Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 1 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE: The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint will be a plan all Singaporeans can be part of and a way to create a home they can be proud of, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking at his constituency Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West's annual Tree Planting Day on Saturday (Nov 1), Mr Lee said the refreshed blueprint will be unveiled next week.
This year, Mr Lee planted a Happiness Tree (Garcinia subelliptica) at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. In all, nine trees were planted by MPs and residents of the area.
But he said: "We also have to do more than just plant trees. We also want to make the whole of the environment sustainable, friendly to people, also able to be friendly to the environment as a whole.
“Next week, we will unveil our new Sustainable Singapore Blueprint - the vision, how to make Singapore clean and green for many years to come. It's a plan which all Singaporeans will be part of, it's a way to create a home we can all be proud of."
The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint was launched in 2009 and outlines Singapore's twin objectives to achieve economic growth and a good living environment.
A review of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint began late last year, and Mr Lee had said then that it will be updated with new initiatives like building more environmentally-friendly hawker centres and reducing Singapore's carbon emissions.
Mr Lee also launched the Ang Mo Kio Town Council's "Cleaner, Greener, Together" campaign, which will tackle issues like dengue, litter and energy conservation. He urged residents to do their part for the environment.
"In Singapore, we have a small place. When you have rubbish, we have to take it somewhere, we can incinerate it, there's still the ash. The ash has to go somewhere. We send it to Pulau Semakau,” he said. “But the island is only so big. If there's too much rubbish and all the ash goes to Semakau and it fills up, then Pulau Semakau will become Bukit Semakau, and we'll have a mountain of ash made in Singapore. I think no need - better we make less ash, it's better for all of us."
Mr Lee added the town council is also working with HDB to identify suitable blocks to install solar panels.
- CNA/by
Updated Sustainable Singapore Blueprint to be unveiled next week, says PM Lee
SHARON SEE Today Online 1 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE — The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint will be a plan all Singaporeans can be part of to create a home they can be proud of, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking to residents from Ang Mo Kio GRC today (Nov 1), where Mr Lee is also MP, he said there are many ideas in the updated blueprint, which will be unveiled next week. “It will lay out the government’s vision to make Singapore clean and green for many years to come,” Mr Lee said.
The blueprint, which was launched in 2009, outlines strategies to achieve twin objectives of economic growth and a good living environment.
A review of the blueprint began late last year, and Mr Lee had said it will be updated with new initiatives like building more environmentally-friendly hawker centres and reducing carbon emissions.
Separately, Mr Lee also launched Ang Mo Kio Town Council’s “Cleaner, Greener, Together” campaign at Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West’s annual Tree Planting Day. A total of nine trees were planted by Mr Lee, MPs of the area and residents. The campaign has five areas of focus, including dengue prevention, saving energy, keeping the neighborhood litter-free and recycling.
“I hope you can do your part - there are recycling bins at every HDB block so please try to use them. Even better, before you buy something, think about whether you really need them. Don’t buy things just because they are on sale. Save the environment and save money at the same time,” Mr Lee said.
He added the town council is also working with HDB to identify suitable blocks to install solar panels.
Dr Koh Poh Koon, who is stepping down as Chairman of the PAP Punggol East Branch, was also seen at the event. Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the event, he said he was there at the invitation of Mr Seng Han Thong, who is an MP of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
He said this is his first visit to the constituency, adding that he will spend more time on the ground to see what are the areas he can contribute in. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
Recycling, energy-saving to figure in green plan
Lim Yan Liang The Straits TimesS AsiaOne 2 Nov 14;
An updated blueprint to keep Singapore clean and green in the years ahead will be unveiled this week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
Mr Lee said he would withhold details till the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint is out, but hinted at what it might involve at his constituency's annual Tree Planting Day and start of its environmental awareness campaign.
Residents ought to be more conscious about recycling what they use and conserving energy, from using less air-conditioning to turning off the lights and even broadband when not at home, he added.
"The 'Cleaner, Greener, Together' campaign we are launching here in Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West SMC will contribute to our national vision," he said in a speech.
The revised blueprint will outline Singapore's environmental priorities and guide its sustainable development until 2030. The original blueprint in 2009 set targets for things like energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
Mr Lee said the new blueprint was "a plan which all Singaporeans will be part of. It's the way to create a home that we can all be proud of".
Yesterday, he harked back to Singapore's original greening efforts, and urged everyone to play their part, noting that it has been more than 50 years since Mr Lee Kuan Yew planted a tree at Farrer Circus for the first Tree Planting Day, which has since become a regular event in all constituencies.
"That was 1963. Fifty years later, we've planted millions of trees all over Singapore," PM Lee said.
"But we also have to do more than just plant trees: we also want to make the whole of the environment sustainable, friendly to people, and also (for Singaporeans) to be friendly to the environment."
Residents should think before they put something away as trash, and look at ways they can reduce waste, he added.
Mr Lee noted that waste and ash from incinerating trash all went to Pulau Semakau. The sole remaining landfill is 8km south of Singapore island and "only so big", he said.
"Pulau Semakau will become Bukit Semakau" should it fill up, he added, alluding to the scary prospect of the island becoming a mound of ash.
Mr Lee, in opening a community garden, also reminded residents that they had a part to play in stamping out mosquito breeding and keeping their town clean.
Also present at yesterday's event was Dr Koh Poh Koon. The defeated People's Action Party candidate in the 2013 Punggol East by-election, who is a surgeon, said he was invited by MP Seng Han Thong and would help out more in Ang Mo Kio.
"I'll probably spend a bit more time on the ground, just to see what are the areas that I can contribute in," he said.
