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#Thirsty4change: Bubble Tea, Coding And Data Visualisation, Singapore Management University

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In our introductory article to #Thirsty4Change, we met Ishan and Elyza, undergrads of Singapore Management University who have teamed up with LASALLE College of the Arts students to explore design interventions to bring about a more sustainable-looking future for bubble tea packaging and consumption. Throughout six weeks of workshops, the students embarked on data collection, and learned more about coding and data visualisation.

#Thirsty4change: Bubble Tea Goes Sustainable, Singapore Management University

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The global bubble tea market was valued at US$1.96 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach US$3.21 billion by 2023. However, the bubble tea craze comes as a heavy price to the environment. Since plastic cups and straws—used to contain and consume the drinks—are non-biodegradable, most of these end up in oceans and cause severe harm to animals that mistake the plastic for food. Used bubble tea cups also cannot be placed into “Plastics”-designated recycling bins as they contain too much liquid and leftover “pearls”, usually made of tapioca. To date, there have been efforts to address bubble-tea-related waste, …

Overcome Fomo: Five Easy Steps, One Social Media Platform At A Time, Nurin Nazifa Binte Mohd Yusoff

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I recently came across a CNN article1 that discussed social media’s impact on mental health. It highlightedthe findings of a UK-based study conducted by the RoyalSociety for Public Health, and involved around 1,500 young people aged between 14 to 24 years. Entitled#StatusofMind, it reported that out of many popular social media platforms, Instagram demonstrated the most negative effects on users’ mental health, evoking in them feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, depression, loneliness, worthlessness and body image issues. Snapchat came closely behind, followed by Facebook and Twitter. YouTube, on the other hand, was found to have a positive effect on mental health.

"How Do I Look?": The Fashion Industry Needs A Makeover, Trang Chu Minh

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Despite the rise of socially responsible businesses and conscious shoppers, the fashion industry seems to be falling behind. It is common to read reports of clothing brands whose ethics and manufacturing practices are called into question—some even accused of slavery in their supply chains. But errant retailers aside, one still wonders: given the seasonal nature of what’s “on trend” and the prevalence of “fast fashion”, can this industry ever break out of the cycle of overproduction and overconsumption?

App-Titude Test: Reviewing Productivity-Boosting And Anxiety-Busting Apps, Nurin Nazifa Binte Mohd Yusoff

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Self-improvement apps have been on the market for a while, but judging from the general lack of reviews, not many have been put to the test. For this edition ofThe Short List, I downloaded five mobile applicationsclaiming to enhance productivity and lower anxiety levels, and tried them out over the course of a few weeks. Am I now more productive and relaxed? Maybe.But were they app-solutely essential? Read on to find out.

Silver Generation, Golden Age: Vanessa Keng, Nurin Nazifa Binte Mohd Yusoff

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Meet Vanessa Keng, 30, co-founder of The Golden Concepts,1 an e-tailer of innovative eldercare products designed to keep seniors independent and safe. Offering a wide catalogue of items sourced frominternational suppliers, you will find everything from wheelchairs and walking canes, to car accessories and doorknob grips. NURiN NaZiFa BiNTe MoHD YUSoFF catches up with Vanessa to learn more about “heart ware”, and her mission to leverage technology for social good.

The Technology Tide: Has It Hit The Shores Of Social Innovation?, Andrew Koh

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“We want a nice colour and it must look modern.”

That was the feedback some villagers gave during a design-thinking exercise regarding sanitation facilities. Although this took place several years ago, as part of my previous work in the international development sector, I remember the experience vividly. It struck me that most people—village-dwellers or Singaporeans alike—have similar aspirations for a better quality of living.

Safe And Secure? Not Without Digital Hygiene, Kunaciilan Nallappan

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A generation ago, one would scoff at the thought of renting clothes or carpooling with strangers. These days, however, it seems like the sharing economy has taken the world by storm. From ride-sharing to lodging, consumers are now looking at alternatives to traditional services and businesses.

