"As part of our Hwa Chong’s traditions in reaching out to the society, we organised a small service-learning activity on 7 August 2020, as a build-up to National Day celebrations. In the morning, we were busy packing daily necessities and self-designed cards into 25 goodie bags as a class. Then four of us, together with our Form Teachers, Ms. Lee and Ms. Woo, went to deliver these goodie bags to the elderly residents living in Ang Mo Kio. Many of them responded with warm smiles and expressions of gratitude. We learnt the importance of respect and kindness throughout this entire experience. We appreciate the opportunity our school had given to us in participating in this meaningful activity of giving back to the society."

夏天是一年四季最热的季节，但也是个美丽的季节，汗水会阻挡人前行的脚步，但阻挡不了善良与爱的传递。我们帮助的这些人，可能不那么富有，生活水平没那么高 可是人穷心不穷，他们也应该得到这个社会更多的关注，得到更多的理解。帮助这些身处困难的人，在传递这份情感的同时，也能提升我们自己的个人素养，掌握更多为人处事的道理。-

By Zhang Ti Xuan, Yu Haoyang, Duan Kai-Hsuan and Pu Shiyi of 3K

"My classmates and I gave goodie bags containing food stuffs to those in need during our HCIS GIVES BACK visit to the rental blocks. Personally, I have learned that there are multiple people from different races who are living in these blocks. Being able to visit this block, it allowed me to realise the drastic differences that people of the same country may experience. It is in these activities that united us as a country on National Day. I have learnt that it is important that we may always stay tight-knitted as a community and as a nation." - Tey Xi Shawn Timothy 3P

"The long and narrow passageway was faded with yellow light, and all around, there was silence. We volunteered to represent my class in a community event by providing the elderly living in rental flats with some basic necessities such as rice, vegetable oil and Milo. This would be useful for these families given the Covid-19. They received these gifts with smiles on their faces and a deep sense of appreciation. As there were many flats to distribute to, we could only spend a small amount of time talking to them. It has not only assisted them in this time of need, but I also felt a sense of satisfaction and happiness. It has taught me the value of caring for others. Despite this small effort, I believe that showing concern to the less fortunate would make a difference to not only the area but ideally, bring joy to the whole of Singapore. I am looking forward to participating again in the near future." - Zhou Guozijin 3R

Wu Minzhe

Hwa Chong International School

Theme: Climate action

I wrote this article to help you understand the effects of climate change, based on some conducted research. Firstly, I wrote about the impact of increasing temperature and rising sea level could cause to our country. Secondly, I discussed the effort made by Singapore government in joining the international community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lastly, to further tackle this issue, I came up with some practical ideas that could mitigate the impact of climate change. I hope this report is effective in conveying the seriousness of this issue for us to start taking immediate actions.

Feeling The Heat- Our Burning Red Dot

Climate change may sound abstract, and for many it seems too farfetched. However, it is one of the most serious challenges humans are facing. The earth’s climate has changed throughout history. As we all know, the repercussions of climate change are iceberg melting, sea level rising and destruction of habitats. Singapore is especially vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change as it is a small, urbanized and low-lying island. Now, Singapore is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world with maximum daily temperatures predicted to reach 35-37 degrees Celsius by year 2100. ^[1] In this report, I want to talk about the terrible consequences of increasing temperature and the actions we can carry out to alleviate this situation.

Perhaps you are wondering if there are parts of our world that are experiencing temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and beyond? The burning question is does that mean we have to worry about the future? The answer is a straight yes. Singapore is surrounded by sea, hence we get higher humidity from a maximum of 96 percent to a minimum of 64 percent. ^[2] When temperature and humidity both get high enough, humans may find it a struggle to cope with the change. We will feel suffocated and stifled just like being trapped in a big oven. Dr Jason Lee, Associate Professor with the Department Of Physiology from National University said, “The main avenue of heat loss is to evaporate the sweat on your skin.” ^[3] Nevertheless, in a high humidity environment, when the surrounding air is full of water vapour, the rate of sweat evaporation will slow down and that will make us unable to cool down and lose heat. If this condition persists for too long and our sweat is not completely evaporated, heat exhaustion may kick in and cause symptoms like nausea and headache.

