Youth Ecosperity Dialogue (YED) 2023

Sources and Sinks:
Reimagining Renewables and Waste in Smart Cities

The Schedule

4
JUNE 5
JUNE 6
JUNE 7
JUNE 8
JUNE 9
JUNE

4 June

5:30pm - 6:30pm

BRIEFING & ICE BREAKER ACTIVITIES

6:30pm - 8:00pm

WELCOME DINNER

5 June | What is the Problem?

9:00am - 9:15am

OPENING REMARKS

Dr. Lim Sun Sun

Professor of Communication and Technology and Vice President, Partnerships and Engagement,
Singapore Management University

9:15am - 9:30am

WELCOME REMARKS

Mr. Amrin Amin

Head, Corporate Development,
Temasek Foundation

9:30am - 10:30am

MINISTER'S INSIGHTS

Dr. Amy Khor

Senior Minister of State,
Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and Ministry of Transport

Moderated by

Dr. Aidan Wong

Assistant Professor of Humanities (Education),
College of Integrative Studies,
Singapore Management University

10:30am - 11:00am

TEA BREAK

11:00am - 12:00pm

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

INFORMATION, ENVIRONMENT, AND BEHAVIOUR IN THE CITY OF TOMORROW Dr. Sonny Ben Rosenthal

Assistant Professor,
Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information,
Nanyang Technological University

The City of Today is home to more than half the human population. It is an ecology of natural and human systems consuming material and energy resources. It prioritizes economic growth and is dominated by a linear take-make-dispose model in which consumers turn natural resources into waste. This creates negative externalities, such as pollution, whose environmental, economic, and health costs are borne by society. In contrast, the City of Tomorrow employs a circular economic model that lessens resource extraction through reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. While economic growth remains important, there is equal emphasis on the health of society and the environment. An educated citizenry and support for innovation make it a smart city. The use of information and communication technology, including AI, to improve resource efficiency also makes it a smart city. This keynote discusses the progress we have made toward the City of Tomorrow and areas of future progress with respect to information, environment, and behaviour. Synopsis ›

MODERATED BY

Dr. Yuanto Kusnadi

Associate Professor of Accounting (Education) and
Academic Director (SMU-X)

12:00pm - 1:30pm

LUNCH BREAK

1:30pm - 2:15pm

PICK UP FROM SMU TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS

2:15pm - 4:45pm

LAUNCH OF YED CHALLENGE 2023 & SITE VISITS

The Food Bank Singapore

Help enhance advocacy and fundraising efforts to support The Food Bank Singapore (FBSG) in their mission to implement sustainable solutions that collect and redistribute surplus food, ultimately eliminating food insecurity while creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all. Synopsis ›

Land Transport Authority (LTA)

Traffic accidents not only cause grief to motorists and pedestrians, they are also detrimental to the environment (extra exhaust gas emitted due to traffic jams from accidents, fuel and fluid leaks at crash sites, etc). It has been reported that were more fatal accidents involving elderly in 2023 (More elderly pedestrians injured, killed in traffic accidents in 2023: Traffic Police | The Straits Times). How might we find a sustainable solution for our (i) elderly pedestrians or (ii) motorcyclists, so that we can reduce the number of traffic accidents as well as improve our environment (with consideration to impact on water, air and ground, energy efficiency to reduce upstream GHG emissions, and resource efficiency)? Synopsis ›

Storhub

StorHub is keen on getting LEED O+M v4.1 certification for one of its properties located at 15 Changi South Street 1 (“StorHub 15 Changi”). You are the LEED consultant assigned to this project. Based on your current assessment with reference to the scoring data from the LEED ARC tool and observations during the site visit, can StorHub 15 Changi achieve LEED certification (40 points and above)? Where are the gaps, and what additional measures would you recommend be implemented at StorHub 15 Changi to get LEED GOLD certification? Students are to present a practical business proposal to StorHub that considers ROI. Synopsis ›

Facilitated by

SMU-X

Click here for more information on SMU-X

4:45pm - 5:30pm

PICK UP FROM VARIOUS LOCATIONS TO IBIS HOTEL

6:30pm - 7:30pm

DINNER AT IBIS HOTEL

6 June | Who will fix it?

9:00am - 10:00am

PANEL: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FUTURES: PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN RENEWABLES REVOLUTION

DESIGNING FUTURE FOOD SYSTEMS: BLACK SOLDIER FLIES (BSF) & UPCYCLING FOOD WASTE IN THE CITY Ms. Niraly Mangal

Doctoral Researcher,
Black Soldier Flies for Circular Urban Food System, Singapore-ETH Centre, and Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (DGESS), ETH Zurich

