Forward SG participant shares idea for a better Singapore

My Forward Singapore Idea

Clara Ong
Doctor, 40
Forward SG Participant

Understanding the effects of pollution

“An image on National Geographic left a deep impression on me: a seahorse swimming with a discarded cotton swab, showing how polluted our oceans are.

At the rate we’re using plastic, I fear for our future. Micro-plastics have reportedly permeated the oceans. If we don’t do something about reducing plastic use for our future generations, who is going to do it for them?”

Instilling sustainable habits in our children

“As a mother of three young children, I think it's important to inculcate in them values of sustainability. At home, I set up a recycling box and encourage them to use it. My kids also reuse junk mail to write notes, do their colouring, and practise spelling.”

Reducing plastic waste at events

“For large-scale events, organisers could be more deliberate about reducing plastic use. For example, by replacing bottled water with a water dispenser.”

Encouraging use of reusable bags

“To reduce consumers’ use of plastic bags, supermarkets could designate areas where paper and cloth bags could be contributed. So that grocery shoppers who forgot their reusable bags, can use those in the contributed pile instead of plastic bags.”