Increasing temperature may also result in disastrous wildfire. Recently, Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades. That fire claimed the lives of countless animals and deprived them of their natural habitats. Wildfires will destroy our balanced ecosystem. One of the reasons behind this catastrophe is the increase in Earth’s temperature. The sweltering heat makes it easy for flames to set ablaze. Several such cases occurred in Singapore. Recently, on 5^th March 2019, Singapore Civil Defence Force responded to a vegetation fire near the Lim Chu Kang Chinese Cemetery. Due to the hot weather, windy conditions and nearby thick vegetations, the prolonged firefighting lasted for nearly 9 hours.

Fig1. Firefighters are seen trying to extinguish the fire near Lim Chu Kang Chinese Cemetery. The trees and lawns are emitting white smoke, and the air is filled with burning smell. Temperature increasing could result in natural disasters.

Sinking Singapore- Are We?

One of the vital signs of climate change is sea level rising. Since the start of the 20th century, the average global sea level has been rising. Between 1900 and 2016, the sea level rose by 16–21 cm. ^[4] The rising water level is mostly due to the thermal expansion of sea water which threatens to inundate small- island nations. It's long been known that Venice suffers from subsidence. Venice is slowly sinking which serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sea level rising. Singapore is a low-lying island and we do not have hinterlands to retreat to, hence sea level rising must be one of our immediate concerns. Here is an analysis from 4 longest tide gauges around Singapore. They are Tanjong Pagar, Sembawang, Raffles Lighthouse and Sultan Shoal respectively. ^[5]

Fig2.There has been an average of 2.9cm rise per year since 1984. If we do not take practical steps for climate change, it is easy to imagine what would be like within a century.

At the National Day Rally 2019, Singapore’s President Lee Hsien Loong recalled that in the 1960s and 70s, floods were common in Singapore, especially during the rainy season. ^[6] Recently, there were flash floods reported in Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang after a heavy downpour on 2^nd December 2019, rendering traffic impassable at some locations. ^[7] Singapore built the Marina Reservoir and Marina Barrage to protect the city area from flooding. ^[9] People have to take this seriously and start to act right now.

Singapore government puts in a lot of effort in addressing climate change, for instance, Housing Development Board (HDB) has introduced greenery in the various towns to improve our resident’s quality of life. To date, solar panels have been installed or are being fitted in close to a quarter of HDB’s 10,000 residential blocks. ^[10] Our Tampines Hub also has its way to cut down food waste. Tonnes of discarded food waste is turned into fertilizer and non-potable water. ^[11] Recently, on 5^th November 2019, due to the latest banning of personal mobility devices such as scooters, e-bikes and the likes from footpaths has resulted in an encouraging number of walking pedestrians, cyclists as well commuters using the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) or bus services that is more energy efficient. ^[12]

We have seen that our government are currently taking necessary steps to avoid a potentially catastrophic future. Nevertheless, individually on our part, what can be done? Every individual living on this planet is responsible for global warming in one way or another. Thus, we must find out some possible and effective solutions.

1.Energy consumption

Since about 1850, the global use of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) has increased and dominated world energy consumption and supply. The rapid rise in fossil fuel combustion has produced a corresponding increase in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and greenhouse gas emission. ^[13] There are some sound energy consumption strategies to help reduce the burden of climate change. We can turn up air-conditioners 1 degree Celsius higher or just use fans instead of air-conditioners, as it can not only reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, but also lead to a healthier and greener lifestyle. Every resident who lives in a condominium or HDB flat is encouraged to use light-emitting diode (LED) lights instead of fluorescent and incandescent lights. 95 percent of the energy in LEDs is converted into light and only 5 percent is wasted as heat. ^[11] Less energy usage reduces the demand from power plants and consequently decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

2.Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We need to reduce the release of the greenhouse gases that spurs global warming. Every individual in Singapore controls about 30 percent, 1/3 of all the energy that is consumed or produced by Singapore. ^[8] Therefore as individuals, we can do our bit to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, like reducing waste, reusing and recycling. In our school, we use less hot water since it takes a lot of energy to heat water. In my school, every classroom has ceiling fans installed. Turning the ceiling fans on circulates the air as we keep our air-conditioner running at 25.0 degree celcius to keep the ambient temperature conducive for our learning. Our schoolwide initiative of keeping the ceiling fans running until the end of school hours instead of turning it on and off throughout the day has saved a bit of energy. In addition, using light-coloured roofing and pavements that reflect off heat instead of dark surfaces to decrease absorption of heat can also be implemented. Another solution which can be introduced in my opinion is to bring more vegetation into local neighborhoods, like setting up green rooftops, rain gardens and planting more roadside plants. They do a great job in absorbing carbon dioxide from the air to produce oxygen during the process of photosynthesis which will reduce this pollutant greenhouse gas.

