Green Campus Notice Board

To raise awareness for Green Campus, we decided to create our own notice board, which will be under the tent. It will include lots of information about our service as well as interesting facts about the environment and how you can contribute to make a change.

We would appreciate if students took their time to read the information on the notice board and if there are any questions we would be delighted to answer them.

Always Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

November Updates

Another busy month for environmental stewardship at Dover.

Green Carpet Awards

I'm pleased to announce that Dover campus picked up an environmental award at the annual Green Carpet Awards earlier this month. The awards are sponsored by National Geographic Magazine that celebrate school's environmental initiatives. Members of the Rainforest Restoration Project collected the award on behalf of all the school groups as the film crew had made a film in the nursery to show during the awards.

It's always nice to get awards but we know at Dover we've a long way to go to meet our ambition to become a leading school in environmental stewardship......

You can see some of these guys in action on the right as in the past two weeks they have planted two critically endangered Shorea sumatrana saplings in the forest we are growing behind the facilities department. These are some of the tallest rainforest trees in the world, highly valued for their timber. This fact and the widespread clearance of Sumatran forests for palm oil plantations have resulted in this IUCN conservation status which is one step away from Extinction. It's great that we are helping conserve the species on campus, but if you'd rather see them protected in the wild why not join the campaigns by the Rainforest Action Network...it can be as easy as clicking a mouse to sign a petition.






Solar for Dover

Another positive step you can take for sustainability would be to adopt a Solar panel at Dover...or get your tutor group or family or football team to sponsor. Read the great story of this student initiative here

SE Asian Reforestation - it's a family affair!

Elango Velautham (centre) with some of the seedling collection party from FRIM and UWC

Over the half term break a group of UWC parents and their kids went on an adventurous botanical expedition to Malaysia to collect endangered tree seedlings. The trip was part of the College's Rainforest Restoration Project which aims to reverse the disastrous biodiversity loss of tropical forest in our region.

The weekend expedition was led by Assistant Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Elango Velautham, one of the region's foremost experts in Tropical Forest Conservation. Elango's deep knowledge of tree species and close relationship with the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) allowed us to collect thousands of rare species of Dipterocarps. These are some of the world's largest trees which sadly continue to be removed by logging and plantation agriculture. Elango guided us into a partially protected area of forest in the Kluang area of Malaysia and we were lucky that there had been a recent masting by a large number of the Dipterocarps. These mass fruiting events are quite rare, but allow arborists to collect vast numbers of seeds and seedlings that would otherwise die (the trees deliberately produce thousands so that a tiny percentage might survive the tough competition for lights and nutrients).

The expert gets questioned....is this one rare too?

The seedlings were taken back to FRIM where they will be logged (as in recorded, not chopped down!) and planted either in Malaysian reserves or back here in Singapore as part of our project.
Not all will survive, but with luck and care this small group of parents and kids will have made genuine progress in the battle to conserve South East Asia's magnificent forest diversity.

We hope to run another trip for older students too, so if you are interested in joining us or want to know more about the project contact Nathan Hunt (nhu@uwcsea.edu.sg).

All photos from Julia Hunter-Anderson, Dover parent.

Despite her camouflage, we spotted this amazing Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta)

Even fallen trees result in a lot of new life in this forest 

The Forest was dense but beautiful...we even found a cool spot to swim

This is why the Dipterocarps are endangered....Palm Oil plantations have spread right up to the forest edge 

With a lack of forest canopy, soil easily gets washed into the river...and out to the coral reefs. It's a sad sight after the beauty of the rainforest.

Green Campus - Recycling Reminder

In the beginning of the year, Green Campus did a survey, taking notes of whether the recycling bins and trays were properly used.

Unfortunately, we found out that a lot of classrooms had trash in the recycling bins and the trays for reusable paper were not properly used. We would like to remind everybody to start taking responsibility and contribute at making a positive difference for our college. Moreover, as well as recycling, using less paper is equally important. Lots of paper are being wasted during class for worksheets, discussion notes and so on. We would like to encourage students to tell their teachers to reduce the amount of paper and suggest using soft copies.

