The Ess Army

2008-09-13T15:05:00.001+08:00

Sep 2, 2008

Sea level 'rising faster than thought'

Rapidly-melting Greenland Ice Sheet spells danger for coastal cities: Report

PARIS: Much of the world's coastline may be drowned by rising seas sooner than anticipated because scientists now say they cannot rule out a fast-track melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet - a prospect once the preserve of doomsayers.

This would spell trouble for Singapore and many countries in the world.

The new findings, just published online by Nature Geoscience, warn that the current pace of the melting ice sheet in Greenland may have been seriously underestimated.

The researchers drew their conclusions after comparisons with the swifter- than-realised demise of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last Ice Age, which took place after a spurt in warming. That event smothered much of North America.

'The word 'glacial' used to imply that something was very slow,' said climate researcher Allegra LeGrande of New York's Columbia University, who was not part of the research team.

'This new evidence from the past, paired with our model for predicting future climate, indicates that 'glacial' is anything but slow. Past ice sheets responded quickly to a changing climate, hinting at the potential for a similar response in the future,' the researcher said.

Seeking help from the past, geologist Anders Carlson at the University of Wisconsin led the team that delved into sediment left by the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

At its apogee some 20,000 years ago, the Laurentide was 3km thick. Then a big warming occurred, apparently caused by a slight orbital shift which increased radiation that the Earth received from the Sun.

Dr Carlson's team calculated that the Laurentide had two bursts of very fast melting before it finally disappeared about 6,500 years ago. The first phase, around 9,000 years ago, drove up sea levels by around 7m, at a rate of 1.3cm each year. The second, around 7,500 years ago, accounted for a rise of 5m at the rate of 1cm annually.

The latest discovery has raised worrying questions about the future stability of Greenland's Ice Sheet, since a spurt in warming will be mirrored once more by the end of this century, scientists say.

The researchers caution that Greenland is an island bathed in chill water, has a somewhat different geology from that of North America, and so the timetable of the Laurentide's break-up may not exactly apply to it.

Even so, the upper range of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) temperature estimates at century's end are in line with those of the naturally-induced warming that doomed the Laurentide, they said.

The IPCC had predicted warming of 1.8 to 4 deg C over the century.

Although scientists are confident the mighty store of land ice on the Antarctic has so far escaped major damage, they are far less sure about Greenland, whose ice sheet holds enough water to drive up sea levels by 7m.

In addition, the Greenland Ice Sheet is far smaller than the Laurentide was and thus lacks frigid bulk to help shield off warming.

'We have never seen an ice sheet retreat significantly or even disappear before, yet this may happen for the Greenland Ice Sheet in the coming centuries to millennia,' said Dr Carlson.

In a commentary, published in Nature Geoscience, scientists Mark Siddall and Michael Kaplan said Greenland's glacial slab was entering into a temperature range at which it was becoming 'particularly vulnerable'.

'The (new) work suggests that future reductions of the Greenland Ice Sheet on the order of 1m per century are not out of the question,' they said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

The Ilulissat Icefjord, in western Greenland, in a picture taken in May. New findings by scientists show that Arctic ice levels have dropped sharply due to global warming, with the extent of sea ice dipping below the 2005 minimum. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

WHEN THE ICE SHEET MELTS...
• Rising sea levels would spell catastrophe for 136 port and delta cities around the world.
• Up to 150 million people in the big coastal cities are likely to be at risk from flooding by the 2070s - more than three times as many as now.
• Of the 10 most exposed cities, nine are in Asia. These are Bangkok, Dhaka, Guangzhou, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, Mumbai, Shanghai and Yangon.
• Cities most at risk of catastrophes, in terms of exposed population, are Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, Miami, Mumbai, New Orleans and Shanghai.
• Singapore could see coastal erosion and flooding, destruction of mangrove swamps and submerging coral reefs fringing the offshore islands.
• Sea water could enter Singapore's coastal reservoirs, such as Kranji, Sarimbun and Seletar, making the water undrinkable.
• Commercial areas around the Singapore River, parts of the west coast, parts of Changi Airport and a major part of the recreational land along East Coast Park will also be more vulnerable.
• To avoid major catastrophes in Singapore, flood-alleviation projects have been undertaken. Roads have been raised and drains enlarged, a move which will cut down flood- prone areas by more than half in 2011.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

2008-07-30T15:44:00.004+08:00

The Ess Army together with studenst from class 4J decided to plant some trees in a field in the school.

Our school hall has been air-conditioned this year so that we can have a condusive climate to do our examination.

We see the need to plant more treess so that we can reduce the carbon foot print of the air-con hall.

Stay tuned as we report on the progress of our garden

Reflection: The ESS Army

2008-07-26T11:17:00.009+08:00

‘Well, a week of exhaustion awaits me, I guess, but, well, that's life. CCA will start again, CIP too I guess, extra lessons are of course still on, and also The Ess Army are getting busy. So, I have to put on a cheerful mood for the whole week, otherwise I'll suffer. Hahaha.’ – 11 May 2008.

‘I feel that the ess army members are able to communicate better among each other now than during previous meetings ((:’ – 26 May 2008.

‘Alright, I have to do final packing now. Tomorrow I'll be leaving for Jakarta at 5 am from my hostel. I'll be back on June 15. Meanwhile though, I will still go online and take care of The Ess Army stuff if needed.’ – 8 June 2008

‘Even the Ess Army and the Shoo Mozzie thing had brought me closer to some of my classmates.’ – 8 June 2008

‘After that was the finalisation of The Ess Army proposal and presentation boards, which took about 5-6 hours O.O’ – 16 June 2008, one day after I went back from Jakarta

‘The Ess Army got into Top 3! ^^ I did not expect anything, I did not dare to :P It feels so good somehow. It's like you've worked hard together with your friends, and really achieved something. It's a nice feeling (:’ – 25 June 2008

‘Yesterday's Ess Army project was rather enjoyable. It kinda started to feel....addictive, you know. At first I feel some challenge in doing whatever we are doing, but somewhere along the way, I started to really really enjoy doing what we do, and together with the rest of the army, they were fun (:’ – 29 June 2008'

‘Today is supposed to be our rehearsal and meeting – The Ess Army. Gosh I really hate playing in a skit :S Ok, ok, I’ll do it once and for all. I don’t mind acting in front of my friends……..but it really bugs me that I have to act in front of other people :S’ – 4 July 2008

Those excerpts, taken from my blog, were like small windows to the journey I had been through these last two and a half months.

I still remember when we were about to interview Dr Drozario and Mrs Ess shared with us how her friend asked her what she is doing all these for. Then I asked myself, "What am I doing this for?"

Well, I've always had some environmental awareness inside me, which I did not know how to bring out in Jakarta, where poverty, traffic jam and flood issues beat those of environmental ones, but.....why now, when O Levels are just around the corner?

I guess I just love exposing myself to new things.

Otherwise I wouldn't have joined taekwondo as my CCA, would I?

I did not regret my decision. I have been enjoying everything all along, all the different experts and members of the public that we met, various contradictory praises and criticisms from anonymous people, and......perhaps most of all, getting to know people that I have known before even more: fellow soldiers and also teachers.

All these had brought me closer to my friends. I have to admit that I was guilty of keeping to myself and sticking to several people last year as a new student in class.

When we were asked to pair up for the sale of Shoo Mozzie during the Singapore Garden Festival, though, I realised that I really don’t mind being paired up with any one of them, any of my wonderfriends, a term I use to describe my wonderful friends.

Probably one of the most important lessons that I have learned from being a soldier of the Ess Army, is really that line from the bible, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you."

Being a member of the Ess Army shows me that some things will happen when you ask for it.

Lessons, experiences, connections, life skills and ‘wonderfriends’.

What more could you ask for in return for doing simple things that save the environment?

Vanessa/-vNs-

2008-07-22T14:48:00.006+08:00

The Ess Army will be at the Singapore Garden Festival from 25th to the 1st August.

We will be at booth S-14.

We will be there from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. See you there.

As usual, taking part in this activity will not contribute to any CCA points or CIP hours.

2008-07-16T15:38:00.008+08:00

After our presentation at the Worldview 360, we are very grateful and thankful that so many students and teachers have given us so many valuable feedback.

This has set us thinking and motivated us to go into further research.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oil of Citronella has been used for over 50 years as an insect repellent and as an animal repellent.

It is found in many familiar insect repellent products: candles, lotions, gels, sprays and towelette wipes.

These products, which vary in efficacy, repel various insects, some of which are public health pests, such as mosquitoes, biting flies and fleas.

When used according to the label, citronella products are not expected to cause harm to humans, pets or the environment.

Please go to the website below to read up for more information.

1.http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides//ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_021901.htm

2. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/3105fact.pdf

Here is a project entitled "The Effectiveness of Lemon Grass as a Natural Mosquito Repellent"

1.http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2004/Projects/J1408.pdf

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if Lemon Grass is an effective mosquito repellent compared to a DEET-based bug spray. The hypothesis states: Lemon Grass is an effective alternative mosquito repellent for people sensitive to the DEET compound (Diethylmetatoluamide).

According to the The Cancer Awareness Coalition (CAC)
the mission of the CAC is - to raise public awareness about the health risks associated with pesticides and other environmental toxins - to encourage growers, homeowners, and others to use more natural products - and to promote legislation designed to protect public health.
Please go to this website to see the problem with DEET
http://www.cacinfo.org/DEET.html

(P.S. There are many ways to give feedback. We aim to received them with a positive attitude even when feedback is given in a negative tone.)

The battle continues.

2008-07-13T09:19:00.011+08:00

The war has only begun. Fighting climate change is not a short term battle but a lifelong war. After wining the Worldview 360 for the Best Overall Project and the most creative presentation, the ESS army is back to the drawing block for our next project.

We plan to use the prize money that we have won to built a garden in our school. We plan to plant some native trees and shrubs to reduce our own carbon footprint. Another class (4J) has agreed to join us in this project and they will also plant two trees in the garden.

We hope that this garden will inspire our school mates to fight climate change by reducing their carbon footprint.

In addition, we will also plant pandan leaves and lemon grass to promote the use of natural insect repellent instead of those which we can buy from the supermarket.

Fighting climate change is not a once off event to be forgotten after a competition but is a lifestyle change which involves forming new green habits that will reduce our carbon footprint.

Here are some information about lemon grass which is one of the main ingredient for our Shoo Mozzie

Lemon Grass, Ginger Grass, Serai Grass

Cymbopogon Citratus

Description

Perennial, densely tufted, aromatic grass.

Stems underground, short, whitish or pale-violet.

Leaves in dense clusters, linear amplexicaul, rough-margined, glaucous green on both sides.

Inflorescence in many-branched panicles without stalks.

All parts of the grass are lemon-flavored.

Chemical Constituents

The whole plant contains an essential oil consisting of critral, limonene, isopulegol, citronellic acid, geranium acid and a-camphorene.

Uses

The entire plant possesses antiseptic, antiferbrile and stomachic properties.

It is used in treating coryza, influenza and pyrexia.

It is also prescribed against dyspepsia and vomiting and as a carminative, using three to four drops of the essential oil, diluted in water.

Used externally to treat eczema.

The essential oil is used as an insecticide against mosquitoes and as a deodorant.

(P.S. We are greatly touched and inspired by the suggestion provided by one of our friendly competitors that we should test out our Shoo Mozzie by using actual Aedes Mosquitoes as part of a scientific studies.

We regret to say that after consulting with relevant authorities, we could not get permission to breed them as the slogan says: "If they breed, we will bleed."

If any one of the mosquitoes is released into the environment, it will be a bio-hazard.

Thus we will have to rely on secondary sources to test out the effectiveness of our product.

Nonetheless, we discover that sometime our grandmothers' old wives' tales hold more than a grain of truth and we will learn to respect this pool of native knowledge rather then solely on scientific studies alone.

But thank you for taking the time to suggest this test. )

2008-07-10T22:22:00.010+08:00

The Ess Army has done it. At the World View 360 the Ess army was awarded two awards : the most creative presentation award and the best overall project award.

The competition was held at the Science Center on 10 July 2008.

After the competition, the guest of honour Dr Amy Khor took a picture with the Ess Army.

This is the display board that we made for the competition.

Our mascots with the trophies.

Well done. Of course, this is just the beginning and there is a lot of work to be done.

Are you ready to be an Ess?

2008-07-10T21:40:00.014+08:00

This is the script for our presentation.

Good Afternoon, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, and Mayor, South West CDC, ladies and gentlemen, friends and participants from the Worldview 360.

We are from the ESS Army,

I am Tanya, and I am the other Tania, this is Jessica, Tommy, Vanessa, Agustina, and Emanto. We are from Indonesia,

I am Yuxi and I am from China.

I am Jill, he is Chong Junn, Jeremia, Yong Qing and we are from Singapore.

Together, we are the Ess Army -- Empowering a Sustainable Society.

Wait a minute. (Slowly) Why do we want to waste time telling people where we are from?

Well, one of the objectives for worldview 360 is to promote cross-cultural understanding (hand to wave and point to students shaking hands) and harmony through the sharing of common activities and experiences of youths from different races and culture.

Really?

Yes, through this competition, we learnt that global warming and extreme climate change phenomena like floods and rising see level affects all of us regardless of .....where we come from, who we are…. So we tell them, we are the Ess army.

Wait a minute. Wait wait…

What in the world is the Ess Army?

Who is this Ess?
Is he making an Ass of himself fighting a lost cause? Climate Change? Global Warming? Don’t waste your time.Don’t be an ASS.

