A friend of mine was complaining of how her housemates didn’t help clear the ‘rubbish’ from the kitchen.
Wine bottles, cereal boxes, plastic food wraps, tin cans littered the kitchen floor and at the top of the fridge. Zee commented on how ironic it was that her flatmates claimed to be vegetarians yet were so nonchalant about recycling and saving the world (their very reason for shunning away from eating meat). I decided to help her clear the mess. Amidst the clanking of bottles and separating cardboard from cans and hauling the garbage bags to the recycling bin, Zee and I talked about being green. I told Zee how my mother used the water from ‘washing’ rice grains to water the plants.
I also remember seeing my grandmother put out basins in the garden whenever it rained. She then used the collected rainwater to water the plants and to wash clothes (there was no washing machine in her house at that time). Even though the green wave had not hit Singaporeans in the 1980s, we had been recycling through our own little ways. Another example would be giving our old newspapers to the karung guni man. Traditionally karung guni men would haul heavy gunny sacks as they walked their rounds, collecting old newspaper and bric-bats; this is how they came by their name, karung guni meaning gunny sack in Malay.
Zee and I looked like the karung guni men as we hauled the items in black rubbish bags and walked to the recycling bins in our college. There are separate bins for plastic, papers, cardboard, aluminium cans, and even the clear and brown bottles must be put into separate bins. It was quite heartening to see the bins almost full. So people are recycling! I beamed. The neighbourhood where I used to stay in Singapore has all but one recycling bin that was being used to ‘dump’ all items. Although a few bins would be good for the different items to be recycled, it was nevertheless a good first step!
Recycling bins for different items
So, is being green simply a fad? There are some people who think that it is cool to to be green, to be vegetarian, to do yoga etc. When I reflected on the green issue, I realise that we may not know it, but we are ‘green’ in our daily practices; for instance, many of us at Cambridge cycle or walk instead of taking the car or taxi. We also try to bring our own bags to Sainsbury or Tesco for our groceries. Since 2008, some supermarket chains such as Marks & Spencer charge their customers 5 pence (S$0.10) for every bag handed out. Although carrier bags aren’t the be-all and end-all with regard to environmental impact, at least this method is one where consumers can have a direct impact.
When I first moved to Cambridge, I was afraid to cycle. So I signed up for the Bikeability Training class organised by the Cambridgeshire City Council to encourage residents to cycle. Such scheme (often free of charge to students) is another way where the community can be educated on being green. Walking and cycling now seemed so natural for most Cambridge students even though the distances can be quite far! The other unique feature about Cambridge is how we are not allowed to walk on grass. Apparently only fellows of the colleges are allowed to walk on grass. Hmm…. Why? Is it a symbol of privilege? Or simply to minimise unnecessary footsteps trampling on the grass?
Keep off the greens!
Here are three green tips that I thought are do-able:
- Spring clean once in six months to declutter. Unwanted clothes and items can be donated to the Salvation Army or Thrift Shops. You get to ‘throw’ away things and the shops get some money from selling those items to others who might want them.
- Use e-cards instead of paper cards for your invitations. Although some may argue that e-cards are not personal or nostalgic, just bear in mind our ailing earth. And if you are still not convinced, remember interactive e-card is the IN thing now.
- Switch off lights and other devises when they're not needed. Eliminating electronics that sleep on a standby setting continue to pull a current even when "turned off."
So shall we all do the green wave?
* All pictures courtesy of Hidayah Amin.
Hidayah Amin | 24 March 2011