Lots of people seem to think that Green Campus only focuses on recycling paper, cans, bottles and so forth. However, we would like everyone to also think about reducing the use of energy such as turning off the air conditioner, lights and so on.

Please make your best effort to make our college more eco-friendly.

For more information, we are going to be presenting in assemblies, explaining the importance of recycling and details about Green Campus.

Always reduce, reuse and recycle!

Food Matters Workshops

Followers of this blog will have come across the Veggie Wednesday Campaign by students in our community. Now a group of UWCSEA parents are delving deeper into food sustainability issues. Read below latest news from Julia Hunter-Anderson.....

"Our consumption of food may not be the issue that most people think about when talking about sustainability, but actually what we choose to eat and how/where it is produced has a huge impact not just on our health but also that of our planet. 

Have you ever wondered what the palm oil plantations in Malaysia replaced? Or the impact of raising 10's billions animals for worldwide human consumption per year? Do we need to eat strawberries in winter, especially in Singapore? And what resources do we need to use to cure our poor health?

A group of 3 mothers from UWCSEA Dover and East campuses will be facilitating a series of workshops to help families make more informed and responsible food choices. The workshops will take a holistic view of our food systems, including the impacts of our choices on our health, lifestyles and the environment, as well as discovering food choices within Singapore. They will explore the key drivers behind what has shaped our current food choices and what are likely to be the key drivers and options in the future.

The workshops will provide a forum for participants to learn from and support each other, as well as hearing from experts.

The first workshop is on Friday 31st October from 10am-12pm at East Campus. There is still time to sign up - see eBrief and eFlyer for details!"

UWC Day 2014

UWC Day saw more demonstration of our attempts at Dover to put our environmental ambitions into action. This year the heads of Global Concerns & Service (Susan Edwards and Cathy Eliot) orchestrated a range of activities to give students the opportunity to experience the hard work (and fun!) that a commitment to stewardship demands.


From beach clean-ups to mulching, mass propagation and tree planting, hundreds of students worked alongside their teachers to try to enhance the environment of the campus and the island. Grade 2 students launched their gardening service with an introduction to worm composting and propogating cuttings. Good to see lots of dirty hands and happy faces!

opps... forgot to change the sprinkler timings!

Latest Updates

It's been such a busy start to the year for environmental initiatives that there has scarcely been time to write about them! Here's just a taster of what's been going on since August...

The Campus Carbon Audit has been completed by the consultants but we are still awaiting the final report so we can start setting targets on consumption. We are hoping the report will identify some key areas where we can set rigourous but realistic sustainability goals for the coming years.

LEAF GC have been continuing their No-Plastics campaign trying to reduce the huge amount of waste generated from all those throw-away cups and plates. Members of the community can help by using their own tumblers for drinks an following the eating restrictions at lunchtimes. LEAF hope to replicate the success of last year's UN Night too by encouraging everybody to bring their own bowls and crockery or using the cornware available on the night.






Green Campus is now truly a whole campus service initiative with students of all shirt colours working together to collect our recyclable waste - watch this space for more details on what you can recycle on campus and where.

While the continued efforts of these hard-working GCs is to be celebrated it is notable that waste is INCREASING and not decreasing on campus despite their campaigns over the past few years. So to all those reading this spread the word to others...we need to REDUCE and REUSE before we recycle. Recycling is our last resort. These best thing we could do on campus would be to put these groups out of a job so their talents can be used elsewhere!

Yep...that's Tamarind alright....sour face as evidence!

The UWCSEA Rainforest Restoration Project has now had parents and students trained at the Botanic Gardens in raising endangered seedlings. We are now working with NUS and the Assistant Director of the Botanic Gardens to design a research project to establish optimum growing conditions to establish early forest canopy cover on degraded lands. We are also continuing our outreach at schools such as CNIS - last week our Grade 12s gave their young gardeners club advice on caring for their adopted UWC trees.

Stewardship in action.....

Only one of these is likely to get much taller!

