Nurture sustainable behaviours from a young age

I am heartened by the Government’s efforts to engage the community in working towards a clean, sustainable future (“Clean and Green Singapore kicks off with carnival based on green habits”; Nov 5, Channel NewsAsia).

Singapore is susceptible to the effects of climate change, and the threats include rising sea levels, higher annual temperatures and increased vulnerability of global food security.

On top of the impact on people’s health and safety, climate change could disrupt our ecosystem’s natural processes.

While Singapore has an astonishing number of native species, 77 per cent of them are considered threatened. Should we fail to protect our environment, these species would face extinction and we would lose part of our home and heritage.

To safeguard local biodiversity and environments from further degradation, not only for our benefit but also that of our children and future generations, we must all play a part in adopting a sustainable lifestyle. It is our personal responsibility.

We should be sensitive to our impact on our environment. Sustainable habits such as those taught at the Clean and Green Singapore Carnival can become an integral part of daily living.

These habits would go a long way towards tackling Singapore’s environmental challenges if every individual is involved. More importantly, we should empower our children to appreciate and care for the environment from a young age.

This sense of stewardship ensures that sustainable living becomes ingrained in our culture in the long run, and can be nurtured by allowing children more hands-on experiences and greater exposure to nature.

We are also role models for our children and therefore should show them how we can incorporate sustainable behaviours into our lifestyle.

For this reason, I encourage families to seize opportunities offered by the National Parks Board and non-governmental organisations to venture into and learn more about our green spaces, such as the newly reopened Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Families should also participate in activities organised for the month-long Clean and Green Singapore celebration, and be inspired to care for our environment. In this way, we can build a clean and sustainable city state.