Sustainable Singapore

I have been in Singapore the past week. Since arriving I have noticed many things that impress me, simple simple things that mean so much in terms of sustainability.

Some things I have noted:

Every store, restaurant, or place you can purchase something, has little tiny plastic bags for your purchase if your item is small. I have seen that in... I don't know one or two stores around in the states. Instead of putting your to- go food or shampoo & soap in a huge bag, allowing it to swim in the surrounding unnecessary plastic, it cuts the plastic down 75% by using a bag relevant to the size of your purchase. This is not rocket science, why don't more of our stores have this system? I wonder how many people actually recycle their plastic bags? I have read that an estimated less than 1% get recycled. Sometimes I re-use mine for trash bags, but I feel bad doing that even because I know the plastic will take so long to decompose in the land fill.

How long you ask? Well the word on the street is 500 years for a plastic bag in a landfill to decompose. This is debatable, but here is a good unbiased source for your reading pleasure:


http://www.slate.com/id/2169287/

On the same note: How many times in the past have you ever stepped in the trash can to squash the trash down and make room for more? I know I've done it many times in my life, and seen my dad do it while I was growing up. Well I've noticed here, guys go around with this squashing device and push the trash in deeper, allowing a longer life span to the trash bag, and using less plastic in the long run. Simple enough. It's funny that we do so much saving in our own homes, but out in public, in our work places, and on the streets, we don't seem to care as much about the processes going on.

I love how there are recycle cans next to trash cans, not only for bottles and aluminum, but for paper as well.

They have wonderful mass transit, but for obvious reasons that is not quite as simple to implement in our home city...

Oh and my favorite move towards sustainable living I've noted? Some restaurants offer a discount if you bring your own Tupperware for to-go orders. Marvelous. I can't tell you how many times we are looked at like we are crazy for asking our food be put in a tupper ware instead of Styrofoam. The worst thing that happens is they use the Styrofoam to measure the food, transfer it into our containter, and then toss the used Styrofoam in the trash. I've heard it takes 50 years for that Styrofoam to break down in a landfill.

So my question is, Why not these easy changes? When will we make the shift to thinking it's not dorky to bring a Tupperware in to a restaurant? When will enough people start using the train so that it adds more times and becomes more affordable? I suppose it starts with me, and you. And I know it's easier said than done.

By: Tracy Kinnaman
http://www.athomeonmainstreet.com/