Part of our efforts in encouraging residents to go green, the Green Bootcamp @ North West hopes to inspire youths to think out of the box and become eco-innovators to support green living.
The secondary school edition of the bootcamp was held over 3 days in July. Four teams engaged in a series of workshops and activities to better understand today’s environmental issues, inspiring them to ideate solutions to solve these problems. They wrapped up the bootcamp with a pitch presentation to showcase their solutions and a chance to win cash prizes!
Sharing by Team LATO
Hidayah from Team LATO, one of the finalists from the Green Bootcamp 2022 was there to share her journey and experience in transforming their green ideas into reality.
It was inspiring to hear from an actual participant and how each of us can make a difference in our own small ways.
Upcycling Workshop by Semula
In the upcycling workshop by Semula, we literally learned how to turn "trash into treasure". Semula believes that unwanted materials should be given a new life through upcycling.
The facilitators taught us how to make folders out of trash bags. It was a fun, hands-on activity to drum home the message of the 3Rs: reduce, recycle and reuse.
This activity also inspired the idea for our pitch that we developed for the Green Bootcamp!
Tour of Tzu Chi Foundation
During the tour of the Tzu Chi Foundation, we had a glimpse of its efforts to raise awareness on environmental protection.
A memorable moment that stood out for me during the tour was the presence of the climate clock because it was a visual reminder that we are racing against time to tackle global warming.
When I saw the time left on the clock (6 years and 16 days), I felt really sad because it meant that once the climate clock counts down to zero, the Earth's carbon budget would be used up. As humans, we have very little time left to take decisive action to keep global warming under the 1.5°C threshold.
In 6 years, many people would still be children, teens and young adults and to live in a world in constant threat of climate change is not a pleasant thought. It made me feel very strongly about how each of us can do our part to extend the date in which Earth would run out of the carbon budget.
Our team wanted to tackle the issue of how to encourage residents in the North West to carry out the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) in their daily activities to move towards the goal of a zero waste nation.
We got the idea from our friends and family when we did some research and found out that they did not usually practise the 3Rs.
We brainstormed ideas on how to make simple changes to our daily routines so that they can be more environmentally friendly.
We came up with a "Garbage Guru" to help residents with 3 simple steps:
- Reuse packaging such as drink cartons and egg trays as pots for plants
- Maximise every part of a food produce by growing plants from commonly-discarded food parts
- Making garbage enzyme from fruit peels
To implement this, we suggested giving out a free sample of a garbage enzyme with a QR code linked to a website where residents can learn more about how the garbage enzyme works, as well as pick up other 3Rs tips.
From the Green Bootcamp, I have a greater understanding about the impact of human activities such as agriculture and construction on the environment. These activities release greenhouse gases which harm the environment. I also now realise that Singapore produces a huge amount of waste.
I'm now more aware of the environmental issues we are facing and what needs to be fixed.
Overall, I think the Green Bootcamp is a very good idea to inspire the next generation of eco champions to advocate sustainability in Singapore. We learnt many new things about climate change and also had the chance to listen to other students' ideas.
I would definitely encourage fellow students to join the Green Bootcamp next time. It's a good opportunity for them to learn more about climate change. This will also encourage them to care more about the environment and the impact of their actions on the planet.
Would you like to make an impact on the environment? Discover how you can be part of the solution by learning about sustainable practices, connecting with like-minded individuals in the community and turning your green ideas into a reality.
Stay tuned for the next edition of Green Bootcamp @ North West. Find out more here.
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Adviser: Mayor Alex Yam
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