‘Discovering GEMs @ South West’ aims to inspire South West residents to become environment advocates in their communities.
JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN SOUTHWEST CDC AND NEA
Singapore, 17 November 2013 – A new eco-trail was launched by Minister for Health, Gan Kim Yong, at the annual South West Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) Carnival held at West Mall today.
2 Jointly organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the South West Community Development Council (CDC), the eco-trail, ‘Discovering GEMs @ South West’, will showcase selected sites referred to as ‘Green EnviroMiles’ (GEMs) which have been recognised for their environmental achievements (Please see Annex A for details on GEMs).
3 Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of South West District, flagged off the inaugural eco-trail tour this morning, marking the first of ten tours to be conducted over the next year. In all, about 400 South West residents will get to see green practices such as the wormery at Siloso Beach Resort which showcases the unique vermicomposting system to produce organic fertilizer, and the small wetland system to channel rainwater used to irrigate Fuhua Primary School’s aquaponics farm. Similarly, Keppel Club has implemented eco-friendly practices for water conservation and installed energy saving devices in the club. It also reaches out to the community through an iconic Earth Week Exhibition, held annually, to educate people on environmental issues.
4 “Discovering GEMs @ South West aims to encourage individuals, companies and the community to enjoy the eco-trail as well as visit the key destinations in the trail that have put in place innovative environmentally friendly practices. It is hoped that they will be inspired by these efforts and also do their part to conserve resources and the environment and help fight climate change. Every action counts,” said Mayor Khor.
5 Mr. Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of NEA said, “The participants of the eco-trail will get to see the inspiring efforts of passionate advocates which help to preserve the natural environment at each GEMs site. We hope the participants will be encouraged to start green initiatives in their workplaces and homes that will contribute to a greener and cleaner Singapore.”
Clean & Green Award Ceremony – South West District
6 Minister Gan also presented the Clean and Green 2014 Awards to 15 award recipients from the South West district. The awards recognised four grassroots organisations and 11 cleaners for their commendable contributions towards environmental sustainability and public health (Please see Annex B for details on the award recipients).
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Annex A
‘DISCOVERING GEMS @ SOUTH WEST’
Background
The annual Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) campaign is organised and coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks) and Public Utilities Board (PUB) to encourage community environmental ownership. Each of the five districts will hold a launch event for the coming year’s CGS. The CGS theme encourages everyone to play their part for the environment, with the tagline “Every Action Counts”.
For the South West Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) Carnival, the National Environment Agency (NEA), in partnership with the South West Community Development Council (SWCDC), has launched a new eco-trail named ‘Discovering GEMs @ South West’. It will take South West residents on an educational tour, showcasing selected environmental sites which have been recognised for their green achievements within their district. ‘GEMs’ refers to:
1) Sites of environmental interest, or environmental “GEMs” (i.e. jewels)
2) An acronym for “Green EnviroMiles”, in reference to the “Miles” that the individuals and organisations of these sites have travelled on their journey towards achieving environmental sustainability.
South West residents can find out more about the eco-trail at www.facebook.com/icontribute.southwest or register their interest to participate by emailing icontribute@hotmail.com with their names and contact information.
Five GEMs for the eco-trail
1) Siloso Beach Resort is an eco-hotel on Sentosa island which has green features within its operations such as composting with earthworms, a swimming pool that uses spring water and roof gardens which keeps the building cool and for growing vegetables for use in the kitchen. The resort is a 2013 President’s Award for the Environment recipient.
2) Fuhua Primary School organises a wide spectrum of well-structured and comprehensive environmentally-related programmes for staff and students alike. Environmental messages, which promote water conservation, waste minimisation and biodiversity preservation, are incorporated into the school curriculum. They are presented to the students in a lively manner to raise their environmental-consciousness. The school is a recipient of the 2013 President’s Award for the Environment to recognise its efforts mentioned above.
3) Keppel Club, located at Bukit Chermin on the West Coast, is a golf club that sets itself apart with its vision of becoming the greenest golf club in the region. The club has put in green practices such as harvesting rainwater for irrigation, and using solar panels to recharge golf buggies. It is a recipient of the Singapore Environment Council’s Singapore Environmental Achievement Award and the Public Utilities Board’s (PUB) Watermark Award in 2009.
4) Hort Park, nestled in Southern Ridges, serves as a park connector that allows visitors to travel between Kent Ridge Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park with ease and convenience. During the trail, participants will embark on a scavenger hunt to learn about this knowledge hub for plants and gardening.
5) Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is situated at the North Western part of Singapore. It provides an alternative form of recreation by encouraging an appreciation of the beauty and diversity of nature and wildlife. Similar to Hort Park, participants will get to explore the various attractions within the Reserve by embarking on a scavenger hunt.