In conclusion, we can see there are many effects of climate change that insidiously affect our environment, health and balanced ecosystem. However, there are counter active measures that we can also take to halt and hopefully reverse any adverse effects to our beloved Gaia. To give our next generation a better place to live, I hope you can take my advice and do your part to prevent climate change.

Resources

1) Youtube:

https://youtu.be/UrQ9zjvmD6k

2) Current results:

http://www.weather.gov.sg/weather-currentobservations-relative-humidity/

3) Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINTmky4vCA&feature=youtu.be

4)CNA:

https://www.google.com.hk/urlsa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwil4rPvsKbnAhXRdn0KHZv2B4QQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.channelnewsasia.com%2Fnews%2Fsingapore%2Ffire-scdf-near-lim-chu-kang-cemetery-11310704&usg=AOvVaw0qjG8Z2lQ1HUKH6ja7C1Zh

5)Wikipedia:

https://www.google.com.hk/urlsa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=2ahUKEwjjvubosabnAhWPbn0KHX3gAZQQFjABegQICxAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSea_level_rise&usg=AOvVaw0YqIMKnJUqTR-tohX8qF8 Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINTmky4vCA&feature=youtu.be

6)StraitsTimes: National Day Rally 2019: 8 things to know about PM Lee Hsien Loong's speech

https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/national-day-rally-2019-8-things-to-know-about-pm-lee-hsien-loongs-speech

7)CNA:

https://www.google.com.hk/urlsa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj9_pHCv6bnAhXWQ30KHabgCZUQFjAKegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.channelnewsasia.com%2Fnews%2Fsingapore%2Fflash-floods-jurong-east-choa-chu-kang-heavy-rain-pub-12145026&usg=AOvVaw3_HzIB9wybg5eVrLQFY9Zc

8)Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINTmky4vCA&feature=youtu.be

9)Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrQ9zjvmD6k&feature=youtu.be

10)Solar electric:

https://www.sepco-solarlighting.com/blog/bid/145611/the-advantages-of-led-lights-for-the-environment

Elliot Tan Sze Kiat and Saisho Hikaru

Hwa Chong International School

Topic: Responsible Consumption and Production

This article seeks to express that organic products are not labelled “organic” simply for appearance’s sake, but in actual fact, do have a big impact on the environment. It also displays how Singaporeans have developed sustainable methods to grow organic produce and craft organic products. Sustainable methods of consumption and production will ensure that we do not deplete our Earth’s resources faster than what it can produce and provide us with but instead will ensure that we conserve our ball of green and blue.

Back to Nature: The Organic Craze

Going organic. What does it mean? For some of us, we may feel that the hype over going organic is something unnecessary. We may feel that people are being overly obsessed over products like organic food and beauty products. However, there is actually a good reason why all this is done; it saves our health and the environment. “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”, quoted the great Greek philosopher Hippocrates. There is a wide gap between organic and inorganic.

The problems

Most beauty products are composed of harmful substances. One example of these substances is lead. A heavy metal that can cause anaemia and brain damage, lead negatively impacts health and the environment. Heavy metals can end up in water bodies and soil through corrosion of leaded pipelines in water transporting systems.

Lead can end up in our seafood due to contact of aquatic flora and fauna with lead-contaminated waters. According to an article by the Straits Times on 21st April 2018, as many as 18 cosmetic products were deemed to be unsafe. These products contained various harmful chemicals, including high levels of mercury that could potentially affect both the environment and our health alike ^[1].

On the other hand, there is our food. Most of us enjoy delicious vegetable dishes such as stir-fried spinach leaves and eggplant stew. However, most greens are grown with the aid of chemicals such as pesticides. Pesticides can contaminate water, soil, and vegetation. Although mostly aimed at insects and weeds, they can be toxic to a host of other organisms such as birds and fish. In one article by Biological Diversity on 30th October 2019, it was reported that as many as 10 animal species are endangered in the United States due to the use of pesticides. This further highlights the loss of biodiversity that pesticides trigger.^[2] In another article by the Straits Times on 9th October 2017, it was reported that 20 Indian farmers had died from spraying pesticides without protective gear.^[3] Some pesticides contain Endosulfan, a highly toxic chemical that induces severe tremors, seizures and consequently even death.

