(Photo by Chen Binqin from Lianhe Zaobao)
Old clothes are upcycled by student designers to become sustainable fashion, providing more possibilities and creativity for green lifestyle.
24 Raffles Design Institute students made a brilliant debut through the fashion show at the “Nee Soon Green Carnival” (Nee Soon Green Carnival) in Nee Soon GRC on Sunday (July 30). Five models wore old jeans that were given new life, clothes made of shirts and sheets, etc.
The upcycled old clothes on the models came from 17 clothes recycling bins in Nee Soon GRC. Nee Soon grassroots organizations started to implement the recycling program in September last year. Within six months, over 42 tonnes of clothes were collected through the textile recycling bins piloted by Nee Soon Town Council, and residents responded enthusiastically.
In addition to throwing old clothes into recycling bins, Nee Soon residents can use the clothes exchange program “SHWAP” to give old clothes a new life and reduce waste in a more environmentally friendly way. Members of the public who are interested in the works of Raffles Design Institute students can also trade in old clothes at the carnival on Sunday.
The Green Carnival attracted about 2,000 people to participate. A total of 21 community groups set up booths and held workshops on site, thereby raising the environmental protection awareness of Nee Soon residents. Exhibits include upcycled toys, drink cans turned into flower pots, and old clothes cut into useful coasters.
Minister K. Shanmugam: The community works together to promote and contribute to reversing climate change
Five MPs from Nee Soon GRC – Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Law, Mr K. Shanmugam, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Mr Derrick Goh Soon Hee, Ms Carrie Tan Huimin, and Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang also attended the Nee Soon Green Carnival to interact with residents.
“The Nee Soon Green Carnival reminds us that we can do our part to reverse the impact of climate change. Today’s carnival showcases the sustainable lifestyles that our community can come together to promote,” Minister K. Shanmugam said in an interview.
Nee Soon resident Huang Mingyu (59 years old, quality inspector of the electronics industry) who participated in the carnival picked out one or two favourite clothes from the “SHWAP” clothing exchange booth. She said that this was the first time she had heard of this plan and found it very novel. She believes that the clothing exchange activity can not only donate old clothes to those in need, but also protect the environment. She will bring more clothes to exchange next time.
SMS reminders to bring our own water bottles to activities and meetings help us to cut down usage of plastic bottles and to prevent waste
In line with the 2030 Singapore Green Plan, the Sustainability Committee of Nee Soon GRC has advocated to stop using bottled water in events and meetings since April this year.
Lin Wenzhan (69 years old, a retiree), the leader of the Nee Soon Green Brisk Walk Club, also said that every time before the brisk walking event, the club will send text messages to remind participants to bring their own water bottles and no longer distribute bottled mineral water. He said: “This initiative is supported by the participants, because everyone understands that environmental protection must start with small things.”