Reflections:

Week 1-
I have learnt that I actually am appreciating nature everyday and I should continue doing so. I
have also learnt that I consume quite a lot of water when showering and I dispose of quite a bit
of rubbish as well. Instead of just appreciating nature, I should also try to help and save the
environment from being destroyed and ruined due to the human populations’ actions and
decisions. I should also do my best to reduce the amount of water I use while showering. I can
start to upcycle, use my air-conditioner less, setting an example for my family to follow. I admire
how Dr Jane Goodall is very passionate about her work and puts in the effort and strives to
advocate for it.

Week 2-
Greenhouse effect is a process that warms the Earth’s surface, and is caused by greenhouse
gases such as carbon dioxide and methane which trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the
planet. Increased emission of carbon dioxide in the air will cause Singapore’s temperature to
continue rising. This rise of heat will have many effects on Singapore, such as a sea-level rise,
complications with water resources, an alteration of our eco-system’s natural processes and a
higher frequency of negative impacts towards public health. Singapore's efforts to mitigate this
include promoting energy efficiency, reducing plastics incineration and adopting cleaner fuels,
as most of the carbon dioxide emitted is from the manufacturing of fuels such as gasoline and
diesel. To contribute to Singapore’s efforts, I have decided to reduce my usage of the
air-conditioners in my house, using my fan or opening windows as much as possible.

Week 3-
In these past 3 lessons, I have been surprised by the diversity of nature in Singapore as well as
the many challenges that Singapore has while trying to maintain this state of biodiversity. Forest
fragmentation has negative and permanent damages on local environments, more so when
associated with human development. Habitats being reduced to smaller and smaller patches not
only decrease the overall habitat area, but they cause less diversity in the types of habitats. The
decrease in habitats causes a domino effect, reducing populations of wildlife as well as species.
Some wild animals that live close to or in Singapore’s urban spaces have been and may attack
residents, as well as steal food items from households. To prevent this conflict, there is a key
strategy, which is to educate people on how to interact with wildlife. The Agri-Food and
Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is working with the conservation group Jane Goodall
Institute [Singapore] (JGIS) is conducting wildlife briefings for residents living near the Bukit
Timah Nature Reserve to educate them on how on should behave when encountering wild
animals. Some of my favourite local wildlife include our bright Pied Oriental Hornbills as well as
the Lesser Mouse-Deer.

Overall Reflection-
Some of the most interesting discoveries I made while learning ecoliteracy is how high
Singapore’s biodiversity is, as well as how truly close we are to nature. The society around us
would definitely have an element of nature, or wildlife, embodying Singapore’s “City in a
Garden” name. Some of my most powerful learning moments were learning about how
Singapore was facing forest fragmentation as well as high levels of greenhouse gases. These
were quite powerful learning moments for me as I started to understand how much danger was
being imposed onto Singapore’s wildlife. The most important thing that I have learnt personally
is to know how to help reduce the amount of harm induced on Singapore’s natural environment,
temperature, and wildlife. If I were to learn this module again, I would like to pay more attention
to the information about Singapore’s native animals. I think I wouldn’t be able to teach what I
have learnt to another person easily as I need to gain a deeper and clearer understanding of the
dangers that SIngapore’s wildlife is facing and know more about how to combat these dangers.
One thing I would like to work on after this module is being more aware of the greenhouse
gases that I may cause to be emitted, such as taking private transport less. In the future, I hope
that I will be able to advise more people on how to handle and treat nature well as it is all
around us in Singapore. From now on, I plan to take public transport instead of private transport
whenever I can, especially the MRT. I think one question I have is how students could be more
involved in taking care of the environment well, and I think if we were able to travel to nature
reserves or wildlife parks, I would be able to experience more close proximity to Singapore's
nature.
Trash Project Report-

In our class’ trash, there are a total of 5 categories of trash. These are food items, stationery,
paper items, packaging and medical and hygiene. In my daily life, this trash is generally waste
that was used by an individual and cannot be recycled or donated. These pieces of trash are
made up of plastics or paper that have been contaminated with food or mucus(in used paper
tissues). This trash will be incinerated. Incineration is not a sustainable practice as it releases a
large volume of greenhouse gases and thus poses a threat to the environment. To cut down on
the amount of trash used, we can always make sure to use everything we can to the best of its
ability, meaning that if there is till a use for something, to not dispose of it yet.
There are 7 main types of trash that we have in Singapore. Liquid or solid household waste,
hazardous waste, medical/clinical waste, electrical waste (E-Waste) recyclable Waste,
construction & demolition debris, and green waste. The trash is collected from rubbish bins and
separated from recyclables. The recyclables are transported to a recycling centre while the trash
is taken to Singapore’s waste-to-energy centres, of which there are four. At these
waste-to-energy centres, as much trash as possible is incinerated. Ash from the
waste-to-energy plants and non-incinerable solid waste are brought to the Tuas Marine Transfer
Station (TMTS). Specially designed tugboats then push the barges to Semakau Landfill located
30km away from TMTS. In the manufacturing of the most commonly used plastics, the gases
methane and ethylene are produced. Ingestion, suffocation, and entanglement of hundreds of
marine species are the most apparent and unpleasant effects of marine plastics. Seabirds,
whales, fish, and turtles mistake plastic garbage for food, and the majority of them starve to
death as their bellies fill with plastic detritus. They also have lacerations, infections, decreased
swimming capacity, and internal injuries. Invasive marine species and bacteria are also
propagated by floating trash, disrupting ecosystems. Microplastics are plastics that are less than
five millimeters in length, due to their small size, they are able to pass through waterways into
the ocean. This may cause aquatic life to mistake microplastics for food. To reduce microplastic
pollution, all we can do at this moment is to reduce, reuse and recycle, in order for less plastics
and microplastics to be disposed of into the ocean. I’m actually quite surprised to learn that
Singapore’s recycling rate was still more than half (52%). I was surprised because I’ve not seen
many people that I know recycling. I think that this number definitely should be increased
though. To cut down on trash generated and recycle more, I think Singapore should constantly
keep in mind that everything they do is impacting the environment, and every piece of trash they
throw away will have a big impact on the environment around them, and recycling may help
save the environment from overflowing from pollution. After the content presented in the topic,
my biggest takeaway is that change needs to happen for the better. So that our environment,
wildlife, earth, can live prosperously and be full of biodiversity.
Nature’s Inspiration-

A turning point

What happens when the grass isn’t greener,

The background of this new vibrancy