On 18 November 2007, Republic Polytechnic (RP) organized
the first ever Eco-Picnic in Singapore at Admiralty Park
(next to RP) in conjunction with Clean and Green
Singapore (CGS) North West - Come out and play,
its no TV day!

The Eco-Picnic hoped to convey, in a fun way, an environmental
message to promote a green and healthy lifestyle.
It also aimed to foster strong social bonding by
bringing families and communities together. Families
were encouraged to conserve as creatively as possible
by, for instance, minimizing the use of disposable utensils.
They were also invited to share their ideas on how
to plan a planet-saving picnic. At the end of the day,
the public served as a platform and a starting
point for going green.

Blessed with good weather, the event saw more than 200
families turning up for the picnic which
was graced by the following Guests-of-Honor :

Mr Lim Swee Say
Minister, Prime Minister’s Office & MP for
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan
Minister for Community Development,
Youth & Sports
Second Minister for Information,
Communication and the Arts
& MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Dr Teo Ho Pin
Mayor of North West District &
MP for Bukit Panjang Constituency

Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman
Parliamentary Secretary,
Ministry of National Development
& MP for Sembawang GRC

Mr Liang Eng Hwa
MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon
MP for Sembawang GRC

RP staff and students lined up a series of
exciting games and activities for the picnic goers.
These included highlights such as the Eco-Picnic
Competition, Green Hike around the Admiralty Park,
Eco Flea Market, Green Game Stations,
the Republic Polytechnic’s Conservation Booth,
children’s colouring competition,
exciting performances, street magic by RP
students and many more. Each of these
activities aimed to educate the public on
how they can do their part for the environment.

For the Eco-Picnic Competition, picnic goers
were judged on how “green” their picnic setups
were. It was heartening to see families coming
with reusables like reusable bags, using
environmentally friendly utensils, thermoses,
plastic containers instead of plastic or
styrofoam disposables. The winner for the
competition were Ms Deepa d/om Chandran Pillai
and Mdm Siti Kartin Binte Kamis who went
home with cash prizes of $300 and $200 each
respectively. Special mention goes to Mdm Siti
who walked all the way from home to Admiralty Park!
In line with the green theme, she also came
decked in green (green picnic mat, green
clothes, containers and even a green umbrella!).

The Eco-picnic serves as a starting point to encourage
Singaporeans to go green in their daily lives. We hope
this picnic has been one with a difference. Do
look out for upcoming “green” events
organized by Conservation Interest
Group of Republic Polytechnic!

We would also like to express our thanks to
Hitchins (FE) Marketing Pte Ltd for
sponsoring the prizes for Republic
Polytechnic’s Eco Picnic 2007.

The first ever Eco-Picnic in Singapore was
made possible by the following staff and students:

Staff & students from Conservation Interest Group
& School of Applied Science

Amy Choong, Dawn Ong, Serena Seah,
Ishir Lim, Tan Ai Tee, Song Sin Nee,
Chua Hwee Chuan, Grace Tan, Lisa Kavita Rajah

Main student committee:

WOO CHIN CHENG; TAN TING TING;
NUR AZIEANI BTE ARIFIN;
UTBA BIN MAHMOOD;
TAN WEI MIN KENNETH;
EISHA BTE DADLANI;
MUHAMMAD FAREEZAL B MOHAMED I;
WONG JUN MING; CHOO HAN KIAT;
LUI KAI LI; CHEE SHIH CHI; GINA LEE SIHUI

Supported by the Eco Picnic Committee

Lisa Koh (OCC) Cassandra Ng, Solomon Raja
(OES), Fiona Ong, Tiffany Chan, Neo Bee Geok(OSG)
Kavitha Kaliaperumal (TRCC)
Janice Low & Chew Chai Luan (CIE),
Sundar W S & Laine Tan (OIC)

Supported by the following student groups

Student Council // Create IGs: Capoeira,
Comedy Improvisation, Hip Hop, Magic, String Ensemble,
Wushu// Jive IG // Sports Club IGs: Archery IG, Soccer IG

Words by Soh Zhi Hao Jasper (Yr 1, DENV Student), edited by Serena Seah and Grace Tan (SAS). (VO)(LH)