In April, ESSEC APAC held our annual Earth Day celebrations, with activities and initiatives that promoted sustainability and care for the environment.

Earth Day is a yearly event dedicated to environmental protection. As part of ESSEC’s Transcend strategy and our 20th anniversary partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), we continued our efforts to drive sustainability and social impact within our campus and the local community.

A highlight of this year’s celebrations was our Earth Day-themed volunteering activity with local charity FaithActs.

On 24 April 2025, ESSEC students, alumni, and staff volunteers, including Deputy Dean of ESSEC Reetika Gupta, worked with children in the Commonwealth neighborhood to recycle and cultivate their own home gardens.

Using recycled milk cartons, children created and decorated their own pots. They then planted edamame seeds from ESSEC’s rooftop edible garden.

Let’s hear from our volunteers!

“It was fun hanging out with the kids! They hold a simple wisdom we tend to forget in our busy day-to-day: how to do something simply out of fun and not utility.”
Justine Melgar, ESSEC Alumni

“Spending time with children is always a joy! This experience reminded me of the power of unfiltered creativity, and showed me that giving children the freedom to explore can be one of the most effective ways for them to learn and grow.”
Emerson Huang, MiM Student

On Earth Day (22 April, 2025) itself, lifts and lights on campus were switched off to save energy. Students and staff were also encouraged to maintain air-conditioning at or above 25°C.

Back by popular demand, our clothing swap gave everyone on campus a chance to refresh their wardrobes sustainably. From 22 to 23 April, participants exchanged their pre-loved clothing for pieces contributed by fellow members of the ESSEC community.

From 8 to 22 April, ESSEC also ran a campus-wide book donation drive. We collected nearly 100 books, doubling last year’s total! These donations have been delivered to The Salvation Army with the help of Share at Door Step, a local organization that distributes donated items to organizations based on their requirements. Book donations continue beyond Earth Day. The Learning Center welcomes all to continue dropping off their pre-loved books at their Free Books shelf in the library.

Morris Kuo, Senior Multimedia Specialist at ESSEC, shared: “From book donations to clothes swapping, I really enjoyed the thoughtful and engaging Earth Day initiatives at ESSEC. As a staff member, I’m proud to be part of a community that walks the talk on sustainability.”

Thank you to everyone who participated! Let’s continue to harness our power for the good of our planet – every step counts!