The small island state Singapore imports 90% of food from overseas and has less than 1% of land for agricultural use. Furthermore, since 2015, Singapore has generated more than 4 million tonnes of food waste and on average less than 20% of this waste has been recycled annually. A future-proof food system guided by innovative methods can be both land and resource efficient, and at the same time provide an alternate source to animal or plant-derived proteins. In this context, black soldier flies (BSF) represent an opportunity for realising a key principle of the circular economy by targeting organic waste for continuous circulation into novel forms of value. BSF are fast-growing insects that can convert the food waste locally into high quality animal feed and fertilizers which then can be used by other forms of urban agriculture such as vertical faming, indoor farming, aquaponics etc. Thus, we can diversify local food system by developing integrated approach for food waste management and sustainable food production using BSF in high density urban environments. Synopsis ›

Mr. Marc Allen

Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer,
Unravel Carbon

Mr. Edward Chia

Member of Parliament,
Holland Bukit Timah GRC

MODERATED BY

Mr. Ho Xiang Tian

Co-Founder,
LepakInSG

10:00am - 10:30am

Tea Break

10:30am - 12:00pm

YED CHALLENGE WORKSHOPS

Project Management

Pitching and Public Speaking

Analysis and Brainstorming

Facilitated by:

SMU-X

12:00pm - 1:30pm

LUNCH

1:30pm - 3:30pm

YED CHALLENGE - TEAM PROJECT WORK

3:30pm - 4:00pm

TEA BREAK

4:00pm - 4:30pm

PICK UP FROM SMU TO GARDENS BY THE BAY

4:30pm - 5:30pm

CARBON CLIMATE WALKING TOUR

GARDENS BY THE BAY

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Free Time

GARDENS BY THE BAY

6:30pm - 7.00pm

PICK UP FROM GARDENS BY THE BAY TO LAU PA SAT

7:00pm - 8:30pm

DINNER AT LAU PA SAT

7 June | How will we fix it?

7:30am - 8:00am

PICK UP FROM IBIS HOTEL TO MARINA BAY SANDS

8:30am - 10:40am

ECOSPERITY WEEK 2023

Opening Session

City-Scale Decarbonisation: Global Drivers, Opportunities, and Risks

Climate United: Harnessing Public-Private Cooperation for Zero Carbon Cities

Tackling Embodied Carbon: Disrupting Technologies and Innovations for Net Zero

Sustain-a-City: An Urban Innovation Challenge Finalist Showcase

10:40am - 11:10am

TEA BREAK

11:10am - 1.10pm

ECOSPERITY WEEK 2023

Rising to the Challenge: Building Climate-Resilient Cities

Growing Solutions for Cities 2.0

The Earthshot Prize Singapore

1:10pm - 2:00pm

LUNCH

2:00pm - 2:30pm

PICK UP FROM MARINA BAY SANDS TO SMU

2:30pm - 3:30pm

PANEL: INNOVATIVE FRONTIERS: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND AI IN CLIMATE RESILIENCE

META X YOUYH X CLIMATE ACTION Mr. Gavin Chua

Head, Stakeholder Engagement,
Meta

Meta give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. How do Meta and its products support youth engagement for climate action and help them to scale impact? The speaker will share specific examples from Singapore/Asia that showcase new pilot projects involving NGO, corporate, youth and academic partners: Sustainability Exchange, Sustainability Media Academy, CSO x Change, Green Jobs x WhatsApp. Synopsis ›

TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY Mr. Abhishek Singh

CEO,
PT Digital Sawit Pro

In this discussion, I will highlight how digital technologies can be used to accelerate the sustainability, traceability and waste management of agriculture produce. With the use of AI technologies, computer vision machine learning, drones and mobiles, we can increase land productivity of agriculture, reduce use of chemicals, trace the origins of crops, prevent fires, predict diseases and infestations, etc. We can also make better use of agricultural waste by promoting use of by-products, using organic waste by connecting the buyers and innovators. Synopsis ›

WHY WASTE IT? Ms. Karen Cheah

Founder and CEO,
Alterpacks

With over 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste generated annually and increasing, has the world adopted a throw-away culture that has reached the point of no return? Alterpacks uses food disposed by manufacturers to create an alternative to plastic containers, providing a circular solution. Drawing upon the 4Rs, Founder and CEO, Karen Cheah, speaks of the inspiration and guiding principles of how Recycle, Reuse, Reduce and Replace became the tentpoles of a journey of waste for Alterpacks. And the long-term vision of throwing out the throw-away culture. Synopsis ›

