Deadpoet’s Cave

Straits Times | Nov 27, 2006
Youngsters kayak their way to a green environment

MORE than 90 per cent of students are aware of environmental issues, but less than half would bother to volunteer their time to tackle them….

With this in mind, this year’s River Cleaning Project yesterday had students eagerly picking up litter - from their kayaks….

In four groups, they kayaked along the coastlines of Pasir Ris beach and into the mangrove areas along Sungei Api Api.

The result: 70 garbage bags filled with trash, mostly plastic cups and bottles as well as styrofoam boxes.

Guest of honour at the event, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, had come up with the idea.

‘I wanted the youth to do something different for the environment rather than the usual beach clean-up or park cleaning,’ he said.

The fun-way-to-clean-up session was a hit.

Said Tan Wan Wei, 17, from Meridian Junior College: ‘This clean-up will raise public awareness, it gives us a taste of what volunteering is like, and gets us interested. Kayaking is more fun than just picking up litter.’

*ahem*

Minister Teo may have thought of the idea, but he wasn’t the first.

The International Coastal Cleanup (Singapore) has been going on for ten years, and they have been engaging in wet operations for some time now.

These ST reporters and editors should do their homework.

Kudos to the Minister and all the youths who took part! Those who contributed the 70 garbage bags mostly filled with plastic cups and bottles… shame on you. We shouldn’t have to have kids (or cleaners for that matter) picking up after us.

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