Geneco partners Daryl Aiden Yow in new campaign to promote mental wellbeing

Electricity retailer Geneco is collaborating with NParks’ Garden City Fund, photography influencer Daryl Aiden Yow and sustainable fashion platform REFASH for its #MySecretGarden campaign which aims to raise awareness about Singapore's abundant green spaces and their positive impact on mental wellness this National Day.

The campaign features nine of NParks’ Therapeutic Gardens which were designed based on scientific evidence, as a haven for relaxation, healing, and self-reflection that could improve one’s mental wellness while also intending to resonate with the younger generation.

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“The subject of mental wellness has been an evolving topic across generations, and we felt heartened to witness the level of openness to start a conversation that has been gradually weaving into the social fabric of Singaporeans’ lives,” said Alex Chan, head of brand, communications and marketing at Geneco.

He further stated, “My ultimate hope for this campaign is to forge a stronger bond between Singaporeans and the restorative properties of our natural surroundings, sparking more conversations and creating a lasting impact on mental well-being.”

Geneco picked Yow for the partnership as the influencer had to overcome his own mental health challenges when he faced public backlash in 2018 for passing off stock photos as his own on Instagram.

When asked about his thoughts on the campaign, Yow expressed that the campaign holds profound significance for him and he hopes to capture the essence of the Therapeutic Gardens to inspire the nation to embark on their own transformative journeys with nature.

Yow’s photos for the campaign will be on display at a photo gallery located in Funan mall from 17 to 23 July where individuals will be given the opportunity to vote for their favourite picture and be given a set of limited-edition postcards that feature Yow’s scenic photographs and facts about the gardens, along with a Sprout plantable pencil.

In lieu of its #MySecretGarden campaign, Geneco has pledged to donate $10,000 to NParks’ Garden City Fund when 10,000 votes have been achieved to support Therapeutic Horticulture Programmes by community beneficiary groups that use plants and nature-related activities to fully immerse participants in the benefits of a Therapeutic Garden.

“There is much evidence that nature can help improve mental wellness, we are glad that partners like Geneco are playing an active role to create greater awareness and enable beneficiary groups to access Therapeutic Horticulture programmes that will improve their overall mental and emotional well-being,” said Professor Leo Tan, chairman of the Garden City Fund.

Furthermore, come 9 August, consumers who make a purchase at REFASH will be given a Geneco tote bag that features the three most-voted pictures from the campaign and the set of special-edition postcards which aims at promoting responsible shopping habits that minimise plastic waste while concurrently raising awareness for the Therapeutic Gardens.

“As a company deeply committed to slowing down the consumption habits of the fast fashion industry, REFASH is thrilled to support Geneco for their #MySecretGarden campaign,” said Aloysius Sng, founder and CEO of REFASH.

“Additionally, together with Geneco, we hope to spread awareness of Singapore's Therapeutic Gardens by promoting mental well-being through a series of pop-up photo gallery installations at our selected retail outlets. With this collaboration, we aspire to make a meaningful and positive impact in Singaporeans' everyday life, one step at a time," he continued.

Earlier this year, Geneco celebrated its fifth anniversary with a collaboration with local ice cream shop Apiary. The electricity retailer launched an exclusive ice cream flavour with the ice cream brand that is carbon neutral certified by purchasing carbon credits for the emissions produced during the production process.

Made with natively found fruits and seeds, the main flavour of the ice cream is a refreshing calamansi lime that is accompanied with attap seeds, one of the seeds conserved at the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Seed Bank. The unique ice cream presentation also creatively replicates the planting of seeds with the attap seeds being placed in a concave dip in the ice cream, which will then be topped off with a golden cereal crumble to represent soil.

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