Ah that is where you are wrong Yong Qing.We, the youth are challenge to come up with feasible and practical projects to protect our environment, slow down climate change and global warming.

O.k. (Challenging tone) So, what has the Ess Army done?

Well, we worked with an environmental N G O called Cicada Tree Eco Place to develop an all natural, organic insect repellent.

Ah ? (Acting surprise ) What for? Kill mosquito ah?

Ah ( With a hint of mystery) listen to what the Ess army has to say.

Aunty, Aunty Would you like to try this?

Ah yeo What is this?

Ah this is Shoo Mozzie. It is all natural, it will not cause cancer because it does not have DEET and best of all when you use this you will help to protect the environment.

Really Ah?

Really We need to save the environment and there is very little time left now.If we do not play our part, then there will be more flood like what happened in Myanmar, China, India and USA.

Choy Ya Ta Jia Ta Li. (In hokkien) Singapore will not flood.

Aunty cannot say like that.
Remember the florist shop along Thomson Road?.
They were flooded in December 2006.
Even Kota Tinggi was also flooded. We must start now.

Ya Ho

Wait

I must go and tell all my majong Kakie about this.

Way …. AH Kum Soh ah … You know ah… (Walk away).

Is this real?
Is this reliable? Are you sure the Ess army have been speaking to the community about Shoo Mozzie?

But of Course. Let Vanessa share with you how we empower ourselves to fight climate change.

Hi I am Vanessa.
Let me share with you our three Ps approach of Programme, People and Passion to empower a sustainable society.

Firstly there is the Programme. By working with the National Environmental Agency, we have been putting up road shows like what you have just seen. We did one for the CLEAN Project at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 in May and another at Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 in June. We also went to Anchor Point shopping centre to promote our Shoo Mozzie.

Through this we are given the opportunity to talk about climate change and global warming to the community at large

Wow, that is impressive.
But how do you empower yourself to speak with confident and authority so that you will be more credible?
After all, you all are very young and some older people will say that they have eaten more salt then you have eaten rice.

Yes, we know we are very young but we are willing to learn from the expert. For example, we went to NIE to learn from Prof Wilma D’ Rozario how to protect the environment and how she sustains her passion.

We learnt form Uncle Joe Lai, a botanist, on how mangrove forests protect the river bank and coasts during a Tsunami or flood.

Did you know that the extent of the damage brought by Typhoon Nargis in Myanmar was made worse because all the mangroves were removed and replaced with prawn farms and padi fields?

O.K. I can see that you have the programme, and you have the people, the Expert who will empower you but ….

what about your passion?
Will the Ess army stop after this competition?

What happen when all the foreign students leave Singapore at the end of the year?

It is true that some of us will be leaving Singapore after our O level exam

But do not forget our Blog.

The Ess Army Blog.
We have discovered that the internet is a very powerful tool to connect people from all over the world.

We have invited our friends from Indonesia, Thailand and China to join in our fight to stop or slow down global warming and climate change.

Even if they cannot be around to sell Shoo Mozzie, they can read articles that we have posted on our blog, they can look at our video and pictures and get inspired.

Best of all when we formed the Ess Army, we know that we will not get any CCA points nor any CIP hours. So all of us took part in this project because we really care for the environment. So we are confident that we have the Passion to sustain this project beyond this competition.

To sum, global warming and extreme climate change phenomena such as floods and rising sea level are pressing issues facing the world today.

Time is not on our side.

Worldview 360 has challenged us with this question "What can our youths do to help protect our environment?"

If we do not do something, no one else will. We are all in the same boat. Remember Norh’s ark is built by amateurs, the Titanic by profession.

Protecting the environment is not just for you me or the Aunties in Ang Mo Kio. It is for everyone

So are you ready to be an ess ?

and join the Ess Army?

Pen Awards 2007

2008-07-09T00:40:00.006+08:00

There's a competition for all those those inclined in English and wish to share their tale of the environment.

Pen Awards 2008

"The Environment and Me"

Objectives:
To raise the interest of English language writing and encourage creativity through writing in schools in Singapore.

Topic:
How I made a difference.
Articles must be non-fiction.Students are invited to contribute nonfictional articles on how they made a difference. The story may be funny, moving, interesting, offbeat - something that will move, inspire and engage readers. It has to be based on their own experience and it must be a true account.
Upper and Lower Secondary

No. of words:
Maximum 1,000 words

The Ess Army do urge everyone to take part in this competition, as there're attractive prizes to be won. For more information, please visit this website.

INterprise

2008-07-04T22:40:00.004+08:00

Our efforts in the Enterprising Challenge at Anchorpoint was featured in the Straits Time IN section on 30th Jun! Click here to read the article. Click here to read our post about the event.

Funfair in MF

2008-07-04T19:23:00.003+08:00

Today, Class 4Justice held a funfair in school to raise funds for cancer patients. We collaborated with them and they agreed to lend us a booth to sell our Shoo Mozzie to the students of Mayflower Sec. All profits made by the sale will go to ACRES, like all our other profits. We'll also be selling more Shoo Mozzie to the students of our school throughout the Humanities Week, from 4th Aug to 8th Aug.

Here are some pictures taken today:

The 4 girls manning the booth!

Promoting our product!

Getting the teachers to buy!

And again!

Group photo!

Overall, it was a great way to introduce our product to the school, and let them know about it, before we sell it to them with a greater supply during the Humanities Week.

Funfair

2008-07-03T20:12:00.000+08:00

To all Ess Army members and helpers, do note that we'll be selling our Shoo Mozzie during tomorrow's funfair in school. Please remember to stay back after school to help out. Thanks.

2008-06-30T16:07:00.008+08:00

This is the video of five members from The ESS army performing a replica of the same skit that we have done on 25th May ,A Clean And Healthy Me on stage at AMK Ave 4 Block 177 Block Party.As you can see,we have a different cast of actor as compared to the initial one at Ang Mo Kio Blk 548 on 25th May. We want to equip all our member with the skill to act in the skit and spread the message of the need for care for our environment. This is necessary to empower a sustainable society,having the 'younger" generation to take over the "older" generation for the spreading our message of environmental awareness.In our school,Mayflower Secondary School,we already have younger Youth Environmental Guardian in secondary 1,2 and 3s.

Rehearsing before the skit

Doing the skit!

Block 177 Skit & Sale of Shoo Mozzie

2008-06-30T15:47:00.005+08:00

On 28 June 2008, The ESS Army went to Block 177 to do a skit promoting cleanliness and health, and at the same time, sold bottles of Shoo Mozzie, our all-natural insect repellent to the community.

This is our stage!!

Our Shoo Mozzie banners

Yong Qing promoting Shoo Mozzie to a customer

Yong Qing explaining the advantages of using Shoo Mozzie

Vanessa and Jill tending the booth

Our skit actors and actresses ((:

Some of The ESS Army members with the MP for AMK GRC, Mr Inderjit Singh

The ESS Army thank Mr Inderjit Singh for his kindness in providing some of his time for us, NEA for their support and everyone in the community who has shown support and enthusiasm for our skit and sale of Shoo Mozzie ((:

Voting

2008-06-27T20:00:00.001+08:00

Voting has begun!
Please support the ESS Army by following these simple steps!

1. Go to http://www.worldview360.org

2. Click on the VOTE button on the front page.

3. Scroll down and click the VOTE button beside our blog "Global Coolers"

We greatly appreciate your support!

2008-06-27T18:22:00.027+08:00

Many people have asked: "What does the ESS in The Ess Army stands for?"

Well, today, I'm going to tell you just what it stands for!

"ESS" is an acronym for our motto: Empowering a Sustainable Society. Let me further elaborate on this.

Our current society is not very pleasent. Pollution are found in almost every developed country, and some undeveloped ones too. Now, if this carries on, we won't have a society at all. Our aim is to empower the society so that they will practice habits that will not damage the environment. This way, we can sustain a society in which both the flora and fauna are able to live together, without drastic consequences.

We achieve this aim by using the 3P's: People, Programme, Passion.

The Ess Army have been inviting and working with many people, groups and organisation. The few I would love to highlight is Uncle Joe (Joseph Lai) and Dr D'Rozario.

Uncle Joe is an environmentalist, and he's a very informative man, especially of the ecology of Pulau Ubin. Some time before the competition, he gave afew of us a personal tour of Pulau Ubin, explaining the different flora and fauna, and the effects of development on the island. During the competition, we interviewed him to know more of his passion for the environment. [link]

The next person is Dr D'Rozario. Dr Vilma Drozario is a lecturer at National Institute of Education. Though it's not part of her job, she is also a very passionate environmentalist from young. We also interviewed her [link], and also asked for help on what are the things we can do to help spread the message.
She is the co-founder of Cicada Tree Eco Place, an environmental NGO. Through this NGO we learn how to make Shoo Mozzie, an all natural insect repellent.

We use our relationships with people to learn more of the environment, and what we can do. Through this, we have learn a lot, and have also done a lot more.

For programmes, we have worked closely with the National Environmental Agency through a programe called the Youth Environmental Guardian.
Through this programme, we were given an opportunity to perform a skit at Blk 458 on 25th May, during the Project CLEAN @ AMK. [link]
The title of the skit was "A Clean and Healthy Me"

Lastly we took a trip to Vietnam to learn about the harmful effects of insecticides and herbicides on the environment.

The "A Clean and Healthy Me" skit where we performed during the Project CLEAN @ AMK was a huge success. We socialised with the MP of AMK GRC, Mr Wee, and spread our cause to him, in hopes he will support us. We were also featured in a newsletter of Jalan Kayu. [link]

Then, we went to Vietnam to learn more of the herbicide called Agent Orange, a dangerous chemical containing dioxin. It was used by the Americans on the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. Though it was used over 30 years ago, it's effect is still prominent, in both the descendants of its victims and the lush forest it has destroyed. [link]

The latest project we have was the Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008 at Anchorpoint on the 7th and 8th June. There, we had the chance to promote and sell our organic insect repellant, the Shoo Mozzie. Not only did we won the Gold award for the challenge, we also learn many valueable enterprising skills. [link]

We also have many other upcoming programmes and activities, such as the skit and selling of Shoo Mozzie at AMK Ave 4 Block 177 in partnership with Kebun Baru CC on the 28th June, the presentation to the school during CARE TALK on the 30th June, and the Singapore Garden Festival in Suntec City from the 25th to 1st Aug. We hope through these programmes, we can inspire and empower more people to join our cause and help fight against global warming.

The last P, Passion, comes from the people involved in protecting the environment and helping to prevent climate change. These people include us, Uncle Joe, Dr D'Rozario, and many more. Their passion drive them to do whatever it takes to help protect the environment and prevent global warming. They will do it even if there's nothing for them. We sacrifice much of our time to help spread the word, even if there's nothing in it for us. Uncle Joe and Dr D'Rozario sacrificed their time to spend with us in hope that we will be able to have their passion, and continue the efforts to fight towards the common goal.

I hope through this you will understand our group better, and realise your potential to be the saviour of mother earth.

We're in the finals

2008-06-25T17:17:00.004+08:00

Congratulations to the Ess Army! We've made it to the grand finale of the worldVIEW360 competition! However, our work doesn't end here. We shall do our best for both our community and our earth, and do our best to win the competition! Also, please note we'll be having a sale of Shoo Mozzie at block 117 this saturday in partnership with Kebun Baru CC. You will be further briefed tomorrow or friday.

Also, good luck to all those taking your Chinese O Levels Oral exam the next few days. All the best of luck!

Again, congratulations to us and all those who've helped us to come this far!

How many floods must there be before we realised that climate change is here to stay?

2008-06-17T21:09:00.011+08:00

How many floods must there be, before we know it too late? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. Are you now convinced that the climate change has an impact on the environment. Below are three articles about flooding in India, USA and China all reported on the same day.

How many more floods do we have to see before we do something about climate change? The answer my friend is in your hand.

About a million people have already been displaced by flooding in neighbouring Guangxi, and 57 people killed across southern China by torrential rains. -- PHOTO: XINHUA

June 17, 2008 Straits Times

China orders emergency work as floods ravage south

BEIJING - CHINA ordered emergency work to strengthen swollen dykes and reservoirs on Tuesday and evacuated tens of thousands of people as large swathes of the south reeled under their worst storms in decades.
Officials said more than 40 rivers nationwide were exceeding their warning levels with torrential rain continuing to pound the densely populated region.

The civil affairs ministry said the death toll in nine southern provinces and regions had reached 63 on Tuesday, with 13 missing, since the latest bout of rains began pummelling the area in early June.

However, state-run Xinhua news agency said the flooding could have resulted in more than 200 dead or missing, citing the National Meteorological Centre.

The centre declined comment when contacted by reporters.

'We must remain clear-headed and not under-estimate the serious nature of the current flood and disaster situation,' Vice Premier Hui Liangyu said, in comments on the website of the state flood prevention headquarters.

In the prosperous Pearl River Delta region, parts of central Guangzhou and Shenzhen were under water and some of the tributaries were seeing their worst floods on record.

The China Daily quoted the civil affairs ministry as saying the storms and floods were the worst in decades.

Officials also warned that the north could fall victim to the freak weather patterns.

More than 1.66 million people have been evacuated in the hardest-hit areas, with large swathes of farmland under water and economic losses totalling 14.5 billion yuan (S$2.8 billion), the civil affairs ministry said.

Vice Premier Hui ordered the immediate evacuation of people in danger areas and the strengthening of river dykes and reservoirs.

'We have to limit the loss of life and property to the lowest extent possible,' Mr Hui said.

