RCE Singapore (Unabridged)

8/14/2019 RCE Singapore (Unabridged)

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Our Youth. Our Future

Environmental Challenge Organization (Singapore)Known as ECO Singapore

ECOSPHERE, 87 Beach Road, Chye Sing Building #06-01 Singapore 189695http://www.eco-singapore.org I Tel: (65) 6333 5543 I Fax: (65) 6333 5537

Registered Address: 10 Anson Road, International Plaza, #15-14 Singapore 079903

Society Reg. No: ROS326/20Charity Reg. No: 1739

R

CE-Singapore

Regional Centre of Expertise

Singapore


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CONTENTS

1 Contact Details 4

2 Introduction 5

2.1 About this report 5

2.2 RCE Singapore 6

3 ECO Singapore 6

3.1 Background Information 6

3.2 Vision, Mission 6

4 Geographical Scope 7

4.1 Location Map of Singapore 7

4.2 Major characteristics of Singapore 7

5 Regional Challenges 11

5.1 Background of past challenges 11

5.2 Regional Challenges Identified 14

6 Process of RCE Development 19

7 RCE - Singapore Development 21

7.1 RCE Vision 21

7.2 RCE Goals 21

7.3 RCE Objectives 21

7.4 RCE Strategies 22

7.5 Indication of success 22
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8 RCESingapore Management Structure 23

9 Collaboration among stakeholders 24

9.1 Commitments and resources 24

10 Planned Activities 25

10.1 Previous and ongoing activities 25

10.2 Planned Activities for RCE Singapore 31
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1. Contact Details

Main ContactMr. Wilson Ang

Founder and President+659147 4541 / +659750 [email protected]

Mailing Address

ECOSPHEREEnvironmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore)

Chye Sing Building87 Beach Road#0601 Singapore 189695

Office Contacts

Phone: (65) 6333 5543Fax: (65) 6333 5537
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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2. Introduction

2.1 About this report

This report is a delivery of Singapore situation currently on the education for

sustainable development and how Environmental Challenge Organisation(Singapore) or known as ECO Singapore will be taking on this role in creating

Singapore to be the centre of expertise.

It will also be an indication of RCESingapore with its collaboration with variousschools, and other various organisations as part of its stakeholders. Additional withthe synthesis of the activites that will go in line with this application.

This report will be submitted to the United Nations University, for its consideration

and official acknowledge of RCESingapore

2.2 RCE Singapore

RCE Singapore will be focusing mainly with Singapore schools and working withvarious organisation that ECO Singapore had divided according to

1. Water2. Shelter

3. Biodiversity4. Energy5. Food

6. Waste7. Government

8. Education


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3. ECO Singapore

3.1 Background Information

ECO Singapore is the leading youth-led Non-Governmental Social Enterprise onsustainable lifestyle.

Founded in 2003, ECO Singapore aims to challenge youth of age 17-35 to adopta sustainable lifestyle and embrace environmental issues holistically. ECO

Singapore actively drives and supports local and global environmental initiativesinvolving other environmental stakeholders - the National Youth Council supports

ECO Singapores activities and programs, and we also work closely with theMinistry of Environment and Water Resources, National Environment Agency,Public Utilities Board, local environmental groups and international environmental

groups.

The organization is mainly run and managed by volunteers. The volunteer poolstands at 120 and growing. The organization does its empowering and engagingoutreach through its 5 departments. Each department consists of five to six core

committed volunteers that steers their respective departmentalprojects/initiatives.

3.2 Vision, Mission

Vision

To be the leading environmental body advocating sustainable lifestyle for youth

Mission

1. To challenge youth of age 17-35 to adopt a sustainable lifestyle and embraceenvironmental issues holistically*.

2. To drive local and global environmental initiatives.3. To support environmental activities/initiatives as a resource platform involvingother environmental stakeholders.

*HolisticIn ECO Singapore, we categories global environment issues into seven

areas. They are Agriculture, Biodiversity, Energy, Climate Change, Health &Water Sanitation, Pollution, Population and Poverty.


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4. Geographical Scope

4.1 Location Map of RCE Singapore

Singapore is a dynamic country with an approximate population of 4.84

million people and an area of 682.7 km2. That land area only describesSingapore mainland, not including the 63 islands that Singapore owns.Among its population, there are three main ethnic groups namely the

Chinese, Malays, Indians with the other minorities. Singapore is locatedbetween Malaysia and Indonesia, in Southeast Asia region. Its strategic

geographical location made Singapore grow into a major centre forcommunication, trade and tourism.

