13th
August 2011
1)
BUTTERFLY
GARDEN @ PASIR RIS PARK
Our garden at Pasir Ris Park
(Carpark C) is thriving very well and has become a popular spot with
photographers on weekends. This
beautiful and healthy garden has made possible with help from regular
volunteers who are there most Saturdays (10am to 1 pm) to help weed and
maintain this section.
Because of its attractiveness and
popularity, this butterfly garden is going to be extended soon to 3 times it’s
present size, so more volunteers will be needed. If you can help on Saturdays, please email
me.
2)
BUTTERFLIES
AND BEYOND
As you know, last year we started a
butterfly garden at Fort Canning Park.
This theme has been extended to the plot next to the newly renovated
Registry of Marriages.
We need volunteers to help maintain
these 2 plots once a month (one Saturday a month, 4pm to 6 pm). We are also going to extend this project by
propagating our own butterfly plants. In
conjunction and with support from NPARKS Fort Canning, we are launching project
“Butterflies and beyond”. This project
will help/teach volunteers not only how to maintain our butterfly gardens but also
start a plant propagation project so that we have a constant supply of healthy
butterfly plants to replenish at both the gardens at Fort Canning and Pasir Ris
Park.
We are planning our first
meeting/demonstration on Saturday 3rd September, 3 pm at the
visitors centre, Fort Canning Park.
Please sign up if you can commit to volunteer once a month.
3)
SIGLAP
SECONDARY SCHOOL @ PASIR RIS Drive 10
We have set up a mini butterfly
garden and are helping to rejuvenate their eco/spice garden. Volunteers needed for Saturday afternoons and
Sundays.
4) ENZYME
MAKING
20th August, Saturday, 2.30
pm at Vivo City. Making enzymes from
every day kitchen waste. It’s great as
an organic cleaner or mixed with water as a plant fertiliser. This class is joint is jointly organized by
the Green Volunteers and National Geographic store (Vivo city).
Oglivy and Mater, the world’s
leading advertising agency has designed a beautiful trash bag with a subtle
message printed on each bag. These bags
were endorsed by the Body Shop so there are 2 logos on the bags – ours and the
Body Shop. This was all made possible
by our staunch supporter, Juggi who works for O&M. He not only designed this bag but also got
his company to sponsor these bags – thanks Juggi, you’re a good friend to the
Green Volunteers and the causes we believe in.
A sample bag will be given to
everyone who attends any of our activities.
One volunteer who received the bag said Quote “they’re too beautiful to
use as trash bags” unquote.
6)
POACHING
ON THE INCREASE IN SINGAPORE
On the 31st July, the
Straits Times ran an article called “Poaching problem growing” (home page 10).
Birds, fishes, plants etc are being
poached at an alarming rate. This has to
stop.
The butterfly garden at Pasir Ris
Park, workers often lay mist nets to catch the endangered jungle fowl. I regularly walk along the edge of the
mangroves to check and confiscate these nets.
Once when I was gathering these nets, I was approached by 2 China
workers who demanded that I return their nets, I said “sure after I call the
police and you will tell them that the nets are yours” to this they promptly
departed.
These nets are recycled as they make
excellent light shed for new saplings or seeds planted. You’re a Green Volunteer, if you sit back and
wring your hands in despair without doing anything than there’s very little
hope for our fauna and flora. Here’s a
list of agencies you can report poaching, vandalism to:
AVA 6227 0670
PUB 1800 284-6600
NPARKS 1800 471 7300
Put these numbers in your mobile – it
will only take a couple of minutes to do it.
If you are outnumbered or feel threaten just take a picture of the
registration number or vehicle so you can report it – everyone today has a
camera – use your mobile.
Let’s start WHISTLE BLOWING on these
socially and criminally irresponsible people.
Well, we’re go on a whole lot of
activities for you to get your feet wet and hands dirty so hope to see you at
one of them.
Cheers
Grant W. Pereira
Founder
The Green Volunteers
