From 50 shades of brown to a green city

Jack Sim The Straits Times AsiaOne 26 may 15;

Singapore'stoilet journey is one to be proud of as we celebrate our country's 50th birthday and reflect on just how far our nation has come in its jubilee year.

I still remember clearly when the first flushing toilets were introduced in Singapore's Housing Board flats. My family wanted more than anything to move into a modern apartment with a flushing toilet. That happened in 1962, when we moved into a rental flat in Jalan Bahagia. I was five.

The indoor, flushing HDB toilets not only gave us convenience, safety, health and hygiene, but they were also seen as symbols of progress and gave us a sense of status and dignity, which is also very important for the pride of a nation.

I grew up in a kampung in Lorong Ong Lye near Paya Lebar Road.

Growing up, our toilet, like that of most families, was a simple squat over wooden planks, with a bucket below it to capture the waste that was collected at night - the so-called "night-soil" bucket system.

It was very traumatic as a child to look down at all of the 50 shades of brown in the bucket, as well as used sanitary napkins and intestinal worms crawling while big green flies buzzed around.

I'm 58 this year. Just in my lifetime, I have witnessed how Singaporeans have enjoyed a better quality of life as toilets and sanitation have improved over the last 50 years as the nation progressed.

In the years under British rule in the 1960s, Singapore was a filthy, overcrowded city. Open defecation was rampant and, at best, our sanitation system was the "night-soil" bucket communal toilet system.

In rural areas at that time, pit latrines were shared by a number of families that consisted of a drop hole in the ground, with planks over the hole, located outside the houses.

Once the pit was full, the waste was emptied manually and disposed of directly into nearby waterways. Public health was poor.

Diarrhoea was widespread and frequent outbreaks of typhoid fever were caused by poor hygiene. The Singapore River was full of debris and faecal contamination.

With no natural resources and less than 600 sq km of land at that time, and without a sufficient water supply, the prevailing wisdom was that our island state would not be viable after its separation from Malaysia in 1965.

Yet, against all odds, its economy grew at an average of 8 per cent annually over the next 30 years, transforming Singapore from a "Third World country" to the country with the third-highest per capita GDP in the world.

One main component of this economic miracle was the concept of public health based on a "clean" strategy.

Improved cleanliness and hygiene reduced our health expenditure from 4.5 per cent of GDP in 1965 to 3 per cent of GDP consistently over the next three decades.

We invested more in the prevention of diseases so that we spent less on cures. By providing clean water and sanitation, we created a healthy, productive workforce that was ready for foreign investors to train and employ.

We installed an extensive sewerage network, which was later taken underground with the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System to optimise land space.
The cleaning up of the Singapore River took 10 years and was the cornerstone of Singapore's transformation into a clean city.

By cleaning up the river and our waterways, we also prevented the spread of many diseases.

Today with the Marina Barrage, we have turned the rivers into reservoirs for drinking water which we recycle continuously into Newater with an award-winning waste-water treatment plant.

We also cleaned up the streets and imposed heavy fines on people who litter. Today, the national culture is to hold on to a piece of rubbish until we find a dustbin to dispose of it.

The concept of "clean" was thus applied beyond clean toilets, to cleaning up the waterways and the environment, and greening the country. The idea of a "clean" mindset extended to cleaning up organised crime and corruption, and the resulting leaps forward in the quality of life in Singapore.

In 1998, inspired by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's call for clean public restrooms as one of the markers of a gracious society during his 1996 National Day Rally speech, I decided to devote my life to improving sanitation.

I founded Restroom Association Singapore, with the mission of raising the standards and cleanliness of public toilets in Singapore.

Then in 2001, seeing the need for a global body to tackle the worldwide sanitation challenge, I founded World Toilet Organisation, and established World Toilet Day on Nov 19 to draw attention to the sanitation crisis.

In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted Singapore's "Sanitation for All" resolution and officially declared Nov 19 as UN World Toilet Day, to be commemorated each year.

Singapore today is renowned globally for being a clean, green garden city, and our country's approach is an inspiration that holds valuable lessons for developing countries that are now seeking to tackle their sanitation challenges.

Addressing Singapore's sanitation challenge and taking a "clean and green" approach has led to an improved quality of life, a better environment and economic prosperity.

Singapore's journey from a developing country with poor sanitation to one of the world's cleanest countries, with one of the strongest economies, is one for all of us to reflect on with pride in this SG50 year.

