Haha, sorry for the pun. Well, where have U been?
Recently, I went to Pulau Ubin (pronounced- oobeen), the second largest island in Singapore, and participated in a workshop called Young Hearts for Conservation. It was really nice to be away from the concrete jungle and not hear the sounds of cars. On Pulau Ubin, I was surrounded by trees and plants and I could hear the sounds of birds and insects.
During the workshop, I realized how important it is to throw rubbish into refuse bins and why it is crucial to have trees and plants, as well as animals. I walked on a trail, picked up trash on the beach/wetland, planted a young plant and even picked out weeds!
I never thought I would have so much fun 🙂 At first, I wasn’t one bit interested in this workshop. I dreaded the fact that I had to step out of my comfort zone to do these things. To my surprise, I found pulling out weeds very satisfying, transplanting young plants totally fun, and walking in the forest really relaxing.
Doing all these really opened my eyes to what is happening to our forest – that even little things like packing food from the store could impact wildlife. The packaging of the food might not be biodegradable and so that affects our environment, the people and the wildlife. If the packaging is not properly disposed or floats out to sea, the animals might mistake it for food and eat it. This can make them ill or can kill them. If we cut down trees to make space for more buildings, we won’t have trees to cool us down, and we would be the ones suffering instead.
This workshop had motivated me to want to do more to take care of the flora and fauna in Singapore. I really had fun, I did so many new things, learnt so much, had fun with friends and managed to balance on one leg on a coconut! 🙂 I will definitely go back and visit Pulau Ubin again. I hope to find opportunities to volunteer so I can do my part to take care of the environment!
Remember, everyone – U CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Even if it means taking one less plastic bag from the grocery store or fashion outlet, or packing your food into reusable metal/plastic containers. Let’s ALL chip in and take care of our flora and fauna! 大家加油！
I Can Do It! 