Green Living

[wannamove]

I am on a roll with my questions
How easy is it to be green in Singapore? I am moving from Texas - 2 car working parents with a toddler.
No car scenario is a big green boost. But I was wondering about other "green" options - energy, organic food, alternatives to plastics and such?
I know I am being quite generic here but I am wondering what is available before I do more research

Thank you

[JR8]

As Singapore is a nouveau riche society, just about everything is focused around making money at any cost, in order to show it off.

Being 'green' is about paying extra to do without things, so you can show off what a selfless and caring person you are to others.

You will notice something of a divide between the two



p.s. You can get some organic products but they're aimed at the non-local purchaser, and priced accordingly.

[wannamove]

As Singapore is a nouveau riche society, just about everything is focused around making money at any cost, in order to show it off.

Being 'green' is about paying extra to do without things, so you can show off what a selfless and caring person you are to others.

You will notice something of a divide between the two



p.s. You can get some organic products but they're aimed at the non-local purchaser, and priced accordingly.

This is kind of what I expected. Green had become equal to super expensive. Now I have to get creative and be green.
What about recycling options in Singapore? Is it available readily along side trash or are there specific recycling locations?

[wannamove]

As Singapore is a nouveau riche society, just about everything is focused around making money at any cost, in order to show it off.

Being 'green' is about paying extra to do without things, so you can show off what a selfless and caring person you are to others.

You will notice something of a divide between the two



p.s. You can get some organic products but they're aimed at the non-local purchaser, and priced accordingly.

Another question - how about local produce/locally grown produce - preferably pesticide free? Farmer's market kind of place

[JR8]

What about recycling options in Singapore? Is it available readily along side trash or are there specific recycling locations?

In the last place I lived there were recycling bins in one corner of the basement carpark. It would not surprise me if that is common in condo's. I don't know what you do if you're in landed property or HDB.


Another question - how about local produce/locally grown produce - preferably pesticide free? Farmer's market kind of place

The main middle-of-the-road supermarket chain is NTUC. They stock a line of vegetables under the 'Pasar' [Malay for 'market'] brand. Most of that seems to be from Malaysia, and some Thai. That is meant to be organic, but from memory nothing on the labeling seems to tell you in which way. Expat grocers will have more I'm sure, for $$$.
Farmers markets? Not like Union Square in NYC no. There are many so called wet-markets, where locals do a lot of the shopping. But I seriously doubt you're going to find as much as one organic bean in any of them!

[beppi]

Apart from the (very few and severely overpriced) shops, there are three organic farms in Singapore which do home deliveries - google Green Circles, Bollywood Veggies, and the third name I forgot. They can also be visited, especially if you want to see a really remote part of Singapore. Be prepared for mosquitoes and snakes!
I use my own textile shopping bags to avoid the free plastic ones, but the cashier girls always look at me like I'm from Mars.

[JR8]

Mosquitos and snakes. er yeah we had those in D11. Aren't they normal lol?

[gravida]

It's super hard to find something REALLY organic here. Yeah, almost in every Cold Storage or Market Place or other grocery stores you have the "organic" section (with crazy prices), BUT all the apples, carrots, radishes etc. are perfectly round, spotless and equally sized... Remembering what kind of vegetables my parents were growing in their garden (organic+), I simply can't believe these are "natural" products.

[wannamove]

What about recycling options in Singapore? Is it available readily along side trash or are there specific recycling locations?

In the last place I lived there were recycling bins in one corner of the basement carpark. It would not surprise me if that is common in condo's. I don't know what you do if you're in landed property or HDB.


Another question - how about local produce/locally grown produce - preferably pesticide free? Farmer's market kind of place

The main middle-of-the-road supermarket chain is NTUC. They stock a line of vegetables under the 'Pasar' [Malay for 'market'] brand. Most of that seems to be from Malaysia, and some Thai. That is meant to be organic, but from memory nothing on the labeling seems to tell you in which way. Expat grocers will have more I'm sure, for $$$.
Farmers markets? Not like Union Square in NYC no. There are many so called wet-markets, where locals do a lot of the shopping. But I seriously doubt you're going to find as much as one organic bean in any of them!

