Doing their part for GREEN PIECE

Today is Earth Day, when conservation and environmental issues take centrestage. In Singapore, schools have got into the act too. TRACY QUEK tells what three schools did to go green.

SMALL acts like making sure the lights and fans in empty classrooms are switched off and using rainwater to water plants helped Anderson Secondary save thousands of dollars on its utilities bill.

Within a year of launching its green campaign, the school halved the amount it spent on electricity and water every month, bringing it down to $10,000 last year.

The school's energy-saving efforts and other 'green' schemes won it an Orchid award, the second-highest award given out by the Singapore Environment Council's (SEC) Green Audit programme.

Launched two years ago, the audit measures how 'green' a school is. It judges schools on their energy- and water- conservation projects, recycling programmes and care for greenery, among other things.

Four levels of awards are given out. The highest one, Lotus, has yet to be obtained by any school.

Last year, 35 schools asked to be audited and 31 were given the awards early this month. Anderson was one of eight schools which took home the Orchid.

Its principal, Mrs Tan Wai Lan, told The Straits Times that the substantial saving her school has managed is proof that every little effort, when put together, can go a long way.

She said: 'Every small act counts, whether it's switching off the lights or using both sides of a sheet of paper.'

Other than the standard recycling programmes - up to 300 kg of used paper is sold to recycling companies every month - the school has gone all out to reduce electricity and water wastage.

Last year, students came up with the idea of installing motion sensors in all toilets, so that the lights there come on only when the toilet is being used.

Ceiling lights along all the school's main corridors are also connected to timers, which make sure the lights come on only at night.

The school is not stopping there. This year, it will embark on 'no air-con Saturdays'. Staff in the general office will try and make do with just opening the windows, and switching on the fans will be a last resort.

And, to save on water, rainwater collected in roof gutters is passed through a catchment system and used to water the plants, herbs and vegetables - all grown without chemical pesticides and fertilisers - in the school's organic garden.

The greening of Dunman Secondary in Tampines also helped the school snare an Orchid award in this month's Green Audit awards.

The school has about 1,200 potted plants flourishing in its nursery, including tropical fruit-tree seedlings, like durian, pineapple, longan and rambutan.

Its 70-member horticulture club can take credit for their state of health, as it has the task of weeding, watering and caring for them.

It is a chore which Secondary 3 student Sim Joo Khai, 14, relishes. He said: 'We plant things on every scrap of land available to make our school look like one big garden.'

Zhangde Primary in Bukit Merah, the only primary school to win an Orchid, goes all out to make its pupils aware of the environment.

Lessons on caring for the environment and on conservation are just as important as examination subjects, said its vice-principal, Mrs Michelle Chan.

It has a permanent exhibition on ways to save the Earth, and teachers have to go on excursions to Sungei Buloh Nature Park and the landfill at Pulau Semakau.

When they return from these outings, lessons are conducted on what they have seen to drive home the message that resources like water and energy need to be conserved.

And the youngsters are learning fast.

The school estimated that it has reduced its electricity and water usage by about 10 per cent since last year.

SEC's project manager, Ms Uma Sachidhanandam, applauded the schools' efforts and threw them a new challenge for this year's audit.

She said: 'This time round, we're looking to give out Lotus awards. For that, we're looking for schools with exceptional projects, which show their long-term commitment to being green.'