MODERATED BY

Dr. Andrew Koh

Senior Lecturer of Computer Science,
School of Computing and Information Systems, and College of Integrative Studies, SMU

3:30pm - 4:30pm

YED CHALLENGE TEAM CONSULTATION WITH PARTNERS

Food Bank Singapore

Land Transport Authority (LTA)

StorHub

4:30pm - 5:30pm

YED CHALLENGE TEAM CONSULTATION

Project Management

Pitching and Public Speaking

Analysis and Brainstorming

6:00pm - 7.30pm

DINNER AT BUGIS

8 June | Where and what next?

9:00am - 10:00am

PANEL: REGIONAL OUTLOOK: TRANSBOUNDARY NARRATIVES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA'S CLIMATE CRISIS

NDCS IN ASEAN COUNTRIES: DREAMS OR REALITY? CASE STUDIES: INDONESIA AND THE PHILIPPINES Dr. Linda Sulistiawati

Senior Research Fellow, APCEL, NUS Law,
National University of Singapore, and
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law,
University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

The Asia Pacific region has contributed approximately 83% to the global emission growth since 2010. Among the surge of emission in the Asia Pacific region, the ASEAN countries has been noted to have the highest growth rate – even globally. The region’s trends and drivers are dominated by energy and AFOLU sectors. At the same time having significant emission growth, ASEAN Countries are among the most vulnerable and prone to be affected by climate change impacts. From such description, it can be said that ASEAN countries have the same interest in combatting climate change. As of 2017, all ASEAN countries had signed and ratified the Paris Agreement along with submitting their NDCs. Presently, most of the ASEAN members, have submitted their enhanced NDCs. Although enhanced NDCs displays progresses in national climate action, the pledges will never be effective unless they are actually implemented in the Country level. This research tries to depict regulating efforts to reach those NDC targets in the sub-national level of ASEAN countries, through examining the local government efforts in dealing with climate change issue and fulfilling their NDC targets. Synopsis ›

THE VOLUNTARY CARBON CREDIT MARKET – CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND TRANSNATIONAL FLOWS Mr. Tun Shien Foo

Origination and Technical Analyst,
Climate Impact X

The voluntary carbon market is where entities purchase carbon credits to offset a portion or all of their carbon emissions. The carbon credits are issued in relation to projects that mitigate the impacts of climate change. The voluntary carbon market has grown in recent years but still has a greater potential for helping to mitigate climate change. The voluntary carbon market brings together global stakeholders where their actions, including the development of projects or purchase of credits, result in impacts not limited to national boundaries.

The presentation will provide an overview of the mechanics of the voluntary carbon market and how activities in the market are transnational. Synopsis ›

IS GREEN REALLY GREEN? Mr. Darren Webb

Co-Founder and CEO,
Evolution Data Centre

Data centres are often referred to as the lungs of the digital infrastructure ecosystem, they keep the data pumping around the world. In today’s world they are critical to our very being (if you don’t believe try not using the internet or your phone for 24 hours). Yet they consumer huge amounts of power, and can take up considerable construction materials, land and other valuable resources, such as water (to cool the servers). The industry, and the customers it supports, wants them to become “green”, however are there different shades of green, or can green ever really be green? Synopsis ›

RE-IMAGINING THE HUMAN DIMENSION OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TRANSITIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Dr. Mary Ann Franco

Senior Consultant,
Aquatera

Developing countries in Southeast Asia addresses the lack of energy access and security by implementing policies that encourage renewable energy technologies (RE). For the off-grid and remote areas, the government prioritises rural electrification through solar home systems or electricity subsidies. However, even with national targets, the implementation appears more challenging, especially at the community level. Scholars and practitioners argue that the communities' awareness, engagement, and participation are important factors in effectively achieving clean energy transition. My presentation examines the impact of the community participation on the success (or failure) of long-term RET adoption in poor rural communities. The key question is: how could we RE-imagine the human dimension of RE futures in Southeast Asia? Synopsis ›

Moderated by:

Dr. Terry van Gevelt

Assistant Professor of Urban Sustainability,
College of Integrative Studies,
Singapore Management University

10:00am - 10:30am

Tea Break

10:30am - 12:00pm

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: ARE GREEN SOLUTIONS MORE HARMFUL THAN THE CLIMATE CRISIS ITSELF?

