UNIFORMS ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST WASTE STREAMS WE CREATE. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO CIRCULATE PRELOVED UNIFORMS BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN MET WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SUCCESS. AFTER A SMALL PAUSE AND MEANINGFUL REFLECTION, WE ARE EXCITED TO S USED UNIFORM INITIATIVE AT TheZeroWasteCentre
AS PART OF PERSONAL & SOCIAL EDUCATION, ALL GRADE 6 STUDENTS PITCH IN TO FEED THE EARTH AND LEARN ABOUT OPEN BAY COMPOSTING.
STUDENTS GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH OUR CAMPUS FOOD WASTE, SEEING IT TRANSFORM INTO NUTRIENT-RICH SOIL AMENDMENT, READY TO BE USED ON OUR CAMPUS GARDENS.
“TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE WAS LABOUR-INTENSIVE, INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE IS ENERGY-INTENSIVE, AND PERMACULTURE IS INFORMATION AND DESIGN INTENSIVE.”
~ DAVID HOLMGREN
In Term 1 our campus community has been immersed in a range of experiential activities to promote sustainable living practices Permaculture initiatives help us reconnect with nature through regenerative methods of composting, gardening, chicken care, and recycling. Some new initiatives have been inspired by creative problem-solving with more innovative applications like hydroponic food production, mushroom cultivation, lowering campus carbon emissions, and reducing energy use
East Campus proudly embodies our community values and our collective hopes, striving to learn and grow together. Through these unique campus-wide experiences, we are actively promoting a more sustainable lifestyle and creating a more sustainable future.
Campus-wide Sustainable Practices
High School N GARDENING
applies permaculture principles age The Nest, East Campus’s rooftop garden. s learn to address food insecurity, aligning with re ' s 2030 Green Plan From seed collection to , growing, and harvesting, students supply fresh, s produce to our community. In Term 1, our Urban rs have also been providing raw ingredients for nvironmental Initiatives like Raw Beauty who sustainable cosmetics, and Sustainabrew, who refreshing drinks and promote sustainable urban s
HION
works to transform discarded fabrics into repurposed, up-cycled creations This year the initiative is focused on reimagining unusable school uniforms into innovative new designs. Through collaboration and creativity, students explore sustainable fashion solutions and also raise awareness, inspiring our community to rethink fast fashion.
RAINFOREST RESTORATION is an environmental initiative focusing on restoring tropical rainforests and enhancing biodiversity in Singapore. Students learn restoration techniques for tropical rainforests and manage a rooftop tree nursery in The Nest, our rooftop garden classroom. Responsibilities include nurturing endemic and endangered tree saplings and eventually planting them in areas like Singapore’s Green Corridor to support local ecosystem restoration
URBAN
GARDENING PROPAGATION comprises a dynamic group who work in our 7-layer food forest, the herb garden, and The Nest. Students learn to propagate plants and support our chicken deep litter composting system This term they have been carefully mapping out the food forest on our campus perimeter and also mentoring Primary School urban gardeners in their craft Most recently they have also started growing lettuce with a hydroponics system - they just get in and do everything!
SUSTAINABREW crafts low-waste, sustainable drinks, experimenting with natural ingredients to create delicious beverages Using herbs like lemongrass and mint from our Urban Gardening initiatives, students recently made alternative electrolyte drinks for SEASAC and are now developing new recipes for Global Concerns events to raise funds and create awareness.
EnvironmentalInitiatives
BURNT OUT is a hands-on initiative where students transform waste into beautiful up-cycled candles while managing production, packaging, and sales. Partnering with Global Concerns like i-India and Blue Dragon this term, these students are collaboratively raising awareness and funds, while championing sustainability through innovative up-cycling
BOOMERANG BAGS reduces plastic bag usage by crafting beautiful up-cycled bags from textiles donated by the UWCSEA community By diverting waste from landfills and promoting sustainable living, they’re raising awareness and celebrating our mission through innovative marketing efforts Boomerang bags are often seen and used extensively around our campus, in the library and boarding house.
TECH TINKERS empowers students to refurbish old electronics, reducing e-waste and supporting our sustainability mission By repairing devices from our community and donating them to those in need, they’re raising awareness about e-waste while honing their technical skills If you have old electronics at home you’d like to donate, please put them in Tommy the Turtle which can be found in the Zero Waste Center
CONSERVATION@SEA is a student-led advocacy initiative focused on marine conservation through research, interactive learning with the school’s fish tank, and collaborations with global non-profit organisations. In Term 1, their focus was inspiring younger students with events and competitions, fostering ocean appreciation and advocating for marine stewardship They also welcomed acclaimed underwater photographer and marine conservationist, Al Hornsby, to East Campus for a talk about his life legacy and passion for the ocean
RAW BEAUTY is deeply committed and passionate about creating gorgeous and sustainable soaps that ditch plastic and embrace natural ingredients In Term 1 Raw Beauty collaborated with Global Concerns i-India and Blue Dragon to sell soaps at their events These creative students are championing zero waste while raising funds and awareness and important causes.
