SINGAPORE, Sept. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Local eco-projects by students now come with an extra contemporary edge, thanks to bold and creative applications of technology and new media to community initiatives for the environment. These innovative eco-projects, conceptualized and implemented by young Singaporeans, have garnered the prestigious Bayer-UNEP awards.
Among them, four outstanding youth environmentalists are bound for Germany to present their prize-winning projects at the 2012 Bayer Young Environmental Envoy study tour and networking forum.
At the awards ceremony, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources said: "Anywhere in the world, you will find young people care far more for the environment than older folks like us. Perhaps it is because younger people instinctively know that because they have a longer life to live than what we have left, what happens in the long term is of even greater importance to the rest of us who are middle aged and beyond. Young people are still fired up by the passion, enthusiasm and ideals and want to make a difference. And therefore I believe it is our responsibility to encourage, to provide platforms for you, to make your discoveries, applications, and to have the opportunity to make a long-term difference. That is why we want to encourage companies and hold up companies like Bayer as role models as a company that understands the need for science and the value of research and development."
All 11 projects by Bayer Young Environmental Envoys showcase constructive applications to widen the reach and pull for more members of the community to join our youths towards greater environmental causes benefiting both the local community and our living environment. The added edge in this year's projects was technology.
Take the project by Joyce Chee Zhun Yu, 23, from Nanyang Technological University. She was driven to find a lower energy consuming alternative in electronic/LCD TV displays, after noticing an increasingly prevalent use of huge wall-covering LCD monitors.
Her VOsensor phone application, a low-energy alternative utilizing QR codes and Near-Field Communications (NFC) chip enables users to play the same video content on their smartphone instead. Seeded as an Eco-preneurship, the concept can deliver practical savings in the field of display media, both money-wise and emission-wise.
Once she completed the development of the phone application, she tested VOsensor with four students groups at their 2012 orientation camp activities in NTU. The result -- VOsensor, with its portability and ease of use, coupled with the predominant use of smartphones -- served its purpose well, and also gained extra credits for its 'hip' factor, among other distinct advantages. To further add value, she created an "awards" function in the VOsensor phone application, which users could use to collect credits for watching the videos located at different locations within a themed trail, earning themselves virtual collectibles. This added incentive for users to watch the videos can help complement publicity efforts and offer an indirect tracking of usage.
Her VOsensor concept originated from an idea to create a green button that harnesses piezoelectricity (a form of clean energy produced from kinetic movements, for example, by pressing the button, a piezo generator can convert this human action into electrical energy). But due to added testing requirement of any mechanical installation by most building managers, she made the switch successfully to the present concept.
Another outstanding project is the GREENERDot card game designed and produced by 18-year old Nanyang Polytechnic student Pang Yu Han. Keen to raise awareness on Singapore's green spaces and beautiful trees among children and youth, she set out to explore her card game idea, being a big believer in play learning. Choosing the game cards concept, she set out to crystalize the idea, thus setting the stage for Singapore's first nature-themed card game premised on getting players to form suites based on Singapore's common park spaces (linked by the MRT-network), sapling cards, compost cards and mature tree cards. Her game was very well received with numerous requests to launch in schools. A playgroup has even requested her to develop a junior version for younger pre-school kids.
Keen to put the greenery and community spirit of the Kembangan neighbourhood into cyber-space, 19-year old Joanna Chew, from Temasek Polytechnic, created a Kembangan Greenery WikiAlbums. It aims to enhance the knowledge and hence the appreciation of fellow Kembangan residents on the plants and greenery in the neighborhood through sharing/wiki of photos, stories, experiences, recipes, songs and poems about plants and greenery around Kembangan neighbourhood. Much research was done to document and identify the plants in key areas within the Kembangan area. The site she built featured photos and stories of more than 100 species of neighbourhood plants archived in 4 WikiAlbums on the Facebook page for Kembangan Residents to refer to. Her site garnered good support and encouragement from residents, receiving a significant numbers of "like" and commendation posts.
Well into its 12th year in Singapore, the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy (BYEE), a global partnership between research-based enterprise Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), today conferred the BYEE title to 11 outstanding students and named the top four finalists who will be joining youth delegates from 18 other countries in an environmental study trip to Germany on November 3-10, 2012.
