Shifting Perspectives for a Regenerative Future

This week, I was tasked with exploring my local environment, capturing images that highlight sustainability-related challenges and opportunities. I chose to take a bike ride from my condo to the sea, following a familiar path along the canal. This route holds deep personal significance, as my family has spent years exploring it with our two children and two dogs—making it one of my favourite places in Singapore.

The discussions and readings throughout the week emphasised the importance of moving beyond isolated problem-solving and instead embracing holistic solutions that acknowledge the interconnectedness of human and ecological systems through systems thinking, interdisciplinary approaches, and paradigm shifts.

Sustainability Issues Identified

From my photos and reflections, I was asked to formulate a series of "What if?" questions and then categorise them under three pillars: Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability.

Environmental Sustainability

• What if the water was clean?
• What if we stopped disrupting nature?
• What if our air was clean?
• What if we stopped using fossil fuels?
• What if our sea was clean?
• What if there was no more shipping?
• What if we changed materials?

Social Sustainability

• What if we could reconnect people to nature?
• What if we stopped hurting animals?
• What if we stopped eating meat?
• What if we dismantled colonial legacies?
• What if we could live closer to the ground?

Economic Sustainability

• What if we stopped developing buildings?
• What if we could leave the capitalist economy?
• What if we made better use of our roofs?

Paradigm Shifts and Future Visions

After considering these issues, I selected six key areas and applied them to Singapore, proposing possible solutions:

Transitioning from Fossil Fuels

What if we stopped using fossil fuels in Singapore by transitioning to renewable energy sources, redesigning transportation, making homes and cities energy efficient, and reducing energy demand?

Rethinking Economic Systems

What if we could leave the capitalist economy in Singapore by encouraging a social and solidarity economy that prioritises people over profits, focusing on cooperatives, social enterprises, and ethical businesses?

Reconnecting People to Nature

What if we could reconnect people to nature in Singapore by integrating eco-literacy and outdoor learning into schools, introducing student-led gardening projects, increasing nature field trips, and promoting green offices?

Minimising Urban Disruptions to Nature

What if we stopped disrupting nature in Singapore by strengthening environmental policies, promoting nature-inclusive urban design, and expanding green corridors to allow biodiversity to thrive?

Reducing Singapore’s Dependence on Shipping

What if there was no more shipping by reimagining Singapore’s economy beyond shipping and investing in green technology, biotech, AI, digital finance, and remote services?

Promoting Plant-Based Diets for Sustainability

What if we stopped eating meat in Singapore by expanding food diversity and accessibility, encouraging restaurants, hawker centres, and supermarkets to offer a wider variety of plant-based dishes and alternatives?

Webinar Reflection & Alignment with Singapore’s Key Issues

During our weekly webinar, I was encouraged to align my observations with Singapore's key sustainability challenges. The major issues Singapore faces include:

• Rising Sea Levels – Coastal areas are at risk due to climate change.
• Water Scarcity & Flash Floods – Extreme weather patterns threaten water resources.
• Urban Heat Island Effect – Increased temperatures due to excessive urbanisation.
• Biodiversity Loss – Singapore’s natural processes are highly vulnerable beyond 2.5°C warming.
• Food Security – Over 90% of Singapore’s food is imported, making it heavily reliant on external sources.
• Public Health & Vector-Borne Diseases – Climate change is increasing the risks of disease outbreaks.

Waste Management & Circular Economy

Our discussions also led to Singapore's waste management challenges, particularly regarding Semakau Landfill, which is expected to be full by 2035. I explored some of Singapore’s key waste initiatives:

• Zero Waste Masterplan – Aims to reduce waste sent to landfills by 30% by 2030.
• Waste-to-Resource Innovation – Transforming incineration ash into construction materials (NEWSand).
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes – Shifting waste responsibility to producers.
• Closing the Plastic Loop – Exploring chemical recycling instead of banning plastics.
• Food Waste Recycling – Encouraging anaerobic digestion and composting solutions.
• Smart Waste Management – Using AI-driven waste collection and smart recycling bins.

Applying Donella Meadows’ Guidelines

My reading offered insights to systems thinking giving valuable guidelines for sustainable decision-making:

• Observe system behaviour before intervening.
• Support existing self-maintaining structures to prevent unnecessary disruptions.
• Recognise that all knowledge is a model, open to challenge.
• Prioritise resilience, diversity, and long-term sustainability.
• Expand the boundary of caring to recognise global interconnectedness and ethical responsibility.
• Celebrate complexity and embrace dynamic, evolving systems.

Key Thinkers

I explored the works of key thinkers who emphasise interconnectivity, biomimicry, and paradigm shifts:

• Jeremy Lent (The Web of Meaning) – Challenges the Western worldview and highlights how systems science aligns with indigenous knowledge.
• Janine Benyus & Dayna Baumeister (Biomimicry 3.8) – Advocate for biomimicry-based urban planning that regenerates ecosystems.
• Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass) – Introduces the Honorary Harvest Principle, a philosophy of reciprocal relationships with nature.
• Eileen Crist (Human Supremacy) – Critiques how colonial legacies shape our extractive relationship with the environment.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

This week pushed me to think beyond traditional sustainability concepts and explore how fashion exists within a broader, interconnected system. By integrating systems thinking, indigenous wisdom, and paradigm shifts, we can design solutions that regenerate rather than deplete our planet’s resources.

As I continue developing my insights, my next steps will be to:

• Deepen my understanding of Singapore’s sustainability goals to align my work with local priorities.
• Research social enterprises and ethical business models to explore alternative economic structures that prioritise people and the planet.
• Connect this weeks reflections to last weeks manifesto, ensuring continuity in my evolving perspective on sustainability in fashion.

🌿 Thank you for being on this journey with me. Let’s continue to challenge the status quo, advocate for change, and celebrate the beauty of mindful, sustainable fashion.

With gratitude,
Tala ✨

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