Ultimately, it affects us as well; it affects our decendents, our blood line.
Would you subject your child to a diet of junk food?
You CAN help!
See past post on the first YRCC and marine litter.
Would love to do more? Sign up for coastal cleanup (28 Apr) Individuals without an organisation, fear not! We will open up registrations nearer to the day itself. Stay-tuned to our page!
So I attended a TEDxSingapore event last Tuesday (April 3, 2012). I found out about it through Facebook... through my subscription to Nicky Bay's updates (his photography is awesome). I'm often asked how I find out about events, so there. Anyway, it was held at Max Atria - "an innovative "Green" Convention Centre". I even attended the tour to gain further insights to their concept of "Green" (more on this in a separate post).
I've always been fond of TED videos and it was a distant dream to be seated among the audience, listening to the speakers live. And thanks to Organisers - Dave Lim and Olivia Choong, and the TEDxSingapore team, my distant dream materialised. I could hardly contain my excitement when I received the event confirmation via email.
The theme was "Inspiring Ideas To The Max" and it sought to celebrate our human spirit and potential.
Event curators - Anh and Mo on stage
"Our innate drive has propelled us to heights of truly amazing and inspiring human endeavours, achievements and imaginations. How will we continue to strive to better ourselves, to maximise our fullest potential as individuals, as a people and as a species?
As we look upon our journey, we increasingly realise that our pursuit now requires us to equally seek "Inspiring Ideas To The Min" Can we eliminate disease, hunger, exploitation? How can we reduce our reliance on fast-depleting resources like food, energy, water? Are we willing to achieve our own greatness at the expense of other people, other nations, our planet, and the well-being our children for whom we create the future?
Max or Min? If less is the new more, can we truly desire to have more of less?
Will our legacy be Greatness or Greed? Good or Bad?
What deeply matters to you?
What do you want in life?
What will you do?"
Information exchange mapped
Wonderful posters done by Chez
The list of speakers (in order of presentation) were:
J. Pomeroy spoke about his architectural pursuits - the skycourts and skygardens, in view of the escalating urban heat. He had 3 main ideas (and they're numbered in the poster). He had an interesting equation which allowed him to visualise the extent in which 'vertical green spaces' in our urban jungle could carry out the role of forests that once occupied the area.
It occured to me that the 'green spaces' as proposed could, as he had claimed, shoulder some of the role of forests, but largely in terms of maintaining surrounding temperature and mitigating urban heat. It was also possible that such 'green spaces' can act as a "nursery" for our birds and bees (and butterflies, etc.). I can't help but wonder if the whole green space that could sustain a (healthy) population of xyz, would move on to place more emphasis on aesthetic appeal than anything.
Perhaps, such 'green spaces' could act as corridors/stepping stones for our flighty friends, but we have to remember that some species are shy and tend to avoid dwelling in urban areas/places with people/a significant level of noise. Also, I reckoned that botanists/urban ecologists/ecologists etc., not just landscapers, were consulted during the planning process, but I'm not too sure if it was the case.
Skygardens, could have the potential, especially in Singapore (where land is scarce, and where our proudly acclaimed 48% of forest cover is actually broken down into many ‘green spaces’, of which only 0.2% is primary forest), to bridge fragmented landscapes and perhaps encourage genetic flow between populations occupying different areas. Not too sure if green corridors will be effective, but we'll just have to see. Hopefully, the BTNR Eco-Link achieves its objectives.
"Architect and butterfly watcher Khew Sin Khoon, 51, wondered how comfortable Singaporeans would be with increased biodiversity in their midst.
Said Mr Khew: “Are we prepared for more bees and wasps, centipedes, changeable lizards? And when there are frogs, snakes will follow. All these creatures are part and parcel of the ecological chain.”" via
How can we then, solve this dilemma? A definitive step would be through public education! Nature outreach! See Toddycats! Engage (*hint* we are recruiting *hint*)
Anyway, J. Pomeroy ended his talk with 3Ds:
Distill lessons from the past
Design for the present
Diseminate the knowledge for the future
His projects have a lot of potential, and is relevant to land-scarce Singapore. A good architectural design could, for instance, increase ventilation within the building (and thus, reduce the need for air-conditioning on non-rainy days etc.). Product designs can make a whole lot of difference. We could do with a re-design that results in less plastic packaging in our goods/products. Here's a snippet from a blog post some time back,
Prior to his talk, David Attenborough spoke! Watch it if you haven't already! (If you have, watch it again! #GMH)
After watching the mesmerising clip and listening to the soothing voice-over, Michael Totten dived into the grim topics, covering environmental issues (extensive deforestation, air quality/composition, climate change, ocean acidification, etc. ) currently plaguing our planet.
