Earthkeepers 101

Timberland Singapore is organising a blogging contest, in conjunction with their upcoming involvement in Rhythm with Nature as the Official Apparel Sponsor.


(Click to enlarge)

Seven Links Blog Project: A Milestone Year

We're almost a week into the new year, and while I'm not really the sort who likes to reflect on the past year and mull over my successes and failures, Crystal Riley from Crystal and Bryan in Singapore has tagged me to take part in the Seven Links Blog Project, where I repost links to seven of my posts from different categories. Although I was tagged last year, I only found out last night, and I guess it's still not too late for me to look back on 2011.

Timberland's Vivocity Concept Store opens

It's been months since I last saw my travelling companions and friends during my trip to Inner Mongolia and Sichuan in August, and last Friday, I had the excellent opportunity to catch up with them at an event organised by Timberland Singapore: the official opening of the new 2,400 sq ft concept store at Vivocity, a first for the brand's Asian outlets.

Timberland Earthkeepers: Like the deserts miss the rain...

Over the last two days, as part of Timberland's contributions towards fighting desertification, we helped to prune poplars, and also planted pine saplings. Today, we bade farewell to Inner Mongolia, and embarked on the next leg of our journey, to the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.

To find out why I'm so gleefully holding a leafy branch, read on.

Timberland Earthkeepers: Circle in the sand...

(Photo from Timberland Singapore)

Yesterday, it rained for most of the day, making our pruning of poplars a cooling and enjoyable (if somewhat wet) experience. While it meant that we didn't end up baking and getting burnt to a crisp, I was somewhat hoping that the weather would change, and we would get to experience the desert. After all, deserts are defined by low amounts of precipitation; it would be ironic (and disappointing) if we ended up spending our days here in the Horqin Desert getting soaked in the rain.

Today, we finally found out what it was truly like being out in the desert. I'm just hoping that I don't suffer too much from this sunburn.

Timberland Earthkeepers: With you in the summer rain...

(Photo from Timberland Singapore)

During one of our briefings before this trip, Cheryl did mention how it rained unexpectedly last year, catching the Timberland Earthkeepers participants unaware and out in the open. I came here expecting to experience the scorching sun and blasting winds of the desert, only to end up cold, wet, but definitely not at all miserable here in Horqin.

Timberland Earthkeepers: I try to discover...

I'm currently writing this from an Internet cafe somewhere in the town of Ganqika, Inner Mongolia. Yes, I survived the long, grueling journey, and though I am a long, long way from home, and feeling quite crippled without my laptop and free Wi-Fi (the infamous Great Firewall of China isn't helping matters either), I am certainly very excited to see what's in store for this year's Timberland Earthkeepers trip to fight desertification in Horqin.

Timberland Earthkeepers: Breaking in the Gear

Ever since I obtained some gear from Timberland that I will be using for my upcoming trip to Inner Mongolia and Jiuzhaigou, I've been wanting to try bringing my jacket and boots out on a hike somewhere in Singapore. Not only was it a good way for me to get used to wearing them, I decided to take the opportunity to show off the items I received in the best possible way: with a little photoshoot.

Timberland Earthkeepers: My Travelling Companions

I'm not the only person who has been fortunate in getting the chance to go on a trip to Inner Mongolia and Jiuzhaigou. In this post, I will be sharing about a couple of my travelling companions, who also took part in contests organised by Timberland Singapore, and won the opportunity to be a part of Timberland Earthkeepers' desert greening efforts.

Timberland Earthkeepers: Grace's Articles from 2009...

Planting a four year old pine sapling in 2009;
(Photo by Grace Chua)

He who plants a tree
Plants a hope.
Rootlets up through fibres blindly grope;
Leaves unfold into horizons free.
So man's life must climb
From the clods of time
Unto heavens sublime.
Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree,
What the glory of thy boughs shall be?

He who plants a tree
Plants a joy;
Plants a comfort that will never cloy;
Every day a fresh reality,
Beautiful and strong,
To whose shelter throng
Creatures blithe with song.
If thou couldst but know, thou happy tree,
Of the bliss that shall inhabit thee!

He who plants a tree,
He plants peace.
Under its green curtains jargons cease.
Leaf and zephyr murmur soothingly;
Shadows soft with sleep
Down tired eyelids creep,
Balm of slumber deep.
Never hast thou dreamed, thou blessed tree,
Of the benediction thou shalt be.

He who plants a tree,
He plants youth;
Vigor won for centuries in sooth;
Life of time, that hints eternity!

- Lucy Larcom

Timberland Earthkeepers: The Journey Begins...

As many of you would have known by now, I've been chosen to be a part of Timberland's reforestation efforts in Horqin, Inner Mongolia, not to mention that I will also get to go on a nature appreciation and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan.

On Sunday, my journey begins, thanks to a contest that I was initially quite hesitant to join. I'm really quite excited, and I'm sure that I will have a memorable experience over in China.

But of course, there is the issue of getting the proper gear.

Validation

Some of you might have recalled this post I wrote about Timberland Earthkeepers and the Horqin Desert, which I submitted as an entry in this contest.

I'm really happy to announce that I've won for myself an all expenses paid trip to join the Timberland Earthkeepers reforestation efforts in Horqin in Inner Mongolia, as well as a nature appreciation trip to Jiuzhaigou Valley (worth S$3,500). On top of that, I get a S$1,000 Timberland voucher.

Timberland Earthkeepers Contenders

Nuffnang Singapore and Timberland Singapore held a blogging contest to send a blogger to Inner Mongolia and Sichuan as part of the Timberland Earthkeepers programme. Thursday (30th June) was the deadline, and it'll be an exciting time for me as I wait for the results. My entry can be seen here (Apparently, it got picked up by last Friday's edition of Friday Ark). And here are the posts written by other bloggers, which I managed to find through Google.

Timberland Earthkeepers and the Horqin Desert

This post was submitted as an entry in the Timberland Earthkeepers blogging contest with Nuffnang Singapore

UPDATE: I WON! Check out this post for more details.

"Sureg amgalan sun shim arvin boltugai"
(Let the herd be peaceful and milk be in abundance)

- Mongolian greeting

As a person who is very passionate about wildlife, conservation and the environment, reading the news can be a terribly depressing daily affair. The multitude of issues which plague our planet and threaten the future of our wild places and even our own civilisation are too numerous to list here, but at least, once in a while, there are glimmers of hope and inspiration, stories of efforts that illustrate the will to make a difference, and to do one's part, no matter how small it may seem, to help make the world a better place.

Where it comes to narratives about environmental destruction and protection, large multinational corporations are often depicted as the bad guys, wreaking havoc in a limitless hunger for profit, no matter the ecological or social costs. Yet this is a myth that ignores and overlooks the good that many companies do, often under the banner of corporate social responsibility. Skeptics may claim that it's usually just greenwashing or mere token efforts that in no way override the environmental damage that is wrought in the name of the almighty dollar, but I like to be optimistic and believe that business entities involved in environmental efforts do have the ability to make a powerful impact.



One would think that companies which specialise in manufacturing products for outdoor use should be especially interested and involved in such activities; after all, their business relies on consumers choosing to explore the so-called great outdoors, whether it's hiking, mountain climbing, or camping in the woods. This in turn relies on there being some semblance of wilderness or nature area that people find worth visiting in the first place. Timberland, with its Earthkeepers, and the subject of this blog post, is one such example.