If UWCSEA were truly to value Environmental Stewardship as we say we do, then each week of the term would look like this last one. Following the Green Wave Day in the last post, Sunday and Monday saw more tree planting to celebrate two Class of 2014 Graduates who have dedicated a great deal of time to sustainability issues..even during their I.B exams. A Flame of the Forest (Delonix regia) was planted by Mary-Kate and a Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera) by Aanavi. Neither of the tree species are indigenous to our region which breaks our normal rule, but they were both grown in our Rainforest Nursery from seed and very interesting trees that have thrived here in Singapore...a bit like the two non-native planters! We will miss the quiet, dedicated work of these two boarders and hope they come back before too long to see their trees add yet more beauty and biodiversity to the boarding house garden.

Vishy shows Ecology is not just an IB course

Wednesday saw more trees going in, this time at the Chinese International School where UWCSEA students (both Dover and East) helped out CNIS' new Environmental Group by partnering up to plant over 15 species raised in the nurseries on our two campuses. This was a great occasion with our High school students working with younger kids from CNIS to put biodiversity conservation in action.

Mr Meehan gets busy with a cangkul...
..for the third time time in 10 days! 

Lastly, Saturday morning saw members of our community both young and old contribute to the Gardening Working Bee organised by Susan Edwards. The Infants' Enchanted Garden was given a colourful make-over to enhance its interest and make it safer for kids and plants alike. Again this was a very enjoyable occasion and helped to build a real sense of community as well as enhance our natural environment (exactly what Sustainability is really about). Despite finishing sweaty, dirty and tired, the parents and kids alike all agreed we should do this more often! Thanks to all, including Andy Tan, Alamgir, Salem and Kalam, our superb gardening team.

Driving a Leaf chariot takes a dedicated team

Sea Teak boosts biodiversity at ‘SEA’

On 22 May six Middle School students and two from the class of 2014 - all members of environmental groups at the College - planted a Sea Teak as part of the Green Wave campaign to mark International Day for Biological Diversity.

The Green Wave is a global event, rippling from east to west as children and young people plant trees at 10.00am in every region. In Singapore alone, over 600 trees were planted this year. Every Green Wave tree is an indigenous species, bringing benefits that include a habitat for local wildlife, greater resistance to disease and a source of food or medicine. Our own tree this year is a Sea Teak (Podocarpus polystachyus). Found on Sentosa cliffs, in Labrador Park and around Kranji, the species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ in the wild.

The Sea Teak is coniferous and has narrow, dark green leaves. Its species name, polystachyus, meaning ‘many ears of corn’, reflects the appearance of the cream coloured male cones, which are a few centimetres long and produce abundant pollen. The female cones - on a separate tree - look fleshier. Once pollinated, these develop a dark red base that attracts birds and bats.

Ms Cheong Li Min, a manager at NParks, attended our planting. She enjoyed touring our rainforest nursery and learning from green-fingered students about the various environmental groups at the College. NParks are sponsors of the Green Wave initiative in Singapore.

The Sea Teak, our first specimen on the campus, was planted on a terrace behind the Ayer Rajah field cricket nets. If you are curious about how to plant a tree, or about the Green Wave campaign, you can follow the links below:

• NParks (Singapore): How to plant a tree
• NParks (Singapore): How to care for a tree
• The Green Wave (Convention for Biological Diversity)

And who were those green-fingered students?

• Mary Kate How Fee Koy (Class of 2014)
• Aanavi Patodia (Class of 2014)
• Cordelia Bowden
• Kylie Lee
• Rian Hortin
• Tobias Smit
• Andrew Delios 
• Siddharth Roy

Thanks also to Landscape Gardener Andy Tan for all his help and sharing of knowledge.

Peace in the Garden

Campus Gardeners group continue their excellent work and the latest project saw the return of the Peace Pole to the new gardens by the Cafe. The pole was rescued from the Mega-Block construction site and now sits in the beautiful beds the group have planted. The flowers and shrubs can now be enjoyed up close too as the kids built some lovely curving stone and gravel pathways. The Peace pole has its message in different languages and was used in the past for curriculum studies of Conflict and by the Initiative for Peace team. Hopefully the garden will now host more celebrations of Peace..and even act as site for conflict resolution on campus. What a wonderful place to make up with someone.