4.2 Major Characteristics of Singapore

Despite having few natural resources and very limited land area,

Singapore had been able to transform from a fishing village to an

urbanised city over only forty years time. With the implementation of

Singapores government long-sighted policies and human capital as onlyresources, Singapore becomes a prospering nation over the

decades. There are several major characteristics of Singapore.


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Economy

Singapore is a very developed and successfully open free-market

economy that is progressing at a rapid rate. Singapore has very high GDPper capita income of US$48 900 compared to the other Southeast Asiannations (CIA Factbook 2008). Its economy is greatly dependent on exportactivities with high-tech products as the primary export goods. Singapore

has recently diversified its investments in various industry sectors such astourism, education, pharmaceutical and others to boast its economy

further. This growing economy has been enhanced and supported by a

corruption-free and politically- stable environment, educated andmotivated workforce, and well-established legal and financial business

framework. With over 7000 multinational companies and an extensivetechnology infrastructure providing 99 percent broadband coverage of

Singapore and one million square feet of advanced data centre space,Singapore is indeed a global technology and commercial hub.

Geography

Since Singapores independence in 1965, its strategic geographicallocation has been utilised as the prime transportation hub, serving the

Southeast Asia region and the world with aviation, maritime and landconnections. Currently Singapore has 2 causeway bridges linked to

Malaysia, and one can reach the islands of Indonesia by short ferry trips.With the reputation as one of the best airports and 80 airlines serving more

than 180 cities in over 50 countries, Changi Airport has established itself asa major aviation hub in the Asia Pacific region since its birth in 1981. Ontop of those, Singapore has a very efficient public transport system with

the integrated network of taxis, buses and the modern Mass Rapid Transit(MRT) rail system, which makes travelling within Singapore a breeze.

Education

Education in Singapore has always received great emphasis andconsideration from its government and citizens since Singapore

government often perceives its population as its only naturalresources. Thus, Singapore government strives to maximise the potential in

every citizen and equip them with the necessary skills and tools so thatthey can contribute to Singapore society and economy's

competitiveness. The key to Singapores success in providing qualityeducation for its multiracial citizens is the introduction of bilingual policy in1966 and its lack of preferential treatments for special ethnicity groups in

school enrollment. The basic structure of Singapore education follows amodified British education system with six years of primary education, four


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years of secondary education and two years of junior

college. In terms of higher education, Singapore is an educational hub

with 5 polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education, National Institute ofEducation and 4 universities for public sector. Private higher educationalinstitutes also have been established in Singapore to provide a range ofeducational opportunities.

Research & Development (R & D)

In the last ten or more years, Singapore has grown quickly from largemanufacturing base for multinational companies to a reputable

innovation hub which supports high-tech manufacturing and researchand development (R & D). Currently there are 2 centres for R & D -

Singapore's Science Park built in 1980 for creating the initial infrastructureand focus for R & D and industrial research, and the new SingaporeBiopolis devoted for biomedical research. There are 11 research institutes

which offer postgraduate research programs in collaboration withNational University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

Bioinformatics Institute (BII)*

Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) *

Data Storage Institute (DSI)

Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) *

Institute for Infocomm Research (I2

R) Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (IBN)*

Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC)

Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE)

Institute of Microelectronics (IME)

Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB)*

Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech)

*Housed in Biopolis at OneNorth, Singapore

Social

The social fabric of Singapore consists of Chinese, Malays, Indians andother minorities. Although the population is not homogeneous, thesedifferent ethnicity groups are living among one another quite

harmoniously for decades. This harmonious living among citizens is partlyencouraged by Singapore housing policy which specifies a quota foreach ethnicity group to occupy each HDB flat. In addition, Singapore

schools adopt the bilingual policy and are open to receive students of


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any ethnicity which create the non-threatening

environment for them to interact and learn together. The concept of

racial harmony is very important in Singapore so the legal system is quitetough on any actions that threaten the racial harmony as seen in SeditionAct to avoid the recurrence of racial riots happened in 1964. Schoolsreinforce the racial harmony by educating students on the various

cultures' customs to encourage greater racial tolerance and openness.

Diplomacy Ties

With the establishment of Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon Singapore's

independence in 1965, Singapore has been building bilateral ties andgaining membership in international organisations to cooperate with other

countries. Singapore is a member of United Nations (UN), Commonwealth,Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a number of otherinternational organisations.

Possessing a multiracial society, state-of-the-art infrastructures forestablishing various regional hubs, and building and maintaining strategic

alliances with other countries, Singapore serves as a gateway toSoutheast Asia and thus, is an important part of the Regional Centre of

Expertise (RCE).


