The corner of her cosy room is her preferred spot for diving into her fantasy world. Bookworm. Seldomly, would she step out of her house into the nature. It is made clear that for someone who is not physically active, would be someone who is outdoorsy. To add on, she prefers to be in a cooler environment. Little red dot country like Singapore, is hot and humid. Likely, would she wants to step out of her air-conditioned room into the nature. 

Not to mention, she's afraid of wildlife animals. There was a time where we went to Macritchie reservoir, a monitor lizard approaches us in the middle of nowhere . Upon seeing the monitor lizard, which was about a few metres away from us, she yelled from the bottom of her lungs and scurried off. 

On the contrary, I have another friend who shares the similar views with me about spending time in the nature. She is no other than Han Xuan. She enjoys the cacophony sound of the crickets, birds chirping and the scenic beauty of the nature. Nature, is the best spot for her to rejuvenate her mind, meditate and take a hiatus from her hectic lifestyles. The fresh smell of the nature, fragrance of the flowers are comforting enough for her to inhale deeply, in and out. She can never get enough of it. She firmly believes, exposure to the nature is beneficial to our wellbeing as nature has a healing effect on the mind and soul.

I am no exception, totally agree with Han Xuan. Taking a stroll in the nature is like a therapy and the best way to take a break from the bustling city, stressful lifestyle.

 

During my free time, I would usually bring my younger sister to a nearby playground while my friends would be texting or wasting time on social media. I don't go there to play i go there for my sister but as a teenager playground is just too childish for me and  i would be bored i would observe the trees and plants observe the umbrella like structure that it has grown into and now how it is protecting me from the evil uv rays. I wonderful how  a fully grown few meters tall tree started from a seed that is  a few centimetres in length . how much it would have seen if it had eyes and how amazing it would have been to see the  things around it change so much . its like  a grandmother but just older and it would have only seen the exact same area going through changes.once in a while a wind will blow and mess up  my bush hair   i would comb my hair back to place using my hands.

I have a friend that I would cycle  with  at least once a week. We would cycle from ang mo kio to kallang stadium. While cycling we would share our experiences in our schools since we are in different schools, we would slowly cycle and enjoy the scenery and the wind blowing on our faces. he feels this really weird feeling of freedom. Since young we both have always wanted to ride and  travel around on a motorcycle at high speeds.we have watched many people riding motorbikes and i can see that they  feel a sense of freedom it is gives them a mixture of exhilaration, fear, relaxation, and pleasure that changes you forever. It’s physical & emotional pleasure, with a layer of anxiety & adrenaline. But This is how it would feel when riding  a motorcycle since i am riding a bike i feel almost the same but the intensity is much lesser. In the future it is his dream to travel around the world on a motorcycle while visiting all the natural attractions all around the world.  

To end of i would like to say  ‘sometimes  in live its the small things that make u happy not the big things’  

One of my such friends was Isaiah, even though we both like staying home, Isaiah was the one who loved spending time in the nature the most. As he resides near Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park, he would mostly spending a considerable fraction of his time cycling, walking or just sitting on the benches in the park. He often tells me that it relaxes him from the stresses from all those additional class that his mother put him through. Whenever I visited him, he would always bring me around the park to spending sometime in the nature. I remember that one time where he invited me to join him on a trail at Sungei Buloh wetland reserve, we got to see what nature had to offer us. With different trails that we could take, it showed us the variety of different critters which thrive in nature. It was such an thrilling experience for both of us.

Next, I dislike the sun shining its blinding rays onto me. The hot and humid weather making me all sweaty and sticky. The feeling of perspiration dripping from my head down my back and my shirt clinging onto my soaked body makes me feel nauseous. Even if I don’t look up, the bright rays of light still enters my eye, forming white and black spots in my vision. Plus spending an immense amount of time in school is enough outdoors for one day.

