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On
18 November 2007, Republic
Polytechnic (RP) organized
the first ever Eco-Picnic
in Singapore at Admiralty Park
(next to RP)
in conjunction with
Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) North West - Come out and play, its
no TV day!
The Eco-Picnic hoped to convey, in a fun way, an environmental message to
promote a green and healthy lifestyle. It also aimed to
foster strong social bonding by bringing families and communities together.
Families were encouraged to conserve as creatively as possible by, for
instance, minimizing the use of disposable utensils. They were also invited to
share their ideas on how to plan a planet-saving picnic.
At the end of the day, the
public served as a platform and a starting point for going green.
Blessed with good weather, the event saw more than 200 families turning
up for the
picnic which
was graced by the following Guests-of-Honor
:
Mr Lim
Swee Say
Minister, Prime Minister’s Office
& MP for
Holland-Bukit
Timah GRC
Dr
Vivian Balakrishnan
Minister
for Community Development, Youth & Sports
Second
Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts
& MP for
Holland-Bukit
Timah GRC
Dr Teo
Ho Pin
Mayor of
North West District
& MP for
Bukit Panjang Constituency
Dr
Mohamad Maliki Osman
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development
& MP for
Sembawang GRC
Mr Liang
Eng Hwa
MP for
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
Ms Ellen
Lee Geck Hoon
MP for
Sembawang GRC
RP staff and students lined up a
series of exciting games and activities for the picnic goers. These
included highlights such as
the Eco-Picnic Competition, Green Hike around the Admiralty Park,
Eco Flea Market, Green Game Stations,
the Republic Polytechnic’s Conservation Booth,
children’s
colouring competition, exciting performances,
street magic by RP students and many more. Each of these activities
aimed to educate the public on how
they can
do their part for the environment.
For the
Eco-Picnic Competition, picnic goers were
judged on how “green” their picnic setups were. It was heartening to see
families coming with reusables like reusable bags, using environmentally
friendly
utensils, thermoses, plastic containers instead of plastic or styrofoam
disposables. The
winner
for the competition were Ms
Deepa d/om Chandran Pillai
and Mdm
Siti Kartin Binte Kamis
who went home with
cash prizes of $300 and $200 each respectively. Special mention goes to Mdm
Siti who walked all the way from home to Admiralty Park! In line with the
green theme, she also came decked in green (green picnic mat, green clothes,
containers and even a green umbrella!).
The Eco-picnic
serves as a starting point to encourage Singaporeans to go green in their daily
lives. We hope this picnic has been one with a difference. Do look out for
upcoming “green” events organized by Conservation Interest Group of Republic
Polytechnic!
We would also
like to express our thanks to Hitchins (FE) Marketing Pte Ltd for sponsoring the
prizes for Republic Polytechnic’s Eco Picnic 2007.
The
first ever Eco-Picnic
in Singapore was made possible by the following staff and students:
Staff & students from Conservation Interest Group & School of
Applied Science
Amy Choong, Dawn Ong, Serena Seah, Ishir Lim, Tan Ai Tee, Song
Sin Nee, Chua Hwee Chuan, Grace Tan, Lisa Kavita Rajah
Main student committee:
WOO CHIN CHENG; TAN TING TING; NUR AZIEANI BTE ARIFIN; UTBA BIN
MAHMOOD; TAN WEI MIN KENNETH; EISHA BTE DADLANI; MUHAMMAD FAREEZAL B MOHAMED I;
WONG JUN MING; CHOO HAN KIAT; LUI KAI LI; CHEE SHIH CHI; GINA LEE SIHUI
Supported by the Eco Picnic Committee
Lisa Koh (OCC) Cassandra Ng, Solomon Raja (OES), Fiona Ong,
Tiffany Chan, Neo Bee Geok(OSG) Kavitha Kaliaperumal (TRCC) Janice Low & Chew
Chai Luan (CIE), Sundar W S & Laine Tan (OIC)
Supported by the following student groups
Student Council // Create IGs: Capoeira, Comedy Improvisation,
Hip Hop, Magic, String Ensemble, Wushu// Jive IG // Sports Club IGs: Archery IG,
Soccer IG
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