'We cannot underestimate the arduous nature of fighting the flooding and warding off disaster.'

According to the flood headquarters, waters exceeded warning levels by 6.8 metres on the Xijiang river in Guangxi's Wuzhou city, where three rivers meet before flowing down into the Pearl River delta.

Rains were expected to continue in the region this week.

Guangxi's world-famous tourist city of Guilin was also under threat, while waters in towns and villages in the vicinity had reached the rooftops and many roads were cut off by rising flood waters or rain-induced landslides.

In inland provinces such as Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Sichuan, rains were also forecast to continue throughout the week, ensuring that downstream rivers would remain high, the state meteorological bureau said.

In the north, the government urged the bolstering of dykes and reservoirs along the Yellow River, known as the 'cradle of Chinese civilisation' and home to millions of urban dwellers and farmers.

'National flood prevention and relief efforts are entering a crucial phase,' the flood headquarters said in a statement.

'According to the water and meteorological departments, we could be seeing torrential rains and flooding along the Yellow River.'

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao ordered an increase in efforts to prevent rain-induced landslides in Sichuan province, where an 8.0-magnitude earthquake in mid-May left 87,000 dead or missing and millions homeless.

'As aftershocks continue to hit and as rains markedly increase at the start of the rainy season, we must pay close attention,' Mr Wen said.

Up to 70,000 people at the quake's epicentre in Wenchuan county have been evacuated in recent days from mountainous areas which are at risk of rockslips and landslides, state press said. -- AFP

June 17, 2008 Straits Times

China flood risk worsens as rivers threaten levees

BEIJING - THE risk of flooding in southern China's Guangdong province could worsen as a full moon, more rain and converging rivers threaten levees, the Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday citing local flood control officials.
About a million people have already been displaced by flooding in neighbouring Guangxi, and 57 people killed across southern China by torrential rains.
Run-off in the Xijiang and Beijiang rivers was much higher than normal at their junction in Foshan city, Xinhua said, with more rain expected upstream.
Flooding has struck as far north as Longnan, on the southern tip of Gansu province, where 365 died and 1.8 million were left homeless after a devastating earthquake last month.
Gansu is still awaiting 110,000 tents and nearly 100,000 temporary housing units, to shelter the millions still sleeping outdoors five weeks after the earthquake, vice-governor Feng Jianshen told reporters in Beijing on Monday. -- REUTERS

==================================================

FROM FERTILITY TO FUTILITY: Thousands of farmers in Iowa have seen their farms swamped and lost crops and livestock as freak weather cause massive flooding in the state. -- PHOTO: AFP

June 17, 2008 Straits Time
Iowa corn-founded by floods
No relief in sight as overflowing rivers prevent planting, spoil what's sown
NEWHALL (IOWA) - HERE, in some of the best soil in the world, the stunted stalks of farmer Dave Timmerman's newly-planted corn are wilting in what sometimes look more like padi fields than the plains, the sunshine glinting off pools of water.
Although time is running out, Mr Timmerman has yet to plant all of his soya bean crop because the waterlogged soil cannot support his footsteps, much less heavy machinery.

His small farm has been flooded four times in the past month by a tributary of the Cedar River, which overflowed its banks last week, causing catastrophic damage in nearby Cedar Rapids and other towns and farmsteads across the state.

At a time when corn should be almost waist-high in the United States' No. 1 corn state, Iowa has lost 530,000ha of corn and 810,000ha of soya beans. Some 16 per cent of the state's 10 million ha of tillable farmland is underwater.

'In the lean years, we had beautiful crops but they weren't worth much,' Mr Timmerman said, surveying the land that his family has tended for generations.

'Now, with commodity prices sky high, Mother Nature is throwing us all these curve balls. I'm 42 years old and these are by far the poorest crops I've ever seen.'

All across the sodden, rain-soaked Mid-west, there are thousands - many of them other farmers - who are a lot worse off than Mr Timmerman.

POOR YIELD: With much of Iowa's corn crop ruined by flooding, prices are likely to skyrocket. -- PHOTO: AFP

Since the beginning of this month, first tornadoes and then heavy rain and flooding, have cut a watery path across the region. And officials fear that worse flooding may lie ahead as rain-gorged tributaries spill into the Mississippi River system, threatening scores of other communities.

But the plight of Mr Timmerman and thousands of other farmers who have seen their fields turn into flood plains goes beyond the Mid-west.

Last week, the price of corn broke through the US$7 (S$9.60) a bushel price-point on the commodities futures market for the first time, and soya beans rose sharply too.

Besides Iowa, the heavy-farming states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota have suffered an unusual level of flooding this year.

Soaring global demand in addition to the increased use of corn for ethanol, an alternative fuel, have shrunk the worldwide supply of staples that are the core of practically every continent's diet.

Meanwhile, the price of oil has jumped, increasing the cost of producing crops, feeding livestock and causing an overall inflation of grocery bills here and abroad, sparking riots and protests in at least two dozen countries.

'The American farmer, we feed the world,' Mr Timmerman said.

'We're going to be short on corn and we're going to be short on soya beans.

'It's heart-wrenching.'

NEW YORK TIMES, ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 17, 2008 Starits Times
Waiting for some sense of normality

FLOOD-RAVAGED residents of the US mid-western state of Iowa were to start cleaning up yesterday, but officials warned it could be two weeks before river levels returned to normal.
More than 11 million people in nine mid-western states were affected by the overflowing of the Iowa, Mississippi and Cedar rivers as well as the extreme weather of recent weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

Iowa was by the far the hardest hit: 83 of its 99 counties have been declared disaster areas and more than 4.8 million sandbags have been laid down to try to stem the tide. Damages were estimated to be in the billions of dollars.

'The waters will recede. Our citizens will rebuild and return to their homes. And Iowans will meet this challenge with optimism and resilience,' Governor Chet Culver said on Sunday.

Officials put the death toll in Iowa at three, while harsh weather claimed five other lives elsewhere in the US Mid-west.

The swollen Iowa River, which bisects Iowa City, was topping out at about 9.6m - 46cm below earlier predictions. But it still posed a lingering threat, and was not expected to begin receding until yesterday night.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

=============================================================================

Flood victims transport their belongings as they try to cross a flooded paddy field in Lakhimpur district, about 400 km east of the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati. Heavy rains flooded a number of villages in the district, bringing the flood water frm the Hingora River onto the national highway, and damaging numerous roads. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Straits Times, June 17, 2008
Floods ravage India's north-east, thousands homeless

GUWAHATI - MONSOON rains swept across India's remote north-east, forcing hundreds of thousands of villagers from their flooded homes and killing at least 30 people, officials said on Tuesday.

The monsoon arrived at least two weeks early in northern India, bringing respite to its baking plains, but in the north-eastern state of Assam it swamped about 500 villages in waist-deep water, leaving about 300,000 people homeless.
Assam accounts for about 55 per cent of India's tea production. Officials said the rains had not affected tea trade.

The region reported the first fatalities from the monsoon with a series of landslides, floods and building collapses killing at least 30 people since the weekend, officials in Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh state said.
The casualties included 13 people who drowned in overnight flooding in Assam.
'The (13) deaths were reported from North Lakhimpur town,' an Assam police official said.

Gushing water also washed away portions of highways and bridges at several places in Assam's Lakhimpur district, the worst-hit area.

'The situation turned worse because there has been erosion of embankments at 13 places,' said Mr Uken Pegu, an official with the Water Resources Department in Lakhimpur.

Authorities have set up temporary shelters for the homeless, but some complained there were not enough.

Many people camped on highways in makeshift shelters with whatever belongings they could save from the floodwaters.

'Every year people have to suffer and the government wakes up only when there is flooding,' said Mr Ramesh Pegu, a student leader. 'There is no long-term rescue and rehabilitation plan for the affected people.' The regional weather office warned of more showers in the next 24 hours in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. -- REUTERS

Climate change 'threatens coral reef fish'

2008-06-17T20:24:00.002+08:00

From the Straits Times, June 17, 2008

SYDNEY - CLIMATE change threatens to devastate coral reef fish populations and increase the likelihood of fishery collapses, Australian researchers warned yesterday.
Coral reefs' vulnerability to global warming has already been established by researchers, but the fish living in the reefs are also at risk, James Cook University's Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies found.

'We have already seen episodes of mass die-off of corals as a result of warmer waters associated with global warming, the problem for specialist coral fish is that when the corals die, the fish have nowhere else to go,' the centre's Mr Philip Munday said.

Mr Munday said there were some 4,000 fish species living in or around coral reefs, providing livelihoods and a major source of sustenance to an estimated 200 million people worldwide.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Project SWITCH

2008-06-10T07:34:00.017+08:00

SWITCH

To A Green Lifestyle
S imple W ays I T ake to C hange my H abits

What is SWITCH?

SWITCH is Central Singapore district's first flagship climate change programme:

Simple Ways I Take to Change my Habits.

Three focus areas were identified for the progrmme :

Save Energy,

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,

Travel Green.

Making the SWITCH

to an environmentally friendly lifestyle

now could not be more timely and urgent.

Project SWITCH

aims to educate the community

that being green

does not mean being deprived

of all modern conveniences

but that adopting simple changes

to our lifestyle is all it takes

to make a huge difference in global warming.

Make The SWITCH Today!

Save Our Environment & Money!

Wish to start saving more energy

but not sure which appliance

is gobbling up the electricity in your home?

Find out through

the Home Electricity Calculator

http://services.spservices.sg/cs_services_energy-audit.asp

Acres gets Law Minister's thumbs up

2008-06-09T20:09:00.013+08:00

We are working together with a group of Youth Environmental Guardians(YEGs) in our school to promote Shoo Mozzie to raise funds for ACRES which stands for Animal Concerns Research & Education Society.

This is part of the YEGs project for the Citibank-YMCA Youth For Causes programme. This year, a new dimension has been added to the programme:- (a) Encouraging projects which promotes sustainable development, e.g. projects that helps Non Profit Organisations which are supporting environmental causes.

Here is an article from the Straits Time about the founder of ACRES.

June 8, 2008
Acres gets Law Minister's thumbs up
By Shobana Kesava

WHEN Mr Louis Ng set up a welfare group here to improve the lot of wild animals, he was labelled a fanatic.

Some thought he had a screw loose.
Seven years later, he is no longer a voice in the wilderness.

Acres, short for Animal Concerns Research & Education Society, has 12,000 volunteers and donors, Government funding and - this is crucial - status as an institution of public character, which allows donations to it to be tax-exempt.
Mr Ng, 29, said: 'I was always told, 'You're a small fry' and 'You can't change big organisations'.'

He has not only made the authorities sit up and take notice, he now works with them to nab those in the illegal wildlife trade.

Acres is also building a shelter in Sungei Tengah big enough to house and give medical treatment to at least 400 animals; it even works with other animal welfare groups to give out grants to students for their own animal-protection projects.

His secret: Perseverance.

A baby chimpanzee named Rhamba started it all for him in 2000.
Then a 21-year-old volunteer photographer for the zoo, he said he saw a keeper punch Rhamba in the face to discipline it.

He said: 'She ran to me and hugged me. I knew then that I had to speak on her behalf.'

He tipped off The Straits Times, which reported the incident and started a groundswell of support from animal lovers who successfully campaigned for Rhamba to be returned to her family.

The zoo denied this was a problem, but following the media publicity, it stopped isolating baby chimps from their families.

Adding that zookeepers have come a long way since then, Mr Ng still considers the episode 'the best thing that happened in my life'.

Inspired to do more for animals, he and eight friends started what would become Singapore's first wildlife protection agency, scraping together less than $1,000 in combined savings.

The National University of Singapore-trained biologist was then doing his masters in primate conservation part time with the Oxford Brookes University in Britain, but through sheer will and support from friends, he got Acres up and running on a shoestring in 2001.

He and his team began by fanning out to give talks in schools. Public education is on-going.

In the past seven years, Mr Ng estimated, Acres has reached out to over 200,000 people about animal abuse and how animals can be better protected.
The group's efforts here have so impressed Law Minister K. Shanmugam that he agreed - on short notice - to speak at Acres' seventh anniversary celebrations last month.

And here is the article published on January 28 2001 about the outcome of Mr Louis's action.

Zoo's 'snapshot' chimps now run free
Singapore Zoo ends confinement of trained chimpanzees on the back of criticism by animal-welfare groups
By Eunice Lau

THE days of being caged in are over for Poko, Gombe and Rhamba - Singapore Zoo's young chimpanzees, which pose daily for photographs with visitors.
The zoo decided to end their confinement following an outcry by the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

The three - aged between 1 1/2 and four years - are in a long line of chimpanzees which have helped popularise animal photography at the zoo for more than 15 years. Poko, Gombe and Rhamba were taken away from their mothers at birth and raised by the keepers. They were kept apart from the other chimpanzees, which lived in an open enclosure.

After being trained to pose with visitors, they were kept in cages so that it was easier to produce them for photography.

They were integrated with the rest of the chimpanzees shortly after The Sunday

Times reported in November last year on the animal-welfare groups' attack on the caging of the trained chimpanzees.

Frolicking in the sun: Rhamba, trained from young to pose with visitors, is no longer caged and is now reunited with mother Suzy (above left) and the other chimpanzees. -- THOMAS WHITE

This was revealed by Mr Bernard Harrison, chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves, during a visit last Sunday to the zoo by an IPPL director, Mrs Dianne Taylor-Snow.