Furthermore, being outdoors means there’s a higher chance of having contact with creepy crawlies. It doesn’t matter if they can crawl, jump or fly, I can never stand them. Specifically, those pesky blood sucking creatures and bugs with numerous legs. The irksome buzzing noise beside my ear, flying frantically around me or feasting on my delectable blood. My skin spotted with red bites all over after it has had its fill. Following the appearance of the bites are the infuriating itch I feel spread across my body. Thus, it will be my pleasure to avoid them.

In conclusion, I would choose to let my ear fall off instead of listening to multiple naggings to go outdoors. I appreciate the beauty of mother nature but the place where I feel most at ease is indoors and it will not change for quite some time.

Aaliyah, a friend of mine, would greatly disagree with me. She is completely and utterly bored over her head by nature. Once, during our june holiday break, I had at long last managed to cajole her into joining me for a hike in MacRitchie Reservoir. At the start of our hike, she had briskly understood that there was no internet access in nature. Over the course of our hike, she had grumbled about how we were surrounded by the same boring trees and how we had been walking on the same uneven path for what felt like ages. She regularly checked the connection on her phone in desperation to once again reconnect with technological civilisation. Unfortunately, she had been missing the hidden beauty of nature. She had not seen the multicoloured butterflies that accompanied us along the hike or the many tiny flowers that seemed to line the path. In her desperation to reconnect with the technological world, she had disconnected from the real world that is around her. Alas, she only sees nature as nothing special but trees and dirt which does not interest or excite her in the slightest. Because of this, we have very different views on spending time in nature.

I have yet another friend who is just like the first. She holds a small yet immense fear of insects. She had told me of the story of her first encounter with a bee one night, when was only 10 years old. She was having a peaceful sleep when a bee got into her room and unknowingly, she must have provoked the it, causing it to feel threatened and sting her knee. She was woken up by immense pain and had to be rushed to a 24/7 family clinic nearby in the middle of the night. Ever since then, she has harboured great fear for bees which had grown to a fear of many other insects. Simply because she has this great fear for insects, she would not come close to even a forested area or park where nature grows. She finds the idea of spending time in nature horrifying. Because of this, we have very different ideas about spending time in nature, she would avoid it at all costs. 

My friends definitely do not share the same sentiments that I do about nature. Because, unfortunately, with technology and our developing countries, young blood are losing the enjoyment of spending time with nature. Younger generations no longer find contentment in nature but rather in their mobile devices on social media platforms or varies popular games. 

To a certain extent, I agree. Government plays an important role in conservating natural environment. For instance, conservation of the fragile environment can be made possible with the helps of the laws and policies. With a higher authority, the government is able to limit the number of people accessing certain restricted sites to minimise degradation of the environment. Withholding permission to proceed with tourism related projects that could also minimise the harmful impact pose to the environment. 

I disagree with the statement. Besides government, there are also several groups of people that can help to protect the environment. Local people, is able to contribute through funding to conserve and preserve the environment. As the saying goes by, it takes two hands to clap. Protecting mother nature is everyone’s responsibility. So, everyone should play a part in conservating natural environment. Contribution to the society can be made by not littering, polluting the natural environment, degrading natural environment by damaging, vandalizing the areas. As an individual effort, we can also set up recycling corner in our house so our family member can put plastic or paper in there. Instead of using plastic straws, we can use metal straws, bring our own cutlery and containers when ordering food outside.

On large scale, long term, local people still plays an important role in conserving the environment. The conservation of natural environment is not largely the government responsibility. No matter how much rules and regulations enforced, some people might still break the rules and damage the environment. If the whole nation stays united as one and corporate with the government, it is possible to conserve the natural environment. 

Government policies and regulations can help establish protected areas, promote sustainable land use practices, limit pollution and carbon emissions, and support the transition to renewable energy sources. For example, in Singapore, the government has set aside land to be used solely for the conservation of nature, with Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the National Parks being prime examples. The government also imposes road taxes such as the ERP and high COE costs to deter people from purchasing their own private cars, instead encouraging people to take public transportation instead which would reduce carbon emissions. Besides encouraging citizens to reduce emissions, the government has also been investing and developing sustainable technologies to be implemented around Singapore, such as solar panels and electric buses. However, governments also need to balance economic development and environmental protection, which can sometimes be challenging.

