The saying goes, “Teach me, I forget; Show me, I remember; Involve me, and I understand.” Babilou Family Singapore runs its first major Sustainability Education Initiative, Plan(t) the Future – by involving their stakeholders in a series of activities focused on environmental awareness.

With a commitment to sustainability, Babilou Family Singapore pushed out a series of events and activities to educate and engage the children and their families. Besides engaging children through storytelling, the educators actively included sustainability in their curriculum and facilitated discussions about possible solutions. To ensure the continuity of conversations, families were also engaged in some of the activities.

The children also played a part in fundraising. They crafted items for sale at a fundraising event using recycled household products. And on the corporate level, staff contributed pre-loved items to sell and auction at a flea market. Through all the fundraising events across the 52 centres and at the headquarters, a total of $50,045 was raised. All proceeds were contributed to NParks’Garden City Fund through the Plant-A-Tree programme.

The Plant-A-Tree Programme is a platform for citizens and organisations to participate in restoring nature in our city. Under this programme, Babilou Family Singapore was accorded 166 trees, of which 148 were planted along Seng Kang West Way on 14 July 2022. Each tree planted under this programme contributes to the OneMillionTrees Movement, with the aim of transforming Singapore into a City in Nature.

Children and their families across the centres were invited to be part of this tree planting event. On top of the discussions and fundraising activities, the children even had the whole experience of tree planting, from digging and planting to fertilising and watering the new tree. What better way to commemorate their childhood and learning than with a tree that grows with them? And what better way to teach sustainability to children than by involving them throughout this experiential journey.

As Mr. Benjamin Busse, CEO of Babilou Family Singapore, addressed the participants at the event, he shared, “Sustainability involves taking care of present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to take care of their own needs.” Walking the talk, Mr. Busse cycles to work every day. Staff at the Babilou Family Singapore headquarters also adopt sustainability practices at the office. They conserve energy by making it a point to switch off lights when a space is not in use, and they bring reusable containers for lunch takeaways. They would also save recyclable items, which are then used to create lesson materials for the centres.

“As global citizens, all of us have a role to play to protect our planet so our children can continue living in a better world. I am immensely grateful for what we collectively achieved for Plan(t) the Future as we take our first steps toward sustainable education, which is in line with Babilou Family’s commitment to sustainability. We look forward to more such collaborations with community partners, alongside our children and families, to foster a sense of community as we make sustainability a way of life.”
– Mr. Benjamin Busse, CEO of Babilou Family Singapore

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