So ever tend to your garden
Its beauty to increase
So in it you'll find solace
And in it you'll find peace
Rosamund , Lady Langham
















Photos: Susan Edwards.
Campus Gardeners were assisted by the superb landscapes team of Andy Tan, Alamgir, Kalem and Salem

Thirsty Trees

Rian and Cian soak the garden.

February was Singapore's driest month since 1869 and the drought looks set to continue. Our trees and other plants are visibly suffering. Wilting leaves are a common sight and the main playground is carpeted with fallen brown leaves every morning. Our landscape gardening staff, led by Andy Tan, have been busy watering plants around the College buildings, but they are overstretched. For the past couple of weeks the Middle School “40 Trees for 40 Years” group and the cross-grade Campus Gardening group have stepped in to help.

Tobias keeps the jungle green.

So what effect does a long dry spell have on trees? Wilted foliage, yellowing leaves and leaf drop are some of the obvious symptoms, but there are other, less visible effects. One of these is the closing of tiny openings on the underside of the leaves. Known as stomata, these openings allow the tree to release water vapour in a process called transpiration, but during a drought the stomata shut down to conserve moisture. If this happens for an extended period, transpiration ceases altogether and then photosynthesis cannot occur. This, of course, means that the tree stops growing.

Kylie is a role model
with her sunhat.

In temperate regions (not in southeast Asia) the annual growth of trees produces a ring. During a drought, this ring is very narrow. Consequently, scientists (dendrochronologists, if you want to learn a new word and impress your friends) can examine the growth rings of old trees and learn about rainfall patterns decades, or even hundreds of years, ago. 

The “40 Trees” and Campus Gardening groups have focussed their watering efforts on the gardens bordering the Main Playground and the Herb Garden beside the Infant School. They have learned that a light sprinkling is not adequate - mature trees need slow, deep watering weekly. Ideally, the younger trees planted out by the Rainforest Nursery GC should receive more frequent watering, but many of these are far from taps. If the drought persists, a rescue operation may become necessary.

The Great Veggie Wednesday Debate

Following a recent Forum discussion at the end of 2013, I was given this letter by Grade 12 Diego Encarnacion, the eloquent voice of the 'antis' in this debate. For those not aware, Veggie Wednesdays are a recent initiative of LEAF GC and Student Council and occur at the moment twice a month. On these days Sodexo only offers vegetarian options at the Canteen and Cafe. This new initiative is just one of the many on-going campaigns by these student-led groups to drive the College toward adopting more sustainable practices so we start "living rather than laminating" our College Mission and Values. Meat-free days are a common feature of many US and UK University campuses and corporations and despite the well-documented ecological, health and ethical arguments for reducing our meat-intake, this policy has caused controversy and met with sometimes fierce resistance. This debate is very healthy however, and very much in the spirit of an enlightened education, so well done, Diego for making the case against and getting us all to think. Read Diego's open letter below and also my response. Comment is free - so get engaged, tell us what you think...but only if you read first!

MEATLESS WEDNESDAY- corrupting what it means to ‘do good’?

by Diego Encarnacion  encar7430@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

To whomever reads this, I do not, by any means, wish to diminish the reputation of LEAF GC at all; I am grateful for their presence and their undeniable impact on UWC. Perhaps one of the most influential GCs in the school that actually does make a consistent effort to change the world for the better, my faith in them remains steadfast and optimistic. However, I do wish to address a certain one of their practices that I fail to construe as a perfectly morally acceptable practice. Of course, if there is a practice by a GC that causes controversy or even mere doubt amongst us, it is essential that we discuss this properly, arriving to a consensus that resonates with us all.

What I refer to is Meatless Wednesday, and although LEAF’s intentions are good, I believe that there is a problem with denying people the choice of what to eat. Yes, the reduction of meat consumption in our school does benefit the environment- the very thing LEAF endeavors to protect. But the cost, I believe, is a bit of our freedom. A cost that is just too precious to pay. A small part of our freedom I admit, but that’s besides the point. Let me explain why.

One of the things that makes UWC a truly fascinating place is the relatively outstanding commitment students have to global and local service. I cannot live a week in this school without bumping into someone doing something good for someone or something in need- focus days, bake-sales, student-run shows and all sorts of other fundraising activities plague campus life. This is what makes the GC system work: people actively choose to do things that help others. It is neither the sum of the money raised, nor the number of pamphlets printed, that makes the GC system wonderful. Instead, it is the fact that these are regular students, giving up their time and investing their efforts into what they believe. The students don’t have to do what they do, but they do it anyway, out of love and passion.