Individuals and organisations can take steps to reduce their environmental impact too, such as reducing energy consumption, using public transportation or electric vehicles, reducing waste, and supporting environmentally-friendly products and services such as reusable straws and cutlery, as well as paper bags or reusable bags over plastic ones. By making sustainable choices and advocating for environmental protection, individuals and organisations can help drive positive change.

To conclude, the conservation of natural environments is a shared responsibility, and while governments can play an important role, everyone has a part to play in promoting sustainability and protecting our planet.

Another example, is a large project that is currently ongoing, is the ‘OneMillionTrees movement’. It aims to restore nature back into our city through the planting of a million more trees across Singapore over the next 10 years. However to accomplish this project, a large amount of manpower would be needed. That manpower would be filled by citizens who are willing to help out in this project and give back to society. It has been said by TreesSG that community is key to the success of this movement. Furthermore, everyone can contribute by following the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. If more people are willing to follow these three Rs, we might be able to conserve the natural environments as there will be lesser waste. A simple act like throwing our trash into the bin instead of littering can help in the long-term. Like how bad deeds can accumulate, good deeds can also accumulate and eventually our hard work will bear fruit. 

Therefore, the conservation of natural environments is largely the government’s responsibility. However, no matter how big or small the contribution is, I think that everyone can play their part in conserving our natural environments. Even if the government has the authority, we shouldn’t rely on the government as they can only do so much. After all a government exists because there are citizens to govern over. In conclusion, it is people’s effort that transforms Singapore into a City in Nature. 

I think it is our responsibility as we have a choice to choosing the easy way out which is harmful to the environment or the hard way which is eco friendly. For example , when we shop we can get a plastic bag from them or we could bring our own bags. Most of us would not remember to bring our own bags so we would buy the plastic bag.after we have brought home the groceries we throw away the plastic bag and not reuse it. This causes more plastic bags to be made ,since plastic does not decompose easily it is harmful to the environment.

On the other hand this could also be the governtment’s responsibility as the government could ban the usage of plastic bags and start using other cloth like materials to make bags . this movement has already started in many countries even the developing counties have banned the use of plastic bags we are one of the last countries that still use plastic bags.

Another example is the sales of plastic use and throw spoons and forks.many use plastic ones as they are cheaper.while using wooden  utensils are a better option when compared to plastic .wodden ones are not the best choice as they would have to cut down trees to make it. But  in recent years some people have come up with edible utensils which are made from food. These are the most eco friendly option as they dont harm the environment while producing these and not only that these utensils have dietary fibre which is necessary for human body. But the only problem with this is that they are way more expensive when compared to plastic utensils or even wooden ustensels.it is our choice weather we want plastic or edible utensils .thus it is our responsibiliy to use more eco friendly utensils and reduce the use of plastic as much as possible

I agree that the government is largely responsible since they hold the authority to enforce laws and regulations to ensure that our natural environments are being protected. For example, increasing the certificate of entitlement, or COE, that must be acquired in order to purchase a vehicle, of which the government has also increased. By doing this, cars are becoming more expensive which means that the number of people who wish as well as are able to purchase these vehicles will decrease. This results in fewer vehicles on the road which then reduces carbon emissions which harm our natural environment. Another example of what the government can do to conserve our natural environment is to organise events such as the cleaning of our beaches. During school camps, the government can encourage the school to add in the activity of cleaning our beaches. While helping to protect our natural environment, students will also be able to learn about our natural environment and gain a passion to continue helping to protect it. Therefore, I believe that the conservation of our natural environment is largely the responsibility of the government. 

