Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore
Outstanding individuals recognised with prestigious environmental services awards.
JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NEA, SW CDC, NPARKS AND NUS
Singapore, 3 November 2024 – The national aspiration for a clean and green Singapore was celebrated and reaffirmed today at Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) Day 2024[1], organised by the National Environment Agency, South West Community Development Council (SW CDC), National Parks Board (NParks), and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat was the Guest-of-Honour.
2 In support of the ongoing Year of Public Hygiene, CGS Day this year commenced with the opening of a new Public Hygiene Council (PHC) CleanPod at West Coast Park. CleanPods are sheds located across parks, beaches, and housing estates, where the public can access litter-picking tools such as tongs and pails, to organise their own community clean-ups. The new CleanPod brings the total number of CleanPods across Singapore to 21. Together with DPM Heng, residents, local grassroots partners, People’s Association (PA) Youth Movement and NUS student volunteers put the new CleanPod to immediate use, with a community clean-up of the park. The clean-up comes on top of nearly 130 activities organised to date in support of the Year of Public Hygiene, planned by grassroots and corporate partners, NGOs and schools. Progammes ranged from clean-ups to outreach projects, promoting an overall culture of cleanliness. Many of these ground-up efforts have become regular activities, and will be continue into next year and beyond.
3 DPM Heng then proceeded to NUS University Town, where he joined 160 students and staff in a traditional CGS tree-planting ceremony. The ceremony goes back to 1963, when founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew launched the first nationwide tree-planting campaign in support of Singapore’s greening movement, a legacy that continues to this day. The tree-planting was followed by the presentation of the Environmental Services (ES) Star Awards, as well as the Community in Bloom (CIB) Ambassador Awards by DPM Heng.
27 Environmental Services Stars Recognised for Outstanding Contributions
4 The annual ES Star Award recognises the contributions of workers in the Environmental Services industry, whose work at the forefront of upholding good public health and hygiene in Singapore is often taken for granted. The 2024 ES Star Award was presented to 27 frontline, supervisory, and operations support staff[2]. These individuals were nominated for demonstrating service excellence, initiative to continuously upskill, and for their significant contributions to innovation, productivity, and environmental sustainability.
5 One of the awardees this year is Mr Chua Peng Soo, a Pest Control Technician with more than 30 years of experience. An advocate for environmental sustainability, Mr Chua ensures his clients’ premises are pest-free using eco-friendly pest management solutions. Beyond his professional duties, he also actively encourages his colleagues, friends and family to adopt green practices that protect our natural resources. Another awardee is Mr Noor Azmi Bin Ranai, a Senior Operations Manager. A firm believer in continuous learning, Mr Azmi has inspired his colleagues to upskill, encouraging them to attend courses and further their knowledge. His contributions to process improvement and staff development have made a lasting impact on the company.
Appointment of Community in Bloom Ambassadors
6 Seven new Community in Bloom (CIB) Ambassadors[3] were also appointed at this year’s CGS event. The CIB Ambassador Award recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to promote gardening and actively engage with the community to facilitate gardening-based community projects.
7 One of the recipients, Ms Toh Mei Xuan, wears two hats as a Garden Leader and main programme curator at Geylang East Grove Community Garden which demonstrates her passion for gardening and nature. Ms Toh leads gardening sessions for preschoolers weekly and conducts workshops, garden tours and outreach activities at community events on the benefits of nature. In her own time, she also actively documents and shares about the wide range of biodiversity that can be found in the garden through online videos and educational materials.
Tree Planting at NUS University Town
8 NUS has been organising tree planting activities on campus every year since November 2015 as part of its commitment towards building a Campus in a Tropical Rainforest, one of the focus areas under NUS’ Campus Sustainability Roadmap 2030.