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5. Regional Challenges

5.1 Background of past environmental challenges

Since Singapore has limited natural resources, the environmental issues

that Singapore faced are the pollution arising from urbanisation and

industrialisation and the conservation of nature areas. Since the post-independence of Singapore in 1960s, Singapore faced major

environmental challenges in terms of land space, pollution, etc.

Land Scarcity

Given that Singapore has very limited space of only 581.5km2 and itspopulation was increasing at a rapid rate, there was growing demand for

more land. Different parts of Singapore thus have been undergoinglarge-scale land reclamation, such that its total land area has

increased to 682.7km2. The increase in land area allows for the building ofmore houses in private and public housing estates, more recreationalfacilities for people's use as well as more infrastructures such as Mass Rapid

Transit system. Although the efforts to reclaim more land are still continuingand Singapore's land area is estimated to increase by another 100 km2 in

2030, there is still a limit to which how much land Singapore can reclaim

without incurring greater costs and compromising its limited sea space.

Few Nature Areas

Furthermore, for the land-scarce Singapore with very dense population,

there remain very few nature areas. There are only 3% of nature areas inSingapore that have legal protection under National Park Acts but there is

no legal protection for the marine areas. Much of the greenery seenaround Singapore are planted and maintained by government employedworkers.

Water Pollution

Singapore has experienced water shortage and water pollution issues in itsrivers, whereby uncontrolled wastes were discharged into Singapore Riverand Kallang Basin during 1960s and 1970s as a result of rapid urbanisation

and expansion of trading. With the numerous measures implemented bythe Ministry of Environment and Water Resources* (MEWR) such as

removing pig farms, Singapore rivers are finally cleaner. However water


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still can be polluted by domestic waste water, sewage,

and industrial effluent, thus there remains an ongoing objective to keep

Singapore waters clean. MEWR and NEA Singapore faced a shortage ofwater because it did not have enough land to collect water.

Water Shortage

In order to provide sufficient supply of water for Singapore residents,

Singapore has to pay high prices to get water from neighbouring

countries such as Malaysia and the agreement with Malaysia is expiring in2011. In order to reduce reliance on external parties and better manage

water supply, Singapore government uses a holistic approach whichconsists of managing water supply, demand for water and education.

Currently there are 15 reservoirs in Singapore, with Marina Barrage as thelatest one. Not only do these reservoirs collect water, but Public UtilitiesBoard* (PUB) also has recently opened some of the reservoirs for water-

based activities such as kayaking. PUB plans to increase the catchmentarea from half to two-thirds of Singapore with Marina Barrage and two

future reservoirs. In addition, to combat the water shortage problem, the

reservoirs are one of the four National Taps implemented by thegovernment. The other 3 National Taps are Newater (recycling waste

water into drinkable and usable water), desalinated water and importedwater. With regards to managing demand for water, National

Environmental Agency* (NEA) and PUB have started educationalprogrammes to educate the public about water conservation since 2004.

Air Pollution

Besides water pollution, Singapore also faces air pollution. The mainsources of air pollution are from the burning of fossils fuels for energygeneration in industries, power stations and in the transportation sector.

With Singapore's close proximity to countries such as Indonesia, it is alsovulnerable to smoke hazes that usually result from forest fires in these

countries, contributing to air pollution in Singapore and the region. MEWR

and NEA have several policies in place such as locating pollutive industrialareas away from population centres and promoting cleaner energy useto improve air quality in Singapore. In addition, most public premises are

required by law to ban smoking indoor or have designated smoking areas.


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Land Pollution

Even though cleanliness of the environment is one of the top priorities forSingapore and anti-littering laws with fines as well as Keep SingaporeClean campaigns are in place which lead to a cleaner environment, butthe problem of littering is never totally eradicated. In 1992, the anti-littering

laws were amended to include Corrective Work Order (CWO) for thoseaged above 16 years old, are repeat offenders and / or have committed

serious littering offences. These offenders will be tasked with cleaning up

public places such as parks, beaches and even residential estates.Despite these public punishments for litterbugs, incidences of littering still

prevail in most places. Even beaches, drainage canals and rivers are notspared from litters. In year 2002, the National Environment Agency (NEA)

took a new approach in tackling the littering problem in Singapore. Forthat anti-littering initiative - The 'Singapore, Litter-Free J' campaign, NEAcollaborates with event organisers and owners of premises and land

(including parks, schools and petrol kiosks) to engage the community totake ownership and responsibility of their rubbish. However there is

another type of littering going on for a while - high rise littering whereby

the offenders throw their rubbish out of the windows of their high-rise flats.From January to June last year, NEA research reported 12% increase of

high-rise littering in Singapore as compared to the same period in 2007despite the education efforts. Littering still exists as an ongoing challenge

for Singapore to tackle.