Waste Not, Want Not: Rayner Loi, Mike Ross Carroll

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Meet Rayner loi, 23. He’s the founder of Good For Food, an IoT startup that tackles the food wastage problem in Singapore. He speaks to MiKe RoSS caRRoll about his mission to direct all food to hungry stomachs instead of full bins.

Tech To The Future: Is It Time To Curb The Tech Bandwagon?, Chris Oestereich

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Technology is a broad concept. We tend to think of it in terms of theflashy new devices, but it’s so muchmore than that. Generally speaking, it’s a lever through which we applyknowledge to gain benefits. Majoradvances throughout human history are obvious reminders of the things tech has enabled. From the time when ploughs pulled humanity from hunting and gathering, to the era in which cars congested our cities, tech has continually pressed forward.

Mine-Craft: Can Technology Take Us Towards A Mine-Free World?, Roshni Kapur

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Social enterprises are gradually changing the world with game-changing innovations that address global problems. But when it comes to the safe removal of unexploded ordnance—also known as landmines—will technology be the lasting solution?

Easy Does It: Blockchain-Based Solutions For The Future, David Wong, Freddy Setiawan, Alvin Yong

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y now, most people are aware of Bitcoin and its meteoric rise in value. What is less known, however, is its underpinning technology, blockchain. Blockchain is a distributed ledger that records virtually all types of transactions.This distributed nature is reflected in itsphysical architecture, and is one of the main reasons for its strong resistance to hacking and its immutable nature.

All Systems Go: Building An Internet For Good, Sylvia Cadena

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The Internet has supercharged our ability to achieve development targets. Digital solutions, from both the public and private sectors, can facilitate unprecedented access to government and social services, banking andfinance, telehealth and well-being,education and training, employment opportunities, as well as create business opportunities.

In Good Company: In The Future, Every Business Might Be Social, Christian Petroske

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It sounds like a riddle: why would Coca Cola, one of the biggest soft drinks companies in the world, be investing in a cause to empower fi ve million female entrepreneurs globally by 2020? It’s true:1 the Coca Cola Company’s initiative, called 5by20, is a forerunning example of a trend sweeping the corporate world. This trend is known by many names, the foremost of which are “shared value”, “inclusive business” or “sustainable business”. Their defi nitions can seem murky at fi rst, but these terms share a common thread. They sit at the intersection of economy and society, one that …

Generation "P": Philippines' Millennial Impact Entrepreneurs, Jinky Tuliao, Zen Bin, Vivienne Zerrudo

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"Millennials"—broadly defined as those born between 1980 and 2000— are a dynamic driving force behind any country’s economic progress, but particularly so in the Philippines. Making up about 50 per cent of the national population, Philippine millennials are mainly employed in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which in turn account for over 99 per cent of all local businesses.

Sofi 101: Understanding Social Finance, Christian Petroske, Florian Parzhuber, Haneol Jeong, John Kinsella, Maaya Murakami, Mitchell Laferriere, Remi Cordelle

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What is social finance? Rachel Kalbfleisch of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) defines it as a collection of approaches to managing money that create value for society or the environment, often while producing a financial return,1 while the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing calls it “an approach to managing money to solve societal challenges”.2 In other words, social finance is a movement that covers various ways of using finance—via socially responsible investments, micro-loans, community investments, and so on—to achieve a social or environmental impact. Who is involved in this process? While charities, socially driven businesses and governments all work …

Banking On It: Investment Banks As The Next Step For Impact Investing, Mitchell Laferriere

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For their size, investment banks have comparatively little to do with the rising practice of impact investing: They make up only nine per cent of all the assets under management (AUM) in the impact investment industry. That totals about US$1 trillion in investments in an US$11 trillion market.

Banking On It: Investment Banks As The Next Step For Impact Investing, Mitchell Laferriere

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For their size, investment banks have comparatively little to do with the rising practice of impact investing: They make up only nine per cent of all the assets under management (AUM) in the impact investment industry. That totals about US$1 trillion in investments in an US$11 trillion market.