9 This year’s tree planting holds a special significance, with the planting of the 50,000th tree at NUS UTown today by DPM Heng, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Ms Grace Fu, Minister of National Development Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry, and Mayor of South West District, Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Amy Khor and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Mr Baey Yam Keng. The event also saw the planting of a total of 50 trees by more than 100 NUS staff and students in support of NParks’ OneMillionTrees movement. This marks the halfway point towards the University’s goal of planting 100,000 trees by 2030, having increased its tree canopy area from 36 percent to 60 percent, that is, over half the campus grounds are covered with trees. The OneMillionTrees movement[4] started in 2020 with the aim to plant one million more trees across Singapore by 2030. To date, more than 700,000 trees have been planted across Singapore.
10 During a construction project in 2012 at UTown, a national heritage tree – the Margaritaria indica (Airy Shaw) – was discovered on site. To commemorate NUS’ tree-planting milestone, DPM Heng planted a Margaritaria indica sapling, along with other accompanying dignitaries. Other tree species planted at CGS Day 2024 include Rubroshorea pauciflora, Scorodocarpus borneensis, Garcinia celebica and Anthoshorea gratissima, which are native to Singapore.
Therapeutic Horticulture Programmes available for public to sign up for the first time
11 Members of the public will be able to sign up for therapeutic horticulture programmes at six therapeutic gardens[5], including the newly opened therapeutic garden at West Coast Park, from December till May 2025 for free. Therapeutic horticulture programmes aim to improve participants’ well-being holistically by promoting low-intensity exercise and improving motor skills, stimulating memory, encouraging positive social interactions and connection with nature and promoting mindfulness. These programmes comprise facilitated nature-related activities such as designing seed mandalas, making of scent bags and creating leaf collages as well as other gardening activities. Interested members of public can find out more through the NParks official website. This is the first time that NParks is offering over 20 therapeutic horticulture sessions at different therapeutic gardens for public to sign up.
Green efforts by South West Community Development Council
12 Aligned with Singapore’s sustainability goals, the South West CDC continues to nurture a community that is environmentally conscious through the Sustainable South West Masterplan[6]. The Masterplan outlines five key goals:
- Our Active, Gracious People, aimed at empowering residents with platforms to volunteer and do their part for the environment;
- Our Clean, Green Living Spaces, to foster community ties and environmental stewardship through our community gardens;
- Our Smart Homes, which promotes green living to reduce carbon footprint and innovating for a sustainable tomorrow;
- Our Green Rides, to encourage car-lite communities to transform common spaces into car-free zones and;
- Our Zero Waste Journey, where best practices on sustainability are shared with the community to encourage waste minimisation habits.
13 Focusing on building sustainable habits in the community, the CDC’s programmes involve the collaborative effort of partners, schools, volunteers and residents to realise these goals. The CDC’s flagship recycling programme, Clean Up @ South West encourages residents to take responsibility for their living environment through the exchange of recyclables for groceries. Since its inception in 2006, close to 1,100 tonnes of recyclables have been collected, equivalent to saving over 18,300 trees. In 2023, the CDC launched the Green Innovation Centre, in partnership with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Bukit Batok Grassroots Organisations to transform the existing Cosy Garden in Bukit Batok into a hub to inspire the local community to learn and discover more on sustainable living. The programme, which has brought together close to 30 partners from the local community, Swedish MNCs, and local SMEs, has reached more than 600 residents to date, educating them about intelligent solutions such as AI facial recognition for enhancing security in community gardens.
[1] For details of more activities under CGS, please refer to Annex A.
[2] Please refer to Annex B for profiles of more ES Star awardees who are available for interviews.
[3] Please refer to Annex C for more details on the CIB Ambassador Awards and the Ambassadors who have been appointed this year.
[4] Please refer to Annex D for more information on the tree species that were planted today and about the OneMillionTrees movement.
[5] Please refer to Annex E for more details on therapeutic horticulture programmes and therapeutic gardens.
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ANNEXES
Annex A – Factsheet on CGS Experiences and Activities
Annex B – Factsheet with Profiles of Environmental Services Award Winners
Annex C – Factsheet on CIB Ambassadors 2024
Annex D – Factsheet on Tree Species Planted and OneMillionTrees Movement
Annex E – Factsheet on Therapeutic Horticulture Programmes