The speaker panel included Mrs Rena Lee, Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law; Fabien Cousteau, Aquanaut & Oceanographic Explorer, Dr Winston Chow, Associate Professor of Urban Climate at Singapore Management University and Co-chair of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and more.
The summit set sail with renowned with a presentation by renowned aquanaut and Founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Centre, Fabien Cousteau. He shared insights into Proteus, a marine analogue to a space station, set to be operational by 2025.
Throughout the conference, great ideas were shared and exchanged. Our Blue Water Heroes from 2022 updated on their journeys thus far, talking about the challenges that they faced, how they have been partnering with the locals and their respective volunteers.
To add a splash of fun, quizzes, Kahoot! Games, brainstorming sessions engaged both students and industry experts alike, fostering a lively and interactive environment for ideas to emerge.
The Blue Water Heroes Awards, one of the highlights of the event, celebrated and recognised individuals who have made substantial contributions to marine conservation. Ten finalists were honoured for their fearless efforts in driving positive change, and among the ten, Tom Peacock, founder of the Seven Clean Seas, Oh Chu Xian, Founder of Magorium & M-Impact, and Anna Oposa, Executive Director and Chief Mermaid of Save Philippine Seas, emerged as the winners of Blue Water Heroes 2023. Read about their works at https://bluewateredufest.com/blue-water-heroes/.
The Blue Water Heroes Awards served as a reminder that the responsibility for ocean conservation belongs to us all. The event illustrated how individuals, through passion, dedication, and innovation, can make a tangible difference in the world and inspire others to take action.
We are proud to introduce the rebranded Marina Clean Up as ONE°15 Clean Up. This transformation reflects our commitment to fostering a cleaner and more sustainable environment. In this year’s edition, the clean up area was expanded to include Sentosa’s iconic Siloso Beach. A collective effort of 78 volunteers, consisting of event sponsors, conference delegates, attendees, students and members of the public, worked hard in the early morning of 4 November 2023.
Enthusiastic volunteers gathered at the Constellation Ballroom for registration as early as 8.30am. We were thrilled to see familiar faces and welcomed new participants to our cause. The volunteers comprised of 35 divers and16 land support for the marina, and 27 for beach support.
The clean up kicked off with a warm welcome from our Senior Assistant Marketing Manager, Emma, who delivered an inspiring opening speech. This was followed by a thorough safety briefing by Tasrin (Marina Operations Manager) and Sam (ONE°15 Eco Advisor and Co-founder of Our Singapore Reefs).
As our marina clean up teams set off to their respective spots, our beach clean up volunteers headed to Siloso Beach, where they first underwent an orientation. Leveraging on technological advancements, the beach volunteers were introduced to the Stridy app, which they used to log the amount of trash they collected. The data recorded from this clean up will contribute to a national database, which draws insights from collective clean up efforts across Singapore, and provides the government a better understanding of the waste found in Singapore.
After approximately 1.5 hours of collective efforts, both the marina and beach clean up concluded successfully. A total of six main materials—plastic, glass & ceramic, metal, rubber & wood, cloth & paper/cardboard, and mixed materials & other debris items—were sorted for recycling purposes.
To express our appreciation for their hard work and invaluable contributions, the event concluded with a sumptuous lunch at the ballroom.
At the marina, we collected a total of 177 items, including traffic cones, PVC pipes, poles, banners, an anchor, and even a hefty 105kg block of weight. This amounted to a staggering 385kg of trash. At the beach, our volunteers collected 17kg of trash, complemented by an additional 60kg collected by BeBot, an on-land rubbish collector provided by The Searial Cleaners. In comparison to our previous clean up in 2022, the weight of the trash was significantly higher though we may have collected lesser items.
As we celebrate yet another successful clean up, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the volunteers who dedicated their time and effort to make this event possible. We also express our appreciation to Our Singapore Reefs, Kent Ridge Secondary School, Catholic Junior College, ONE°15 Marina staff, and SUTL staff for their invaluable contributions in support of our shared mission for the environment.
