If they had it their way, the ‘little red dot’ that Singapore is often called will transform into a ‘Greener Dot’ that punches above its weight in environmental leadership.
Meet Pang Yu Han, Joyce Chee, Muhammad Asri and Law Yu Hui, four young Singaporeans who have poured their imagination and ingenuity into projects that aim to make their tropical island home a greener place.
Their efforts, which span floating wetlands for urban ponds to devices that save electricity and water, have also engaged the communities they live with, as well as garnered the attention of judges from Bayer AG, who chose them to represent Singapore as Bayer Young Environmental Envoys (BYEE) for 2012.
Since 1998, the annual BYEE has emerged as a global milestone for young environmentalists from 19 nations,,who gather for a week-long study tour in Leverkusen, the headquarters of Bayer, to learn about sustainability measures in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Organised in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), BYEE is a chance for young people to see environmental leadership in action and discover what their peers are doing on the other side of the planet. Eco-Business interviews the four Singapore envoys on the lessons and insights they have brought home from Germany.
Yu Hui (left) shares about her floating wetlands project with other BYEE participants at a poster presentation. EB Image: Marcus Ng
Game for greener awareness
From making eco-friendly plastic injection-moulded products, to questioning ordinary citizens about their recycling habits at a wintry waste disposal centre, the Singapore envoys quickly immersed themselves in the BYEE experience, asking, probing and taking copious notes about the people and places they encountered.
“I didn’t know waste could be sorted into so many categories,” said Yu Han, who was struck by the systematic process by which AVEA, a German waste management firm, handles household waste to maximise recycling rates.
For Yu Han, environmental issues are, literally, on the cards. The 18-year old Nanyang Polytechnic student tapped on her bent for design to produce a playing deck called GREENERDot, which she dubs “a uniquely Singapore environmental card game.” The set of 50 cards, which offer a fun way of learning about Singapore’s green spaces and local trees, have been welcomed by schools and even caught the eye of jury members from Bayer and UNEP who named Yu Han a finalist for the 2012 Bayer Young Environmental Leader Awards.
Yu Han, who explored 13 nature parks to document their features, added that the game, through various ‘impact cards’, also seeks “to increase awareness about the positive and negative impacts” of actions such as reforestation and pollution. “You can be a positive change agent and make a positive difference in our environment,” she said of the message she hopes to convey through GREENERDot.
One of the youngest envoys this year, Yu Han regards herself as a relative newcomer to the environmental scene, but now serves as vice-president of her polytechnic’s Green Club and even switched her diploma course from Food Science to Chemical & Green Technology. Getting up close and personal with various waste streams at facilities such as AVEA was an “eye-opener”, she revealed. “It was a hands-on experience, so that was the best field trip because I could really see what was going on and touch the things there.”
Tapping on technology to reduce water wastage
Hands-on sessions were also the highlight for Muhammad Asri bin Yacob, who relished the chance to go through the process of making plastic devices, from design and research to manufacturing and quality control, at BayLab Plastics, a training facility run by Bayer MaterialScience in ChemPark Leverkusen.
An 18-year old student at ITE (Institute of Technical Education) College West, Muhammad Asri is an active leader in environmental outreach in the neighbourhood around his college, where he goes door-to-door to talk to residents about ways to reduce household bills by going green, such as switching to energy-efficient light bulbs and shutting down unused devices.
Water conservation is a particular concern for the electrical engineering student, who recalled his mother’s frustration at pails that overflowed when the tap continued to run while she was busy tending to other chores.
As a result, Muhammad Asri initiated a Smart Water Saver project to help elderly homemakers prevent water wastage by adding a simple valve cum sensor that automatically shuts off the tap when containers are filled. Installed in several homes, the device has been welcomed by users who are spared the hassle of monitoring their bathrooms and the risk of wasteful spills.
Recounting the BayLab Plastics workshop, Muhammad Asri said, “I learned a lot in terms of the technical aspects. They are very creative and the machines are very efficient.” He was also impressed by the way leftover plastic frames were re-used in another industry. “The programme has made me much more conscious about the environmental impact that every individual has on the earth,” he stated. “It is very important to advertise what we are doing to the public to gain support. Every individual has a part to play to protect the environment.”
Cleaning up waterways with floating wetlands
Tackling a different aspect of water issues, Law Yu Hui of Ngee Ann Polytechnic was involved in a project that launched nearly 20 floating wetlands in a pond at Singapore’s Chinese Garden.
The pond was heavily polluted by fertiliser run-off, so the 19-year old Environmental & Water Technology student worked with a team of classmates to test Constructed Floating Wetlands, a relatively new method of water treatment in Singapore. Using bamboo trimmings, Yu Hui’s team designed frames with a base on which vegetation can be easily planted. Placed in a pond, the plant roots soon penetrate the water column and absorb contaminants such as phosphate, nitrate, copper and zinc.
Yu Hui roped in curious park visitors to help plant and launch several wetland units during a charity event. She is also training students from two nearby schools to build and operate their own wetland systems as well as monitor the water quality of the pond.
Given her affinity to the subject, Yu Hui was quick to point out subtle observations from her stay in Germany, such as flushing systems that minimise water wastage. And after hearing about Korean envoy Hyeonjeong Cheon’s efforts to collect unused medicine for proper disposal, Yu Hui pointed out that this project also greatly reduces the cost of treating contaminated wastewater. She was also impressed by the work of Philippine envoy Michael Garlan to preserve coral reefs by roping in fishermen to collect predatory starfish during seasonal outbreaks and use the animals as fertiliser.
“Learning is exciting to me, so I enjoyed the whole trip,” she added. “It’s a very positive and educational experience. What Germany as a country is doing is very impressive, in the way they manage their waste and take the initiative to cut down their carbon footprint.”
Findings way to power change
For Joyce Chee, the route towards environmental sustainability began after a trip to China, where the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) engineering student was struck by the level of urban pollution she encountered. Wanting to learn more about environmental issues, she began volunteering in organisations such as the Singapore Environment Council and signed up as a Youth Environmental Envoy with Singapore’s National Environmental Agency (NEA).
At the same, she embarked on a personal project to develop applications for piezoelectric devices, which use special ceramics to convert kinetic energy into electricity through physical impact. “Piezoelectricity is a form of renewable energy,” explained Joyce. “But the cost is high.” There are also few commercial applications at present, due to its low energy output, but she hopes to explore avenues where piezoelectricity could be efficiently used as an alternative to batteries, such as in remote controllers in hospital wards and infoboards for remote tourist sites.
Piezoelectricity remains her primary pursuit, but the project Joyce submitted for BYEE was in fact an offshoot of another undertaking, to transmit data between mobile devices using QR codes and near-field communications technology.
Observing that NTU used many TV displays to loop informational videos around the campus, she persuaded her faculty to try out a VOsensor system, which sends video content to smartphones when users scan a QR code. Requiring fewer resources and less energy, Joyce’s solution will be deployed early next year to promote NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering through QR coded posters promoting the School’s programmes.
Joyce, who also took the opportunity to visit a German piezoelectricity company, said of the tour to Bayer: “I was very curious as to why the Germans are so aware of environmental issues, while Singaporeans are very resistant, though our government is proactive in this area.”
Recounting her conversations with locals at AVEA’s waste centre, she suggested that this was because of stringent legislation that penalises dumpers and a wealth of incentives that make it convenient and efficient to recycle.
This writer’s trip to Germany to accompany the youths on the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy programme (BYEE) is sponsored by Bayer.
