SAVE President wins EcoFriend Award

Elaine (right) receiving the EcoFriend Award from Dr Khor (Photo: NEA)

Year 3 Environment Studies student Elaine Sam Hui Xian, the President of Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE) at NUS, has garnered the EcoFriend Award for the Youth and Students category from Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA).

The Awards recognise the efforts and achievements of environmentally proactive individuals in the country. Dr Amy Khor, Singapore's Senior Minister of State, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources & Ministry of Health, presented the awards at a ceremony on 23 November.

Elaine was one of the Co-Chairmen of the NEA-initiated Youth for the Environment Day which features "Talk Gong Night, an outreach event organised by youths from various institutes of higher learning and junior colleges. Co-created with NEA, the event aimed to minimise plastic waste by introducing the benefits of reusable containers through various games and activities. Elaine has been heavily involved in various environmental programmes, and participated in many international activities since her polytechnic days.

Elaine said, "We represent the students' voice for campus sustainability and we need to get the buy-in from not just students but also staff in the NUS community. SAVE's efforts and ideas alone are not enough, the community has to support it and we have to constantly evaluate our campaigns to ensure continuity and eventually affect behaviour change for a greener NUS.

This year saw the highest increase in the number of nominees received across all sectors, reflecting a significant rise in the number of corporations actively involved in efforts to promote care for the environment. The strong involvement of youth in caring for the environment was also apparent among the award recipients.