'We are very open to what the animal-welfare groups have said,' he said. 'Animal welfare is the overriding deciding factor.'
He said the young chimpanzees would not be separated from the rest of the herd again.
So far, the three have responded well to the changes and have been accepted by the other chimpanzees.

The Sunday Times saw them rolling on the grass and frolicking with other chimpanzees under the sun.

The keepers do not have any problem retrieving them from the group for their photography sessions, which continue as usual.

The zoo has also decided to immunise all young chimpanzees against common human diseases and asked keepers to explain to visitors the need for conservation.

Mrs Taylor-Snow, an American, was happy: 'We will continue to monitor the situation, but we are pleased with the changes.'

Conservationist Louis Ng, 22, who blew the whistle on the practice of caging the chimpanzees after witnessing a keeper allegedly abusing Rhamba, said the fight was worth it.

'I wanted to improve the conditions for the animals. Maybe I did it the wrong way, but that should not be the issue now.

'After seeing Poko, Gombe and Rhamba run in the open enclosure, I feel I've done something good.'

P.S.

ON April 5, 2004 Rhamba, the Singapore Zoo’s celebrity chimpanzee, died during a failed escape attempt. She climbed over the electric barriers and was shot by a tranquillizer dart gun. But she still managed to run straight into a reservoir and drowned before the keepers could save her.

This is what the New Paper reported on the 9th April 2004.

Animal welfare activist Louis Ng had got to know the chimpanzee when he was a volunteer in 2000.

He launched his first campaign to pressure the zoo to stop photo-taking with the chimps, claiming that he saw Rhamba being punched in the face to make her behave.

He went on to set up the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society.
Responding to Rhamba's death, Mr Ng said: 'To say that I am devastated is an understatement.

'I remember the times she would come and hug me, seeking comfort when times were hard.

'I would not be fighting for the rights of animals if not for her.'

This is the newspaper report from Nov 7, 2000 which started the ball rolling for ACRES.
Outcry, so young chimps will get a bigger cage

BECAUSE of the outcry by animal-rights groups, Poko, Rhamba and Gombe - the three young chimpanzees trained to pose with visitors daily - will be getting a bigger cage.

Mr Harrison said that although the cage in which they live is by no means 'squalid and small' - it measures 2 m by 2 m by 3 m - the zoo will be building a bigger one.

Unlike the open closure of the other chimps, Gombe (above), Poko and Rhamba are caged up so keepers can produce them for photo sessions. -- ALAN LIM

'To be honest, it is in relation to what has been going on,' he said.
The three chimpanzees, raised by their keepers from young, have been kept apart from the rest of the chimpanzees which live in an open enclosure.

They have been kept confined so that it is easier for the keepers to produce them for photography sessions.

When the issue of the zoo's practice of using apes for photography was raised briefly at the annual World Zoo Organisation conference last month, Mr Harrison had said that he would review the zoo's policy and the way it keeps its animals.

Question
What does the life of Rhamba got to do with climate change?

Plenty. To fight climate change is a long long journey. Louis's passion and his desire to fight for animal right is not a one night stand but a long term commitment.

Agent Orange...See What You Have Done

2008-06-09T14:01:00.005+08:00

Agent Orange...See What You Have Done

From 30 May to 3 June, a group of Mayflower Secondary School students including some of the ESS Army members went for the Vietnam Field Trip in which we were exposed to the economic and social changes of the country. Economically, Vietnam has been thriving due to the rapid development of the nation. Here, I am focusing more onto the social changes of the country which originated from environmental issue of Agent Orange.

Agent Orange is a powerful herbicide and defoliant that contains dioxin. It was used by the U.S. armed forces to defoliate jungles during the Vietnam War. If people are exposed to it, health problems like cancer and genetic damage are inevitable. In Vietnam, there were many who suffered from birth defects for the rest of their lives due to this toxic spray. Some children and young adults in Vietnam are now under the care of Agent Orange Centre. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to visit them as they did not want the victims to feel mortified and helpless.

However, we got the chance to visit a museum in which evidents of the impacts of Agent Orange could be found in photographs. Below are some pictures which, personally, pained my heart to see.

A picture of a woman and her four sons, all Agent Orange victims.

A picture of a father carrying his son, an Agent Orange victim, to school every day.

Hung, 23-years-old, was born to deformity from his parents who were soldiers during the war against American in South Vietnam.

An Agent Orange victim street vendor.

As Agent Orange was massively sprayed, the exposure to this herbicide not only affects the human beings living in the area but also the environment. Here is a quote from http://www.bhopal.net/oldsite/oldwebsite/agentorange.html:

"The consequences of spraying these toxic chemicals continue to have devastating effects on the environment. Millions of litres of Agent Orange caused a great ecological imbalance, destroying timber, wild animals and forest products. Without forest cover to retain water, flooding in the rainy season and drought in the dry season has adversely affected agricultural production. Topsoil is easily washed away, further hindering forest recovery. While the uplands have been and continue to be eroded, the lowlands have become choked with sediment, further increasing the threat of flooding."

The Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008

2008-06-09T11:59:00.004+08:00

Last weekend, on the 7th and 8th, in Anchor Point B1, we had the opportunity to collabrate with the Youth Environmental Guardians, who was under the YMCA-CITIBANK Youth for Causes project, and the Enterprising Club to promote and sell our product: Shoo Mozzie. The profits gained from the sale all goes to ACRES. Together, we promoted Shoo Mozzie, the all natural insect repellent at Anchor Point where we were taking part in the Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008. Other than Shoo Mozzie, we were also selling other products such as hand-made handicrafts. In the end, we were one of the top 2 teams which had the highest profit, and earn the gold award.

Below are some of the pictures taken at the event.
Here, Yuxi is persuading a potential customer into buying the Shoo Mozzie.

Helpers from the Enterprising Club also helped us promote the sale of this all natural insect repellant.

The sec 1 YEGs are briefed and taught how to persuade potential customers.

Here are the the sec 1s YEG who helped make the Shoo Mozzie. Now, they're eager to sell their product.
In the afternoon, a second shift arrived to help sell our products and to give the first shift students a break.

All in all, alot of experience was gained from this event. We look forward into promoting our cause and product and also collabrate with more groups and organisations.

Dr Vilma Drozario Interview

2008-06-08T22:48:00.003+08:00

Dr Vilma Drozario Interview

Dr Vilma Drozario is a lecturer at National Institute of Education (NIE). Although her job is not in the environmental sector, she has been involved in numerous nature conservation efforts since as long as ten years ago.

The Ess Army, together with a couple of the school's YEG (Youth Environmental Guardians) and a number of enthusiastic schoolmates were honoured to be given a chance to interview her in May 2008. During our interview, Dr Drozario mentioned to us a factor that affects the earth’s climatic change, carbon footprint. It is the measure of impact of human activities on the environment, calculated by the amount of greenhouse gases produced in terms of carbon dioxide units.

How did you first become involved with environmental conservation efforts?

I got involved with nature conservation from 1998 onwards. As a child, my parents have always encouraged my love for animals, plants and nature. I have been a nature lover since a young age, but it was only in 1998 that I joined a nature lover society. I was very excited about learning more of animals and plants and in 2000, I became the chairperson of a nature society focusing on educational outreach for children, usually the younger ones between five to nine years old. We conducted and planned activities for five to nine year olds, such as Fun with Mammals, Fun with Insects, Fun with Frogs, Fun with Reptiles, mainly are focused on animals. For Fun with Mammals, for examples, what types of mammals? Usually, are the endangered ones. We taught the children what the animals eat, where they live, their ecology, habitats and problems that they are facing, relating to conservation issues such as what causes extinction. Actually it is deforestation. We also taught them how we could make a difference. For eight years I had been very much involved in environmental conservation efforts that concentrate on nature education and outreach for children.

However, in the last two-three years, I realized the need to talk about sustainable development and global warming. These have captured everybody’s attention. Before Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, the problem was already there. It is just that now everybody is paying more attention to it. I feel that the time is right to look more into global warming, its effects and how to make a difference. So I found several people who think likewise and together started a new non-governmental organization, the Cicada Tree Eco-place (CTEP), whose one campaign is the use of Shoo Mozzie, which is an organic insect repellant that is more environmentally friendly than chemical ones. CTEP also promotes nature education because people now are very ready to lessening their carbon footprint. I think in Singapore, people are more ready now than ever before. The effort of lessening carbon footprint is more progressive now than ever before. I just felt that it is the right time for environmental education for people, but the root of my involvement is my love for animals and plants that my parents have nurtured since I was young.

With the rate of global warming increasing, do you think people are becoming more or less aware of the problem?

I think they are becoming more aware of it. It is so much in the news, probably because of government pushing new initiatives. Before, it was the NGOs that do the nature outreach programmes and speaks about sustainable development. Now, it receives a lot of governmental support, and universities are competing to promote environmentally friendly technologies. For example, next week, the President of Hungary will be coming to SMU to talk about sustainable development. Also, NTU and NUS are competing to promote environmentally friendly technologies. As educational and other governmental organizations are pushing these efforts, people are becoming more aware of it.

Just now you mentioned about Shoo Mozzie being an organic insect repellant is environmentally friendly, but don’t you think mosquito nets are more efficient?

Well, in the old days, people set up mosquito nets as there were no air-conditioners. Because it is now warmer than in the past, people now turn on the air-con and sleep, as it will be cooler and prevent mosquitoes from biting you. In the old days, people slept under mosquito nets. Sad to say, the use of air-cons is contributing to carbon emissions. Using mosquito nets is like going back to basic. When we go to the basic, there will be less carbon footprints, such as the advertisements on how HDB flats are going green and having more windows on MRTs or bus stops. Having more windows will mean that we do not have to use as much electricity for air-cons and we can open the windows for the air and light. I think there is a need to encourage architecture to go back to the basic.

Do you think going back to basic will hinder development? Increasing carbon emissions seems to be the side effect of development that always comes by it. How should we balance between development and environmental conservation?

Well, ways should be found and developed. Going back to basics does not mean not developing. New technologies that are eco-friendly should be encouraged, where spaces are open and bright, as in Singapore we are very lucky with no typhoons and cyclones. The worst we can have is lightning and very heavy rains. Buildings should be as open as possible. Another way is to plant more trees. Although Singapore is very green, some areas are still very hot. There can still be more trees, which will contribute to less air-cons usage, more carbon being used up by the trees and more oxygen in the air. This will definitely reduce carbon footprint. We should also encourage children to do everyday eco-actions. What are some eco-actions? Warming your air-con temperature is one way. 25-26⁰C should be enough. Actually even 27⁰C will also be enough as the air-con will make the air dry and you will not be sweaty.

What do you think youths can do in environmental conservation?

We should engage youths in planting trees. It would be great. You could encourage your family, classmates and your classmates’ family to reduce the usage of Styrofoam and non-biodegradable materials, and encourage them not to use disposables such as forks, spoons and plates. Start from family and school before reaching out to the community. This will already be a major achievement. It is not easy.

You could implement the 3Rs by reducing, recycling and reusing the things we own. Instead of using plastic bags, encourage the people around you to bring a bag with them for shopping. Put it in your bag at all times and refuse plastic bags. You could make a campaign at school. We should look for bio-degradable containers. Recycling is also very important as it reduces the amount of new natural resources demand. The materials used in recycling, such as water, can be from reused water.

In Singapore, people generally have more money than others in many parts of the world, thus we can buy more stuff. There is a website called the story of stuff. It is American-based, but is applicable to Singapore too. It shows how we keep buying more and more and more stuff, including a lot of things that we have but do not actually need. Birthday presents, for example, are lovely, but a lot are unused and cluttering the space. It will be better to get together for a quality time with family and friends on your birthday. This will cut down on things that we do not need. Do we really need so much of all the things we own? People talk about the 3Rs but they do not really understand it. Reduce. Share with friends how to do it, for example by taking down the amount you use per semester or per week and slowly cutting down the number. It is very hard to practice, yes, but it helps environmental conservation.

Do you have any tips on planting trees at school?

Well, you could go to a nursery and choose the native Singaporean plant. It would bring in wildlife into the school such as butterflies and birds, if you plant the right trees. Why native plants? Some foreign plants might not be suitable for local wild animals. If you plant native plants, they will provide food and nectar for the wild animals such as birds and butterflies at daylight and bats and moths at night. You can plant instant trees, but they are of course more expensive. The most important thing is that it has to be the right kind of tree.

Do you have any opinions on how we should make people believe that global warming is real and not just part of a natural cycle?

You could show good movies or DVDs. As youths, you could gather small groups of youths and show Arctic Tale, Inconvenient Truth, etc. It has to be a small group, not a big group. So, should you show the whole thing or parts of it? I think if you show the whole thing, most will fall asleep. Maybe you could show parts of the movies, followed by discussions. Make sure the discussions go down to what we can do and give examples of what you or other people are doing. You could ask them some questions and come up with suggestions on everyday habits to slow down the process of global warming. You are currently not in position to influence the government, but you could influence your friends.

Lastly, do you personally support violence used in environmental conservation?

You mean like Greenpeace? Well, depends on what violent actions they do. If in cases such as whaling, environmental conservation ships chasing and ramming into whalers, I am not against them. I will probably support them with funds. I do not believe in violence, but if I think a group is going all-out to support environmental conservation, I will support them.

The Ess Army thank Dr Drozario for her kindness, openness and time. Thank you very much ((:

Mr Joseph Lai (Uncle Joe) Interview

2008-06-08T00:35:00.002+08:00

Mr Joseph Lai (Uncle Joe) Interview

In 2001, Mr Joseph Lai, a botanist, stumbled across the beautiful beach in Pulau Ubin. The richness of the marine life left him bewitched. To his horror, he found out the area was about to be reclaimed. Together with the support of other conservationists, he made a plea to the government, fighting hard against the plan. After a long battle, he won.

