GrEen SeCreTs

Any idea where this place is?

Maybe this next picture will help…

If you’re Singaporean, chances are… you would have been to Plaza Singapura shopping mall before. Did you know that Plaza Singapura is one of the many shopping centres under CaiptaMall?

Plaza Singapura is a popular contemporary one-stop urban mall with emphasis on fashion, entertainment and food for families and young adults. Located in the heart of Orchard Road, its retail outlets are spread over 9 floors with each floor having its own theme.

B2 – Hypermarket and The Marketplace

B1 – Young Fashion & Casual Dining

L1 – Hypermarkets/Fashion

L2 – Fashion and Beauty

L3 – Family and Lifestyle

L4 – IT and Electronics

L5 – Home Furnishings

L6 – Food and Education

L7 – Entertainment

Day 5 of CYX, the youths were brought on a mini excursion to Plaza Singapura. Away from the countryside for the first time, and in the heart of downtown Singapore, the youths were introduced to Francis, Plaza Singapura’s Operations Manager, Melissa, Plaza Singapura’s Leasing Manager and Isabel from the Marketing Communications department.

Melissa started off by giving our youths some basic facts about the shopping mall, general statistics and property profile…

 

At the end of her presentation, Johnny took the stage and announced the next challenge to the youths…

Green Challenge #5: Green Secrets Pop-Up Book

The youths were told that they are to each come up with a simple green idea that Plaza Singapura could implement in their shopping mall. The brief given by Johnny was as follows:

• Product must be able to be manufactured for less than $10 per unit
• Product can be manufactured by the cottage industry
• Main material used for presentation: paper
• Final presentation of the product must be in a pop-up book
• Pop-ups have to be photographic-based and realistic, not abstract art
• Final presentation will be done to the Green Committee of CapitaLand on Thursday (3 days later…)

Johnny gave the youths a couple of existing examples to ensure that they will be on the right track…

A Starbucks hot drink cup holder made from recycled paper

A plastic bag for carrying wet umbrellas into an indoor building on a rainy day

So, with the new challenge in mind, the youths were brought around Plaza Singapura for a tour by Francis, Melissa and Isabel.

 

One of the existing green features in Plaza Singapura is the CarPark Guidance System. It helps to cut down fuel consumption and carbon monoxide emission as cars do not have to drive around and around the carpark looking for parking lots. Empty lots will be indicated with a green light, lots that are occupied will be indicated with a red light, and handicap lots that are available will be indicated with a blue light.

Besides this, there is also a sensor that measures and shows the level of carbon monoxide in the carpark. If in the unlikely circumstance where the level of carbon monoxide is above the safe level, a vacuum will automatically suck out the poisonous gas and bring the air to a level safe for breathing.

Other green initiatives Plaza Singapura has undertaken are:

• motion-sensored taps in toilets
• motio-sensored lights at stairs
• glass ceiling panels filled with argon gas that keeps out the heat from the sunlight from entering the bulding
• temperature sensors to regulate the temperature indoors
• variable speed device on travelators
• recycling bins
• shuttle bus service from designated train stations to shopping mall

 

 

After the tour, the youths were given 2 hours for lunch and to shop for materials they think they would need for making their Green Secrets pop-up book.

 

See you guys again in 2 hours!! ^_^

 

Back at GardenAsia, Didier made her way down to help the youths with their pop-up books. She taught them basic pop-up book techniques, and explained the basic steps of creating and putting together a pop-up book. After that… these kid-dos are on their own =P

 

At this point, most of them had yet to come up with an idea…

Well, it’s REALLY not easy having to think of a new product, and what more having to go in accordance with Johnny’s brief.

That’s the strange thing about humans… we always complain that we are missing this and that, that we would be better off if we had this or that… but when it comes to actually thinking of creating a new product, it feels like we already have EVERYTHING we need, and any ideas we attempt to come up with already exists. Am I alone on this? Can you relate to what I mean?

Well, the youths worked on developing their green idea for the remaining of today… after dinner, the bus took them back to the Singapore Sports School.

 

BUT… what do you do when you can’t fall asleep at night?

Call for a CYX meeting and discuss outstanding issues, tasks to be completed and datelines of course! =P

 

Xuan taking charge… YES MA’AM!!

 

 

TADAH!!

Their timeline and workplan =)

I do this too for my projects… it REALLY does help plan and get everything organised, especially when there is so much information to take into consideration.

 

 

Well, now you know… Singapore has her very own countryside… the Kranji Countryside! But besides GardenAsia, what else is there to do in the countryside?

Having been at GardenAsia for the last 3 days, it’s time for the youths to explore and find out what else the countryside has to offer them, and in turn figure out what they can do for the countryside.

 

To kick off their Kranji exploration, we invited Mrs. Ivy Singh-Lim, founder of Bollywood Veggies, president of th Kranji Countryside Association, to speak to the youths about her passion for farming, gardening and her love for a countryside lifestyle.

Bollywood Veggies, one of the farms at the Kranji Countryside, specialises in growing fruits, vegetables and fruit vegetables. They are the largest producer of organic bananas and papayas in Singapore. They also grow uncommon medicinal trees and herbs and probably the hottest chilli padi on the island on their 10 acre farm.