The next time you visit your flushing toilet, you should feel proud of our progress as a nation, while you remember that 2.5 billion people on this planet still do not have this privilege.

The writer is the founder of the World Toilet Organisation.

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Bugis Junction goes solar

Bugis Junction now has about 1,000 sqm of solar panels installed at the top of the mall and office tower.
Channel NewsAsia 25 May 15;

SINGAPORE: The mall and office tower at Bugis Junction will be partially powered by solar energy, following the installation of about 1,000 sqm of solar panels at the roof of the complex.

Bugis Junction will be able to generate 200,000 kWh of clean energy and mitigate 110 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, solar company REC said in a news release on Monday (May 25).

This translates into cost savings of S$30,000 every year for the next 25 years. According to REC, the energy generated is enough to power about 50 four-room HDB households every year.

Bugis Junction shopping mall is owned by CapitaLand Mall Trust, while Bugis Junction Towers belongs to Keppel REIT. Both properties are recipients of the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum award, the highest green building accolade in Singapore.

REC, which operates a solar panel plant in Singapore, provides solar energy solutions to companies and households in the region.

- CNA/xk

Bugis Junction installs 1,000sqm of solar panels
SIAU MING EN Today Online 26 May 15;

SINGAPORE — Bugis Junction is the latest shopping mall and office tower to adopt solar energy following the completion of one of the largest solar panel installations for an integrated mixed-use development here.

The installations, carried out by solar energy firm REC, cover a roof area of about 1,000 square metres, said Ms Jen Tan, REC’s vice-president for sales and marketing in Asia-Pacific, in a press release today (May 25).

“With part of its electricity generated by solar, Bugis Junction will be able to generate 200,000 kWh of clean energy and mitigate 110 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually,” she added.

The amount of energy generated will be sufficient to power about 50 four-room HDB households every year. Bugis Junction will also be able to save about S$30,000 every year for the next 25 years, Ms Tan said.

About 0.5 per cent of the buildings’ total energy consumption will be from solar energy, she said.

Solar energy typically takes up about 1 per cent of a commercial property’s total electricity consumption, as such buildings are limited by their small roof space and relatively high energy consumption.

The solar panels are installed at four locations within Bugis Junction, of which, three areas are located above the shopping mall, owned by CapitaLand Mall Trust.

The last location is on the rooftop of the office tower, Bugis Junction Towers, owned by Keppel REIT.

Ms Jacqueline Lee, head of investment and asset management of CapitaLand Mall Trust Management Limited and the manager of CapitaLand Mall Trust, said: “Partnering with REC to install solar panels at Bugis Junction not only helps our mall to tap on a renewable energy source, it also delivers cost savings that enable us to run our malls more efficiently.”

Also owned by CapitaLand Mall Trust, JCube in Jurong East has a solar installation measuring around 300 sq metres and generates about 60,477 kWh of energy each year, while Sembawang Shopping Centre has one that measures around 65 sq metres and generates 12,110 kWh of energy each year.

Other malls with solar installations include 313@Somerset in Orchard and City Square Mall in Kitchener Road.

City Square has 66 solar panels, covering about 97.91 sqm. The panels generate about 11,560 kWh of energy per year, said a spokesperson for City Developments Limited, which owns the mall.

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Malaysia: Bleak harvests may see cockles off the menu

AMANDA YEAP The Star 26 May 15;

TAIPING: There may not be any cockles in our markets by July if those bred near here keep dying, say long-time cockle farmers in Perak.

According to Cockle Farmers Association president Koay Seng Lam, thousands of cockles that are bred for human consumption are dying in Kuala Sepetang, about 16km from here.

“Since March, what used to be a bountiful harvest of cockles has turned into a harvest consisting of mostly empty shells,” said Koay, who put the drop in yield this month in the region of 90%.

“While the yield was getting less and less since last year, it has never been this serious,” he said.

“In the past, we could harvest at least two tonnes of live cockles within two hours. Now, we barely make it past 50kg after five hours.

“Even so, many of them turn out to be just empty shells,” he said yesterday.

Noting that the harvested cockles were also smaller, Koay said fishermen could not afford to wait for them to grow any larger.

“If we wait any longer, they might all be dead, and there would be nothing for us to harvest,” he said.

Kuala Sepetang is home to the largest cockle breeding ground in the country, supplying the shellfish throughout Malaysia and Singa­pore.

Cockles are ingredients for dishes like char koay teow, curry noodles and lok lok.

Koay said, should the industry collapse, many workers would be forced to look for other jobs.

