I have recently been enrolled into spending a year abroad studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and have grown increasingly excited for my time there. Ever since the opportunity arose, I started considering everything I could do while I was out there: from the “Gardens by the Bay”, to the “Marina Bay Sands SkyPark”, to travelling all over South-East Asia etc. Not once did sustainability cross my mind while planning this utopia. In my dream world: I’m flying first class without the harms of fuel plaguing the planet, I’m consuming all the best, greasiest foods from plastic containers without acknowledging the environmental damages, and I am living in luxury in the most air-conditioned flat; travelling via taxis around the country – but in reality, this all takes its toll.
All these fantasies have negative externalities, which are too often forgotten about. It’s always nicer having to selfishly think about the most optimal plans for yourself, but isn’t that how everyone thinks? What if instead, people thought about how sharing public transport and engaging with public practices like “Zero Waste SG” (1) could benefit the world. During my year abroad, and life after, I want to prioritise this way of thinking and adopt it permanently in an attempt to help maintain the UN SDGs, whether this be via catching more public trains and coaches in lieu of short-haul flights, or via energy saving on campus through university initiatives.
A few years ago, I helped raise money for charities supporting period poverty, aligning with SDG 5: Gender Equality (2). I was joyed by the effect it had and I want to continue helping throughout my year. I want to continue raising money for charities not only for SDG 5, but for as many as I can, through donations for runs like the Singaporean Half Marathon! I want to become a bigger contributor to the charities sector by any means possible – but mainly through runs.
Furthermore, Singapore is notoriously a clean country with streets free of any rubbish. I hope to learn what made this economy and society like this, and how others have diversified so differently. I will ask locals what they think about sustainability and the SDGs to see if there is a different mindset about it compared to the UK. I will try to contact companies, specifically in Private Equity/ Consulting, and ask how they view the SDGs and see how their ESGs intertwine with them. I’ll be able to see through internships or professional experiences, how big companies have a large effect on these global issues and their steps to tackle them, even potentially adding my own take on these. So if any firms want to take me on as an intern, I would definitely not decline! I aim to take all of this back with me and to grow individually to become part of the solution, rather than just “not the problem”.
(1) – https://www.zerowastesg.com/
(2) – https://sdgs.un.org/goals
