July 17, 2025
SINGAPORE – Renee Er, 12, has pledged to walk more instead of taking car rides and switch off the lights when she exits a room to save energy.
Hers was among pledges made by 30 primary school pupils on July 16 at the launch of Sentosa’s new mobile sustainability exhibition at Corporation Primary School in Jurong West. The launch was attended by Minister for Education Desmond Lee, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration.
The exhibition in a retrofitted bright orange lorry will travel to primary schools over the next 1½ years to teach pupils about sustainable living habits, including how to eat, live, travel and play in a way that reduces their carbon footprint.
At the exhibition, pupils are given a scorecard and presented with food choices, lifestyle habits, travel methods or activities that can be found on the resort island of Sentosa. The options carry a corresponding score based on how environmentally friendly they are. Pupils score points for sustainability based on their choices.
A completed scorecard can be used to redeem a storybook by local author Ruth Wan-Lau, titled Timmy And Tammy At Sentosa, when they visit the island.
Besides the exhibition, there are five activity stations, where pupils can make keychains using repurposed Sentosa banners, write their pledges to live sustainably and sort plastics brought from home.
Sentosa Development Corporation assistant chief executive Lee Cheh Hsien said the corporation wants “to reach out to people who have not visited Sentosa” and hopes that the exhibition will “create a deeper understanding of what pupils are learning in schools”.
Although the exhibition is targeted at primary schools, Mr Lee said that Sentosa also runs learning journeys customised for other age groups.
These include visits to Siloso Beach Resort, where participants learn about food composting in a wormery and potting class, and an Uncovering Singapore Coasts trip at the new Singapore Oceanarium, the former S.E.A. Aquarium which will reopen to the public from July 24.
For Renee, seeing jellyfish at the former S.E.A Aquarium was her favourite activity on Sentosa Island. When she next visits the island, Renee says she will try to walk there from VivoCity shopping mall rather than travel by car.
“I learnt a lot at the exhibition today, which was really nice and interesting,” she added.