But what if you take this element of choice out of the picture? Then, I must argue, you loose the entire essence of charity. The essence of doing something good, the essence of wanting to make a difference. Because now, whether or not a person ‘wants’ to make a difference is rendered irrelevant. That is exactly what happens when LEAF GC enforces rules (of sorts) on what we may and may not eat. By forcing people not to eat meat, we are no longer choosing to make a difference, but being forced to make a difference. The ‘difference’ is still there, but the attitude we foster towards that difference is completely different. This is toxic to what it means to do good. Take, for example, a bake sale aiming its funds towards disaster relief. If someone chooses to buy a cupcake from the stall, then that’s great- the buyer chose to make a difference, and he did. But if the sellers of the cupcakes go around the canteen forcing others to buy their products, then that, is blasphemy. Even if the seller tries to justify forcing others to buy his cupcakes by saying that it is “going to a good cause” and “only for one day”, that does not excuse this action from being a blatant defiance of freedom.  No one is forced to participate in a sponsored silence, or a bake sale, or a community fair, and no one should be- it is their choice, and their freedom that must be respected. 

I know I am stirring up quite the case for something that only occurs on a monthly basis, but that is beside the point. The fact that our freedom, even something as trivial as the freedom of a carnivorous diet, has been taken away, does not sit well with me at all. We can’t force others to buy from our bake sales nor attend our talent shows nor give generously to our focus days, and we can’t tell each other what to eat. It undermines the very meaning of what it is to do good if we don’t even choose to do the good in the first place. I wish to hear a change in the future of LEAF GC’s Meatless Wednesdays, as I believe that wrongdoing. To whomever reads this: how do you justify Meatless Wednesday after taking my concerns into consideration? If you do indeed justify yourselves, I look forward to hearing it. I’m merely curious.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Diego

A response to Diego, from Nathan Hunt, Teacher.

Dear Diego,

Many thanks for your letter. Without trying to sound patronising (occupational hazard in teaching), it's great that you remain engaged in intellectual and ethical debate despite the academic pressures of grade 12. That you are willing to go one step further than most by bothering to put your opinions in a developed written argument and circulate it, is further evidence of the sort of commitment we'd love to see from all in our community. My arguments have been partly based on those made by other stalwarts of the engaged student body (Ishaan, Troels, Nina, Nicole, Eva, Naomi) so due credit to them also. Would be unethical of me to plagiarise!

Of course, your engagement doesn't unfortunately stop you from being wrong. There are good reasons to debate this issue and freedom of choice is one of them, but in this instance there is no loss of freedom, only choice. Veggie Wednesdays does not enforce a 'No Meat on Campus' policy. That would certainly be a restriction of freedom (although potentially justified - we can debate that another time). Students are free to bring in packed lunches with meat and fish - many do; senior students are free to go out to lunch and eat meat - many do; senior students are free to order meat-based food in - some do. What students cannot do on those two days a month is buy meat from just the most convenient source - Sodexo on campus. There are a range of rules in place about who can eat what and when on campus (think coffee, alcohol, peanuts, lunchtimes, eating areas, sodas, etc, etc), but there is no rule on any day that says you cannot eat meat; there is only less choice of ways to eat meat on Veggie Wednesdays. And this is not a technicality of language - bringing in a chicken sandwich, left-over pepperoni pizza, or a salmon bento box,  is a very simple option for those with no privileges to leave the campus. By avoiding the very long queues for the pasta pesto I saw last Veggie Wednesday, I'd also argue that a meat-based lunch might be more convenient, not less, if you have always restricted your choice to Sodexo. It seems Diego, that it is you that is limiting your freedom, no-one else.

