Pop-up cafe teaches green habits
The annual “NUS Goes Lite” campaign, hosted by NUS Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE), returned to University Town on 21 March with an exciting new element — a pop-up café.
This year’s theme for the group’s flagship event — which aims to encourage people to reduce their ecological footprint — was “Lite Lunches: Better Bento Choices”. It emphasised the importance of reducing food and plastic wastage within NUS by making simple choices during mealtimes that could have positive environmental impact.
Guest-of-Honour Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, officially launched the Lite Lunches Programme which was accompanied by the opening of Bento D’Lite — a Japanese-themed pop-up café. Guests were given a special tour of the simulation café, which showcased green initiatives by the University and promoted environmentally friendly ideas by NUS student leaders, staff and canteen operators, such as portion control and reducing dependency on disposables. Walking the talk, guests were also served refreshments in reusable bento boxes.
The event also showcased SAVE’s successful lunchbox rental system, piloted from 15 to 17 March in Singapore’s first eco-food court, The Deck, at NUS Arts and Social Sciences. Later in the day, students participated in environmental engagement workshops to find out more about leading a resource-light lifestyle.
“For a resource-light future, we hope that our initiatives will empower each individual to take small steps towards a sustainable lifestyle. Collectively, these small steps can form greater change, setting an example for future generations,” said Elaine Sam, SAVE President and Year 3 Environmental Studies student.
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Ms Paula Kesavan, Deputy Director (3P Schools and Youth Department), National Environment Agency (left) and Ms Amy Ho, Director of NUS Office of Environmental Sustainability, having fun with pretend food at the café while learning about portion control to reduce wastage