“There used to be more than 200 fishermen and cockle breeders a few years back, but there are only about 50 now,” he said.

He suspects that poor water and mud quality could have led to the dwindling numbers.

“We need to know the cause scientifically before cockles totally disappear from our markets,” he said.

Cockle breeders who hold temporary occupancy licences are required to pay RM100 per year for every 0.4ha of sea bed they use for cockle breeding.

“If we aren’t earning enough or none at all from cockle sales, we appeal to the government to waive our renewal fees.”

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Malaysia: Sun bear Natalie begins new life

RUBEN SARIO The Star 26 May 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Conservation efforts for endangered sun bears are beginning to pay off as a cub found five years ago was returned to its natural habitat in the east coast Lahad Datu district.

The release of the female sun bear named Natalie was first for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) that began operating at Sepilok in Sandakan seven years ago.

BSBCC founder and chief executive Wong Siew Te said Natalie was flown by helicopter from Sepilok and released in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve on May 17.

He said wildlife officials would be keeping track of Natalie’s movements at Tabin through a satellite collar she had been fitted with.

Natalie was brought to the centre after it was surrendered to Wildlife Department officials in Lahad Datu by an individual.

Its mother was believed to have been hunted by poachers.

“Natalie has since matured into a healthy young adult under our care,” said Wong, adding that the centre had been preparing her for the move by helping her to develop essential survival skills like foraging, climbing, nest building and socialising.

“Natalie grew up in natural forest enclosures in BSBCC with tall trees, dense vegetation and significant amounts of natural food such as termites, earthworms, insects and honey from bee hives,” he added.

He said Natalie’s release to Tabin was a joint effort of BSBCC, the Sabah Wildlife Department and its Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU), as well as the Danau Girang Field Centre.

Department director William Baya commended BSBCC for initiating the project.

“The release of Natalie is a sign of BSBCC’s success and I believe more bears will be released into the wild in the near future,” William said.

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Malaysia: The dark side of Vader begonia

YU JI The Star 26 May 15;


Mysterious: One of the few pictures available of the Begonia in the wild. – Picture courtesy of A Guide to Begonias of Borneo authors.

KUCHING: It is called the Begonia “Darth Vader” but despite the powerful Star Wars character it is named after, the plant species, endemic to Sarawak, is helpless against smugglers who take it out of the state.

The Begonia darthvaderiana is a hit online. At US$80 (RM290) for a small plant, it is one of the most expensive begonias.

Named as such because of its all-black leaves, the species was “discovered” last year by foreign researchers hiking near the Batang Ai dam bordering West Kalimantan.

Authorities in Sarawak only became aware of the plant and the high price tag it carried when a Facebook post landed in the inbox of a Sarawak Forestry Corporation employee.

All begonias are protected under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998.

Local begonia experts said they had never seen the plant and the few photos available were unlikely to have been taken by locals.

In the scientific paper that first published the discovery, a trio of Taiwanese researchers said they found the plant growing along “deeply shaded soil slopes” near the dam, which is about a five-hour drive from here.

“The epithet refers to the resemblance of the dark appearance of this new begonia to that of Darth Vader, the fictional warrior in the Star Wars movies,” wrote Che-Wei Lin, Shih-Wen Chung and Ching-I Peng of the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute and Taiwan Biodiversity Research Centre.

In the same paper, they also named another new species, Begonia amidalae, after Padmé Amidala, the love interest of Darth Vader and mother to protagonists Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Julia Sang, who co-wrote the book A Guide to Begonias of Borneo, has been in contact with the Taiwanese researchers.

“I have never seen the plant,” Sang said. “We had to get the foreign researchers’ permission to use the photo of the Begonia darthvaderiana in the book,” Sang told The Star after presenting a talk at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) here last weekend.

She said no one was sure how the plant ended up on sale online.

“I’m not saying that people cannot grow begonias – all of them are protected – but it would be a problem if people just take it from the wild and destroy the population, just for easy money.”

The book’s co-writer Dr Ruth Kiew, who believed Sarawak had the most begonia species in the world, said commercialisation should be done with the permission of local authorities.

The authors estimated that only about half of Sarawak’s begonias had been discovered.

An official at SBC, a state government body, said the matter, including commercialisation, would be brought up at the next council meeting.

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IMF says energy subsidized by $5.3 trillion worldwide

Anna Yukhananov Reuters 22 May 15;

Governments around the world charge prices for energy that do not account for its harmful environmental, health and other side effects, amounting to a $5.3 trillion "post-tax" subsidy this year, the International Monetary Fund said in a report on Monday.

