Balik Kampung – Ground Up Initiative
One of the last surviving eco-icons in Singapore. The ground up initiative (pun intended) have been operating in the Bottle Tree Park for the last 5 years and counting. Hopefully they will be given a new lease of life and perhaps go on for another 5 years or even longer.
Today is technically their last day of operation. And perhaps after today, their doors might be closed forever and their voice for environmental consciousness for Singapore might also be forever muted as well.
It all depends on the SLA and hopefully this initiative can continue to engage unique groups from near and far and make this their own Kampung. In a sense, Balik Kampung is a public programme to bring the quintessential village lifestyle of sustainable living back to modern metropolis conditioned Singapore.
Their programme offers a semblance, albeit naive, perspective on the importance of eco-consciousness and the protection of the environment that we so depend upon. The public are encouraged to create and craft their own work spaces. Since those early days of putting heart and minds together, they have managed to come out with relevant products like the iBam iPhone speaker (Google it) and therein continued to sustain their project.
Their dream? An eco kampung campus. A university of eco learning for students wanting to expand their horizons without leaving Singapore. It’s right here in our own backyard.
