[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_type=”circular” background_color_gradient_direction_radial=”top left” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(255,255,255,0.89) 30%|rgba(255,255,255,0) 80%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(255,255,255,0.89)” background_color_gradient_start_position=”30%” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” background_color_gradient_end_position=”80%” background_image=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/living-sustainably.jpg” background_blend=”multiply” width=”100%” min_height=”100px” custom_margin=”-12px||194px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-50px||194px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”8vw|1px|0|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.49)” transform_translate_linked=”off” min_height=”192px” custom_margin=”160px|auto|150px|auto|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”61px|48px|61px|48px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ admin_label=”Column” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”46px” text_line_height=”1.2em” header_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_2_font_size=”28px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” custom_margin=”-30px||-2px|0px|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-25px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|90px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”33px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”28px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
The Challenges We\u2019re Facing to Live More Sustainably\u00a0<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|500|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” width=”83.3%” min_height=”0px” custom_margin=”0px|129px|-35px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”10px|0px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|63px|||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” hover_enabled=”0″ text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.8em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”32px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n CELEST THAM<\/strong> discovers the struggles of leading a greener lifestyle and asks experts for advice on how to overcome them.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-194px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ min_height=”84px” custom_margin=”-67px|auto||auto||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-145px|auto|-100px|auto|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ custom_margin=”-30px||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Using resusables and recycling bins are some green practices that a lot Singaporeans are familiar with. Photo courtesy of Fong Qi Hua (left) and Celest Tham (right).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Us” _builder_version=”4.16″ min_height=”1463px” custom_margin=”-136px||-385px|||” custom_padding=”107px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ custom_margin=”-55px||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-35px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”2px|0|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||0px||true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_line_height=”1.5em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_5_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_5_text_color=”#b3b3b3″ header_5_font_size=”14px” header_5_line_height=”0.5em” header_6_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”16px” header_6_letter_spacing=”5px” header_6_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”659px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px|79px|104px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-40px|79px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”15px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n BY <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/blue-bin.png” disabled_on=”on|on|off” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ width=”250px” custom_margin=”3536px|-422px|-136px|-88px|false|false” custom_padding=”|12px||||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_margin__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” custom_margin__hover=”2359px|-422px|-136px|-120px|false|false”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”fc11c624-29d0-4bb0-90fa-a99635dac95a” inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The amount of waste generated by her regular drinking of bubble tea, a <\/span>video<\/span><\/a> of a plastic straw found inside a turtle\u2019s nostril and the overwhelming usage of disposable takeaway containers during the circuit breaker period are just some of the reasons Ms Jasmine Chan, 21, an environmental studies student, was inspired to practise sustainable habits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an effort to reduce her plastic consumption, she began by reusing the plastic bubble tea cups that she acquired. Now, she uses reusable cups and containers instead.<\/span><\/p>\n There is also Timothy Leung, 19, who adopted sustainable habits after first being introduced to metal straws in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMost of the time when I go out, I’ll bring along a small container consisting of cutlery such as different sizes of metal straws,\u201d says Timothy.<\/span> \u201cI also bring my own bag and container for takeaway food. If I want to eat food from outside but I don\u2019t have my container, I’ll just eat it there to avoid using disposable packaging.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sustainable-habits.png” alt=”Keshi-vinyl-release-debut-album-gabriel” title_text=”sustainable habits” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Carrying reusable cutlery, bottles and containers, and reusing plastic cups for gardening are some habits they have integrated into their lifestyles. Photo courtesy of Jasmine Chan (top), Timothy Leung (bottom left), and Fong Qi Hua (bottom right).<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”fc11c624-29d0-4bb0-90fa-a99635dac95a” custom_margin=”-20px||-1px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Ms Fong Qi Hua, 28, credits the 2020 Covid-19 circuit breaker period for kickstarting her journey to a more sustainable lifestyle. The major clean-up she did during that period helped her gain consciousness about the waste she accumulates.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/olio.jpg” alt=”Keshi-vinyl-release-debut-album-gabriel” title_text=”olio” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ width=”60%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Recommended by Ms Fong, <\/span>Olio<\/em><\/span><\/a> is a free sharing app that serves as a platform for people to give away items they no longer need. Screenshot taken by Celest Tham.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”fc11c624-29d0-4bb0-90fa-a99635dac95a” custom_margin=”-35px||-1px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The call to live a sustainable lifestyle is louder than before, especially seeing how climate change has been affecting us directly. One piece of evidence is the red hot signal sent by the <\/span>intense heat<\/span><\/a> that occurred across the world in July this year. We too can feel it – there was a night when <\/span>temperatures in Singapore hit close to 30 degC<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n However, to be frank, it is clear that not everyone is leading a greener lifestyle despite being aware of the issue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As mentioned in the <\/span>Singapore Green Plan<\/span><\/a>, \u201cStart Changing Some Personal Habits\u201d is one of the actions individuals can take to tackle climate change. \u201cChange\u201d is not something we can achieve easily. If you are someone who has been making an effort to live as sustainably as possible, you might find the following challenges relatable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Source of challenge: myself<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPersonally, I feel that the greatest challenge would be the commitment of maintaining sustainable habits, as the price to pay would be in terms of time and effort spent,\u201d says Ms Fong. \u201cI remember there was a friend who once told me that she liked the idea of being eco-friendly, but she couldn\u2019t commit as it would be too troublesome.