09
April
2015
|
17:56
Asia/Singapore

Varsities ink green commitment

“Talk Gong”, an event which introduced the versatility of food containers for a greener lifestyle, was held on 20 March at University Town. Aptly toasting with tumblers, as part of the annual Youth for the Environment Day, the occasion celebrated a landmark collaboration between local universities in the ongoing pursuit of environmental sustainability.

“Talk Gong”, a play on the Hokkien term for ‘superior’ (‘tok gong’), is also an amalgamation of the English word ‘talk’ and the Hokkien term for ‘container’ (‘gong’).

Months of conceptualisation culminated in an educational evening which saw leaders of the four university environmental clubs—NUS Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE); Earthlink Nanyang Technological University (NTU); Singapore Management University (SMU) Verts; and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) Greenprint—jointly sign an inter-university environmental declaration, which is the first of its kind in Singapore. The signing, witnessed by Guest-of-Honour Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Adviser to Keat Hong Grassroots Organisation, reaffirmed a commitment by the respective clubs to coordinate their environmental efforts and resources so as to achieve a common goal of increasing outreach and impact among the community.

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Students sharing green ideas on the Freedom Wall

Discussions on “Talk Gong” 2015 began late last year when representatives from NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Anglo-Chinese Junior College and Dunman High School came together to form the Youth Planning Team to tackle the widespread use of disposables on campus.

The Team soon learnt that collaboration meant a need to accommodate the unique circumstances of each institution. “One school may need the approval of the administration for almost every decision, but another may struggle with the lack of funds…however, we need to collaborate because no one club is better than the other. I believe that no one wins when the environment loses,” said Elaine Sam, chairperson of the Youth Planning Team and vice-president of NUS SAVE.

This initiative also launched the #talkgong2015 social media campaign which will provide daily tips on incorporating reusable containers into one’s lifestyle. Many of the 200 participants received personalised reusable containers, or “gongs”, as well as tailored advice on reducing plastic waste in their everyday lives at the event.

By NUS SAVE