Through a contact from Mrs Kee Ee Kian asking for service learning groups doing a project about the environment to be interviewed by MEWR, Mr Goh, our project mentor, managed help us secure the interview by journalists from MEWR who were working on an article on environmental initiatives by youths. On the 6th of June, Mr Goh, Yee Jiunn, Guan Jie and me (Jianghao) met up with Ms Somaiah from MEWR in our school for the interview.
During the lighthearted interview, we had a friendly chat with Ms Somaiah about our project and how we came up with our environmental initiatives. Being interviewed the first time, we were tongue tied for quite some time before we began speaking up. Besides sharing our service-learning project, we were also asked about our hobbies and our science projects. The interview was a great moral booster as we felt acknowledged for our efforts and we were motivated to come up with more initiatives in the future.
Below is the article by MEWR:
Rooting for Action and Shooting for the Stars!
Youth Habitat had the pleasure of speaking to three hard-core environmentally active Hwa Chong Institution Secondary 4 students, Terh Yee Jiunn, Low Guan Jie and Liu Jianghao. The trio, encouraged by biology teacher Mr Goh Yan Yih, is leading a Roots and Shoots initiative which will spread green ideas to Nanyang Primary school students during the inaugural Nanyang Primary School Environment Week! Roots and Shoots in HCI started in 2006.
All of them have had good experiences co-organizing sabbatical events in school and in attending a course at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research last year. Guan Jie feels that he learnt much about biodiversity and preservation of our natural environments,
“We need to know more about the biodiversity in this area. If we conserve, it’s important to know what’s inside. If we want to know which area to conserve – we do need to develop – but we have to better know which areas are more special with rare species and plants.”
The Roots and Shoots Nanyang Primary School project will share the importance of biodiversity and conservation. It will teach the young participants about the five kingdoms, the 3Rs (recycle, reduce, reuse) and most significantly how students can help share environmental responsibilities. Guan Jie believes the key in getting youth more passionate and active in environmental work lies in “building awareness.”
The first project the five of them organized was a fieldtrip to Changi Beach for four classes of Secondary 3 students. On top of picking up litter along the coastline, the participants also got to learn some coastal Biology and Geography through fun-filled activities. They got the chance to identify the biodiversity found in the shallow waters and do some hands-on Geography fieldwork on the beach.
The trio, apart from being busy with the Roots and Shoots with their other fellow team mates Chua Boon Haow and leader Woon Wei Seng, are also active with other projects engaging with environmental sustainability.
Jianghao and Guan Jie are involved in a chemistry related project organized by Nanyang Technological University. They are learning how to turn waste toxic heavy metals into recycled coloured glass! An endeavor too dangerous for a pair of sixteen year olds? Guan Jie is quick to dismiss the claim, “Actually it is not dangerous. Just add them with sand and sodium carbonate and heat them up.” These guys clearly know their chemical compositions! Says Jianghao who likes cycling at night,
“Many young people don’t seem to care about the environment – if they don’t start it might be too late.
Musically talented Yee Jiunn is working on another project that deals with testing for an ideal eco-friendly fuel that can replace current diesel being used. Mixtures made of waste vegetable oil can produce a biodiesal which can run on any diesel engine. Yee Jiunn’s project involves separating which kind of oil: palm, soya, canola etc. works best. This is an ‘in-house’ project but with an external mentor from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He shared,
“Everyone needs to play a part. Individual efforts are not enough to save the environment. Start small and participate.”
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whispered 8:20 PM