Baby Ruth Villarama For the past eight years Ruth has been involved in documentary production for television and multimedia in the Philippines and abroad. Having begun with producing video projects for international organisations, Ruth has since covered the denuding environment in the Philippines and been commissioned by the ILO-UNDP to expose child labour practices, for which her production group received an award at the 2007 UN film festival in New York. Currently, Ruth is completing documentaries for National Geographic-EDB, Mediacorp, Singapore,- highlighting environmental and humanitarian issues in the Philippines – and Voyage Film Media, for whom she works as Senior Producer.

Elaine, currently age 18, is studying Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management in Temasek Polytechnic. She has always been interested in doing her part for the environment and knew that action speaks louder than words. She enjoys playing Squash as a CCA and her ultimate wish is to try all kinds of chocolates from all over the world. She also loves to eat (big on snacking!) and reads to pass time and as a form of entertainment.

Call it interesting or just hyperactivity, Eva loves doing many different things. From salsa dancing, learning French, playing poker with cousins to swimming at ungodly hours of the morning before work, she has decided to dedicate some of her energy into saving the environment. And no, she doesn’t claim that she can fit into a sexy superhero suit or wave a magic wand to save the environment, but hopefully her interest in journalism and marketing will be handy in helping to raise awareness and garner support for the cause.

Gwendoline and Sye Yuet are avid environmentalists who are currently interning at ECO Singapore.

Heather is a 19-year old freelance writer/reporter who is currently pursuing in a degree in Geography at the National University of Singapore in order to pursue her life mission of engaging in development work in the Southeast Asian region. She has founded a local anti-hunger group, Food for All, to support local food rations programmes, increase awareness of hunger and food security issues as well as encourage food appreciation. In addition, she is very involved in local civic society, and volunteers with groups such as Shan You Counselling Centre, ONE (SINGAPORE), The Choice Initiative, ECO Singapore, Social Entrepreneurship Forum, SYINC, Migrant Voices and the Pop and Talent Hub Market. She is also a published poet and firmly believes in the power of writing to advocate and inspire.

Jing Wen is a final year student at Nanyang Technological University, currently waiting eagerly for graduation. She is an avid nature-lover, and hopes that by writing for ECO Express, it can pave the road to greater environmental awareness for her. She is also a self-confessed foodie, who simply cannot resist a good meal. Lastly, she loves outdoor sports such as rugby, and her current craze is scuba diving, where the marine world awaits to be explored.  

John is a 30-something freelance writer. He has an abiding interest in all things environmental but hereadily admits to being less than environmentally conscious at all times. So, he pitches in whenever the guilt gets too strong and writing for ECO EXPRESS! is his little way of making a difference, however small it may be. He fancies himself as a modern-day Renaissance Man who delves into an eclectic mix of topics, from philosophy to business, current affairs, history and anime. Yes, anime. Japanese animation. You do not want to get him started on that hobby, if you value your time and sanity.

Kenneth Besides counting green as his favourite colour, Kenneth is a self-confessed newbie to the environmental scene who has a disdain for using plastic bags. Writing for ECO EXPRESS! should (hopefully) count as a baby step to greater awareness for the environment for him. A passionate foodie, he enjoys flexing his leg muscles by joining the queues in front of any Sunday Times certified food stores. He loves exploring food haunts around Singapore and is a freelance writer for a Food Magazine. Besides eating, he counts reading up on celebrity gossip and listening to feel-good music as therapy.

Linin is an 18 year old embarking on her studies in NUS Arts and Social Sciences. The life that is ahead of her is still unknown but she will thread through with gusto and imagination. Frugality is something that she tries to achieve and she believes that this is an important concept that others should learn especially when it concerns the environment and our resources. Linin counts sports as her favourite past-time and she engages in various sporting activities ranging from touch rugby to amateur futsal.

Pak Shun is a civil servant who likes to write and comment on how others write! ;) He hopes to make a positive contribution to the environment by first understanding the latest discussions and arguments with regard to climate change and global warming, and
then ensuring that others are aware of these issues as well.

Philline Donggay Philline works as Content Producer and Editor for the Singapore-based online private members club and luxury magazine, Diane Fay (www.dianefay.com). Amidst the fancy brands, the exclusive resorts, and
the high-profile events she writes about, this 25forever female is a conservationist at heart. Starting in her teenage years, Philline has volunteered in nature preservation projects and composed Environmental Awareness segments for television. Now she is resolved to learning everything she can about Sustainability and doing her every bit to reduce her carbon footprint. (She shops only vintage and recycles used facial tissue for toilet use, to her flatmate’s horror.) She cried on ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, more than any other dramatic film she’s ever watched, and would vote for Al Gore as World President.

Rui Yan is waiting to enroll in university at the moment, and is only just acquainting herself with the entire massiveness of environmental issues. She enjoys being in the sun and swears by regular doses of it to stay sane. She cannot wait for whatever is coming next. Except for worse effects of global warming that is...

Sonya spent half a year in Singapore studying at NUS and interning with ECO Singapore. She is now a third-year business student at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is currently trying to re-adjust to the crazy homeless people at Berkeley, poor renditions of Chinese food in the United States, and not speaking Singlish. She is passionate about ocean conservation, especially as she lives near the beach and surfs almost everyday. Interning with ECO Singapore was one of her best experiences while abroad, and she hopes to see the organisation expand overseas.

Yu Hui works as an analyst by day, churning out reports and insights in digital marketing activities. He does his little bit to reduce his carbon footprint, like turning off one of the bathroom lights and blacking out his monitor if the computer hasn’t been used for a while.