2021

“I’m really proud that the NTU BioBlitz turned out to be such a huge success, especially because it’s an example of how everyday people like you or me can contribute to conservation causes through the power of citizen science.” -Alexis Goh

The Student Leaders’ Night is an annual affair organised by the Student Affairs Office to recognise the contributions of student organisations towards the school and the welfare of fellow students. In the 6th installation of the Student Leaders’ Night, two of Earthlink’s initiatives were shortlisted for the prestigious ‘Mr and Mrs Kwok Chin Yan Award for Student Initiative’. This annual award honours student initiatives which have made significant contributions towards enhancement of student life, the improvement of the campus environment or the betterment of the larger community in the preceding year. The initiative that clinched the award was NTU BioBlitz 2021.

Green For Good 2021 (previously known as GreenFest) was a two-week long outreach event organised by Earthlink’s Campus Outreach portfolio, to raise awareness of environmental issues and spur collective and individual action among the NTU community. This involved engaging staff and students alike through activities such as a Fashion Treasure Workshop and a Bring-Your-Own-Container (BYOC) campaign, to name a few.

On the other hand, NTU BioBlitz was NTU’s first biodiversity-monitoring programme held in NTU. In March 2021, Earthlink’s Nature Guiding portfolio conducted 23 surveys to record the fauna found on campus. This was carried out with the aim of improving human-wildlife interactions as well as to improve NTU’s policies regarding campus wildlife.

Alexis Goh, Chairperson of NTU BioDiversity Day, voiced her thoughts regarding what the award meant for the team. “I’m really proud that the NTU BioBlitz turned out to be such a huge success, especially because it’s an example of how everyday people like you or me can contribute to conservation causes through the power of citizen science.” says the environmental science undergraduate. 

“This can then open up the room for more collaboration opportunities, and allow Earthlink members to be more involved in the local conservation scene” – Tay Li Si

As the fellow co-director of Earthlink’s Nature Guiding portfolio, Li Si Tay hopes that moving forward, this initiative would be a stepping stone in increasing awareness of biodiversity throughout the whole NTU community. “I hope that our efforts under the Nature Guiding committee and the upcoming NTU Biodiversity Week committee can put Earthlink NTU on the radar of the other nature groups and organisations in Singapore. This can then open up the room for more collaboration opportunities, and allow Earthlink members to be more involved in the local conservation scene.”, says Li Si regarding his aspirations for the biodiversity and conservation movement. 

All in all, the exceptional work of Earthlink and it’s portfolios would not have been possible without the support of the members, the partners as well as the various participants of the activities and initiatives. Moving forward, these awards serve as a supplementary platform to pave the way for the creation and execution of more projects and campaigns aligned with Earthlink’s mission to advocate for environmentally sustainable lifestyles and to increase the NTU community’s awareness on environmental issues.

As the semester drew to a close, all the committees of Earthlink gathered in May, for an Appreciation Night event organised by Welfare portfolio. This was a night to celebrate the achievements of the past Academic Year as well as recognise individuals for their contributions to Earthlink.

The Awards given out at the event were:

– Long Service Award (three and four years)

– Innovation Award

– Dedication Award

– Earthlinker of the Year

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.

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.