Organised by ONE15 Events Management, a subsidiary of SUTL Enterprise Limited, the inaugural Blue Water EduFest 2022 held on 3 – 6 November 2022, gathered many like-minded individuals who are passionate about marine and coastal conservation. Amidst swapping of name cards and conversations on sustainability and the blue economy, new friendships and collaborations were forged.

The four-day event encompassed a two-day educational conference – The Ocean Collective Summit, networking cocktail parties, an awards ceremony to recognise eco heroes and concluded with a marina clean-up on the final day.

THE OCEAN COLLECTIVE SUMMIT (TOCS)

4 – 5 NOVEMBER

Organised by International SeaKeepers Society Asia in cooperation with Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Centre, founded by Fabien Cousteau, the two-day educational conference featured a panel of iconic speakers across the scientific community, environmental agencies, corporations, and non-governmental organisations. The exciting line-up of lectures, fireside chats and panel discussions with experts and leaders discussed the state of our marine ecosystems and how we can safeguard them over time. It also highlights ocean conservation at both global and local scales, showcases innovative technologies for reducing carbon footprints and informative guides to how companies and leaders can be forerunners in leading sustainable initiatives.

Our Guest of Honour, Minister Desmond Lee, Ministry for National Development and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration delivered the opening address of BWE at the conference. His speech provided the attendees insights on Singapore’s efforts such as the 2021 Marine Climate Change Science programme, the launch of Singapore’s first turtle hatchery at the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park in 2018 and various community partnerships, which aid the conservation of Singapore’s vast marine biodiversity.

NETWORKING COCKTAIL PARTIES

3 – 5 NOVEMBER

Spanning 3 nights from 3 – 5 November, the networking cocktail night was met with great success as guests networked with marine advocators and leading eco-champions from around the Southeast Asia region. As guests mingle over tipples and sustainably-sourced canapés, the evening was spruced up by stellar live performances from 10-year-old prodigy, Mikkel Myer Lee and jazz vocalist Joanna Dong. 

PRESENTATION BY FABIEN COUSTEAU

3 NOVEMBER

The first night was a presentation by Fabien Cousteau, famed aquanaut, oceanographic explorer, environmental advocate and Founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center and Proteus Ocean Group.

In 2014, Fabien and his team of aquanauts embarked on Mission 31, the longest science expedition to take place at Aquarius, the world’s only underwater marine laboratory located in the Florida Keys. Fabien’s Mission 31 broke new ground in ocean exploration and honored the 50th anniversary of his grandfather’s original underwater living experiment (Conshelf Two) by going deeper, longer and further, while broadcasting the Mission live on multiple channels educating and exposing the world to the adventure and mystique of our blue planet.

He shared more about what Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center is, and how it has further educated young learners to make a positive change in the world. The keynote session also addressed what ocean sustainability mean, why we should keep ocean sustainability on top of mind, what is its importance to the world and how we can conserve and sustainably use the ocean’s resources for sustainable development. 

BLUE WATER HEROES AWARDS

4 NOVEMBER

Held in partnership with Gen.T, a community and events platform for young leaders by Tatler Asia Group, the Blue Water Heroes Awards seek to celebrate individuals from across the region who have made selfless and significant contributions to advancing the protection and conservation of marine life and the environment in Southeast Asia. 

They are entrepreneurs and leaders of non-profit organisations and non-government organisations who are advancing society’s awareness of coastal and ocean conservation through research on ecology and technology to increase scientific knowledge of what can be done, outreach and education and also helping to strengthen policies. They have been intimately involved in improving coastal and ocean health, and sustainability with ground-breaking solutions that harness technology or other means.

Our heartiest congratulations to the 3 winners [from left: Thanda Ko Gyi (runner-up), Melati Riyanto Wijsen (winner), and Dr Louisa Ponnampalam (2nd runner-up)] and the other 7 finalists whose sustainability efforts have impacted their communities and inspired a wave of change.

We would like to extend our utmost gratitude to our official sponsors and partners for their generous support that made this event possible. 

Blue Water EduFest 2022 was proudly sponsored by Citi Private Bank, Archwey, SDAX, Green Lab, Events Partner, Bentley, East Imperial and Pernod Ricard. The event was in partnership with Sentosa Development Corporation, The International SeaKeepers Society, Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center, Tatler Asia and Gen.T, and in support of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The Glass Marquee was installed by Nanyang Inc, designed by Pulina Exclusive Interiors and clean energy was supplied by Sunseap.