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For individuals, it starts with having a firm belief that it is the right thing to do.<\/span><\/p>\n According to Timothy, his motivation sometimes gets affected when he is questioned on his habit of \u201cbringing so many things to takeaway food\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cVery few people do what I do, at least in my circle of friends, so I would be the odd one out,\u201d says Timothy. \u201cIt has already become a habit for me so it’s not too difficult to maintain it, motivation-wise, at the very least I do my part. I can’t control what others do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mr Ho Xiang Tian, 26, the co-founder of environmental group, LepakInSG<\/a>, shares his opinion on what motivates people to start making changes to their habits.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want people to voluntarily do something, they must feel for it themselves,\u201d says Mr Ho. \u201cEveryone has their own trigger point when they really feel something is not right and they should do something\u2026 I don’t think we would know what would trigger an individual to change, but it helps when they see people around them doing the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”fc11c624-29d0-4bb0-90fa-a99635dac95a” custom_margin=”-19px||-1px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Before we do the \u201cright thing\u201d, what about taking some time to go through a thought process?<\/span><\/p>\n Ms Chan suggests one to seriously consider how realistic their sustainability choice is and refrain from blindly jumping on bandwagons. For example, if someone purchases a metal straw which ends up not being used, or worse, disposed of, it turns their sustainability choice into an environmental problem instead<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWith every environmental solution, there\u2019s bound to be caveats and limitations, so think of what is being exchanged or sacrificed when you make a certain sustainability choice – refusing disposables often means washing more utensils, which requires more water as well; the production of metal straws have a much greater carbon footprint as opposed to plastic straws, so it\u2019s only \u2018better\u2019 for the environment when used hundreds of times,\u201d says Ms Chan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Source of challenge: the people around me<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Singapore has become more green-conscious based on the National Environment Agency\u2019s <\/span>statistics<\/span><\/a>. In 2021, the overall recycling rate was 55 per cent compared to 52 per cent in 2020. Singapore residents are also getting more and more familiar with the available ways to recycle, one of them being the blue recycling bins.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Blue bins were introduced in 2001 with the aim to encourage recycling in Singapore. They provide convenience and ease in recycling as there\u2019s no need to sort the recyclables. This approach is a rare sight in other countries. However, at the same time, this system causes people\u2019s efforts to easily go to waste if foods or liquids are thrown inside. This causes contamination and the recyclables will become no different from general waste that ends up being disposed of. It is known that <\/span>40 per cent<\/span><\/a> of the items collected are not recyclable due to contamination.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In response to this issue, Ms Melissa Lam, 30, a sustainability consultant and the founder of <\/span>Bamboo Straw Girl<\/span><\/a>, a social enterprise that produces earth-minded lifestyle products, suggests that, instead of being completely discouraged from recycling by this statistic, the general public can view this issue in a more optimistic way.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPutting things into the recycling bin in the proper way is like a vote of confidence that hopefully this will be recycled well, and that we believe in the importance of having a recycling system in place,\u201d says Ms Lam. \u201cIf people are unwilling to take this first personal step, then there’s no way that change can be made on a larger scale.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The use of blue bins also largely depends on the collective effort of everyone in the family. Timothy acknowledges that it is not an easy commitment for his family as \u201ca lot of reminders are needed\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The same goes for Ms Chan: \u201cIt took a while for my family to come on board when it came to recycling and bringing our own containers. I would often receive a response like<\/span> \u2018This one also need recycle ah?\u2019<\/span> when I asked to bring bottles home to clean and recycle.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ms Lam also agrees that the people closest to us are the hardest to convince. When we focus too much on trying to change people, we get stressed when people do not respond as we wish. This can distract us from the more important things, such as the reason why we started and the efforts that we have already made.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy making conscious choices of our own, we can lead by example and subtly invite people to have conversations about sustainable actions with us. We don’t need to force them to do the same immediately. The fact that they are open to having the conversation is a wonderful first step,\u201d says Ms Lam.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”- Ms Melissa Lam, 30″ job_title=”A Sustainability Consultant and the Founder of Bamboo Straw Girl” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ position_text_color=”#000000″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n By making conscious choices of our own, we can lead by example and subtly invite people to have conversations about sustainable actions with us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”fc11c624-29d0-4bb0-90fa-a99635dac95a” custom_margin=”-35px||-1px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n This brings us back to the idea of different trigger points for each individual, and keeping up with our efforts is key to reaping desired outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPerseverance coupled with encouragement to my family definitely led to visible change in their mindset and we now work towards a more sustainable lifestyle as compared to before!\u201d says Ms Chan.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source of challenge: the system<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The phrase \u201cdo your part\u201d no longer has an impact to move people. These days, people have started to wonder if an individual\u2019s impact is futile, knowing that the <\/span>majority of greenhouse gases<\/span><\/a> are produced by a handful of companies, and that there would be lots of digits behind zero if we were to calculate the carbon emissions attributable or saveable by an individual. <\/span><\/p>\n
Celest Tham<\/b>
Section Editor<\/strong>
Hype Issue #55<\/strong><\/p>\nPublished on<\/h5>\n
August 2, 2022<\/h5>\n
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