ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION
2022/2023 Academic Year
UWCSEA SOLAR SUCCESS
“Being part of the installation was amazing. When I was able to add a solar panel to the long rows on the roof of the school, I felt so happy that our school had succeeded in finishing the project, and grateful that I could be part of it all.” – Kiah, Grade 9, East Campus
This past year celebrated the impact and completion of UWCSEA Solar installations across our campuses.
The Solar for Dover project began nearly 10 years ago, inspired by a Grade 5 student project, and developed through much community support. Dover installed a total of 1,905 Photovoltaics (PV) panels, and this past year the East Campus Facilities team installed the final solar grid on Blocks C and B, bringing the total number of PV panels to 1,096 on East Campus. UWCSEA has reached its solar goal to install over 3,000 solar panels across our campuses in less than 10 years!
The renewable energy generated by the solar panels is approximately 15% of Dover’s total electricity and 11% on East Campus. The facilities teams on both campuses continue to bring students up to see the solar panels first hand, where they learn directly about the impact this renewable energy resource has on campus. Solar panel awareness activities also include workshops and community engagement, as part of UWCSEA’s overall sustainability curriculum.
Through the success of the UWCSEA solar project, students understand how solar and other energy alternatives make a difference in mitigating our carbon footprint and are examples of taking real action for the planet. The tangible benefits and learnings gained from the UWCSEA solar project means the impact of this initiative will live on well into the future for generations of students to come.
GRADE 7’S LEARNING FROM NATURE
“I learned that nature has various elements that can be mimicked in order to improve our world so that it has greater sustainability.”
–Grade 7 Student Participant
In February, ‘biomimicry’ came to life on Dover campus. Over the course of a four day interdisciplinary workshop, 270 Grade 7 students participated in UWCSEA MIMIC MAKERS, an immersive biomimicry learning event. Students learned why nature is an important tool when attempting to solve everyday problems, and explored creative, nature-based solutions to sustainable problem solving.
Through guided thinking, teamwork, and support from guest speakers and workshop leaders, students were asked to identify a problem and unpack it by applying biomimetic connections and using systems thinking. Working collaboratively in teams, students planned story maps to investigate workable solutions before tackling and prototyping their biomimetic design solutions. Experts, such as Stephane Laserre of B+H Architects, supported students’ learning by sharing models of his work in Singapore. Laserre brought a portable farm onto campus to demonstrate to students directly how small environments can mimic larger ecosystems to support plant growth.
The workshop culminated in a full day exhibition where the community was invited to see the designs and share feedback. One creative design included developing an anti-slip paving tile inspired by frogs. Another team design included a water filtration system inspired by Atlantic Menhaden and oysters. The five winning teams had the opportunity to enter their designs into the Singapore Biomimicry Institute’s Youth Design Challenge.
Next year, Dover’s team hopes to inspire more biomimicry learning inside and outside the classroom, and expand the impact of this creative sustainable thinking across the community.
EAST CAMPUS ZERO WASTE CENTRE REIMAGINED
“When it comes to sustainability and zero waste at East Campus, it was made clear from the start that the solution would require a hands-on approach.” – Trisha, Grade 10 student
The Zero Waste Centre was built to be an outdoor environmental classroom where students take part in sustainability activities as part of UWCSEA’s curriculum or services. The centre was intended to be a place where the community can drop off items to be reused, upcycled or recycled. Over time, the focus and intention of the space became muddled, as the collection of waste and unwanted items have overshadowed larger learning strategies.
This year, the East Sustainability Team led by Valentina Zuin and Jacyl Ware thought of an innovative, inclusive, and creative approach to tackle the immense challenge of reconceptualizing the Zero Waste Centre, to better support the community’s waste management needs.
Singapore’s design thinking facilitators Project X, led a two and half day creative design and research workshop where students, parents, educators, Facilities and sustainability staff came together to shape a new vision and strategic plan for the Centre. Over the engaging and immersive sessions, participants came together to find solutions on how we can all be better ‘stewards’ of the Campus’ waste management practices.
