SINGAPORE - Students and staff at Juying Primary School have marked Earth Day by planting eight new fruit trees on Monday (April 23), including durian, mango and jackfruit.

Principal Sroya Jaswant said the initiative is a way to teach students the importance of caring for the environment.

"The environment is like our third teacher... students can learn about our rich biodiversity and the importance of reducing wastage from exploring nature," she said.

The school also set a new Singapore record of creating 1,700 butterfly cutouts, which staff and students worked together to make out of recycled drink cartons.

Mr Yee Chia Hsing, an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, attended the tree-planting ceremony and noted his concern about the heavy use of plastic bags and the depletion of fishing stocks in the region.

He suggested that Singapore could lead in the region to protect the marine ecosystem.

"Currently we do not have a law on it (restricting fishing supplies), but there are certain countries where the fish are below a certain size, you are not allowed to sell the fish... that's something which I think maybe we as a country can look into."