3. List some innovative strategies that the educational institutions like the ANU and NUS are doing to reduce their overall ecological footprint.
The NUS Office of Environment (OES) pledges to effect a total shift to environmental sustainability in all aspects of campus life by integrating sustainability into operations, planning, construction, education, research, instruction, and public service. Together with the student body, NUSSU SAVE (Students Against Violation of the Earth), they have
implemented several changes to NUS in recent years in its effort towards becoming more environmentally friendly.
implemented several changes to NUS in recent years in its effort towards becoming more environmentally friendly.
OES main: http://www.nus.edu.sg/csc/circulars/circulars_main.html
Rebate2Earth: http://www.nus.edu.sg/csc/news/2008/Rebate2Earth_main.html
Plastic Bags cost 10cents in NUS bookstores
According to www.reusablebags.com website, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Therefore, the main objective under Rebate2Earth is to reduce the excessive usage of plastic carriers in NUS through controlled issuance of plastic bags by stall vendors and practicing the 3Rs(Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Plastic carriers from the NUS bookstores are now charged at 10cents each and the money collected will be used to fund future environmental projects. This project hopes to use such disincentive to reduce the consumption of plastic bags and to nurture a culture of reusing carriers among the student body.
Recycling bins placed around Campus
The recycling infrastructure was recently revamped by the OES and SAVE initiated under Project ZeroWaste- Campaign to raise awareness of recycling. Recycling stations have been set up at prominent places and at specific timing with campaigning, such as placing bins outside examination halls during exams for students to recycle their lecture notes and also placing bins at the hostels after the exam periods when student moves out. There is a bin for plastic bottles (marked green), another for aluminum cans(marked yellow) and a trash bin. Paper recycling bins (marked blue) are only available at selected common access areas on campus due to fire hazard.
Rebate2Earth: http://www.nus.edu.sg/csc/news/2008/Rebate2Earth_main.html
Plastic Bags cost 10cents in NUS bookstores
According to www.reusablebags.com website, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Therefore, the main objective under Rebate2Earth is to reduce the excessive usage of plastic carriers in NUS through controlled issuance of plastic bags by stall vendors and practicing the 3Rs(Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Plastic carriers from the NUS bookstores are now charged at 10cents each and the money collected will be used to fund future environmental projects. This project hopes to use such disincentive to reduce the consumption of plastic bags and to nurture a culture of reusing carriers among the student body.
Recycling bins placed around Campus
The recycling infrastructure was recently revamped by the OES and SAVE initiated under Project ZeroWaste- Campaign to raise awareness of recycling. Recycling stations have been set up at prominent places and at specific timing with campaigning, such as placing bins outside examination halls during exams for students to recycle their lecture notes and also placing bins at the hostels after the exam periods when student moves out. There is a bin for plastic bottles (marked green), another for aluminum cans(marked yellow) and a trash bin. Paper recycling bins (marked blue) are only available at selected common access areas on campus due to fire hazard.
http://www.nus.edu.sg/csc/circulars/2008/recyclingoncampus.html
http://www.nus.edu.sg/csc/circulars/2008/zerowaste.html
Arts Faculty
Engineering Faculty
Recently, an inspection done revealed that the faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has the highest level of segregated wastes, but the engineering faculty has the highest level of contamination. This goes to show that despite the same implementation of program across the campus, individual faculty varies in result, which most likely boils down to the differences in individual’s attitudes toward recycling.
Default Double-sided printing
Initiated under Save3s Campaign, all the computers in NUS are set to default double sided printing. The Board of Undergraduate Studies and the Board of Graduate Studies has also given the green light for all submission including Honours and Graduate Theses to be submitted on double side print.
Green Carnival
SAVE’s flagship project, Green Carnival 2008, is held annually to serve as the platform for NUS to underline this commitment publicly. It also mobilizes the NUS community towards environmental consciousnesses and to raise awareness about climate change and its effects on earth and society.
Integrating Environmental theme to events
In this year’s NUS Arts Festival, they have adopted a theme that is related to the environment and going green. Groups taking part in it, e.g the NUS Dance Blast would attempt to paint a story of how recycling plays an important part in making our world a better world to live. They explored the realms of hip hop culture with the environment theme. The NUS Jazz Band presented Treat Her Like A Lady!, an exhilarating musical revue consisting of a dialogue of songs which we as humans are singing to the Earth and songs that the Earth is singing to us as a direct response to the environment theme. The NUS Wind Symphony and Chinese Orchestra honoured Mother Nature with a repertoire that included pieces such as Amazonia, Vesuvius, The Yellow River, etc.
In this year’s NUS Arts Festival, they have adopted a theme that is related to the environment and going green. Groups taking part in it, e.g the NUS Dance Blast would attempt to paint a story of how recycling plays an important part in making our world a better world to live. They explored the realms of hip hop culture with the environment theme. The NUS Jazz Band presented Treat Her Like A Lady!, an exhilarating musical revue consisting of a dialogue of songs which we as humans are singing to the Earth and songs that the Earth is singing to us as a direct response to the environment theme. The NUS Wind Symphony and Chinese Orchestra honoured Mother Nature with a repertoire that included pieces such as Amazonia, Vesuvius, The Yellow River, etc.
By integrating environmental themes to such events, NUS is emphasizing the importance of such environmental issues by creating awareness through big events such as this. Just as we are taking this module to gain more understanding about environmental sustainability, the campus is also attempting to do the same through other platforms. Such events together with legislations, constantly remind people to be environmentally responsible.
Do any of these strategies challenge social or institutional "norms"? (That is, Change the way people behave or think?)
The sorting out of garbage and recycling have been a practice that is highly encouraged for many years. However, it has never been very successful in Singapore. The sorting out of garbage is not a norm in Singapore, and most people find it a hassle. This is contrasting to a country like Japan, whereby the categories of garbage sorting have increased to 10. There are even booklets teaching residents how to sort their trash. What is interesting is the extent they go.
(The New York Times, 12 May 2005)
Unfortunately, Singapore does not have a culture of sorting garbage, hence sorting out our trash before recycling is uncommon and out of the norm. How about in Australia?
There are certain practices that are not out of norms. For example double sided printing which is cheaper than single sided printing is usually used even without the default setting. Though there is the economical reason behind it, I will not deny that Singaporeans do realize that it is more environmentally friendly.
However, it just goes to show that in Singapore, people seldom put in the effort to be environmentally friendly. Only when it is convenient to be ‘green’, eg. Printing double sided will save them some money, will they do it willingly.
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