The Tropical Rainforest Restoration Project is a cross-campus service between East and Dover, run in collaboration with the Singapore National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG). Together, we work to protect and restore Singapore’s rainforest ecosystems through hands-on conservation, research, and community engagement.

Our work is based in our purpose-built rooftop nursery in The Nest on the 6th floor, where we propagate and care for native rainforest tree species. Students manage the nursery and tree species inventory, plant and care for saplings, and prepare them for conservation planting sites.

There are many ways to contribute—conducting research and experimental trials, documenting progress through photography and communications, coordinating event logistics, and building skills for large-scale tree planting and maintenance.

Opportunities also include off-campus field trips and participation in NParks-led conservation events on weekdays and weekends, allowing you to apply what you learn in real restoration projects across Singapore.

Rainforest Restoration Portfolio 

Dive into the depths of marine ecosystems with our collaborative service in partnership with Conservation International. This EI deepens our understanding of marine conservation and builds a hands-on connection with underwater life—right here on campus.

You’ll work with our very own marine tanks, learning how to care for aquatic species, monitor water quality, and maintain healthy ecosystems. A new and exciting focus is coral fragging—propagating corals in our tanks with the goal of hand-delivering them to researchers we partner with, helping to rebuild and restore coral systems in Singapore’s waters.

Along the way, you’ll explore the science behind marine biodiversity, learn practical conservation skills, and gain insights from experts in the field. This is your chance to contribute to real-world restoration efforts while becoming a steward for our oceans—both on campus and beyond.

Conservation International

Join a global movement with a local impact. In Boomerang Bags, we help cut down single-use plastic by creating reusable bags from upcycled materials collected from our UWCSEA community. Through sewing bee sessions, we stitch and assemble sustainable bags that start conversations and inspire change. No sewing experience? No problem—everyone can play a part!

Our bags are first shared within the East Campus community, with plans to expand to the wider Singapore community—thinking local, acting global. Along the way, you’ll learn practical upcycling skills, connect with like-minded peers, and help divert waste from landfill while promoting sustainable living.

Boomerang Bags portfolio  

Boomerang bags tutorial

Turn waste into something beautiful. In Burnt Out, we handcraft candles from upcycled materials—designing, pouring, packaging, and marketing them within our school community. Each candle is a conversation starter, helping to raise awareness about waste reduction in Singapore and on campus.

As part of the team, you’ll explore the principles of the circular economy and the entrepreneurship side of sustainability—taking your product from design to sale. You’ll learn candle-making, product design, branding, and customer engagement. Our candles are sold by GC groups at events and in our Live Lighter Collective space in the SSD office, raising funds for meaningful causes. 

From sourcing materials to selling finished products, every step is a chance to make a positive impact.

Slideshow here

Tech Tinkers is an Environmental Initiatives service where students refurbish old and unused computers, phones, and other electronics—giving them a second life. These devices are repurposed for Voluntary Welfare Organisations in Singapore, local service schools and centres, and our global NGO partners, reducing e-waste while supporting our local and global community partners. 

This year, the group will also explore repairing other electrical components and hosting guest repair sessions in the Plaza using our brand-new mobile repair cart. It’s a chance to grow your skills, share them with others, and inspire a culture of repair on campus.

Whether you already have a basic understanding of computers and electronics or just a passion for learning, you’ll gain valuable hands-on experience while making a tangible impact.

Tech Tinkers portfolio

SustainaBrew is a fun, hands-on service that creates low-waste, environmentally friendly drinks—sometimes using ingredients harvested from our own gardens. From healthy smoothies to refreshing isotonic blends for athletes, we design, test, and serve drinks at community events, staff gatherings, and sports competitions.

Students in SustainaBrew research and develop recipes, master the art of drink-making, run taste tests, market our products, and help with distribution. Whether you love cooking, want to explore sustainable food production, or simply enjoy learning by doing, this service offers a chance to turn ideas into delicious, eco-friendly creations.

By joining SustainaBrew, you’ll gain practical skills, reduce waste, and help refresh our community—one sustainable sip at a time.

SustainaBrew portfolio
Video here

Raw Beauty blends science, sustainability, and creativity to make eco-friendly soaps and toiletries without plastic packaging. We use natural, locally sourced ingredients—including endemic plants from our Urban Gardening EI groups, and in the future, scraps from our school kitchens.

You’ll gain hands-on skills like cold press soap making, essential oil distilling, and lab techniques that apply chemistry and biology. You’ll also explore the entrepreneurship side of sustainability—developing products from concept to sale, learning about branding, marketing, and customer engagement. Our products are packaged, promoted, and sold in collaboration with stakeholders across the College, including GC groups and through the Live Lighter Collective space in the SSD office, raising funds for meaningful causes.

Join us to help close the loop on campus while building practical, creative, and business skills—creating products that are good for people and the planet.

Raw Beauty portfolio

Soap video

From Fast Fashion to a Culture of Reuse

Fast fashion drains the planet’s resources, exploits workers, and sends millions of tonnes of clothing to landfill each year. Trashion takes action by promoting slow fashion and tackling our throwaway culture through sharing, swapping, and upcycling.

You’ll learn practical skills to give discarded clothes, jewellery, and donated items a second life—no sewing experience needed. Together, we’ll run swap events, create new pieces from waste streams, and inspire the UWCSEA community to choose ethical, sustainable fashion.

Be part of the change: turn waste into opportunity and fashion into a force for good.

HS Urban Gardening is where students learn to grow with purpose. You’ll explore tropical plant species, planting, nurturing, and caring for gardens while building skills in soil health, composting, pest and disease management, weeding, and pruning. Guided by permaculture principles and the Sustainability Compass, you’ll work in The Nest—our purpose-built rooftop gardens—to create thriving, biodiverse spaces.

Alongside maintaining our green spaces, you’ll take on a teaching role, raising awareness about sustainability and encouraging others to use our gardens for learning. You’ll also collaborate with initiatives like Fresh Fruit Friday, Raw Beauty, SustainaBrew, and the Boarding House gardeners—building capacity, sharing skills, and connecting our campus community through the power of growing food.

Urban Gardening HS portfolio
Urban Gardeners HS video

Under the Urban Gardening banner, this group is where plants meet possibility. We start seeds and cuttings for our herb garden, Food Forest, and campus partners, while also exploring new territory—experimenting with permaculture principles and the creative reuse of waste. From beeswax wraps and fermented orange enzyme cleaner to hydroponics, composting with chickens, and mapping the Food Forest, we design solutions that care for the Earth, people, and community.

You’ll learn practical skills, mentor younger gardeners, and collaborate with other sustainability groups to prototype ideas that make campus life more resilient and sustainable. This is the place for curious minds and willing hands ready to grow, make, and innovate for a better future.

Urban Gardening Propagation portfolio
Padlet
Propagation video - Adam Oct 2019

Nature's ultimate recyclers and nutritional legends – that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fungi!

Join Urban Myco Futures and explore the fascinating world of mushrooms like oyster, lion’s mane, and shiitake. You’ll gain hands-on cultivation skills in our newly built walk-in mushroom fruiting chamber with a misting system, and work in our High School science laboratories to dive into the microbiology behind it all. 

Learn how fungi sustain ecosystems, cycle nutrients, and contribute to human health, drive innovation, and so much more. It’s time to bring this underappreciated kingdom into the spotlight and unlock their incredible potential for a healthier planet and a healthier you!