Donations to NParks for green causes up from under $139k a decade ago
Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 22 Apr 08;
FIVE years ago, the phone rang just three times a year at the fund-raising arm of the National Parks Board (NParks). Today, there are 15 calls a month from people looking to donate to environmental causes through the Garden City Fund.
Officials said it had received more than $2 million last year from 151 donors. That was a huge leap from the under $139,000 the board received from eight benefactors a decade earlier.
Professor Leo Tan, the chairman of the fund, told The Straits Times that donations had risen steadily since the fund was launched in 2002. It has since raised money and marshalled labour for everything from tree planting to regenerating coral.
Although the Government gives donors a tax break, Prof Tan said most people were motivated by a genuine desire to help save the planet.
Donations are 'definitely linked to tax relief, but the point is there are so many places to choose from but they pick this one', Prof Tan said.
The support has gone beyond donations, with companies encouraging staff to volunteer their time for events such as public education campaigns and coastal clean-ups.
Prof Tan highlighted an effort by Keppel Corp to regenerate coral on Pulau Semakau, a man-made isle south of Singapore.
'This is a project which will take decades to see any positive impact, but it is one way (for firms) to make restitution and show their employees that (they) are good corporate citizens,' he said.
NParks, which released donation figures ahead of Earth Day today, said other corporations were also doing more than just handing over cheques.
Shell Eastern Petroleum's Nature Nurtures programme teaches at-risk youth to become guides at local nature reserves.
Citibank Singapore launched a year-long campaign last November to encourage its customers to opt for electronic statements instead of paper ones.
It has promised to plant a tree in Singapore for every 100 people who signed up for the programme, up to a cap of 1,000 trees.
NParks' figures also showed that, of the 151 donors last year, 105 were individuals. Most wanted to muddy their hands in the Plant-A-Tree programme. The scheme, which began last year, allows anyone to plant a sapling on public land for $200.
Mr Chiu Tei Tie, who is in his 70s, gathered his children and grandchildren to plant 10 trees in Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West in January.
'I grew up on a farm in Seletar and I wanted the younger generations to experience the joy I had of planting trees and caring for nature,' he said in Mandarin.
Meanwhile, NParks has replaced all 13,000 energy-guzzling mercury vapour light bulbs in parks with energy-saving lamps. That is expected to halve the agency's energy consumption and save $1.1 million on its annual power bill for park lighting.
Said Prof Tan: 'Caring for the environment has taken on a multi-sectoral dimension with people, and the private and public sectors, showing commitment. Everyone is willing to put his money where his mouth is.'
