Whether COP26 was a futile exercise in political grandstanding remains to be seen.
One thing is certain, however: large corporations need to stake out their positions on tackling climate change. Now imagine an elegant solution where industry giants can wear their virtuous contributions to the environment and society like a crown — on the rooftops of their offices, no less.
That’s the sunlight-dappled vision of Zac Toh, who co-founded urban farming initiative City Sprouts. It’s taking shape as Sky Sprouts, a 17,706 sq ft green oasis
planted atop Link@896 mall. Commissioned by developer Tuan Sing Holdings Limited, it’s set to open to the public in September. Beyond existing as a static patchwork of conservatories, Toh tells us, the space will be an inclusive community fizzing with wellness activities.
“As a society progresses, some groups will inevitably fall through the cracks. Through our programmes, we hope to create a safe environment for these groups to feel empowered, learn new skills and hopefully find their place again in the community,” he shares.
It’s a concept loosely modelled after Community as a Service (CaaS), a newfangled
marketing parlance for access to a group of people that brings value. It’s hardly novel, if you consider the shop-talk that typically drifts over the manicured greens of a country club. Membership is democratised in this case, and benefits are distributed
among stakeholders.
And Toh has his own living proof-of-concept to peddle. Together with co-founder Chee Zhi Kin, the young entrepreneur — who’s behind high-tech urban landscaping company GWS Living Art — won a tender in 2019 to redevelop part of the former Henderson Secondary School into an urban farm. The latter is premised on bridging socioeconomic and intergenerational gaps.
“Here in Henderson, we see a lot of disparity. You have your low-income seniors and soup kitchens alongside $1.4-million HDB flats. Our vision is to integrate the
marginalised into every community we build,” he says.
Sprout Hub, comprising greenhouses sublet to a raft of agripreneurs and agri-tech ventures at subsidised rates, and a canteen staffed by the elderly and disabled, abuts a preschool and a nursing home. This year, the fully occupied space welcomed a sustainability centre that teaches the public about closed-loop farming and the circular economy.
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Minister Grace Fu have graced it. But even a glowing social cause endorsed by dignitaries can’t deflect the obvious: the dwindling of smallholdings amid Singapore’s land scarcity.
Toh, whose family owns a nursery, is acutely aware of the staggering financial risks tied to the country’s notoriously brief land leases. You can’t help but wonder if his decision to avoid the lure of venture capital, stumping up close to $1million to get City Sprouts up and running, might be foolhardy.
The 30-year-old argues that “someone has to bite the bullet”. He did not want a solely profit-driven approach to erode the meaning of the space and still has the shame of large carbon emitters to fall back on. GWS Living Art is exploring nature-based carbon capture solutions, while City Sprouts’ community farm-building offshoot has elicited the interest of other firms.
“Even if we absorb five gigatons of carbon, the world still won’t be the same. What we do in the next few years will determine our future,” he asserts.
Videography: Belle Chew
Photography: Mun Kong
Producer: Cara Yap
Styling: Chia Wei Choong
Hair & Makeup: Rick Yang/Artistry, assisted by Alycia Tan, using Shiseido and Keune
