Muhd Ibnur Rashad, a sustainability inventor, shows us what it means to Reach for Great as he uses his engineering skills to help communities and the environment. To Ibnur, technology shouldn’t only be used for profit, but also for the greater good. Which is why he founded GUILD, an invention studio that develops solutions to benefit the earth.
What made you want to become a sustainability inventor?
I wanted to become an inventor when I was doing my field study on the fishermen and farmers of Indonesia. As I noticed their poor living conditions, I began to ask myself if I could use my skills to develop solutions or products to improve their situation. And that’s when I came back to Singapore and created an invention studio where people can develop solutions using waste material and use their creativity for a bigger purpose.
"I see greatness in my life when I see my students and community members benefit from the programmes and products that we offer. It gives me great joy to see that I've impacted someone else’s life."
How do you Reach for Great in your daily life?
I Reach for Great everyday by being purposeful in whatever I do. This includes being mindful of the people around me and taking care of nature with every single action and project of mine.
"To Reach for Great is to be ambitious. It’s about reaching out for something that seems impossible and using that as the driving motivation behind whatever I do."
Tell us about a project you’re most proud of.
The project I really like is the Floating Gardens Initiative. It’s a project that had community members and volunteers come together to create the future of agriculture with floating agriculture modules. We presented the prototypes in Taipei and were very surprised when we got the international gold award even though we were up against some tough competitors! The project has grown bigger ever since and it’s my sincere hope to see the Floating Gardens blossoming around the world.