There is lots we can do including these nine tips.

 

We often see or hear about young people driving the sustainability movement, but I’ve also seen how many from the older generation have long led green lifestyles. Having grown up in a period of financial scarcity, my grandparents learned to be frugal, to repair before buying, and not spend beyond their needs.

Even so, there’s always more we can do to champion sustainability in nine easy tips:

1. Always opt for reusables – remember to bring your tumbler out when buying kopi, or containers for food! Alternatively, you could also support businesses like barePack and Muuse which offer reusable containers for borrowing. If you prefer to order in, check out this list of zero-waste food delivery options: tinyurl.com/zerowastefooddeliverycovid.

2. Don’t need a straw? Say “no” to one. They add to the growing amount of disposables that we trash each day. Consider using a bamboo or metal straw instead!

3. Instead of junking something that you don’t want but is still usable, how about passing it forward to someone else who can use it – one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

4. Reject plastic carriers if you don’t need them; bring your own bag instead. And definitely say “no” to double-bagging.

5. Support local produce by looking out for the “SG Fresh Produce” logo in supermarkets and other retailers.

6. Go meatless, even if it’s for just one or two meals a week! As you may know, animal agriculture is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

7. Support ground-up initiatives! There’s a whole range of youth-led sustainability initiatives and campaigns out there like Project bECOme, Bye Bye Plastic Bags SG, and my initiative, BYO Bottle SG. Share about them with your friends and family so more can come on this green journey, or even offer financial support if you are able to.

8. Miss the good old kampong life? Visit Ground-Up Initiative to learn more about their eco-village campus! You can even join them as a volunteer and help with gardening, farming and other activities. (* Physical workshops and volunteer sessions have been stopped temporarily due to the new COVID-19 regulations.)

9. Perhaps most importantly – help the younger generation to understand frugality. Tell your children and grandchildren (or even great-grandchildren!) about what it was like for you growing up. Help them not to take things such as nature, food, water and electricity for granted!

 

Kate Yeo is the person behind BYO Bottle SG, a campaign that aims to reduce single-use plastics in Singapore. She is also one of the co-founders of NGO Re-Earth Initiative, which strives to build a more accessible global climate movement.

 

(** PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/Roberta Errani)