Singapore honours green warriors

Tania Tan, Straits Times 7 Dec 07;

Tania Tan speaks to the three winners of the 2007 President's Award for the Environment, who will receive their awards today

City Developments (CDL); Tan Gee Paw, Chairman PUB; Professor Leo Tan



Environment a pillar of CDL's business
Recipients of Singapore's most prestigious green honours this year have shaped the country's waterways, gardens and cityscape.

THE building and construction industry has long been fingered as a major culprit for the world's climate change woes, as forests absorbing carbon dioxide are decimated to make way for skyscrapers.

But home-grown property developer City Developments (CDL) hopes to show how the sector can improve its green rating.

For incorporating eco-friendly practices into its business model and promoting green outreach programmes, it has become the first private company to be honoured with the President's Award for the Environment.

While many companies are taking green steps now, CDL made the environment a pillar of its business in the late 1990s, long before it became trendy.

'We embarked on our green journey with the simple intent of conducting our business in a socially responsible manner,' said managing director Kwek Leng Joo.

'So this award is truly an honour.'

Today, green features such as energy saving lights, pneumatic waste disposal systems and multiple recycling corners have become landmarks of CDL's 110 commercial and residential developments in Singapore.

A total of 16 of its buildings have also received the Green Mark Award conferred by the Building and Construction Authority to recognise environmentally friendly buildings - the most for any company here.

To help get the green message out to its stakeholders, CDL has rolled out a slew of programmes over the years, including Project Eco-office with the Singapore Environment Council. The annual campaign promotes green habits at the work place.

The developer has also started another pilot project recently. It is measuring the carbon emissions saved by adjusting air-conditioning temperatures up one degree in five buildings here, including Republic Plaza in Raffles Place.

'We hope to show that small actions, at no cost, can make a big difference,' said a CDL spokesman.

Going down the tubes - to success
Straits Times 7 Dec 07;

PUB's Tan Gee Paw is a visionary who has helped solve S'pore's water woes
A STARRY-EYED young civil engineer at the Environment Ministry in the 1960s, Mr Tan Gee Paw's heart sank when he was 'dumped' into its drainage department.

His dreams of building bridges or shaping housing estates went down the tubes, he said.

'To my horror, the ministry told me I had to go look after longkangs (Malay for drains),' said Mr Tan, now PUB chairman.

But three years into the job, his love affair with water blossomed.

'I began to appreciate the exciting challenges put before us as drainage engineers,' he chuckled. 'We weren't just maintaining drains but trying to manage the forces of nature.'

'It was fun.'

An unexpected twist of fate became a 40-year passion which eventually led him to become master architect of Singapore's world-acclaimed water network.

The 64-year-old won the President's Award for the Environment this year, for his life-long commitment to the water industry, including the integration of water, drainage and sewerage services under the PUB - the foundation for Singapore's long-term water security.

Long-time colleague Yap Kheng Guan called his former supervisor 'a visionary' who helped solve Singapore's severe flooding problems in the 1970s, by establishing a new drainage and flood-prevention system.

He also helped pioneer urban catchment projects like the Kranji and Seletar reservoirs - the precursors of the upcoming Marina Barrage, said Mr Yap, director of PUB's 3P network department.

Mr Tan was also involved in the decade-long clean-up of the Singapore River, for which he was awarded one of 10 commemorative gold medals in 1987.

The former permanent secretary of the Environment Ministry also received the Meritorious Service Medal in 2002 for his contributions to water management.

Under his leadership, the PUB bagged the prestigious Stockholm Industry Water Award - the Nobel equivalent for the water industry - early this year.

His greatest contribution, however, is how he has inspired others to give their all to the water industry, said co-workers.

By solving Singapore's water scarcity problems through the success of Newater, the PUB - under Mr Tan's leadership - now has the expertise to help other countries facing water problems, explained Mr Yap.

'Working in the water sector, he showed us that we have the chance to contribute to society, and perhaps to Mankind,' he said.

'He imbued in people like us that this is a noble cause.'

