Why This Is Important:

It's World Oceans Day on 8 June. The ocean acts as an important “carbon sink” and absorbs about 31% of the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. 

At Mandala Club, we are hosting an important conversation led by Paul Foster, Lilly Milligan Gilbert and Jasmine Carey as they share their love for the oceans and why it is important to conserve them — especially to an island like Singapore. 

Accompanying this event will be a photo exhibit in Mandala Labs by Jasmine Carey, of which sale proceeds will go to support Yayasan Ecology, a conservation organization supporting the creation of a Marine Protected Area in the Riau Archipelago, just an hour away from Singapore and home to endangered dugong, turtles and seahorses.

On exhibition that day will be a digital showcase of photographic works by Jasmine Carey that showcase the wonders of the ocean and all its curious, magical inhabitants. 

How It Works:

Donations of 800 USD and above will receive an unframed A1 Print of their choice by Jasmine Carey, with wet signature. 
50% of the amount will be donated to Yayasan Ecology.

Donations of 100 USD will be donated fully to Yayasan Ecology, and entitle the donor to a one-time chance to win an A1 print by Jasmine Carey, as well as a two night midweek stay on Cempedak Island. Every 100 USD donated will entitle donors to more chances to win, and the winner will be selected at random by Mandala Club on 15 June 2023.

Where Your Money Will Go:

Your generous donations will support Yayasan Ecology, an NGO based in Bintan in the Riau Archipelago, to develop the marine protected area (MPA) around the East Coast of Bintan, just an hour away from Singapore and home to endangered dugong, turtles and seahorses.

About Yayasan Ecology Kepulauan Riau (YEKR)

Yayasan Ecology is an NGO supporting government programs in the protection and preservation of ecosystems in the Riau Archipelago. They have ben pivotal in the creation and development of the new Bintan Marine Protected Area MPA and also carry out restoration activities and community engagement.

About Jasmine Carey:

Jasmine Carey has been diving since 2005 and in that time has dived across the Indo–Pacific, searching out encounters and interactions with the full gamut of marine life. Her photographs have captured the attention of ocean lovers and reinvigorated a new love for the ocean and fun adventure across the globe. Jasmine’s work was featured in the 2017 Oztek Photo Exhibition in Sydney, Australia; she was a producer on Australian Geographic’s Day in the Life of the Great Barrier Reef time-lapse project in 2017; and she was also a keynote speaker on the 2018 Underwater Tour, an Australia-wide speaking tour promoting ocean inspiration adventure and discovery. Jasmine is an approved photographer for Greenpeace and her work has featured in commercial publications, books and magazines and in exhibitions, including the 2019 and 2020 Loud and Luminous project, a major show celebrating the work of 100 of Australia’s finest women photographers and in fotoAID an exhibition raising much-needed funds to aid community and wildlife recover after the tragic 2019/20 Australian Summer of Fires. She was also the 2019-2020 Grand Prize Winner of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) Ninth Season – WATER.