ANNEX B
FACTSHEET ON THE CLEAN & GREEN SINGAPORE 2013 AWARD RECIPIENTS – SOUTH WEST DISTRICT LEVEL
SN | Category | Recipients | Key Achievements |
1 | Best Improvement (Public Hygiene & Cleanliness) | Yew Tee Division | - Displayed commendable diligence and dedication in promoting and sustaining public awareness on public hygiene, cleanliness and public health:
Localised Yew Tee Fights Dengue! lamp post banners featuring the 5-Step Mozzie Wipeout were displayed on all roads in the constituency. Customised dengue prevention posters were also designed by Yew Tee Grassroots Organisations (GROs) and displayed at Residents’ Committees (RCs) noticeboards and lift lobbies to remind residents to remain vigilant and be proactive in curbing the transmission of dengue. ‘Friends of Yew Tee’ Facebook page is also updated regularly with information on the national/Yew Tee dengue situation. BIG Spring Clean @ Yew Tee, which organises mass litter picking exercises and regular anti-littering activities, aims to create awareness and a sense of ownership among the residents to keep the estate clean. - Food Hygiene & Personal Hygiene
My Eatery Shines @ Yew Tee encourages hawkers and patrons of food establishments to practice good food and personal hygiene. |
2 | Best Improvement (Energy Efficiency & Resource Conservation) | Jurong Spring Division | - Displayed strong community efforts to advocate environmental sustainability such as:
- Regular Cash-for-Trash collections are organised to promote the habit of recycling among residents.
- My First Donation @ Jurong Spring was set up to encourage children to donate their old books and toys so as to cultivate a sense of environmental stewardship among the young.
- The division collaborated with Tzu Chi Foundation to set up a recycling point at Block 510 Jurong West Street 51 and organises recycling drives on every second Sunday of the month.
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3 | Best Team Effort | Lam Soon Community Centre (CC) Youth Executive Committee (YEC) | - Lam Soon CC YEC is made up of a dedicated team of youths who are passionate about making a positive impact on the environment through environmental projects which they initiated, conceptualised, executed & sustained within Keat Hong division.
- Go Green for Community @ Keat Hong is one of the community-driven efforts organised by the youths, and is in its fifth year running. It helps the less fortunate through recycling programmes where the proceeds will be used by the YEC's community service interest group, Group to Initiate Change (GIC), to buy groceries for distribution to needy families in the South West District. So far, more than 10,000kg of newspapers and 3,800kg of clothing were collected.
- Partnership with Student Environmental Organization (SEPO) is a long-standing environmental partnership with SEPO which started in 2008, to identify potential students (MOE scholars from China) who are keen to work on environmental project on an annual basis. For the past five years, YEC has organised and sustained educational tours at Marina Barrage for these overseas students.
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4 | Most Active Constituency | Hong Kah North Constituency | - Established a sub-committee, Hong Kah North Green Committee, to steer its environmental programme and activities within the constituency.
- Developed the Hong Kah North Green Plan for individual RCs to customise their programme based on the direction set by the green plan.
- Conducts weekly Cash-for-Trash collections for recyclables such as used cooking oil.
- Conducts monthly Flea Markets at Zones 1 and 6 to inculcate the idea of reusing amongst the residents
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5 | Best Cleaner | | |
5.1 | Best Cleaner (HDB Estates) | Ms Nengsih Bte Tasmin | Ms Tasmin has a positive attitude towards work. She is also able to follow instructions and is willing to work extra hours and perform additional tasks. She communicates well with the residents and shows consideration of their needs. |
Mr Sng Joo Seng | Mr Sng is a hardworking and helpful cleaner who readily assists residents whenever required. The Town Council often receives compliments from residents for his positive working attitude. |
Mr Sampol Bin Hassan | Mr Sampol is a hardworking and responsible cleaner. |
5.2 | Best Cleaner (Public Waste Collector) | Mr Jumahat Bin Misdawi | Mr Jumahat puts extra effort while performing his duties and is ready to work overtime when require regardless of the areas of coverage. |
Mr Rosmani Bin Jalal | Mr Rosmani is a hardworking and reliable worker. He takes initiative in his work and has good work ethics. |
5.3 | Best Cleaner (Public Cleanliness) | Mr Zainal Bin Whakamari | Mr Zainal has exceptional work ethics and is a good role model for his younger colleagues. His friendliness and compassion for his fellow colleagues are highly valued at his workplace. |
Mdm Rajaispry D/O Thanga Muthu | Mdm Rajaispry takes pride in her work. She is resilient and understands the importance of her role in maintaining public cleanliness. |
Mdm Mariyappan Manimegalay | Mdm Mariyappan is highly motivated and readily takes on tasks assigned to her. She is a resourceful and considerate worker who is able to follow instructions. |
5.4 | Best Cleaner (Hawker Centres) | Mr Chan Fook Tuck | Recipients in this category were nominated for their outstanding performance and exemplary attitude based on their supervisors’ and stallholders’ feedback. |
Mr Tan Leng Tarn |
Mr Lee King Chuan |