The IMF said China in particular failed to charge its more than 1 billion consumers for the pollution that comes from heavy use of fossil fuels, adding up to a $2.3 trillion subsidy this year.

The United States was the second-biggest offender, with an estimated $699 billion subsidy, followed by Russia, the European Union, India and Japan.

The report comes as almost 200 nations are trying to work out a deal to combat global warming ahead of a summit in Paris in December. Getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies and setting policies to price carbon pollution are seen as key international measures that would help keep temperatures from rising.

The IMF has long urged governments to get rid of "pretax subsidies" that allow firms and households to buy coal, gasoline or other fuel sources below their cost of supply. Many governments, including Egypt, India, Indonesia and Jordan, have recently raised domestic prices to match those internationally, said the Washington-based institution charged with policing global economic and financial stability.

But the Fund said it had turned its focus to the post-tax subsidies that mean prices fail to reflect costs like unfair tax advantages and deaths from pollution.

In its last study on the subject in 2013, the IMF estimated these post-tax subsidies amounted to $2 trillion in 2011, or 2.9 percent of the world's gross domestic product.

With new data about the extent of environmental damage, the IMF says these subsidies totaled $4.9 trillion in 2013 and should rise to $5.3 trillion this year, or 6.5 percent of global GDP.

"The fiscal implications are mammoth: At $5.3 trillion, energy subsidies exceed the estimated public health spending for the entire globe," IMF economists Benedict Clements and Vitor Gaspar wrote in a blog post accompanying the report.

The IMF said about three-quarters of the damages from energy affect domestic consumers, meaning it is in countries' own interests to get rid of these subsidies.

(Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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Best of our wild blogs: 25 May 15

Wild fun for kids during the June school holidays!
wild shores of singapore

A night herp in Mandai
Herpetological Society of Singapore

What an Amazing Night it was
Nature's Amore

Birdwatching in Bidadari ( Javan Munia ) May 2015
Rojak Librarian

Thorny Oyster (Spondylus sp. @ Pasir Ris
Monday Morgue

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SG Heart Map: 50 places of significance to Singaporeans unveiled

The 50 places are frequently-mentioned locations in more than 80,000 personal stories contributed by Singaporeans.
Kimberly Spykerman Channel NewsAsia 24 May 15;

SINGAPORE: Fifty locations across the island have made it to the SG Heart Map - a compilation of places which hold the most significance for Singaporeans.

They were revealed on Sunday (May 24), six months after the project was launched, and were picked from more than 80,000 stories contributed by people. The map was created to mark the nation's Golden Jubilee.

One in four of the stories shared is centred on the lives and memories in the different towns across Singapore, said SG Heart Map in a news release. The frequently-mentioned places include Orchard Road, Toa Payoh, and Gardens by the Bay.

The 50 places were unveiled in Sentosa on Sunday by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu, who is the co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the SG Heart Map project.

Ms Fu thanked those who contributed their stories for the project. For Nina Liang and Ernest Choon, the Bedok housing estate holds a special place in their hearts. It was where their love blossomed more than 10 years ago - after they first got to know each other online.

Ms Liang chatted online with Mr Choon for about three years before meeting up with him in Bedok in 2002 and going to the library together. "I was in Sec 1, and he was in Sec 3 or 4. And at that time, there was something called IRC - a really old chat group kind of thing online. We met there in one of the chat groups."

Mr Choon said: "She went online to just chit-chat with me, and she said 'hey, I'm free', so that's when we said why not take this opportunity to meet up for the first time, and that's where we picked Bedok as a spot to meet."

The couple, who are now married, have a two-month-old daughter named Sage. The couple's story was among the 20,000 stories linked to HDB towns - which were submitted for the SG Heart Map.

But only one made the top 50 - Toa Payoh Town, which yielded the most number of stories. Twenty-three other towns - which came up frequently in people's stories - were also given special mention.

Ms Fu said: "We were very touched by how home has been featured so regularly. So many of the HDB towns have actually come across over and over again - reflecting I think for Singaporeans, that families and friends, and homes where we grow up, where we spend time with our friends, are still the most endearing places."

Others on the list include familiar places like Orchard Road, Singapore Changi Airport, and MacRitchie Reservoir.

Another SG Heart Map contributor, Lim Poh Lye, 49, spoke fondly about MacRitchie Reservoir where he trained for cross-country races as a secondary school student.