Governmental agencies

*Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) started in 1972 to

achieve the goal of keeping Singapore clean and green during the timewhere Singapore faced much pollution. With that goal being met, MEWR,along with its two statutory boards National Environmental Agency (NEA)

and PUB, national water agency, now seek to attain environmentalsustainability through innovation and partnerships with stakeholders from

the 3P sectors - people, public and private. Several initiatives have

emerged from MEWR in the recent years such as Singapore Green Plan2012, Sustainable Singapore, and National Climate Change Strategy etc.


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*National Environmental Agency (NEA) was formed to

assist MEWR on implementation of environmental policies with regards to

issues such as pollution, land management, resource efficiency, energyconservation etc. Under NEA, the divisions of Environmental Protection,Environmental Public Health, and Meteorological Services work togetherto ensure a quality environment for Singaporeans, for now and for the

future.

*Public Utilities Board (PUB) is the national water agency managing

Singapores water supply, water catchment and used water in anintegrated way. It not only ensures sufficient water supply for all but also

educate them about water conservation and help them to appreciatewater by creating recreational activities on reservoirs and rivers.

5.2 Regional challenges identified by RCE Singapore

stakeholders

Although Singapore has come a long way from being polluted and dirtyto a clean country commonly known as "Garden City", it still faces

numerous challenges to ensure a sustainable future for all. The variousstakeholders of RCE Singapore have identified the major regional

challenges faced by Singapore region are l isted below:

1. There is a sense of apathy among people towards SustainableDevelopment.

o Many people especially youths have misconceptions ofsustainable development. When speaking of sustainabledevelopment, most of them only consider green issues such as

keeping the environment clean and the 3Rs.

o For instance, National University of Singapore (NUS) has startedtheir Masters of Science degree (Environmental Management)

since 2001, but the admission intake is still very small. Thecandidates include not only Singaporeans but also international

students from India, Malaysia etc. Majority of the Singaporeanand international candidates come from private and publicsectors geared towards environmental conservation such as

environmental agencies or forest ranger. Few members of thepublic know of this programme.


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o They also do not have a sense of ownership or responsibility tothe public environment or Earth. As Singapore government isvery stringent about cleanliness especially in eating places, there

are usually cleaners to clear away the used utensils and cleanup after the users. Although school canteens, army camps and

some workplaces require users to return their used trays and

utensils, users in the public eating places such as fast foodrestaurants and hawker centres leave their dirty trays on thetables for the cleaners to remove. Singapore government hasdemonstrated its efficiency in addressing environmental issues

through enforcement and education, so most people are quite

confident in leaving the task of protecting the environment tothe government's capability.

o Parents and immediate families are often the main caregiversand role models for their children. When parents and immediate

families set the wrong tone and model behaviours such asleaving behind litters or dirty trays after using those in publicplaces, their children will not consider such behaviours as

wrong/undesirable and follow those actions. It is essential to start

inculcating the desirable behaviours and values in young

children as they are more receptive to changes rather thanadults.

2. A lack of support from governmental, corporate and communitysectors in providing financial and infrastructure/facility resources.

o Governmental (Financial resources):

While the Singapore government is benevolent with strong interest inenvironmental sustainability issues, supported by MEWR and its

statutory boards' efforts to maximise its resources and minimise

damage to environment, the Singapore government still haseconomic and defence considerations as its top priorities.

Given these priorities, the policies and initiatives to support

environmental conservation and sustainability need to be not only

viable but also economically advantageous for Singapore toundertake. For instance, building the Newater plants may be


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expensive but in the long term, Singapore will be less

reliant on neighbouring countries, making full use of the sewage and

recycling it into Newater for industrial and consumption uses.Whereas for Integrated Resorts, the potential damage to Singaporenot only in terms of environment but also socio-economically is great.Still due to its creation of new jobs and improvement of economy,

Singapore government proposed mitigation measures to minimise thedamage while building and running the resorts.

Thus for grass-root organisations or NGOs interested in developingsustainable activities, they face the challenge of having their projects

either being given low budget/priority or being rejected.

o Governmental (infrastructure resources):

As mentioned in 5.1, Singapore government is concerned aboutsustaining our resources especially issue of water management.

It has set up various research facilities to carry out research anddevelopment (R & D) in a variety of areas. One of the major projects isthe water reclamation plant to make Newater for industrial and

consumption use.