However, I also believe that citizens should also contribute to the conservation of our natural environments. One way that we can contribute is to practise the three R’s: reuse, reduce, recycle. Firstly, we should reuse items that are not damaged and are able to serve a purpose. For example, I used cardboard sheets that were the packaging of my parents’ online purchases, to make a recycling bin where we can dispose of plastic, paper and glass. Secondly, we could reduce the use of items that harm our natural environment, such as plastic. Plastic is a material that decomposes very slowly, and thus takes up space in landfills and hurts sea creatures that come across it when plastic is dumped into oceans. Therefore, we should reduce our use of plastic, which is so commonly used, so we can conserve our natural environments. We can do this by turning to other available options such as paper bags or cloth bags to store our purchases. Finally, we should recycle so as to reduce the amount of items that are disposed of and take up space in our landfills, of which can be used for another purpose. Like I previously mentioned about a recycling bin I made, I believe that we all should have a recycling bin at home so we can conveniently dispose of items that can be recycled. To practise these three R’s  takes only minimal effort to do, hence I believe that we are able and should contribute to the conservation of our natural environments. 

To conclude, though I believe that the conservation of our natural environments is largely the government’s responsibility, I also believe that we should contribute. With this conjoined effort to protect our natural environments, I hope that we will be able to erase the mistakes that people had done that harmed our beautiful natural environments. 

One way that we can help to conserve our natural environment alongside the government is by choosing to recycle materials. When we go grocery shopping, we would receive plastic bags to help us carry our groceries home. Instead of discarding these plastic bags without a second glance, we can fold them up and reuse them again in the near future. This way, instead of wasting these materials that will only accumulate and contribute to the problem, we can help to solve these issues in our environment. 

Another way that we can help is to cut down on our greenhouse gas admissions. Our use of electricity and our choice of transportation greatly varies the amount of greenhouse gas admissions going into our atmosphere and environment. When we use electricity for things such as air-conditioning instead of fans, we increase the amount of greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere as more electricity is produced to power our air-conditioners. Moreover, the more vehicles that are on our roads, the more fuel is needed to get our vehicles up and running. With developments in our transportation, it is much easier to get around with personal vehicles such as cars. This allows privacy, comfort and convenience to people. However, with the increasing number of cars people buy, there is greater need for fuel which requires the burning of fossil fuels. This will only add to our greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, a way that we can help is to choose ways that cut down the amount of greenhouse gases produced. For instance, using a fan instead of air conditioning and setting the temperature to be at twenty five degrees celsius. We can also choose to take public transportation such as buses or trains. This will cut down on the amount of cars that require fuel, which will decrease the amount of fossil fuels that are burnt. 

The government does have greater authority and responsibility to help take care of our environment. Nevertheless, we are all living on the same earth and therefore we should choose to help take care of it instead of pushing the responsibility only to the government. Although each action may be small due to our limited ability as citizens, if everyone does a little to help conserve our environment, it can and will accumulate to have a greater impact than we thought. As I always believed, the smallest action can have the greatest impact.

Thankfully there are people out there willing to pour large amounts of time to better the environment. Take non-profit organisations and charities for example, volunteering their time picking litter on beaches or planting trees during the weekends sacrificing their spare time to help better the environment. We can also play a part without volunteering any time by picking up litter and clearing it would already be a contributing factor to helping the environment. I for one had taken part in a group charity where I picked up little at MacRitchie reservoir and it was a fulfilling experience as I got to meet new people and I get a closeup look at nature while also helping to clean up.

Hence I think that we all play and have our own responsibilities when conserving the natural environment

For one, ive been training outdoors for CCA for the past 4 years and I still prefer being indoors that out. Being outdoors has its benefits but I still rather spend my time indoors playing games or studying. I find being indoors a more claming and comfortable environment whereas the outdoors is warm and uncomfortable. Singapore has warm weather where the sun could be blazing hot causing me to sweat and having to drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

Another factor is the pests outside. Mosquitoes and flies can ruin a whole relaxing day or trip. These mosquitoes can cause annoying itchy bumps that can last for days while flies are just annoying as they buzz around you distracting you and making it difficult to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. This is why i’d rather stay at home than go out.

Being indoors is cooling and comforting as there is a wide variety of entertainment services such as the television or being able to surf the internet so that is why id rather spend my time indoors than outdoors as it is free of creepy crawlies and a place to relax.