Eco Stewardship

Our National Imperative: Eco-Stewardship

The Singapore Green Plan (SGP) 2030 is the national strategy aimed at achieving a sustainable future for Singapore. One of its key directions is to promote sustainable living which involves encouraging individuals and communities to adopt eco-friendly practices and lifestyles.

By promoting sustainable living, Singapore aims to cultivate a generation of environmentally conscious citizens who will continue to practice sustainable behaviour and contribute to a greener future for Singapore.

Information on the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and MOE’s efforts to support the initiatives can be found at the following links:

• Singapore Green Plan 2030 – https://www.greenplan.gov.sg

Environmental Education at NBSS

In line with the SGP 2030, the Eco-Stewardship Programme (ESP) is introduced in schools. In NBSS, our aim is to develop all Navalites to be stewards for the environment. This is done via the nationwide 4Cs approach - Curriculum, Campus, Culture and Community, and in customising the programmes under this broad umbrella, we hope to shape all Navalites to be advocates for sustainable living.

Our ESP builds on current environmental efforts in our school through the 4Cs – Curriculum, Campus, Culture and Community.

• Within the curriculum, there has been a refresh and enhancement to the teaching and learning of sustainability within various subjects, particularly in the Humanities and Sciences.

• For our campus, we are looking into exciting ways of enhancing our infrastructure with sustainability features.

• In building an environmentally-friendly culture, our students are encouraged and taught how to adopt various sustainability habits, which include recycling, reducing energy use and reducing food waste.

• As responsible members and future leaders of our community, we leverage different opportunities to partner with various stakeholders to expand environment related volunteering and enrichment opportunities for our students.

Through these efforts, the school envisions all Navalites to be advocates for sustainable living in support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Navalites will spearhead the necessary changes in living habits through being aware of environmental issues, participate actively in environmental efforts, lead others in issues of environmental concern and sustain these environmental efforts for future generations of Navalites as well as themselves, and the community they are situated in.

Student Leaders: Eco-Councillors and Eco-Ambassadors

Eco-Councillors

A key driver in driving environmental changes is to develop a core group of students who demonstrate passion and dedication for environmental efforts. This is the key goal for our student leaders known as the NBSS Eco-Councillors.

As one of the five Boards within the school’s Student Leadership Model, the Eco-Board Councillors:

• Pledge to be proactive role models of environment practices and sustainable habits,

• Demonstrate keen interests and passion for environment project,

• Rally peers for environment causes, and

• Engage partners for environmental causes.

To develop our student leaders in environment-related competencies, necessary training and exposure opportunities are provided to strengthen their capacity to influence change. This includes various training opportunities held by relevant ministries and agencies, as well as competitions and workshop organised by other schools. The Eco-Councillors are also tasked to initiate projects and lead efforts in NBSS to raise awareness among the school’s population as well as contribute actively to the country’s environmental goals.

Some of the developmental opportunities for the students in 2023 include:

• Project E.C.O Workshops by NEA to guide students in planning, organising, implementing and monitoring environment projects.

• National Youth Upcycling Movement (Workshops and Competition) to equip students with knowledge on organising environmental campaigns

• National Youth Environment Conference (Model United Nations format) for students to interact with like-minded students from other schools to discuss environmental issues

• Green Seeker programmes organised by Gardens by the Bay to equip students with knowledge on sustainable living

• Plastic League organised by NEA for the students to have the chance to organise school-wide environment campaigns

Opportunities are also available within the school as the Eco-Councillors are regularly tasked with sharing with the school on environment-related news, suggestions and call for actions. This takes the form of school-wide assembly sharing, planning for in-class activities on special occasions, and plans to make school programmes more “green” with ideas for sustainable practices -- you'll be surprised at how adept our students are at properly preparing waste materials for recycling!

Eco-Ambassadors

Eco-Councillors, as our apex student leaders who lead the school in environmental causes, are supported by the class environment leaders, the class Eco-Ambassadors.

The Eco-Ambassadors are a budding group of class leaders who directly rally their classmates to take actions for environmental causes. This includes helping to implement programmes at the class level, sharing of environmental issues and representing classes for environmental causes.

Examples will include the sharing of Earth Day Messages in class, as well as taking care of and encouraging plastic recycling/upcycling at the class level, and monitoring the class’ recycling corners.

Evidently, students are our key focus as we seek to influence change by providing our Eco-Councilors and Eco-Ambassadors the necessary knowhow to effect change among the wider student population.

Key Programme: Interdisciplinary Project Work (IPW) -- For Every Secondary 2 Cohort

Interdisciplinary Project Work (IPW) is a key programme among our entire Secondary 2 cohort, as a means of driving environmental education in our school.

In itself, IPW aims to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills among secondary school students. As a yearly programme which is carried out over a period of several months, students conduct research, plan, execute their project and present their findings to their peers and teachers. They are also given the opportunities to present their prototypes and campaigns as part of recess exhibitions in our school.

In NBSS, the IPW project challenges students to work together on a project that addresses an environmental issue in our school. By bringing together different disciplines, the students learn to approach environmental problems from multiple perspectives, and have the opportunity to bring together project management skills in a way that contributes to our school's eco-stewardship efforts.

Our Key Programmes (2023)

With the help of our Eco-Board Councilors and Eco Ambassadors, the school organises environmental events to enrich Navalites’ learning experiences.

Earth Week

Earth Day is an annual global event to promote environmental awareness and encourage action to protect the planet. Our school celebrates it by organising a range of activities that promote environmental awareness and action. These activities include assembly talks, in-class activities and Earth Hour, where the lights and fans are switched off for an hour. In class, the Eco-ambassadors are given the task to carry out talks on the use of plastics, and ways to reduce plastic use. They were also encouraged to wear green-coloured shirts to commemorate the day. Beyond that, they also guide their classmates on how to calculate their plastic footprint. This serves to raise awareness on the amount of plastic usage among the students.

Plastic League Recycling Competition

Our school takes part in the Plastic Recycling League – a recycling competition organised by SembEnviro. Each class was tasked to create a recycling corner in their classrooms, and our students have been taught on the appropriate materials which can be recycled.

International Biodiversity Week

International Biodiversity Week is an annual event celebrated worldwide to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity conservation and its threats. In celebrating this week, our school participates in Bio Blitz, an educational programme conducted by the National Parks Board. This programme involves a series of hands-on activities that allow students to explore and document the flora and fauna in their school environment.

We conducted this programme for all Secondary 2 students, and representatives from the school’s Parent Support Group were also invited to join us in learning about and appreciating the biodiversity in our school.

Wildlife Smuggling Sharing by NParks

In connection with International Biodiversity Week, we invited a speaker from NParks to share with Navalites about the issue of wildlife smuggling in Singapore. This is an important and interesting issue that the country has been clamping down on for a while and broadens Navalites’ understanding of wildlife issues in Singapore. The sharing also provides insights on possible career opportunities in the related fields and was well-received by the students and teachers.

National Youth Environment Conference (Model United Nations at Nan Hua High School)

Selected Eco-Councillors participated in the National Youth Environment Conference (NYEC) held at Nan Hua High School. The NYEC takes on the Model United Nations Conference format which allows students to put themselves in the shoes of world leaders and tackle current environmental issues together. It provides a great opportunity for students to better understand the environmental issues at international level and the complexities of these issues, while also developing their communication and collaborative skills as they worked with delegates from other schools to reach consensus for the issues being discussed.