What To Expect At The Conscious Festival In Singapore

Green Is The New Black's annual eco event returns to the city-state. Here's everything you need to know

"The biggest threat to mankind is not climate change but our inability to collaborate in order to fight against it," says environmentalist Paula Miquelis. Together with Stephanie Dickson, Miquelis founded Green Is The New Black, an online platform that offers news and content for those who wish to live a more conscious lifestyle.

Comprised of a marketplace and inspiring talks, The Conscious Festival Powered By Holland & Barrett is the platform's flagship event, taking place annually in both Hong Kong and Singapore. The event's fifth edition takes place November 2-3 in Singapore.

Gen.T's partnership with Green Is The New Black will see honourees attend the event, and a couple of familiar faces hosting talks over the weekend. Here's everything you need to know.

Above The South Beach Singapore (Image: City Developments Limited)

1. The venue has green credentials

This year's festival will be held at South Beach Avenue, an eco-friendly lifestyle destination that was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster. This year, the development won a series of awards in recognition of its environmentally conscious design. Its wave-like microclimatic canopy is engineered to harvest rainwater, and is fitted with photovoltaic cells to convert solar energy into electricity. "From its inception, South Beach was designed with the intention to embody top design and environmental sustainability," says Samantha Tan, general manager of South Beach Consortium.

Above Image: Li An Lim; Unsplash

2. Climate change will be top of the agenda

Climate change will be the anchor theme at this year's event. Co-founders Dickson and Miquelis joined an expedition to the Arctic Circle earlier this year, where they witnessed the effects of global warming firsthand. "We've seen eco-anxiety grip the world, fires obliterate the Amazon, and climate deniers are in power. But we've also seen more people fighting the good fight, and movements like #FridaysForFuture and Extinction Rebellion instil some hope in humanity," says Dickson.

A programme of keynotes, wellness sessions and hands-on workshops will seek to spark conversations around the most important issue of our time. The talks are to be broken up into four sessions over the weekend: wellness, business, planet and fashion.

Above Raena Lim

3. The speakers include Gen.T honourees

On November 2 Gen.T honouree Tan Szue Hann, managing director of upcycling firm Miniwiz, will be giving a talk on the role that businesses must take to facilitate responsible consumption.

On November 3, honouree Raena Lim, co-founder of subscription-based fashion rental platform Style Theory, will participate in a panel discussion on how to reduce fast fashion's damage to the planet. She'll be joined by Karen Riley-Grand from Levi Strauss and Co, Raye Padit from The Fashion Pulpit, Kai Paul from Indosole and Paula Miquelis, co-founder of Green Is The New Black.

Above Image; The Conscious Festival

4. Expect more than 100 conscious brands

The festival's marketplace will be filled with more than 100 curated brands that embody socially conscious values, with everything from plastic-free beauty products to plant-based dishes on offer. Brands include ZeroYet100, a Hong Kong-based beauty company that uses all-natural plant ingredients, and Deploy, a fashion label from London that focuses on sustainable luxury womenswear, to name just a couple.

There will also be 20 booths hosted by NGOs such as Seven Clean Seas, as well as a programme of interactive workshops.

The Conscious Festival is November 2-3 in Singapore.

Topics

The Conscious Festival Green Is The New Black Singapore

Tatler Asia

What To Expect At The Conscious Festival In Singapore

1. The venue has green credentials

2. Climate change will be top of the agenda

3. The speakers include Gen.T honourees

4. Expect more than 100 conscious brands