During the full day workshops, students applied their classroom skills to sharpen their research and listening abilities, and learned to apply design thinking to their solutions. As Grade 10 participant Graciella shared, “When it comes to finding solutions that help the environment and the Zero Waste Center, design thinking can be particularly useful because it helps to shift the focus from purely technical or scientific solutions to solutions that are more human-centred and user-friendly. I love the connections I am making with other teachers, peers, parents, and staff members during this programme, and love to know them even better during a collective effort to make our dreams for the Zero Waste Centre come true.”
Through this experience, participants not only had the opportunity to work with a professional team to improve East Campus’ approach to waste management, they were empowered to help shape and own environmental stewardship practices from the inside out, working as part of the campus community. We look forward to following this story next year, to see what’s ahead for the Centre!
DEEP DIVE: PLANTING SEEDS TO BLOSSOM THE GREEN HEART
“As we roll out the new Grade 9 and 10 courses, there is more scope for ambitious teaching and learning. The nursery at the Green Heart provides both a location and cause that educators can use to create real-world learning experiences for students facing relevant problems in our community.” – Judson Tomlin, Rainforest Restoration
The Green Heart is a multi-purpose outdoor learning space supported by community giving, and intended to be the pulse of sustainability programming on Dover Campus. This vision moved into high gear this past year, setting the stage for more to come.
Our community may recall the celebratory news that the Rainforest Restoration nursery has made the permanent move to the Green Heart. Home to more than 200 indigenous and endangered plant species, the relocation to the prominent space gave the nursery and the incredible work happening in the programme more visibility on campus.
This move spurred new activity and engagement across the Rainforest Restoration team. UWCSEA Rainforest Restoration members and Facilities staff attended a 4 day reforestation workshop hosted by NUS Professor Siu Chen and NParks. UWCSEA members learned from university students and professionals in the community about important reforestation techniques, including nursery management and tracking, developing skills beyond what they would learn in the classroom. As mature woodlands like Dover Forest are set to be cleared for development, the reforesting of buffer zones with the endemic species raised in the UWCSEA Rainforest Restoration nursery becomes increasingly important to maintain the area’s rich biodiversity.
NParks also approved UWCSEA’s Rainforest nursery to be integrated with its own - allowing our team access to invaluable information on the right cultiavtion techniques to successfully grow seedlings and saplings for sensitive biodiversity zones. “The overall insights on how to manage a nursery in an efficient manner, especially in data collection, is something we can apply to our nursery,” shares Sidek, our Facilities Executive for Campus Landscaping. The Facilities team also created a rainwater capture in the space to ensure sustainable and controlled watering. Plans are already underway for a learning classroom and further signage to come in the new year. Stay tuned for more impact and engagement stories to come!
COMMUNITY GIVING CELEBRATED
The stories shared across this Environmental Sustainability impact report illustrate the range of programmes and successes that donor support has touched across our campuses. We were delighted to thank our supporters, friends, and community in person at our annual Donor Celebration Event in March 2023.
Held at NParks venue, HortPark, supporters joined the Foundation team, College leadership, students, and educators to share and celebrate the impact of donor support across our programmes in Scholarship, Sustainability, and Innovation in Teaching and Learning.
Along with our Innovation in Teaching and Learning teams, our Sustainability teams were able to showcase some of the diverse learning opportunities that donor support has helped to advance. From solar panels to Rainforest Restoration seedlings, to active compost flush with hard working worms, the evening was an engaging celebration of the ways in which community support has truly made a difference in the lives and learning of our students.
Christina’s joined the student panel at the Donor Celebration Event, and shared these reflections on her time in the Dover Rainforest Restoration programme:
“Rainforest Restoration is a very important part of sustainability efforts in Singapore, and around the world. At UWCSEA, I have been able to learn about sustainability from the inside and outside. I have learnt practical skills, such as how to meaningfully nurture and support growing saplings. I have been able to help NParks to plant these trees in the Singapore railway corridor, and take initiatives to educate the community about sustainability issues. We also educate the community about sustainability through using indigenous trees as Xmas trees. We integrate what we are learning across the college and community. These are the learnings I will take into my Grade 12 year and beyond.”
We thank you for supporting students like Christina, who truly value the incredible opportunities and experiences donor support allows for, and with the continued generosity of UWCSEA families like yours, we can go above and beyond in meeting our mission to create a sustainable future for all.