Four students clinched the top prize at the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy education programme. Temasek Polytechnic chemical engineering student Kevin Lee, who was one of the winners, incorporated wood as an alternative to sand and gravel into cement - a move that is likely to result in huge cost-savings for the building and construction industry.

The other winners are Adrian Kho from Temasek Polytechnic, Daniel Tan from Nanyang Polytechnic and Gabriel Toh from ITE College West.

The winners were picked from a pool of 11 shortlisted participants who created projects over six months, raising awarene ss about environmental issues or finding new methods to reduce waste. They will spend a week in Germany where they will meet Bayer scientists and experts from the United Nations Environment Program.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat who presented the awards at the Swissotel Merchant Court said: "There will be pressure for economic development, but we need to strike the right balance (between that and environmental sustainability). To achieve both, we need to be thoughtful about our developmental strategy."