No age barrier in contributing to sustainability efforts in Singapore

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SINGAPORE - The Government's recent announcement that it will work on a charging model for disposable carrier bags at supermarkets has cast the spotlight on Singapore's current environmental efforts, which often seem to be associated with the younger generation.

But experts said that while the actions of younger people may be more visible through social media, older people, including retirees, are just as active in being sustainable in their daily activities.

National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Tan Ern Ser said that though education has much to do with whether one practises sustainability, older people, some of whom have lower formal education than young people, may learn about sustainability as they watch television and participate in community activities that expose them to civic consciousness-oriented messages.

One such person is Ms Seah Lang Ing, 70, a retiree who used to be part of the aircraft interior cleaning department for Sats at Changi Airport. She became interested in the environment cause through news reports about promoting sustainability.

She was one of 14 older people contributing to the environmental movement here whom The Straits Times spoke to.

Ms Seah joins beach cleanups by SG Beach Warriors, a community that promotes awareness of marine pollution.

Since 2019, Ms Seah, who lives in Tampines, has been attending the three-hour sessions two to three times a month at Changi Beach, Coney Island or Yishun Dam.

"It's very tiring. But since I still have the strength, I want to do something meaningful. I will continue to go, until I'm not able to any more," she said.

Mr Lim Hum Leng, 60, a clerk who does beach cleanups once a month, began using reusable bags to buy food in 2019, after his daughter Amanda, 27, an auditor, reminded him to do so.

He said: "If we don't treat the earth well, future generations, like my daughter and son, will have to pay the price."

Mr Lim, who lives in a Bishan Housing Board flat, also began to recycle items every day - from plastic bottles to sardine cans.

Some older people, like Ms Liow Oi Lian, 57, do their part for the environment by buying "ugly food", consuming the edible portions and using the rest for composting.

Ms Liow, who lives in a Tampines HDB flat, began making compost in 2013 to reduce food waste and regenerate garden soil. Every Sunday, she buys 20kg of damaged fruits and vegetables at discounted prices from the wet market.

The freelance facilitator for gardening and horticulture therapy activities is one of the residents who works at a community garden near her block, and uses the compost there. "In the beginning, people would laugh at me and say I had nothing better to do," she said.

Still, she continues to share information about her efforts and food waste issues on Facebook, to raise awareness and inspire more to adopt a carbon-conscious lifestyle.

Kindergarten teacher Padmarani Srivatsan, 56, lives in a flat in Hougang and also composts food at home. She has been doing so every day for the past 10 years.

She makes compost by mixing raw food waste, dried leaves and homemade yogurt, and teaches her pupils how to do so. She also advises them to reduce their use of single-use plastic items.

Ms Padmarani - who volunteers with Plastic-Lite Singapore, an organisation that raises awareness of the overuse of disposable plastic - said: "Whatever small changes I can make to reduce the landfill and mitigate climate change, I'll do it."

Dr Orlando Woods, associate professor of humanities at Singapore Management University and researcher at its Centre for Research on Successful Ageing, said the elderly, who may have experience living in a world of scarce resources, are likely to attribute greater value to things such as food, water and electricity that the younger generation might take for granted.

NUS Energy Studies Institute research fellow Melissa Low said: "There seem to be people across all ages and socio-economic backgrounds who find it difficult to switch and change their habits.

"We all need to be conscious consumers in an increasingly carbon-constrained world."

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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