SINGAPORE, June 4 — Tomorrow is World Environment Day. And with everyone set to muse about the idea of going green, it is also time to think about how to chow down the eco-friendly way.

In short, it is about dining on foods harvested in an ecologically and ethically responsible manner — foods that are good for diners, farmers and the earth.

And while progress may be slow, there have been efforts to promote sustainable food choices. One such proactive campaign happening tomorrow right here in Singapore is the Sustainable Seafood Business Forum. Organised by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), it will be held at the Hilton Singapore, which incidentally became Asia’s first MSC-certified hotel a couple of months ago.

While the forum may be business-driven, that does not mean consumers like us do not have a role to play. And when it comes to seafood and Singaporeans, we have got a pretty important role: We are one of the biggest seafood consumers in the Asia-Pacific, with an average annual consumption of 100,000 tonnes of seafood.

But it is not only with what is at sea that change can happen — we have slowly grown to reap what we sow in our island’s limited land space.

Early advocates such as Artichoke restaurant (http://www.artichoke.com.sg) and Edible Gardens (http://www.ediblegardencity.com) have been working to turn this trend into a regular and more sincere commitment. The former’s owner, Bjorn Shen, has been championing the idea of sourcing locally. But he also cautions against establishments who fly the flag for commercial gains, but fail to deliver.

“There are many restaurants claiming to champion sustainability, but feature too few dishes using locally farmed ingredients, from the most obvious suppliers … who don’t really need the publicity,” he said — like flying the local flag and serving only Tiger Beer, he quipped. “The heart and soul of using sustainable ingredients (lies in) supporting smaller, artisanal producers.”

Already known for working with small local farms — which explains his frequently changing menu, of which 30 per cent is designed with local produce — Shen is currently working with small-batch local producers of condiments and unique items such as fish skin crackers. He had previously worked with independent jam company GSH Conserves to design a spice pumpkin jam that he used to serve with Turkish string cheese in a mezze platter. He is hoping to do more, such as a customised harissa (Tunisian chilli paste) with local chilli experts of Mofo Chili.

And then you have also got innovative farms such as Sustenir, Singapore’s first commercial, fully indoor vertical farm that grows ultra-healthy, ultra-clean greens through what is called Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Occupying more than 12,000 sqf of space within an industrial building on the outskirts of the Central Business District, its variety of leafy greens include Tuscan black kale, curly (starbor) kale, mache lambs lettuce and spinach.

Said co-founder Benjamin Swan: “Sustenir’s sustainable urban farming methods incorporate cutting-edge technologies and ongoing research to grow high-nutrition greens that go beyond the commonly held definition of organic.”

It uses specialised filtration systems that eliminate pollutants, heavy metals, mould and pesticides from air and water supplies. Such methods take Sustenir one step beyond typical organic farming methods, creating a harvest that is cleaner, safer and more efficient than other produce in the market.

“Starting a farm may sound like a crazy idea in modern Singapore, but we truly believe in the power of nutrition, and that the freshest, highest quality produce should be available to everyone, everywhere at the best possible price,” said finance director and co-founder Martin Lavoo.

So, yes, in Singapore, sustainable food is a reality and eco-dining is more than possible. Here are other places you might want to check out.

RESTAURANT LABYRINTH

(5 NEIL ROAD, TEL: 6223 4098)

Known for its Mod-Sin style of cuisine, the restaurant’s focus on locally, sustainably sourced produce is almost expected. In fact, chef Han Li Guang insist its modern take on classic local flavours is only possible by choosing authentic, fresh local produce over imported speciality produce, such as using local chicken. “The restaurant supports local farmers and butchers in light of stiff competition from big wholesale suppliers. We also grow our own mint leaves and basil for use in one of our dishes,” he added. One of their signature dishes, roast pork rice, features pork belly sourced almost daily from a reliable local butcher at Chinatown market. The onsen egg in the dish is a local kampung chicken eggs.

TIPPLING CLUB

(38 TANJONG PAGAR ROAD,

TEL: 6475 2217)

Working with Edible Gardens’ Bjorn Low, the restaurant began growing its own herbs last year. Now, instead of importing the exotic and speciality herbs and microgreens Chef Ryan Clift uses in his progressive cuisine and cocktails (such as the Smashing Good Thyme), he harvests these twice in a week. These are used in dishes such as razor clams with cat’s whiskers, wild pea and basil flowers and snow crab with sorrel, red vein sorrel, pea, bean blossom and anise. Other rare picks include Mexican lemon berries, golden purslane and chocolate mint.

SCOTTS 27

(27 SCOTTS ROAD, TEL: 6737 0895)

Executive chef and management consultant Julien Bompard also believes in using sustainable food produced closest to us. “I make an effort to go to the local farms and talk to the farmers, learn about their produce and pick what I use from there,” he said. Popular examples include the barigoule of frog legs, artichoke and tomatoes served with garlic and parsley butter, which uses frog legs from Jurong Frog Farm (http://www.jurongfrogfarm.com.sg). Another signature dish is his roasted quail, sourced from Lian Wah Hang Farm (http://unclewilliam.biz). Bompard also sources from local farms for his catering business, Cuisine Service. The French chef even gets duck from Kendo Trading (http://www.kendo.com.sg). “I like to go to the local farms because the livestock are still in the farm in the morning, but they can be in my kitchen in the afternoon — how much fresher can you get?” he said.

OPEN FARM COMMUNITY (DEMPSEY HILL, SLATED TO OPEN NEXT MONTH)

This is the latest from the Spa Esprit Group (the good folks behind hip eats such as Tippling Club, Bochinche, Common Man Coffee Roasters and Skinny Pizza), which recently invested in Edible Garden City to make urban farming activities more integrative. It is a first-of-its-kind dining concept (in Singapore at least) that works with local farmers and creative chefs to help educate urban dwellers on where their food comes from. The 35,000 sqf space on Minden Road houses a large outdoor “agriculture landscape” with herb and vegetable gardens, worm and ant farms, a farmers’ market and an outdoor recreation terrace. This includes 6,000 sqf of dedicated indoor and outdoor dining space where diners can dig in to innovative and hearty meals prepared using fresh and sustainable ingredients sourced from local farms and farms within a 400km radius of the island. — TODAY