 

 

 

After the talk, the youths were free to visit any of the farms in the Kranji Countryside, but had to be back at GardenAsia by 4pm. This is an important exercise as getting familiar with the surrounding environment will enable them to come up with practical ideas for the farm stay.

The remaining of the afternoon after the Kranji exploration was spent brainstorming and refining their farm stay ideas. Once the rough proposal was done, the teams did “chain pitching”, basically going around and explaining their farm stay ideas to other groups and getting feedback on how they can improve on the ideas.

Once that was done, the groups went back into their individual space, and continued with their preparation for their presentation.

After spending hours working on the presentation, building models, printing visuals and juicing sample fruit juices (… for Admire, Xiao Xiao and Xuan), the groups were FINALLY ready to pitch their ideas to Johnny, Kenny and Catherine (… remember the lady from Homespun?) at 11pm =D

The presentation was done right at the farm stay area. Despite the drizzle, we went ahead and did the presentation there… THE SHOW MUST GO ON! ^_^

 

Some responded through impulse, some on insight, while some just adapt to work around the situation and still some others adopt the most rational failsafe approach. All these approaches together have worked towards designing a farm stay, at Gardenasia, Kranji Countryside.

Just a recap of what this green challenge is about… the brief required each team, whatever the method of approach, to generate innovative concepts and design ‘A Program’, ‘A Service’ and ‘A Product’ that will enhance the farm stay experience.

First up… the Adaptive Group with Admira, Xuan and Xiao Xiao!

 

Adaptive:

The program:

“Chill Bill” an experimental juice bar where everyone can create their own juice recipe from fruits and vegetable they find in the farm stay. The recipes can be put up on a bulletin and the best can feature in the café menu.

The service:

“Station” is a bus pick up service, making the farm stay more accessible.

The product:

“Zen” is a portable home that can be located anywhere in the farm stay and can adapt to suit its surroundings.

Look what this group made Kenny do…

How does it feel Kenny? =P

Next, we have the Pre-Emptive group with Ming, Ling Han and Mikko!

 

Preemptive:

The program:

Monthly music festival called “Secret Garden” featuring musician from the cottage industry, bringing together an experience that soothes the senses.

The service:

Music workshop called “Back to Nature” for the guests hosted by the musicians of the “secret garden”

The product:

“Chair-man” is a compilation of the music by artist of the “Secret Garden” Guests can bring home a piece of the musical experience they have had at the farm stay. With it, they can remember their encounter with nature through a relaxing time listening to the music when back home.

After that, it was Reactive group’s turn, with Yu Shan, Calvin and Sangeeta, to take the stage!

 

Reactive:

The program:

“Yin Yang” is a balance of fun, adventure and nature trail activities. Including a bicycle trail as a new feature. This program is crafted to engage people of all ages in the farm stay experience.

The service:

“Flipsides” is turning around and building a self-sustaining, completely independent community with features that benefit all at the farm stay.

The product:

“Mummy” is a green protective envelope, a curtain that regulates your indoor temperature to

establish comfortable conditions.

 

Last but DEFINITELY not the least, we have Failsafe group with LiMin, Linda and Chien Lin.

 

Failsafe:

The program:

“Summer” a positive feel good environment that will serve as a retreat for the sick who need peace, calm and rest. For the family, learning to grow and cook organic food, is a part of the farm stay experience.

The service:

“Fireplace” is a cozy comfortable bus tour of the refreshing Kranji countryside for the patients.

The product:

“Lazy Bone” is a herbal pillow, stuffed with essential herbs that improve your health and energize your body.

 in every competition, there’s bound to be a winner… and the winner for the Farm Stay Pitch goes to….

*DRUMROLL*

The winners are Admira, Xiao Xiao and Xuan from the Adaptive Group!

At 2am, the youths were “brain-dead”and sleepy… and the night ended shortly after the announcing of the winner.

ZZZzzzZZzzz

 

 

We’ve all heard about the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and the gardening and landscaping industry, and even the education and training industry… but have you heard about the cottage industry?

What is the cottage industry? What do they do? Do they build cottages? What if I told you, that right here in Singapore, we have our very own cottage industry? Would you be surprised?

Day 3 of CYX is for the youths to explore the cottage industy in Singapore. Honestly, I have NEVER heard of the cottage industry prior to today, so it was definitely an eye-opener and an interesting day because I was learning just as much as the youths were =D

The cottage industry gives people who are underprivileged and/or handicapped the chance to support themselves and to contribute back to society. By allowing them to turn their hobbies and interests like sewing, weaving, and various other forms of arts and crafts into ways they can make money, these people are able to live their life meaningfully, independently, and are now able to support themselves. With the help of Homespun, a company that reaches out to the cottage industries and bind them with local talents to create inspiring everyday objects, the people in the cottage industry are thriving. Basically, Homespun injects designs and ideas for products into the cottage industry, and the craftsmen in the industry (… who are underprivileged and/or handicapped) produce these products. Homespun also helps to create awareness, promote and sell the products. Ultimately, Homespun aims to be the platform for Asian designers to showcase their works of creations.

