May Wong, Channel NewsAsia 2 Aug 08;
SINGAPORE: The government has received some 500 suggestions since its nationwide call for eco-friendly solutions on Monday.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development launched a website on July 28 to gather ideas from the public to make the country more eco-friendly and to ensure more efficient use of its resources.
Switching to 'green' cars and increasing the temperature on air-conditioners to save energy are some common energy-saving initiatives that Singaporeans have been practising.
But more must be done on a larger scale to create a sustainable green environment.
Professor Chou Siaw Kiang, executive director of Energy Studies Institute, said: "In trying to stretch every kilowatt of energy that we have, we need to know that what is spent is lost, and if we can conserve, we can use that kilowatt more efficiently.
"We've heard of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and even fuel cell vehicles. Who knows, in the future, there could be a new category of COEs dedicated to this sort of vehicles. In other words, if you relieve the pressure from the purchase of alternative, more (fuel) efficient vehicles so that they are free from competition with what we call the conventional type of vehicles, then indirectly there's an incentive for us to look at purchasing more (fuel) efficient vehicles.
"At the same time, if COE supplies could be limited, then it's a signal that if you want to buy conventional vehicles, then there's a premium you need to be paying to use it."
ECO Singapore has come up with a report which contains over 20 eco-friendly ideas to be submitted to the government by next month.
Wilson Ang, president of ECO Singapore, said: "When you buy a computer, there is a lot of packaging. So upfront, you are charged $5 for the waste management. But if you buy from another company which uses less packaging... you are charged slightly lower. Products which require more waste management processes will actually cost slightly more. In this way, you can encourage consumers to think before they consume."
From managing a scarce resource like water to making better use of energy in this country, young Singaporeans today are more interested in protecting the environment.
That is why ECO Singapore – a non-profit organisation for youth volunteers – wants to partner various ministries in Singapore to develop eco-friendly solutions for this country in the long term.- CNA/so