Investing In Impact: A Perspective On Social Impact Bonds, Rashika Ranchan

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Innovation is inherently risky: even if not all interventions work, social impact bonds can help to accelerate the rate of learning about which approaches work better than others.

The Macro Behind Microfinance: Cambodia's Financial Inclusion Success Story, Jonathan Chang

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Financial inclusion refers to the delivery of affordable financial services to disadvantaged and low-income segments of society. However, as it also involves striking a fine balance between managing businesses’ credit risks and improving customers’ access to credit, different countries have made varied progress in their financial inclusion efforts. To date, across both developed and developing nations, SMEs and individuals still struggle in the face of limited access to adequate financing. Yet there is one country that has made considerable strides in this area: judging from the tremendous success of its microfinance sector, Cambodia seems to have found the sweet spot …

Scaling Impact Investing Through Innovative Finance: A Focus On Women's Livelihoods, Durreen Shahnaz

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I embarked on a journey from the first steps of my career to utilise finance to do good for the world. This journey has now turned into a global movement that is taking the world by a storm, known as impact investing or social finance.

The Wisdom Of Tupperware: On Field Building And Finding The Right Container, Geraldine Cahill, Satsuko Vanantwerp

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Drawing from the ongoing research in lab practices at Social Innovation Generation (SiG) National, Geraldine Cahill and Satsuko VanAntwerp acquaint us with the concept, role and structure of social innovation labs and field building work.

From Fragmentation And Silos To Tri-Sector Collaboration: Social Innovation In Hong Kong, Ada Wong

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Social innovation is gathering momentum in Hong Kong. It is connecting silos and developing partnerships for change. Ada Wong describes how five social innovators are approaching social change to bring about cohesion amidst a fragmented political landscape.

Methodological Craft: Comparing The Hunches And Assumptions Behind Social Change, Sarah Schulman

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Social innovation labs are emergent spaces for naming social challenges, testing hypotheses, developing and spreading interventions. Despite the common denominator of experimentation, they vary in methodology. Dr Sarah Schulman makes explicit her observation of the hunches and assumptions embedded in the current social change methodologies.

Transformative Scenario Planning: A Tool For Systemic Change, Adam Kahane

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A leading organiser, designer and facilitator of processes involving tri-sector collaboration, Adam Kahane shares with Social Space on how transformative scenario planning takes scenario planning to a new level and works as a powerful tool for systemic change.

Social Innovation Labs: A Tool For Social Integration, Pradeep Ghosh

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The Organisation for Awareness of Integrated Social Security (OAS iS) has designed a different approach to innovation in India by creating social innovation labs to work across the social sector. Pradeep Ghosh describes the approach and the work of OAS iS, and shows how social innovation labs can play an increasingly important role in creating solutions for the Indian society.

Mapping Out An Age Friendly Singapore: Lessons From Pioneering Work In Ageing And Eldercare, Mary Ann Tsao

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As the Tsao Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2013, Social Space catches up with the indomitable Dr Mary Ann Tsao who explains what it means to be a catalyst for change and how the Foundation will continue in transforming the experience of longevity in the community.

Bringing Bottom Of The Pyramid Markets And Consumers Into The Economic Mainstream, Al Hammond

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Governments and markets have failed to adequately serve the four billion consumers at the bottom of the economic pyramid (BOP). Al Hammond explains why this is so and outlines strategies for how different players can harness the growth of the BOP market.

The Promise And Challenge Of Ecotourism, Biqi Wu

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The following article is adapted from an ecotourism case study conducted by Wu Biqi. It was supported by the Lien Centre and supervised by Associate Professor John Donaldson of the School of Social Sciences at the Singapore Management University.

Reconnecting The Non-Profit Organisation With Its Beneficiaries, Sharifah Mohamed

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Different stakeholder interests may cause non-profit organisations to lose sight of the real needs of their beneficiaries. Sharifah Mohamed shows how design thinking can help them to refocus.