled craftwork—these are very heartwarming and educational at the same time.

Another highlight of the day was the interactive games segment, which a participant remarked as “especially attractive”. Through live polls, viewers made life choices that ranged from the personal to business to the government level. Videos of people making these choices were also streamed.

Next, the event had a lively panel discussion, which was moderated by our External Liaison Director Khushi Chhetija and West Coast Youth Network Murali. The topic was on Singapore’s food resilience, and present at the panel was Minister for Transport, Mr. S. Iswaran as well as representatives from Citiponics, Growthwell Group and Shiok Meats.

In addition to the dance performances by the various NTU groups, a resident, Victoria, also performed a dance signifying climate action. Rich in symbolism of environmental catastrophe and the urgency of climate action, the dances left the audience inspired to take stronger steps to preserve all that we have left on earth.

In January, Community Engagement organised an Insect Feed Tour to biotechnology company Insect Feed Technologies, where participants learnt about food composting aided by black soldier flies. Prior to the event, the portfolio conducted a briefing to share about food waste as well as how black soldier flies and micro-organisms accelerate decomposition.

In groups of five to eight, participants underwent a guided tour by the hosts of Insect Feed Technologies. The tour featured different stations, such as Hatching (where new insect larvae breed and hatch); Larvae feed (where food waste is fed to the larvae) and Food Processing Plant (grinder where flies are converted into food mix).

By feeding on pre-consumer food waste, black soldier fly larvae transform into a protein-dense animal feed that can replace unsustainable traditional animal feed. As an added bonus, frass is produced as a by-product of the process, which is chockful of nutrients that makes it the perfect organic fertiliser for crops. Some advantages of black soldier flies include how they have a high growth rate and adaptable to different environments.

Many participants were inspired by the passionate and knowledgeable staff members of Insect Feed Technologies. The guided tour and collective sharing from participants made the experience, an educational and memorable one.

@Corporation Primary School

In March, several Earthlink members headed over to Corporation Primary School to conduct a series of educational activities to raise awareness about climate and environmental issues.

Activities on the programme agenda ranged from a ‘bowling pins’ game (above) to a ‘mix-and-match’ pictorial one, all of which seamlessly incorporated bite-size information about the environment.

The children’s boisterous energy was heartwarming, making for an unforgettable and inspiring experience for the Earthlinkers running the event. Said Afraa Aijaz, an Earthlinker from the Resources portfolio, “Educating primary school kids on the importance of thee 5 ‘R’s, the “do”s and “don’t”s of recycling was such a fulfilling experience. I look forward to more of such programmes!”

Reflecting on her experience, Community Engagement Director Yeong Yoong Sze mused: “You would be surprised at how clever and enthusiastic the students today are about climate change and biodiversity.”

In January, Community Engagement’s Clean Beach for Each campaign rallied the NTU community to take part in beach cleanups, by posting pictures of themselves using specific hashtags.

Tips on how to obtain equipment for cleaning were also provided. By the end of the campaign, the total trash collected amounted to 106.5 kg, and four regions had been covered: Yishun Dam, East Coast Park, Sembawang Park and Pasir Ris Beach.

In March, Nature Guiding conducted NTU BioBlitz, a series of 23 campus surveys in designated transects to record the fauna they see. 12 transects were created, grouped under the broad categories of Forest edge, Artificially planted and Urban.

In just two weeks, NTU BioBlitz’s army of 38 surveyors recorded 153 unique species across campus! The top 10 most active surveyors were awarded Biodiversity Starter Kits for their efforts.

Such data is useful in guiding NTU’s policies, ultimately improving human-wildlife interactions on campus.

In December, both portfolios Community Engagement and Nature Guiding conducted a biodiversity audit and water sustainability tour at Jurong Eco-Garden.

Participants were split into six groups: Kingfisher, Storm, Harlequin, Biotope, Dropwing and Freshwater. Each group covered different transects at different times.

Prior to the event, participants attended a briefing to learn about local butterflies, birds and dragonflies, as well as our water sustainability landscape.

Did you know? –> We recorded 66 distinct species in a 2-hour period!

This year, 2021, saw the highest number of participants for the event compared to previous years — with more surveyors, this allowed for coverage of a new fourth transect!

Results from the survey were used to provide recommendations on how to improve the habitat quality.

On a sunny December morning, Nature Guiding led student participants to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to explore the rich biodiversity in its mangroves, mudflats, ponds and forests. Since this was the migratory period, there were opportunities to catch sightings of rarer shorebirds, in addition to spotting the native species.

Participants were split into five groups: Team Monitor Lizard, Team Painted Stork, Team Buffy Fish Owl, Team Shore Pit Viper and Team Tree-Climbing Crab. Each group had a Nature Guide from the portfolio, who played a crucial role in revealing the hidden treasures of the landscape!

“Outside long enough, I lose the contours of my body and become part of something larger.”

Camille T. Dungy in “A Good Hike” https://www.terrain.org/2017/nonfiction/a-good-hike

Did you notice this colourful poster circulating on Earthlink’s Instagram and flashing on the TV screens of NTU?

Green For Good—previously known as Greenfest—was a two-week long event organised by our Campus Outreach portfolio, to raise awareness of environmental issues and spur collective and individual action among the NTU community.

Opening Ceremony

Guest-of-Honour Dr Shane Snyder (right) shared with us about the importance of pursuing one’s passion and how his childhood experiences shaped his strong desires for water protection.

The panel discussion (left) featured representatives from Hazy Waste, The Sustainability Project, PM Haze and environmental advocate Dorcas. With their diverse backgrounds, each brought a fresh perspective on the topic and how COVID-19 has impeded environmental efforts.

Eco-Campus director Yau Ying Lin (right) presented on Vegetarianism and Veganism, as part of the efforts by her portfolio to promote a meat-free / meat-lite diet for the planet.

Each of the portfolio’s directors also presented on their portfolio’s initiatives.

Treasure Hunt

Officially launched at the Opening Ceremony, the Treasure Hunt saw individuals scouring around NTU for QR codes and answering a series of environmental-related questions.

Meatless Mondays

Meatless Mondays was an online campaign started by Eco-Campus during Green For Good.

Aiming to heighten visibility of vegetarian food on campus, the portfolio created a new @ntueatsgreen Instagram page, where you can find vegetarian delights of all sorts:

• a crowdsourced compilation of food reviews;
• educational infographics; and
• interactive stories (eg. Bingo, ‘This or That’)

The above initiatives injected a fresh flavour of fun that left all of us with no regrets, as we embarked on our meat-lite and meat-free journeys.

Bring your own container

Eco-Campus also led the Bring Your Own Container (BYOC) campaign. Participating food stalls were given a sticker (shown above) each to promote the use of reusable containers for takeaways among patrons.

Following this belief, through collaborating with susGain (a local green rewards app), Eco-Campus has built a system in which NTU students and staff enjoy discounts and other treats when they bring their own container or cup for takeaways. The seven week-long campaign saw a total of 43 participants, accumulating 222 recorded BYOs in NTU—and their green journey has only just begun.

Fashion Treasure Workshop

Community Engagement conducted the Fashion Treasure workshop in partnership with Bye Bye Plastic Bags SG. Participants learnt about fast fashion and its environmental impact and greenwashing through a presentation, then stitched a simple cup-holder/tissue-holder.

Earth Hour is going virtual this year! To start off with this very new idea, we are happy to open to the floor for naming our eco-podcast! Unleash your creativity and stand a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card!
Link: https://tinyurl.com/ELpodcastname by 6th March 2020 12 pm

Moreover, we are having a hashtag competition too! Follow the steps above and get your stories featured on our social media!