Rooting for a million trees in the south-west

Serene Luo, Straits Times 28 Jul 08;

A MILLION trees will be planted in the areas under the care of the South West Community Development Council (CDC) over the next 10 years.

The plan calls for more gardening than is going on now. The current target is to put 100,000 native plants into the soil over three years.

The CDC's greening attempts are part of its ECo Plan, or Environment and Community Plan South West, unveiled yesterday. The CDC looks after estates such as Bukit Batok, Boon Lay and Telok Blangah, to name a few.

The one million trees and native plants to be cultivated include tapioca, yam and fruit trees, which are expected to provide shade and attract more birds and butterflies.

Another thrust of the ECo Plan South West, announced by South West CDC Mayor Amy Khor, lies in the cutting of energy consumption by both residents and offices.

Offices can expect to get help through the CDC's Cool & Green Office Certification programme, which will set benchmarks for eco-friendly workplace practices and produce guides to help them organise 'greener' events.

Residents will also be encouraged to recycle while litterbugs will be counselled. Programmes will be run to foster neighbourliness.

All these proposals, to be put up during a two-month consultation with people living in the area, will complement the National Sustainability Development Plan that the Government is drawing up.

While the national plan will focus on legislation, policies, infrastructure and technology, the South West CDC's plan will focus on the 'soft issues', such as 'rallying...and motivating residents to change habits and lifestyles', said Dr Khor.

Going greener and cleaner
South West CDC launches draft environment plan
Alicia Wong and Esther Ng, Today Online 28 Jul 08;

MORE community gardens and trees, cleaner toilets and increased neighbourliness, these are what residents in the South West District could see in the next 10 years, with the launch of the draft Environment and Community (ECo) Plan South West for public consultation yesterday.

The first ECo Plan ever to be rolled out at the district level, it is a ground-up initiative to ensure a cooler, greener, cleaner, more caring and proactive community.

While “sustainability is very much in vogue”, said Mayor of South West District Dr Amy Khor, “it is not just about reducing our environmental footprint but also about strengthening the community to improve the quality of life.”

The plan seeks to complement the National Sustainability Plan. Said Dr Khor, who is also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the national plan — to be launched next year — would likely focus on policies and infrastructure development.

But sustainability is also about the actions of businesses and community, she said, so the ECo Plan looks at both environmental and social sustainability — three goals focus on the environment and two focus on the community. The first goal is to reduce energy consumption by at least 10 per cent, using initiatives such as an office certification programme to encourage organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. This would also help create a sustainable cost of living, said Dr Khor, by reducing energy consumption people can reduce energy costs.

The CDC also intends to step up its existing 100,000 native plants programme to plant 1 million plants and trees. And it will train community members to assess the cleanliness and hygiene of toilets to provide feedback for toilet operators.

District level campaigns and dialogues will encourage a more caring society and volunteerism. The CDC further plans to launch a scheme to recognise good neighbours and highlight community role models.

Building on previous initiatives, the plan is “a lot more comprehensive and ambitious,” Dr Khor said, and more programmes are likely to be rolled out.

Most residents Today spoke to were supportive. Student Dee Zey, 20, was all for greater youth involvement: “There has to be a renewal of leadership among volunteers. The current crop of volunteers will become or already are senior citizens.”

President of Presbyterian Community Services childcare centre at Bukit Batok,Ms Lee Siew Chin, suggested teaching children to nurture plants to inculcate a sense of environmental ownership from young.

Other CDCs, also have plans to go green. For instance, South East CDC will be encouraging households to reduce electricity consumption and allow needy families to switch to energy efficient light bulbs.

The public consultation will be held from next month until October. After the trial, South West CDC will submit the final plan for incorporation in the National Sustainability Plan in November.