In May 2008, The Ess Army were honoured to have the opportunity to interview him, whom we found to be a very cheerful, kind and informative man, on his views on climate change and environmental conservation as a whole.

Some people have opinions that global warming is just that the earth is balancing its temperature. What is your view on this? Do you think climate change is real?

I think climate change is real. Basically it is not just a matter of balancing earth’s temperature. There were ages such as the ice age where natural processes caused mass extinction. It is quite a puzzle as to why such things happened in prehistoric time. Nowadays, however, the change in temperature is man-made, mostly due to consumer habits. One good example is deforestation. You know, the forests are the lungs of the earth. Deforestation is as if you take one lung away. This affect living things as a whole. Because of global warming, there is less of nature. It is killing off sea lives, especially the reefs near the shores, where most fishes live. They are part of a food chain, connected to the deeper ocean. This shows how land reclamation affects life on the deep ocean. We can tell the temperature of the earth is really going up. Other effects are shortage of food and a lot of natural disasters happening.

How do you think humans should balance between development and environmental conservation?

It is quite difficult. Every country wants to be developed. Singapore is among the upper half of the countries in the world, making us considered to be developed. However, there are still many countries, under-developed, who wants to develop themselves. It is impossible to stop development, but we can reduce the effect, such as by incorporating nature into the environment. Building casinos in Sentosa, for example, one is faced with the alternatives of destroying the coral reefs or think of alternatives. If one can do that, now that is good development.

The problem is most developers think of profit first. They should rethink their strategies of development into “Earn less, conserve nature.” Conserve nature for the future generation, their own children. In Sentosa, the big corals just outside the underwater world will be killed by reclamation, and after they build the casinos they plan to dig some more to make something like the largest tank in the world. This destroys nature. This is wrong.

What do you think is the most important thing to do in humans’ effort in environmental conservation?
The 3Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse. I did not say ‘Recycle’, which is done and said by everybody these days. It’s only a fraction, not everything can be recycled. Recycling brings more harm than good, as to recycle we need materials such as heat, water, and this means more demand on earth’s resources. So we turn to Refuse. An example of refuse, let’s say you have a handphone. You need not to change and buy a new phone despite new functions introduced by another phone model. In Refuse, we think of our own need first, whether it is important or not. Keep things simple. This will mean less waste.

Reduce. For things that we cannot do without, that we cannot Refuse, we reduce. Let ‘s say you cannot live without drinking Coca cola, say, seven cans a day. You reduce it to three cans. That is reduce. Cut down the usage, meaning less demand. You do not need to stop completely. Probably you cut your demand halfway first, then after a few months, another half. As for reuse, you can reuse your bottles, clothes, maybe donating them to someone else. Keep the lifespan longer.

Also, remember, when one grows into an adult, one has to remember a very simple phrase, “Consume less, share more.”

How do you think youths can contribute to environmental conservation?

Well, the simplest thing to do is to share with your friends what you have learned, any information about the environment. Then, of course you have to be a role model in the society. You cannot just talk but do nothing. Home is the best place to start. Encourage your parents to be more environmentally friendly, participate in environmental community services, put waste to the correct bins. When you grow up as working adults, then maybe you can start a movement. If you’re the boss of a company, for example, you can set a goal in your company to use 20% less paper.

How can we compensate for irreversible damages caused by climate change?

(laughs) That is hard.

Pulau Ubin has been quite a tourist destination. Do you think the government will develop the place? If so, how do you think it will affect the nature there?

If that happens, I would be very sad. At the present moment, people will go to Pulau Ubin and relax, as it is a very green and rural environment. During my parents’ time, it was a playground for everyone. If the government urbanises it, it will literally take it all away. There will be no more special nature areas. I don’t know, maybe Chek Jawa could be turned into another Sentosa. There will be more land demand, and more reclamation. We will lose everything Pulau Ubin has to offer.

Do you think tourism will harm the nature in Pulau Ubin?

No, no. The tourists stay within the boardwalk, and the system allows damage to be kept to minimum. And as people visit Pulau Ubin, they will see its beauty and have a sense of belonging. If the government plans to develop the place, they will probably stand up for it. If they do not know about the place, they will not care. At the moment, the natural environment in Pulau Ubin is very good.

Actually there are not many tourists visiting Pulau Ubin. Not because it is not interesting, it is because people are not aware of it. Those who know are not promoting it. I am talking about the tourism board. They only offer entertainment units of a certain company, Temasek Holdings, such as the zoo, Jurong Bird Park. They all belong to the government. The Singapore Tourism Board is a state-driven organization. They know that the money they spent on promoting the tourist destinations will go back to their pockets. In Pulau Ubin, you cannot do that. When the tourists go there, the money will go to the villagers, the tourism board will get nothing.

On behalf of the whole group, we thank you so very much, Uncle Joe ((:

Interviewer: Tommy & Jeremias

Recorder: Vanessa

Camera(wo)man: Tania

Survey on Global Warming Public Awareness Results (18 May 2008 - 5 June 2008)

2008-06-07T23:31:00.003+08:00

Our online survey was taken from 18 May 2008 to 5 June 2008 by 91 people aged 10-19 (90.10%), 6 people aged 20-29 (5.94%), 4 people aged 40 and above (3.96%) and one person who skipped the question to a total of 102 respondents. From 102 people who had taken our online survey, 79 are from Singapore (77.45%), 9 are from Indonesia (8.82%), 2 each from Australia and Vietnam (1.96% each), 1 from each of UK, US and Portugal (0.98%) and 7 are unknown (6.86%). Thank you for your generous support.

The number in the brackets indicate the number of respondents to the question.

How is picking up litter link to climate change

2008-06-05T23:56:00.003+08:00

Someone asked an interesting question on the tag. He asked "May I know how will picking up litter contribute to effort to combat climate change?...just trying to know more about climate change"

Here is a website that you can go to. It shows the link between climate change and picking up litter.

http://www.clean.ns.ca/default.asp?mn=1.377.389.434

Programs - Waste reduction

In the late 1990’s, waste and litter reduction were very high profile issues in Nova Scotia, with the introduction of the Waste Reduction Strategy and the 50% diversion target.

The province reached 50% diversion in 2001, but public interest has subsequently waned. Diversion levels are slipping below 50%, waste per capita is increasing and the number of disposable non-recyclable products on the market continues to rise.

It is time to turn the spotlight back on waste reduction and to focus on consumption and buying patterns so that people choose to rethink and reduce first, reuse second and recycle third.

Clean Nova Scotia believes that education is the key to protecting our environment for future use, enjoyment and economic benefit.

We currently offer the Great Nova Scotia Pick-Me-Up, a provincial anti-litter program and Waste Reduction Week, a national campaign.

We hope that after reading the website you will do you part and continue to keep the environment clean.

Thank you for your question.

2008-06-04T11:28:00.003+08:00

More youths battling against environmental problems
Lim Chun Tat Kenneth, a member of the YEG in 2007, class 4J.

There is still hope for Earth; more youths are becoming environmentally conscious today. While some youths are following fashion trends, there is another trend going on around the youths: be environmentally conscious.

Worry no further about problems like global warming and pollution. Students like Tanya and Toh Yong Qing, both 16, are equally caring about the environment. In fact, both of them are also working with Cicada Tree Eco-place, an environmental non-profit organisation.

When asked to name one of his ‘green habits’, Toh Yong Qing said: “I pick up litter whenever I see them, even in public. The world is already on a decline now; it’s the least I could do.”

It seems the reason behind this recent trend is the media. Through channels like the Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel, youths are exposed to the negative impact human actions have on the environment.

Thanks to the influence of the media, “Green groups” are growing at a much faster rate than 10 years ago. This means Singaporeans are more affluent and more aware of the environment now.

However, although education also helps to spread such environmental messages, it is still not as effective as the influence of the media.

Mrs Frances Ess, the teacher of Tanya and Toh Yong Qing, recalled teaching environmental issues for as long as 20 years ago, but youths are only taking actions after the premiere of movies like ‘Day After Tomorrow’ and ‘Inconvenient Truth’ as they have powerful visual images.

But does it end here? For youths like Tanya, joining an environmental group is just the first phase, the next phase being spreading awareness to her family members back in Indonesia.

“Indonesia is a heavily polluted country, so I want my family members to adopt a healthy lifestyle,” said Tanya.

Such responsibilities do not only lie in the adults. Mrs Ess thinks youths have to help spread the message too, “it is more effective when a teenager spreads the message to another teenager as it is easier for them to talk to one another.”

Emphasising on the importance for youths to help save our environment, Mrs Ess said, “the time is up; the environment cannot take any more blows. Wake up!”

Although this is a good start, more has to be done as some youths are still wasting resources. There are also no signs to show that this trend will last for a long time.

Miss Vilma D’Rozario, Sub-Dean, Student Development & Liaison, Foundation Programme Office, National Institute of Education, thinks this trend is only just the beginning as the youths have more in them.

Miss Vilma said that the education system, together with the media, works well together to spread such environmental messages: “the schools promote the lifestyle, while the media shows the effects.”

However, money might become an obstacle. Miss Celine Low, a co-founder of Cicada Tree Eco Place, encourages the public to show their support to the environmental organisations as such organisations provide platforms for youths to do a bigger part in saving the environment. An example is the Project CLEAN organised by the National Environment Agency on the 24th May.

“We are hoping to build a pool of young volunteers for outreach on equal living as well as to share to everyone an appreciation for our nature heritage,” Miss Vilma said, restating that the role of environmental organisations is to provide platforms for youths to spread the message of saving the environment.

The students posing with the MP of Ang Mo Kio GRC Mr. Wee after the activities.

Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008

2008-05-28T22:43:00.005+08:00

On the 7th and 8th of June, students from both The Ess Army and the Youth Environmental Guardians (YEGs), all of which comes from Mayflower Sec, will be participating in the Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008 at Anchor Point to raise funds for Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES).

There, our students will be promoting our 100% organic insect repellent, Shoo Mozzie. We'll explain to them why everyone should choose organic insect repellant over the industrially manufactured ones, through which we will also spread the word of its effects such as climate change.

We do hope that by going through this experience, we will be more confident in selling our remaining bottles of Shoo Mozzie, gain more experience in handling queries by the public regarding The Ess Army and climate change, and of course, further spread the importance of saving the earth.

The details of the event can be found in this invitation letter:

22 April 2008

Dear Principal

Invitation to Participate in The Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008,
7 – 8 June 2008

We wish to extend an invitation to your students to participate in The Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge 2008, jointly organised by Yuying Secondary School, the Association of Commerce Educators Singapore (ACES) and the National Institute of Education (NIE).

The main objective of this competition is to engage and enrich the enterprising spirit of the participants by giving them the opportunity to operate a business venture on 7 and 8 June 2008 in the retail sector at Anchor Point. We also hope that the accompanying teachers will tap on this opportunity to network and explore the possibility of future collaboration among the cluster schools.

To be eligible for the competition, participants will have to attend a one-day workshop on financial literacy and enterprise training on 30 May 2008. Details of the workshop are attached. Each school can send up to a maximum of 30 students to the workshop. Participants could include students taking Principles of Accounts (POA) or Elements of Business Skills (EBS). Upon completion of the workshop, 10 students from each participating school will move on to the Enterprising Retailing Team Challenge. Prizes will be awarded to the top three schools which have the highest earnings for the two-day venture.

We would appreciate it if you could complete the registration form attached and return it via fax (62871607) by 30 April 2008 to help facilitate our planning. A NIL reply is appreciated. Please feel free to contact Mdm Soo Sio Koon at 98341637; email: Soo_Sio_Koon@moe.edu.sg should you have any enquiries. Further updates on the event will be sent to schools that have registered.

We look forward to your students’ participation.

Yours faithfully

Mdm Ng Ngoing Keng
Principal
Yuying Sec School

Project: CLEAN @ AMK

2008-05-25T17:24:00.007+08:00

CLEAN @ AMK

On 25th May, 1 day before the GCE Chinese 'O' Levels, 5 students from The Ess Army went to participate in the Ang Mo Kio GRC and Yio Chu Kang SRC Project Clean. There, they set up a booth with banners made earlier this week and performed a skit on stage to help encourage keeping the environment clean. MPs for Ang Mo Kio GRC, Mr Wee Siew Kim and Dr Lam Pin Min, together with Mr Seng Han Thong, MP for Yio Chu Kang SMC were also there to help spread the message, our soldiers interacted and help pick litter with the MPs.

Here is our booth, where our banner is put up to share with the residents the impact of climate change and how we can stop it.

Here, Chong Junn, who acted as the father, teaches his "children" about the importance of keeping yourself and the environment clean.

Our group members picking up litter around Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.The man in red T-shirt is Yu xi

Mr Wee promoting the need of having a clean environment for the stall vendor while Yong Qing,our member was listening attentively.

These shows how rampant Singaporeans' littering habits are.The picture on the left shows residents picking up litter near a litter bin! Even there are litter near litter bin!The litterbug do not even bother to throw rubbish into litter bin that is within reach.On the right picture,it shows the amount of litter the event had gathered around the area.About 1m high of litter found within a few minutes

Professor Vilma (second from left) and and Celiene (far left), founders of the Cicada Tree Eco Place, were also there to lend us their support.

At the end of the event,THE ESS ARMY posed for a picture with Mr Wee.

