Walking the sustainability talk

Vienna Fiorella Anong, a Year 2 Data Science and Economics student, knows that sustainability is a complex issue that cannot be addressed without a collaborative approach. At the same time, galvanising collective action is not easy.

She says, “The biggest challenge we face is engaging our hall residents and getting them to participate and care about a cause that may be distant from them.”  

Therefore, as Head of Eusoff Hall’s Green Committee, Vienna’s focus is on encouraging students to champion eco-friendly practices in their living spaces and to weave the call for action into daily lived experiences that are enjoyable.

For instance, her team derived much joy when the banana trees they planted at the spice garden last year bore fruit. Her hallmates who cultivated edible plants, such as rosemary and basil, also harvested them for cooking!

“It was very satisfying to see how our efforts came to life, giving all of us a sense of accomplishment,” she says.

One of the recurring projects helmed by the team is a hall-wide recycling competition which aims to foster community engagement while cultivating a sense of environmental responsibility by making recycling accessible to the hostelites. The competition takes place every academic year, and each block in Eusoff Hall is assigned a recycling box where residents can deposit recyclables such as paper, plastics and metals. At the end of the competition, the Green Committee awards winning blocks, based on criteria such as proper sorting of recyclables and cleanliness.  

This semester, Vienna’s team is planning a kayaking and clean initiative, infusing sustainability into a popular, fun activity.

She adds, ” To get people interested in what we’re passionate about, we have to figure out what interests and inspires them and slowly incorporate initiatives and ideas while engaging them from the perspective of what they care about. This was the most important learning point for me.”