Thank you!
If not organic - locally grown is what I prefer - carbon footprint is lesser when produce is not transported around the globe

[nakatago]

What about recycling options in Singapore? Is it available readily along side trash or are there specific recycling locations?

In the last place I lived there were recycling bins in one corner of the basement carpark. It would not surprise me if that is common in condo's. I don't know what you do if you're in landed property or HDB.


Another question - how about local produce/locally grown produce - preferably pesticide free? Farmer's market kind of place

The main middle-of-the-road supermarket chain is NTUC. They stock a line of vegetables under the 'Pasar' [Malay for 'market'] brand. Most of that seems to be from Malaysia, and some Thai. That is meant to be organic, but from memory nothing on the labeling seems to tell you in which way. Expat grocers will have more I'm sure, for $$$.
Farmers markets? Not like Union Square in NYC no. There are many so called wet-markets, where locals do a lot of the shopping. But I seriously doubt you're going to find as much as one organic bean in any of them!

Thank you!
If not organic - locally grown is what I prefer - carbon footprint is lesser when produce is not transported around the globe

Malaysia's as local as reasonably priced as you can get.

[wannamove]

Apart from the (very few and severely overpriced) shops, there are three organic farms in Singapore which do home deliveries - google Green Circles, Bollywood Veggies, and the third name I forgot. They can also be visited, especially if you want to see a really remote part of Singapore. Be prepared for mosquitoes and snakes!
I use my own textile shopping bags to avoid the free plastic ones, but the cashier girls always look at me like I'm from Mars.

As a bollywood fan, the tern "Bollywood veggies" scare me - Bollywood with all its plastic and organic veggies?

Thanks for the info. And yes carrying your own bags is great and it is quite well accepted these days where I live and I hope to continue carrying my bags even if I get crazy look and I am sure my daughter is going to act as if she does not know me when that happens

[JR8]

If not organic - locally grown is what I prefer - carbon footprint is lesser when produce is not transported around the globe

Well I don't subscribe to most of this green stuff. Hop over to Indonesia and look at what has been done to the forests, in the name of producing 'eco' biofuels if you want one example. Anyway I digress.

I'm not aware of SG producing much in the way of foodstuffs. It is a city-state, i.e. built up.

There is supposedly a goat farm up near Kranji (the NW of the island) if that's your thing!

[beppi]

There's also a cow (milk) farm, but the animals are indoors and never see the sun, a few hydroponics vegetable farms (that's seen as organic here), a few ornamental fish farms and several orchid farms. There used to be a crocodile farm (for meat and leather), but I don't know if it's still around.
That's about it in terms of local produce (if you disregard the much bigger production of computer chips, pharmaceuticals and petroleum products).

[Strong Eagle]

There's also a cow (milk) farm, but the animals are indoors and never see the sun, a few hydroponics vegetable farms (that's seen as organic here), a few ornamental fish farms and several orchid farms. There used to be a crocodile farm (for meat and leather), but I don't know if it's still around.
That's about it in terms of local produce (if you disregard the much bigger production of computer chips, pharmaceuticals and petroleum products).

Also quite a bit of egg production.

[sundaymorningstaple]

There's also a cow (milk) farm, but the animals are indoors and never see the sun, a few hydroponics vegetable farms (that's seen as organic here), a few ornamental fish farms and several orchid farms. There used to be a crocodile farm (for meat and leather), but I don't know if it's still around.
That's about it in terms of local produce (if you disregard the much bigger production of computer chips, pharmaceuticals and petroleum products).

Also quite a bit of egg production.

It's a shame the guys, apparently, can't produce enough of the sperm needed to fertilize them! Fertility Rate of 1.21?