Kamini Devadass Channel NewsAsia 12 Feb 15;
SINGAPORE: StarHub will be the title sponsor for the Singapore Environment Council's (SEC) School Green Awards (SGA), starting this year, after a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the two parties on Thursday (Feb 12) in conjunction with the launch of the SGA 2015 at MINDS Fernvale Gardens School.
With this partnership, the awards will now be called the SEC-StarHub School Green Awards.
The info-communications company will provide S$150,000 in cash annually for the duration of their title sponsorship.
"Through the School Green Awards, StarHub hopes to empower the youth in Singapore to proactively take care of our planet," said Mr Tan Tong Hai, chief executive officer of StarHub.
"The School Green Awards will allow the corporates to harness the ideas from youths. What StarHub hopes to do is to publicise the ideas so that corporates will look at it and hopefully adopt such ideas," he added.
Ms Isabella Loh, chairman of the Singapore Environment Council, said that the sponsorship was an "important milestone". She noted: "We have now formed a more sustained sponsorship, cooperation. That would mean that there is a more sustained impact on how we can leverage on creative ideas to influence, as well as act as an influencer and idea generator for the public."
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, witnessed the ceremony and also launched the programme to kick-start the annual environmental awards programme for schools.
The awards recognise schools which address issues such as waste minimisation and resource conservation. Students work in teams and submit a report of their school's environment standards.
The SEC received 344 submissions for the awards last year, with about 435,500 students participating.
One of those who participated in last year's awards is Mr Danniel Khor from ITE College East. He shared about what his team did to promote recycling in his school: "In school, we used recycled materials - for example, plastics, plastic bottles, cans, steels - and used them to form our own personal Vivo Green mascot."
- CNA/av/ac
StarHub plants $450,000 to grow 'green' students
Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 15 Feb 15;
Telco StarHub will give $450,000 over the next three years to plant the seeds of environmental conservation among students.
The funds will be used to sponsor the School Green Awards, an annual initiative of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), now in its 15th year.
Yesterday, SEC chairman Isabella Loh and StarHub chief executive Tan Tong Hai signed an agreement at the MINDS Fernvale Gardens School.
Under this deal, StarHub will give the council $150,000 each year for the SEC-StarHub School Green Awards.
The awards are meant to recognise schools for their efforts in areas such as waste management and the limiting of energy use.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, was guest of honour at the signing.
He said: "It is noteworthy that this year is the 15th year of the awards, and that it has grown over the years... I think this is something to be celebrated."
The School Green Awards, usually given out in November, received 344 submissions last year, up from the 28 it got during its inaugural run in 2001.
Mr Tan said: "Through the School Green Awards, StarHub hopes to empower youth in Singapore to proactively take care of our planet."
He said the funds, to be administered by the SEC, could be used to extend the programme to more schools.
It was expanded last year to include institutes of higher learning such as universities, polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education.
SEC's Ms Loh said this expansion would mean reaching out to about 70,000 more students. Last year, about 435,000 students took part.
She added: "StarHub's support will enable the School Green Awards to strengthen its outreach and education to students at all levels of education, and this sponsorship clearly highlights StarHub's commitment to the environmental cause in Singapore."
