All the Surprising Sustainable Discoveries at MINI ExtraODDinary 2019

Last year, MINI Singapore took us through the artsy alleys of Katong and Joo Chiat with their first edition of MINI Extraoddinary, reinventing the odd corners and spaces peppered across our urban landscape.

This year, over the last weekend in November, MINI once again brought us fresh perspectives—this time in the field of sustainability.

MINI Extraoddinary 2019 takes you on a trail in Chinatown to learn about various surprising sustainable innovations and alternative solutions for urban living in Singapore. My son Asher and I went on the trail and were truly awed by some of our discoveries which we did not know existed. Here are some of our favourites.

Sewage Ink

This looks like a bottle of ordinary ink, but it is made from sewage. Sum Waste proposes the use of biosolids which are currently being sent to landfills to be made into eco ink and pen.

Mushroom Leather

Indonesian biotech startup, Mycotech, is on a mission: to grow sustainable materials out of agricultural waste using mycelium technology. Working with local mushroom farmers, they have developed a mycelium leather as well as construction panels that are light, sturdy and fireproof.

Meatless Bak Kwa

Brawn & Brains‘ meatless bak kwa seeks to challenge your tastebuds by presenting a vegan version of a traditional preserved meat snack.

Algae Fortune Cookies

Ness is the first and only farm in Singapore to cultivate spirulina, an edible algae that is also healthy, sustainable and delicious enough to be made into fortune cookies.

Souvenirs made from Trash

Advocating zero waste, Surabaya-based Robries Gallery takes plastic trash and turns them into items of value like these souvenir samples you see here.

Coffee Fertiliser

Bewilder is a mycological design studio that cultivate gourmet and medicinal mushrooms using sustainable fertilisers like your used coffee grounds.

Chinese Tea Kombucha

Craft & Culture is a Singaporean brewery specialising in kombucha and kefir. They crafted a Chinese Tea Kombucha specially for the trail. Kombucha is a sustainable beverage drink as it is self-cultivating for generations to enjoy.

Interesting aren’t they?

Thank you MINI Singapore for presenting such a fun show this year! We look forward to the next edition in 2020!