Singapore, 22 April 2023 – Louis Ng, MP for Nee Soon GRC and Chairman of the Nee Soon GRC Sustainability Committee, together with community partners and residents, stamped their thumbprints on one of 10 sustainability-themed wall murals in Nee Soon today as a pledge of their commitment to sustainability on Earth Day.
The series of 10 sustainability-themed wall murals is Nee Soon Town Council’s (NSTC) latest initiative to rally the community to take action on climate change.
Hand-painted with a sustainability message embedded in the designs, all 10 wall murals tell stories that seek to remind or inspire residents to do their part in protecting the environment (see Annex A). The wall murals also serve as backdrops to the MRT seats found around Nee Soon. The seats were upcycled from decommissioned MRT trains to become community benches, a sustainability initiative which Nee Soon first piloted in 2022.
MP Louis Ng also launched the Second Stream Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) for recycling plastic bottles and aluminium cans; the first RVM made available in Nee Soon. The RVM complements the nation’s preparation for the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) that will be implemented in April 2025.
NSTC’s approach towards promoting sustainability empowers residents and provides them the avenues to play their part. Its ongoing sustainability initiatives are well received by residents and producing good results. Over 50 Nee Soon residents and community partners, such as Yishun Health, Land Transport Authority, Ground-up Initiative and SgRecycle, took part in today’s thumb stamping event.
NSTC’s recycling hub, the first of its kind in Singapore, has expanded since the launch in September 2022. There are now five recycling hubs in Nee Soon town. The recycling hubs provide dedicated receptacles for residents to recycle paper and even textile, which is currently not collected under the National Recycling Programme.
NSTC has collected over 36,000 kg of textiles, 42,000 kg of paper, and 2,500kg of plastic bottles and aluminum cans through the recycling hubs. According to the National Environment Agency, NSTC is also among the top Town Councils for bulky e-waste collection under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, with more than 30,000kg of e-waste collected.
MP Louis Ng said: “Earth Day serves as a reminder that each one of us can play our part to protect our environment. It is when we all come together that we can move the needle and make a significant difference. I am glad to see this in our residents and community partners in Nee Soon. I am confident that we will build Nee Soon to be a greener and more sustainable town together.”
ANNEX A
| No. | Wall Mural | Story |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Block 108 Yishun Ring Road |
Singapore is often dubbed “The Garden City”, but most will connect that name with how a garden looks, and not the life that it supports. These bougainvillea flowers are ubiquitous to our cityscape, but what we do not often notice is how it also supports insect populations like bees which are integral in the continuation of plant life. Without the bees and other pollinators, there will be no fruits and plants cannot propagate.
This mural hopes to inspire us to look beyond the beauty of a garden city, and understand the importance of the invisible world within it, by scaling it up and making it prominent. |
| 2 | Block 606 Yishun St 61 |
Many HDB residents have developed green fingers lately with many planting edible plants along their corridor and community gardens. This mural shows a scaled-up image of Bok Choy growing from recycled plastic bottles, something that can be seen in many estates now. This surge in urban farming as a hobby is a great message about sustainability and how we all benefit from it. And most urban farmers will tell you, that having ladybugs feasting on their vegetables just mean that the plant is organic and untouched by pesticides. |
| 3 | Block 450 Yishun Ring Road |
Kaya Toast is one of our most traditional breakfast sets. This mural combines the image of the delicious sandwich and egg combo with a reusable tumbler from home, driving home the message that sustainable practices can find its way into even the most traditional scenarios in our everyday life. |
| 4 | Block 204 Yishun St 21 |
The weaver bird is commonly seen in Singapore. Some would know that their unique droplet shaped nests are woven using grass, twigs and anything the bird can find to make a sturdy house.
In this image of a weaver bird and its nest, I invite the resident to “be a guest” in the nest and ponder about how our presence affects the homes of the fauna in our city for a change. The weaver bird has woven little strips of paper for the public to fill in about their ideas on sustainable living and how they can be a part of it. |
| 5 | Block 122 Yishun St 11 |
Is this hourglass at sunrise or sunset?
It is up to residents to decide as they will be the ones designing the magical seeds that will pass through the hourglass and eventually lay down the roots for future generations. |
| 6 | Block 626 Yishun St 61 |
Nothing sustains wildlife and human life as much as a fruit tree. The mango tree is among the list of fruit trees that are home to many creatures, like the plantain squirrel and woodpecker. This mural invites the resident to enter the squirrel’s neighbourhood and be welcomed by Nanas and Squish, who have a little treehouse practicing sustainable habits like collecting rainwater and growing plants from recycled bottles. |
| 7 | Block 641 Yishun St 61 |
This mural is a reminder that nature does not need a lot to grow. It can even make its way into discarded bottles in the still of the night.
The quote “where flowers bloom, so does hope” describes the sense of optimism nature can bring – the world around us is still sustaining life, which we sometimes take for granted. I hope it inspires residents to appreciate the nature around them more and derive a sense of hope from it. |
| 8 | Block 462C Yishun Ave 6 |
This series of murals was created in conjunction with the installation of MRT seats that were taken from decommissioned MRT trains.
It is in some way, a journey, if you make your way through every mural. It highlights the tiny but important world around us by putting the viewer in the perspective of a small insect. This large mural contains contributions from residents to this tiny world of the insect, some have added their own giant flowers, others have added giant insects and snails. It is also an ode to the beautiful native plants that have many of us stop in our tracks, like the mimosa plant with their fuzzy flowers, and coat button flowers that stand out against the green on sunny days. |
| 9 | Block 627 Yishun St 61 |
This mural brings nature indoors into a home office. A small stalk of ixora flowers, picked from the outside, rests on the desk as decoration. Post-its are stuck on the recycled paper trays, for residents to fill in their ideas on sustainability. This mural is the “think-tank” of the series, that encourages residents to think and share their ideas on how to live peacefully with nature. |
| 10 | Block 290 Yishun St 22 |
The iconic observation tower in Yishun Park serves as a backdrop for this mural depicting yet another tiny world, this time in a man-made park. It features one of the most common sights in ponds here – the red-eared slider. Nanas rides on a dragonfly while holding up a sign that says “Sustainability at the heart of what we do” with Squish. This mural is not only a tribute to the beautiful Yishun Park but is also dedicated to the continued efforts by the government to provide green spaces in neighbourhoods that become part of the residents’ collective memories growing up, like in Yishun Park! |