SUTD students initiate Sustainability Design Hackathon

01 Mar 2022

Lianhe Zaobao, 1 Mar 2022, 新科大学生发起 永续发展编程比赛​ (translation)
 
To raise local youth's awareness of environmental issues and sustainable development, students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design's (SUTD) environmental club organised the SUTD Sustainability Design Hack (SSDH). The competition attracted more than 150 student participants from 19 schools.

Organised by SUTD’s environmental club Greenprint, the SSDH was a two-month long event/campaign. During this period, each participating team conceived a viable solution for Singapore's sustainable development. A total of 44 teams participated, of which 12 were shortlisted as finalists for the pre-tertiary category and the university category.

Event organiser Jaryl Lim (24) said: “We hope to raise awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals among pre-tertiary and university students, to think about Singapore's role in it, and to be able to combine sustainability and design concepts.”

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Sustainability and Environment, who was speaking at the event said that more and more young people are coming up with innovative ideas and solutions to address the challenges brought about by climate change. The National Youth Council is also actively providing a platform to discover and nurture youth through the Youth Action Challenge, the Young Sustainable Development Goals Leaders Awards, and more, to help them implement these ideas.

Dr Khor said: “We are delighted to see SUTD organise this sustainability design hackathon, where students are able to apply design thinking principles to address challenges in energy transition, food supply and food safety. We hope that this event will inspire and connect like-minded young people and foster a community of youth with a passion for the environment and sustainable causes.”