Advertise good practices that make Singapore more sustainable

Singaporeans need to be more aware on how to live sustainably and the need to feel like they are in fact accountable for their actions and their consumer choices. One way to ensure this self awareness is through advertisements around the island on the issue of sustainability.

Advertisements such as posters, commercials, leaflets and more can be laced in the public’s eye so that they are confronted with the prompt to save the earth on a daily basis. These advertisements should give the public tips and tricks on how they can conserve resources. The advertisements should encourage the viewers to take 5 min showers instead of 10 min showers. This alone can save 45 liters of water each day. They should also be encouraged to brush their teeth using a mug instead of leaving the tap on for for 2 whole minutes. This saves 11.5 liters of water. Dual flush system, dish washing with a filled sink are some other tips that can be given to the public through ads.

There should also be advertisements to encourage lesser usage of motor vehicles. There is an area of concern in Singapore where cars are seen as a status symbol. This social norm needs to be broken. Ads should be contrasted to encourage Singaporeans who own cars to leave their cars at home at least two days a week. This can be done through smart ad placement where ads are placed in car parks or car servicing shops where this information will reach car users better. All Singaporeans need to be riding bikes and walking to their destinations. This will improve their overall health and also save on carbon emissions. By creating advertisements, which are being done in Singapore already, on encouraging people to walk to ride a bicycle to places, there will be a new social norm is created where the majority of the Singaporean population think of walking and cycling to be the more popular form of transportation and therefore may follow suit. This will help to change the mentality of Singaporeans who think that owning a car is a representation of wealth and prosperity.

Advertisements of the right way to reduce, reuse and recycle also needs to be aired on television, the newspapers and on the social media platforms. This is to ensure that the message to live a more sustainable life is heard by each individual.

Another way to advertise to the public to ensure a more sustainably eloquent society in Singapore is to educate Singaporeans through the media on how exactly our waste from our households and workplace gets disposed of. Hopefully, by seeing with their own eyes how much waste is created by Singaporeans, each Singaporean will take it upon himself to create less waste. The idea of a zero- waste society should be broadcasted in the media and it should be an ideal that each Singaporean will hope to achieve as a country. By doing so, Singaporeans will choose on their own willingness to live within sustainable means.

References

Katie Lambert (27. March 2007) "10 Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth" (March. 2007)

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