Fig.1. Although pesticides may keep bugs off greens, they do more harm than good.^[4]

Singapore’s resolve

Countering inorganic food

You will be surprised at how many local farms there are in Singapore that grow organic vegetables. As many as 9 local vegetable farms are present within our Red Dot. These farms grow and harvest pesticide-free greens. One example is the local farm Bollywood Veggies nestled in the Kranji area. Their vegetables are produced and harvested without the aid of growth hormones, chemical fertilizers, pesticides or genetic modification of any sort. From sweet potatoes to herbs like lemongrass, and everything else in between, a wide range of edible plants are grown there. They also practice the farm-to-table concept where visiting customers are served with scrumptious and fresh produce at their in-house Poison Ivy Bistro. Farms are even grown within Singapore’s neighbourhoods. One such example is the Ang Mo Kio rooftop car-park farm. This 1,800 square meter farm is capable of growing up to 4 tonnes of greens a month without an ounce of pesticides or waste.

Fig 2. The Ang Mo Kio carpark rooftop farm provides residents with fresh vegetables grown by the community. ^[5]

Countering inorganic beauty products

Other than growing organic greens, many local beauty product brands that use all-organic materials have entered the spotlight. An example is local skincare brand Frank Skincare. Using 100% organic certified natural ingredients, and free from harmful chemicals, you can be sure that these products are both eco-friendly and of high quality. These organic beauty products ensure that no harm is done to the environment when they are washed down drains.

Fig 3: A survey conducted reflects there is a high demand for safe cosmetics which is clearly shown on this pie chart (survey conducted by us).

What can we do as individuals?

1.Read the label

Before buying beauty products, it helps if we make the effort to check the ingredients reflected on the label. How many times have you used something without even giving the contents a second thought? Though tedious at first, by taking this small step, you can sniff out harmful cosmetics in your home. An “ALL-NATURAL” label on the bottle may be a farce; harmful chemicals may be used as preservatives, including carcinogens such as parabens. Reading the label saves you from using toxic products.

2. Shop for Earth’s sake

We can buy non-toxic products that are good for you and safe for the environment. Resist the urge to use chemical-based beauty products to protect planet Earth. Kudos to franchises that retail products made from natural ingredients, as it is a worthwhile endeavour. Additionally, we can make our own organic beauty products. Bizarre as this might sound, using ingredients you have at home to make cosmetics and beauty products is not only possible, but much easier than it seems. Activated charcoal and beeswax are ingredients all within our reach, whether at home or at supermarkets, and homemade concoctions can be crafted using them. For example, cocoa and arrowroot powder are some easily accessible ingredients used to make a mineral compact powder. There are step-by-step tutorials and recipes online for you to create them, without damaging the environment.

3. Involve the community

For those who feel that organic products are too costly, why not start your own mini farm in your balcony or rooftop? It helps if you are an active member of your neighbourhood community centre and are willing to start a community farm. Encouraging like-minded health and environmentally conscious people around to join you in your effort to grow your own produce for consumption, can also enlighten others in the process. Schools can organize trips to local farms and educate students on the benefits of going organic and the effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on the environment. Starting a mini farm in school compounds can also be an idea that can be further explored.

Overall, the big difference between organic and non-organic products can clearly be seen. Non-organic products can be very damaging to both our health and the environment and it is good for all of us to start the healthy practice of going organic today and be healthy and eco-friendly.

Resources

1) “18 Cosmetic Products Found to Be Unsafe.” The Straits Times, 20 Apr. 2018, www.straitstimes.com/singapore/18-cosmetic-products-found-to-be-unsafe

2) Center for Biological Diversity. “New Report Highlights 10 Protected Species Endangered by Pesticides.” Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Biological Diversity, 30 Oct. 2019, biologicaldiversity. https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/new-report-highlights-10-protected-species-endangered-pesticides-2019-10-30/

3) Hermesauto. “Pesticide Poisoning Kills 20 Farmers in Indian State of Maharashtra.” The Straits Times, 9 Oct. 2017, www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/pesticide-poisoning-kills-20-farmers-in-indian-state-of-maharashtra.

4) Sissons, Claire. “Pesticides in Food: Safety, Exposure, and More.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327414.php.

5) Terrence. “Ang Mo Kio Rooftop Carpark Farm to Grow Four Tonnes of Vegetables Monthly.” Urban Green Lab, 8 Mar. 2019, https://ugl.sg/2019/03/08/ang-mo-kio-rooftop-carpark-farm-to-grow-four-tonnes-of-vegetables-monthly/