He said: "This is something very dear to me since I spent almost four years of running there for cross-country in the 80s. It's a place that represents many youth of my time, running cross-country races over there." In 2013, he revisited the green space with his wife and two daughters.

While many old favourites made it onto the SG Heart Map, there were a number of newcomers as well - including Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands and the River Safari.

Ms Fu said: "It shows that we have some acknowledgements about the past developments, but also an appreciation of newer developments, so this is a good way for us to remember the past, but also looking forward to the future." Her favourite place is the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and she has many fond memories of it.

"I used to date there. My husband and I - then, he was my boyfriend - would go there and have a stroll. And there was one night we did not look at the clock, and we exceeded the time. So the gates were closed. I remember having to go around looking for the warden to open the gate for us," she added.

Following the unveiling of the SG Heart Map places, free guided tours to some of the places will be conducted between June and August, that will include stops at hawker centres such as Tiong Bahru Market and Jurong West Hawker Centre.

There will also be Heart Map celebrations in June at the Singapore Discovery Centre and a finale at The Float @ Marina May in November.

Artwork inspired by the SG Heart Map contributions, which has been co-created by Singaporeans and selected artists, will be unveiled progressively at these events. More details can be found at www.heartmap.sg.

- CNA/xq/al

50 often-cited places on SG Heart Map unveiled
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 25 May 15;

SINGAPORE — They both lived in eastern Singapore and had chatted online for about three years, but had never met each other. Their first meeting took place in Bedok in 2002 – waiting to enter a polytechnic at the time, Ms Nina Liang had gone online to see if anyone she knew wanted to go to the library, and Mr Ernest Choon responded.

They dated for nine years and are now parents of baby Sage, who is two-and-a-half months old.

Ms Liang’s contribution about Bedok is one of over 80,000 personal stories about various locations in Singapore that have been shared since the launch of the SG Heart Map project last November.

Today (May 24), they were among guests at an event revealing 50 of the more frequently mentioned places in the SG Heart Map project. Toa Payoh garnered the most stories among towns and earned a spot among the 50 places, as did MacRitchie Reservoir, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the two integrated resorts and Pulau Tekong.

The event’s guest-of-honour Grace Fu, co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the SG Heart map project, noted that some newer landmarks have made it onto the list. This shows the project has engaged people from various age segments and parts of Singapore, she said.

From next month to August, free guided tours to some of the 50 places will be organised. The tours will also include stops at hawker centres such as Tiong Bahru Market and Jurong West Hawker Centre. The public may sign up at www.heartmap.sg.

Other towns, including Bedok, will be recognised in a separate category. Said Ms Liang, 30, an assistant manager, of Bedok: “If it wasn’t for the library, I don’t think we’d have an area to really talk and just be the two of us.”

Added Mr Choon, 33, an education officer: “Things were a bit different then. Now I assume new couples would meet up at Starbucks. But, then, there weren’t that many cafes; the library was a fantastic place for two young teenagers to get to know each other in a safe environment.” The couple will move back to Bedok later this year after their home is renovated.

Meanwhile, Ms Fu said the Botanic Gardens holds fond memories as she went there with her family as a child and with her boyfriend before they got married.

“I used to date there… There was one night we didn’t really look at the clock and we exceeded the time and so the gates were closed. I remember having to go around looking for the warden to open the gates for us,” said Ms Fu, who is Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Water Resources. She still jogs there from her office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For Mr Lim Poh Lye, 49, MacRitchie Reservoir was his training ground for cross-country races in secondary school, and the senior research and development manager recently got re-acquainted with the nature reserve after about 30 years. A trip with his wife and two daughters in 2013 brought back fond memories of running and enjoying the scenery at the reservoir, he said.

More SG Heart Map celebrations are in the pipeline, with the unveiling of artworks inspired by the Heart Map next month at the Singapore Discovery Centre, and the finale in November at The Float @ Marina Bay.

S'poreans pick 50 most memorable spots to make up SG Heart Map
AsiaOne 24 May 15;

SINGAPORE - Tan Lay Hong, 57, loved to stroll in the parks at Toa Payoh when she was young and even took her wedding photos there.

It reminds her of the close familial ties present in Singapore even till today as she witnesses families of different generations frequent Toa Payoh for their outings.

Ms Tan's story is one of more than 80,000 personal stories of places contributed by Singaporeans from all walks of life in the past six months for the SG Heart Map, which is created to mark Singapore's 50th birthday this year.