The awards were presented by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources at the award ceremony, witnessed by Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Jens Janik of the German Embassy, and Mr Rainer Steinmetz, Chief Financial Officer, Bayer South ASEAN.
The 2012 Bayer Young Environmental Envoys are: Muhammad Luqman Bin Amir (Building & Construction Authority Academy), Joyce Chee Zhun Yu (Nanyang Technological University), Joanna Chew Yujiao (Temasek Polytechnic), Klara Chua Mei Chin, (National University of Singapore), Sebastian Hoe Wee Kiat (Temasek Polytechnic), Koh Jun Song (Temasek Polytechnic), Law Yu Hui (Ngee Ann Polytechnic), Edric Lian Yu Ru (Nanyang Polytechnic), Ng Aik Wei Marcus (Nanyang Polytechnic), Pang Yu Han (Nanyang Polytechnic) and Muhammad Asri Bin Yacob (ITE College West).
Based on the merits of their projects, both in concept and implementation, Joyce, Muhammad Asri, Law Yu Hui, and Pang Yu Han were awarded the opportunity to join the study tour in Germany. (Please see annex for project details.)
Bayer, through its global partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, is committed to running this program on a long-term basis, in addition to a dozen other partnership projects. These joint projects range from creative competitions and capacity-building initiatives to sustainable international networks and youth representation at major global events. From 2004 to 2010 alone, over two million young people have participated in these partnership projects. Every year, Bayer invests about 1.2 million Euros in support of the various environmental projects carried out under the partnership.
Reflecting on the flagship programme, Rainer Steinmetz, Chief Financial Officer, Bayer South ASEAN, said the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy program creates a healthy avenue to encourage young people to not just think up of environment protection ideas, but more importantly, to put their ideas into practice and get results.
"In particular, the move towards more technology-driven projects shows that our younger generation is ready and eager to harness technology in our efforts to do what we can both for the environment and the local community. That spirit and can-do attitude bodes well for Singapore in future generations to come," said Rainer Steinmetz.
"The response that we continue to receive provides further impetus for us to continue in our efforts to play our part and make a tangible difference in safeguarding our environment," he added.
Supported in Singapore by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the National Youth Achievement Awards (NYAA), BYEE is one of the longest running youth environmental programs in the country, nurturing budding environmentalists and youth leaders and linking them into an expanded network of counterparts from Asia, Latin America and Africa.
BYEE provides the young environmental envoys a unique opportunity to interact with their peers, the academia, researchers and environment experts from both private and public sectors. On their weeklong study tour in Germany, the envoys experience heightened environmental awareness as practiced by the people, the government, the industry, and within Bayer's facilities, which adhere to the highest standards of responsible and sustainable product development.
About the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy
The Bayer Young Environmental Envoy (BYEE) is a global environment education program for the youth organized by Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme with the aim of developing young environmental leaders and boosting the level of environmental awareness among the youth.
The BYEE Eco-Camp is a key component of the local program. This year the Singapore Eco-Camp was held on June 21-23, 2012 at the NUS University Cultural Centre and the UTown Graduate Residences. The Eco-Camp provides the envoys with a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of local and global environmental issues and how Singapore is contributing to environment protection. The format of the eco-camp focuses on environmental learning through site visits, interactive sessions with leading resource persons, as well as group activities and daily reflections on topics covered.
Following the completion of the Eco-Camp, the individual projects of all Envoys were evaluated by a panel of judges. The Top 4 Envoys of Singapore are selected to join fellow youth delegates from 18 countries, across four continents, on a weeklong study trip to Germany. The study trip allows participants to gain new insights on the broad spectrum of environment protection measures employed by industry, municipalities and the state environmental authorities in Germany. All Envoys get to present their individual projects and engage in discussions with like-minded youth.
To sustain the networking opportunities provided by the program, Bayer Young Environmental Envoys from all countries (past and present) are linked via Facebook "Bayer Young Environmental Envoy, the Networking Group."
Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. As an inventor company, it sets trends in research-intensive areas. Bayer's products and services are designed to benefit people and improve the quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and acts as a socially and ethically responsible corporate citizen. In fiscal 2011, the Group employed about 112,000 people and had sales of euro 36.5 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to euro 1.7 billion, R&D expenses to euro 2.9 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
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