Questions and Answers regarding our trip

Kitakyushu Eco-Town

1. What is an eco-town and how does it help to preserve the environment?
An eco-town is a town that is environmentally friendly. They practice anti-polluting activities and try to recycle as much as they can so as to not damage the environment due to pollutants.

2. In Singapore, is there something like an eco-town or something related to help preserve the environment?
In Singapore, we do not have an eco-town but we have an eco-mall called City Square Mall. Examples of their eco-friendly ideas include eco-friendly drywall partition using USG fiberock, which saved of 300 m3 sand or 50 concrete truck loads of sand in construction, non-chemical anti-termite system and eco-friendly motorized fabric sunshade.

3. Does an eco-town face the same environmental issues as a normal town?
It depends on how the community plays a part in helping to preserve to environment. The success of Kitakyushu’s recovery from pollution has it all owed to the community. If the community continues to practice eco-friendly activities, then it will not face the same environmental issues as a normal town. However, if the eco-town does not maintain the standards, then it will face environmental issues.

4. Does an eco-town still contribute to pollution?
Again, it depends on the community’s contribution. If the community is co-operative and willing to help, the eco-town will not fully contribute to pollution. However, if the community is not co-operative, then it will still contribute to pollution. Also, there is no way to eliminate pollution. Even if we tried, pollution is still there.

5. Has the eco-town helped Japan’s environment?
After a period of high economic growth during the 1950s through the 1970s, heavy industries such as iron manufacturing in Kitakyushu declined due to intensive competition in the iron industry on the international market. However, the air and water were polluted. Dokai Bay was highly contaminated by industrial and domestic wastewater and was subsequently called ‘Sea of Death’. The miserable environmental pollution in the city has diminished over time through considerable effort in getting back the clear sky and the blue sea.

6. Are there certain rules and methods that the townspeople must follow to maintain the cleanliness of an eco-town?
Answer is pending.

7. What made Japan choose to create and eco-town?
It faced a lot of environmental issues and the environment became unsightly. The number tourists visiting the area fell and many businesses did not have the means to improve and globalize.

8. How would this change our perspective of conservation and what are the steps that you would follow to help conserve the natural environment?
From the past situation in Kitakyushu, we now know how fragile the natural environment is and how easily it can be damaged. If we want to keep the beauty of the natural environment, we would have to practice non-polluting activities. Steps to help preserve the environment include reducing, reusing and recycling. One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure and just a tin can may not mean much to us but to others may mean a lot. Also all problems start small and we have to eliminate them before we rectify the bigger problems.

9. Does an eco-town contribute to the economy of a country?
Yes. For example, if a company takes in recyclable materials such tin cans and reuse it, they would not need to buy new raw materials and would save the costs of raw materials and earn more revenue leading to the contribution to the economy.

Toyota Car Plant

1. What are the materials used in creating a car?
A variety of materials are used. Examples include metals like steel, copper and other examples include glass and rubber.

2. How is a car produced?
Answer is pending.

3. Is there an eco-friendly way of producing cars?
Yes, some car companies use the electricity generated from hydroelectric dams to run their machinery to produce the cars thereby reducing pollution.

4. Are the cars produced eco-friendly?
Yes, some of them are. They run on bio-fuels and hydrogen and give up less or no waste gases.

5. How has the recent Toyota car incidents affected the economy of Japan?
Because of the recent events, car buyers may not be convinced of the safety of the car and thus be dissuaded from buying Toyota cars and may thus in turn, affect the economy of Japan.


-Kieron Cheng: Leader/ Executive Chairman of the Commission

Sarah Quek: Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer

Zelia Chan: IT Leader/ Secretary of Operations

Tan Qi An: Photographer/ Member