ONE°15 Marina to host Blue Water EduFest

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ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove in Singapore

ONE15 Events Management, a subsidiary of SUTL Enterprise, is organising the inaugural Blue Water EduFest, which will be held at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove in Singapore from November 3-6.

Desmond Lee, Singapore’s Minister for National Development and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services, is Guest of Honour for the four-day event, which includes a two-day conference, fundraising events, an awards night and a sustainable luxury showcase.

Created to raise awareness of ocean conservation, the event is open to the public and targeted at policy makers and industry players involved in infrastructure development, boaters and yacht owners, entrepreneurs and social-preneurs, eco-personalities and celebrities, media influencers and individuals with an interest in protecting the world’s oceans.

Fabien Cousteau, the famed oceanographic explorer, is keynote speaker for the two-day conference titled Ocean Collective Summit. Organised with The International Seakeepers Society Asia (Seakeepers Asia), the conference will feature international and regional speakers with content that focuses on urban reef conservation and efforts to stop ocean plastic pollution.

Cousteau said: “I’m thrilled to be part of the Ocean Collective Summit and discuss these challenges and potential solutions with those who are leading change. The ocean is the lifeline for all life on earth and holds unlimited solutions to issues humanity faces today, especially as it relates to climate change and sustainability. To make real traction toward a positive impact on the planet, we must expand our focus and reframe how we think about conservation.”

Julian Chang, President of Seakeepers Asia, added: “We are pleased to partner ONE°15 for this event as we see strong synergy in reinforcing ocean conservation efforts through the inaugural Ocean Collective Summit, which will bring together changemakers, advocates and collaborators to empower our community in this region.”

Blue Water EduFest’s fundraising activities including auction nights, with proceeds going to beneficiaries such as WWF-Singapore, Seakeepers Asia and Blue Water EduFest, to help fund future editions of the latter.

Meanwhile, the Blue Water Heroes Awards will honour and recognise individuals and organisations that have contributed to ocean conservation in Southeast Asia, while the Mini Sustainable Luxury Showcase will feature electric vehicles, timepieces, yachts and jewellery with sustainable initiatives and values.

Arthur Tay, CEO of SUTL Enterprise, is the brainchild behind the event, an avid diver and strong advocate for the protection of marine biodiversity.

“As a boater and diver, I’ve seen and experienced the sorry state of our ocean and it’s truly heart-breaking. For me, there are two important colours of nature that affects lives and livelihoods: blue and green. Green is our flora and fauna, and blue refers to our oceans and coastlines, which are quickly deteriorating due to negligence, ignorance and sometimes selfishness,” Tay said.

“With the forces of climate change ringing louder and the earth getting sicker as the years go by, there is a need for efforts to be intensified. However, we can only do so much as an individual or company as this affects everyone around us. Therefore, we need to garner strong support to advance the Blue Water movement in this part of the world, in close collaboration with the governments and industry partners in the region.”

The event will be staged at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, a Fish-Friendly Marina recognised by the Marina Industries Association for its high standards of environmental stewardship and conservation efforts. It’s also home to Singapore’s first man-made coral garden within a marina, which was established with the National University of Singapore’s Tropical Marine Science Institute for coral breeding and research. The marina hosts an annual eco-dive cum marina clean-up where volunteer divers sign up to pick up litter from the seabed surrounding its waters.

Blue Water EduFest is presented by Citi Private Bank, while partners include Sentosa Development Corporation and International SeaKeepers Society Asia. The event is open to the public and ticket sales are available at the official website.