Mr. Julian Oh

Project Leader,
Project Reef Alert

Project Reef Alert is an Singapore Management University student community service project focusing on marine conservation. Synopsis ›

FOOD WASTE SOLUTIONS IN THE TECH ERA: FEEDING US WITH HOPE OR FAT HOPE? Mr. Preston Wong

Co-Founder and CEO,
treatsure

Food waste has been a particularly sticky problem for countries to resolve. In Singapore, food waste levels remain high in 2023 compared to 2021, with a near 10% increase from pre-pandemic levels. Various food waste solutions have emerged over the years with advancements in technology. However, do they really help us to achieve zero food waste, and might they actually bring more harm to stakeholders than intended? Drawing from his experiences in the food waste and sustainability space, Mr Preston Wong will discuss the opportunities and tradeoffs that current food waste solutions present towards the climate crisis. Synopsis ›

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO FOSTER A BETTER FASHION SUPPLY CHAIN Ms. Yan Ling Ng

Founder and CEO,
Lily & Lou

Yan, who has spent over a decade working in the fast fashion industry, has observed how the supply and demand imbalance has negatively affected various aspects of fashion companies in Asia. The fast fashion operation workflows have had adverse effects on the environment, society, and the profitability of these companies. Yan will discuss how Lily & Lou is using technology to reimagine its product development workflow, creating a more environmentally friendly solution that fosters sustainable practices. As a digital-first fashion brand, Lily & Lou has overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and emerged stronger through continuous innovation to improve resource utilization. Synopsis ›

MODERATED BY

Dr. George Wong

Adjunct Faculty,
College of Integrative Studies,
Singapore Management University

12:00pm - 1:30pm

Lunch

1:30pm - 2:30pm

SUSTAINABLE UPCYCLING WORKSHOP: UPCYCLED PLASTIC CARTON LED DESIGN LAMP

CONDUCTED BY

TerraSG

Click here for more information on TerraSG.

2:30pm - 3:00pm

TEA BREAK

3:00pm - 5:00pm

YED CHALLENGE - TEAM PROJECT WORK

Dry run and feedback (with mentors)

5:00pm - 6:30pm

YED CHALLENGE - TEAM PROJECT WORK

Dry run (without mentors)

7.00pm - 8.30pm

The Schedule

BRIEFING & ICE BREAKER ACTIVITIES

WELCOME DINNER

OPENING REMARKS

WELCOME REMARKS

MINISTER'S INSIGHTS

Moderated by

TEA BREAK

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

MODERATED BY

LUNCH BREAK

PICK UP FROM SMU TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS

LAUNCH OF YED CHALLENGE 2023 & SITE VISITS

Facilitated by

PICK UP FROM VARIOUS LOCATIONS TO IBIS HOTEL

DINNER AT IBIS HOTEL

PANEL: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FUTURES: PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN RENEWABLES REVOLUTION

MODERATED BY

Tea Break

YED CHALLENGE WORKSHOPS

Facilitated by:

LUNCH

YED CHALLENGE - TEAM PROJECT WORK

TEA BREAK

PICK UP FROM SMU TO GARDENS BY THE BAY

CARBON CLIMATE WALKING TOUR

Free Time

PICK UP FROM GARDENS BY THE BAY TO LAU PA SAT

DINNER AT LAU PA SAT

PICK UP FROM IBIS HOTEL TO MARINA BAY SANDS

ECOSPERITY WEEK 2023

TEA BREAK

ECOSPERITY WEEK 2023

LUNCH

PICK UP FROM MARINA BAY SANDS TO SMU

PANEL: INNOVATIVE FRONTIERS: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND AI IN CLIMATE RESILIENCE

MODERATED BY

YED CHALLENGE TEAM CONSULTATION WITH PARTNERS

YED CHALLENGE TEAM CONSULTATION

DINNER AT BUGIS

PANEL: REGIONAL OUTLOOK: TRANSBOUNDARY NARRATIVES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA'S CLIMATE CRISIS

Moderated by:

Tea Break

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: ARE GREEN SOLUTIONS MORE HARMFUL THAN THE CLIMATE CRISIS ITSELF?

MODERATED BY

Lunch

SUSTAINABLE UPCYCLING WORKSHOP: UPCYCLED PLASTIC CARTON LED DESIGN LAMP

CONDUCTED BY

TEA BREAK

YED CHALLENGE - TEAM PROJECT WORK

YED CHALLENGE - TEAM PROJECT WORK

DINNER AT TIPO PIZZERIA E TRATTORIA

YED CHALLENGE PRESENTATIONS

Tea Break

YED CHALLENGE FINAL PRESENTATION PREPARATION

Lunch

YED CHALLENGE FINAL PRESENTATIONS

Tea Break

AWARDING CEREMONY & PHOTO-TAKING

CLOSING REMARKS

CLOSING BBQ DINNER