Launched in Nov last year in celebration of Singapore's Golden Jubilee, the SG Heart Map seeks to weave stories of memorable past places, meaningful new places and aspirations for future places into a collection of shared stories by Singaporeans.

The completed map will be showcased at the project's finale in Nov this year.

Organisers said that about 25 per cent of contributions centred on the lives and memories in different towns. Toa Payoh, the first HDB satellite town, was mentioned the most frequently.

Other places mentioned include Katong, Singapore Zoo, Little India, Orchard Road, Singapore Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay.

Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu unveiled the 50 locations on Saturday morning (May 24). She is also the co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the SG Heart Map project.

She said: "The rich tapestry of stories that we have collected will enable us to weave together a fabric of memories and aspirations as a nation, as we celebrate SG 50 together, and shape the next chapter of Singapore's story. We have much to look forward to as a nation."

On the weekends of June 27 and 28 and July 4 and 5, there will be SG Heart Map tours available to the public by district. The tours are also available on Aug 7 and 10.

50 special places chosen by Singaporeans:
1) Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
2) Bugis
3) Bukit Timah
4) Changi Village
5) Chinatown
6) Chinese Garden
7) Chong Pang Market and Food Centre
8) Downtown East
9) East Coast Park
10) Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
11) Gardens by the Bay
12) Haw Par Villa
13) Holland Village
14) Jurong Bird Park
15) Kampong Glam
16) Katong/Joo Chiat
17) Little India
18) MacRitchie Reservoir
19) Marina Barrage
20) Marina Bay
21) Marina Bay Sands
22) Merlion Park
23) Mount Faber Park
24) National Library Building
25) National Museum of Singapore
26) National University of Singapore
27) Orchard Road
28) Pasir Ris Town Park
29) Pulau Tekong
30) Pulau Ubin
31) Punggol Waterway
32) Raffles Place
33) Resorts World Sentosa
35) River Safari
36) SAFTI
37) Sentosa
38) Singapore Botanic Gardens
39) Singapore Changi Airport
40) Singapore Flyer
41) Singapore River
42) Singapore Sports Hub
43) Singapore Zoo
44) Singapore Discovery Centre
45) Suntec City
46) Tanjong Pagar
47) Tiong Bahru
48) Toa Payoh
49) Vivocity/HarbourFront
50) West Coast Park

Unveiled: 50 special areas on Heart Map
Melody Zaccheus The Straits Times AsiaOne 25 May 15;

UNDER the moonlight, two friends perched atop a "super tree" fell in love.

The lovebirds, university undergraduates Elena Ng and Jason Lee, had been working at the newly opened Gardens by the Bay during their holidays in June 2012.

It was at the OCBC Skyway, an aerial walkway linking a cluster of tree-like architectural structures up to 22m in height, that their relationship blossomed.

Ms Ng, now 24 and an engineer, said: "The skyway was our favourite station among the attractions. At the end of the night, when the crowds had left, we would linger for another 15 minutes chatting as we took in the view of the glittering skyline before us."

Her story is one of 80,000 personal memories of places and spaces that are part of the SG Heart Map. The project has singled out 50 special areas that "define Singapore as home" to mark the country's 50th birthday this year.

Ms Grace Fu, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Water Resources, unveiled the 50 locations yesterday.

They include Little India, Orchard Road, Changi Airport and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

Tours will be organised to rediscover some of these places.

The free tours will take place on June 27 and 28, July 4 and 5, and Aug 7 and 10. They will cover five zones across Singapore and cater to an average of 80 people a tour.

The north-east tour, for instance, will cover stopover points such as Punggol Waterway, Punggol Jetty, Pasir Ris Town Park and Tampines Round Market.

Those interested can sign up on the SG50 website at www.heartmap.sg

The SG50 project has been collecting stories via its website, contribution booths and roving vans since its launch six months ago.
Organisers said about one in four contributions centres on lives and memories in Housing Board towns. The first HDB satellite town, Toa Payoh, is mentioned the most.

Noting the mix of older areas such as Little India and new sites such as Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Sports Hub, Ms Fu, who is co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the project, said: "It shows that, actually, we have some acknowledgement about past developments and appreciation of newer ones.

"By going through this SG Heart Map exercise, we realised that Singaporeans are building new and common memories together in new places."

In her contribution to the map, she chose the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which the country hopes will soon be named a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Ms Fu said she used to go on dates and strolls there with her boyfriend - now her husband - technopreneur Ivan Lee.

