“Without the ocean, none of us could exist, so in a way, we all qualify as sea creatures.” These compelling words by Dr Sylvia Earle, eminent oceanographer and marine conservationist, officially kickstarted the third edition of Blue Water EduFest, held from 7 to 9 November, 2024. The three-day marine conservation event was initiated in 2022 and brought to fruition by ONE°15 Events Management. Spotlighting the key challenges threatening the health of our oceans, from plastic pollution and biodiversity loss, to deep sea mining, the event has been instrumental in bringing experts and stakeholders in the marine conservation space to Singapore to discuss innovative solutions and action plans.

Dr Earle was in Singapore as the keynote speaker for the two-day conference, Blue Eco Summit, which complemented the event’s signature awards segment called Blue Water Heroes, which is powered by Tatler Gen.T. Blue Water EduFest culminated with a beach cleanup on 9 November.

Drawing attention to the need to conserve our valuable lifesource, Dr Earle thanked Arthur Tay, Chairman and CEO of SUTL Group of Companies for conceptualising an event and creating a platform that helps advance the conversation of marine protection and drive awareness on the urgent need for action.

CALL TO ACTION

Blue Eco Summit, in partnership with Ocean Geographic, put the impetus on the High Seas Treaty, Blue Carbon and Deep Sea Mining, bringing experts, including Dr Earle, from across the globe to share their insights and spotlight on the critical developments and regulatory efforts in the blue space.

The first day of the conference brought to the stage prominent figures in marine conservation, including Michael Aw, Founder of Ocean Geographic; and Richard Bailey, Founder of Tetiaroa Society and Blue Climate Initiative. The former led the delegates from the surface to the depths of the Earth, while the latter led them into uncharted frontiers— the mesopelagic zone.

As the saying goes, “you cannot love what you don’t know,” and technology such as the Tetiaroa Society’s Honu and Dr Earle’s Deep Hope projects harness submersible technology that will allow humans to explore depths so far unexplored. As well as for scientific research, these are aimed at instilling a sense of ownership of the planet’s lifeline in the general public and inspire positive action.

There were other powerful presentations, notably that of Professor Peter Harrison’s—the Founding Director of Marine Ecology Research Centre—that highlighted innovative methods for reef-based coral restoration using mass larval production, otherwise known as coral IVF. Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer of City Developments Limited, elaborated on innovative design principles and strategies employed in the industry of real estate development that underscore sustainability and support ocean health.

Winner of Blue Water Heroes 2023 and Founder and CEO of Seven Clean Seas Tom Peacock-Nazil took to the stage to underline the importance of waste management. His presentation elaborated on incentivisation as a way of preventing and managing plastic pollution. “We need to find a way to pay for waste management,” said Peacock- Nazil in explaining Seven Clean Seas’ plastic credits, which allows companies to fund the removal of plastic waste from the environment, and thereby also manage their own plastic footprint. There were also pre-recorded presentations by Oh Chu Xian and Anna Oposa, first and second runner-up, respectively, of Blue Water Heroes 2023—who were unable to make in person for the conference.

Dr Toh Tai Chong, Senior Lecturer, National University of Singapore—and the Club’s Eco Advisor—who has been part of the judging panel for Blue Water Heroes since its initiation, touched on the important role of community-based projects around Southeast Asia as well as Blue Carbon financing. One of the projects he highlighted was that of Les Village, led by Pak Made Merta, a Blue Water Heroes 2023 finalist. Assistant Vice-president of Marine Zoological Operations at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) S.E.A. Aquarium Dr Luis Neves’ presentation pressed on the role of zoological institutions such as aquariums as hubs for conservation, environmental advocacy and assurance arks for species.

Other presentations at Blue Eco Summit focused on Blue Carbon sequestration through mangrove restoration. Marine biologist Sam Shu Qin, Cofounder of Our Singapore Reefs and the Club’s Eco Advisor spoke about the importance of involving the community in marine conservation.

Dr Earle then took the delegates through her journey into marine conservation, beginning with a love for the ocean at a very young age, her resolution towards creating Marine Protected Areas, and passion for submersibles that gave rise to Deep Hope—which rests on her belief that it is important to inspire the general public to care for their environment.

The launch of the book, Souls—short for “Stories of Our Underwater Legends”—honouring Dr Earle and the Ocean Geographic team was fitting to the event’s theme. There was also the screening of 2099: Power in Us, a film that chronicled their Antarctic expedition in 2023 and spotlighted the upcoming one to the Arctic.

Blue Eco Summit ended on the afternoon of 8 November with a resounding note: “Saving the ocean is a team sport” with Dr Earle as the poster child.

BLUE WATER HEROES

The tempo leapt up a few octaves on the evening of 8 November. From marine conservationists and environmental stewards to scientists and investors, they all gathered at the Constellation Ballroom for an exclusive dinner to mark and celebrate the Blue Water Heroes—the Southeast Asian eco-champions, conserving our waters.

As every year, 10 were shortlisted as finalists of Blue Water Heroes—they were founders and co-founders of non-profits and social organisations committed to conserving the region’s waters through innovative solutions that showed promise of scalability for the future.

They took part in a Pitch Presentation on 10 October in front of a panel of judges. The panel included Dr Toh; Dr Winston Chow, Professor of Urban Climate at Singapore Management University; Christine Amour-Levar, Founder & CEO, HER Planet Earth and Co-founder of Investors for Climate; Tianna Nguyen, Founder of business consulting firm Alensia; environmentalist and host Paul Foster; Arthur Tay, Chairman & CEO of SUTL Group, which owns ONE°15 Marina; and Tatler Gen.T’s Regional Senior Editor, Chong Seow Wei.

On the night of the awards dinner, poster boards outlining the works of the finalists lined the foyer area of Constellation Ballroom, giving guests a preview of what was to come, while a video showcase during the gala allowed more intimate insight into their inspiring work.

In a true celebration of the environment, the curated dinner menu complemented the spirit of the night by honouring locally sourced and seasonally produced organic ingredients, devoid of chemical or pesticide dependence.

A few powerful presentations and a fireside chat with Dr Earle punctuated the event, alongside soulful tunes by Skye Sirena and band. The highlight of the evening, however, was the announcement of the winners of Blue Water Heroes. As Dr Earle brought to attention: “We are gathered here for a celebration of champions, who have come along at just the right moment to make a difference of the sort the world urgently needs. ”

Dr Earle presented the award to the winner of the first place, Rose Huizenga, Founder of Coral Catch, while Tay presented the award to second-place winner Leon Boey, Founder of Livingseas Foundation. Tan Mae Shen, Managing Director, Head of Dalio Family Office Singapore presented Ng Lee Kiang, Co-founder of Young Nautilus with the award for the third place. The winners were awarded cash prizes to the amounts of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.

Accepting the award in between tears of joy, Huizenga reminisced about her four-year journey with Coral Catch. “I am not a marine scientist and when I started my journey, I often wondered if my passion for the ocean and my commitment to conservation would be enough to earn respect. If there’s one thing I have learnt in the last four years, it’s that if you truly care for your mission and for your team, respect will follow.”

Her allusive ending note—“nobody cares about how much you know until they see how much you care” spoke to all the finalists, each a winner in her or his right.

The original article was published on the January/ February 25 issue of Longitude, ONE°15 Marina’s Club magazine. Read it here.