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Eugene Tay


eugene-photoHi, my name is Eugene Tay and I’m the Director of Green Future Solutions, the Editor for AsiaIsGreen, Green Business Times, Zero Waste Singapore, and Low Carbon Singapore, the Curator for TEDxGreen, and the Founder of Bookchanging, mywaterbottle and greenstore.

Welcome to the Green Future Solutions website, where I offer information on my business and connect with those whom I know and with other potential friends and clients.

I will also share my interest in issues related to environment and sustainability, business and marketing, new ideas and trends under the Blog category.

To learn more about my background and work, continue reading the FAQs below. You can also email me or visit my Facebook and LinkedIn profile.

View Eugene Tay's profile on Facebook

View Eugene Tay's profile on LinkedIn

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where are you from?

I’m from Singapore and a heartlander staying in a HDB flat in the east. I see myself as a typical Singaporean who has enjoyed the benefits of a good government but still wish for more changes, especially in creating a green future for Singapore.

2. What is your education background?

I have a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). I did full-time research and my thesis was on the ”Removal of Heavy Metals and Organic Contaminants from Soils Using Integrated Upward Electrokinetic Soil Remedial (UESR) Technology and Biological Remediation”.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS). I was among the early batches of students who took the risk of studying a new and niched course on environmental engineering offered by NUS. No regrets though.

I chose to study environmental engineering because I was inspired by Janine Benyus’s book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, which explains how we can learn from nature to come up with solutions.

On education, I believe that:

The first aim of education should not be to prepare young people for careers, but to enable them to develop a respect for life. – Norman Cousin

3. What is your work experience?

I’m a former Adjunct Lecturer teaching Ecotourism to the Building and Environment students at a local polytechnic. Ecotourism is nature-based travel with a focus on sustainability and educating tourists on the local environment and culture.

I was also a former Project Officer at the National Environment Agency working on waste minimisation and recycling policies. Waste management is a challenge in land-scarce Singapore but there are also opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

4. What is your purpose in life?

My purpose in life is to share environmental knowledge with positive people so that they can learn, understand and take action towards a green future (also my business mission).

I like to:

  • Share useful and interesting environmental knowledge and new ideas with friends and positive people
  • Learn new knowledge, synthesise and present them in a clear and coherent manner
  • Participate in positive discussions by asking good questions and contributing different viewpoints to improve the discussion and come up with solutions

5. How did you get interested in the environment?

My interest in the environment started in 1994 when I read a book called Save the Earth by Jonathon Porritt. This book describes the various environmental problems created by humans and includes the comments and wisdom of many important leaders and famous people.

It inspired me to begin a journey to understand more about the environmental impacts of humans and to do something for the environment. After reading the book, it was like taking the red pill and there was no turning back.

You take the blue pill, the story ends, you awake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. – Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix

6. Are you involved in any other activities?

I volunteer with the Environmental Challenge Organisation and was the former Secretary and EXCO Member. I’m also a Youth Environment Envoy with the National Environment Agency.

I received a commendation award at the Green Wave Environment Competition 2007 for my project on “Free and Reliable Wind Energy Source from Building’s Exhaust Air“.

I also write frequently to the local newspapers and my published letters and articles are listed below:

7. What do you read?

I read mostly books, magazines, blogs and websites on the environment, and also on other issues, ideas and strategies related to business, marketing, social media and future trends.

I subscribe to the RSS feed of about 400 blogs and websites. The list of books that I read is available from my Facebook account or from the AsiaIsGreen Bookstore.

The magazines that I read regularly include:

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