Forum: ideals must filter down to affect public sentiment
Lynn Kan Business Times 15 Sep 10;
WHILE energy-efficient technology is more available and more affordable these days, what will ultimately push businesses to use it will be market-driven incentives, according to academics and building owners at a recent roundtable discussion organised by climate solutions company Trane.
Michael Quah, a professor of the Energy Studies Institute, said: 'Technology is an absolutely necessary but insufficient condition. The other condition that must come along is the economic view.'
Setting targets for cutting carbon emissions - such as those set out in a report by the Economic Strategies Committee - is one way that the market and state are driving behaviour change.
Chou SK, a professor of the National University of Singapore's mechanical engineering department, said at the roundtable: 'These incentives - what we call fruits on the ground - are already there. They're no longer low-hanging fruit - they're already on the ground and we would be silly not to pick them.'
The roundtable brought service-oriented businesses and building owners - Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Shangri-La Hotel, and United World College - face to face with academics from the Energy Studies Institute think-tank, the NUS mechanical engineering department and Trane.
As it turns out, some institutions and businesses have already been nudged to go green by the lure of cost savings.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's decision - using more natural ventilation, having gardens - was 'first and foremost to save money', said Alexandra Health CEO Liak Teng Lit. Alexandra Hospital's energy bill is about $500,000 a year.
It has become apparent that the hospital's natural features have also improved patients' well-being. 'Many tests have shown that in healthcare, when you have a conducive environment - lots of nature, you can see out doors - patients recover faster,' said Mr Liak. 'They require fewer pain-killers, recover faster, are less depressed and get home faster because their mood affects how fast they recover.'
While hitting targets is important, some at the roundtable questioned whether they are wholly capable of ensuring behaviour changes on the ground. They cited the example of Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark accreditation scheme that grades buildings' environmental impact based on a scorecard system.
Participants agreed that Green Mark is a step in the right direction. But 'it misses the point when it comes to philosophy', said United World College (UWC)'s director of facilities and projects Simon Thomas, who pointed out that behaviour and processes within a building cannot be captured by a one-off points grading.
'But, we pursue Green Mark because of its commercial value and there are parents and students who are demanding more sustainable building and practices,' said Mr Thomas.
The spoke in the proverbial wheel is that targets haven't trickled down to the ground to affect public sentiment yet. 'Ultimately, targets must come full circle,' said Prof Chou. 'This means they will have to eventually drive behaviour that will enable business and industry to become competitive and affect the pocket of the last man on the street.'
One possible way to embed the green mindset is to go the way of UWC Southeast Asia, which has taken upon itself the role of green educator through its building facilities, said Mr Thomas. The school makes everything - water and electric meters - prominent so 'you can't escape them and you'll know your electricity consumption for the particular day and week', he said.
UWC has also has set up a green patrol squad at its new campus, reminding parents and students alike to mind their environmental Ps and Qs. 'We have the green police to hopefully change behaviour. Everything from recycling to parents being idle in their cars, using their cars, not car pooling, to students not using public transport,' said Mr Thomas. Even the UWC car park has gone green, with an effective 'tax' levied on cars 'to try to force decisions to be made'.