Despite the government's efforts for sustaining Singapore, they havenot taken the lead to enable companies, community and other keystakeholders are capable of using sustainable measures in theiroperations.

o Corporate sector:

The sustainable practices in corporate sector, also known as

"Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR) is not that widely incorporated

in Singapore companies. Unlike multinationals or corporate giants suchas Brother Singapore and SingTel Mobile which usually have a CSR

department, many Singapore companies especially the SMEs (Smalland Medium-sized Enterprises) neither have such department norunderstand the concept of CSR. Even for those Singapore companies

that are aware of CSR, some of them perceive CSR as irrelevant totheir business strategies or may lack the necessary budget, time or theknowledge to implement these CSR practices.


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Although Singapore Compact for Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) was set up in 2005 to take a multi-stakeholders

approach on educating the stakeholders (including companies) aboutCSR, only its members have the opportunity to network, exchangeideas and gain skills to use CSR. Though Singapore Compact for CSR isstill growing, not many of its members are serving as champions andspread the word to their peers or other key stakeholders who are non-

members either through effective communications and disclosure or

through business to business supply chain relationships.

In terms of finances, SMEs are usually hard up to set aside a sufficientbudget for CSR purposes while for facility-wise, companies may nothave the resources to improve those.

o Community sector:

The schools in Singapore do not have sufficient support and resources tobe more sustainable or enable students to do sustainable

actions/activities.

Education subcommittee targets school children, but with focus on

primary schools regarding education for sustainable development.

NGOs or voluntary work organisations also face the challenge of nothaving adequate resources, both financial and others, to carry out their

projects/programmes geared towards sustainable development with keystakeholders. Given that their staffs are working for little or no pay, it isdifficult for them to achieve long term objectives without financial

backing since many strategies for achieving these objectives requirefunds to run.

In addition, while government agencies work well at national level, the

NGOs often have the reach to engage Singaporeans at the grass-roots

level hence NGOs can support the governments' initiatives if they aregiven the necessary resources.

3. The culture among the consumers is generally of strong capitalisminclination/consumption.

o Success is usually defined as acquisition of material goods such

as cars, condominiums, credit cards and branded goods.


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o People's perceptions of using second-hand or

hand-me-down goods as undesirable and unhygienic especially

for apparels.

o The consumers are not as environmentally or sustainabilityconscious as their counterparts in Western countries.


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6. Process of RCE DevelopmentThe process of establishing RCE Singapore is led by EnvironmentalChallenge Organisation (ECO) Singapore, a non-governmental

organisation (NGO). Major stakeholders, such as universities, polytechnics,corporate companies, governmental agencies, research institutes and

non governmental organisations have been invited and are committed tocollaborate in establishing RCE Singapore.

The first RCE Seminar was held on 8th April 2009, Mr. Wilson Ang, founder ofECO Singapore, introduced RCEs and started the process of the

establishment of RCE Singapore. The representatives from the NGOs,research institutes, schools, governmental agencies, corporate

companies and Universities discussed the existing Education forsustainable development (ESD) activities by each stakeholder, the currentregional challenges faced, and their expectations of RCE Singapore. On

22 June 2009, the Second RCE discussion was held virtually to discuss the

directions and structure of RCE Singapore and participants madedecisions on the governance structure of RCE Singapore and planned the

future activities for RCE Singapore.

Key RCE Stakeholder Members identified

The key stakeholder members of RCE Singapore include 3 educationalinstitutions, 2 governmental agencies, 3 corporate companies and 3

NGOs. These educational institutions are chosen based on the facilitiesand programmes they have for sustainable development such as theEnvironmental Technology Development Centre (ENV-TDC) and theDiploma in Environmental Science course in RP, while the governmental

agencies are selected because they can provide governmental funding

and resources. These identified companies have been quite active in CSRboth in Singapore and internationally so they are the assets in strategising

methods/ways to motivate other companies to be involved in CSR. Finally,the 3 key NGOs are very active in implementing ESD-related activities andhave been building up resources for such initiatives. These stakeholders will

form the core group of RCE Singapore.

Educational Institutions:

Republic Polytechnic (RP)National University of Singapore (NUS)

Singapore Polytechnic (SP)


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Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)

Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)

Corporate companies:

Keppel Land International Limited

Timberland

British CouncilBanyan Tree Holdings Limited

World-Wide Funds for Nature (WWF)

Governmental Organisations:

Public Utilities Board (PUB)National Environment Agency (NEA)

Building and Construction Authority (BCA)

NGOs:

United Nations (UN) Youth Association of Singapore

Vegetarian Society Singapore (VSS)

Nature Trekker Singapore

Waterways Watch Nature Society Singapore (NSS)

Lien Aid

Scholastic Environment Fund (SEF)


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7. RCESingapore Development

7.1 RCE Vision

RCE -Singapore aims to be the regional network for members to research,collaborate, educate, advise, and develop ESD-related activities thatadvocate Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) as a Lifestyle.