An early crusader
Straits Times 7 Dec 07;

HE HAS been labelled a fanatic, alarmist and the white man's pawn.

But name-calling never sidetracked Professor Leo Tan in his efforts to save the environment.

The winner of this year's President's Award for the Environment received his fair share of 'knocks on the head' ever since he started to grow a green conscience during his undergraduate days, he said.

As a young marine biologist, and active member of the Nature Society, he was an early, and very vocal, supporter of the need for nature reserves in Singapore.

For his green efforts, he said, he was hauled up by a 'very senior civil servant', and chastised for championing a colonialist cause - because 'being environmentally friendly was a very ang moh (slang for Caucasian) concept', he explained.

Prof Tan stuck to his 'never give up' mantra. But his strategy was not to force his opinions - he chose instead to rely on patience and persuasion.

'If you have a cause you believe in, stick with it,' he said. 'With rationality and knowledge on your side, people will eventually be won over.'

Decades later, the former chairman of the National Parks Board is being recognised for his contributions to nature and marine conservation, most notably for the saving of Labrador Park.

Singapore's only rocky sea cliff, the park was made a protected nature reserve in 2002, after Prof Tan and his colleagues stopped it from being cleared for development.

Prof Tan, 64, recalls spending his childhood climbing trees and catching spiders in his very own backyard jungle next to Mount Faber.

Asked what had given him such passion for the environment, he said: 'I was born this way.'

His dedication has inspired many, including biologist Peter Ng.

Professor Ng, director of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, said he was given a much needed leg up when Prof Tan, his former lecturer, loaned him $500 of his own money for an overseas honours research project.

'It was a lot of money back in the 80s, but he didn't even blink,' said Prof Ng. 'I was very grateful.'

Always a 'perfect gentleman', Prof Tan never once asked for his money back, although the loan was repaid three years later, after he started working.

For his contributions to education, Prof Tan received the National Day Awards gold medal for public service this year.

On his numerous awards, Prof Tan said: 'It's always humbling and exciting to receive these accolades, not because of the award itself, but because of the attention it gives to worthy causes.'

PUB supplies 40m gallons of NEWater to industries each day
Channel NewsAsia 8 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE : The PUB now provides about 40 million gallons of NEWater to industries each day.

This is almost half of its target to supply about 90 million gallons a day by 2011.

When it achieves this target, the PUB would be meeting 30 percent of Singapore's water needs.

2011 is the year when Singapore's first water agreement, signed in 1961 with Malaysia, expires.

The update was given by the PUB Chairman on Friday when he received the President's Award for the Environment, which recognises those who have contributed to environmental sustainability.

When Singapore's fourth NEWater plant in Ulu Pandan opened in March, the total capacity for the production of NEWater went up to 55 million gallons a day.

At the moment though, the amount supplied is 40 million gallons.

But the PUB expects this number to go up, as more industrial customers turn on their NEWater supplies.

The PUB said major new industrial customers include Shell, ExxonMobil Chemical, and Changi Airport, as well as new wafer fabrication plants.

The recently-announced fifth NEWater plant to open in a few years in Changi will boost Singapore' capacity further.

When the plant opens, the target is for all five plants to meet 30 percent of Singapore's water needs.

That is significant for a small country, especially when one factors in climate change.

Tan Gee Paw, PUB Chairman, said, "If we just depend on the weather, and we have limited catchments, the day will come when you will be caught by draughts and you will have no other supply. The wonderful thing about NEWater is you use the same drop a few times over and therefore you expand upon your supply. But even then, there is a certain limit to the use of NEWater because finally you need fresh water input."

The PUB chief has received the country's highest accolade in the field of environment for implementing a robust and sustainable water supply system in Singapore.

The other winners include the former Chairman of the National Parks Board, Professor Leo Tan.

Professor Tan is recognised for his outstanding contributions in nature conservation and marine biology education.

Property developer City Developments, which is responsible for properties like City Square Mall, took home the award for incorporating sustainable business practices and promoting green programmes. - CNA/ms