Past Events

@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!

On 4th of Feb 2020, Earthlink NTU’s Community Engagement had their local community engagement project (LCEP). LCEP is an educational project that aims to promote environmentalism to local primary school students through fun games and activities relating to recycling and sustainability. We also shared our knowledge of nature and biodiversity in Singapore to the students.