To prevent further damages to our Earth, it is essential for all of us,individually or collectively, to be educated with the skills and knowledge

for consuming and/or producing products sustainably. It is time for us to

start instilling the culture of valuing and maximising our resources toimprove our quality of life.

7.2.1 RCE Goals

Establish Global SCP Hub in Singapore to create a platform forexchange of information on ESD and good practices in the region.

Serve as feedback channel to the Singapore government for

educational institutions, corporate companies and NGOs. Model Framework on education for SCP to complement and enhanceexisting public education.

Increase the capacity of all Singapore citizens/residents to participate in

Sustainable Development

Establish Common Fund and facilities for SCP to support SCP activities,projects and programmes.

7.2.2 RCE Short term Objectives

Establish Global SCP Hub in Singapore.

Recognize Degree/Diploma on Sustainable Development

Engage corporate companies, governmental agencies, NGOs,

schools and individuals in SCP activitiesExchange good SCP practices and expertise with other organizations

working on SCP/ESD in other countries Framework on education for SCP

ESD programmes for students of all educational levels: primary,

secondary, college, and tertiary.ESD programmes for teachers and staffs through workshops

Common Fund and facilities for SCP


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7.3 RCE Strategies

1. Complimentary School Programmes:Primary & Secondary School talks and workshop

2. Establish a recognized Diploma or Degree for Sustainable Development.3. Run public seminars and workshops for both public and corporate staffs.4. Public Campaigns: With existing NGOs activities to raise the awareness.

5. Set a consultancy committee within RCE Singapore to act as consultant

to other organisations6. Hold regular meetings with all stakeholders to exchange information

and expertise to enhance collaboration among all.7. Use New Social Media and traditional media as tools to expand RCESingapores reach beyond the existing network.

7.4 Indication of success with timeline

First Year (2009 - 2010):

One regional conference/seminar/workshop yearly

Two national level public seminars

Confirm the content of the complimentary education programme forschool talks:

1. Education talks to 30% of local public and private schools2. Quarterly meeting on update of framework for SCP.


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8. RCE Singapore Management Structure

Management structure of RCE Singapore:

For the first year, ECO Singapore will be able to function as a secretariator facilitator.

Subsequently, the stakeholders will vote yearly for a new secretariat

organisation.

Secretariat conducts the quarterly meeting and update and reports tothe UNU on activities and progress.

The decision-making mechanism:

Any decision or direction of the RCE and its programmes will be a

collective agreement of no less than 75% of the stakeholders at thequarterly meeting.

- Criteria of the voter: the voter must also show a creditable trackrecord of what they have done for the year.

- Rationale: This will prevent those who have not shown or done realcontribution to have more say than those who do just because theyare able to be present for such meetings. Those who do the

most relevant work in line with our mission and goals must be given

the proper right of say/vote.


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9. Collaboration among stakeholders

The core organization of RCE Singapore is Environmental ChallengeOrganisation, Singapore. The other stakeholders include:

Educational Institutions:

Republic Polytechnic (RP)

National University of Singapore (NUS)

Singapore Polytechnic (SP)

Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)

Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)

Corporate companies:

Keppel Land International Limited Timberland

British Council

Banyan Tree Holdings Limited World-Wide Funds for Nature (WWF)

Governmental Organisations:

Public Utilities Board (PUB)

Building and Construction Authority (BCA) National Environment Agency (NEA)

NGOs:

United Nations (UN) Youth Association of Singapore

Vegetarian Society Singapore (VSS) Nature Trekker Singapore

Waterways Watch

Nature Society Singapore (NSS)

Lien Aid

Scholastic Environment Fund (SEF)

9.1Commitment and resourcesYouth Coalition for Sustainable Development will have one representativeto attend the meetings and offer insights and comments on the behalf ofhis/her coalition. Vegetarian Society of Singapore has exhibitions, food

demonstrations, talks and consultancy on students projects related to

sustainability food issues, which RCE Singapore may tap into as well. ECO-

Singapore has offered to be the Secretariat for RCE Singapore during thefirst year of RCE Singapore establishment.


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10. Planned activities

10.1 Previous and ongoing activities of specific organisations:

Educational Institutions

Singapore Polytechnic:

Incorporate sustainable design into curriculum for diploma inarchitecture, landscape architecture.

Collaboration with industrial partnersAscendas Research and

Development on Green InitiativesPromote sustainable development buildingRain Garden within

Singapore Polytechnic

Republic Polytechnic:

Broadly based on the concept of sustainable development in the areaof recycled materials, conservation and use of natural environment,management of energy etc.