"There was one night we did not really look at the clock and we exceeded the time, so the gates were closed. I remember having to go around looking for the warden to open the gate for us," she said.

"This is the place I have very fond memories of... I used to go there with my family... and I still go there to jog regularly now from my (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) office. So indeed, it is a place that means a lot to me and I'm still interacting with it every day."

Homing in on 50 fave spots on SG Heart Map
Melody Zaccheus My Paper AsiaOne 25 May 15;

Under the moonlight, two friends perched atop a "super tree" fell in love. The lovebirds, university undergraduates Elena Ng and Jason Lee, had been working at the newly opened Gardens by the Bay during their holidays in June 2012.

It was at the OCBC Skyway, an aerial walkway linking a cluster of tree-like architectural structures up to 22m in height, that their relationship blossomed.

Said Ms Ng, now 24 and an engineer: "The skyway was our favourite station among the attractions. At the end of the night, when the crowds had left, we would linger for another 15 minutes chatting as we took in the view of the glittering skyline before us."

Ms Ng's story is one of 80,000 personal memories of places and spaces that are part of the SG Heart Map. The project has singled out 50 special areas that "define Singapore as home", to mark the country's 50th birthday this year.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu unveiled the 50 locations yesterday.

They include Little India, Orchard Road, Singapore Changi Airport and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Tours will be organised to rediscover some of these spaces.

The free tours will take place on June 27 and 28, July 4 and 5, and Aug 7 and 10. They will cover five zones across Singapore and can cater to an average of 80 people per tour.

The North-East tour, for instance, will cover stops such as Punggol Waterway Park, Punggol Jetty, Pasir Ris Town Park and the Tampines Round Market. People can sign up on the SG50 website www.heartmap.sg.

The SG50 project has been collecting stories via its website, contribution booths and roving vans since its launch six months ago.
Organisers said that about one in four contributions centred around lives and memories in Housing Board towns. The first HDB satellite town, Toa Payoh, was mentioned the most.

Noting the mix of older areas such as Little India, as well as new sites such as Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Sports Hub, Ms Fu - who is the co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the project - said: "It shows that...we have some acknowledgement about the past development and appreciation of newer developments.

"By going through this SG Heart Map exercise, we realise that Singaporeans are building new and common memories together in new places."

In her contribution to the map, she chose the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which Singapore hopes will soon be named a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Ms Fu said she used to go on dates and strolls there with her boyfriend - now her husband - technopreneur Ivan Lee.

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NTU puts green tech to the test on campus

The Straits Times AsiaOne 24 May 15;

A driverless electric shuttle that charges itself wirelessly at designated bus stops in only 15 seconds may soon become a reality at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Co-funded by the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (Eri@n) and the Economic Development Board, the shuttle is one of 10 joint industrial tie-ups to test-bed technologies under the $20 million EcoCampus initiative launched in April last year.

Other projects involve the testing of more efficient air-conditioning and lighting systems.

Currently in its first phase, which will last two to three years, EcoCampus will involve demonstration projects and testing.

The next phase will involve implementing the green technologies campuswide to help NTU achieve 35 per cent savings in energy and water consumption and waste disposal by 2020.

Programme director of EcoCampus at Eri@n Nilesh Jadhav said that overall energy usage per square metre at the campus has fallen by 7 per cent compared with 2011, when the campus started initiatives on saving energy.

Most of the projects will start to deliver results in one to two years.

"These findings will not only be useful for NTU, but also for other industry stakeholders in Singapore who are interested to save energy on their premises, but are anxious about the results and cost-effectiveness of new technologies to do so," said Mr Nilesh.

The executive director of Eri@n, Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, said that besides the electric shuttle, he hopes to install on campus systems which harness the energy of footsteps via a special type of flooring.

As for Navya, which costs about US$250,000 (S$334,300) commercially, it is hoped that the bus will ferry students and staff around the NTU campus and make short-distance trips from NTU to the nearby CleanTech Park within a year.

Routes can be pre-programmeed into the vehicle so it knows when to stop before a traffic light or at a bus stop, for instance.

The bus can cover 100km to 110km on a single charge, and travels at a speed of about 20kmh.

Currently, the shuttle can charge itself in an hour, compared with the six hours it took when the project began in 2013. Work is ongoing to make the charging wireless.

"Saving money is fantastic, but the ultimate aim is to reduce climate change," said Prof Subodh.

