Singapore

enjoy reading!

below is an article I penned for an online press, which hopefully gives everyone a good sense of what transpired:

It was an unusual sight at Marine Parade Central on 12 May 2010, as a 300-strong crowd flooded the doors of Cool2Drink bubble tea shop in the afternoon.

“Should I get Oreo ice-blended special, mango green tea or the signature pearl milk tea?” While a group of mobbers was passionately discussing their choice of beverage, some others were captivated by the music performances and were singing along. Further down the queue, a magician clad in black spellbound his audience.

Donned in white T-shirts that scream “Carrotmob” in festive orange, the mobbers turned out to be students from Temasek Junior College (TJC), who have gathered to do their part for the environment.

Carrotmob, put simply, is the reverse of boycott. It promises businesses which are willing to go green with large mobs of customers, and a portion of the extra revenue derived from the mob will be channeled into long-term eco-friendly changes, such as the installation of light bulbs that are more energy-efficient.

Conceived in the United States in 2008, the movement has since spread to 14 countries with more than 50 mobs.

This is the first ever Carrotmob in Singapore and the second one in Asia.

Initiated by a group of students from TJC with support from the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the National Youth Council, the event was complemented by an exciting lineup of environment-themed performances and activities, including a drinking competition and magic showcase.

Mobbers and spectators could not help but to exclaim “ohs” and “ahs” of wonder, as TJC’s resident magician – second-year student Aaron Sim – performed an impressive magic trick that stopped water from flowing out of a bottle.

“The ambience is great,” enthused 17-year-old mobber Cai Yiguan, “I am thrilled to see the concept of Carrotmob being translated into reality and feel empowered to make a difference.”

A total of $361 was raised from the sale of bubble tea, and will be used to implement green changes at the bubble tea shop. The exact changes would be proposed at a later date with the help and guidance of the SEC.

I will upload the scanned images of a newspaper article on Carrotmob Singapore at a later date!

Apologies that I’ve not updated you guys on the turnout of the mob!

Overall, I think the mob was great & we sold 400 cups of bubble tea in total, raising $361 to implement green changes at the shop. I’d post more photos in subsequent posts, but for now you can just access the album using the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168458&id=526824778&l=c567ca4eb7

A number of people have asked me, “Will Carrotmob work in Singapore?”

My honest answer is – and I believe I speak on behalf of the organising team – I don’t know. Considering the lukewarm response we’ve received from the press thus far, the team’s inexperience in harnessing the power of online publicity, Singaporeans’ occasional apathy and the unforgiving heat here, it’s really difficult to predict how the turnout will be like.

Nonetheless, we’ve arranged for a lineup of exciting games and performances, including but not limited to magic tricks pertaining to the environment, music groups and educational games with prizes to be won..

Currently we’re expecting 300 mobbers. Everyone counts.

After a long struggle, I managed to upload some photos of our business partner – Cool2Drink bubble tea shop! Cool2Drink has pledged SGD $200 for green changes at the shop, in addition to 40 cents per cup of bubble tea sold.

The shop is located right opposite the popular shopping mall Parkway Parade, near Cheers (the convenience store) and the overhead bridge. To get there, you can take any of the following bus service: 15, 31, 36, 76, 135, 196, 197 and 966.

Although we’ve encountered some hiccups while applying for a permit to set up tents for the mobbers (yes! we realised that you need to get a permit/license for virtually everything you do in Singapore – ranging from public performances to display of any banner/poster in public), our team is very very excited about the upcoming event!

Remember, THE FIRST EVER CARROTMOB IN SINGAPORE will be held on Wed, 12 May from 2.00 – 5.00 pm.

Hi all!

My apologies on the hiatus for the past three months – however, despite the apparent stagnation (am not a great fan of blogging, actually), our team’s been doing quite a bit of work behind the scenes.

Selection of a business partner: we’ve approached and written to around 20 businesses in the East Zone of Singapore. Unfortunately, the ones who we thought had the most potential ended up rejecting the invitation… Although we managed to get the invitation letter and all necessary background info translated into Chinese, one of the official languages in Singapore, we noticed that several shop-owners (in fact, most of them) were skeptical/ generally not receptive of the idea. One reason could be that there’s no boycott/protest to speak of in Singapore (you know why), so it’s kind of hard to get people to relate to the concept of Carrotmob.

Preliminary publicity: using our Junior College (the equivalent of a high school) as a test ground, we’ve put up teasers, landscape carrots as well as presentations for students in our College. Response has been good so far and we’re looking at forms of publicity beyond College grounds – press releases, online publicity, viral videos etc.

Last but not least, we’re also in the process of enlisting help from local environmental organisations.

More exciting news coming your way!

also, see below for our presentation:

Hi friends! We’re currently avidly organising our campaign in Singapore. Will update you once we receive bids from businesses in Jan 2010.

Have a splendid 2010!