Offers the diploma of environmental science course.

Environmental Technology Development Centre within RP to carry outR&D on renewable energies.

Nanyang Polytechnic: The NYP-HP Green ICT Solutions Centre:

- drive the development of new innovations in infocomm technologiesthat will enable businesses to achieve sustainable business growth bybeing energy-efficient and reducing carbon footprint.

- Training students and industry professionals in Green ICT technologiesand best practices.

Launch of new diploma course: Chemical & Green Technology

National University of Singapore:

The following modules and programs aim directly or indirectly issues

relating to sustainable development1. Masters in Environmental Management

2. Freshman seminars on Sustainable Development3. Project Management4. Sustainable Building Design


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Academic Staff members are engaged in research

projects with sustainable development, environmental management and

climate change mitigation and adaptation

Nanyang Technological University:

Offers the Bachelor and Master degrees of environmental engineering

Have research institutes on environmental/sustainable developmentsuch as Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE), Energy

Research Institute at NTU (ERIAN).

Corporate Companies

Keppel Land Corporation:

Supported various Community Development Councils (CDCs) onenvironment program through sponsorships of recyclables bags and

porcelain mugs

Timberland:

Earthkeepers is a line of premium Timberland footwear and apparel

product since 2008, Timberland product with the Earthkeepers label

must meet design criteria around recycled, organic and renewablematerial content, solvent-free adhesives and reduced climate impact.

In spring 2007, Timberland introduced the Green Index a measure of

the environmental impact of their products. Starting in 2008, Timberland will be reporting on key CSR performance

indicators on a quarterly basis. Release 2008 new CSR strategy with 4 goals in 2008: become carbon

neutral by 2010, design recyclable products, having fair, safe and non

discriminatory workplace, and 2-year service campaign to makecommunity greener.

British Council Singapore:

organised the Digital Art Competition on Climate Change along with

Singapore Science Centre and Scholastic Environmental Fund

have partnerships with many companies, governmental bodies etc in UK as a platform for others to exchange ideas, information and evenactivities to achieve CSR goals.

Banyan Tree Holdings Limited

Greening communities initiative:

- Over the next 10 years, the Group is targeting to plant 2,000 trees per


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year within each of the local communities of Banyan Tree

Hotels and Resorts located in Phuket, Bangkok, Lijiang, Ringha, Bintan,

Seychelles and Maldives.- strives to offset a significant amount of carbon emissions created bythe companys operations, while promoting awareness of climate change

in the community.

Seedlings, the Groups tri-phase community programme aims to offer

opportunity and support to children considered at risk of societal exclusion.

This group-wide initiative is broken into three stages of mentorship,scholarship, and internship to provide children with the motivation and

means to complete their education and successfully enter the labourforce as adults.

Participated in Earth Day campaign since 2006 In July 2007, Banyan Trees Singapore office embarked upon an

awareness raising campaign to reduce the offices electrical

consumption.

NGOs

UN Youth Association of Singapore:

Ongoing Global Classroom Camp

YDP network group with World Bank Group Singapore and expedition to

Laos/ThailandNational Youth Service ProgramAug09Speak your mind CampaignAsian Youth Day Aug09

Singapore Ambassadorongoing

Vegetarian Society of Singapore:

Offer vouchers for vegetarian restaurants

Offer talks, workshops, food demos and consulting on student projects

related to:

a. the link between diet and environment

b. the link between diet and world hungerc. how to eat sustainablyd. How to eat in a way that considers the needs of our non-human

fellow Earthlings.

Scholastic Environmental Fund:

Supported various environmental initiatives such as Million Trees project,


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Digital Art Competition on Climate Change, The Giving

Tree @ North East 2005 (exhibitions and volunteering talks).

Lien Aid:

Developmental project NGO focusing in water and sanitations

Country of ActivitiesChina, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia

Incorporating appropriate technologies to our developmental projectShare technical expertise (developmental work) to the regional

Portal to share lesson learned (developmental work) to region

Nature Trekker Singapore:

Promoting appreciation, education, and conservation of biodiversityand ecosystems in Singapore

Education, sub-committee targets school children focused on primaryschool currently

Publications and talks including engaging media

Nature Society of Singapore:

dedicated to the appreciation, conservation, study and enjoyment ofthe natural heritage in Singapore, Malaysia and the surrounding

region.

Organise nature appreciation activities like guided nature walks, bird

and butterfly watching, slide talks and overseas eco-trips. Conduct conservation projects and surveys.

