Bayer - Young Enviromental Envoy

4 winners to represent Singapore in Bayer-UNEP youth environment program

Innovative environment projects include recycling@schools with craft workshops and electronic waste recycling.

Winners at the Singapore BYEE award ceremony

Zoom image

Winners at the Singapore BYEE award ceremony

Four young environmentalists have emerged winners in the annual Bayer Young Environmental Envoy (BYEE) program for the year 2009. A total of 11 BYEE finalists were shortlisted through a nationwide search and together went on to participate in a 3-day eco-camp.

Following the eco-camp, the Bayer Young Environmental Envoys were invited before a distinguished panel of judges to present not just their project plans, but more importantly, the actual work done on their individual projects for promoting environmental protection in Singapore. This is the first year that the finalists were required to implement their environment projects since the program’s inception in Singapore in 2001.

Four of the young envoys impressed the judges with their passion for the environment and their respective environmental projects. They will represent Singapore at the BYEE field trip, a Bayer-UNEP youth environmental program, to be held in Germany in November 2009.

Mr Marcus Yim, Managing Director of Bayer (South East Asia) Pte Ltd, remarked, “We hope that, by giving our Bayer Young Environmental Envoys the opportunity to visit our headquarters office in Germany, network with international youth counterparts there, and learn about best environmental practices, they may return to Singapore with a broader perspective on sustainability issues.”

One of the winners, 18-year old Sharilyn Lim from Singapore Polytechnic, will be working with students in secondary schools to create recycling bins from cardboard boxes. She aims to encourage recycling in schools through a competition, where the recycled items are sold to raise funds for charity. At the same time the students will attend workshops on how to create useful arts and crafts from recycled materials, and so develop good recycling habits.

Another winner, 17-year old Lim Jing Kai from Republic Polytechnic, will be working with multinational companies to raise awareness and educate the public and students about electronic waste and ways of recycling it. His tools include recycling kiosks, educational posters and brochures. An electronic waste collection drive and a battery-exchange roadshow are also planned as part of the recycling effort.

For 19-year old Rachel Kek from Republic Polytechnic, her project was about recycling usable school items through a collection drive and donating them to students from needy families in Woodlands. The collection drive was part of an overall student flea market which aimed to spread the message of “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle”. More than 500 items including textbooks, school bags and stationery were collected for more than 35 needy students.

As for 20-year old Lester Tan, also from Republic Polytechnic, his project was about creating interactive and educational games about recycling at a carnival to be held at Republic Polytechnic. The games will serve as a tool for spreading the message of the importance of recycling and its impact on daily life. The games will also be made using recycled materials so as to give greater impact to the recycling message.

These four young environmentalists will now join some 50 envoys from 18 other countries from Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa for a weeklong field trip to Germany to learn about the best environmental protection practices.

The Bayer Young Environmental Envoy program is organized by Bayer (South East Asia) Pte Ltd in Singapore, and supported by the National Youth Achievement Award Council and the National Environment Agency.