By exposing the youths to the cottage industry, we hope to allow them to understand the concept of the cottage industry and exactly how the industry works. To take us through the day, we had with us the spunky, funky and cheerful Catherine, founder of Homespun, and her food-loving sidekick Didier, a local designer. Catherine is one of the leading driving force in the cottage industry in Singapore, and Didier’s recycled material product ideas is, in my opinion, one of the BEST I have ever come across. Honestly, I am totally impressed with her creations and masterpieces! More on that later though…

First stop for today, Catherine and Didier brought all of us to the Silra Home. The SILRA Home was founded in 1971 and it is committed to improving the lives of ex-leprosy victims in Singapore through providing them with a home, basic care and love. The ex-leprosy victims contribute to the cottage industry by making handicraft projects, doing sewing, making rattan baskets, and growing bonsai plants.

Next stop… the Girls’ Brigade.

Now, most of us, I’m sure, have heard about the Girls’ Brigade before, and some of us probably had this uniform group in their secondary school. But do you really know what they do?

The Girls’ Brigade Singapore is a non-profit, non-political, international and inter-denominational Christian organization established in Singapore since 1927. Over the years, the Girls’ Brigade Singapore has touched the lives of many and contributed to society and to the nation.

At this stop, the youths were introduced to VillageWorks™. VillageWorks™ was conceived by the Girls’ Brigade Singapore for the purpose of creating employment and providing skills and livelihood to women and young people in third world countries where the Girls’ Brigade Singapore has pioneering work. VillageWorks first started in a small village in the Baray District of Kampong Thom Province Cambodia in 2001. Today, the people in Cambodia still continue to produce handmade products that are sold worldwide.

Back on the bus, on our way to the Metta School, Didier and Catherine announced the task for the day…

Green Challenge #4: Flower Making With Recycled Materials

For the remainder of today, the youths have to keep their eyes peeled and on the lookout. For what? For materials they can recycle and use to make a stalk of flower, or anything relating to flowers and plants. The only material that Didier is providing them with is green wire, scissors and beads. Any other materials they need will have to be obtained by some other means =) Their creations will be shown later… you’ld be amazed with what these youths can do, turning nothing into somthing (… a concept they learnt from Brian) =D

*Bus Stops*

We are at our 3rd stop of the day now… The Metta School.

The Metta School first opened its door to pupils of varied racial and religious backgrounds on 15 January 2001. Metta School provides special education to pupils between the ages of 6 and 18 years old with mild intellectual disability and autism and an IQ range of 50 to 70. The school prepares students 3-6 years old for entering mainstream schools. Students 7-18 years old are taught academic subjects and vocational skills to prepare them to be adults in the working world.

Having too many colours tend to confuse children with autism. As such, the school is painted mainly in one colour… yellow.

 

The students are also encouraged to take up after-school activities.

They will stay back twice a week and be engaged in these club activities.

Above, we see a class of students making clay sculptures =)

 

After a tour of the school… it was LUNCH TIME!! =D

 

 

This is Happy Arts Deli,

a vegetarian eating place located at the Metta School.

The Happy Arts Deli was set up to allow students that specialise in cooking and baking to get hands-on working experience. Their students work alongside full-time F&B staff, and are guided by them patiently. By providing such vocational training and attachment opportunities for their students, the Metta School hopes that one day, their students will be able to support themselves.

After lunch, it’s time for a little exercise at the Simei Care Centre =P Time for these youths to climb some stairs…

 

 

What’s up there?

 

The Homespun office is located at the 3rd level of the Simei Care Centre…

 

 

There, Catherine explained Homespun’s business model to the youths.

In the office, there was a collection of the various products the cottage industry has produced. The things they were able to create out of recycled materials amazed me.

 

Here is one of Didier’s creations…

A lamp made from plastic bottles.

 

 

 

Heading back downstairs…

SHOPPING!!! ^_^ =D =P … with a good cause too!! =)

On the first level of the Simei Care Centre is a retail store. Felicia, owner of Something New Something Old, opened this store to sells items that people donate. She has EVERYTHING, from clothes, to books, to magazines, to shoes, accessories, and even carpets and umbrellas! All proceeds go back to helping the ex-mental patients at the Simei Care Centre.

Do you have a better understanding of what the cottage industry is about now?

Well… if not, don’t worry about it… we have one more place to visit.

 

The Henderson Community Club.

Mothers from low income families gather at the Henderson CC frequently to work on art projects. The products they make are sold, and all proceeds go back to them to help supplement their family income. Coincidentally, the mothers are working on making cloth flowers, which is similar to what the youths have to accomplish for Green Challenge #4.

At Henderson CC, the youths were given about 45 minutes to complete their challenge. At the end of that, they did a presentation on the significance of their flower and what it represents to them.

On the behalf of the youths, thank you Catherine and Didier for taking us around today, and for showing us some of the homes and centres in the cottage industry =) We have learnt alot from you, and your ideas and creations have inspired us all ^_^