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The lyrics of this song may seem simple, yet they hold a strong message: You and I hold the power to change the world. It's that simple. But as with simple things, carrying it through is easier said than done. With our own two hands, we can reduce, reuse, recycle. We've all heard it before, yet it is really the most basic way to save the earth. It's a tangible, real way that gives us a sense of control over the big environmental issues that may seem otherwise way over our heads. But in order for it be effective in the grand scheme of things, the onus is on every single one of us to make that change for a greener world.
It could simply be the next time you are at the shops and the cashier is packing your purchases. Ask yourself this: Do you really need that plastic bag? If you've only got very few items, or when the item already comes with a handle, like sacks of rice or packets of diapers, do you really need them packed in a plastic bag as well? Some 2.5 billion plastic shopping bags are used every year. That's about 1.7 bags per person each day! What's the problem with that, I hear you ask. For one, plastic bags are made from oil, a finite resource. So for every plastic bag used, that's more of earth's resources we're depleting – gone forever. And that's not all. The more plastic bags are used, the more energy required to produce them, contributing to the release of greenhouse gases. In the natural environment, plastic bags might end up suffocating plant and marine life if thrown away indiscriminately and then end up getting washed away into our rivers for example. Not only is this an eye sore, they clog up drains and make prime breeding ground for mosquitoes which in turn could potentially start the next dengue outbreak, jeopardising you and your family's health. Is this what we really want, especially since there is a viable alternative to plastic bags? Reusable shopping bags make just as good an alternative to carry your purchases home, not to mention the fact that they are a lot more comfortable to carry over your shoulder. The fact is it takes just one less plastic bag a week per family and Singapore could save 40 million bags each year. This message was the aim of the NEA's "Why Waste Plastic Bag? Use Reusable Bag!" Campaign launched in February 2006. It's the excessive use of plastic bags, and how freely it is dispensed that is the worrying thing. That's why two main groups of people were targeted during the campaign – shoppers and cashiers at retail outlets. Educational materials such as standees, wobblers, posters and pamphlets were displayed at more than 600 retail outlets to raise awareness among shoppers. Cashiers were trained to ask shoppers if they needed a plastic bag for small purchases. Reusable bags were also sold at low cost by participating retailers to encourage more shoppers to use it. Some seven retail giants viz. Fairprice, IKEA, Carrefour, Prime, Shop and Save, Sheng Siong and Cold Storage were part of the drive offering special incentive schemes to encourage consumers to make the switch. "We are not suggesting to do away with plastic bags altogether. But we want our people to use reusable bags as far as possible, and to take only as many plastic bags as they need," said NEA's Chief Executive Officer Lee Yuen Hee.
The interesting fact is that more than one-third of our garbage is made up of packaging alone. That unnecessary, environmentally-unfriendly, space-taking waste can easily be lessened if only the packaging of products were designed in a more "green" way. After all, if there's less packaging, then there's less to throw away in the first place, right? Going beyond the individual, companies must play their part too. This is why NEA has moved upstream to reduce waste at source. For a start, NEA has been working with various food and beverage companies to interest them in changing the way they package their products. The idea is to get producers to think about the environment during their packaging production process. The plan is to launch the Voluntary Packaging Agreement by mid-2007. So for instance, instead of packing the CD games that come packed in fanciful and large boxes complete with other cardboard pieces, the CD can be simply packed in a box just slightly larger than the size of the CD . This is all part of the Voluntary Packaging Agreement which is currently being drafted. Key partners like the Singapore Environment Council, Packaging Council of Singapore and 16 companies have agreed to work with NEA to develop the packaging agreement. These companies include F&N Coca-Cola (Singapore), Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore), Tetrapak and Nestlé Singapore, to name a few. By being part of this national effort to reduce waste, these companies demonstrate corporate social responsibility and take concrete measures to do their part in reducing waste. Whether a corporate initiative or an individual's decision, the point is that a greener world is possible – if everyone chips in and does their part to reduce, reuse and recycle. And that's the key thing, catchy slogan aside, action has to be taken. It all boils down to doing our bit for the environment. As Harper sums up at the end of his song, "But you've got to use, use your own two hands." |
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Starting From the Top
