Explore Singapore: Where To Dine And Shop Sustainably
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The importance of sustainability is growing as countries and businesses identify opportunities to improve these efforts and turn them into long-term goals. Earlier this year, Singapore established The Green Plan 2030 as a whole-of-nation movement to advance the national agenda on sustainable development.
The benefits of sustainability are aplenty. They include people enjoying better quality air, cost savings from reusing current resources and preventing other human-induced calamities that could otherwise disrupt businesses and livelihoods.
As everyday consumers, we each have a part to play in living more sustainably. You can start by making small lifestyle changes that can go a long way in making a difference in the environment. To help you do so, we rounded up a few spots in Singapore where you can shop and dine sustainably –and make saving the Earth easier, one step at a time.
VeganBurg
VeganBurg is a 100% plant-based burger joint located in Eunos. First founded in October 2010, the mission behind VeganBurg was to start a global plant-based revolution while inspiring a worldwide change. Designed with a raw industrial safari-themed design, VeganBurg allows customers to enjoy a delicious pan-grilled burger made with a fusion of fiber-fueled bun, fresh farm greens, GMO-free patty and, where possible organic, locally sourced ingredients.
Some of Veganburg’s best-sellers are the Creamy Shrooms, the Cracked Mayo and the Avocado Beetroot. Make it a meal by adding some Sizzlin’ Broccoli or Seaweed Fries with Seasonal Chillers for that perfect combo, or add a sidekick of Loaded Shroom Fries or Shroom Pops to complement your meal.
Address: 44 Jln Eunos, Singapore 419502
Opening hours: 11:30 am to 9:30 pm daily
Website:https://www.veganburg.com/
UnPackt
Running true to its name, UnPackt is Singapore’s first wholesaler and specialty grocer to offer packaging-free shopping (cue: tons of unnecessary plastic). The store's founders have specially handpicked products to balance quality and variety, providing everything consumers need to build a sustainable life. Customers are encouraged to bring their containers to bag their food items and buy only what they need to reduce wasting excess packaging and work towards living a zero-waste lifestyle.
Its online and physical store offers a plethora of groceries and essentials ranging from pantry foods, cooking ingredients, health and beauty to household products. It also offers travel and takeaway products with items such as lunch boxes and drinkware for the eco-warrior.
Address: 6 Jalan Kuras, Singapore 577724
Opening hours: 10 to 7 pm from Tuesdays to Sundays and 10 to 4 pm on PH. Closed on Mondays
Website: https://unpackt.com.sg/
Treatsure
Did you know that Singapore disposed of close to 610 thousand tonnes of food waste in 2019? To combat this problem, Treatsure tackles food wastage using technology, connecting businesses and hotels with surplus food to everyday consumers.
Using an app, Treatsure shares and reallocates excess food resources to people who need them, minimising food wastage in the process. Users can choose from a list of hotels to pack food home from the buffet restaurants up to an hour before closing time for $10 per box. Customers can make online purchases of surplus and “ugly” fruit and vegetables from selected stores and have them delivered straight to their doorsteps. Shoppers can then save money on food, whether on meals or grocery shopping and rescue food that would have otherwise been thrown away.
Website: https://www.treatsure.co/index.html
The Social Space
Imagine if you could dine, eat, shop and pamper yourself at a nail salon all under one roof while doing so sustainably! This experience is now a reality at The Social Space – a socially conscious multi-concept store that features a Tea Bar & Café, a fair trade retail area and a nail salon, where the founders promote a greater awareness for sustainability and an appreciation for providence and more accessible conscious living.
The Tea Bar & Café offers wholesome food and beverages sourced from fair-trade and eco-friendly producers that are good for the consumer and planet. It provides a selection of open-face toasts, smoothie bowls, baked goods such as almond cookies and protein balls, and a whole range of coffee, tea, kombucha and sodas.
Eco-conscious shoppers can access a curated selection of original and high-quality socially conscious goods from the online store, which features skincare, home & décor, lifestyle and zero-waste products.
The Tea Bar & Café (Two outlets)
Address: 333 Kreta Ayer Road, #01-04, Singapore 080333
Opening Hours: 9am to 5pm (last order 4:30pm). Closed on Tuesdays
Address: Marina One Residences, 5 Straits View, #01-03 (Garden Tower), Singapore 018935
Opening Hours: 9am to 4pm (last order 3:30pm). Closed on Mondays
Website: https://www.thesocialspace.co/
Poison Ivy Bistro
Poison Ivy Bistro takes farm-to-table food back down to earth with its wholesome and hearty cooking style at affordable prices. The bistro was opened in 2004 within Bollywood Veggies, a farm located in the Kranji countryside where fresh produce is organically grown and used in the dishes served, with highlights such as banana bread, tapioca, sweet potato chips, sambal and kaya.
The a la carte menu at Poison Ivy Bistro is seasonal and often changes to offer customers its freshest food. Some top menu selections include the Farm Leaves Tempura, Sayur Lodeh, Dhal with Oven-baked Prata and the hormone and antibiotic-free Warrior’s Chicken Curry. Customers can also purchase chemical-free bananas, papayas, kedondong, edible leaves and flowers from its Earth Shop, which features seasonal produce and herbs from its farm and neighboring farms.
Address: 100 Neo Tiew Road (Kranji), Singapore 719026
Opening hours: 7.30 am to 5 pm, Thursday to Friday and 7.30 am to 7 pm, Saturday to Sunday