Collaborate with schools and community groups to promote nature

appreciation and education.

Campaign for the protection of natural habitats.

Waterways Watch:

Education programmes for all e.g. Camp Envo-Awareness is organised 4

times a year during school holidays, CSR program for corporatecompanies

Developing champions of EnvironmentSustainable program of interest in environmentWorking with agencies & schools to cast the net wider (marketing & new

partnerships)


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WWF Singapore:

Organised Earth Hour 2009 on March 28 in Singapore

Educational talks on marine, wildlife, energy conservation

Environmental Challenge Organisation Singapore:

ECO Training Programmeso ENRICH!

o School Talks

ECO Shop

ECO Events

ECO Publications: EXPRESS!

Organised Earth Hour 2009 on March 28 and Relive 2009 on 57

June Youth-Speak-Up-DunkIt-NDP programme: anti-littering campaign

held on National Day Parade (9 August) with participation of

secondary school students and volunteers aged 17 -35 years. Thishas been going on yearly since 2005.

Participated in various forums both national and international suchas National Youth Environmental Forum, UN Commission onSustainable Development, United Nations Conference on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties 14 (COP14).

Organised the inaugural World Leadership Conference on 15 -19

June 2009. Organising the inaugural National Youth Assembly on 1st and 2nd

August.

Youth Coalition on Sustainable development

Comprises youth leaders and environmental award winners of thevarious environmental groups in NUS, NTU, SMU and observers from

various polytechnics.

Primary focus on tertiary institutions (mainly universities) and

consolidate their expertise in this area.

The coalition's earliest work is the Singapore Youth Declaration onSustainable Development.

The coalition is a collective platform for youth action towardssustainable development, aiming to: a) be the leading youth

council on sustainable development in Singapore. b) Develop

competencies in youths to effect systemic changes in educationalinstitutions towards sustainable development. c) Deliver action and


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change to improve environmental performance in

educational institutions.

The coalition will achieve the above objectives through: a) Sharingand consolidating youth perspectives on key sustainability issues.b) Discussing and improving current sustainability practices acrosseducational institutions.

c) Collaborative projects to achieve more efficient and effectiveuse of resources.

Governmental Agencies

Public Utilities Board (PUB)

Singapores national water agency which manages its water supply,

water catchment areas and used water in an integrated way. It not only ensures sufficient water supply for all but also educate

them about water conservation and help them to appreciatewater by creating recreational activities on reservoirs and rivers.

Offers programmes, incentives and challenges such as 10-Litre

challenge to conserve, value and enjoy water

Building and Construction Authority (BCA)

Develop and regulate the construction industry in Singapore withthe focus on safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built

environment Offers Green Mark Award since 2005 to promote sustainability in the

built environment and raise environmental awareness among

developers, designers and builders when they start projectconceptualisation and design, as well as during construction.

National Environment Agency (NEA)

Assists Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) on

implementation of environmental policies with regards to issues

such as pollution, land management, resource efficiency, energyconservation etc.

Under NEA, the divisions of Environmental Protection, EnvironmentalPublic Health, and Meteorological Services work together to ensurea quality environment for Singaporeans, for now and for the future.

Run campaigns such as recycling day, events and programmessuch as Hawker Centre Upgrading.


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10.2 Planned Activities for RCE- Singapore

The first step to set up the global hub for SCP is to have a goodcommunication platform and channel for all the stakeholders in RCESingapore. Thus, the decision of having regular meetings with the

Secretariat organisation being the coordinator is made.

Research and Development:

More research on identification of approaches, evaluation of thevarious approaches to reach out and engage more of the different

sectors (corporate, governmental and community) to be aware and

participate in ESD activities.Customising the approaches to the different sectors and build on thecapacity of organizations in each sector to implement the customised

approaches.

Conduct surveys to get feedbacks and improvements for ESD activities

as a method to collate information and also as an evaluation.

Transformative Education:

Develop materials and curricula for the primary and secondary schoolprogrammes.

Empower and train teachers to spread the message of SCP to theirfellow teachers and subsequently their students.

Ignite the interest among youths with fun and interesting campaignsorganized by NGOs.

Collaborative activities:

1)With Youth Coalition for Sustainable Development:

Develop a blueprint for environmental stewardship and programme for

empowering youths with necessary skills to effect change in theorganisations they belong to.

Establish systematic links between daily consumption, production toenvironment (e.g. where do we get our paper from?)

2) Collaborate with other RCEs on international programs and broadcastthe experiences through New Social media3) Maintain close links with governmental agencies and other

organisations related to ESD/SCP.

Documents

RCE Singapore (Unabridged)