5 ways to live it green in Singapore

In the urban jungle that is Singapore, it's sometimes easy to forget that it is also known as the Garden City, with trees lined up along almost every street. Cars, factories, offices and all other manner of things that contribute to our carbon footprint litter this small island. In the spirit of Green Week, here are some ways Average Joes and Janes can be at peace with Mother Earth in Singapore.

Go from tree to tree in MacRitchie

It is said that looking at the color green helps improve one’s eyesight. What better reason to take a day off from the television and computer screens and make your way down to the HSBC TreeTop Walk for a nice relaxing day out with the family. Located near the MacRitchie Reservoir, it is a free standing suspension bridge with a 250 meter walkway perched high above the flora and fauna of the forest.

The TreeTop Walk is approximately 4.5 km (1.5 - 2 hour walk) from the MacRitchie Reservoir Park and 2.5 km (45 mins - 1 hr walk) from the carpark at Venus Drive. Follow the Pierce track and guided path.

Life’s many beaches in Singapore

From Sentosa to East Coast Park, we all love going to the beach on the weekends. However, it is also a very convenient spot for people to dump their plastic bags and food remains. Reuse your plastic bags to clear your own trash and dispose them at the many rubbish bins around. Also, limit the usage of plastic by bringing your own containers from home for your picnic food.

Frisbee games by the beach would be so much more fun without you stepping into a plastic bag of week-old potato salad.

Back to the roots at Bollywood Veggies

Stop by Kranji and visit Bollywood Veggies, Singapore’s very own organic farm and learn more about being “planet-friendly”. They grow all manner of organic vegetables and medicinal herbs such as ladies fingers and cucumber. You can also take the kids for a stroll around the farm and have a lovely meal at the Bistro. Bollywood Veggies also conducts tours for a mere S$2.00. Whether the Bollywood tour guides break into song and dance is another matter altogether.

100 Neo Tiew Road, Singapore. tel +65 6898 5001. www.bollywoodveggies.com

Spring cleaning with the karang guni man

An organized house always leads to a peaceful mind. But where are you going to dump that faulty printer and bread maker which you never got to use? The Singaporean heartlands are well known for the rag-and-bone man, more popularly known as the “karung guni” man who goes door to door to collect newspapers. These guys do collect old and faulty appliances too in exchange for a small token amount given to you. The spare parts in your broken appliances will be reused and recycled for many electrical uses instead of leaving it piled up at the landfill.

Wetland adventures in Ubin

Pulau Ubin may be known as a popular spot for cycling enthusiasts who like a little challenge through the forested reserve. Unbeknownst to most, Pulau Ubin plays hosts to a diverse ecosystem at Chek Jawa, a mangrove swamp located deep in island. Visitors can hire tour guides to take them through an educated visit of the mangrove swamps to better understand the fragile nature found in Chek Jawa.

Directions: Take a bumboat ferry from Changi Jetty point at Changi Village to the Ubin jetty, where visitors can hire a van or rent a bicycle from the main village. For the more adventurous, a walk to Chek Jawa would take about 40 minutes.