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Underground goods movement system could ease traffic congestion: Experts

An underground tunnel transporting goods between the future Tuas Port - opening around 2022 - and industrial estates will help ease traffic congestion, experts say.
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia 24 May 15;

SINGAPORE: Singapore already has an extensive rail network underground to transport people, but now it hopes to dig deep into its subterranean spaces to move goods.

JTC Corporation has called a tender for feasibility studies. It is asking for at least three tunnel alignments to link the future mega-container port in Tuas to the industrial estates at Tanjong Kling, Jurong West and Gali Batu. This includes looking at the depth, space allocation and maintenance.

The project - a first for Singapore - is expected to facilitate the movement of goods from point to point without relying on roads, therefore potentially relieving traffic congestion.

Assistant Professor Walter Theseira, transport economist at the Nanyang Technological University, said: “They want to move as much as possible underground, where the trucks are not competing for regular road spaces with buses and car drivers and so on.

"When you have a lot of heavy vehicles on regular roads, they add a lot to congestion, but they also pose some safety concerns. These are why if we can use something to help reduce the traffic load, that will be a good thing.”

The move is expected to optimise use of surface land for industrial purposes and other supporting facilities. Experts believe the underground goods movement system will be automated, with conveyor belts and self-driving cars being possible options. They said Singapore is ready for such a system given its experience in tunnelling work.

Said Prof Theseira: “If you look at the tender proposal, the term that the tender uses is a goods movers system, that's a clue that they might also be considering a system which is also being proposed by several European countries - that's basically an automated tunnel system where goods can be transferred from point to point without human intervention or people driving the vehicle, for example."

Mr Chong Kee Sen, president of The Institution of Engineers, said the system is “environmentally clean”, in the sense that “it minimises the environmental impact when you transport things on surface ground”.

He said: “Depending on the feasibility studies and the studies of the various consultants, it could be a mechanised system - not really a system where drivers are driving trucks underneath. It could be a train system where goods are being brought from one place to another place.

“In the Jurong area, we probably have relatively better soil conditions but you might still encounter soft spot or soft clay in the way so you probably have to be careful - like all tunnelling projects - you have to manage those.”

Besides the tunnel, there are also plans to construct another cavern in Jurong - this time, in Jurong West. Factors being considered include the ventilation system for the underground facility and the industries that can be housed there.

“Presently we are using these caverns for storage - like for Jurong island caverns, we store petrochemical products or oil, but this particular one in Jurong West and even Tanjong Kling will also most likely be for warehousing use,” said Mr Chong.

Mr Chong added: “In caverns, you have to go into quite a deep depth and then you are actually making a cavity within the rock mass, so the first concern and challenge is ensuring that you have a cavity that is structurally safe. And the other thing, of course, will be the infiltration of water into the cavity as it is - so these are the main significant challenges in terms of having caverns.”

The tender for the entire project closes on Jun 12, 2015.

- CNA/hs

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Malaysia: Sabah raises idea for shark park

RUBEN SARIO The Star 25 May 15;

KOTA KINABALU: The waters off Sabah may soon become the safest place on the planet – for sharks.

A Sabah Fisheries Department manager said they were planning a sanctuary here for the fish most often portrayed as menacing and deadly, famously by Steven Spielberg’s movie Jaws.

Head of marine resource management Lawrence Kissol said there would be a study later this year on such a safe haven.

Speaking at a workshop on ways to conserve sharks and rays in Sabah’s waters, Kissol said they would get feedback from groups such as the Sabah Shark Alliance.

The workshop was organised by the alliance.

He said the marine park would be closed to fishermen, except for limited periods, and would help protect sharks and rays.

For its part, the alliance wants to set up shark-fin free areas around Sabah and short-term bars on catching of manta rays.

People at the workshop also wanted to push a more positive image of sharks and rays and how they help the environment and economy.

The workshop also discussed legal protection for sharks and rays, a national action plan for the conservation and management of sharks and the need for responsible consumption of marine products.

The alliance is made up of, among others, the Malaysian Nature Society (Sabah branch), the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and the Shark, Education, Awareness and Survival (SEAS) group.

Other members are Scubazoo, the Tropical Research and Conservation Centre,

WWF-Malay­sia, Shark Stewards and Land Em­­po­­werment Animals People.

Fin.

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Best of our wild blogs: 24 May 15

31 May - 5 Jun: Traditional Wayang at Pulau Ubin
wild shores of singapore

Checking Terumbu Pempang Laut in a mizzle
wild shores of singapore

Night Walk At Venus Drive (22 May 2015)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Birding Hotspot – Bidadari
Singapore Bird Group

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