"Humans have also accelerated the extinction of species. Humans are playing the role of megavolcanic eruptions."
After informing the audience about the current state of affairs, he moved on to describe ways in which we can help, with modern day technology.
"People say we continue to use coal because it’s cheap, but actually if we were to include externalities (cost of cancer, cost on environment, etc) in the coal price, it would be 600% higher!" via
"So what can we do? We need to do an inventory, prioritize and finance innovation. Each square meter of white roof offsets 1 ton of CO2. Replacing the 13 million incandescent bulbs in the world with LEDs would reduce power consumption by six times!" via
"Companies also need to get involved. For example, Disney did a $7 million investment in forest projects which help to protect forests in the Amazon, the Congo and the United States safeguarding ecosystems that benefit climate and quality of life on the planet. These projects will decrease carbon emissions by improving forest protection through reducing logging and the impact of slash and burn agriculture." via
He also emphasised on the importance of ensuring that the environmental messages reach the public.
"Michael says we should create a planetary medicine practitioner manual. 1 trillion hours a year are spent watching TV and it only took 100 million hours to create Wikipedia. So everything is possible if we collaborate." via
And he ends on a positive note - That every single one of us can make a difference through our cumulative efforts.
Next speaker was Masami Sato, founder of Buy-1-Give-1.
She begins by posing us the following question:
And the answer...
Then she showed us the amount one needs to save in a month, from age 22 to retirement...
Just 552$ + 4% interest earnings...
And she contrasts the average monthly savings of an average American against the magic number.
Because being a millionaire isn't everything.
And M. Sato reminds us that we do have enough to help our poverty-strickened friends out. For instance, Business Entertainment in Japan reaps $35b worth of profits, and apparently, just $6b will alleviate Education Funding woes globally... Imagine the possibilities.
M. Sato highlighting global issues, such as poverty, habitat destruction, displaced wildlife and victims of natural calamities.
Embracing the "pay-it-forward" movement, as it is a more fulfilling process than getting>having>losing.
Need to change our hoarding mentality!
The last thing we should do, is to throw our hands in the hair and slip into an alternating cycle of apathy and despair.
In essence, B1G1 seeks to transform our mindsets, by integrating philantropy into business models, in a bid to inculcate the habit of giving on a regular basis, as opposed to a once-off thing.
"B1G1 moves giving from an ad-hoc, event-driven model to a very specific transaction-based giving model — a world where every transaction gives back and makes a difference." via
"600 businesses around the world support projects in B1G1. 10.3 million micro givings have been made around the world with the project. There are many B1G1 projects such as provide clean water for one person for a day, give access to the toilet for a day, clothe a child for a day, etc." via
I really enjoyed her talk. We need more business associates like her.
And the first speaker after the interval was Ananda Avalokita.
"... founder and director of Positive Events, a special events agency established as a powerful collaborative to create potent and inspiring events that are Green from ideas, design, production and right down to execution. Reducing, Reusing and Recycling every step of the way by leveraging on green suppliers, partners, best practices and expertise and deliver the same results while meaningfully reducing carbon footprint and costs.
A. Avalokita with the group of tea leaf pickers that transformed the way he goes about trying to rally people to show more concern towards our environment.
And the best way to re-establish a connection between people and nature is to immerse them in it. Getting them to experience life beyond the cities, and witnessing habitat destruction firsthand, and then drawing connections between the choices they make in their daily lives and their ability to make a difference as end-consumers, would certainly be more impactful and convincing than just presenting them articles based on scientific data.
Of course, there are many other considerations, such as safety and the need to minimise on-site disturbance.
Scott D. Anthony was a charismatic speaker and raised several insightful points on innovation throughout his talk, as indicated in the poster above.
"Scott, the biggest curse in the world is the curse of unfulfilled potential." - S. Anthony's Mom
Indeed! And unleashing the innovative-you may not always result in a big bang; Rather, it could be about enhancing the aspects of a current product or system, in terms of improving accessibility, affordability, and simplicity in the design.
Scott D. Anthony on the definition of 'Innovation‘
He gives the example of QB houses in Singapore, where you pay $10 for a haircut. Fuss-free, and gets the job done!
A few great quotes about innovation that Scott gave us are:
“Consumer is boss” (A. G. Lafley, P&G ex-CEO)
“Good artists copy, great artists steal” (Picasso)
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face” (Mike Tyson)
Innovation is a skill and can be honed, with lots of practice. (There is hope for me!)
Next up, is Zann Huang.
Independent and self-funded, Zann Huang is a photojournalist who contributes to the United Nations on humanitarian and environmental issues and is based in the Middle East.
