Planting rice, outreach efforts: How teens are going green at school

Schools are empowering teenagers to be the next generation of change-makers. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE – When Ignatius Tang was in Secondary 1, he joined his school’s sustainability efforts because he wanted to be with his friends. In the process, he developed a genuine passion for the cause.

From Secondary 2, he championed several programmes in St Andrew’s Secondary School, including collecting discarded red or green packets after Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Puasa to be recycled.

“We realised there were a lot of discarded red and green packets after the festive periods. So, we turned the collection into a school-wide competition. Now, students look forward to it and ask when the collection will be,” says Ignatius, 16, who is in Secondary 4.

Since the initiative started in 2023, the number of red and green packets collected has doubled to about 400 a level in 2025.

He also launched a campaign to save electricity and improve classroom cleanliness with a group of friends when he was in Secondary 2. It was known as Project SEAL, which stands for Save Energy, Anti-Litter.

With students moving between classrooms because of full subject-based banding, he noticed that there was litter, untidy tables and chairs, as well as lights and fans left switched on.