Here's another reason to (re)visit the hip new enclave the entire country is seemingly buzzing about. The space will play host to the largest event for all things eco over this entire weekend. Now on its third year, GREEN-HOUSE has over 80 participating local brands spanning, you know, the usual—fashion, beauty, home, food and crafts.
It's organised by Pass It On Studio (Singapore's first plantable candle, if that information was somehow vital to you), and some big brand newcomers for this year include Nespresso and Samsonite. Just so you don't get overwhelmed with the variety of workshops and activities, the event will be sectioned into three zones.
For every attendee that registers, one tree will be planted in support of Eden Reforestation Projects.
The first space will centre on art installations such as an exhibit transforming used car parts and a tapestry from fabric linings of reclaimed luggage from Samsonite's Trade-in campaign. You are welcome to bring unwanted fabric and adding it onto the existing weave with a traditional loom. (If you're wondering what happened to the hard-shell exteriors, some are upcycled into pet beds donated to the animal welfare organisations at the Reconnect zone!).
You can also catch free movie screenings of feature films co-curated by Singapore Nature Film Festival at the Helinox Cinematheque. Otherwise browse second-hand furniture from Objects.re, eco-friendly home designs from Ferticlay (alternative clay processed from mid-stream waste materials) or smaller knick-knacks like notebooks by OFFCUT that repurposes print production waste paper.
Besides being a pet-friendly picnic space, this is also where the dedicated pet societies are stationed. From Cat Welfare Society to Chained Dog Awareness, learn about the little companions and even make the lifelong commitment to bring them home.
No event is complete without grub. Have a cup on Nespresso's dime while you watch how each capsule is locally recycled so you can feel a little less guilty about your atas instant coffee. Participants can also learn how to make fertiliser from old coffee grounds and leave with an edible plant.
This special pop-up cafe has two lunch seatings featuring a plant-based three-course using local ingredients that's paired with three non-alcoholic drinks. It's the first in collaboration with FURA, which if you like the bar's style, you'd know what to expect.
All dinnerware for the session are made exclusively for Mercedes-Benz by Pass It On Studio, by the way. Even cups are constructed of FDA-certified upcycled bio-composite materials AKA agricultural waste like eggshells, coconut and rice husks. Should you have missed making reservations, limited portions of the menu's New Age Goreng Pisang will be available from 3pm onwards on both days.
GREEN-HOUSE 2024 happens 13 & 14 July, 10 am - 7 pm at New Bahru, 46 & 58 Kim Yam Road. Admission is free.
Guess what—there will never be an end to consumerism. Educate people on the landfills running out of space, the toxic emissions released into the environment, and how only a fraction of what is recycled actually gets recycled; but buyers gonna buy.
You’d think a two-year long pandemic on such a scale would be enough to make folks reconsider the things that are truly of value. If anything, it seemed a momentary blip before the world resumed normalcy, and its citizens returned armed with pent-up consumerism they call Revenge Shopping. Take a look at the statistics and you’ll see that the dip in the pattern has since been on a steady increase.
We’ve generated 1.86 million tonnes of domestic waste in 2022 (out of a total of 7.39 tonnes of solid waste). It’s up from 1.82 million tonnes the year before, and it would be no surprise if numbers are projected to rise. To make matters worse, foreign countries are now implementing import bans of recyclables. Want to take a stab at the total recycling rate of discarded textiles? The lowest of all collected materials at a meagre 2 percent.
Think about the last time you made a purchase you thought would change your life. Now contrast that with how you feel about it now. Even if it still stands as a wise deal, the visceral level of excitement can never match up. So back to the (case in) point. Consumerism will never end because people will never figure out how to satisfy the empty void in their hearts which is further exploited by an advertising culture on steroids to fuel a never-ending pursuit for economic growth. Hurrah.
While there is no hard and fast solution, our proposition is this. Rather than be deluded that recycling will salvage your poor decisions, make better ones.
Of course, we can’t afford to constantly live a fully sustainable lifestyle which isn’t tuned into modern society. We can, however, spend a little more effort to source for items that were perhaps bought by others in the spur of the moment. Or an item carted out online which arrived untrue to the buyer’s size, never worn. If the piece has been lightly used, is there a practical reason why it can’t be utilised again? Or simply an ingrained stigma propagating that pre-owned equates to inferior?
Instead of gratifying the illogical desire for the new and shiny, or conforming to the gifting practice of senseless knick-knacks under a budget; consider giving a deeper meaning to the season. Not just giving loved ones a token of appreciation, but the gift itself a second lease of life.
Cloop, Exit, Flame Vintage, Function Five Thrift Shop, NearestTen, Nonmainstream, Thryft
