4 ways to make your life more sustainable
It’s easy to be green when you set your mind to it, sustainable living in Singapore
Text: Anna A
The Green Collective SG is the city’s first collective of inspiring businesses, retail concepts and conscious consumers who work together to build a community of changemakers to make life more sustainable. Founded by Danielle Champagne, Mayur Sinth and Agatha ‘Agy’ Lee, they collaborate with multiple brands as a bid to ensure a positive footprint on our planet. It’s a yes from us.
Following principles of shared responsibility, The Green Collective SG’s vision is to help people adopt a more sustainable living and greener lifestyle. We spoke to Agy Lee to find out how we can become more environmentally friendly.
Credit: The Green Collective
1. GO REUSABLE
Did you know that a plastic bag can take anywhere from 15 to 1,000 years to break down? Agy’s first tip is to start simple and reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the environment. Stock up on reusable bags, which you can easily keep in your handbag, reusable straws or Tupperware. Embrace a zero-waste mindset; the Bring Your Own (BYO) movement started in Singapore in 2017 and continues to encourage consumers to reduce their plastic consumption. This initiative now has 1,120 supporting outlets across 137 brands, some even offering a range of fantastic rewards to participants. For instance, enjoy a free SGD 1 Premium Topping from Poke Theory or 50¢ off your drink at Plain Vanilla when you bring your own tumbler.
2. MINDFUL EATING
Food wastage is one of the most significant waste streams in Singapore, making up about half of the average 1.5kg of waste disposed of by each household on our island daily. Shockingly, the amount of food wastage generated in this city has grown by about 20% over the last 10 years. And in 2019 alone, Singapore generated around 744 million kg of food waste — which is the equivalent to two bowls of rice per person, per day. It’s time to get conscious about your food. If you’re buying, plan ahead and make sure you only buy what you need for your recipe. If you’re ordering food, only order what you are going to actually eat (no-one really needs two portions of truffle-fries).
One eco-friendly way to transform food scraps into good is by making your own urban compost. The Green Collective provide a complete 101 on the basics of urban compost and provides green-fingered enthusiasts with everything they need to know.
3. BUY LESS, BUY BETTER, BUY LOCAL
Buying less and from local brands is a great way to support homegrown businesses as well as contribute to the economy. If you want to spend money, think about the items that need replacing in your wardrobe, rather than going after what you want. Try not to be materialistic but conscious. Singapore has some excellent local and sustainable designers inspired by eco-conscious values such as Esse, who uses sustainable fabrics to create their collections to combat climate change.
4. BE CURIOUS
Agy’s final advice is to be curious and ask questions to start to your eco-journey. Take note of where something was made, what the creation process was and also consider the impact of the product. In The Green Collective SG store, there are plenty of educational posters that educate consumers about each brand and the effect it has on the environment and society.
Visit The Green Collective SG for more information on how you can live more sustainably.
