Chong Boon Secondary School

2 Ang Mo Kio St 44

Singapore 569250

18 July 2009

Dear Chongboonites

GREEN TOUR TO CHEK JAWA

The school is organising a tour to Chek Jawa, a popular nature enclave in Pulau Ubin. Chek Jawa is a gem of marine wildlife. Located at the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa is a collection of six distinct habitats - coastal forest, mangroves, sand bars, seagrass lagoon, rocky shore & coral rubble.
Chek Jawa is teeming with a wide array of marine wildlife – starfish, sea horses and octopi living in the sand and mud flats, carpet and peacock anemones in the sea-grass meadows, and sponges of all hues residing in the coral rubble. Chek Jawa was originally slated for land reclaimation but nature groups and individuals lobbied to save it.
You will be able to experience the rich biodiversity of Chek Jawa. Do join us at 19 July at 2 p.m at the foyer if you are interested to embark on this wonderful trip to Chek Jawa.

Yours faithfully

Yvonne Sng

President Green club

Terrorism is affecting everyone aroung the world. Many people died form terrorist attacks. The Mumbai attack, has left more than 75 dead and 200 injured, along with news of people being taken hostage. The terrorists' ghaustly acts have taken many innocent lives. Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from the Whitley Road detention centre, also warned us to be more alert and vigilant. Thankfully, the massive manhunt undertaken by Singapore and its neighbours has captured Mas Selamat. Due to this incident, Singapore is stepping up on its security and also to ensure that Singapore would be a safer place for us to live in.

According to legend, Ethiopian goatherd first discovered coffee. It started as food and drinks for African tribesman. Now, it evolved into a worldwide drink and highly valuable in trade. It is a major source of income for many exporting countries. Many people depend on it for their livelihood and drink a lot of it. In 1975, a killing frost damaged nearly half of the coffee trees which changed the prices terribly. Frost hit Brazil again in 1979. Every tree lost means the loss of income for three to five years. The loss 15 million trees cause a huge income loss. Brazil had to stop all shipments. Importers fearing a shortage bought it in large quantities and farmers planted more when prices rose. This resulted in overproduction and prices fell. Farmers replaced their plants for other crops. Producers and consumers decided to limit output to what the market can absorb, have a reserve and sell at an acceptable price.

Reflective Summary

From this research, I learnt that global climate change may result in shifting ocean currents, rising temperatures, melting ice caps and a myriad of other threats to penguins and other creatures.
The Earth is getting hotter, and temperatures will keep going up if we fail to reduce global warming pollution.
Global warming not only affects penguin and polar bears, it also affects us. Hotter weather enables deadly mosquitoes to travel greater distances; carbon dioxide in the air aggravates asthma and allergies.
Therefore, we must play a part in reducing global warming pollution.
Initially, I thought that global warming only increase the temperatures in the Earth. After the research, I know that it threatens the lives of penguins and polar bears.
There are many simple steps you can take right now to cut global warming pollution.
-Drive less. When possible, choose alternatives to driving (public transit, biking, walking and carpooling).-Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
-Always turn off your lights and electricity when not in use.
-Help keep the oceans clean by disposing of your trash properly, and picking up litter on the beach or in the street.
-Help slow climate change by reducing your daily energy use.
By doing so, we can save energy and fight global warming.
Encourage others to save energy. Every individual can play a part in reducing global warming.

Reflective Journal 5

Today, penguins face a number of threats, including destruction of nesting habitats, competition with fishermen for fish and shrimp, and introduced predators such as rats, dogs and foxes which eat penguin eggs and young.However, the greatest potential threat to penguins in global warming, as they are extremely sensitive to climate change.
And, people are a big part of the problem. Thankfully, people can also be a big part of the solution.
The world’s oceans are all connected and no matter where we live, our daily actions have an impact on them. Help keep the oceans clean by disposing of your trash properly, and picking up litter on the beach or in the street.
Global climate change may cause temperatures to increase, ice caps to melt and ocean levels to rise. Help slow climate change by reducing your daily energy use and driving less often.This reduces the greenhouse gases that might lead to global warming.

Source:
http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/teacher_resources/classroom_resources/teacher_guides/penguin_teacher_guide/penguin_conservation.php http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/penguins/penguins.html

Reflective Journal 4

Big oil spills are horrible events.Perpetual small leaks, illegal dumping and poor regulations are actually much greater threats to penguins and other marine life.Oil kills penguins. It coats their feathers, leaving them without much-needed insulation. Penguins then ingest the toxic oil when they attempt to clean their feathers.
In recent years, as commercial fishing has become more efficient, people have been catching and eating more fish than ever before. Commercial fishing has depleted some fish populations to such a degree that there are sometimes not enough fish left to feed penguins and other fish-eating marine animals.
Global climate change may result in shifting ocean currents, rising temperatures, melting ice caps and a myriad of other threats to penguins and other creatures. Antarctica’s penguins—which have been largely spared most other human-caused threats—may suffer the most from climate change. These birds like the cold. They need the cold.
Penguins are also hunted for their meat, feathers, fat and eggs.

Source:
http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/teacher_resources/classroom_resources/teacher_guides/penguin_teacher_guide/penguin_conservation.php http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/wildlife/penguins/index.shtml