Reflections and feedback from members of The Ess Army

Today's event was great and I enjoyed it as I gain a lot of new experiences.

My friends and I put up a skit about 'how to be clean and healthy' in front of Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang MPs.

Of course we were very nervous as all of them sat right in front of the stage, but we overcame our fear and did it.

Yuxi's mic was not working properly and he had to shout, I hope that everybody could hear him as his lines were all very funny.

The purpose of our skit was to tell people and kids on how to keep themselves clean and healthy.

We shared the danger of living in a dirty environment with them, as it could spread diseases very quickly.

Thus, we urged them to: 1.wash their hands before they eat, 2.throw litters to the litter bin, 3.ensure that their toilets are clean. Our skit was very simple and easy to understand and the message was clear.

Earlier on, we talked to Mr.Wee Siew Kim, the MP of AMK GRC. He is a very nice man and thanked us for being there to help to conserve the environment.

He said that today, the issue of climate change and global warming is very popular and each and everyone of us have to take part to save the world from these emerging problems.

We also took picture with him and followed him and other MPs walked around AMK Ave10 to pick up some litters. Those litters would be accumulated into a litter meter box.

We actually set up a booth to help to promote Shoo Mozzie, the organic insect repellent. By doing this, we hope that people would stop using their current insect repellent and use shoo mozzie instead.

It is environmentally friendly and is made up of locally available renewable resources. It will not endanger anybody and it is nice smelling too!!

I hoped that we had done something useful to the environment and contribute something to the society. I wish that people are now aware of their surroundings and are moved to keep their environment clean.

Reflection by Yong Qing

It was a beaufitul sunday. Tanya, Jill, Yu Xi, Chong Kunn and I woke up early in the morning for a community project: Project CLEAN.

When we first reached there, we set up our booths before Jill and I had our breakfast.

After awhile, the MP came and we introduced the organic pesticide to him and his entourage of grassroots helpers.

Chong Junn went up to him to introduce the Shoo Mozzie. As Chong Junn introduced the Shoo Mozzie to the MP, I realized something.

People in Singapore are really enthusiastic about environmental problems. The only obstacle they face is that there are simply insufficient talks and community projects to educate them on environmental awareness.

I sincerely hope that my friends and I can do our part in environmental awareness. We hope that through the worldview 360 competition, we can do our part in promoting environmental awareness and come up with ideas that will be beneficial to the environment.

At around 9:30am, we performed our skit. I guess I can summarize our performance in one word- ecstatic. We thoroughly enjoyed the process of educating the public on environmental awareness as well as their health.

What really gave us the drive to do well was the audience. My group and I really appreciate their kind attention.

After our skit and a short talk by the MP, Yuxi, Chong Junn and I followed the MP to collect litter around the neighbourhood while Tanya and Jill followed the Ang Mo Kio SMC group to collect litter in another part of the neighbourhood.

As we picked up the litter with the MP, I really felt honoured. I was really touched by the MP's effort. Despite being very busy, he could still take out some time for this event.

As he picked up the litters, I felt that since the MP is also doing this, then why not the people. After picking up the litters, we threw all our litter bags a big bin.

I was really surprised that the litter collected in the neighbourhood could reach a height of 1m. At that instant, I felt that if everyone could do their part, then less money would be spent on making new products that will be exploited from the environement as more can be recycled.

At the end of the event, I felt a sense of achievement because i strongly believe that what i have done today will leave an impact on the residents living there as well as raise their awareness on environmental problems.

Reflection by Teo Chong Junn

On 25 May2008, Jill, Yu Xi, Yong Qing,Tanya and I participated in the Project Clean at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.We set up our booth in the area and started promoting climate change to the residents there.

As it was early morning, most of the audience were young children and senior citizen.These were also the audience we wanted as they are the age groups that are the least exposed to climate change message.

Young children still are not educated about the imminent threat of climate change because lower primary school education does not include this topic in depth. Thus we feel the need to start sharing with the youth.Senior citizen too as it was until around1970s then scientists agreed on global warming.

We also introduced our banner to Mr Wee Siew Kim,MP of Ang Mo Kio GRC who agreed in the importance of promoting climate change and applauded us for our efforts to also promote SHOO MOZZLE, an organic insect repellant where production of it will has lesser carbon emission than conventional ones.

Next,we also performed a skit named A Clean and Healthy Me.The skit was to educate young children on how to be clean and thus be healthy.The skit was short and simple but have clear message-to have proper hygiene standard by washing hand,stop littering and keeping toilet clean.We hope that through this skit,children will stay healthy.

EDIT 27/05: We made it into an article in a local newsletter in Jalan Kayu! Here's an excerpt:

CLEAN @ AMK

To ensure a sustainable clean estate, every resident needs to do his/her part in helping to keep the estate litter-free. That was the message at the CLEAN @ AMK launch on Sunday, 25 May.

MPs for Ang Mo Kio GRC, Mr Wee Siew Kim and Dr Lam Pin Min, together with Mr Seng Han Thong, MP for Yio Chu Kang SMC were on hand to help spread the message. Leading by example, the MPs with grassroots leaders, residents and students helped picked up litter and distributed CLEAN educational leaflets.

CLEAN is the acronym for Community-Led Efforts Against Littering. The campaign was jointly organised by grassroots organizations of Ang Mo Kio GRC and Yio Chu Kang SMC, together with the support from NEA and town council.

Said MP Mr Wee, “We must be responsible for our environment. CLEAN will involve all residents as well as the foreign workers living in our estates. It is also a great way to inculcate anti-littering habits among our young.”

The young also did their part to promote the CLEAN message. A group of environmentally conscious students from Mayflower Secondary School put up a skit on ‘how to be clean and healthy’. Tanya, one of the students, shared her experience, “Through our skit, we shared the danger of living in a dirty environment with the residents. It was a great experience being part of the Project CLEAN launch and joining MP Mr Wee in picking up litter and discarding all the litter we picked into the litter meter box!”

Litterbins brightened up with designs painted by students in the bin art competition were deployed around the estates after the launch.

The NEA will follow up with the Resident Committees to monitor the cleanliness of void decks, lift lobbies, walkways, car parks and playgrounds. Look out for the results, which will be posted on RC notice boards.

So do your part and keep your estate clean!

The newsletter can be found here. However, since the website has not been updated, it does not show the most recent newsletter.

2008-05-23T15:57:00.008+08:00

They are here. The pull up stand that will be used to for our road show to promote Shoo Mozzie.

Here, one of the studnet is a stand next to the stand as a scale to let viewer see how tall is the stand.

This is a more eco-friendly solution for our marketing effort then to use paper poster for our road show as these pull up poster can be re-used for many road shows.

2008-05-22T19:48:00.010+08:00

The Making of Shoo Mozzie

On 21st May 2008, we made 1000 bottles of Shoo Mozzie, an all natural insect repellent that was develop by an environmental NGO called Cicada Tree Eco-Place.

Here, the supplier of the all natural 100% organic ingredients, Mr Jacob Lai, the director of a company called Skin Plus, is on hand to teach us how to make Shoo Mozzie.

He stressed the importance of ensuring that all the bottles are sterilised before we start production.

Mrs Koh ad Ms Sherri Ng our geography teachers, listening and learning about the properities of lemon grass and aloe vera.

Ms Faridah, was also there. She ensures that quality control is of the highest standard.

We will be promoting the benefit of using the all natural organic product at this event Oon Sunday.

Project CLEAN @ Ang Mo Kio GRC & Yio Chu Kang SMC

25 MAY 2008, Sunday

Blk 548 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10

2008-05-22T18:18:00.001+08:00

2008-05-21T23:10:00.005+08:00

May 21, 2008
Haze expected to hit harder and faster this year
By Tania Tan Straits Time

THE haze could hit harder and sooner than expected - it is only a matter of when. All it will take for the acrid pall to blow towards Singapore, is a change in wind direction - unless bushfires burning there are quelled soon.

The National Environment Agency's (NEA) forecast said that south-westerly winds could blow smoke haze from Sumatran fires here within the next two weeks. Light, variable winds may or may not work in our favour, said Associate Professor Matthias Roth from the National University of Singapore's geography department. 'It's unpredictable.'

In any case, south-westerly winds are expected to strengthen during the June-September monsoon season, added Prof Roth - bringing the acrid pall back over Singapore. But one thing is for sure - slash and burning in Indonesia has started.

Hundreds of hotspots have appeared over the past few days, reported the Indonesian meteorological service. Over 850 hotspots were counted last week(May 12-18), up from just 130 the week before (May 5-11), said the NEA.

Singapore experienced its worst haze crisis in over a decade in 2006, when the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit an unhealthy 150. And signs could be pointing to a repeat of that year. Only time will tell. Said Mr Kwoh, 'Watch out for the next two months.'

From Mother of Six

The Asean (Association of South-east Asian Nations) Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was signed in 2002. Yet not surprising, only Indonesia, where most of the fire occur, is the only country that has not ratified it.

According to Mr Alvin Lie, a legislator from the National Mandate Party, the benefits of ratifying the pact are smaller compared to the obligations. With ratification, Indonesia would be obligated to introduce legislation and measures to promote zero-burning policy.

Before Indonesia’s neighbours begin to criticise Indonesia for dragging it feet, we must understand Indonesia’s point of view. Banning or curbing clearing the forest by fire might prove to be an unpopular legislation.
The late Indonesian President Soeharto renewed a ban on this practice of slash-and-burn (S&B) as a means of land clearing in 1997. But this practice continued till today and prosecutions take time. Thus few small holding farmers have stuck to this ban.

Clearly the advantages of using S&B out weight the prospects of being charged in court.

S & B clear space while the ash acts as a fertilizer. In addition, burning allows the seedling to grow faster as the soil structure is improved and weeds are prevented from growing. Finally, this method reduced the possibility of diseases and pests as the burning acts as a form of sterilization.

Unless alternatives to S&B bring about similar benefits, Indonesia farmers will not be motivated to stop this practice.

For example, clearing the land and removing the wood only clear the space for the farmers without the additional benefits that S&B brings. Farmers would then have to spend money on fertilisers, insecticides and herbicides which would add to the cost of production. Thus, the possibility of farmers abandoning this method or considering an alternative method is slim.

Yet, S&B is known to deplete forests and biodiversity, contribute as much as 25 % to global warming. Each year in August, the farmers in Indonesia are expected to clear the land using this method.

What can Asean do to motivate the farmers to stop S&B to clear land?

One possibility is to bring direct foreign investment (DFI) in manufacturing into the agricultural areas while consolidating the small holding farms own by these farmers. Once the farmers earn more income by working in the factories, they would be willing to give up being farmers. Meanwhile their farms can be consolidated so that these farms can be operated in an extensive, large scale operation like the plantations in Malaysia.

Malaysia does not use the S&B method to clear the land and have been able to make plantation a profitable and viable economic alternative compared to small scale farming.

Perhaps Singapore should take the lead by bring more DFI into Indonesia. It could provide training for the farmers to equip them with the skills to work in the manufacturing sectors while other Asean members like Malaysia and Brunei can start to invest in Indonesia. Concerned developed countries like USA, Britain and the European Union can now play a direct role in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of Indonesia by following suit.

It has been demonstrated empirically that as a country develop, the portion of its population working in the primary agricultural sector will decrease.

If Asian can collectively offer this carrot, I am sure that Indonesia will find that the benefits of ratifying the pact are bigger compared to the obligations that signing this pact will bring.

Fighting the haze can no longer be seen as a national issue with Indonesia being the sole fire fighter. Neither can we focus on fighter fighting strategies like mobilising resources to fight the fires triggered by S&B practices.

Unless there is a significant wind of change, we can expect the fire in Indonesia to continue burning.

=========================================
A Clear Solution to a Hazy Problem Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Published in Today

"Tigers and elephants are fleeing the burning jungles. Birds are falling from the murky skies. School children are fainting at their desks. Ships are colliding at sea."

"As a filthy haze from vast Indonesian forest fires continues to darken the sky across seven South-east Asian nations, illness, ecological destruction and economic hardship are growing... "

After reading the above extract from The New York Times, you can be forgiven for thinking it describes the haze we have been experiencing over the past few days.

In fact, this article was published on Oct 26, 1997. Nine years have passed and the solution to this ecological disaster still seems hazy (pun intended).After surviving the 1997 haze, we should have put in place a set of protocols agreed upon by Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to prevent this from recurring.

This was partially achieved when the Asean (Association of South-east Asian Nations) Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was signed in 2002.

Its objective is to prevent and monitor haze pollution as a result of land and/or forest fires which should be mitigated, through concerted national efforts and regional and international cooperation.

The problem is that as of August 2005, only seven out of the 10 member countries have ratified the agreement. Indonesia, where the fires originate, has yet to ratify the treaty.

If nothing more is done, the same excerpt quoted above might be used to describe the situation five, 10, even 15 years later.Apart from the short-term effect of the haze where the effect on human beings is most noticeable, the haze also has long-term serious consequences.According to Mr Klaus Toepfer, the United Nations Environment Programme's executive director, a study by 250 scientists released in 2002 showed that "the thick brown haze which forms over much of Asia during the tropical dry season could have profound effects on human health, crop yield and rainfall patterns in the Asian region".

It is reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the tropical Indian Ocean surface by as much as 10 per cent, with a larger percentage reduction over the Indian subcontinent.Up till now, the haze has been dealt with as a national problem of Indonesia.