Middle School Environmental Initiatives
ARTIST COLLABORATIVE
Artist Collaborative is an EI that is transforming waste into stunning works of art. By up-cycling old school uniforms, used jewelry, and items from around school, students are creating art that supports our NGOs and enhances campus spaces, including our outdoor classrooms. Artist Collaborative promotes creativity while making a real impact, turning waste into inspiration and beauty we can all appreciate!
ROOTS & SHOOTS
Roots and Shoots is an EI inspired by the Jane Goodall Institute of Sinagpore’s work. Actively making East Campus more environmentally sustainable, students are working in the rainforest nursery, applying permaculture techniques like sheet mulching, and championing rainforest conservation
The biggest highlight this term was seeing Jane Goodall in person at her Youth Summit hosted by Raffles Girls School here in Singapore!
URBAN GARDENING
This hands-on EI immerses students in campus gardening
Our Urban Gardeners are learning propagation techniques, crop rotation, companion planting and focusing on encouraging pollinators to improve biodiversity on campus A fun highlight this term has been using our school’s chicken flock to dig, weed, and fertilise the campus garden beds!
Middle School Environmental Initiatives run at Thursday lunchtimes and are open to Grade 6, 7, and 8 students.
“A LEADER TAKES PEOPLE WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. A GREAT LEADER TAKES PEOPLE WHERE THEY DON’T NECESSARILY WANT TO GO, BUT OUGHT TO BE.”
– ROSALYNN CARTER
The High School Environmental Initiatives Service Executive is a team of student changemakers who play a foundational role in leading our High School Environmental Initiatives (EIs) They are selected through an extensive interview process at the start of each academic year. Chosen for their abilities to effectively communicate, collaborate, influence, and inspire, they are thought leaders and mentors in many areas of environmental education and sustainable thinking.
HS Environmental Initiatives Service Executive Team
Throughout the year, this team meets at least once a week to support and collaborate with the student chairs and teacher facilitators of each High School EI They provide solutions and direction for the EIs, helping them connect with Global Concerns and Focus Groups to enable exciting partnerships and innovative design ideas for events like SEASAC, Family Festival, and many Service & Sustainable Development Events This is a powerhouse team of student leaders, who are constantly raising the bar and stepping up.
Gelli Printing Inspired by Nature
Gelli printing with leaves collected from our permaculture food forest and campus gardens became very popular on campus this term. Initiated by our Grade 7 SEED classes and their partnerships with local service groups, students learned the art of Gelli Printing using organic materials They shared this lovely activity with elderly and youth groups in The Nest, our very own rooftop garden classroom Students learned about endemic plants native to Singapore, specifically ones with wonderful aromas and uses in the kitchen! This activity was also a hit with Grade 10 Critical Perspectives classes who were investigating biodiversity on campus and “plants with purpose”. This MS initiative generated beautiful artwork to adorn our campus and bring more nature to our interior walls.
This term, chicken care has expanded to all the sections of our school as PS, MS, and HS students are learning about our campus flock. As part of Personal & Social Education, all Grade 9 classes spend time with the chickens every Wednesday morning Infant and Junior School classes have been taking turns having the chickens visit their classrooms as well as learning to do daily wellness checks in the coop. Our Urban Gardening Environmental Initiatives that meet after school in PS, MS, and HS also support regular cleaning of the coop (they remove the deep litter compost to be used for their gardens!) Providing the hens with enclosed garden spaces around the school to forage in, thus tilling the soil before new seeds are planted, has also become a mutually beneficial partnership between the hens and our student gardeners.
BEST OF ALL, THE HENS PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION TO NATURE. THIS RESULTS IN AN UNDENIABLE INCREASE IN COMMUNITY JOY AND WELLNESS.
Live Lighter Collective
Looking ahead, we are excited to announce the Live Lighter Collective, an Environmental Initiatives shop located in the East Service Office. This re-designed space is gearing up to empower our community to embrace a zero-waste lifestyle while addressing the growing need for showcasing and selling student-created products such as soaps, candles, enzyme cleaners, deodorants, tote bags, beeswax wraps, and more! The collective will also serve as a design space to inspire the broader community, including parents, to adopt sustainable lifestyle practices and explore practical, eco-friendly alternatives to everyday items.
With features designed to keep the area clutter-free, including a meeting space to support collaboration with Global Concerns and Focus Groups, it also hosts a versatile display area for promoting sustainable and sellable items We have been hard at work envisioning a welcoming and practical collective, and we aim to empower our community to "Live Lighter" , embracing environmental stewardship as a shared value and goal We know that the Live Lighter Collective will become a hub of activity where students, parents, and the local community can connect We hope to see you there!
~ Coming Soon ~
F R O M T H E E D I T O R S
It’s been a fun and fruitful start to the 2024/2025 academic year for us in the Environmental Sustainability Department. We hope you’ve enjoyed browsing the highlighted stories in this Term 1 newsletter, which celebrate the achievements and passions of our student groups through their missionaligned projects.
The Environmental Sustainability Office is located in the Service & Sustainable Development Department on the 2nd floor of Block C on East Campus. Please visit us if you would like to get involved or have questions about our programmes and initiatives.
Look out for our next issue, a review of Term 2 & 3, which will be published at the end of this academic year in June 2025.
