It was my first time on a panel to discuss the environment at
Y.LEAD, an annual leadership seminar for all 700 Year 3 students at River Valley High School.
I learnt so much from the students' thoughtful questions, and the answers from the co-panelist Veera of The Sustainable Living Lab.
There were several simultaneous panels during the event and I was involved in discussions on "Our Environment, My business".
Veera shared lots of inspiring ideas about rethinking consumerism, ethical business practices and much more. He shared about
The Sustainable Living Lab (SL2) a makerspace for the Soul! They also have
courses for ordinary people to learn how to make things with their hands from industrial waste materials. In mass production, often perfectly good materials have to be offcut and thrown away to meet quality standards. SL2 uses these for handmade objects.
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Mr Veera showing the iBam produced by SL2.
iBam is a speaker for your iPhone made from bamboo! |
I also had a chance to share about our shores and highlight some ways ordinary people, especially young people can make a difference. I was glad to highlight the good work of the young people at
Youth for Ecology in gathering the views of youths and creating a platform for youth voices to be heard.
We then had a very lively question and answer session where the students asked many thought provoking questions. This is great! It is better to come up with a good question than a good answer. Because the answer to a good question may change!
I also took the opportunity to share the
'blue' guidesheet to Singapore's Southern Shores with those who asked questions.
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| Click on image for larger view |
Before the talk, I had a chance to run my 'filler' slideshow that showcases some of the marine life, landscapes and volunteers of Singapore shores. It's now on SlideShare for free download.
Moderating the event were two immaculately attired young ladies who spoke eloquently in English and Mandarin. An awesome summary of the entire discussion was also given. And the school also did a video interview of both Veera and me. I'm very impressed by the professional way the students and teachers managed this complex and lively week-long event.
The energy from the students was intoxicating and I'm sure they will go on to do great things!
Thanks to Faith Goh and Alvin Low for inviting me to be a part of this. And to Veera for the insights into the business aspects of making change.
