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Climate Conversations - Meat and maize: How eating more meat is driving big environmental impacts
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Meat demand in Asia continues to soar. But the chicken and pork on your plate comes at a cost for both the farmers who produce animal feed and the forests of northern Thailand and beyond. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss the impact of our insatiable appetite for meat.
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CNA
28 minutes ago
- CNA
New Mandai crematorium and ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
SINGAPORE: A new crematorium and ash-scattering garden will open in Mandai on Aug 15, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Jul 28). Located next to the existing Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium complex, the new Mandai North Crematorium will use automated guided vehicles to transport coffins and lockers for ash collection. It has six service and viewing halls and can house 18 cremators, but will begin operations with three halls equipped with nine cremators. It will start with four cremation services daily and ramp up progressively in the coming months. NEA said it will fit out the remaining halls and add the additional cremators to meet an anticipated increase in demand for cremations in future. For comparison, the existing crematorium, which opened in 2004, has four halls and 12 cremators. The crematorium and garden span about 2.4ha, slightly more than half the size of the Padang. Annual resident deaths are expected to increase from about 25,000 in 2024 to around 40,000 by 2040, NEA said. Meanwhile, the demand for inland ash scattering has increased from around 900 applications in 2021 to over 2,300 in 2024. 'The new crematorium will provide additional cremation capacity, and the (Garden of Serenity) will provide an additional option for the inland scattering of ashes,' said NEA. 'They will enable us to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead.' Bookings for cremation slots will open on Aug 9, and the crematorium and garden will be open daily. The garden will be open from 9am to 5.30pm except when it is closed for maintenance. Singapore also has two private crematoriums, but NEA handles more than 90 per cent of cremations. ASH-SCATTERING GARDEN The Garden of Serenity is the second inland ash-scattering garden in Singapore, after the Garden of Peace opened in 2021 in Choa Chu Kang. Ashes can also be scattered at sea or stored in columbariums or at home. The Garden of Serenity, which is within the new Mandai North facility, has four ash-scattering lanes in the shape of a leaf. Granite boulders that were excavated during its construction, which started in 2017, are used for seating along the lanes. The garden also features a pond and lush foliage, meant to create a peaceful and dignified environment. Each lane in the garden is named after a flower and is around 10m long. Ashes can be scattered on pebbles, which sit atop granite chippings and soil. Water sprinklers or canisters can be used to help the ashes filter through the layers. Religious ceremonies or rites, including the burning of joss sticks, leaving of food offerings and playing of music will not be allowed. However, fresh flowers can be placed on racks around the garden. At 750 sqm, the Garden of Serenity is much smaller than the Garden of Peace, which is 9,500 sqm in size. NEA said that accumulated "ash soil" will periodically be transferred from the Garden of Serenity in Mandai to a designated location in the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang to ensure that people can continue to use the smaller garden. The fee for ash-scattering at the gardens is S$320. AUTOMATION, QR CODES Mandai North Crematorium will make use of technology to ensure service reliability, including through the use of automated guided vehicles to transport coffins. At the existing crematorium, staff members push a trolley carrying the coffin. Funeral service providers will receive a cremation permit with a QR code, which must be scanned outside the service hall to ensure that the casket is at the right hall at the right time. The automated guided vehicle and screen outside the service hall will also reflect the deceased's name, the date and the time, before the casket is unloaded from the hearse. A QR code on the automated vehicle will be used for verification before the coffin is placed into a cremator. Attendees will then need to be seated before the automated guided vehicle transports the casket to the front of the service hall. The service halls feature slopes instead of steps, to improve accessibility for wheelchair users. At the new facility, the viewing hall – where mourners watch the casket being transported toward the cremators – is located directly in front of the service hall. This is unlike the existing Mandai Crematorium, where the service halls are a distance away from the viewing halls. NEA said the building layout was designed to minimise walking distances, especially for elderly visitors. "A one-way visitor circulation flow caters to back-to-back cremation services, minimising the need for arriving and departing groups to cross paths. This arrangement provides a degree of privacy for each group of visitors and facilitates a sense of closure for the bereaved," the agency said. The new waiting halls at Mandai North Crematorium are also enclosed with glass panels to provide more privacy to families. When the cremated remains are ready, an ash collection permit with a QR code will be sent via email. The registration process will involve verifying the applicant's identity, before a queue number is provided and an ash-sorting room is assigned. When the queue number is called, family members can scan a QR code to unlock a locker containing the ash box. There are three walls of lockers, and the lockers open one at a time for each wall. Families can perform final rites in the ash-sorting room. Each room is equipped with a table, a bench and a wash basin.
CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
Members of public can view designs, give feedback on Somerset Belt design
The public can now review design plans and submit feedback for the Somerset Belt's first major revamp. This comes after 250,000 youths across Singapore shared their vision for the nation's first youth-curated precinct. The Culture, Community and Youth Ministry and *Scape aim to gather input from 15,000 more people before finalising the designs in early 2026.
Independent Singapore
17 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘All I hear is shouting, bullying, and verbal abuse' — Helper says she's been mistreated since day one
SINGAPORE: A domestic helper has taken to social media to share her distressing experience working for a Singaporean family, claiming that she has been subjected to 'shouting, bullying and verbal abuse' since the day she arrived. In her post on the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper Facebook group, the helper said she was hired about two months ago and was initially hopeful about the job. 'When she [my employer] interviewed me, she kept texting me to come and join her family,' she wrote. 'At that time, [I had two other potential] employers, but it wasn't urgent, so I thought she liked me because she hoped I could join them.' Unfortunately, things took a turn the moment she stepped into the household. 'From the first day I came to this house, all I hear is shouting, bullying and verbal abuse. Honestly, I just want to work, save money, and go home. No play or anything else,' she said. She added that more recently, her employer suddenly told her, 'I don't like you,' which left her confused and upset. 'If she didn't like me, why did she keep asking me to come?' she asked. 'I can't take this, and I asked her to send me back to my hometown. Employers, can you help me with this situation? What should I do? Why is [she] like this?' 'This is already mental abuse.' In the comments, one netizen encouraged the helper to try having an open and respectful conversation with her employer to understand the root of the problem. 'Have you tried to ask your employer why she is not happy with you so you can work on it? Sometimes, maybe she is stressed at work and takes it out on you. But if you check in with her like, 'Is there anything I can do better or improve?' maybe she will realise that she is lashing out at you a lot.' Building on this, another netizen recommended that the helper consider requesting a transfer to a different employer rather than immediately asking to return home. 'What was the situation that led to her saying she doesn't like you? Might be better to ask her (or any family member who can make decisions) for a transfer because sending you back to your hometown costs her a ticket, and she might not want to pay also.' Meanwhile, a third commenter urged the helper to prioritise her well-being, writing, 'This is already mental abuse!!! It's better to go home first, take a breath, [rest] for a while, and then apply for new jobs through an agency. Hopefully, you'll get a good employer.' Help for abused FDWs As stated on the A.C.T Against Violence website, foreign domestic workers who are experiencing abuse, whether verbal, physical or in the form of labour exploitation, may report the matter to the police or call the FDW Helpline on 1800 339 5505 to speak with an officer from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). See also Maid made to work while standing for 17 hours They may also reach out to non-governmental organisations such as the Humanitarian Organisation for Migrant Economics (HOME), the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE), and the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST). Read also: Fresh grad whose salary expectation is only S$2.8k–3k says he's still struggling to land a job
