As part of PSA’s vision of being alongside our communities while striving towards environmental sustainability, the teams from PSA Singapore Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) and PSA Health@Home co-organised a one-day Go Green Workshop on 23 March 2021, dubbed ‘Empowering Our Communities’.

The workshop was conducted by Zero Waste SG, a Non-Governmental Organisation leading Singapore’s drive towards zero waste through education. Zero waste is a concept that challenges the traditional notion of waste as something that has no value and must only be thrown away. Staff who participated had the opportunity to rethink this perspective by learning how to create new value from unwanted items instead of just discarding them. They were also made more aware of climate change issues, as well as tips on how to incorporate the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) into their daily lives for a more sustainable lifestyle. This included learning how to make a tote bag from an old T-shirt and growing potted plants in plastic bottles.

However, their involvement didn’t just stop after the workshop. With their new-found knowledge, our staff participants later volunteered to assist in a similar Zero Waste SG workshop conducted on 13 April 2021 at St Luke’s ElderCare (Telok Blangah Centre). Through this workshop, the elderly beneficiaries learnt how to recycle common household items in new ways they might not have thought about, rather than trashing them. Under the guidance of our Health@Home staff volunteers, the elderly participants tried their hands at making coasters using recyclables such as old T-shirts and CDs.

This was yet another successful collaboration between PSA Singapore HSSE and Health@Home, to raise awareness of climate change and equip staff with the skills to support a sustainability movement with zero waste habits. Activities like these also offer staff an opportunity to share what they have learnt with the community and influence others to strive towards environmental sustainability, whilst also fostering a spirit of volunteerism.