CLEAN AND GREEN SINGAPORE 2021 BRINGS ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCES, EXHIBITIONS AND VIRTUAL TOURS UNTIL MARCH 2022

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Heng Swee Keat launched the annual Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) campaign at Kampung Admiralty today. Organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), this year’s CGS takes on a hybrid, distributed approach, with small-scale satellite events in the run-up to a limited-attendance physical launch ceremony, online virtual activities for the public, and a series of digital engagements through popular online platforms. The launch event featured a traditional tree-planting ceremony with DPM Heng, followed by the presentation of the CGS Awards and Community in Bloom Ambassador Awards.

2          In his CGS 2021 message, DPM Heng emphasised how the Clean and Green movement needed to have deep roots within the community to transform Singapore into a City in Nature. Each one of us can do our part – becoming stewards of Singapore’s greenery and biodiversity, reducing waste by buying only what we need, bringing our own reusable bags and containers when buying groceries and food, recycling regularly and correctly, and keeping our City in Nature clean, through simple actions such as keeping our tables clean and returning our trays after meals.

3          In the run-up to the main launch ceremony, three satellite events were organised earlier in November with partners such as NGOs, interest groups, community groups, industry partners and volunteers. The three events were:

a) Opening of the Beach Road Estate CleanPod by Minister Grace Fu, a neighbourhood clean-up activity held at Kampong Glam on 5 Nov 2021 (Friday);

b) Pasir Ris Park “Kayak N Klean” with Minister of State Desmond Tan, a clean-up of Sungei Api Api using kayaks, held at Pasir Ris Park on 6 Nov 2021 (Saturday); and

c) Hong Kah North Environment Drive with Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor, a Facebook Live recycling engagement event held on 14 Nov 2021 (Sunday).

CGS Experiences

4          CGS Experiences, an online learning experience for the public, was launched together with CGS 2021. Twenty sessions are available for public booking from 21 Nov 2021 to 31 Mar 2022 at www.cgs.gov.sg/cgsexperiences. CGS Experiences will be conducted in the form of webinars with a live host, bringing participants through a virtual tour of sites of significant environmental interest. The first two sites are:

• INSECTTA – Singapore's first urban insect farm rears black soldier flies to help transform food waste into biomaterials for high-value industries;
• XCEL Industrial Supplies Pte Ltd – XCEL is a manufacturer of wooden pallets and an adopter of the Circular Economy approach. When pallets are damaged beyond repair, the wooden materials will be upcycled into lifestyle products at CREUSE, their sustainable brand;

5          CGS Experiences will progressively launch further virtual tours to more sites, including the SembWaste Materials Recovery Facility, a recyclables sorting plant; and TES, an e-waste recycler founded in Singapore in 2005, which is now a global leader in sustainable information technology (IT) lifecycle services with bespoke solutions to help customers manage the commissioning, deployment and retirement of IT assets and end-of-use batteries.

6          CGS Experiences is supported with sponsorship from ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, as well as INSECTTA, XCEL Industrial Supplies Pte Ltd, SembWaste Pte Ltd and TES who opened their sites for the virtual visits.

7          CGS 2021 will also offer online workshops and exhibits at www.cgs.gov.sg/cgs2021, covering a broad range of topics from dengue prevention, littering, climate change, to the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and Zero Waste. Members of the public can also look forward to participating in a contest on the CGS Facebook till December, and a lucky draw at the end of the CGS Experiences run in Mar 2022.

Celebrating 50^th Anniversary of Tree Planting Day

8          To continue making Singapore greener, the National Parks Board (NParks) is working with the community to further integrate nature into our city as Singapore transforms into a City in Nature. As Singapore develops, this ensures that our city continues to be highly liveable while mitigating environmental challenges such as climate change.

9          The tree planting tradition was started by founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew in 1963, and continues to play an important role as we restore nature into our city. In 2013, NParks celebrated 50 years of greening of Singapore. This year in 2021 marks another significant milestone of Singapore’s greening journey as it is the 50^th anniversary of Tree Planting Day from November 1971 when then Acting Prime Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee launched the first Tree Planting Day. To commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of Tree Planting Day, 50 native trees were planted at Labrador Nature Reserve with the community and corporations on 7^th November 2021.

10        Further, NParks is continually stepping up efforts through the OneMillionTrees movement by planting a million more trees across Singapore over the next 10 years with the community’s support.

11        To launch CGS this year and in support of the OneMillionTrees movement, DPM Heng planted a Knema curtisii tree near Kampung Admiralty in Woodlands, together with Mayor of North West District, Alex Yam. Knema curtisii trees are native and critically endangered, with its fruits resembling a nutmeg capsule split open along a suture to reveal a seed covered by an aril. They were joined by Minister of National Development Desmond Lee and Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Amy Khor who planted a Horsfieldia polyspherula known for its bunches of round fruits of orange or reddish orang arils, as well as Ms Mariam Jaafar, Advisor to Woodlands Grassroots Organisations, who planted a tree in the same family, known as Horsfieldia irya. All three tree species are from the nutmeg family and will help to restore nature into the urban landscape, bringing the therapeutic effects of greenery directly to homes.

Green Homes @ North West Community Development Council (NW CDC)

12        As part of the North West Community Development Council (CDC)’s continuous efforts in building a holistic green ecosystem, the CDC has launched various programmes including Green Homes @ North West and Budding Greenies @ North West, to imbue a green mindset and spark behavioral change among local residents. Just last month, North West CDC announced additional support for residents living in one- to three-room HDB units in their efforts to save the environment. The ecosystem includes different aspects of Green Living, including: (i) practising the 5Rs in day-to-day life – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle; (ii) Maintaining a Clean Environment through consistent green actions in the community; and (iii) Promoting Education to increase Green awareness and knowledge among residents of all ages.

CGS Awards

13        A total of 195 awards will be presented as part of CGS 2021. At the event today, DPM Heng presented 16 national awards to recognise outstanding grassroots organisations for their efforts in achieving exemplary standards in the areas of public hygiene and cleanliness, resource conservation and energy efficiency. District-level and Best Cleaners awards will be presented at district environmental events scheduled in 2022. 169 awards will be presented to cleaners who have demonstrated pride and commitment in their work. This year’s number is the highest to be awarded since the CGS Awards started in 2003, and underscores the important contribution of our cleaners as frontline workers in the nation’s fight against COVID-19.

Community in Bloom Ambassadors

14        Six new Community in Bloom (CIB) Ambassadors were also appointed during this year’s CGS event. The CIB Ambassador Award recognises individuals who are able to establish new areas for growth in gardening and facilitate greater community involvement with their gardening and networking skills. Launched in 2005, CIB is a programme by NParks that aims to nurture a gardening culture among Singaporeans by encouraging and facilitating community gardening efforts. Through gardening, individuals can come together to build community bonds and strengthen social resilience in our City in Nature. There are currently more than 1,700 community gardens under the CIB programme across the island and 83 CIB ambassadors.

15        In conjunction with this year’s CGS launch on 21 November 2021, members of the public can join a series of free virtual activities that are designed to enrich knowledge on the various flora and fauna in Singapore and pique interest in nature.

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