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Vol 10 No 1 Dec 2002 snakes: myth & reality fell & fly: about poems finding & growing native plants merope angulata glochidion littorale the kingfisher experience wetland rainforest the sungei buloh mangroves how sungei buloh 'got' me world environment day: 5 jun 02 back home again		world environment day 5 jun 2002 ...connecting you and me... by jeanne tan senior education officer in the beginning World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to raise environmental awareness and to encourage action to protect the environment. give the earth a chance The theme "Give the Earth a Chance" signifies a calling on each member of the human race to play a part in the healing of this planet, plagued by many lingering problems. World Environment Day evidently becomes a principal tool through which world wide awareness of the environment is enhanced. You and I, we have a connection to our environment. Our lives depend on it. It is our inheritance, it is our world. On World Environment Day, the door has been opened to give us an opportunity to translate this connection into action! Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve partnered the Ministry of Environment (ENV) on 5 June 2002 to advocate World Environment Day as a people's event, inspiring and involving members of the public to participate in different programmes. Environmental issues such as waste minimization, anti-littering and recycling were presented in a play staged by students from Temasek Polytechnic. The play ran along a timeline, presenting important environmental issues through creative use of drama and songs, incorporating familiar tunes from the soundtrack "Grease" and using interesting characters that appealed even to younger audiences, such as those of the "Flower fluff" girls! Indoor and outdoor sessions were also part of the day's agenda. The games and outdoor activities taught children the importance of the mangroves and how litter can destroy life. The games must have been a favourite with the children. It gave them an opportunity to take home, not only a prize (courtesy of ENV), but also several important messages that tied in with the games. The take home messages revealed in different ways that preserving life on this earth is a common task to all mankind, and that there is a lot more to what we as citizens of this world can do to care for our environment, and work towards securing a more sustainable future. On this World Environment Day, let us awaken and enlarge our reflections of the environment and the world that we live in, humbly examining the state of our environment and carefully consider what we as individuals can do to make that connection between our environment and us, a connection to commit ourselves to preserving what we have on this earth, respectfully embracing this sense of identity, belonging and continuity to our environment...
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