She shared to us about her encounter with glue-sniffing Cambodian kids. They roamed the streets and lived in dire conditions; Strickened with poverty and hardship at such tender ages, they turned to drugs for relief, albeit temporary and detrimental to their health.
They just want to get by each day without feeling miserable.
She was even rescued from an attack by one of the children she had met earlier in the day! The amount of compassion and humanity in these children touched her and I believe, those sitting in the audience as well.
"Photographs can deliver strong messages, as well as tear down prejudices or any pre-conceived notions people have." - Zann Huang on why she is determined and certain that photojournalism is something she'd pursue for the rest of her life.
Her photojournalistic adventures are not without dangers, of course - see ST article. On non-school holidays, she assumes the role of a teacher. #RESPECT
Her online repository/portfolio can be found here. You can also search for her works at Gaia Photos.
The last and final speaker of the day, was Thaddeus Lawrence!
Traversing the 4 deserts:
"The 4 Deserts is the world's leading rough-country endurance footrace series. A unique collection of world-class events that take place over 7 days and 250 kilometres in the largest and most forbidding deserts on the planet.
Competitors are challenged to go beyond the limits of their physical and mental endurance. Racing self-supported in the most inhospitable climates and formidable landscapes, they must carry all their own equipment and food and are only provided with drinking water and a place in a tent each night to rest.
The series, named again by TIME magazine in 2010 as one of the world's Top 10 endurance competitions, comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Gobi March in China, the Sahara Race in Egypt and The Last Desert in Antarctica."
WITH your supplies (food, water, change of clothes, first-aid kit, outdoor gear etc.) is insanely challenging, but not extreme enough to stop T. Lawrence from advancing to the finishing line!
I am thankful to be given the opportunity to hear these remarkable individuals speak. Thank you event organisers, Dave Lim and Olivia Choong, AND the TEDxSingapore curatorial team for making this possible.
(I have Storify-ed the tweets; You may check out the live-tweets here.)
The people in these two decades (almost), have shaped me tremendously.
Especially the ones I’ve met in the past five months - they are like the occasionally breeze that comes along in the middle of a hot and humid day; the kind of breeze that picks you up, that caresses your hair as if they’ve known you all your life, that prompts you to stop in your tracks and take in your surroundings…
The kind of breeze that reminds you that you are not alone in this world. And that it is easy to ‘neglect’ those around you who doesn’t give a <expletive> about what you believe in, as you pursue your interests, with your goal constantly in mind.
I’ve made many more acquaintances in the past five months than throughout my Secondary school and JC life, combined. I’ve got friends I still keep in touch with, since meeting them in Primary school. But I dare say, the strongest friendships were forged during my upper Sec years - and only with a select few.
I treasure them. Al - almost all.
Lately, I’ve found myself in a whirlwind of activities. I’m happy that I’ve been given the chance to do what I love and what I can in this phase of my life - but although they’re in my life, I can’t seem to nail them. I don’t think I’ve failed, as of yet, but I’m quite certain I can do a better a good job of managing them. Perhaps, I should confront things head-on and put them into perspective. Perhaps, I should accept this ‘chaos’ as a natural order of things. Perhaps, as I venture further in, alternating between resisting and conceding to opposing forces, I’d find myself in the center of all these issues, in the eye of the tornado.
Only a matter of time.
Or is it?
What if I can’t do all of this alone? In the first place, these matters were never designed to be tackled, alone. We often think that by taking matters into our own hands, eliminating the need to meander through the seemingly unending stream of proposals, acceptance, and approvals, we are simplifying processes. Time to dig a trench through point A to B, huh?
I can’t do that.
I can’t be so results-oriented (lol, the irony) and obliterate anything that comes in the way between me and my goals… Can’t just burn bridges, displace and implicate livelihoods/communities on both banks of the river downstream… Can’t just upset the whole ecosystem, to appease myself… Can’t walk into people’s lives when I need them, and walk out on them when I don’t…
I can’t do that.
In time, I’ll learn to loosen my mental grip on things, and let nature take its course. Go with the flow, right?
Find my inner zen - inner peace and tranquillity, in the midst of chaos.
And perhaps, find a system that works. And with the combined efforts of others and an unfettered, clear-light mind, we’ll form what I’d like to imagine as flight-worthy wings… and before we know it, we’ll be able to harness resistance as we let our ideas take flight. All about perspective, ain’t it?
Together, we’ll be soaring in the realms of the eagle - often associated with leadership qualities. As leaders of our own thoughts, we can brainstorm and arrive at a consensus, which will enable us to navigate our way through ‘trials and tribulations’ in the most efficient manner…
Time to take that first step, after freezing in my tracks and allowing my mind to take a mental trip along my imaginary dimension.
Onward, regardless of stepping on cracks in the side-walk.
