Sharlene Tan will be participating in this year’s Income Eco Run for the first time with her family (husband and kids), and also participated in a plogging activity organised by the Income Eco Run team on 23 February which involved running and picking up litter on the beach at East Coast Park.
Clement Woon and his son have been taking part in Income Eco Run for the past 3-5 years. This year, he will be running with his mother and his son. Other than maintaining a healthy lifestyle, another reason for his constant support for Income Eco Run is that it “is one of the well-organised runs in Singapore” and that he believes in the run’s objectives of promoting eco-friendliness.
1. What made you want to involve the family in the plogging activity and will they be participating in the Income Eco Run with you as well?
Sharlene Tan: It was a good opportunity for family bonding and exercise at the same time, we wanted the kids to have a greater awareness about the impact of littering and non-biodegradable waste on the environment. I am taking part this year and I will certainly involve the kids as it would be a fun family activity.
Clement Woon: An an avid runner myself, I believed it is an appropriate lifestyle to involve the people especially my close ones to also be associated with healthy activities such as running so as to also create close bondage amongst ourselves.
2. How has the Income Eco Run impacted you and your family?
Sharlene Tan: We have been telling the kids not to litter, save the earth, use less plastic and they have even read a storybook about the impact of littering but just words alone do not have much impact. Hence, we through the plogging activity, they could see first hand how much waste is really generated and the need to do their part to help keep the environment clean.
Clement Woon: It has given us time to do more outdoor activities together to train for the event.
3. What are some of the eco-friendly practices that you and your family have adopted?
Sharlene Tan: We sort our waste and try to recycle as much as possible (tetra packs, plastic waste, papers, etc.). Unwanted letters and papers that are only printed on one side are recycled for drawing, scribbling and testing spelling. My in-law’s do a little gardening at home so food waste such as vegetable peelings and egg shells are recycled into compost for fertilising the garden. The kids use plastic lunch boxes to pack their snacks and recess instead of Ziploc bags and plastic bags. We have also stopped using straws as much as possible when it is unnecessary and tell the kids to drink from the cup instead.
Clement Woon: We have avoided using plastic carriers when shopping (bring our own lug-on) and always carry on our own bottles.
4. What are you looking forward to at this year’s edition of the Income Eco Run?
Sharlene Tan: I’m looking forward to seeing how much less waste will be generated by the zero waste initiative. I think it is great that runners have an option to be more eco-friendly. The amount of waste generated in most runs from number tags and water cups is really a lot and quite unnecessary. I hope that as runners strive to keep their mind and body healthy, they should also strive to keep Mother Earth healthy for the benefit of future generations.
Clement Woon: As always, family bonding time and enjoying the run.
Income Eco Run 2019 will be happening April 28th at F1 pit building. Let’s race towards #zerowaste future together with your family and friends!
Check it out today!
Clement Woon: It has given us time to do more outdoor activities together to train for the event. 