It is easy to point the finger at corrupt local officials who turn a blind eye to allow plantation owners to continue clearing their land by setting fire to it.Similarly, it is easy to send satellite photographs of the hotspots and expect Indonesia to take action against the plantation owners, or to offer fire-fighting equipment.Perhaps there is a need to change the way the haze problem is approached.

As the Asean agreement so aptly indicated, the haze does not respect national boundaries. It goes where the wind blows. Hence, the ownership of this problem should not rest on Indonesia's shoulders alone.

But what can we do as we do not wish to intrude on Indonesia's sovereignty?Perhaps a fund can be set up to provide plantation owners and farmers with incentives to clear the forest in other ways. An educational campaign could be embarked on to get farmers to look beyond their individual needs to the collective need of Asia.This would be difficult.

But if an effort is not made to change mindsets, the haze problem will continue. The recurrence of the haze has shown that this crisis cannot be solved at the individual or national level alone.Are we ready to play a more active role, or do we continue to be content to breath in air with a PSI that exceeds 100, as it did on Saturday?The choice is clear.

Global Warming Survey

2008-05-18T15:58:00.002+08:00

Dear all,

Please give us your support by kindly filling up our survey form. It consists of ten simple multiple choice questions. The URL can be found below:

http://www.polldaddy.com/s/46BD9924F47CA6F4/

Thank you and have a nice day! ((:

--The Ess Army

Reduse,reuse,rejoice

2008-05-18T14:21:00.007+08:00

LET'S get one thing straight — the Happy Planet Index (HPI) that ranked Singapore 131st out of 178 countries does not actually measure happiness as we know it.

It is an innovative measure of how efficiently a nation converts the planet's natural resources into long and happy lives for its citizens. The word "happy", by which many have been seduced, is just one component of the index.

So it is wrong to assume that nations that score low in this index are the unhappiest places in the world. A low score says quite something else. To properly understand this, we must look at the three basic components of the index.

These are life satisfaction, life expectancy and ecological footprint. The HPI is arrived at by multiplying life satisfaction and life expectancy (the result being an indicator of a happy and long life), and dividing that by the ecological footprint (that is, how much planetary resources are consumed).

In short, the HPI represents the efficiency with which a nation converts the earth's finite resources into well-being for its citizens. Singapore scored 6.9 for life satisfaction, 78.7 for life expectancy, and 6.2 for ecological footprint. The first indicates that Singaporeans are generally satisfied with their lives — not a bad score, considering the highest was 8.2, achieved by Switzerland and Denmark.

In life expectancy, we outperformed the United States (77.4 years) and just tail Australia (80.3 years) and Japan (82 years). Since life expectancy reflects a country's medical conditions, that's something to cheer about.

So why did we score so badly overall in the HPI?

This happened because we had a very high ecological footprint measure. This indicator measures how much of the planet's environmental resources are used up to sustain a nation at its present levels of consumption, technological development and resource efficiency.

The higher a country's ecological footprint score, the more that country uses up the earth's resources, and the bigger its global environmental impact.

The beauty of the ecological footprint indicator is that it takes into account the fact that, in a global economy, people consume resources and ecological services from all over the world.

So, a coffee plantation in Brazil, for example, will count towards the ecological footprints of all the countries where Brazilian coffee is consumed.

Now, since Singapore apparently leaves such a big ecological footprint, we should consider why we consume so much of our planet's resources.

Some will suggest that this is an inevitable by-product of our economic development; others, that our high standard of life makes it psychologically far easier for us to donate money to save an endangered elephant, than to give up a car, switch off the air conditioner or reduce the use of plastic products.

Ultimately, we have to face this uncomfortable question: Can we live long and satisfied lives without using up so much of the earth's resources? Top-ranked Vanuatu proves it is possible. But we are not Vanuatu.

Can Singapore find a way to outperform Vanuatu? It will be a challenge to each and every one of us.

This article was first published in Today on 21.7.2006

For more information visit this websit: http://happyplanetindex.org/

You can also calculate your own HPI in this website.

political punch

2008-05-17T14:27:00.003+08:00

POLITICAL PUNCH

What Did Bill Clinton Mean By "We Just Have to Slow Down Our Economy" to Fight Global Warming?
January 31, 2008 9:26 AM

Former President Bill Clinton was in Denver, Colorado, stumping for his wife yesterday.
In a long, and interesting speech, he characterized what the U.S. and other industrialized nations need to do to combat global warming this way: "We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions 'cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren."
At a time that the nation is worried about a recession is that really the characterization his wife would want him making? "Slow down our economy"?

I don't really think there's much debate that, at least initially, a full commitment to reduce greenhouse gases would slow down the economy….So was this a moment of candor?
He went on to say that his the U.S. -- and those countries that have committed to reducing greenhouse gases -- could ultimately increase jobs and raise wages with a good energy plan..
So there was something of a contradiction there.

Or perhaps he mis-spoke.

Or perhaps this characterization was a description of what would happen if there isn't a worldwide effort…I'm not quite certain.

You can watch that one clip HERE or you can watch the whole speech at the website of ABC News' great Denver affiliate KMGH by clicking HERE.

It's worth watching -- he also pushed back against a 9/11 conspiracy theorist heckling him.
"Everybody knows that global warming is real," Mr. Clinton said, giving a shout-out to Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize, "but we cannot solve it alone."

"And maybe America, and Europe, and Japan, and Canada -- the rich counties -- would say, 'OK, we just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions 'cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.' We could do that.

"But if we did that, you know as well as I do, China and India and Indonesia and Vietnam and Mexico and Brazil and the Ukraine, and all the other countries will never agree to stay poor to save the planet for our grandchildren. The only way we can do this is if we get back in the world's fight against global warming and prove it is good economics that we will create more jobs to build a sustainable economy that saves the planet for our children and grandchildren. It is the only way it will work.

"And guess what? The only places in the world today in rich countries where you have rising wages and declining inequality are places that have generated more jobs than rich countries because they made a commitment we didn't. They got serious about a clean, efficient, green, independent energy future… If you want that in America, if you want the millions of jobs that will come from it, if you would like to see a new energy trust fund to finance solar energy and wind energy and biomass and responsible bio-fuels and electric hybrid plug-in vehicles that will soon get 100 miles a gallon, if you want every facility in this country to be made maximally energy efficient that will create millions and millions and millions of jobs, vote for her. She'll give it to you. She's got the right energy plan."

-Extracted from http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/01/bill-we-just-ha.html

Political Cartoon #1

2008-05-14T22:20:00.003+08:00

From http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/cartoonframe.htm

What message do you think the cartoonist is trying to convey?

2008-05-11T14:12:00.004+08:00

Cyclone Nargis and Climate Change: The Deadly Legacy of Oil

May 10, 2008

“Nargis is a sign of things to come. The victims of these cyclones are climate change victims and their plight should remind the rich world that it is doing too little to contain its greenhouse gas emissions.”

by Mitch Anderson

From DeSmogBlog, May 9, 2008

In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in Burma , the world’s attention is rightly focused on the unfolding human tragedy.

This storm is already one of the deadliest cyclones of all time, with up to 100,000 people loosing their lives, and another 1.5 million left destitute and homeless.

The incompetence and corruption of the Burmese military regime is exacerbating an already gruesome situation. The impact of the storm was also made worse by the fact that much of the coastline had been denuded of trees, making areas more vulnerable to the deadly storm surge.
But what about the storm itself? Sadly, it seems we can expect many more tragedies like this in the future as human induced climate change proceeds apace.

Nargis was the first named storm of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season , forming on April 27 in the central Bay of Bengal. Nargis rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of at least 165 km/h (105 mph) on May 2; the Joint Typhoon Warning Center assessed peak winds of 215 km/h (135 mph) - making it a rare category 4 storm.

Sea surface temperatures were over a full degree Celsius above average in the region where Nargis intensified before landfall, as can be seen from this May 1 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration satellite map.

Cyclone Nargis was close to a “perfect storm”. According to Mark Lander , a meteorology professor at the University of Guam. “When we saw the (storm) track, I said, ‘Uh oh, this is not going to be good. It would create a big storm surge. It was like Katrina going into New Orleans.”
The storm pushed a 12 foot wall of water onto the densely populated Irrawaddy delta in central Myanmar. The result was the worst disaster ever in the impoverished country.

It is impossible to link any single storm to climate change but there is mounting scientific evidence that our warming world will produce more intense storms such as Nargis, with a predicable human toll. Last year, Cyclone Sidr slammed into Bangladesh, killing as many as 10,000 people and leaving 20,000 homeless.

“While we can never pinpoint one disaster as the result of climate change, there is enough scientific evidence that climate change will lead to intensification of tropical cyclones,” said Sunita Narain, director of the Indian environmental group Center for Science and Environment.

“Nargis is a sign of things to come,” she said. “The victims of these cyclones are climate change victims and their plight should remind the rich world that it is doing too little to contain its greenhouse gas emissions.”

The science is already there. The 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had clearly observed that cyclones will increase in their intensity as a result of global warming. According to the IPCC: “There is observational evidence of an increase of intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic since about 1970, correlated with increases of tropical sea surface temperatures.”

The IPCC also noted that based on a range of models, it is likely that future tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become more intense, with larger peak wind speeds and more heavy precipitation associated with ongoing increases of tropical sea surface temperatures.

Professor Kerry Emmanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported in the journal Nature in 2005 that warmer oceans worldwide are making devastating storms such as Hurricane Katrina more likely by making cyclones on average more powerful and longer lasting. He found that the destructive power of tropical cyclones worldwide had increased by 70% in the last 30 years.

Another paper was published in the prestigious journal Science , backing up Emmanuel’s disturbing findings. These researchers found that the number of deadly Category 4 and 5 storms worldwide has almost doubled in the last 35 years.

This is no act of God. The authors of both these papers attributed this disturbing trend at least in part to human-induced climate change.

Imagining cyclones becoming more powerful is like imaging Cher with a more flamboyant wardrobe. Even an average sized hurricane packs 200 times more energy than the electrical generating capacity of the entire planet.

While this cold statistic is hard to imagine, the physical evidence of that massive power sadly is not. As the human tragedy unfolds in Burma, we should remember that these grim disasters are becoming more likely due to our warmer world - and our continued addiction to fossil fuels.

Mangroves and Hurricane Nargis

2008-05-11T11:22:00.002+08:00

Removal of Myanmar's mangrove forest defenses gave cyclone easy ride into exposed delta
The Associated Press
Friday, May 9, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand: A cyclone with winds up to 120 mph (190 kph). A low-lying, densely populated delta region, stripped of its protective trees.

When Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta and pushed a wall of water 25 miles (40 kilometers) inland, it had all the makings of a massive disaster.

"When we saw the (storm's) track, I said, 'Uh oh, this is not going to be good," said Mark Lander, a meteorology professor at the University of Guam. "It would create a big storm surge. It was like Katrina going into New Orleans."

Forecasters began tracking the cyclone April 28 as it first headed toward India. As projected, it took a sharp turn eastward, but didn't follow the typical cyclone track in that area leading to Bangladesh or Myanmar's mountainous northwest.

Instead, it swept into the low-lying Irrawaddy delta in central Myanmar. The result was the worst disaster ever in the impoverished country.

It was the first time such an intense storm hit the delta, said Jeff Masters, co-founder and director of meteorology at the San Francisco-based Weather Underground. He called it "one of those once-in-every-500-years kind of things."

"The easterly component of the path is unusual," Masters said. "It tracked right over the most vulnerable part of the country, where most of the people live."

When the storm made landfall early Saturday at the mouth of the Irrawaddy River, its battering winds pushed a wall of water as high as 12 feet (3.6 meters) some 25 miles (40 kilometers) inland, laying waste to villages and killing tens of thousands.

Most of the dead were in the delta, where farm families sleeping in flimsy shacks barely above sea level were swept to their deaths. Almost 95 percent of the houses and other buildings in seven townships were destroyed, Myanmar's government says. U.N. officials estimate 1.5 million people were left in severe straits.

"When you look at the satellite picture of before and after the storm the effects look eerily similar to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in how it inundated low-lying areas," said Ken Reeves, director of forecasting for AccuWeather.com.

The Irrawaddy delta "is huge and the interaction of water and land lying right at sea level allowed the tidal surge to deliver maximum penetration of sea water over land," Reeves said. "Storms like this do most of their killing through floods, with salt water being even more dangerous than fresh water."

The delta had lost most of its mangrove forests along the coast to shrimp farms and rice paddies over the past decade. That removed what scientists say is one of nature's best defenses against violent storms.

"If you look at the path of the one that hit Myanmar, it hit exactly where it was going to do the most damage, and it's doing the most damage because much of the protective vegetation was cleared," said Jeff NcNeely, chief scientist for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"It's an expensive lesson, but it has been one taught repeatedly," he said. "You just wonder why governments don't get on this."

According to the Washington-based Mangrove Action Project, Burmese researchers have found that 82.76 percent of mangroves in the Irrawaddy delta were destroyed between 1924 until 1999. That echoes a global trend.

"The force of the cyclone could have been greatly lessened and much loss in life and property damage could have been averted if healthy mangrove forests had been conserved along the coastlines of the Irrawaddy delta," Alfredo Quarto, the conservation group's executive director, said in a statement.

Some environmentalists also suggested global warming may have played a role. Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that warming oceans could contribute to increasingly severe cyclones with stronger winds and heavier rains.

"While we can never pinpoint one disaster as the result of climate change, there is enough scientific evidence that climate change will lead to intensification of tropical cyclones," said Sunita Narain, director of the Indian environmental group Center for Science and Environment.

