LET'S BUILD A GREATER ECO MOVEMENT IN SINGAPORE TOGETHER!

I chose ECO because it focused on engaging young people and had a holistic view on various environmental issues. I enjoyed the teamwork in planning and executing various environmental projects. When different young people come together to work towards a common goal, the experience is rewarding.

The friends I’ve made over the years from that initial trip, to attending the recent COP21. Also, I never expected to now be in a position where I can help select and build capacity of young people attending climate negotiations for the first time. This has been a very rewarding journey for me and I have ECO to thank.

The people. I met many passionate people who cared about me and gave me the opportunity to grow. I remember when I just joined, the president and vice-president (Wilson and Diana) sat with me at Burger King to understand what I wanted out of this volunteering experience. I was very touched.

I have worked with hundreds of volunteers over the years in ECO Singapore. We were working on projects which are very challenging and something seem impossible. Fortunately, I was surrounded by passionate young people, unfazed by challenges and willing to learn from mistakes and putt in hours of work to plan and execute projects. I can truly say that i was privileged to have had the great opportunities in ECO Singapore to work with those young people.

I was intrigued by its focus on youth and education. I know from personal experience that young people in #Singapore are extremely smart but not incredibly exposed to environmental issues or conscious of the important role they can play to make Singapore and the world greener, and I wanted to contribute to that.

What I enjoyed the most? The passion I saw in the people I worked with, whether it was when I was in Singapore, or with the crazy gang that went to the UN with me. I had the privilege after secondary school to work with like-minded people of my age, setting up and thoroughly immersing ourselves in a music group, and that excitement and commitment to a shared purpose was so infectious and energising, I didn’t think I would get that again. But I did in ECO, which gave me exactly that. They say the best things in life can’t be bought by money; if my memories of ECO are anything to go by, I would definitely stand by that.

Being involved in ECO has enriched my knowledge of environmental issues, particularly in how the UNFCCC and international agreements work, from the Kyoto Protocol to newer initiatives like REDD-plus.

I enjoyed working with fellow young Singaporeans with a passion for the environment, working together to spread the environmental message to other youth and the general public through public engagement activities and events.

I find it really enjoyable and challenging trying to plan for an event where you constantly try to engage people about your cause. And in all that volunteering, I learnt more about myself, picked up a lot of new skills, and made friends with many people that I still keep in contact with.

I joined ECO Singapore since 2008 and was in the organising committee for Earth Hour @ Heartlands 2009 and the second World Leadership Conference 2011. I’ve also helped them by designing marketing materials for their Re-Live! roadshow. I chose ECO Singapore as it was the only NGO in Singapore that empowered youths to do their part for environmental causes through involvement in high-impact projects. I particularly enjoyed the part where I get to make new friends who share the same interest as me and getting to learn new skills like event management.

The most enjoyable occasion was when we got the RE-live event (under ECO Singapore) going at The Atrium @ Orchard on the very first day. All our planning had paid off (before committing to the event, I never imagined the large amount of work involved to get everything going), and to see the MP Mr Teo Ser Luck cycle on the treadmill with us in promoting cycling as a healthy way of transport was one of the happiest moments.

I was looking for a way to contribute to environmental preservation and I came across ECO Singapore. I remember registering as a volunteer and getting involved with the first public awareness event that I took part in – Re-Live @ Atrium. Soon I got involved with more projects, with the biggest and most memorable one being the World Leadership Conference 2011. I got to meet even more like minded friends from the Asian region and it was so inspiring to see what other people my age were doing to conserve and improve their environment. I am still in touch with quite a few of them till today. I learnt a lot from the experience of organising a conference as well. None of us know how a conference was supposed to be run but it was a great learning opportunity through the challenges that we faced. We forged many strong connections through the conference as well.