You also argue that by 'forcing' people to eat vegetarian food you are taking away some of the joy, the 'essence of charity'. Leaving aside the fact that I have shown that nobody has forced you to eat vegetarian food - eating meat remains a very viable option on Veggie wednesdays - I understand your point. As a CAS supervisor I am very aware of the problem of students having to demonstrate a commitment to service to fulfil CAS requirements conflicts entirely with the spirit of service. This will remain an ongoing debate, just as much as the issue of forcing students to take exams conflicts with the ideals of developing self-motivated, independent learners. No easy resolutions exist. However I would argue that the College has to make ethical decisions for all its community otherwise it does not fulfil its own Mission Statement. From the Curriculum to the Focus Days to rules about behaviour and the High School Ethos, the College makes a myriad of ethical choices that affect all in the community at the 'expense' of individual freedom. The College itself wants to make a stand for what it believes in as it is more than a collection of individual aspirations. Yes, I can understand how this top-down decision-making sits uneasily with some of those who it most affects, however, at least with Veggie Wednesdays, this is a student decision, made by a democratically-elected Student Council and campaigned for by a student-led group as part of a student-led GC executive. For once the kids have made the decision, not the adults…so in this case you have more freedom than with other College ethical policies  - you can exercise it by not voting-in ethically-minded students to the Council. In fact I believe the council even extended the principle of democratic freedom by carrying out a referendum on the issue in different parts of the school.  Of all the things you have to do to oblige UWCSEA's strong ethical code, this is the one where you have most freedom. 

And of course you don't have to do it anyway.

So once again thanks for raising an important issue and attacking the principles rather than the  personalities - this is much appreciated. The Veggie Wednesdays policy raises many other issues as well as freedom and I'd welcome the chance to debate on these. You could have questioned the arguments about Impact, Ecology, Hypocrisy, Diet, and other Ethical problems. Unfortunately this time you chose the issue of Freedom. Diego, you are free to eat meat on Veggie Wednesdays. I did. I had left-over Pepperoni Pizza last time. Sorry Veggie friends, it just seemed more ethical not to waste it.

New Year...New Growth

2014 and the Year of the Horse has seen a busy start for the green-fingered at Dover. The school's own dedicated Rainforest Tree Nursery is moving to the old Astro Turf area thanks to fantastic

A new nursery to raise endangered trees is in progress

College Head Gardener Andy Tan who is helping us design a more sophisticated nursery to raise endangered trees. Andy and his team have worked tirelessly over the past month desperately trying to keep all the new planting alive during the month-long drought.

As well as the new gardens by the English block, the campus has seen another superb herb and vegetable garden developed by Susan Edwards' Campus Gardeners. So as well as the one in the Junior School Playground there is now beautifully-designed new one - handily next to the canteen! Check out the wonderful range of tasty greenery at both gardens and feel free to harvest a little for your lunch...sustainably of course...

How UWC is that? Students of every colour working together (I meant the shirts)

Andy Tan guides the development of the new edible garden

Fresh Basil -Perfect for Pasta Pesto..What if we grew all our fruits and vegetables here?

Susan also spotted that our lovely Saraca tree is back in flower in the Middle School Adventure Playground. This suffered when the playground was built so it's great to see this tree come back to life in the New Year.

Saraca thaipingensis - let us know if you see any seed pods as we'd love to grow another

We have also seen more of our Rainforest Nursery trees planted by the Boarders Environmental Initiative group on the same day that our Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentranda) was planted by Student Council in  a very moving ceremony to commemorate Raja, our much loved Facilities worker who died suddenly last year.

Student Council wanted to plant a tree to remember our much - loved Raja

Plaque dedicating the tree to Raja Manickam

Boarders get busy

That ground was sure tough to dig!

Puthyda uses all her might to prepare that hole!

We're not sure if this one will survive (the tree not Shelley)

Fabio puts some muscle into it - Aanavi lost a hand but it was for a good cause

And we've no need to worry where to get fertiliser for all this new planting from as K2s have been busy trialling a worm composting experiment....

Sustainability gets an early start with K2s - I better check the worms have not escaped (or the kids).

More ways to green the campus are coming up in 2014 so if you're keen to get down and dirty, have some fun and oh yes, save the world, then get in touch and join us - kids, parents, staff..anybody's welcome! Even Bev joined us recently...it's like she was born to it!

Beverly reciting a romantic poem about compost - she loves it!