I’ll be honest—there have been many sleepless nights, waves of anxiety, and moments of self-doubt. You’d think that after doing this long enough, those feelings would fade. But they don’t. More than once, I heard, "If it would work, someone would’ve done it already," and I can’t deny that many people shied away from the picking up my calls.
But today, all those struggles feel worth it. Ecoworks has been recognized as one of the top innovators in the region for addressing marine plastics by The ASEAN Secretariat , UNDP and the government of Japan.
How do I feel? Grateful. Grateful for everyone who believed in us, even when the odds seemed stacked against us. This post is really about thanking the incredible people who made this possible.
To Team Philip Yeo Initiative—Chairman Philip Yeo, Lin-Net Koh, Kai Hoe Tan, Jui Lim, Kiren Kumar and Edwin Chow —thank you for teaching me to dare to dream and dare to do. I hold that close every day. [I still take that as a challenge ;)]
To our early believers—Our Green MoCa, Alvin Tan, Tanjong Pagar Town Council, Patrick Tay Teck Guan, the Pioneer Team, Valerie, Southwest CDC, Edward Chia, Holland Bukit Panjang Town Council, Esther An, City Developments Limited, Vikram Nair, and Sembawang Town Council—thank you for your trust.
To the Ecoworks team—Shannon Sim, Ming Cheng, Steffy, Samantha T., Mildred Ng, Eunice Goh, and Marc—this achievement is a direct result of your dedication and hard work.
And finally, to my advisors Ivan Lim, Deborah Tan-Pink, Paul Condylis, PhD, Sandra Lim MG, and my mentors Sze Ling Lim and Cecilia Tan—thank you for your guidance and belief in our vision.
This milestone only strengthens our resolve to keep pushing boundaries and continue our mission. Thank you all for being part of this journey.
#ASEANBlueInnovationChallenge #Sustainability #Innovation #MarineConservation #Grateful