"Nargis is a sign of things to come," she said. "The victims of these cyclones are climate change victims and their plight should remind the rich world that it is doing too little to contain its greenhouse gas emissions."

Weather experts, however, are divided over whether global warming is a factor in catastrophic storms. At a January conference of the American Meteorological Society, some postulated warmer ocean temperatures may actually reduce the strength of cyclones and hurricanes.

Masters, at Weather Underground, said Wednesday that in the case of Nargis, the meteorological data in the Indian Ocean region "is too short and too poor in quality to make judgments about whether tropical cyclones have been affected by global warming."

Despite assertions by Myanmar's military government that it warned people about the storm, critics contend the junta didn't do enough to alert the delta and failed to organize any evacuations, saying that made the death toll worse.

"Villagers were totally unaware," said 38-year-old Khin Khin Myawe, interviewed in the hard-hit delta town of Labutta. "We knew the cyclone was coming but only because the wind was very strong. No local authorities ever came to us with information about how serious the storm was."

The India Meteorological Department, one of six regional warning centers set up by the World Meteorological Organization, began sending regular storm advisories April 27. The information appeared in Myanmar's state-run newspapers, radio and television 48 hours ahead of the storm.

But the international advisories said nothing about a storm surge. And Myanmar, unlike its neighbors Bangladesh and India, has no radar network to help predict the location and height of surges, the WMO said.

There also wasn't any coordinated effort on the part of the junta to move people out of low-lying areas, even though information was available about the expected time and location of landfall.

"How is it possible that there was such a great death toll in the 21st century when we have imagery from satellites in real time and there are specialized meteorology centers in all the regions?" said Olavo Rasquinho of the U.N. Typhoon Committee Secretariat.

Bangladesh has a storm protection system that includes warning sirens, evacuation routes and sturdy towers to shelter people, measures that were credited with limiting the death toll from last year's Cyclone Sidr to 3,100.

Atiq A. Rahman, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies and a disaster specialist, said Myanmar's death toll would have been lower if it had such a system.
"Taking some action to move people from affected areas would have dramatically helped reduce the numbers of causalities. Absolutely," Rahman said.

But junta officials and some weather experts said evacuating a large area with millions of residents would have been nearly impossible, given the poor roads, the distance to some villages and the likely refusal of some families to leave.

"Even if they warned them, they can't go anywhere. Or they are afraid to go anywhere because they are afraid of losing their property," said Lander, the University of Guam professor. "It is debatable how much of a mass exodus you could have had."
___
Associated Press writer Lily Hindy contributed to this report.

What is the link between mangrove swamp and cyclone ? How do they offer a protective zone?

Why do you think the government clear the mangrove swamp?

Singapore coast line used to be protected by mangrove swamp. Will a similar flooding destroy Singapore?

Development vs environment protection . Which will you choose?

Puppet Show schedule

2008-05-10T22:46:00.004+08:00

Puppeteers, please take note of the time and venue.

CLEAN@AMK GRC & YCK SMC

25 MAY 2008, Sunday

Stage Programme
9.30am to 12.00pm

Blk 548 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10

9.30 am Arrival of Guests from AMK GRC-YCK SMC
Arrival of GOH
Mr Wee Siew Kim
MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC
Act by Presbyterian High
“Litter Bug, Litter Bug”

9.50am Speech by Mr Wee Siew Kim,
MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC

10.00am Launch of CLEAN@AMK GRC & YCK SMC
Start of CLEAN @ Zone 1 & Zone 2

10.10 am Stage games

10.20am Line Dance – Teck Ghee CC

10.30 am Cheng San CC

10.35am Children Dance - Kebun Baru CC

10.40 am Malay Dance – Nee Soon South CC

10.45 am Ballroom Dancing

10.50 am Dikir-Barat Performance – Anchorvale CC

10.55 am Bagpipers – Yio Chu Kang CC

11.05 am Puppets show by Mayflower Secondary School
“A Clean & Healthy Me”

11.15am Presentation of Children Art/Drawing Competition Results

11.25am Presentation of Bin Art Competition Results

11.30 pm Lucky Draw

….Thank you….

Climate Change is Fake?

2008-05-10T21:42:00.006+08:00

We have chosen Lottery A, what about you? That's why The Ess Army is formed, committed to promoting awareness of climate change and saving our one and only Earth by project of The Puppet Show @ AMK Hub and promoting usage of organic insect repellant. Inspired? Join the army in fighting against climate change! Spread the word on global warming!

-Teo Chong Junn, Leader of The Ess Army

Scary, isn't it?

2008-05-10T21:35:00.012+08:00

A variety of issues are often raised in relation to global warming. One is ocean acidification. Increased atmospheric CO₂ increases the amount of CO₂ dissolved in the oceans. CO₂ dissolved in the ocean reacts with water to form carbonic acid, resulting in acidification. Ocean surface pH is estimated to have decreased from 8.25 near the beginning of the industrial era to 8.14 by 2004, is projected to decrease by a further 0.14 to 0.5 units by 2100 as the ocean absorbs more CO₂. Since organisms and ecosystems are adapted to a narrow range of pH, this raises extinction concerns, directly driven by increased atmospheric CO₂, that could disrupt food webs and impact human societies that depend on marine ecosystem services.

Global dimming, the gradual reduction in the amount of global direct irradiance at the Earth's surface, may have partially mitigated global warming in the late twentieth century. From 1960 to 1990 human-caused aerosols likely precipitated this effect. Scientists have stated with 66–90% confidence that the effects of human-caused aerosols, along with volcanic activity, have offset some of the global warming, and that greenhouse gases would have resulted in more warming than observed if not for these dimming agents.

Ozone depletion, the steady decline in the total amount of ozone in Earth's stratosphere, is frequently cited in relation to global warming. Although there are areas of linkage, the relationship between the two is not strong.

-Extracted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming#Related_Climatic_Issues

~TheEssArmy

2008-05-10T21:30:00.004+08:00

[Sense the seriousness, yeah?]

Global warming will have serious impacts on the environment and on society. Higher temperatures will cause a melting of ice in Greenland and Antarctica. This will accelerate the rise of sea level. The speed at which global warming is expected to occur in the 21st century is faster than most plant and animal species will be able to cope with. Some will adapt but others will suffer and may become extinct.

Global warming will affect agriculture. New crops will be able to be grown in areas that are currently too cold to support them. However, more pests and diseases may offset any benefits higher temperatures may have. Water resources will also be affected. Some reservoirs may dry up if temperature increases, especially if rainfall also decreases. Rising sea levels may pollute fresh groundwater supplies with salt water.

Global warming will also affect human health. There may be more heat-related illnesses in hotter summers, and increased breathing problems as higher temperatures increase air pollution in cities, reducing air quality. The malaria mosquito may also be able to spread to other regions of the world where it is currently too cold to survive and breed.

More extreme weather, for example storms, floods and droughts will have severe impacts on the environment and on society. The poorest people in society will unfortunately be those least able to cope with the impacts of global warming.

Often when we hear talk of climate change in the news media, it is about mankind's pollution of the atmosphere with extra greenhouse gases that is causing global warming. Scientists know however, that climate change on Earth has not just happened in the last 100 years, and that earlier changes were not due to mankind at all.

In fact, the Earth's climate is changing all the time, over hundreds, thousands, millions and tens of million of years. Different natural processes cause the climate to change, over different amounts of time. Global warming today may be due to man-made pollution but it is only a snapshot of the evolution of climate during the whole of Earth history. What makes man-made global warming so relevant to us however, is the speed at which it is taking place.

Energy is produced to generate electricity and to keep us warm. Most energy is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and gas, which release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Fuel burnt in our cars also releases carbon dioxide. As an individual, you have little control on how your energy is produced. However, you can control the way in which you use that energy. Using less energy means less needs to be produced. Hence less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

There are many ways we can all help to reduce our use of energy and the pollution of the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. Use buses and trains instead of cars, as they can carry far more people in one journey. This cuts down the amount of fuel used. Walking or cycling whenever you can will be even more beneficial, as it does not create any pollution. It will also benefit your body, as regular exercise will keep you fit and healthy. If your parents must use the car, ask them to avoid using it for very short journeys if possible, as this creates unnecessary pollution. Try to encourage them to share their journeys with other people, for example when they go to work or go shopping. Also encourage them to drive more slowly as this produces less carbon dioxide.

We can also save energy within our own homes which contributes extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Turning off lights when they are not needed and not wasting electricity will reduce the energy demand. Less electricity will need to be produced and so less coal, oil and gas will have to be burnt, resulting in less carbon dioxide.

There are way too many severe effects of global warming, too many to be listed. Hence, as long as we continue to stay on this damaged earth and not doing anything, we would carry on suffering. So, for the well- being of mankind and out of own good will, lets all play a part in saving the environment!

-TheEssArmy

Melting glaciers release toxic chemical cocktail

2008-05-08T21:09:00.007+08:00

Melting glaciers release toxic chemical cocktail
11:47 07 May 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Ewen Callaway

Decades after most countries stopped spraying DDT, frozen stores of the insecticide are now trickling out of melting Antarctic glaciers. The change means Adélie penguins have recently been exposed to the chemical, according to a new study.

The trace levels found will not harm the birds, but the presence of the chemical could be an indication that other frozen pollutants will be released because of climate change, says Heidi Geisz, a marine biologist at Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester in the US. She led a team that sampled DDT levels in the penguins.

She worries that glaciers could release an alphabet soup of chemical pollutants into the ocean, including PCBs and PBDEs – industrial chemicals that have been linked to health problems in humans.

"DDT is not the only chemical that these birds are ingesting and it is certainly not the worst," Geisz says.

Trickle-down pollution
Chemists first synthesised DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) in 1874, but the chemical wasn't used an insecticide until the 1940s. DDT spraying slashed malaria rates in many countries, but the chemical's environmental toll was starting to cause concern.
Rachel Carson's 1962 book, Silent Spring, brought these concerns to the general public, and described, amongst other things, how birds of prey exposed to high levels of DDT lay thin, easily cracked eggs.

In 1972, the US banned the pesticide, and the UK followed suit in 1984. Some countries still use DDT to fight mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, but worldwide usage has plummeted – from 40,000 tonnes per year in 1980 to 1,000 tonnes per year now.
DDT latches onto small airborne particles then migrates toward the poles. Geisz, who has worked in Antarctica since 1999, sought to gauge long-term changes in pollutants found in the continent's seabirds.

Fresh source
A 1964 survey found modest amounts of the pesticide in Adélie penguins, and Geisz's team expected to see even less four decades later. Instead, her team found DDT levels unchanged in birds that live near the continent's western peninsula.
As DDT crawls up the food chain, from plankton to krill to penguins, it breaks down into a sister molecule called DDE. The more DDE in an animal, the longer the chemical has been around, Geisz says. But her team recorded low levels of DDE in the birds, suggesting a fresh source.

Geisz couldn't figure out where the DDT came from until she looked back at glacial records. In the 1950s and 60s, Antarctic glaciers swelled, potentially locking in chemicals like DDT.
However, average winter temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula have warmed 6 °C the past 30 years, and glaciers now melt faster than they grow. A recent study noted elevated levels of DDT in glacial runoff.

As the continent's western ice sheet melts, the DDT drips back into the ecosystem at a rate of 1 to 4 kg per year, her team estimates.
Arctic decline

Derek Muir, a researcher at Environment Canada in Burlington, Ontario, says Arctic glaciers ought to store even more of the pesticide, but Arctic animals seem to be shedding the pesticide.

"The declines in DDT in seals and seabirds in the Canadian Arctic and in polar bears in eastern Greenland suggest it is not having a large impact," he says.

Even so, researchers ought to look more closely for evidence that melting glaciers are pumping chemicals like DDT into the Arctic, Muir says.

To make that case stronger for Antarctica, Geisz plans to track the flow of other pollutants from glaciers to birds.

Journal reference: Environmental Science & Technology (DOI: 10.1021/es702919n)

===================
"They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!"

--Joni Mitchell

So what is it about DDT that make it so bad? Our dear teacher, Mrs Ess, whose name inspired our group name, once said that when humans solve one problem, they create another five problems. DDT was used to combat against malaria-carriers, mosquitoes, successfully decreasing the number of malaria cases globally, making it the only pesticide to earn Nobel Prize. DDT is a kind of toxin that can kill off certain species (all that are six-legged and even eight-legged, and, occasionally, several other species such as bald eagles, brown pelicans and peregrine falcons). It is considered as a probable human carcinogen, proven to cause liver and biliary tract cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells. When pregnant women are exposed to DDT, they are found to give birth prematurely or full term but to low birth-weight babies.

However, although other problems were created, DDT itself were effectively successful in decreasing the number of deaths caused by malaria, such that DDT advocates have accused environmental activists of having "blood on their hands" and causing more than 50 million "needless deaths" by enforcing DDT bans in developing nations, while a famous writer, Michael Crichton, wrote that a ban on using DDT to control malaria "has killed more people than Hitler." The truth is, DDT is now banned in developed countries, but is still used in developing countries due to its cheap cost and effectiveness.

From the article, though, we could see that although the chemical had been used as pesticide since the 1940s, it was not until recently that the penguins were exposed to it, due to the melting ice caps caused by an increase of 6°C in the region during the last 30 years. Another effect of global warming?

--The Ess Army
Source of information: wikipedia, newsscientist.com, washingtonpost.com

WorldView360

2008-05-05T17:50:00.002+08:00

This will be our blog for the WorldView360 Competition.

It'll be further updated with our information at a later date. For now, do take note of our URL.

Thank you.