Green is the New Black is thrilled to have Honeycombers on board as our lifestyle media partner. Honeycombers is the online website for all the need-to-know of Singapore, from nightlife, dining options, travel, fashion, cultural events to that cool green spot waiting to be explored.
The founder of Honeycombers, Chris Edwards, discovered a gap of exciting locally produced content when she first moved to Singapore and struggled to find the cool spots that Singapore has to offer. Now with 6 websites under the Honeycombers umbrella, it is Singapore’s fastest growing digital magazine, with nearly half a million visitors to the site every month. It is the to-go guide for all the happenings in this ever-evolving city!
Coinciding with Green is the New Black, they are launching their own Green week for the month of October. We sat down with the Chris Edwards to hear about her journey, the Green Week and how they #LiveMoreConsciously.
GITNB: Why did you start Honeycombers and how has it grown over the years?
CE: I started Honeycombers as I felt that there was no publication that inspired me in Singapore. I was 29 and I was reading international press, along with many of my friends, mainly because there was very little locally produced editorial content that made me feel excited to be living in Singapore. Singapore offers so much in terms of nightlife, dining, cultural events and even just cool green spaces to explore – so I wanted to create something that showcased all of this.
Today we have 6 websites, and over half a million unique visitors to our sites each month – which is almost 10% of the Singapore population, visiting our sites at least once, every month. It’s quite amazing when you think about it. We produce digital content, along with social, video and print content for a wide range of clients – including Singapore Tourism Board, Audi, and Citibank – to name a few.
GITNB: How have you seen Singapore change, what are some of the biggest shifts?
CE: I think besides the amazing ever-evolving city skyline, the biggest change for me has been the increased cosmopolitan nature of the city, and the revitalization of neighborhoods like Tiong Bahru, Duxton Hill and Keong Saik/Chinatown area. Also you can find great coffee almost everywhere these days, when I started Honeycombers there was only 1-2 coffee shops with espresso machines in the city!
GITNB: Honeycombers is having its first ever Green Week this October which coincides with Green Is The New Black – what inspired this and what will be happening?
CE: I am an advocate of green issues, and I fear for the environment in the future. I think there are some massive issues people are choosing to ignore, and Singapore needs to play it’s part in reducing waste, reducing the dependency on electricity (hello, turn the air-conditioning down, if not off) and overall reducing our negative impact on the environment. I firmly believe little steps collectively, can make a big difference.
GITNB: What are yours (and the Honeycombers) tips on ‘going green’ or living more consciously?
CE: Personally I would like to see retail spaces and offices reduced their air conditioning temperatures – how often are you too cold in the cinema, grocery store or office? I think this is just crazy. We are constantly getting our aircon turned down in the office, (whilst others in the building are constantly turning it up) and at home we live without aircon. Ceiling fans are all you need.
I am also a firm believe in a paperless office – we don’t print anything, unless we are legally required to. (I used to sit by the printer and be The Printer Nazi!) It makes so much sense from an environmental perspective, as well as cost and efficiency aspect – who needs paper filing!
I also am a strong advocate for buying better quality and buying less often. When you go into the retail stores it scares me how cheap things are, and how disposable we have become. Honeycombers is all about quality, and I think we need to encourage everyone to focus on quality and a less disposable approach to living. ‘Buy less, choose less, make it last’ really speaks to me personally and professionally.
Finally, as part of Green Week, we have approached a number of large grocery stores to talk about reducing the amount of plastic bags they use – so stay tuned on that one.
Green is the New Black is happening on October 22nd at Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore from 9am to 6pm with a pool after-party to follow from 5pm onwards. The marketplace, stage and pool party is FREE for the public. Workshops and talks require a ticketed pass.
More details on other happenings taking place for Green is the New Black and tickets for workshops and talks can be found on the website http://www.greenisthenewblack.asia.
#LiveMoreConsciously #GITNBasia #Honeycombers