Join Dylan Teh as he explores The Sustainability Youth Festival 2025 and discovers how young trailblazers are sowing the seeds for a brighter and greener future.

When someone talks about sustainability, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a passionate environmentalist protesting for change, or stuffy seminars by self-proclaimed entrepreneurs claiming their idea is the next big thing. 

This is where Koe Chua, a double degree holder at Yale-NUS and NUS Law, and Andres Neo, a Year 2 Environmental Studies student at NUS, plan to flip the script. These two students organised the inaugural run of The Sustainability Youth Festival (TSYF) on August 1, 2025. 

What is TSYF?

According to Ms Chua, the pair envisioned this event to amplify the voices of aspiring youths and reach out to the younger generations of Singaporeans, like primary schoolers, to nurture a love for nature. 

“We realised that sustainability tends to be taught in a bit of an isolated way,” Ms Chua said. “They learn about reducing plastic waste, but they don’t really see how everything comes together.” 

This led them to the creation of the theme for this inaugural run of the festival: Every Piece Matters. 

The festival features various events like booth exhibitions and workshops by companies showcasing their efforts in sustainability, seminars by industry leaders, and networking opportunities for aspiring changemakers. 

But what does ‘Every Piece Matters’ mean? Ms Chua gave a simple analogy. “Maybe you are deciding whether or not you want to buy a toy, or a piece of clothing that was produced in Singapore, versus something that was produced overseas.”

At first glance, the decision may come down to which of the two is most cost-efficient or ships the fastest. However, other factors such as how far the product has to travel, how the product was created, or whether it was produced in an ethical and sustainable way also need to be considered. Every part of the process contributes to the sustainability or unsustainability of a product. And thus, every piece matters.

Mr Neo also wanted to address the elephant in the room, climate fatigue, the emotional exhaustion that comes from feeling powerless against climate change despite trying to live a climate-conscious lifestyle. 

“I think one way we are trying to address this is really about organising festivals like this where we really show what … [is] being done on the ground,” He said, adding “and showing them the possibility of a community like this.”

With that being said, what do the exhibitors of TSYF 2025 have to offer?

We Have Solutions At Home

We spoke to Soh Jun Xian and Syafiq Zaini from edm8ker, who set up a cosy little exhibit and workshop they dubbed a ‘Repair Kopitiam’, where youths can learn how to repair various appliances instead of just throwing them away. 

The booth featured an array of mock-ups and posters teaching skills like how to repair a three-pin plug, recognising basic electrical components, and prying open the insides of common household appliances like an iron. 

A mock-up of the electrical components inside an iron. Photo credit: Tristan Low

According to Mr Soh, the inspiration for the booth comes from the need to bring back the seemingly forgotten practice of repairing an item instead of throwing it away. “We try to bring back the idea of repairing.” 

They also wanted to teach people how they can adapt and react to the changing climate of the world through sustainable and significant actions. This came creatively in the form of Orbeez, better known as water babies to us Gen Z folks.

“It’s something to reintroduce … to the current generation. And, you know, it’s always fun to use something from the old … . It’s like a nostalgia thing too. And for the students to be able to see … how we can adapt to the current climate.” Mr Zaini said.

Instructions on how to create an Orbeez Neck Cooler. Photo credit: Tristan Low

This invention also emphasised how these savvy solutions are often simple and very accessible to the general public. Think about it, a packet of Orbeez and a neck scarf are items you can easily find lying around or being sold cheaply just about anywhere. 

This was something Mr Soh drew parallels with when it comes to repairing appliances. “You just need patience to learn the skills needed.”

Innovators and Trailblazers

Another aspect of TSYF 2025 is the Changemaker and Innovator Challenges, a platform where youth of all ages come together to showcase projects that create real-world sustainability impact. 

We spoke to Akim and Javier, Republic Polytechnic students and inventors of SUSFeed. 

Akim told us more about what they were trying to do. “At SUSFeed, we are tackling the food waste problem… every year there’s tonnes of food waste generated by …  food manufacturers, beverage manufacturers …  , [etc]. So there’s a lot of food waste …  [that] we want to re-divert …  to our manufacturing chain where we can then turn it into nutritious fish feed that the [fish] farms can use.” 

Akim (left) and Javier (right) pitching their idea to a panel of judges. Photo credit: Tristan Low

While the team initially entered the challenge through their polytechnic’s entrepreneurship programme to seek funding, they left the venue feeling inspired and motivated by the sense of community.

“It’s not often that you come across student competitions,” Akim reflected. “Going for funding and being able to participate in this, listening to other people’s ideas and their vision, it’s quite inspiring.”

Javier also discussed the importance of sustainability efforts from youths, seeing us as the next generation that has to take action before it’s too late.

“It’s very important because there’s a lot of waste generated in Singapore annually. And Singapore is just a small island. All this waste is dumped into Semakau Island, Semakau Landfill. By 2035, it will be full.”

The Eco-Anxious Generation Takes Charge

All in all, TSYF showcases the efforts of people like you and me. The youth who grew up with eco-anxiety and who aspire to make change in this world. People like Mr Soh and Mr Zaini, who invent savvy solutions to beat the heat, and innovators like Akim and Javier are paving the way forward for a greener tomorrow.

When asked what he wanted to convey to his fellow youths, Akim had only one thing to say. “YOLO. You only live once.”