Fun and Discovery Through Environmental Clubs
New ideas are added frequently. Check back for more fun-filled activities you can organise!
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Chapter 1 - Getting Started
Chapter 2 - Breaking the Ice
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Chapter 3 - Air Pollution
To choke is no joke. We cough and gasp when we breathe in air filled with dirty and noxious fumes and gases.
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Chapter 4 - Biodiversity
Humans share the planet with millions of species of animals, plants and other living organisms. This great variety of species and ecoystems is called biodiversity. Scientists have so far been able to identify and describe about 1.5 million species of living organisms. No one knows how many species remain undiscovered - it may be anything from 10 million to more than 100 million. Biodiversity is important for consumptive (e.g. commercial harvesting of fish or timber, etc), non-consumptive ( e.g. scientific research, bird watching, etc.) as well as moral and ethical reasons. Conservation of biodiversity enables future generations to see and appreciate nature's vast treasures.
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Chapter 5 - Earth on Earth
It may look dark and dirty, but soil is vital for our survival. Soil is normally a mixture of weathered bedrock, organic matter, minerals and countless living organisms. There are five main types of soil: sand, peat, loam, chalk and clay.
The world's crop supply depends on the precious few centimetres of topsoil. In temperate zones, the top 23 cm of soil can support more than 100 crops. In the tropics, the soil that supports agriculture is often the mainstay of many countries' economies. Erosion of the topsoil by wind, water, deforestation, overgrazing or unsustainable farming practices is responsible for a sever percent topsoil loss per decade in about half the world's croplands.
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Chapter 6 - Eco-Tourism and Its Effects on Nature
The easy accessibility, good facilities and high bio-diversity of our nature parks attract many visitors with a special interest in nature. However, these nature areas can handle only a limited number of visitors. Hence, eco-tourism should be promoted with care and consideration.
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Chapter 7 - Environmental Art
The great thing about the ENVIRONMENT is that it is not just about science and technology. In fact, it is about anything you like, including music, writing and the visual arts. People have written songs and performed dances about the Earth, in addition to painting it. Now you can, too. So kick off those shoes and celebrate what's around. Above all, HAVE FUN!
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Chapter 8 - Environmentally Friendly Consumers
Changing the world starts with chaning oneself. We are all consumers, producers, thinkers and educators. By choosing enironmentally-friendly products, we can be ecological, ethical and economical at the same time.
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Chapter 9 - Everything is Connected to Everything Else
All life on Earth is interdependent - connected by biological, physical and social cycles. Everything is connected to everything else through invisible 'chains', 'webs' and 'networks' of energy flow. Humans are part of these cycles and we ignore or abuse them at our peril. As American biologist Barry Commoner once said, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.'
The science of ecology tries to unravel and make sense of these connections through the study of living creatures in relation to their environment.
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Chapter 10 - Green Fingers, Green Gardens
One of the best ways to 'go green' is to have 'green fingers', the ambition of all gardeners.
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Chapter 11 - It's All Energy
Everybody relies on energy from natural resources. Some of these resources are renewable and some are not. Using energy wisely is a key challenge for our future.
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Chapter 12 - Noise Pollution
There are sounds all around us. Some sounds, like music and the sounds of nature are pleasant but some sounds, like the banging of a door, are not. However, even pleasant sounds can become unpleasant if the volume is too loud. Unpleasant sounds or a high volume of pleasant sounds can cause discomfort to us and to others. Such sounds are called noise. Now, we can measure sound levels by using a decimeter. The higher the decibel (unit for measuring sound levels), the louder the sound.
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Chapter 13 - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Energy cannot be created or destroyed - only changed from one form to another. That's what the second law of thermodynamics tells us. In time, most things turn into something else. The problem with modern materials is that we tend to produce (and dump) a whole load of things that are very difficult to break down or just take too long to do so.
It needn't be this way. Diligent reduction, reusing or recycling of many materials helps us to keep things going round, just like the very nature of nature itself.
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Chapter 14 - Rubbish, Rats and Litter Louts
To be truly environmentally-friendly, Singapore has to be clean as well. Green club members can lead the way by example. Join the battle of the rubbish bins today.
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Chapter 15 - Water Water Everywhere
As an island, Singapore is surrounded by water. Important coastal, marine and intertidal habitats include coral reefs (with more than 150 species of hard coral recorded as well as many reef plants and animals) and mangrove swamps which represent important nurseries for fish, invertebrates (including important food species) and birds. Mangroves also protect the shoreline from erosion.
Land reclamation, damming of estuaries to create freshwater habitats, creation of deep-water perimeters and the establishment of stone sea walls have helped to supply the demands of a growing nation for land and drinking water. However, this has not been without an environmental cost - the destruction of ecosystems which harbour wildlife and provide vital resources for Singapore's future.
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Chapter 16 - What's left for us in the future
This chapter is about the future - or possible prospects for the future. The future is about the children of today. Will they inherit as much natural capital as their parents? Will the world be better, worse or the same when they have children of their own?
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