Balik kampung

This is a post on the last CIP session Lesley-Anne did in the December holidays. This was organised by Ground-Up Initiative, a small volunteer group that aims to educate the public on ecological issues and promote sustainable living.

Their main project is setting up Sustainable Urban Farms (SURF) at Bottle Tree Park in Yishun to revive the kampung spirit and way of living in this little community.

It's very charming. There's an area showcasing traditional methods of farming,

a greenhouse where many varieties of plants are grown,

and a large covered area where they farm vegetables (not sure what type, though).

Every weekend, the volunteers engage in an activity they call "balik kampung", ie clearing rows of stepped terraces and planting different herbs, flowers and so on. Even companies get in the act, all in the name of raising environmental consciousness.









That's what Lesley-Anne did that one Sunday morning. She did mostly weeding though and it was a different but eye-opening experience for this urbanite. Even though she was given gloves, the thorns were something fierce. No picture of her at work but here's what the other volunteers were doing that day.

It's hard work but rewarding. I thought it was an excellent change from the usual stuff and hey, no better way to save the earth than to tend to it!