Join us for this wonderful Green Drinks (Singapore) session focused on soil regeneration, recycling food and organic waste and carbon sequestration. We have an amazing line up of 3 speakers and a moderator for an evening of talks followed by a fireside chat. Speakers include Dr Mary Cole, Jeremy Beckman, Ee Peng Ang, and moderator, Chingwei Chen.
With increasing medium to high density urbanisation around the world and the limiting of natural resources, up-valuing waste streams so that they are valued as resource streams becomes increasingly important. The impact of changing climate on weather patterns puts increasing pressure on crop production because of increased disease and pests encouraged by the warmer, wetter weather in agricultural zones around the world.
At the same time, urban waste in increasingly going to landfill because there is no apparent will to recycle to the extent required to use all the waste products generated by the community. Here it is organic waste that is being discussed. FOGO – food organic , green organic, can be recycled by thermal aerobic composting, digester decomposition and windrowing where there is space. All these methods produce an organic product that will enhance soil health, stimulate soil biota, improve nutrient content of foods grown in these materials and lead to carbon capture, reduced green house gas emissions and improved plant, animal and human health. Dr Mary Cole’s talk will touch on these topics.
Jeremy is currently collaborating with an oil palm seed producer to research the effects of different methods of soil regeneration on large-scale plantations. His talk will detail the challenges faced by the industry and how focusing on the soil can help to adapt and mitigate the negative effects of climate change, while potentially reducing operational costs.
Ee Peng will be sharing about her experiences upcycling waste from the school campus via composting and fermentation process. While also looking at the role of soil food web lab analysis in a local soil regeneration project and a coconut plantation farm in the Philippines.
We look forward to meeting you at this event! Admission is free as usual and open to the public.
Big thanks to Henning Larsen for being our venue sponsor this month, and to Sarah Ichioka and Bjorn Low for their immense help in making this happen!
Date: 28 March 2024
Time: 7.30pm – 10pm
Venue: Henning Larsen, 100 Amoy Street
RSVP: Register here.
Got questions or wish to collaborate or sponsor our event? Whatsapp Olivia at 91139175.
About Dr Mary Cole
Dr Mary Cole is an internationally recognised academic, plant pathologist and soil microbiologist for 45 years specialising in biological and regenerative agriculture farming paradigms with an emphasis in understanding the role of soil biota in plant health. She demonstrates the damage synthetic chemicals have on soil and plant health.
In 1980 Mary founded Agpath Pty Ltd, a small soil biology company providing laboratory testing in many fields of agriculture; quantitative analysis of the soil biota, fungal and microbial pathology, composting and farming consulting services in agriculture, horticulture, viticulture, environment, air and water and food manufacturing.
Her lab provides summer vacation experience in soil microbiology and composting for graduates of Victorian and interstate universities and overseas institutions. She attempts to employ young people with disabilities where possible.
Agpath provides regular workshops for interested individuals and companies around the world in non-chemical farm management including making thermal aerobic compost and compost tea. She currently has a $700,000 grant from Sustainability Victoria to research the organic waste stream to produce fit-for-purpose product for farmers. This grant has just received additional funding for a 1 year extension.
Expert Witness duties for supreme courts of Victoria & New South Wales & New Zealand have been carried out. Expert witness for Government and community groups in various hearings. She consults to farmers in UAE, Egypt, Africa and USA as well as all states of Australia.
About Jeremy Beckman
Since obtaining his Permaculture Design Course (PDC) with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in 2012, Jeremy has been studying and practicing permaculture and regenerative farming methods in China, Taiwan, the UK, and Singapore. He earned his MSc in Organic Farming and Production Systems in 2017 from Newcastle University and remained in the UK for two more years to put theory into practice. Since returning to Singapore, he founded Terra Matters, a company focused on biological carbon sequestration in Singapore and the region.
About Ee Peng Ang
Ee Peng is Co-founder of Soil Social. She’s a soil food web lab technician and works currently at UWCSEA Dover as an environmental sustainability technician who tends to edible gardens and compost spaces – creating learning opportunities for students as they grow their own food and nurture soil.
About Chingwei Chen
Chingwei Chen is a permaculturist and a soil and compost nerd with experience making compost, regenerating soil, in rural Australia and urban Singapore.
She is the co-lead of Project Black Gold, a community composting project that creates awareness of the practice, and champions the composting community in Singapore.
She is also a co-creator at Food Citizen where she teaches soil-building with plants, compost-making, and basic compost microscopy, to students and adults.
She is currently studying to obtain the Soil Food Web Lab Technician Certification.
How to get there:
By MRT: Downtown Line (nearest) or Raffles Place
By Bus: 10, 143, 166, 97
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