Saving the world by not using tampons
by Angeline Tse
Olivia Choong, 31, freelance copywriter and Green Drinks Singapore founder
She matchmakes single greenies
Her recycling habit started out as punishment
Shipped off to boarding school in Perth after her O levels, Olivia and her roommate were caught eating in the dorm late one night. For breaking the rules, both girls were made to take empty milk cartons out to the recycling bins, an experience Olivia claims kick-started her recycling habit.
By the time she moved back to Singapore in 2004, her time in Australia had already helped shape her “green” mindset.
Doing her part to bring the green movement here
“I read about Green Drinks, a community-focused group that brings individuals and businesses together for information-sharing on sustainability issues, so I wrote to the HQ in London and said I wanted to start the Singapore arm,” Olivia explains. Green Drinks Singapore started in 2007 as a social event where people came to mingle, and has since evolved to include movie screenings and talks.
This year, Olivia has plans to collaborate with more local green groups, and hopes to start campaigning against the use of toxic ingredients in cosmetics and wooden chopsticks. The group has grown – it now boasts more than 500 members, aged between 20 and 55 – who come from all walks of life.
Her friends are incredulous that she’s turned vegetarian
“My friends just don’t understand why I don’t eat meat,” says Olivia. “But I’m just doing what I can.” She decided to slowly give up eating chicken and fish, after realising that farming animals creates high carbon footprints.
She uses a menstrual cup
“Two years ago, I started using the ‘moon cup’, which probably got its name from the hippie women who worship the moon,” Olivia shares candidly. During her period, she wears this reuseable funnel-shaped silicone cup for up to eight hours, and empties the contents before reinserting it. She sanitises her moon cup by immersing it in boiling water.
Pointing to the bleached cotton in tampons and the sheer volume of waste generated by throwing them away, she explains: “We should think about where everything comes from and where everything goes. I’m not squeamish about blood. It’s produced by my body anyway.” She also tries to take only one cab ride a day and refuses to drink bottled water.
“Veggie Singles Nights” are her way of trying to find love
Last year, Olivia spoke to a friend about the possibility of starting a singles’ event for vegetarians and omnivores. Their first party, held in January at Food #03, was a success, with 80 people attending. She now hopes to hold at least one more singles’ party this year.
But sadly, no one caught her eye that January night. “I’ve heard that for a relationship to last, two people must be able to enjoy a meal together,” Olivia muses. “It makes me wonder if any kind of romance with a flesh-eating male is possible, but I’m definitely open to the possibility!”
