Komal

Challenge — Repurpose and reuse at least three household items, and start composting.

“I fashioned a storage box, makeup brush holder, and drawer organisers out of old boxes, including an empty Pringles tube. A lot of people think recycling means they've done their bit for the environment, but what most don't realise is that recycling requires a large amount of energy, and most of the things we think can be recycled actually can't, like many types of plastics. So instead of recycling, we should invest in good quality products that can last a long time, like metal and glass cutlery instead of plastic. Once it's no longer in good shape, we should try to reuse it for something else.

Bryan

Challenge — Create your own home recycling bins, and make your own all-purpose cleaning spray with household ingredients.

“For this challenge, I decided to use old shoe boxes in my storeroom to set up a mini recycling corner to collect used plastic and glass bottles in my household. Seeing the empty boxes being filled up with plastic really helped my family and me to be more conscious of the amount of plastic waste we generate.

Making the all-purpose cleaning spray with household ingredients was quite an interesting experience. I was surprised that I didn’t even have to purchase anything extra. I wanted to share this with my friends, so I also filmed a step-by-step tutorial on my TikTok account!”

Mijin

Challenge — Grow your own produce at home and reuse one household item in the process, and find a way to save water to water your plants.

“I reused plastic jars and an empty glass bottle to propagate some plants. I enjoy crafts and have a lot of plants around the house, so this was an enjoyable activity for me. I’m currently regrowing some spring onions that would have otherwise been thrown away as kitchen scraps. I also reused the water from rinsing rice to water my plants. The challenge for Day 1 was straightforward because the activities are already a regular part of my weekly routine.”

Komal

Challenge — Purchase at least three different types of local produce with the SG Fresh Produce badge, and drop off old or unused electronics at an e-waste collection point.

“Day 2’s challenges were tougher, because it was challenging to find plastic-free produce in the supermarket. Some have vegetables on display without plastic packaging, where you buy as much as you need, but that’s not the case with all vegetables. Most vegetables and leafy greens like carrots, beans, cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, and coriander are already pre-packed in plastic in most supermarkets. It was also frustrating to see other people pulling out plastic bag after plastic bag from the rolls in the fresh produce section. Do you really need to put two bananas in a bag? The other difficulty I faced was finding local produce—I visited three supermarkets, and not a single one had local produce.

On the other hand, the e-waste recycling bins were very useful. I think if we had these in more locations, more people would recycle their e-waste instead of just tossing it into the trash.”

Bryan

Challenge — Purchase at least two eco-friendly household items, drop off recyclables at one of CapitaLand’s recycling points, and recycle drink containers at one of CapitaLand’s Reverse Vending Machines.
 

“I went to the supermarket to purchase tissues for the house. I chose the one made from bamboo pulp instead of regular wood pulp, as I read that bamboo pulp is 100% biodegradable and decomposes much faster compared to wood pulp. I also purchased a refill pack for hand soap instead of purchasing a fresh bottle. The soap itself was also made with plant-based ingredients, and it was nice to see these fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies mentioning that on their product packaging.

Lastly, I headed to Plaza Singapura to find one of CapitaLand’s Reverse Vending Machines to recycle my plastic bottles. It’s great to know that for every 10 empty drink containers deposited, we get 10STAR$. I saw that someone before me had deposited 20 containers!”

Mijin

Challenge — Have a vegan meal at any one of CapitaLand malls or workspace’s F&B outlets, and drop off at least three pre-loved items at a donation centre.

“I generally try to eat less meat , so this challenge was a lovely reminder for me to reduce my meat intake. I usually feel physically and mentally better after eating vegan/vegetarian food than when I have red meat anyway.

I also donated some of my pre-loved items for Day 2. I try to reuse or recycle everything I own, and there is almost always someone who will want or need what I'm planning on throwing away. I listed these items on the Olio app, where other users can collect these things for free, and someone picked up the items on the same day. It was nice to know that my clothes will have a second life with someone else.”

“I did my clean-up at Fort Canning Park, and it was disappointing to see just how much trash people leave behind. For a city that prides itself on being one with nature, many people were treating our green spaces as an open dustbin. Cigarette boxes, plastic straw wrappers, masks, and plastic candy wrappers were some of the most common things we found disposed all over Fort Canning Park. Additionally, we also found drink cans, used tissues, and empty bottles just left on the lawn. There are many dustbins around but sadly, people chose not to clean up after themselves.

The workshop on the other hand was a lot of fun and hard work. The best part was that everything was made from reusable, environmentally-friendly materials, and we didn’t waste anything. Even the dried-up paint mixture was spread out on a reusable silicone mat, and then broken up into chips to be used in the next project. And that is the true definition of sustainability—use every part and create zero waste, be it your kitchen, crafts space, or even your office.”

Komal

Workshop — What’s Good is Green: Broken Made Whole Collection Coaster Workshop with CHOKMAH
 

Bryan

Workshop — From Bread to Beer – A Sustainable CRUST Beer Tasting
 

“I did my neighbourhood clean-up around my estate at Tanjong Pagar, and used a bio-based bag that I got from a recent purchase of clothes. I went around picking up trash like empty plastic cups and bottles, straws, clothes pegs, cigarette packs, face masks, and food packaging. I noticed that the majority of trash I found were made of plastic, which has become so ingrained in our lifestyles that we don’t even realise the amount of damage we’re inflicting on the environment.

In the beer tasting workshop, we got the chance to taste beer made from unused and unsold bread from supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants, and evaluated them based on sight (appearance and colour), smell (aroma), taste (flavour and finish) and touch (mouthfeel and body). We tried six different beers, and had to give each beer a score. My favourite was the ale that was infused with a herb locally grown in Gardens By The Bay. Every participant in the workshop had a different favourite, and it was interesting to see how beer tasting can be something so personal!

It was also super eye-opening to hear Travin, the co-founder and CEO of CRUST, talk about his mission to reduce global food waste by 1% by 2030. By partnering with brands like Tiong Bahru Bakery, they help these companies turn their surplus bread into beer, which they also sell in-store, essentially prolonging their product’s life cycle.”

Mijin

Workshop — Maze and Free-Motion Pocket Tote by BERNINA  

“I work part-time at a non-profit where volunteers pick up litter in the community almost every day, so I try to do this at least twice a week. The experience is always rewarding, but it’s a jarring reality to see how much trash there is to clear every day.

The workshop was initially out of my comfort zone because it’s been 20 years since I used a sewing machine, but the staff were amazing and made the experience a lot of fun. I love my reusable tote bag and I ended up having a wonderful time!”